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skipped out. He rubbed the back of his neck. At least they d been able to wash up at Daisis s before
changing. He had been covered in sweat by the time they had finished. His eyes slid over to Madigan.
He wondered how the man was even sitting at this point. He had to be as exhausted and sore as the
rest of them. Surprisingly Madigan was the one who looked the most animated.
 I really should go home, Christian murmured, sipping his water and lemon. Yuri s heart went
out to Madigan s friend. He d been  dating Azrael so the angel could get an entry into their house to
deliver a message of doom in person. The guy wasn t taking it well for obvious reasons.
 If you want us to call you a cab to take you home, we won t mind, Yuri offered, smiling
gently.  You and the others would be safer outside the city. They were three days to ground zero,
and the sooner they got out, the better.
Christian shook his head.  Can t. I wouldn t feel right about leaving Madigan to face this on his
own.
 It s not your battle to fight, Christian, Yuri reminded.  You aren t going to be able to
contribute much in the way of battle, and I worry about what this is doing to your state of mind.
 You don t know me well enough to worry, Christian said, his blue eyes sparking with
defiance.
Yuri held up his hands in surrender.  I m not attacking you, man.
Christian sighed, deflating.  Christ on a Ritz cracker, I suck at being perky when I don t feel like
it. I think I m just going back to Mrs. Parker s rental. He pushed back from the table.
Madigan noticed and looked up from his place at the head of the table.  Where you going?
 I m calling it a night, Christian said, pasting a smile on his face.  I ll grab something from a
fast food joint on the way back. Not in the mood for socializing.
Madigan didn t look like he was buying what he was selling, but he nodded nonetheless.
 Getting a cab?
Christian nodded.  Yep. I ll see you later. We re meeting at the tower Friday at seven, right?
 Yeah, Madigan affirmed, picking up his glass of sweet tea.  See you then.
 Stay safe, Madigan. With that he turned and walked out of the room. Yuri sighed. It had to
suck trying to be supportive and yet dealing with heartbreak at the same time.
 So, Yuri, Madi tells us that you are a scholar, Mrs. Parker said, smiling. She was clearly
trying to wash away the feeling of negative energy that Christian had left behind.
 That is my function in our family, ma am, Yuri said, remembering his manners.  I keep the
others straight.
She smiled.  That must be quite the task.
 It can be. He grinned and winked at Madigan.  They can be trouble when they want to be.
Madigan s face colored, and he started chugging his tea to cover it up. Yuri just laughed.
 So how is the training going? she asked, directing her question at Yuri once again. It was odd.
Most people directed all pertinent questions at Cross even when Yuri was the one who knew the
answer. It seemed that Madigan s mom understood the dynamic. Cross might have been a brilliant
strategist when it came to fighting, but Yuri was the brain in so many other ways that it wasn t even
funny.
 Madigan has made some real progress in the past two days. We ve finally figured out how the
power works, and we should have him trained up nicely for Friday s stand. Yuri didn t voice the
fact that he thought that Madigan needed way more time than they had to get ready for a confrontation
with hunters. He knew better than to even go there. No one needed the reminder or the thought at all.
She clapped her hands.  Good. Raphael has been so tight-lipped about the whole thing that I got
a bit worried. Speaking of which  she turned her head toward Madigan  your father wants to go
for a walk with you around the city. He wanted to let you know if you wanted to join him that he
would pick you up after supper.
Madigan glanced at his guardians, clearly seeking permission. Cross looked around the table,
and Yuri nodded his approval of the idea. No hunter in their right mind would attack a nephilim in the
presence of an archangel. It would be stupid and suicidal. Plus, Yuri was beginning to suspect that
Azrael hadn t been exaggerating when he d said he would give them a week. It was strange to believe
that Halloween was only three days away. He wouldn t even know there was a holiday approaching
if it weren t for the decorations around the various restaurants.
 I d like that, Mom. Madigan was really enjoying getting to know his father even if it was
under some very stressful circumstances. Raphael, from what Yuri had seen at least, was enjoying the
same. He d never seen an archangel as tender as Raphael was toward Madigan and his mother. It was
an interesting sight. In all the time he d been under Lord Uriel, he d never seen him do more than give
orders and run things with all the efficiency of a general. Granted, Uriel loved books more than he
loved anything. So Yuri could probably recall a time or two where he got sentimental over a
particularly old book or obscure text, but that was the extent of his warm and fuzzies.
The waitress arrived to take their orders for their meal, and Yuri was pleased with Bren
ordered them a couple bottles of wine as well. They needed to relax a bit.
 Feels a little like the last supper, huh? Dex asked, biting into his breadstick. Yuri looked over
the table and nodded his head in agreement.
 A bit. It s the calm before the storm. There would be no trick-or-treating this holiday. The real
monsters were going to be dropping in, and no one would be doing much celebrating. Barricade their
doors against the onslaught, maybe.  I just wish I could stop thinking about it. It just keeps circling in
my head like a bad dream.
 It s definitely surreal in a bad way, Dex agreed.  I think everyone feels pretty similar. I mean,
we re all putting on happy faces, but there is a real possibility that we won t survive this. He
swallowed.  I might be regretting not running at the moment.
 Strength of character isn t defined by the choices we don t make, Madigan said suddenly. Yuri
looked up to see him staring right at them.  We will be judged by the fact we made a stand for
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