Chapter 9

Leaving a newsroom, Samkiel rips off his tie and vents to Vincent and Logan about the stifling media tour required to calm mortals after Onuna’s lockdown. A month has passed without finding Dianna, despite new regulations and mortal alert systems. His powers feel unstable and his patience thin as leads dry up.

News arrives of a burned hotel. At the scene, Guild celestials comb the rubble. Samkiel, wary of calling the council and especially Imogen, fears summoning The Hand will signal war to Kaden and further unmoor Dianna. A young celestial shows hallway footage: Dianna, disguised among partying women, enters with a man, then hours later exits in her true form as fire blooms behind her.

Samkiel’s jealousy and grief surge, but he focuses. He refuses to escalate to The Hand, then channels his power, restoring the room to its pre-fire state. The reconstruction reveals fresh bodies scattered throughout and a mutilated man on the bed, underscoring Dianna’s volatility and stoking Logan’s fear for his missing wife.

A recovered scrap of red lace triggers Samkiel’s memory of a tender, teasing night with Dianna, sharpening his pain. For the investigation, he orders identities and connections. Vincent quickly finds the dead man’s name—Webster Mallon—and records tying him to Denvior Edge, a shipping dock with a history of illicit activity.

Rejecting escorts, Samkiel leaves Vincent and Logan to dig deeper. He rides a storm toward Denvior Edge alone, determined to close the distance to Dianna while resisting a broader mobilization that could ignite full-scale war.