I'm not afraid of death; I just don't want to be there when it happens.

  ~Meryem, facetaker council member

  Gregorios walked up to a fortified gatehouse in front of a walled compound on the outskirts of Jerusalem.

  He wore a wide-brimmed hat, a black T-shirt, and commando pants over a powerful young body that had just arrived via special air freight from Sweden. That proved far more efficient than traveling all the way across Europe to pick it up personally.

  The wall that stretched away to either side reared over ten feet, made of thick blocks of stone topped with razor wire. He spotted several cameras monitoring the outside. Melek was as paranoid as ever. One of the reasons Gregorios liked him more than most of his ancestors.

  The two armed guards at the gate eyed him suspiciously as he approached and one stepped forward to meet him while the second stayed back to cover him. When they demanded identification, he simply extended both hands, palms up, to display tattoos on his forearms.

  The man stared in shock. “Reuben?”

  Gregorios tipped the brim of his hat up to reveal his face. “I’m here to see Melek.”

  The guard stumbled back and both he and his companion snapped weapons up to the ready position but didn’t fire. Gregorios allowed himself a slightly deeper breath.

  First hurdle crossed.

  The second guard spoke quickly into his throat mike in Hebrew, but the barrel of his rifle never wavered. As the guards covered Gregorios, they took turns swapping out magazines. Smart. He’d felt the power of their enhanced bullets, designed to take down B-rank and stronger bodies.

  Seconds later the outer gates swung open and two dozen heavily-armed men swarmed out to surround Gregorios, military carbines ready. He stood unmoving in the middle of the kill zone.

  He suppressed the urge to cough. The sudden noise might just trigger a hail of specialty bullets even his A-rank enhanced body couldn’t absorb.

  Eirene spoke into his earpiece. “I can’t shoot all of them if they decide to become hostile, love.”

  He said nothing, but the twitch of his lips into a half smile triggered a chorus of shouted commands to stay where he was. The creaking of leather sounded loud in the night air as the men leaned into their rifles, ready to fire. They were as touchy as he expected.

  A solidly built man wearing camouflaged khakis stepped through the crowd. His salt-and-pepper hair was cut military short, and although he had to be pushing fifty, he still radiated strength.

  “Hello, Melek,” Gregorios said.

  Melek stopped three paces away, his expression calm but his eyes burning with hatred. He spoke in an angry growl. “How dare you come here?”

  “I want to make a deal.”

  “Then why do you wear the body of my son?” Melek demanded, leaning forward as if on the verge of lunging. “Where have you kept it hidden, demon?”

  “In a safe place. It would’ve been a huge waste to destroy such an excellent specimen.”

  He hated the idea of handing the body back over to the hunters. It was his favorite battle suit, branded with twelve beautifully customized runes. It was simply one of the most completely enhanced forms Gregorios had ever experienced.

  The most powerful hunters could push to the upper limits of B-rank, and Reuben had enhanced his body farther than anyone Gregorios had seen in a long time. Of course, getting attacked by it had been singularly unpleasant.

  He wondered if Melek understood just how close his son had come to accomplishing his mission. No one had come that close in almost two thousand years. If he hadn’t evolved his previous suit to A rank, he would have lost.

  Even so, his own body had been critically injured in the fight. So he’d taken Reuben’s and been thrilled with how well it performed. Since then it became his go-to battle suit, kept in cold storage in Sweden when not in use, concealed in a facility he owned.

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  “What crimes have you committed while posing as my son?”

  “I’ve taken excellent care of this body,” Gregorios protested. “I should bill you for the maintenance.”

  “And now you come here to taunt me.” Melek drew a pistol. “Did you really think I would allow you to escape, especially while desecrating my son?”

  Eirene’s voice spoke into his ear, “Not looking good, love. Try something different.”

  “Listen, we can stand here threatening each other, or I can restore your son. Up to you.”

  Melek hesitated, pistol by his side. “Why would you offer this after leaving my son in purgatory for so long?”

  “In my defense, Reuben attacked me. I spared his life.”

  “Better to die,” Melek said softly.

  “I offered him a chance to back down, but he refused.”

  “Don’t you lie to me!” Melek raised the pistol.

  “You don’t have to believe my version of what happened that day, but believe me when I tell you I didn’t come here to fight. I come in good faith, with an honest offer to restore Reuben if you agree to give me a few minutes of your time.”

  That surprised Melek enough to lower the gun again. “What new devilry is this?”

  The man was getting repetitive. “Listen, if I wanted you dead I could’ve just strapped a bomb to my chest and taken all of you with me.”

  That triggered a nervous shuffling among the surrounding men. Even with C or B-ranked enhancements, there was only so much damage a body could take. The right kind of bomb could still shred them like normal mortals.

  He continued. “But clearly I didn’t do that. We have a bigger problem now. Time to move past the old hates.”

  “Easy for you to say.”

  “You think it’s easy for me to walk up to this gate and let you surround me?” He smiled. “I appreciate your faith in me.”

  “Enough of your lies,” Melek hissed.

  Before Melek could again raise his pistol, Gregorios advanced a step and leaned close to Melek. The man did an impressive job of not retreating, but couldn’t hide the flicker of fear in his eyes. All the surrounding men leaned forward, fingers on triggers.

  “Stop wasting my time,” Gregorios growled. “You have a choice to make. Restore your son or kill your enemy. What’s it going to be?”

  Melek’s expression mirrored his internal struggle as reason battled intellect. Thankfully, reason won.

  He spoke through clenched teeth. “Come then. Restore my son.” He motioned toward the open gate.

  Just then, a young man rushed out through the gate, still donning his jacket. He looked to be in his mid-twenties. Tall, dark haired and in excellent condition. “Let me kill him father!”

  Eirene’s voice whispered into Gregorios’ ear, “So much like his great grandfather.”

  “Not yet, Alter,” Melek said without turning.

  Alter raised a pistol he carried in his right hand. “Why not? He’s right there! I’ll do it.”

  “He’s wearing Reuben’s body.”

  Alter gasped, then snarled with rage, “He’s mocking us and you stand there doing nothing? Kill him!”

  “Son, wait--"

  Alter settled into a shooting stance, pistol aimed at Gregorios head, finger already pulling the trigger.

  The gun snapped out of his hand and he yelped in pain, clutching his bleeding hand to his chest. They never heard the report from Eirene’s suppressed rifle.

  Gregorios said, “I would’ve expected a son of yours to show a little more discipline, Melek.”

  Alter took an angry step forward, but Melek motioned him back. “Stand down, Son.” Then he turned to Gregorios, “I trust there will be no other injuries.”

  “That’s up to you.”

  Alter approached Melek. “Father, why don’t you kill him?”

  “He’s going to restore your brother.”

  “He’s a liar, Father. Don’t believe him.”

  “He claims to have come in good faith. We will prove him.” Melek gestured to Gregorios, “Come, I’ll take you to my son.”

  Gregorios chuckled. “Not like this.”

  “I told you,” Alter cried. “Give me a gun.”

  “You will keep your word,” Melek said angrily, “or you will die right now.”

  “I always keep my word, but I cannot restore your son to this body unless I have another available to transfer to, can I?”

  “What do you have in mind?”

  “Like I said earlier. I’m here because we have a greater threat to deal with.”

  “Like what?”

  “When’s the last time you faced a cui dashi?”

  Another murmur rippled through the crowd. “Those demons were exterminated.”

  “Apparently not. And this one is more dangerous than most.”

  “Why is this our problem?” Melek asked.

  “You’re hunters. It’s what you do.”

  “And your council fields teams of enforcers. Or are they too busy still hunting you?”

  “There are other complications. I need your help.”

  That generated more whispers, and hunters exchanged incredulous looks.

  Gregorios cautiously pulled a bundle of photos from his pocket and extended them. Melek accepted them and risked a glance. Then he looked again.

  “Where did you get these?”

  “They’re inscribed on a machine.”

  “What machine?”

  “Like I said, complications. I’ll give you the details when we meet to restore Reuben.”

  “Meet?”

  “You’re a man of honor, but I think it prudent to meet at a more neutral location. I restore Reuben and you tell me about those runes.”

  Alter interrupted. “Don’t let him go, Father. We’ll never see him again.”

  Melek looked torn. He glanced from Gregorios to the photos again. “When?”

  “Tonight. Northeast side of the city. Near the Hebrew University is a cozy little garden.” He extended another piece of paper. “Specific directions. Come alone.”

  Melek took the paper. “If you betray me in this, every resource we possess will be dedicated to the single task of destroying you and everyone you love.”

  “Get your homework done. I’ll see you tonight.”

  He winked at Alter. The young man snarled, hands balled into fists, but a warning look from his father kept him in his place. Gregorios walked away. The circle parted and he forced himself to move confidently, despite all the rifles pointing at his back.

  In his ear, Eirene whispered, “You think they’ll try to double cross us tonight?”

  “I’d be disappointed if they didn’t.”