“Stop going easy on him, babe,” Uriel said to Obie as he stood at a safe distance, arms crossed over his chest. “He can take more. Riley, watch your footwork. It’s sloppy, and you’re gonna end up tripping over your own feet.”
Shooting him a glare, I growled, and he rolled his eyes.
“Don’t give me attitude,” he warned, “or I’ll make you run again.”
“You’re a jerk,” I muttered under my breath as I solidified my stance in preparation for Obie’s next attack.
Uriel's reply was cut off by a pained cry, and I spun toward the familiar voice. Red blood stained white hair, and Noel cursed, voice nasally and thick. Isaac crowded him, apologizing profusely, but I barely heard his words. Noel’s pain crackled through our bond, and his blood was so bright. A terrible snarl erupted from my chest as crimson bled through my vision.
Fury burned through me at the angel who dared hurt my Committed, and electricity popped down my arms. Isaac looked up, face paling, but it was already too late. I was already charging him.
He scrabbled back in the mud, but he wasn’t fast enough. I lunged.
A glowing arm circled my throat, clotheslining me with a hard yank backward. I choked as my feet left the ground. I was slammed to the ground with a jarring crash, breath whooshing from my lungs. Uriel glowed bright and golden above me, hand splayed on my chest.
“Stay down,” he warned.
My rage found a new target, and I bared my teeth as I lifted a hand and blasted him off me. He flew back. I placed my hands on the ground behind me and pushed, jumping to my feet in one fluid motion. Uriel was already standing, eyes narrowed.
“Control, Riley,” he said. “You’re better than this.”
He was right. I was. I was stronger than the anger pumping through my veins. I was better than the dark desires pulsing in my chest, demanding I consume Uriel’s glowing energy. I was… I was.
But did I want to be? Because giving in was so much easier. It felt good to surrender. And Uriel’s soul would taste divine.
“You don’t know me,” I said, and his expression pinched.
“I know you’re angry. I know you’re hurt. I know you’re tired of fighting a battle that may never end. But I also know you’re strong, far stronger than we ever believed. And you’re a better man than all of us.” He pointed a finger at me. “So keep fighting. Because if you give up, if you give in, then it all would have been for nothing. Don’t let Lucifer win.”
Red sparks popped in my palms, but I fisted my hands to contain them. “Don’t you dare! You don’t know the half of what he did to me. So don’t you wield his name like you know.”
“You think you’re alone in your hurt, but you’re not,” he said. “We’re immortal. That gives ample time to experience pain. Just because we haven’t suffered your pain doesn’t mean we don’t understand what it’s like.”
“Shut up!” I shouted, and Gideon stepped in front of me, blocking Uriel from my view.
“Riley, that’s enough.” He approached me slowly. “Noel’s fine. There’s no danger here. Power down.”
I glanced at where Jai was dabbing at the blood already drying under Noel’s nose. The bonds between us were muddied and confusing. All I knew was that my Committed was hurting, and I needed to stop it.
And the monster was hungry. It had been denied for weeks, and the energy around me was overwhelming. The souls of the angels were bright and strong, pulsing like beacons in the night.
“Giddy.” I backed away as red sparks popped in my palms. “I can’t. It’s too much.”
Big hands circled my wrists, and flickering flames licked at my skin. Peppermint exploded over my tongue, and I groaned.
“You can,” he said firmly. “I know it’s a lot. But you can control it.”
“And if I want to hurt you?” I snarled.
Gideon grinned, flashing too many teeth. “You can try.”
His energy lapped at mine, and I could taste it. It was ambrosia and mint, sunshine and nectar. For a moment, my power reached out to take, but the bonds in my soul jerked. Like a leash, the bonds gave me something to grab on to, a way to hold the monster at bay. I clutched at the tethers and dug in my heels. Because I was not weak.
All at once, my energy sputtered out, and I gasped. My vision cleared, and I slumped into Gideon’s chest. “I’m sorry,” I said into his sweaty fatigues. “I’m sorry.”
“You’re okay. You did well.” He rubbed his hand over my scalp. “You’re all right.”
“I was wondering when we were going to see the badass hybrid,” Jael said on a laugh. “You don’t disappoint.”
Horrified, I peeked around Gideon’s body and gaped at them. “What?”
“For real,” Isaac said, clutching at his chest dramatically. “That was awesome.”
“Are you insane?” I barked, shoving past Gideon. “I could have killed you!”
“Pft.” Isaac shrugged.
I gawked at my squad. The only angels who looked wary or perturbed by my outburst were Uriel and Deborah. Even Gideon stood relaxed beside me.
Fisting my trembling hands, I said, “There are parts of me that want to kill all of you, and you think it’s awesome? Do you have any idea how easy it would be to kill you right now?”
“We’re on your side, Riley. We trust you,” Obie said.
“I killed angels,” I confessed, the words strangling me. “I killed so many of you.”
“We know,” Deborah said, gray eyes hard. “We always knew, but we’re still here.”
I turned to Uriel. “What?”
Gideon answered me before Uriel could. “They were given a choice, Riley. They were told enough to make an informed decision, and they still joined your team.”
I could barely comprehend the magnitude of that. “Why?”
“Because you’re going to change everything.” Uriel barked a laugh. “You’ve already done it. Our society is changing for the better, and a lot of that is because of you. And maybe we’ll lose the war in the end. Maybe Lucifer will find a way to win. But it won’t be without a fight. If we go down, we go down swinging. Together.”
My heart swelled in my chest. “Okay. But I’m not always in control. I get angry sometimes, and I”—I looked at Isaac—“I’m sorry. I don’t want to hurt any of you, but I could. If I lost control—”
“Why do you think we’re here?” Jael smirked. “We’re a team. When one of us is weak, the rest are strong. We hold each other up.”
“And if you get murder-y, we’re here to make sure you only chew on fallen angel jugular. Not ours.” Isaac grinned. I continued to gawk.
“You’re not some chosen savior, sent here to save us.” Deborah crossed her arms over her chest. “You need us the same way we need you. You’re powerful, but you won’t get far alone.”
“There’s no I in team,” Obie said.
Studying each of them in turn, I shook my head in wonderment. “You know I’m unstable and, to a certain extent, wanna suck out your souls, and you’re okay with that?”