“He’s going to have a tummy ache,” I said.
Roth ripped through the neck of a Nightcrawler. “That’s what Pepto is for.”
I snorted. “You’re going to need a big bottle—”
Roth lurched for me as fingers tangled in my braid, jerking my head back. I gasped as I suddenly stared up into the young face of some kind of winged demon.
“Gotcha,” it grunted, wings sweeping down as he lifted up—
Without warning, the demon’s head just fell off. The grip on my hair relaxed as the demon fell.
“Got you,” Zayne growled from above.
“That was hot,” I whispered as Roth grabbed my arm, pulling me out of the way of the demon slamming into the ground. “Thanks.”
Zayne landed beside me. “Thank me later.”
I smiled. “Planning on it.”
“Gross, guys.” Roth launched into the air, joining Layla.
The trees rattled behind us, as if a hundred birds were taking flight. I turned, seeing the dark shapes of Wardens spilling out into the air while Lucifer’s legion poured out from between the trees, racing forward.
Zayne grinned, his gaze meeting mine. My smile kicked up a notch as a Warden dropped to the ground.
A wall of flames went up behind, stretching so high I couldn’t see the trees behind it. Heat blew back, singeing our skin. At first I thought it was Lucifer, but he was ahead of us.
Then I heard the shouts—the screams—and my heart sank. The Wardens. Dez. Nic. Jordan—
I cut those thoughts off before I let them take hold. I couldn’t go down that road right now.
“Bael!” Lucifer shouted, whipping around. “Where are you, you conniving, traitorous—?”
A ball of flames spun from the corner, nearly catching the black kitten’s back legs. Another ball of flames rippled across the sky. Thumper dived, but wasn’t quick enough. The dragon shrieked as the flames singed his wings.
Roth spun around. “Familiars!” he shouted. “Return to me. Now!”
The familiars turned to shadows as they flew back to Roth, forming beads as they dropped down onto his bare skin. Roaring, Roth turned and shoved his hands through the chest of a nearby demon.
Spinning around, Zayne scanned the yard. “Where is Teller?”
“That was him?” I dipped, springing up behind a Raver. I lopped off its head.
“He was just here.” Zayne kept searching. “I don’t see him.”
“Did the flames get him?” I asked, shoving the dagger into the chest of an imp.
Shaking his head, Zayne turned to me. “Pull your grace in,” he ordered. “You’re starting to weaken.” Stalking toward me, he wiped his fingers under my nose. “Pull it in, Trin.”
I swiped at my face, but Zayne had gotten the blood. I wanted to deny it, but he was right. Pulling on the grace was weakening me. I let it go, cursing as the Sword of Michael collapsed into fiery embers.
Layla dropped on the ground in a crouch, rising slowly. “Dear God,” she panted. Oily blood spotted her face and hair. “It’s like we haven’t even made a dent.” She looked over her shoulder. “We needed them.” She turned to where Lucifer stood. “We need your backup.”
Snarling, he ripped the wings off an imp he caught. “They can’t get through.”
Heart racing, I peered into the mist and bright light, making out thicker, darker shapes ahead.
This was bad.
So freaking bad.
But that didn’t change what we had to do.
Swallowing hard, I turned to Zayne and stretched up, clamping a hand around the back of his neck. I pulled his head down to mine and kissed him. And it was no chaste kiss. Or tender. Our lips bruised together. Our bodies melded into one another. I drank him up in that kiss, as he did me.
When our lips parted, he was breathing raggedly as he pressed his forehead to mine. “We just need to get to Gabriel.” He reached down, unhooking my other dagger. “That’s all. We get to him and we end this.”
I nodded. “Let’s do this.”
“We’ll back you up,” Layla said as we pulled away. “We’ll keep them off you.”
“Thank you.” I took the dagger Zayne handed me.
He turned to Layla, touching her cheek softly. “Be safe.”
“You, too.” She swept into the sky.
Cutting through the demons, we caught up to Lucifer.
Crimson streaked his skin as he looked back at us. “We just need one shot, but we got a Hell of a lot of demons to go through.” His wings were out, tucked back and close to his body. “No matter what, Bael is mine.”
“You can have him.” Zayne swept a blade through the air, severing a Nightcrawler.
I thrust my dagger into the chest of a Hellion, and I let my rage take hold then, feeding me strength as my dagger sliced through the neck of another. I didn’t hesitate or pull back when the tips of claws skated down my arms, sending a wave of pain through me. I didn’t stop or look back when I heard Roth shout out a mouthful of curses. The three of us kept moving forward. I kicked off the ground, slamming my dagger in the leg of a winged demon as it swept down to grab Zayne. It fell to its back and then under Lucifer’s boot. I picked up the pace, jumping over a body as it broke apart and grabbing a fistful of Raver’s fur. I yanked his head back as I swung the dagger into the center of its back. The Raver screeched as I let go, his body catching fire.
Another wall of flames went up, too close to Zayne for comfort. The flame hit Lucifer, causing my heart to stop as he bellowed.
He staggered back as the fire swept across his body, exposing muscle and tissue. “Now that really pisses me off,” he yelled. His body seemed to already repair itself, but his wings...
Half of them were gone.
Panic bubbled in my throat and I fought it down as the wall of fire continued. I followed its path, knowing what I’d see.
Layla and Roth were now closed off, and it was just the three of us.
“Give up,” called Gabriel. “You’re not going to win. You lost the first day man sinned. It’s already too late. It’s always been too late.”
I hated it—hated it so much, because Gabriel...he might be right. I looked out, the ground choked with mist and smoke, and I could see a mass of demons coming forward. A practical army of them left, and it was just three of us.
Zayne landed beside me as a horrible, sinking realization hit me. I looked down at my dagger, stomach hollowing. I turned to him, my gaze searching out those beautiful blue eyes.