Chapter 20

20

I threw myself over him, my arms wrapping around his neck, and half of my torso over his. He grunted but wound one arm around my waist and held me tight.

“By the light, I haven’t felt this relieved in a while,” I said.

Levi buried his face in my neck, placed a gentle kiss under my ear, and whispered, “I missed you, sweetheart.”

Lacey cleared her throat. “We don’t want to see anything not PG rated.”

Reluctantly, Levi and I pulled apart, but I kept my hand on his arm as we stood. Once on our feet, he slid my hand down and entwined his fingers with mine.

“Thank you,” Levi said, first staring at me, then his sister, and then at everyone else. I knew these words weren’t easy for him to say, and I was sure he wouldn’t repeat them for a while, but I could see the emotion in his blue eyes.

“That explosion released a lot of magic, and it felt like a beacon.” Topaz approached us and handed me the dagger. “You should go before trouble finds you.”

“Trouble always finds me.” I took the dagger from her.

Levi’s eyes narrowed as he stared at the dagger.

“What about her?” Abbie asked.

We all turned to the smaller circle, where the mad angel still yelled and punched the wall.

A growl started low in Levi’s chest.

“You guys go,” Topaz said, “and I’ll keep her locked in here for the rest of the day.”

“What if she attacks you?” Aspen said.

“She can try, but she won’t be able to.” Topaz offered us a small smile. “My cottage is warded and only those with no ill intentions can approach it.”

“But she’s powerful,” I said.

“Are you doubting my powers?” Topaz feigned annoyance.

“Then let’s go,” Lacey said, her voice still flat.

I let go of Levi’s hand and reached for Topaz. “Thank you for?—”

My words died as a new sound reached my ears.

The zooming of something approaching fast.

Angels.

I looked up, and sure enough, a dozen or more angels dressed in their white and silver battle uniforms flew directly at us.

“I’m on it,” Aspen said, as he moved his hands fast and started opening a portal.

A light bolt zipped from behind us, hitting Aspen’s side, and stopping the spell. He fell backward, and for a moment I feared he was dead, but then Lacey knelt beside him and told us he was just injured.

Behind us, dozens of new angels approached, and these were much closer than the others.

“Shit,” Levi muttered.

“Get ready!” Ava yelled.

The demon hunters formed a wide circle around us. Wyatt, Farrah, and Zad joined them.

Lacey put her hand over Aspen’s wound, closed her eyes, and three seconds later, pulled her hand back. The wound was gone.

“Thank you,” Aspen said.

“Can’t you open a portal?” Zad asked Abbie.

She shook her head. “My portals are tethered to the Grand Eternity Hall. Only I can go there.” She pressed her lips for a second. “And I won’t open one to the hall now.”

She was right. The angels were too close already, and they would be upon us in a minute or less. By the time she cast the portal and we all crossed, an angel or ten might cross with us.

We couldn’t risk it.

Besides, I knew Abbie’s instincts were to protect the hall. Bringing this many supernaturals there probably felt wrong.

Rage frowned at me. “You can’t let them get the dagger.”

I wrapped the cloth around it again and tucked it in the waist of my pants, a little sideways, so it wouldn’t bother me during the fight.

Topaz touched the frosted wall of Ylena’s circle. A jolt of electricity coursed through it. Inside, Ylena yelp as the electricity zapped her, and she fell to the ground. “She’ll be out for a few minutes,” the witch said.

I nodded, glad to have one less thing to worry about now.

“Everyone, protect Ariella,” Rage said, loud and clear. “We can’t let them get to her.”

All of my friends surrounded me, forming a circle around Levi and me.

Levi grabbed my hand again and squeezed tight, his eyes on the sky as the angels got closer.

I recognized Julien and Izrail among the first dozen, and when I glanced at the bigger group, I saw none other than Archangel Rhodes leading them. And right by his side was Archangel Sariel. Behind them, I saw Mihael and Briela, an angel who had been two years behind me at the academy. I didn’t recognize any of the others, but I did count again.

In total, there were twenty-eight angels, against fourteen of us.

And Ylena, who didn’t count at the moment.

As expected, Rhodes stopped a safe way from us, but Sariel continued, leading the angels closer. When they were in range, the angels sped up while throwing light magic at us.

The witches and the warlock create a shield over us, to give us some time. But as we called our magic and held our weapons, the angels landed and surrounded us.

“Ariella,” Sariel called me, sounding bored. “Tell your friends to surrender. If you bring the dagger to me, they won’t be harmed.”

“Why would I?” I asked, trying to feel as bold as my words. “You only have twice our number. I think we can take you.”

“In a matter of minutes, a hundred angels will be upon you.” A wicked smile spread over Sariel’s pale lips. “There’s no hope.”

“There’s always hope,” Zad said.

Sariel glanced at him. “Fancy seeing you here, Zadkiel. Realize now why your dear mentor let you stay away?” She laughed, but it was short-lived. “You have five seconds to decide, Ariella. What is it going to be? Are you going to let your friends die because you’re stubborn?”

I pressed my lips and glanced at my friends.

“Don’t fall for it,” Lacey whispered.

“Don’t worry about us,” Farrah said, equally low.

“Protect the dagger,” Rage reminded me.

It pained me to know that if we didn’t win in the next few minutes, we would all die, but it also filled me with pride to know my friends had my back.

Startling me, Rage lifted his spear. “We have minutes to kill them all!” he shouted.

The witches dropped the shield and Rage sent a big bolt of darkfire at Sariel.

And the battle started.

Levi let go of my hand as the flock of angels descended upon us. He quickly transformed into his demon self, grabbed the neck of an angel before he could land, and cracked his head on the ground.

I flinched with the violence but had my own problems to take care of as two angels advanced on me—Julien and Izrail. I called my sword and swung at them.

“Still don’t have your magic?” Julien asked, his tone teasing. “What a shame.” He cast a bolt of light magic and threw it at my face.

I twisted fast and dodged it, but not before I felt the heat of the bolt on my cheek.

When I twisted back, Julien was right at my side, his magic ready to hit me. But I was quicker. I leaned to the left to avoid the hit, and swung my sword wide, cutting his bicep.

He screamed and let go of his magic.

I lifted my sword, poised at his heart.

His eyes met mine.

I hesitated.

“So weak,” Izrail said from my right. Before I could step away, he brought his sword up and hit the pommel on my temple.

For a second or two, my vision filled with black spots and my head rattled.

I blinked, forcing my mind to clear.

Lost, I stepped back.

And heard a growl.

Levi turned to Julien and Izrail. Without ceremony, he sent a snake of darkfire at Julien, wrapped around him tightly. The angel fell to the ground, squirming against the dark smoky ropes around him.

Then Levi bared his teeth at Izrail.

Izrail’s face became paler. His arms trembled as he moved his hands and tried to summon his magic. But Levi was too fast for him. The demon lifted Izrail by his throat, placed his hand on the angel’s chest, and discharged his magic like an electrical jolt.

Izrail shook, his eyes rolled back, and when Levi let him go, the angel fell in a heap on the ground, right beside Julien, who screamed again.

With a deadly gaze, Levi turned to me and for a moment, I was scared he had gone back to being the same as before. The demon who had been lost to the darkness.

But he blinked, and the darkness fell away.

“Are you okay?” he asked.

“I’m—”

A light whip cut the air between Levi and me, and we both turned to see Sariel and two other angels standing too close for comfort.

Sariel wrapped the whip around her forearm. “Last chance, Ariella.”

I looked around—the battle raged, and though I could see some of them were hurt, my friends were holding on. I couldn’t give up now.

“Go fuck yourself,” I said.

Levi scoffed and Sariel’s face turned red.

Someone moved behind Sariel.

Rhodes.

He was flying to where Ylena was imprisoned. A swell of rage and panic flooded my veins.

I tried sidestepping Sariel, but she moved with me. “Where do you think you’re going?”

Levi sent a bolt of darkfire at Sariel’s face. She barely had time to step back and avoid it. She stared at him with wide eyes.

“Go,” he mouthed at me before engaging Sariel and keeping her occupied.

I ran to Rhodes as he reached for the barrier around the circle containing Ylena.

“Stop!” I shouted without really thinking.

The archangel glanced at me. “Or what?”

I halted and swallowed hard. “Whatever it is you want to do.” My shoulders sag. “Just stop, Rhodes. All of it.”

He let out a hollow laugh. “Dear Ariella, always so sweet and innocent. You have no idea how this world works, and never will.”

He turned back to the circle and I reached for him, intent on stopping him.

But two sets of arms wrapped around mine from behind and kept me in place.

“No!” I jerked against the hold of two angels.

A bolt of red magic hit Rhodes in the shoulder. With a snarl, he spun around and faced Topaz. “Oh, the witch who cast this circle. Exactly who I need.” His Celestial sword appeared in his hand, almost twice the size of mine. “This should be fun.”

He came at her with his sword, but Topaz wasn’t fooled. She raised a barrier with her magic and cast bolts from that barrier to Rhodes.

Fast like lightning, he cut through those bolts with his sword as if they were slow and made of paper. With each swing of his sword, he advanced, until he struck his sword on the barrier, breaking it.

The force of the impact rattled Topaz’s powers and she stumbled back while casting another bolt. But Rhodes grabbed her wrist before she could throw it at him and pushed her hand into her chest.

Topaz’s magic hit herself and she fell back with a heavy thud.

I cried.

Rhodes tsked. “I thought it would be more of a challenge.”

With Topaz out, the barrier around the smaller witch’s circle broke.

Ylena appeared.

Rhodes smiled at her. “Ylena, it’s so good to see you.”

Ylena, still in her crazed angel mode, stared at him with suspicion.

In in the span of seconds, a series of things happened: someone reached into my back, grabbed the dagger, ran it up my back, drawing blood, and threw it over my head.

I let out a cry as the dagger landed right in Rhodes’s hand.

He closed his fist around the hilt and plunged it into Ylena’s chest.

“No!” I shouted again, jerking against the angels holding me. I tried summoning my sword, my magic, but nothing would obey me. And the cut on my back began throbbing, which made it harder for me to focus.

Ylena gasped as Rhodes tested the dagger. He turned her back to normal, but he didn’t stop there. He consumed her power, making her weak and frail. And all she could do was gasp.

He kept taking until she looked like a thousand-year-old mummy … and died.

With a deep inhale, Rhodes pulled the dagger out of her body, let it fall to the ground like crumpled paper, and glanced at me. “Your turn.”

A groan echoed from behind me as Levi soared in an arc and flew toward Rhodes—his shoulder bleeding. The two grappled for a moment, and Levi’s fingers closed around the dagger, but Sariel came from behind and sent a jolt of light magic directly into Levi’s back.

He let out a roar and fell to his knees.

I called my magic. It fought and trembled against me, but I was able to hold on to it to send it toward the two angels holding me. It shocked them, making them release me.

I ran to Levi.

“To make sure you’re not going anywhere,” Rhodes said as he raised his hand and sent a big light bolt at me.

With a gasp, I banked to the right but wasn’t fast enough. The bolt hit the left side of my chest with enough force to take my breath away and push me to the ground. I fell, my head swirling.

“Time to go,” Sariel said to Rhodes.

He nodded. “The others will finish them off when they get here.” He gripped the dagger. “We should get this out of here.”

I watched with blurred sight as Rhodes pushed off his feet and took to the air. Sariel pushed too, but before she could fly, Levi jumped at her, grabbed her wings, and drove her face first into the ground.

With a mighty roar, he ripped one of her wings off. Her horrifying shriek made me recoiled as blood splattered everywhere.

Levi started pulling the other wing.

Until a light bolt hit his arms and he hissed, releasing her. With trembling legs, Sariel pushed away from Levi. Two angels swooped down, grabbed her arms, and flew away with her.

Breathing hard, Levi sat back and watched as our enemies flew away.

With the dagger.