16. Diana

You want to turn into dragons and burn these fuckers to ashes? Oisín asked, a manic sparkle to his smile. He seriously had the craziest ideas. Aerial views are the best, and this is a vaulted ceiling…

You just like turning into a dragon, don't you?My brother was a showoff and didn't care who knew it… He also morphed into an adorable green dragon.

Like you don't,he snarked back. Come on! I'll go on one side and you can go on the other and we can meet in the middle.

My magic teemed underneath my skin, revved up and ready for a fight. I felt like I could conquer the world. The buzzing hum of magic, grunts, and screams were my soundtrack as I raced to the back of the ballroom, dodging attacks left and right in search of a space big enough to morph. If I had these skills back in grade school PE class, maybe I wouldn't have been bludgeoned to death in dodgeball so many times. Or bullied so much for not being able to duck a hit.

A fireball hit me square in the back, and I turned, finding a creepy, tall figure in a black plague mask. The beak was long and curved, with blood splattered haphazardly across it. What in the fuck is this–a Halloween costume contest? I think the design was meant to frighten people… Honestly, it just looked stupid. I flung the mask off his head, revealing a cocky, angry man. His eyes were yellow, with slits for pupils, feline in nature. Before I could guess what kind of supernatural he was, he shifted into a tiger.

‘A" for effort, but D- for flair.My brother and I could morph into creatures that ate big cats for breakfast, so this parlor trick did nothing for me. I peeked over and found O fighting a bunch of reptilian shifters, so I had some time. My wings sprang from my back, unfurling to their full span. I didn't need to be anything other than myself to fight this asshole.

He charged at me, leaping into the air. Before he could tackle me to the ground, I froze him, lifting him high enough that everyone could see and hear his struggling, then encapsulated him into a sphere of fire. I had learned a few things from my older brother during training sessions, and this trick was top of the list.

What a nice distraction for his comrades. Good thinking, O's voice rang through my mind.

Checking in,Ares responded. What are you up to, LG?

You'll see, I teased him.

I made it to an open space in the back, and morphed into a sleek, blood red dragon the size of a yacht, keeping the embellishments to a minimum. Despite feeling invincible, I preferred to conserve my magic. I flew high, almost to the ceiling in search of the fuckers who dared to crash my fucking party.

Holy shit! Pick me up! Ares screamed through my mindlink. Let me ride you now and you can ride me later…

I busted out in a deep, rumbling cackle that scared the shit out of everyone. Red's soldiers started running for their lives, giving me a good idea of how dedicated they were to the cause. Ares' extra-as-fuck humor knew no bounds, but it was exactly what I needed to keep myself focused. Scanning the room, I found him dead-center with my fathers. I lowered myself enough that he could grab my paw and pull himself onto my back.

"I'm ready to barbecue my little baby back ribs," he cooed, rubbing my scales. "Let's go!"

We flew through the air, using our fire to pick off Red's forces. Judas locked the ballroom doors, leaving some of them huddled by it, desperate for an escape. Their shouting and screaming were in multiple clashing languages.

This chaos is music to my ears, LG. Wish you could see some of these seated dance moves, Ares lamented.

You can show me later after my ride, I quipped back.

The fear in the air was so palpable, Mal must have been having a feast. Oisín took the soldiers by the door out with one blast of fire and their charred corpses crumpled to the ground in a heap. Ares and I worked on the far side of the room, picking off the rest of the soldiers with masks.

The ballroom doors burst open, and Red sauntered in, his red robe hood pulled up to block his face. The mystery and subterfuge seemed pointless now and didn't give me the chills it used to. I can't believe I was ever scared of this pathetic man. Everyone on both sides stood stone still, as if they were frozen. Everyone but myself, Red, my men, and my family.

"Diana Morningstar!" His magically amplified voice radiated throughout the room. "Surrender, and I won't slay your lovers and family. I'll let them live."

Don't stand down, Lucifer ordered me. His freeze spell can't work on higher level magical beings, and he's bluffing.

"Are you here to welcome me back from my mission?" I asked him, trying my best to sound bored. "I see you didn't bring a gift–how rude."

He stopped, chuckling. "You're just like your father, a glutton for sarcasm and flair. But those cheap tricks won't sway me. Stand down, before I shoot you down."

The thought of being shot out of the sky shot ice cold fear down my spine.

No, Little G, Ares whispered through the mindlink as he rubbed my scales. Take that fucker down, and we can bathe in his blood together. I know you can do it.

Birdie, finish him!Bash cheered me on.

Their silent support meant the world to me. Instead of playing his cat and mouse game, I attacked with stealth.

"Well, I guess since you asked–" I started before hitting him square in the chest with a lightning bolt of pure fury-laced fire.

It knocked him down, and all hell broke loose. Fighting erupted throughout the room and screaming cut through the air. He got back up, his hood pushed far enough back that I could see his face. Rough, gnarled patches littered his tanned skin and his eyes were inhuman orbs of yellow light, his once handsome face marred. Something had happened to him…but my curiosity would have to wait.

His magic took the shape of a long whip, the tail sailing through the sky. Ares' threw up a magical shield, blocking it as I flew through the sky, trying to get a better angle on him. Azazel flew through the air, hovering near me.

Diana, watch your back! He shouted through the mindlink.

I turned my head and saw more soldiers pouring through the door. Judas' vampires were holding them off, but some of them slipped through, including the three people behind me. Dressed in black cloaks, they stood behind me in a triangle formation. Their gray hands indicated that they were moon people. I had no clue what they were doing, but it couldn't be anything good. I flicked my tail, toppling them over. Ares hit them each with stunning spells, and Mal met us on the ground, grabbing one's cloak in each hand and fading away.

A thunderous clap echoed throughout the room. Smoked eked in through the doors, rolling over the room like a low hanging fog. I saw Desmond standing by the far wall, his shadows mingling with it.

Oh shit, he's doing it, Bash murmured.

Doing what? What's going on? I frantically asked.

Bain is by the front doors, watch him work, Desmond instructed me.

I didn't know Bain well, outside of training and the weird–but hopefully harmless–fascination he had with Angie. He was a Bone Whisperer, which was a rare supernatural being that hung between the balance of life and death, sort of like a gatekeeper of the afterlife? I didn't understand it well, but I knew he didn't simply practice Necromancy–he was necromancy in the flesh.

The smoky fog that covered the room turned into glowing white spirits. Some of them were from present times, while others were dressed in garb from times past. They attacked the soldiers, leaving a trail of corpses behind them.

Red seemed caught off guard by the swift change in our arsenal, so I took the opportunity to try to trap him in a fire ball like I had with the tiger shifter. If I can detain him, maybe we could get some information out of him. My first ball barely clung to him, disintegrating after a wave of his hand. He quickly came to his senses and threw bolt after bolt of magic my way, battering Ares" protective shield.

I'm trying to keep the shield up, but his magic is strong, Ares linked me.

I fought back with all the power I had, but our blows were evenly matched. A wisp of black out of the corner of my eye caught my attention. It was the third cloaked moon person. He had Azazel caught in some kind of magical lasso as he struggled to pull him down from the sky. Zaz's wings flapped, propelling him upward, only to be pulled back down by the trap. The magic left burned marks in his skin, and his face was twisted in agonizing pain.

Red saw the whole thing, and his maniacal laugh felt like a knife stabbing my ears. He shot Azazel with a red bolt of magic, right in his wing. My fallen angel tumbled from the sky, landing in a cry of pain on the polished wooden dance floor.

My rage was instantaneous, volatile, and swift. The floor quaked, and the chandeliers and decor shook back and forth, serenading us with clinking and the crack of shattering glass. Shards rained down on me, but I didn't give a damn. Red dared to hurt what was mine, and he would fucking pay–right here, right now. I was done with this super villain bullshit of his. I faded to Bain, took his hand, and forced him to fade back with me. I channeled my anger and fear and tried to tap into his magic. I busted through something that felt like a barrier, and my whole body vibrated with sharp pain. But it was worth it to have such powerful magic at my disposal.

"Diana, listen to me, you need to be mindful of what you're about to do," Bain hissed.

I ignored him, and gathered all the spirits in the room, commanding them to converge on Red. They overran him, swallowing him in a pearly white flash. I heard Red scream, and the cries of the spirits. The battle around us may have been silent or loud as a concert, but I was so focused on avenging Azazel that I blocked everything around me out.

The spirits waned, and I could see Red through their somewhat transparent forms. He looked worse than when his hood fell, a crumpled mess on the floor. A bolt of his magic shot up to the ceiling, and the spirits dissipated. Soldiers came to Red's aid, helping him off the floor.

"This isn't over. It's only just begun," he rasped before fading away. The handful of soldiers he still had left did too.

Bain dropped my hand, backing away from me with a horrendous expression on his face. If Angie hadn't described him as a fearless monster with an attitude problem, I'd say he was scared.

My men rushed to Azazel's aid, jumping over pieces of ceiling and bodies on the ground, and I moved to follow. But fell to the floor. All the invincibility I felt earlier fell to the wayside and was replaced by anxiety and fear. Pain ricocheted through me, tearing me apart from the inside. But none of that mattered. Azazel could be injured…or he could be dying. I couldn't see whether or not his chest was rising and falling from where I laid on the floor. Everything was blurry, and I couldn't breathe.

Michael grasped my hand and faded me away to a private room in the infirmary, promptly levitating me into a bed. The familiar neutral cream walls and beeping of machines felt like a cage. I hated this fucking place and didn't want to be separated from Azazel.

"No!" I gasped, trying to fade us back. I felt my body start to leave, but I wasn't moving. I couldn't escape.

"You need to lay down, Diana. Luci is going to be here any second," he said in a soothing calm voice.

"Pop, please, don't make me stay here. I need to be with him," I begged him. He couldn't keep me from Azazel. The room was a blurry blob of colors and I could barely make out his face in front of me. "I can't see you!"

"Is she okay?!" Lucifer's voice sounded wrong, his dominant resolve replaced by uncertainty.

"Dad! Please, I need to find him!" I screamed.

"Luci, you need to sedate her. The doctor is on his way, but her soulbond keeps pushing her to fade back to Azazel, even though I'm trying to keep her here with a lockdown ward. I don't want her to hurt herself."

"Consider it done," Lucifer said right before the room went black.