Chapter 25

CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE

AZIEL

Someone tackled me before I could figure out what Dante was talking about. I fought, tossing them away, but Iluz already had Dante by the hair. He grabbed Dante's wing, forcing it open, and horror slammed into my gut.

Camus cackled from his spot at the head of the room. "Did he never tell you? He killed his mother. As pathetic as she was, she was useful to me. He had to be punished for that. Didn't you ever wonder why he never opened his wings?"

His wings were torn apart. It could be hidden if he never opened them, but when he did, they were riddled with holes. A punishment for his mother dying in childbirth? He never had a chance to fly. They took the sky from him before he was old enough to understand. Fury burned through me and when another soldier tried to reach for me, I thrust my claws through his chin and threw him across the room.

I could accept my fate. The son of a traitor, the human lover. I never expected to live long. But Dante… He was a good kid. He was honest and protective and kind. He didn't deserve to be hurt for something he couldn't control. And they would pay for hurting him like that .

Turning to face my uncle, I let my magic build. He didn't look the least bit worried, an evil grin on his face as he stared me down.

"I can tell you want to kill me. But if you come for me, who will protect Dante?" His words made me hesitate, and he laughed maniacally. "Sentiment. It makes you weak. What will it be, Aziel? The broken cast out with no future, or the revenge you seek so dearly? Make a choice."

I took a step toward my uncle, the need to hurt him for what he did so overwhelming, I couldn't breathe. But I heard Dante's cry of pain. I couldn't leave him to suffer. He tried to protect me. I promised him I'd watch over him. So even though it would take away every advantage I had, I twisted, throwing my magic at the demons surrounding him. With a flap of my wings, I scooped up the humans and wrapped myself around Dante's small frame, using every ounce of power I had left to cross realms. It was exhausting doing it alone. Moving three people with me almost killed me. It left me weak, and I knew I wouldn't be able to protect him after this. But it was the only chance I could give him.

We landed in front of Athena's house. She was waiting for us, her arms outstretched. Shoving Dante away from me, I barked at him as I set the humans down at my feet.

"Go!"

He shook his head, but Athena pulled him into her arms, dragging him away from me. Stumbling back, I forced myself to smile at him. Blackness overtook the edges of my vision, the exhaustion too much to bear, but I pushed through so I could say goodbye. I didn't want him blaming himself for this.

"This was always going to happen. It's not your fault. I'm proud of you, Dante. Always remember that."

His eyes widened, filling with tears, but Kaiser and Iluz teleported beside me and I didn't have the energy to fight them off. They grabbed me by the arms, teleporting again without pause. I saw Dante reach for me before we were gone. We reappeared in Camus's home in the human realm, where a familiar face was waiting for me.

"Hello, brother."

DECLAN

Something didn't feel right. Aziel never missed a night here. He said it made him feel better to watch over us himself. He was so determined to protect us. And his family didn't meet until tomorrow night. It made no sense. I left Ollie in the living room, moving to my room so I could make a call without him eavesdropping. Callum answered on the second ring, his voice gruff.

"I know. I'm on my way. I'm going to move you and Ollie to Hendrix's home. Stay put."

"Okay. We'll be ready."

I considered calling my parents to come get Ollie when Aziel told me the truth. The only reason I didn't was because I was worried it'd only make more targets for Aziel's family to go after. They were safe on a cruise somewhere. Protecting two people was easier than protecting four.

Coming back to the living room, I tossed Ollie's shoes onto the couch. "Shoes on. We're leaving."

"Where are we going?"

"Somewhere safer than here. Callum will be here in a minute. I need you to do everything I say, alright?"

His brows drew together tightly, worry and confusion overtaking his features, but he knew better than to argue. He tugged his shoes on, and when Callum and Felix teleported into our living room, we were both ready. There were no words exchanged. They each put a hand on our shoulders and in a blink, we were somewhere new. New and crowded. Aziel told me a little about his friends and their mates, but this was significantly more than I expected.

"What's going on?" Tyler, Felix's mate, queried once they ushered Ollie and me onto the couches.

"This is a precaution. Aziel and Dante were summoned home, unprompted. He's worried about what this might mean. The Shadowwalker family is famous for the pain and violence they cause, especially against humans. Aziel has always been on the outs with them, but–"

"But then he met me," I murmured. "They found out about us, didn't they?"

Callum shook his head. "There's no way to know that. All we know is that it's safer to keep you here. If he needs us, we'll be ready, and the rest of you will be protected. I'd rather be overcautious than under prepared."

There wasn't much else we could do but wait. Ollie found a friend of his, apparently the daughter of Hendrix's mate, so they sat together and played. I didn't have the emotional capacity to be introduced to all the people here. I paced by the big window that overlooked the city, my phone in my hand as I waited for word from Aziel. My gut churned uncomfortably and the longer we went with no news, the more uncomfortable I got.

"He'll call. We're always worried when he goes to family meetings, but he always calls afterward. It'll be okay," Felix offered, but he looked just as worried as I was.

"How long does it normally take?"

He grimaced, shaking his head. "There's not a specific timeline. It can take hours or even days before we hear from him again. But–"

"Fuck!" someone shouted.

Whipping my head around, my mouth fell open as black smoke filled the room. I darted for Ollie, putting him behind me, but nothing appeared in the smoke. Everyone seemed to know what that meant but me, and Callum gave a knowing look to his friends before he disappeared.

"Wait–"

"Stay here!" Malakai barked, disappearing like Callum. The rest of the demons were gone in a blink. Fear coursed through my veins like ice and I stared at the spot where they disappeared from while the rest of the room burst into action. Three women and one man, including the woman who put wards on my shop, started murmuring, moving to four points in the room with their hands raised towards the walls. Another few started circling us like moving protectors, their stances low and ready. It left only the humans in the middle of the room. Tension shot through the ceiling and even though it felt like hours, only minutes passed before the demons reappeared. Malakai and Hendrix had two unconscious people in their arms, the bodies unmoving, with ropes around them. Callum held Athena's hand. And a sobbing Dante was fighting against Felix. But no Aziel. Where the hell was he?

"No! No! They took him! We have to get him!"

My heart stuttered in my chest. I moved without forethought, pulling Dante out of Felix's hold and setting him on his feet with my hands on his shoulders. He stared at me, pale and terrified, with a heavy dose of guilt in his gaze.

"Who took him? Where did they go?"

"M-My brothers. I don't know where they took him, but they're gonna hurt him. We have to get him back. He realm hopped with us. That's too many people. It's hard with just one. He won't be able to protect himself."

Cupping his cheeks, I brushed the tears away with my thumbs. "Okay. We'll get him back. I promise."

He sucked in a hiccuping breath before throwing himself into my arms. I hugged him tightly, looking up at the demons behind him with determination in my gaze.

"Where is he?"

"Declan, I know you want to help him, but–"

"No. I'm going with. I told him we'd do this together. I'm not arguing about this. Where the hell is he?"

"Camus Shadowwalker has two homes. One in this realm, one in the Other Realm. Camus is a cruel man, and he will want an audience. Aziel didn't just mate with a human. He rescued the ones Camus wanted. Time is short," Athena answered, her eyes hazy. "He wouldn't wait to begin his punishment." She blinked, focusing on me. "I promised him you and your family would be unharmed. If you go with them, I can't guarantee that. But he needs you. He won't last the night without hope. You're the only one who has ever given him that."

Releasing Dante, I pushed to my feet. "Then I'll go. Just make sure my little brother is safe."

"Declan!" Ollie protested. He pushed through the crowd, grabbing my shirt tightly in his fist. I didn't have the time to explain this to him, so I pushed Dante towards him, leveling him with a look. "Watch over Dante for me. I'll be back as soon as I can."

Dante's head jerked up. "N-No! I have to go too! I have to–"

"You both need to stay here. A demon battle is no place for little kids. If you want to help, talk to the council when they arrive. They'll need to know everything to go after Camus properly," Vivi argued. She already had her phone to her ear. Whoever the council was, she was calling them now. I brushed that away, kneeling in front of both boys .

"Look out for each other. And stay here. I can't get to Aziel if I'm too busy worrying about you. I'll be back."

Rising to my feet, I followed Aziel's friends out of the apartment and down to the parking lot. Callum handed me his keys, pointing at a truck parked nearby.

"If he's hurt and we're busy, you'll need to move him yourself. Let us handle the demons. You focus on getting him out. Don't bring him back here. My father will be waiting for you at the transportation tunnel. Bring him there."

I didn't argue, and I didn't ask why. I didn't care. My one goal was to get Aziel out. If Callum said the transportation tunnel was safest, then that's where we'd go.

"Okay. Let's do this."

Hold on Aziel. I'm coming for you.