Chapter 33

CHAPTER

THIRTY-THREE

IZA

The scent of shit drifted through my nose. I gagged and held my breath, stepping into the brightly lit prison. Cages were stacked on top of each other to the ceiling and all throughout the building.

I pressed my lips together, trying not to let these hissing demons intimidate me, and walked through the cages to search for Clayton first. I didn't care so much about Qina, but I thought it was wrong to keep her locked up here for so long when Dani had been the one to send them both my way.

Acaros had other thoughts, but I didn't care. He had been acting off possessiveness and jealousy when he put Clayton down here. And I wasn't about to let that poor, nerdy boy suffer any longer.

"Iza," Clayton shouted to my left, clanging on the metal bars. "What are you?—"

After whipping my head around to spot him, I ran over to him. He knelt in the cage, dark bags underneath his eyes. I searched my pocket for a key that I might or might not have stolen off Lucifer when he grabbed me by the elbow. Once I shoved it into the lock, I yanked the door open, my fingers burning as they touched the metal.

"Sorry that it took me so long to come and get you," I said. I honestly forgot.

"Does Acaros know that?—"

"No."

Instead of following me farther down the walkway of cages, he inched back toward his own and lingered near the door. "Yeah, then … I'm just going to stay here. I don't want him killing me when he finds out that?—"

"That boy is not going to kill you," I said, hand running over my belly. "He's soft now that we have her on the way."

Clayton dropped his gaze down to my belly, then widened his eyes. "You're pregnant?"

"Yes. Now, help me find Qina, so we can get out of this bitter cold."

A couple of moments passed, and Clayton still stood at the cage door, as if contemplating whether or not he should actually follow me. But after a second, he nodded and headed my way, extending his arm toward a couple of chains on the right. "She's over here."

When we made it to her cell, Qina was passed out in the back, her once-smooth-and-soft skin now wrinkled and her hair graying. My eyes widened as I wondered how she could've transformed like this in only a couple of weeks. Yet she was still beautiful.

"Qina?" I asked.

Qina blinked her eyes open and sat up, brows furrowed. "What's going on?"

"We're releasing you," I said, plunging the key into the lock and swinging open the door. I crouched in front of it to get a better look inside and gave her my most pointed stare. "But if you even think about laying a hand on or flirting with Acaros, I will throw you in here myself."

Sitting up a bit taller, Qina grasped her head and nodded, her features returning youthful. "I only flirt with men for money. Not for enjoyment." She peered up at me, then held her hands up in defense. "But Acaros is off-limits."

"Good," I said, stepping to the side so she could escape the cage.

We walked down the cages and out the prison exit, into the biting cold. Wind seared my cheeks, and I slouched down in my hoodie to protect my ears, which felt like they were freezing the hell off.

I need to get home!

"Why'd you let me out anyway?" Qina asked.

"Because she's nice," Clayton said. "You should appreciate it."

Qina scrunched her nose. "Still have a hard-on for her? Wait until Acaros hears that."

Clayton covered his groin. "I do not have a hard-on for her."

"Mmhmm," Qina hummed.

Clayton's ears reddened. "I don't, Qina."

My lips curled into a small smile. They'd be cute together.

"Sure, let's call it?—"

Before Qina could finish her sentence, the white sky broke for a moment, and a blinding light blasted through the air, knocking us back. I landed on my side and cradled my belly, hoping our baby wasn't hurt.

In front of us, a woman emerged from the sky, the feathers on her white wings burning off, the dust floating in the breeze. Her bare wings cracked and crumbled to pieces, and she landed on the ground, feet from us.

Within a moment, Clayton was on his feet, shielding me from her. "Who are?—"

"You are abominations," she whispered, her voice cold and commanding. With one flick of a finger, she sent Clayton through the air and a quarter mile south. She stepped closer to us. "We will purge this entire world."

With a swift motion, the angel struck a bolt of light through Qina, sending her back, even farther than Clayton. The crash echoed through the frozen kingdom, and I stood, the ground trembling underneath my feet.

For a moment, I prepared myself for her rumbling attack. But she peered at me in confusion, and then a burst of energy rushed through my body. My vision darkened so I couldn't see the world around me, but the angel's aura glowed a deep red.

The aura lifted into the air. Twisted in ways that it shouldn't. Limbs were ripped off and thrown around the kingdom. And then the gooey sound of guts dripping onto a stone walkway drifted through my ears.

I blinked a few times, my vision slowly coming back to me, enough so I could spot the angel lying on the pavement, dead, all her limbs broken off and her body twisted in several directions. I sucked in a sharp breath and steadied my woozy body.

And it was in that moment when I made up my mind. I didn't care what anyone thought or said … I needed to be in this war.