Chapter 34

CHAPTER

THIRTY-FOUR

ACAROS

The fluorescent lights inside Target cast a glow on the aisle of baby clothes. I pushed the cart toward the small dresses that weren't bigger than the size of my palm and stopped in front of a pink dress with flowers and a matching bow.

My lips curled into a small smile, warmth spreading through me.

I picked it off the rack and placed it into my carriage with the fifteen other outfits I had chosen today. Iza had snuck off somewhere this morning—probably to see Dani or her friends—and I had all today to myself …

Just to browse the baby section of all the human stores.

An array of tiny onesies and miniature dresses lined the aisles. I ran my claws over the soft fabrics, my heart pounding faster than it ever had at the thought of bringing a hellion into this world soon. How would she look?

Like Iza or me? Maybe a mix of both with dark brown skin and small red horns.

After biting back the chuckle that rose through my chest and up my throat, I took another outfit from the aisle and headed toward the toys section. If I came home with our daughter's entire wardrobe and Iza hadn't gotten to pick any of it, I assumed she'd be angry.

Before I left the aisle, I stopped and grabbed one more outfit because Iza wouldn't be angry if we had a cute demon baby crawling around in one-piece suits, adorned with stars and flowers and animal designs, right?

I mean, how could she be mad at that?

Once I exited the aisle, I swung around the women's section, which was on the way to the toys, and searched for any matching outfits that I could get Iza. Butterflies fluttered inside my chest, and I realized how soft I had become in just a couple of weeks.

But I didn't mind much, especially if I could find matching outfits for them.

Yet with the warmth that filled my chest also lay uncertainty. The clothes were so small, and they would fit an even smaller baby. A baby that we'd have to protect, not only from the cruel world, but also from the angels above.

War was coming whether we wanted it or not.

Once I picked out a couple of toys— I need to save some shopping for Iza —I checked out my items at the counter. As I left the store with the garments neatly packed in two bags, I headed toward my car.

My phone buzzed in my pocket, but with the bags in both my arms, I let it ring until it stopped buzzing. But a moment later, it rang again. I set the bags on the top of the car and pulled my phone out of my pocket, spotting Iza's number.

"Hellcat, wait until you see all the outfits that I bought—" I answered.

"Acaros, I need to talk to you," Iza said, voice full of concern. "It's important."

My claws lengthened. "What is it? What happened?"

There was a long silence on the other end of the phone.

"Iza, what the fuck happened?" I growled, throwing the bags into the back seat and slipping into the driver's seat so I could get somewhere private to open a portal to Hell and find Iza now. "Where are you?"

She sniffled. "I … I killed her."

My heart dropped, and for a moment, I thought she was talking about our daughter.

"Who?" I asked, heart pounding.

"I … I don't know," she whispered. "Please don't be mad."

"I'm not mad, but tell me where you are."

"I'm in Pride with Clayton and Qina. I let them out because they'd been trapped in that prison for weeks now and I felt bad. And on our way back …" She sniffled again as a couple of people chatted in the background.

"Fucking Qina," I growled, stepping on the gas and driving toward The Lounge, where I could quickly and easily set up a portal to Pride. "If she touched you, I will suck her soul from her body and?—"

"She didn't touch me," Iza said. "An angel fell from the sky above … and attacked us."

I skidded to a stop in the alleyway behind The Lounge and sprinted out of the car to the club. After shoving open the door, I immediately opened a portal and stepped through it, rushing toward Pride as quickly as I could.

The line crackled and suddenly went silent.

Curse the bad cell service in these fucking portals!

When I stepped out into Pride, a chilling wind whipped around me. I bit my tongue at how fucking cold it was here and pushed past the guards in the portal room, heading down the stone path and following fresh footprints.

"Iza!" I called out, the wind carrying my voice.

I continued to run until I spotted a group of demons gathered in a field, Lucifer and Iza among them. When Iza saw me, she hurried my way and buried her face into the center of my chest, her chin quivering.

"I'm sorry," she mumbled. "I-I don't like killing."

Wrapping my arms around her shoulders, I pulled her toward me and assessed the situation. Body parts lay all over the place, and the torso of the fallen angel seemed to be twisted in many directions.

Clayton and Qina were being checked out by some medics, but looked badly bruised.

Iza placed her chin on the center of my chest and stared up at me through teary eyes. "I don't like killing, but she came down here and tossed Clayton and Qina around like they were nothing. And I know you don't like them, but it was unjustified. If this is how the rest of the war will be, then … I want to be part of it."

I swallowed and dropped one of my hands to her belly bump. "Not until you give birth."

"Not until I give birth," she repeated. "But if I have the power to help you and our family, then I will. I'm done being a pushover. I'm strong, and I want to start being strong. I want our daughter to know that her parents are powerful and protective of not only her, but of our kind too." Something sparkled in her eyes. "I want to win this war."

I snatched up her hand and squeezed. "Then, we will win."