40. Chapter Forty

My heart fell through my stomach when I watched Lori disappear through the ground. I knew Mordecai would have something planned. He was too smart to just expect us to hand Lori over to him so separating her from us was his best bet at defeating us and getting what he wanted.

I tried to make my way over to where the ground had given way, but my feet began to sink into the earth as if I were in a bog. Fucking magic.

I snapped my wings open and beat them ferociously, spreading them wide and trying to get some lift as I strained to get into the air. But it was no use, I was stuck.

“Shield your eyes!” Fenris roared. I had barely a second to do as he asked before the ground erupted into flames, dispersing the magic and allowing me to get free.

I landed on solid ground just as a bloodcurdling war cry erupted into the air.

Fuck.

A swarm of demons, vampires, and Guardians appeared all around us. The secondary teams launched into action and magic and fire burnt the sky.

“Where they fuck did they come from?” Jasper said as he came to join us.

I looked behind him. “Where’s Lori?”

“Working on a way out.”

“You left her?” Cassian growled.

“We don’t have time for this,” Jasper yelled above the sound of the battle around us.

“As much as we don’t like it, he’s right,” Fenris said calmly. “We’ve got bigger problems.”

I looked out at the scene unfolding around us. It was a scene straight out of a nightmare.

“Cassian, take to the sky, provide air support,” Jasper commanded.

“Fine,” he replied before bursting into his dragon. It was an amazing sight. I hadn’t had much interaction with dragons so when midnight black scales erupted over his skin and his wings spread wide, I was a little in awe.

In my fascination of the dragon – which I would never mention to him, even under pain of death – I’d missed Jasper’s other instructions. The team fanned out, Alec transforming into his lethal Hell Hound, the two mages disappearing into the smoke of varying colours, the fire demon erupting into flame and attacking some other lesser demons alongside the witch. It was amazing to watch. They worked together like a well-oiled machine, and I suddenly felt at a loss.

“What do you need me to do?” I asked Jasper.

He pointed to Camael and the Guardians. “Take care of them.”

I caught Camael’s eyes and grinned. “With pleasure.”

I spread my wings and propelled myself across the battlefield, slamming into him and carrying him high into the sky. His yell of surprise hit my ears just before his hand slammed into my chest, breaking my grip around him so he could spread his own wings and fly away from me.

“Long time, no see, Lucifer.” His mouth was contorted in an asinine grin. This was what I hated about righteousness. This blind following. Thinking that you were doing right by everyone, but you couldn’t see the destruction you were leaving in your wake.

“Stop this madness, Camael.”

He raised his sword towards me. “It’s not madness. Can’t you see? The world is poisoned. We need to start again.”

“You’re wrong and Mordecai will betray you.”

“No, he won’t. He needs me.”

I shook my head. “You’re a fool, Camael. The moment you’re no longer useful, he’ll kill you.”

He roared and dove towards me. I dodged and rolled through the air, missing his Divine blade by inches.

“No!” Camael bellowed. “I will be Divine, and I will restore balance.”

I wasn’t going to get through to him. He was consumed by his beliefs, blinded by them and unable to see that there was more to this than just thinking you could fix things by taking the crown. People weren’t good or evil, there were mores shades of grey then we could comprehend, and it was that understanding that made my father perfect for being Divine. If Camael was the Divine One, I doubted anyone would survive.

“Drop the sword and face me as an equal,” I goaded, knowing he’d be unable to resist the taunt.

The corner of his mouth cocked up into a sneer, but he sheathed his precious sword. “As you wish.”

There was a moment of stillness and then we collided in an explosion that was brighter than the sun.