She frowned. “Now’s not the time?—”
But he didn’t let her finish. He swept down and kissed her with all the passion of a new lover. The rest of us fell quiet, though Calyx went unearthly still.Toostill. Then he turned away from the sight, his lip curling.
After a few moments, Lily made a baffled sound in her throat—half scoff, half laugh. “Uh, is now really the time?—”
Levi broke from the kiss but didn’t let Eliza go. “One more kiss, if this is to be our last.”
Eliza softened, her lashes lowering. “We’re both going to make it out of this, I swear.”
He stared at her with a soft smile. But it didn’t quite reach his eyes. Instead, he repositioned himself, his hand gripping hers. And from the look of his white knuckles, rather hard.
Eliza sucked in a sharp breath. “Levi. You’re…you’re hurting me.”
This time, when he smiled, it came out almost cruel. A mocking twist of his lips.
And then…the world tilted.
The gold bled from his hair like water sluicing off stone. That warm, sunlit glow around him blinked out. The edges of his face sharpened, his jaw widened, his cheekbones tightened. Wings spread from his back, but they weren’t the alabaster colour we’d all grown accustomed to. They were black. Blacker than night. And so massive, they nearly blotted out the light.
Everything about him changed, in a way I couldn’t believe, until Levi was gone and someoneelsestood before us.SomeoneI never would have thought possible.
Lily’s breath hitched like someone had punched her in the throat. My gut dropped, and everything within me went feral and still all at once.
His eyes found Lily first, and a deep, gravelly voice said, “Hello,daughter.”
Lucifer.
Lucifer stood an arm’s length from us. What the fuck? How was this possible? And where the fuck was Levi?
Eliza screamed, but before she could so much as move, Lucifer gripped her hard, angled her in front of him, then slid the flat of his blade against her throat. A hair closer and he’d split her flesh. All withtwohands. I almost snarled at the sight of them both. One shouldn’t have existed. I’d cut it off myself the last time we’d gone to war. The one now clamped around her waist was gloved, black leather pulled taut. Too stiff. But still functional. Magic shaped to mimic what he’d lost.
Mephisar snarled and reared back, his mouth opening and fire gathering in the depth of his throat.
“Don’t,” Lucifer said almost lazily, tapping the blade against Eliza’s throat. He shifted the siren, angling her body to shield his own. “Unless you want to watch me paint the sand with your lovely siren’s blood.”
“Mephisar, stop,” Lily rasped. Then she faced Lucifer, fire ablaze in her eyes. She even stole a step toward him. “Let. Her. Go.”
I snatched her wrist without looking, anchoring her to my side. Mephisar’s coils brushed my legs, trembling with restrained violence.
Lucifer’s gaze flicked to me, and a thin smile curved his mouth. “Rathiel,” he purred. “Still the disloyal soldier. Still so predictable.” His attention slid past and found Calyx. “You. Come.”
Calyx’s jaw clenched hard enough to crack enamel. He stumbled a step forward, his body jerking as he fought Lucifer’s command.
“Very good,” Lucifer said, pleased that Calyx hadn’t any choice but to obey. “Return to my army. Gavrel awaits you.”
Calyx’s shoulders jerked like Lucifer had yanked a chain. Calyx turned his head toward Lily—just a fraction—and for a heartbeat he looked like himself, all edges and defiance. Then his eyes glazed, pain swallowing the anger. His wings snapped wide and, with a grimace, he leapt into the air and arrowed straight toward the enemy ranks.
Shit. This was our nightmare come true. We’d hoped to kill Lucifer before he could gain control of Calyx again, to keep our word and win back his freedom. And now, he would side with Lucifer’s army, against his free will.
Lucifer lowered the sword a breath from Eliza’s throat. Not away—just enough to allow her to speak without nicking her. Heleaned down, mouth near her ear. “As for you,” he murmured. “Do you remember last night? How you promised yourself to me? How you swore we’d always be together?” An evil laugh slipped past his lips. “Oh, sweet Eliza. Now we will be. And it’s your own fault.”
Eliza’s face drained of colour, and her horror-stricken gaze locked with Lily’s. “That—that wasn’t—I promisedLevi. Notyou.”
“Yes, well, unfortunately Levi’s dead. He has been since that unfortunate dragon attack.” He pretended to pout. “Your hellwyrm wasn’t the only one to die. I was there, ready to step into his place before anyone learned of his death. That means you promised me. And that promise, I’m afraid, is ironclad.”
Lily moved—of course she did. Her best friend’s life was in danger.
“Ah, ah,” Lucifer said, chuckling as he pressed the blade tighter against Eliza’s throat. “Don’t worry, daughter. We’ll have our moment on the battlefield. In the meantime, Rathiel, you should restrain her if you know what’s good for her.”
