For once, I willingly obeyed Lucifer. I locked both hands on Lily’s arms and held her back, even though my every muscle ached to rip him apart. Eliza’s throat worked around her panic, her fingers scrabbling against Lucifer’s wrist as she fought to pry herself loose.
“Let her go!” Lily’s magic gathered under my palms, shadows and heat rising. “She isnotyours!”
“Oh, but she is,” Lucifer mocked with a grin. “Shall I demonstrate that to you?” He took a step back, putting distance between them. But before she could run, he said, “Eliza, come,” as though she was nothing more than an obedient dog.
She shook her head, tears spilling down her cheeks. But she stepped back, her heel touching the toes of his boots. He took another step. And so did she.
“Well, would you look at that? Nice and obedient,” Lucifer mocked.
Lily coiled, ready to lunge. I tightened my grip until she would bruise and leaned in. “Not here. He’ll kill her. We’ll fight him on the field. And we’ll save her.”
“You forced her to promise herself to you!” Lily cried.
“You’d like to think so, wouldn’t you? But I’m afraid not. She came to me willingly, and oh, so very eager. Just another one of your friends who’s more loyal to me than you.” He laughed, eyes sparkling with mirth. “Thank you for hosting me this whole time. It was helpful to see all that you can do and learn about your plans. I must say, daughter, I truly am proud of all you’ve accomplished. There’s a place for you at my side, should you wish to live and make something of yourself.”
“Never,” she vehemently hissed.
“Pity. We’ll talk more soon,” he told Lily, his tone almost warm and caring.
Lily choked on a curse that was mostly my name and shoved against me. I didn’t let her go. Simply because I saw it all playing out in my head: Eliza’s life pouring out on the sand while he laughed; Lily flying into a mindless fury; Mephisar and I sacrificing ourselves to protect her. We would lose everything in one reckless, furious rush.
Lucifer stepped back, gathering Eliza with him like she weighed nothing. She fought. Oh, did she fight, but against Lucifer, she was barely a flea.
Holding Lily’s gaze, Lucifer leaned forward and murmured, “I’m very curious to see how those lovely siren powers of yours work against hellspawn, my love.”
Then he unfurled his wings and shot into the air with Eliza in his arms before flying to his side of the battlefield.
Mephisar’s roar split the air. Gorr thundered forward three strides before Korrak’s barked order snapped him to a halt. Ourranks surged and stuttered, the front lines rippling with the urge to break and give chase.
Lily went dead still in my hands.
“Lily,” I said quietly. “Look at me.”
Her stare didn’t move from Lucifer’s back as he landed among his soldiers, Eliza cradled like a prize in his arms. Their line opened to swallow them. A cheer rose—ugly, hungry.
“Look at me,” I repeated.
Slowly, she did. The blue of her eyes had gone flat, a shade I didn’t like. Not grief. Not rage. Broken.
“He knows,” she whispered, her voice thin. “He knows everything.”
“Yes,” I said. No use softening the blow.
Her throat worked. She dragged in one breath, then another, like she had to remind her lungs what to do. “We just lost Calyx, Eliza, Levi.” Her mouth trembled once, then steadied.
“We’ll win this, and we’ll get Calyx and Eliza back,” I assured her.
“Levi—”
“We can’t focus on that right now.”
“He broke us in minutes, Rathiel. Three of our best are gone.”
I turned her fully in my arms. “You still have me. And Dragon. And Mephisar. Andyourself. And an army. We are not weak. We are not broken. Do you hear me? I will take out Gavrel, and we willwinthis fight. We will save Calyx and Eliza. And we will avenge Levi.”
“He was there the entire time, watching us. Watching you and me. How? Why didn’t we know? How could I have been so blind?”
“All questions for later,” I said, pulling Lily close. “Right now, we need to focus, okay? We have a battle ahead of us. You cannot let him distract you now.”
