I sprint faster. I’ll run forever if I must.
I need to reach Zuriel and convince him to unleash everything, even if it topples the museum, even if it obliterates me. If he can ignite his light inside here… I know he can destroy Adrial.
This place, whatever it is—the demon’s belly, his mind, Hell, or a dimension of it—it weakened when Zuriel glowed. I sensed it when my hope returned.
I chase the distant spark until it slowly becomes taller and wider, the sight amplifying my adrenaline. Gaining momentum, I run even faster.
Grasping hands reach for me, greedy fingers snagging my clothes. I push through, shaking them off, staying on the path, my eyes forward and wide. I’m afraid if I look away, close them for a single second, I’ll lose the light.
Approaching, there’s something on the other side, but I’m not sure what it is. Colors? Shapes maybe?
Reaching it, halting abruptly, tendrils of warmth course over my skin. It’s a portal of some sort, showing me the museum. Zuriel is on the other side, covered in blood—everything is covered in blood.
Lunging forward, my body strikes an invisible barrier. Zuriel stares at me, his face enraged, and the portal shifts, tracking him as he rises.
I rail, pounding my hands against the invisible wall. I shout, hoping he can hear me.
It’s me!
I’m here.
I’m… here…
Except my voice doesn’t catch, the sound hollow, echoing away. I shove my body against the barrier, testing every inch with my fingers, praying I’ll fall through, and that I’ll find a weak spot. It indents, giving way like tough rubber, unyielding.
Dripping in blood, wings slashed, and gashes covering his chest, Zuriel captures my attention on the other side. I furrow my brows, horrified by what’s happened to him. He shows no sign of pain, but if he can be pleasured, he can be pained.
Zuriel…My nails scratch at the wall. I bite back at the need to shout his name.
He lunges for me, and I try dodging away—toppling as he tackles. He’s on top of me, slamming his fist into my face. He does it again, and I flinch, feeling the aches across my body. My nose breaks, the pain a throbbing ache that slowly builds.
He’s thrown off me, slammed into the wall, breaking a glass enclosure. He rises, charging me again, teeth bared, ears flared.
He clutches my chin, forcing me to meet his furious eyes.
My mouth widens in a silent scream, consumed by my need for him.
The portal expands, the barrier thinning. Heaving against it, I fall through, and suddenly, it’s me he’s looking at.
I cry out. My eyes roll back as I fight to remain conscious in my injured body. My head, nose, and neck explode with pain.
“Make no mistake, demon, I will see you mocked, on your knees before Heaven,” he growls. “Release her and I might show mercy.”
I whimper.
He snarls, hauling me under his arm. “I’ve had enough of your trickery!”
I wail, pain sharpening and spreading as my breath is slammed out of me. Slumping into his arms, I’m carried to the basement. My vision fades, blood rushing to my head as he throws me into the circle of salt we laid out weeks ago.
Hitting the cement, I groan, collapsing and curling into a ball. Through labored breaths, I slowly rise onto my hands.
He’s pouring holy water on the ground. Some of it trickles toward my leg, and like acid, it burns. I shuffle away, backing against the salt, until I’m stopped, like striking an invisible wall.
“This isn’t going to work,” I rasp.
“Shut up.”
Desperation expands inside me, and crying out, my gaze drops to my belly. Nausea morphs, becoming the sensation of hands, pressing outward, pushing from inside me, climbing up my chest. Frigidness returns, an icy chill claiming my chest, rising toward my brands.
