Pure, unfiltered rage and pain filters through me. This is my fault. I said that we wouldn’t retreat, that I could handle this.
I’ve gotten Toth killed.
He may not have wanted me, truly. But he was loyal to me in these last moments. His kiss was brutal, perfect, and everything I could have wished for from him in that moment. He said he would bleed for me. He saved Judd. He’s… gone.
I thought I was afraid of being unwanted and unloved, but those fears have nothing on how I feel now. My fears were nothing compared to the reality of seeing Toth’s unmoving body lying on the patch of the greenest grass, blood spilling from his stomach.
The adrenaline pumps through my immortal veins, and I lose control of my focus. My shadows, which have been easy to command, spread from me like tentacles of death, grabbing multiple angels by the throat and holding them in the air.
It’s seamless. I don’t even have to think about controlling them; they know to do my bidding.
Destroy, kill, take no prisoners.
Elvor easily takes out the angels I have held in my clutches, stabbing them with the blade he gave me as a courting gift. They turn to nothingness, their souls destroyed and their corporeal bodies hitting the ground like stones.
The corpses are piling up around us like a fortress of dead bodies, and I just want them to fucking burn. I want more than an easy death for these fucking pieces of shit; I want to send them to Hell and torture them for eternity for taking something so hopeful and precious away from me. The metallic tang of blood clings to my skin and burns with each inhale, but I press on. My main focus is getting Elvor and me out of here in one piece, even if I know I’ll never be whole again.
I shake my head, not allowing thoughts of Toth to flood my mind. I know if I do, I’ll break and lose focus. My mind is centered on death and vengeance as I take out every angel I possibly can.
These angels are the most powerful, the last wave. The ones who were supposed to easily destroy us. We came here with a small army, but now it’s just Elvor and myself. There has to be about twenty more angels left to handle, and I’m exhausted, but determination and hatred fuels my every moment.
“Elvor, cover your ears,” I warn him. My fae demon scrambles to listen, covering his ears while keeping his eyes open for threats.
“If you have a weapon, stab yourself,” I command the angels. One by one, I watch as they all stab themselves. Half of them collapse, having unintentionally killed themselves at my command.
That leaves ten left.
Ten angels who don’t have magical weapons.
I sign to Elvor that he can remove his hands, and he does. “Kill them all,” I tell him. Elvor uses his paralyzing power on the angels. It seems like he can make two crumple to the ground at one time, their bodies hitting the hard ground with a thud as he takes away their motor function.
Absolutely fucking pathetic wastes of space.
They watch in horror as he stabs them, completely helpless as they lose their lives at the hands of Elvor.
It doesn’t take long until they’re all dead. Crumpled bodies are splayed all throughout the field, but I don’t pay attention to the corpses. I immediately rush over, kneeling by Toth’s body.
I touch his wrist; no pulse, no sign of life.
“Did you see what weapon it was?” I ask Elvor as I feel moisture track down my face. “What fucking weapon was it?” I ask again, looking around at the dead angels around him.
There’s a cracking sound, and I already know it’s more angels being filtered to the realm.
“Princess, we have to go,” Elvor urges.
I push Toth’s dark hair off of his face, a lone tear hitting his paled skin as I stand.
Elvor has more experience with tag-alongs, so he grabs my hand and takes us back to Hell. He sits as soon as we get back, his power and energy tapped out. I tug at the ends of my hair, breathing in and out deeply.
“What the fuck happened?” Judd demands in an irritated tone, looking at me. I feel guilty sending him away, but I had to. I had to send all of them away. They aren’t extremely gifted demons, they wouldn’t have survived. Even though Toth was powerful, he still didn’t… more furious moisture drips down my face, and I use the back of my hand to wipe it away.
“Toth,” I whisper.
“Fuck,” Judd hisses and opens his arms, holding them out to me. I accept the affection, even though it’s in front of our remaining army. He pulls me close, rubbing circles on my back.
“It’s my fault. We should have left,” I cry.
“You didn’t know,” Judd reassures me.
