The Hindu shapeshifters froze when they saw the Demons, the entire Horde enhanced with apple and frothing for the fight. But keeping your opponents engaged meant that you were equally occupied, and they weren't able to trace. Fire burst from dragon mouths and the hands of Demons while leathery wings beat the air, but their claws, teeth, and horns did the most damage.
With roars of delight, Hell came to Earth, and with it, hot on its heels as it were, came Heaven. Angels shot out after the Demons, blessed steel shining with holy light and justice. And behind them came my lions. Together, the Angels, Demons, and Intare descended on the Hindu shapeshifters, turning the tide of battle in a heartbeat. Cries of mercy suddenly filled the air, but they quickly turned into gurgling screams. The blood of gods turned the royal gardens red. Yes, even the roses.
Where was Alice when you needed her?
“Vervain!” Arach roared.
“Here!” I shifted into a full dragon, the chain of my emerald magically growing with me, and grinned at my husband. “Damn, baby, am I glad to see you.”
The blood-red dragon scowled at me. “We need to talk, Wife.”
“Yeah, yeah. Just hold on a second while I kill this motherfucker.” I turned to bite off Jerry's head but ended up roaring in fury.
Jehovah was gone. Again.
Chapter Thirty-Seven
Hanuman, his mother, and his allies were dead. I hoped that some of the Suparnas, Vanaras, and Rikshas had refused Hanuman's call and stayed out of the battle. If they hadn't, we had just wiped out three races of demigods. But I didn't think about it too long. Frankly, I had other things to worry about.
“What the fuck?” Azrael exclaimed as he landed on the gory grass in his Faerie God form. His wings lifted higher so they wouldn't get messy. “The King's Guard is outside the gates, acting as if they're protecting the palace while trying to ignore the horrendous sounds coming from back here.”
“Yeah, thanks for coming to help out,” Viper said.
“I had to handle the reporters. I came as soon as I could.”
I thought about it. Time is odd during a battle. What feels like hours can be mere minutes and vice versa. It probably hadn't been that long. “It's all right, Az. Hekate brought the Horde, the Host, and the dragons.”
I grinned at my husband and Salem, then shifted into my weredragon body. I would have gone back to human but that would have meant getting naked. At least this way, my naughty bits were covered in scales.
“How did you know we needed you?” Horus asked his wife.”
“Brevyn,” Hekate said. “He told me to go to Shehaquim and summon the Angels and Demons, then wait for his father to appear. Arach traced in and said I needed to open a path to the gardens of Buckingham Palace.” She glanced at Salem, then added, “Salem decided to tag along.”
“It's been ages since I've been to a war,” Salem said. “Thanks for having me.”
“Anytime, buddy,” I said with a grin.
“You should have mirrored me sooner, Vervain,” Arach snarled.
“Oh, it's Vervain, not A Thaisce, eh? I must really be in trouble.”
Smoke seeped out of Arach's left nostril.
I held up my hands defensively. “Brevyn told me that he had to be here. And he was right. He saved us. All of us.”
Arach narrowed his great dragon eyes at me. “We'll speak more about this later.”
“Yeah, all right,” I grumbled.
“Where is Jehovah? I need to see his body.” Samael came striding through the carnage with his wife and daughter flanking him. All three of them looked terrifying.
“About that . . .” I winced.
“You had him, Vervain!” Samael pointed at me. “I saw you with him.”
“I did. Then they appeared, and I got distracted.” I waved a clawed hand at the Demons.
“Enough of this. Jehovah dies today!” Samael shimmered, a haze forming over his body.
