I shake my head. “I’ll die first.”
Her serene, beautiful mask falls away again, and she snarls at me, baring her sharp teeth. “Stop fighting my blood, you little bitch. You belong to me for the rest of your days. You’ll wish for death a thousand times before I evenconsidergranting you eternal rest.”
My stomach twists into knots. I can feel her rooting around in my thoughts, seeking my greatest fears, stealing any last shred of hope I might have.
Wrapping her hand around my neck, she squeezes until I can barely breathe. “We have a long drive to reach our destination. I’ve been planning this for years. Hunting down the strongest of every creature. Shifters, fae, witches, succubi, Druids… Tonight, I’ll finally be able to take their powers as my own.”
Trying to shake off her hold only makes her angrier. “I could force feed you more of my blood—I probably will soon anyway—but it’s so…messy.Not as fun, either. A few hours in the void, and you’ll be too weak to resist.”
“You can’t,” I wheeze. “The WCU is gone…”
“Oh, Willow. Your naiveté is adorable.” She releases me, and I suck in huge lungfuls of air. So quickly I can barely track the movement, she dips her hand into her pocket, then loops a chain around my throat. It starts to vibrate, the sensation eerily familiar. “So pretty,” she says as she traces the links with her finger. “The power chain was one of Calista’s greatest creations. It stimulatesbothvagus nerves at the same time. I could have used it from the beginning, but I had to keep up appearances. Most of the others you met at AURA’s lab really did believe we were going to cure the world’s diseases. Now that I don’t have to worry about them any longer, I can do things the easy way.”
“But…”
Calista draws a symbol in the air. Pain steals my words. I thrash against the ropes, but it’s no use. They’re too tight. My body is trapped, and in minutes, my mind will be too.
“Do you know the best thing about the void?” Hannah sits back in her chair and runs a hand through her dark brown hair. I can only glare at her through my tears. “With your consciousness trapped there, the warlock can’t scry for you. It’s like you don’t even exist.”
Calista draws another symbol, and the edges of my vision dim. With the last of my strength, I scream. Every nerve ending in my body explodes in white-hot agony.
I’m slipping away. Fading.“Please,”I beg the Universe, the Almighty…anyone.“Let me die!”
No one can hear me. No one can save me.
“Gabriel. I’m so sorry. I should have fought harder.”
I slip into the void, and the overwhelmingnothingnessconsumes me.
TWENTY-SEVEN
Gabriel
The Angel of Death straightens his tie and smooths his hands down the sleeves of his suit. “You’re willing to give up your birthright—everything you werecreatedto do—for a human?”
My answer comes so easily. “Yes. I would rather spend a single lifetime with Willow than the rest of eternity alone. I love her.”
“When I show up without you, Seraphiel is going to lose his shit.” Azrael tucks a lock of his hair back into place. “His retribution will be swift.”
Fuck me. If the twat takes my powers before we destroy the Blade, all my efforts to keep her safe could be for naught.
I hide my wings and tug the shirt back over my head. “I have no right to ask anything else of you, brother. But I am afraid I must.”
The disbelief in his eyes does not surprise me. His resigned sigh does. “If it is within my power, I will give it.”
A lump swells in my throat, and I clasp his arm. “Willow is in grave danger.” I explain everything as quickly as I can. The creation of the Blade by the first coven, the power it cancommand, and the lengths the two government agents—if that is even what they were—have already gone to control her. “Lucifer gave me his axe, but only a celestial can wield it. Imustretain my angelic strength long enough to destroy the Blade. After that…Seraphiel can fuck off.”
Azrael sinks down onto a pile of suitcases. “If I return to the celestial realm without you, he will know.”
“You could stay here for a time. There is so muchgoodin this realm, Azrael. Coffee. Kettle corn. Pizza.” I take a seat at his side, resting my elbows on my knees. “Spend a week as I did.Living. I promise, you will be a better angel for it.”
He frowns and rubs the back of his neck. For eons, we have worked side by side, and I know him almost as well as I know myself. He will do this for me. And for Willow.
“Very well. But the motion of this train is turning my stomach. I didn’t explore San Francisco either of the last two times I visited. I’m going to remedy that oversight now. When you need me, say my name, and I’ll find you.”
He stands, closes his eyes, and bends the world to his will. His disappearance is no more than a puff of air to me, but several suitcases split open from the pressure.
Rather than cause any further damage, I let my feet carry me back to the sleeping car. I will miss being able to appear and disappear at will, but a lifetime with Willow is worth it.
