“Got it,” Zee says.
I gather up my power. “One, two, three,” I yell as I throw my hands out and blast the air in a circle, following the trail of fire from the boys. The zombies stumble back, jumping out of the way of the flames. They might be suicidal, but their self-preservation instincts still kick in when faced with being burned alive.
I suck in a deep breath. “We are still four blocks away,” I state, glancing at the unnaturally stormy sky. “Why can’t we fly?”
“Not all of us have wings,” Zee remarks.
“The lightning will find us anyway,” Lucifer says. “It wouldn’t kill us, but it would hurt like a bitch and leave us knocked out and vulnerable.”
“And with no teleportation allowed until we’ve fulfilled the level, we would have to fight our way out of here,” Archan says, brushing against my shoulder.
I smirk. “You wanna get your hands dirty?”
“With you? Always.”
A grin splits my face. “Plan?”
“If we take the direct route down the road, they will be upon us in seconds,” Lucifer says.
“What are you suggesting?” Zee asks, scanning our surroundings.
“We split up,” I answer.
Lucifer nods. “Each building has an entrance on the sides. We will hop through the buildings.”
“They can’t go inside?” I wonder.
“No.”
“Then what’s in the buildings?”
“Admin.”
I cut a glance at Lucifer. “The devil has an administrative team? For what?”
He scoffs. “How do you expect me to keep track of the billions of souls?”
“So they are what? Demons in suits?”
“No, Natia, they are monkeys in clown outfits.”
I arch a brow. “No need to get snarky.”A zombie lurches through the blaze, taking its chances with the fire. She screams as her skin peels off her arms, still reaching out for us. I throw a blast of air and she skids back, stopping at the edge of the ring of fire. I frown, expecting her to be taken off her feet.
“What’s up?” Zee asks, narrowing his eyes on me.
I shake my head and scratch the irritation on my arm. “So one team through the buildings to the right, one to the left and we meet in the middle?” I check. Lucifer gives a firm nod. “Okay, Duncan and Zee with me.”
“No,” Archan grinds out. “I’m not letting you out of my sight. Ass glue, remember?”
I roll my eyes. “We need a balance of power in each group, the ratio of gods and others needs to be even,” Lucifer declares.
I huff. “Fine, Lulu and Duncan with me. Zee and Zac with Archan.” Archan runs a hand through his hair. I wrap my hands around his neck and drop a lingering kiss to his lips. “Stop thinking with your heart and listen to your head. These teams make sense. You and Zac work well together. Zee has been training with Zac—so this makes sense.”
“Fine, if you dare get yourself hurt I will tie you to my bed for eternity.”
“Tell me how I lose out?” I mumble, as the guys arrange themselves in two groups. “Ready?” I receive a chorus of yeses.
I draw on my magic and suck the water from the atmosphere, then douse the flames. We break into a run through the stunned, drenched zombies. I run at full speed to the nearest building on the left; glimpses of the morbid mob behind us reflecting on the mirrored walls. I slam my hand against the door and slide to a halt on the grey marble floor of the air-conditioned foyer. Crystal outlines everything from the reception desk to the plant pots, causing a rainbow of lights to dance across the room. Leaning into the plant, I spot sparkles on the leaves and reach out to touch what looks like frozen water. Lucifer grabs my hand.
