He frowned, clearing his throat. “You too, Tate.”
I turned to each of my friends, giving them a genuine smile. “Best Angel Gang a girl could ever hope for.”
Drea pulled her light blade and grinned. Marlow tipped her chin to me, reaching for two weapons. Golden wings sprouted from Jacob’s back as he gave me a small nod. Then I looked at Indigo. She stood there in all her winged glory holding light blades, ready to kill demons, and I was so proud of her. I wanted to remember her this way, always.
“Ready?” Aurelia said.
I had to blink rapidly to keep from crying. I was a little sad that I hadn’t gotten a chance to say goodbye to Gr—
“Tatum!” Gran’s voice cut through the crowd and I spun.
Gran was in her battle leathers, carrying something wrapped in a napkin. I broke from my group and rushed to meet her, crushing her into a hug. The letter for Gran on Drea’s pillow was probably the most serious letter of all. Yes, I had a mother now, but this was the woman who’d raised me, the one who kissed all of my boo-boos. In a way, she would always be my mother.
“I’m so proud of you,” Gran said when we pulled away. “I just wanted to say good luck and give you and your friends these.”
She opened the napkin and I chuckled, wiping the loose tears that had sprung from my eyes.
The entire Lumen world was going to war and Gran baked chocolate chip cookies.
“Thank you.” I took them from her and smiled.
She reached out and brushed a stray hair out of my face. “Love you, Tater Tot.”
My throat tightened and I couldn’t speak for a moment. “Love you too, Gran.”
Turning away from the woman who raised me, I plucked a cookie from the stack and shoved it into my mouth. If I was about to die, I wasn’t leaving this world without one of Gran’s famous cookies.
* * *
I hated the Netherworld. The Blood Mountains stood in the distance as a macabre reminder of how despicable this place truly was. Part of my mission was to destroy this realm, and if Aurum was right, that would happen once I returned all the souls to Tartarus. I couldn’t wait for this physical reminder of the depth of Apollyon’s evil soul to be wiped from existence.
Harley and Dash were sitting at the mouth of the shallow cave they’d called home for the past day when Gage and I walked through the portal from the Lumen Compound into the Netherworld. They rose to their feet when they saw us. I was surprised to see Dash didn’t have his hood up like usual, but as they walked toward us he pulled it up, shadowing part of his face.
“It’s time?” Harley asked.
I nodded, and a look of grim determination blanketed her face.
Gage handed them the extra weapons we’d brought and then released his wings, readying himself as well.
Dash scoped out Gage’s black and gold feathered wings with raised brows. “Nice,” he said, and gave Gage a fist bump.
“How are you feeling?” I asked Harley as she strapped on the thigh holster I’d brought her that held four small throwing daggers, and then sheathed a sword at her hip. Dash had only accepted a single light sword. He was more a hands-on fighter anyway.
Harley looked good. The color had returned to her cheeks; the dark rings under her eyes had disappeared, and she was moving around fine without assistance.
“Great,” she said, and then stretched her arm to the side and shot a beam of green magic from her palm, hitting a large red lava rock and exploding it, proving she was back in top form.
That was cool. When this was all over she was going to have to show me how to do that.
Oh, wait.
A wave of sadness rushed over me. I wouldn’t be around for her to show me how to do that when this was all over. I’d just be dead.
“You okay?” Gage asked me, rubbing a hand on my lower back.
Crap.He could read me too well. I needed to be more careful, at least for the next several hours.
Forcing a smile on my face, I leaned over and kissed his cheek, my lips brushing against the rough stubble there.
