Maybe the incubus had done something because suddenly, the desire to rip off his clothes and have him slam into me was overwhelming. I shook my head and let out a shaky breath.
I needed to focus. We didn’t know what we were about to walk into. But looking at the way his pants hugged his asswas a distraction from thinking about who had died. What if Nico or Amari had been killed?
Val better have a damn good answer for his involvement in this.
“I’ll need to hold you again.” Raphael stopped outside the door and waited for me to nod before he pulled me against him as his wings extended.
“They’ll see us coming.” My fingers settled on Raphael’s chest.
“I’ll conceal us.” He shot into the sky, flying toward Roseford.
Angels flew incredibly fast, and we made it to the village in no time. We circled overhead and immediately spotted a commotion in the center of the village.
We landed on a rooftop and took in the scene before us. There were several guards on the ground with their throats ripped out, and several others wielding their swords against Amari, Val, and another demon I was unfamiliar with.
Where was Nico?
Just as fear had taken hold, there was a flash of brown that darted between the guards’ feet. Nico scaled one and ripped out his throat before the man could even react.
“Is that a fucking squirrel?” He jumped down to the ground with me.
“There’s the princess!”
I froze as all eyes landed on me.
“Fuck. I didn’t think they’d notice you that quickly. Stay behind me.” Raphael moved forward and unsheathed his sword, his wings tucked away but his stance screaming predator.
I unsheathed my sword and fell into step beside him. “I don’t need to stay behind you.”
I stepped out into the melee and began taking down guards.
It had been a while since I’d used a sword, and each time metal clashed against metal, my whole body vibrated with the impact. But my muscles remembered everything, and I fell into a rhythm.
Val caught my eye from the other side of a fountain, his gaze locking with mine for a heartbeat before another guard charged at him.
We were grossly outnumbered, but with Nico darting between legs in squirrel form and ripping out throats with ruthless efficiency, we were making headway against the guards.
The last of the guards went down with a gurgle, and we all stood there, panting from exertion. Raphael positioned himself next to me and gave me a nod of approval.
Nico shifted and ran toward me, stopping short when Raphael held up his sword defensively between us.
“Who the fuck is this?” Blood covered Nico’s face, and he quickly wiped it off with the hem of his shirt.
I pushed down Raphael’s arm, forcing him to lower the sword. Nico’s eyebrows shot up at the familiar gesture, and then he closed the distance between us, scooping me into his arms.
My breath hitched as he held me close, his hand going to the back of my head. I didn’t know what I would have done if he had died. The thought alone made something cold and terrible unfurl in my chest.
“I would have ripped out every fucking throat until I found you.” He pulled back and looked at me, his eyes scanning every inch of my face. “There’s a lot to tell you. Like how your filthy bloodsucker stabbed us in the back.”
I looked over his shoulder and met Val’s eyes again. He stood on the other side of the fountain, unmoving.
“Maybe we should see what he has to say.” Amari came to stand next to Nico.
My eyes immediately went to his arm, and tears filled my eyes. “Amari…”
“What’s done is done.” Amari’s voice was a little too steady, all things considered. He shifted his attention to Raphael. “Who’s this?”
Raphael stuck out his hand. “Raphael. You must be one of her many lovers.”
