My face flushed, and I cleared my throat. And then I risked a glance toward Sam. His body had tensed, and his jaw flickered from where he was grounding his teeth together. Good. Served him right. He’d made the decision to keep distance between us, which meant he had no right to care what anyone else said or did when it came tome.
But I didn’t want Sam to be jealous. I just wanted him to bemine.
Of course, I wanted Az to be mine, too.Desperately.
“Crazy, isn’t it?” Lizzie said brightly, though her voice held tension as if she sensed the charge in the room. “A demon has a thing for a human. And he’s got a thing for her right back. Gotta say, I didn’t see that onecoming.”
“Good on them, I say.” I dragged my gaze away from Sam. “I think if someone has feelings for someone, then nothing should stop said someone with being with the other someone. Orsomeones.”
I was pretty sure my words were nonsensical to anyone but myself, but I still felt better for voicing them aloud. A strange expression crossed Lizzie’s face, and she opened her mouth to say something that would probably only make the situation that much worse. But then the door to the living room opened. Lilith stood just on the other side, her cheeks now flooded with color, her eyes full of light and life. She gave me a sheepish smile and then motioned for us all to come back into theroom.
Rourke was lounging on the sofa, his boots and shirt both off, laying in a pile on the hardwood floor. His muscles glistened with sweat, and his eyes were lidded. He shifted his head and gazed at us with a lazy smile. “You’re welcome. Lilith is now back in workingorder.”
I raised an eyebrow and shot a glance at Lilith. “Looks like he isn’tthough.”
She gave a dismissive wave of her hand, but her cheeks were dotted with pink. “He’s just, ah…a bit high from the experience. He’ll be back to his old self in about anhour.”
“Does this mean you’re ready to head to Berith’scastle?”
“Damn straight Iam.”
Chapter Twelve
Erela
We wereabout a hundred miles from Berith’s castle. The human crew members decided to stick around the house. We thought it best for them not to get involved in demon business. There were booby traps and scary guards, and humans didn’t boast of immortality. After our goodbyes, the gardener ushered the seven of us to another solar panelled vehicle that was parked in a barn at the edge of the property. The thing was…impressive, to say the least. Lilith had somehow found a military vehicle from the old human days of war. It was a large, black hulking monstrosity with tires that were almost as tall as me. The sides were solid metal and probablybulletproof.
We all piled inside, crammed into the stiff seats. Lilith started the truck, which roared to life like a demon in rage. This was going to be a longdrive.
Two hours later, our bodies and our minds had been jarred senseless. Lilith stopped at the end of a long drive that was lined with drooping trees, and the six of us who had not been driving practically fell out of the truck in relief. I suppose the thing would come in handy if we were in the middle of a bullet-laden attack, but a smooth ride it wasnot.
Regardless, we’d made it to Berith’s castle safe and sound (and relatively unscathed—I did have a few bruises). The massive structure loomed before us, casting dark shadows on the mossy ground. There was a gate between two towers, which was open. Clearly, it was meant to lure unsuspecting passersby into itsgrasp.
“Before we go in,” Ramiel said, passing each of us a weapon in turn, “what can you remember about our first obstacle,Lilith?”
“I’m afraid I was pretty out of it at the time,” she said. “All I remember is that there are some traps and some demons, but I couldn’t tell you what comesfirst.”
“Right. Well, we’ll all go in together,” Ramiel said. “No matter what happens, we cannot split up. We will confront this head on as a team, as an Order. If any one of us falls, we cannot leave him—or her—behind. Gotit?”
I wet my lips. The full danger of the situation was beginning to sink in. We were walking into what was very likely a trap. Berith would have expected we might come here. He was smart. He always seemed to think two moves ahead. Hell, he’d actually made it kind of easy. Too easy. His old castle was the perfect place for him to hide the amulet, which meant that it would be one of the first places we wouldlook.
And yet here we were, walking straight intoit.
“Is everyone agreed?” Ramiel said, his voicefirm.
We all nodded and murmured in agreement, though I saw the doubt on Az’sface.
“Good,” Ramiel said. “Let’sgo.”
With a deep collective breath, we all turned toward the gate and made a slow trek toward the open passageway that would lead us into the depths of the castle. As we moved, I fell into step beside Az. He held his sword before him, looking like the angel of pain and death he was. I held my twin blades in my hands, taking comfort in the familiar feel of them. In front of us, Ramiel and Sam slowly eased forward with Lilith just in front to lead the way. Lizzie and Uriel rounded out theback.
Together, we made it through the gate and stepped into what must have once been a bustling courtyard but now was nothing more than an empty shell. Cobwebs clawed their way up the stone walls and the water-logged grass was pockmarked by puddles of mud and grime. On the opposite side of the courtyard, I spotted a single red door that seemed to glow in the midst of all this gray. It was clean, bright, and sparkling, as if someone had only recently come by to give it a scrub and ashine.
Lilith slowed to a stop and pointed at the door. “I’m pretty certain that’s the way to theamulet.”
“Of course it is,” I said dryly. It wouldn’t be anywhere else. The door was practically a beacon, begging us all to stepthrough.
“Any idea what’s on the other side of that door?” Az said, his tone a lot more lighthearted than my heart felt. Of course, Az was probably hoping there would be danger. He revelled in the fight, far more than the rest of theOrder.
