Good old Berith. Nothing was ever straightforward with that demon. He would have left some kind of assurances in place that there would be more than just an unguarded open portal for us to find. After the massive snake we’d encountered in his castle, I wasn’t particularly looking forward to whatever we’d find waiting for us inside the Tower ofLondon.
“She’s right,” Sam said, but he didn’t bother toelaborate.
“Wow,” I said, sarcasm inching into my voice as I turned his way. “I’m surprised you bothered to even acknowledge my existence, much less admit that I’m right aboutsomething.”
His face looked pained, but he didn’t bother toargue.
“Erela,” Ramielsaid.
“What?” I frowned. “It’s true. You’ve all gone weird, evenAz.”
“Now is not the time to talk about this,” he said, his voice firm andharsh.
Tears blinked into my eyes and I gritted my teeth, glancing out the window to look at anything other than any of theirfaces.
When we were about a block away from the entrance to the Tower of London, Lilith pulled the old junker to the curb and cut the engine. We all stared ahead at the arched entryway and the cluster of old stone buildings beyond. The sky was a steel gray, a murky backdrop to the ancient tower. A very, very long time ago—far before the demon apocalypse even happened—Kings and Queens had used this place for torture and executions. Many believed the souls of those who perished there haunted anyone who stepped footinside.
Of course, that was nonsense. Humans might have been right about angels and demons and vampires (kind of), but ghosts were nothing more than a figment of their overactiveimaginations.
That said, I could see why some had gotten the idea into their heads, and we hadn’t even stepped through that archway yet. There was something distinctly…off about this place, and it was more than just the aura of evil that emanated from the portal tohell.
Because, I mean, obviously that was still happening. There was just somethingmorethere,too.
“Is this what the portal always feels like?” I kept my face forward when I asked the question. Right now, I couldn’t bear to look at any ofthem.
“What do you mean, feels like?” Rourke grunted. “All I feel is pissedoff.”
“There’s an aura in the air, sweetheart.” Lilith patted his knee. “Don’t you worry about it. To answer your question, Erela. No. It doesn’t always feel like this. Berith has obviously left us an extra present. I’m sure we’ll all have fun tackling whatever thatis.”
We all piled out of the truck, grabbing our various weapons. Beneath my skin, my fire buzzed, the depths of my demonic powers awakening to the pull of whatever fresh hell sat waiting inside the Tower. I shuddered and pushed it down. Now was not the time for my skin to become flames. Now was not the time for the demonic part of my soul to come alive. I’d lived eighteen years as an angel, and I’d done just fine without the fire taking over my mind. I couldn’t let it take over menow.
“You okay?” Sam asked, taking my elbow in hishand.
With a sigh, I stepped away, pulling my elbow out of his grasp. “Fine.”
“Erela, come on,” he said, his voicepleading.
“Don’t,” I said. “You’re the one who said we should keep some distance between us. I’m only following along with what yousaid.”
“And this is exactly why I said we needed to keep our distance,” Ramiel said, grabbing his sword from the back of the truck. “We need to focus. Stoparguing.”
With that, we all shut up. When Ramiel spoke, we had to listen. He had that commanding aura about him. It was impossible to resist. In more ways than one. Something I wish I could very much forget. This whole thing would be a hell of a lot easier if they weren’t all so ridiculouslyhot.
I cleared my throat, strapped my sheaths around my thigh, and then grabbed a bow and quiver of arrows for good measure. I’d spent far more time training with a sword and a bow than I had daggers, but they’d become my go-to weapon-of-choice since arriving on earth. They were light and quick, and they dealt a surprisingly impressive amount of damage when paired with my enhancedstrength.
Ramiel took the lead, and we all fanned out behind him. He eased slowly through the archway, holding up his hand for us to wait for a signal. After a long, silent, tense moment, he gave a nod and moved forward. I inched forward, sandwiched between Lizzie and Uriel. Lizzie’s face had gone a strange shade of white, and her hands trembled as she held the heavy sword up before her. Uriel’s long dark hair blew in the light breeze, the ends catching on his chiseled jawand—
Damn it, Erela!Focus!
I tightened my grip on the bow in my hands, glancing around at the courtyard we entered. The entire ground was littered with bodies, and it made my stomach twist in my gut. The stench was overwhelming. So much blood anddeath.
And fear. I swore I could smell the bitter scent of it drifting toward us on thewind.
Sucking in a deep breath, I turned my attention on the buildings surrounding us. There were doorways that would lead into the inner walls and down into the tunnels below. Despite the horror of the courtyard, the portal was nowhere to be seen here. So, it must be somewhereinside.
“It feels as though it’s coming from in there.” Lilith pointed her long fingernail toward the nearest wooden door. It had been splintered, practically cut inhalf.
“It’s too quiet,” Ramiel whispered. “Be onguard.”
