In my father’s attempt to protect himself, he had forgotten about everyone else. His precious Celestia wouldn’t survive either. The demons would eventually turn their eyes back to the skies, and they would find a way to get here. There was no direct path from Earth to Celestia, but with the portal open, there was one less barrier in the way. There was nothing to stop them now. The demons would win this war, and it would be all my father’sfault.
“Come on,” Laura said, throwing my duvet off of my legs and ushering me out of the bed. I’d been fine for a couple of days now, but I hadn’t made a move to get out from under my sheets. Hell, I didn’t want to. I had no reason to get out of bed. All I wanted was to stare at the wall and mourn Lizzie, Isaac, Lilith, Rourke, Sam, Uriel, Az, and Ramiel. There were so many names that spun through my head as I offered up prayers to guardian angels who did not hear me. And if they had heard me? They just ignoredit.
I slipped my feet into my ceremonial fighting boots. They glistened with gold, buckles snapping tight around my feet. These weren’t the kind of boots that an angel actually fights in. They were for ceremony only, such a ridiculous notion now that I had actually been down on the earth, fighting in the pits. Ceremony was nonsense. It didn’t matter. What mattered was facing off against those that wanted to destroy theworld.
With that thought, I threw my shoulders back a little. I might be forced to go through with this, forced to stand before the Archangels and act as though I was sorry for letting the fallen angels influence me into doing terrible, terrible deeds. Not that I would mean any of it. But just because I had to be forced to do this didn’t mean that my mind had to waver one bit. Inside, where no one could see me, I could still be the Erela that I’d found in Lower Realm. The Erela who wasn’t afraid to speak her mind. The Erela who had fought against demons stronger than many angels. The Erela who had been able to open her heart to not only one incredible, courageous male, but to four of them. The one who had been willing to see past a demon’s background, to see that she was good, to see that she was right. To befriend a human. To discover that she was more than just an angel who had to fall inline.
Slowly, I slid my arms into the ceremonial fighting jacket, my chin lifting with every thought I had. No, I wasn’t just another warrior in the Order of the Seraphim. I was more than that. I had a power that none of these other angels would ever have. I had the ability to control fire, to bend it to my will, to let it consume my arms. I might be the daughter of an Archangel, but I was also the daughter of a fire demon, one who must have been powerful to get my father’s attention. I was all of this and more, and I would not let these Archangels force me to be something I wasnot.
I would not let them force me to stay here. I would not let them force me to fight a fight I did not believe in anymore. The battle was down on earth. I had to return there, not only to find the bodies of my fellow fallen and give them the send-off they deserved, but to be the protector the earth needed, to fight for humanity, to be the only guardian angel they trulyhad.
“Well then,” Laura said, raising her eyebrows as she looked up into my face. “That expression is one I’ve seen before on you. Determination. Ferocity. That’s a lot better than all this moping about you’ve done until now. I’m glad to see you’ve got your mojo back. Now, keep that in mind when you go convince the Archangels that you deserve to get back yourwings.”
“I will,” I said, giving her a smile. “One request though. I need a few minutes to gather my thoughts so that I can present the best argument possible. But I kinda need a few minutes alone for that to happen. Would you mind if I walked there by myself? It’s not far, only across theroad.”
Laura’s eyes flickered, and for a moment, I thought she would insist that she go with me. But then she gave a nod. Of course, she wouldn’t think that I could lie. Angelsneverlie.
As soon as she turned her back on me, I scurried down the hall and out the door. Across the silent street, the building of the Archangels rose high, its white exterior glistening underneath a glowing sun. I could go thereorI could go two blocks down to a little hidden door that would take me straight to the Halfway Zone.Imight not be able to send myself back to hell to find out what had happened to everyone I cared about, but I knew there would be some fire demons in that pub. Hopefully, they wouldn’t be trying to eat arat.
* * *
It wasdéjà vu pushing through that same old door and entering that same old pub. The place looked exactly the same, small wooden tables scattered throughout the dark, reddish room. The same bartender, the human one who looked like a grizzled bear, still stood behind the long bar that smelled of stale alcohol andfarts.
Just like I’d expected, there were a few fire demons scattered around, and they all turned to stare at me when I walked through the door, their eyebrows raising. I met each of their gazes in turn, not even blinking an eye. Already I felt a hell of a lot more like myself. My father had been right. My demon powers were muted while I was in Celestia, and now that I had left, I could feel the heat buzzing underneath my skin again. And it actually felt…good. Like a comfortable, well-worn pair ofgloves.
The bartender rose his eyebrows as I approached the bar, and he pressed his palms flat against the rough surface as he leaned forward. “Well, I certainly didn’t expect to see you again. What happened to that rat you stole from the demon? And didn’t you get sent to LowerRealm?”
“The rat survived.” Thank god for Harry. Mr. Whiskerson was probably beside himself, worrying about what it happened to me. At least I could rest easy knowing he was getting some care and love. “And things got interesting in Lower Realm, to say the least. That’s actually why I came here. To make a long story short, I don’t want to be in Celestia anymore, and I need a demon who can send me tohell.”
“To hell?” a female voice said. I turned to face the owner of said voice and found a petite blonde death demon standing before me. I knew she was death because, well, I could actually smell it on her. It was a distinct aroma. Like ash and… well, death. “I’m surprised to see an angel in here asking to go to hell. That’s a bit out of theordinary.”
“I’m not an ordinary angel. I’m Nephilim. As I’m sure you can smell,” I said, twisting my mouth into asmile.
She raised an eyebrow. “So that’s why you smell different. What kind ofdemon?”
“Fire,” I said. “And you’re death,right?”
“That’s right,” she said with an appreciative nod. “You mind telling me why it is you want to go tohell?”
For a moment, I didn’t say a word. I wasn’t entirely sure how to explain everything that had happened to me. And, to tell the truth, I wasn’t entirely sure I should. I’d already told her a hell of a lot. Soon, word would begin to spread, though I was ready to take that chance. If the Archangels wanted to come for me, then so be it. I would fight them if I hadto.
But first, I had to find my way back to earth, by way ofhell.
“I have some unfinished business in hell, as unlikely as that sounds. Some people I care about were killed there, and I want to retrieve their bodies. After that, I’ll go back through the portal to earth where I’m going to do whatever I can to help humanitysurvive.”
Itmighthave been dumb of me to tell the demon exactly what I was up to, but I was done dancing around the truth with anyone. Secrets had caused so many problems in my life. If she didn’t want to help because I wanted to save humans, then I’d find another demon. Lilith wasn’t the only one out there who cared about theworlds.
The death demon gave a slow nod and cast a furtive glance behind her. “You know what? I can get you partway there, but I can’t send anyone to hell. I’ve been banished from there because of bad behavior. Apparently, having empathy for humans makes you an outcast. That said, I can still send you to earth. That’s the best I cando.”
My heart tripped in my chest. This demon was actually going to help me. “Seriously? You’re a lifesaver. Just send me to the Tower of London, and that will get me to the portal. From there, I can just go straight intohell.”
She gave a nod. “Good luck, Nephilim. I hope you’re able to save theworld.”
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Erela
The demon had sentme to the Tower of London just like she had promised. The portal buzzed in front of me, the evil rippling from it in waves, scratching at my skin, tempting me to come closer. Which was fine with me. That was where I wanted to go, after all. But as I made a step toward it, something else prickled underneath my skin, something familiar, something Iknew.
