I arched a brow. “Care to explain?”
“Gabriel and Suriel both want to save humanity from Hell.” His eyes glittered as he took another step closer. “Michael and I, on the other hand, have seen the light. Lucifer needs to win this game, and I’ll do anything it takes to ensure it. That means killing Asmodeus, his Legion, and anyone who sides with him. Just like all those other supernaturals out there who are trying to save souls. Lucifer doesn’t know what the Legion have been doing, but I do. And I intend to prove it tonight. When Asmodeus comes to rescue you.”
All the blood rushed from my face. Of course this wasn’t about me. It never had been. It was about something far greater. The future of humanity, of this world. Az had been careful, but he’d still caught the notice of his enemies. Noah and Michael had been killing any supernatural that sided with him. And if Az showed up tonight and was unable to stop Noah…erm, Rafael…the fallen angels would take this information straight to Lucifer.
That couldn’t happen.
So, how exactly was I going to save Serena, save my own damn self,andstop this crazy angel guy from running to the King of Evil?
I’ll tell you how. I had no fucking clue.
The door thundered open and Az ducked inside. The moment he saw me, he crossed the floor and threw himself in front of me. His entire body trembled as he glared at the fallen angel who stood before us, ripples of shadows flooding off his skin.
“Mia, get out of here,” he said in a low growl that sent skitters of fear—and maybe a little bit of desire—down my back. He sounded like he wanted to rip Noah’s head off. That probably wasn’t far off the mark. The only way out of this was for him to take his heart.
“Not so fast,” Noah-Rafael said, fisting his hands. “You and Mia have signed a contract, have you not?”
Az tensed. “What the hell does that have to do with anything, Rafael?”
Rafael smiled. “Mia, tell Asmodeus that you are breaking your end of the contract. You will no longer fulfill your duties.”
“What? No,” I shot back.
“Don’t do it, Mia,” Az warned, edging further in front of me.
“Mia,” Rafael said. “If you don’t do what I say, I will kill Serena. Michael has her behind that sheet. Do as I say, or she will die.”
I swallowed hard, horror pounding like a drum against the back of my head. My eyes swam as I stared at the angel’s glittering smile. So much anger. So much hate. No wonder he’d been kicked out of the afterlife. And now, he wanted me to break my deal.
I wasn’t an idiot. I knew what that meant. If I broke the deal, I’d lose my soul.
With a heavy sigh, I closed my eyes. Serena needed me to do this. She’d die if I didn’t. I had no idea what would happen next, but it didn’t matter. Not when her life was on the line.
“Mia, don’t,” Az said, his voice rising to a shout.
“I break my end of the deal,” I whispered.
My entire body tensed as I waited for something to happen. The horrible excruciating moments stretched by. When at least five minutes had passed, I cracked open one eye. Az stood before me, his hands hanging heavily by his sides.
“Is that it?” I asked with a frown. “I thought something would happen.”
Rafael’s vicious chuckle echoed off the warehouse walls. “Somethingshouldhave happened, Mia McNally. If you’d actually made a deal with a demon.”
“We did make a deal,” Az muttered. “I ripped it up.”
Rafael stepped closer, narrowing his eyes. “To save her soul. You decided you didn’t want to risk losing her to Lucifer, and so you destroyed your contract. Because you aren’t who you once were, are you, Asmodeus? You’ve become something else. Something far too mortal.”
A growl erupted from Az’s lips. My heartbeat flickered in my neck as I glanced back and forth between them. I wasn’t entirely sure how to take this news, but that didn’t matter right now. I needed to get to Serena before Rafael ordered his angel friend to kill her.
Az launched toward Rafael just as the heavy warehouse doors flung wide. The Legion rushed across the floor, shouting in anger as they raised their swords high. I took one second to gape at five sword-wielding demons before throwing myself toward the plastic sheet at the back of the warehouse.
Rafael was so busy focusing on Az that he didn’t notice me.
My feet thundered against the concrete floor. When I reached the sheet, I threw it to the side and fell to my knees beside a bound Serena. The other angel was nowhere to be seen, but I didn’t dare stick around and wait for him to return. With a grunt, I wound my arms around her trembling body and dragged her back into the warehouse.
She peered up at me with bleary eyes. Her face was beet red, and her hair hung in messy clumps around her shoulders. But she was alive, and she wasn’t bleeding. Thank god.
“Serena.” I knelt beside her and got to work on the knots around her wrists, ignoring the total chaos raging on behind us. “Are you okay?”
