Luc dropped his head back, sucked in a lungful of air, and unfurled his wings. When he opened his eyes, he caught the light flicker over a secondary layer of security.
Fuck!
They’d made it impossible for him to fly out of there, and without his hell-forged blade, he couldn’t open a portal to his dimension.
Retracting his wings, he assessed the area. Only trees to the north. To the west lay a harbor. He could commandeer a boat, drive until he was beyond Michael’s protective shadow, and take flight, likely an expedient option compared to running through the forest.
Which route was the least predictable?
Land.
Not the best option. He’d also be trapped if they caught him.
Behind him, angry voices echoed, followed by a scream of pain. If that fucker Michael had damaged what Luc had healed, he’d rip the bastard’s appendages off, starting with his prized gold feathers.
Option three: wait on the backside of the building until they arrange a hunt, duck back in, and steal the SUV. With any luck, he might be able to find his sword and free Gabriel. A glance at his blistered skin had him second-guessing the plan. He’d be all bloody, bared muscle and bone if he attempted to go inside without dismantling their security measures.
“Luc, what if I sent the horde now?” Nadia asked, startling him. He’d forgotten she was still tuned in.
“It’s one alternative, but no one would be left to protect you, pet.”
“Why do I need protecting? The fight will be there.”
In the truest sense, yes, but she’d be left at the mercy of unsavory demons who would like nothing better than to tear her flesh from her bones just to hear her scream.
“Nice visual,” she said weakly.
“Sorry.”
“I don’t think you are, but I’ll risk it if your soldiers can get you and Gabriel out.”
“I’m not certain they can,” Luc replied as he ducked around the side of the building. Yes, he was invisible, but if one looked closely or stilled to feel, they could detect his power nearby. “If the magic was strong enough to burn me, it would absolutely destroy them. It’s suspended as a net overhead, and I suspect Michael has only to release it for it to settle down upon them.”
“Dammit!”
“My sentiments exactly.”
Yet she’d given him an idea, and he knelt to touch the earth.
Luc smiled.
The fools hadn’t thought to secure the ground.
“Nadia, tell Thamiel I need the Moles and a handful of selfless individuals willing to sacrifice, if need be. Some lesser daemons, interested in a promotion should they succeed.”
Her silence was telling.
“I don’t force anyone to do what they aren’t willing to, love, but they survived this long only due to my intervention. Another war is at hand.”
“Because of me,” she replied, subdued. “Luc, can this all be avoided if?—”
“Don’t you dare say it. Your sacrifice would hurt too many.”
“It would hurt exactly three people. You, Katie, and Gabriel. The last of whom doesn’t know me at all.”
“I’m selfish enough to want you alive.” He’d been isolated too long, sentenced to an eternity without affection or touch. Going back to his lonely existence would kill him. Michael might as well carve out Lucifer’s heart and behead him if Nadia were struck down. Life without her wasn’t a life at all.
Before he’d finished the thought, Michael, Raphael, and a handful of lesser angels gathered outside. Remaining still was his only course of action now.
