The air around her seemed to warp, shadows thickening and twisting unnaturally, responding to her as if they lived solely to serve her will.She was likely the reason everyone had disappeared—the humans must have sensed her aura, their instincts kicking in to flee without understanding why.This was Zera’s signature.Like me, she could command shadows, bending them to her will and wielding them as a weapon.The difference was, she was stronger—far stronger.Zera’s abilities superseded mine, and in her presence, the shadows obeyed her, and only her.
At least I could still summon hellfire, and without any humans nearby, I had free rein to use that power.Unfortunately, I was still facing off against two fallen angels.The odds werenotin my favour.
Cursing under my breath, I stripped off my winter jacket and let it fall to the street, revealing the triplet daggers strapped to my hips.I hadn’t brought Inferno’s Kiss with me today—because there was no way to hide aswordwhile out in public—but I hadn’t left the apartment unarmed.I wasn’tthatstupid.
“Look who it is,” I said, breaking the silence.“Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dumb.When you see my father again, tell him he should man up and come kill me himself.I’m getting tired of fighting his lackeys.”Rathiel had always said my snarkiness would get me killed one day.Guess today was that day.
Tavira’s smile widened, but it wasn’t warm or kind.It was the smile of someone who knew they were about to tear you apart.A spirit flickered next to her, and I could have sworn it had taken the shape of a lion.Oh, goody.
“You’ve always had a mouth on you, Lilith,” Tavira said.“Guess time doesn’t change all things.”
“Guess not,” I shot back.“Just like how you two are still following Lucifer’s orders.Looking for a pat on the head?A treat?I can help with that.”
Tavira took a step closer, her long fur cloak rustling as the ghostly predators around her flickered in the air.“Lucifer wants you dead.And who are we to refuse such a request?”Her golden eyes gleamed with amusement, but there was no mistaking the malice underneath.
My muscles tensed as I eyed them both, calculating.Tavira was unpredictable, and Zera was lethal with those shadows.One wrong move, and I was done for.
“And you thought attacking me in the middle of the street during the day was a good idea?”I taunted.“Guess you two aren’t the brains of the outfit.”
“No one would dare disturb us,” Tavira stated.
As if on cue, Zera’s shadows darted forward, a twisting mass of black tendrils aimed directly at my legs.I barely had time to dive out of the way, rolling to the side as the ground where I had stood cracked and split under the force of her attack.I sprang to my feet, pulling my daggers free as I faced them both.My breath came in short, sharp bursts, but I forced myself to stay calm.If I could keep them talking, maybe—just maybe—I could figure a way out of this.
But before I could even think of a solution, Tavira’s ghostly beasts surged forward, their jaws snapping at the air as they closed in on me.With a surge of adrenaline, I threw myself backward, barely avoiding the spectral claws that raked through the space where I’d just been standing.My heart pounded in my chest, but I couldn’t stop moving.One wrong step, and it was over.
Zera’s shadows slithered closer, wrapping around the street like living vines, herding me into a nearby alley, her pale blue eyes following my every movement with cold precision.Tavira’s smirk never wavered, as though she was merely toying with me.
I gritted my teeth, keeping my grip tight on my daggers.I struggled to form a plan, knowing this fight wouldn’t be an easy win, if there even was a win for me today.I knewexactlywhat Tavira and Zera were capable of.I’d faced them in countless battles throughout my years of training.Ten years on Earth likely hadn’t helped me any.I knew exactly how outmatched I was.One slip, and I’d be returning to Hell under far less ideal circumstances.
The alley narrowed around me, its brick walls towering, trapping me in a darkened corridor of inevitability.I gripped the hilts of my daggers tighter, the cold metal grounding me as I scanned the alley for something, anything, that could give me an advantage.But I found nothing.Just the claustrophobic walls, the slick concrete beneath my feet, and two of Lucifer’s most dangerous angels closing in.
“Well, this is cozy,” I said, my voice sharp with defiance even though my heart hammered in my chest.“Reminds me of home.”
Zera’s lips twitched ever so slightly, as if my bravado amused her.Tavira, however, seemed more than ready to end this.The ghostly lions and tigers surrounding her flickered like dying embers, their eyes glowing with an unearthly light.
Tavira took another step forward.“You know how this is going to end.Your father has tolerated your existence until now, but your time has run out.Why prolong the inevitable?”
I snorted, masking the creeping panic rising in my throat.“If you think I’m going to lie down and let you two kill me, you clearly haven’t been paying attention.I have no intention of dying today.”
Tavira’s laugh echoed off the alley walls, a sound that crawled under my skin.“You think this is negotiable?Sweetie, the only option you have ishowyou die.”
The words cut through the air like shards of ice.I glanced at Zera, who still hadn’t spoken, but her shadows were tightening, inching closer with every passing second.They coiled and uncoiled like serpents, waiting for the command to strike.
“Well, then,” I said.“If I’m going down, guess I’m taking you both with me.”
Summoning every last bit of energy I had, I ignited hellfire in my palms, the flames sparking to life with a brilliant, searing heat.The alley lit up, casting flickering shadows across the nearby brick walls, and Zera’s eyes narrowed.The darkness recoiled, tendrils withdrawing from the flames.
A small, dangerous smile came to my lips.Her shadows didn’t like my fire.Interesting.In Hell, I’d never had the chance to test my hellfire against the fallen.I’d kept it hidden, honing it in secret, but now…
The flames flared, surging with a life of its own.With a snap of my wrist, I hurled a wave of fire directly at Zera’s shadows.They retracted instantly, like serpents dodging a flame, but it wasn’t only her shadows that reacted.Zera, herself, stumbled back, her hand flying to her abdomen as though the flames had hit her directly.Her usually composed expression twisted in pain, and for the first time since I’d known her, there was something other than cold detachment in her eyes.
“Well, well,” I said, unable to resist a smirk.“Looks like I hit a nerve.”
Zera’s ice-blue eyes locked onto mine, her expression a mixture of confusion and fury.She struggled to regain control, her shadows flickering erratically around her like dark, broken wings.The air twisted around her as she attempted to gather her magic, the tendrils coiling, straining to strike again.
I refused to give her the chance.
Hellfire surged through me again, fiercer this time, blazing through my chest as I pushed every ounce of will into the flames.I launched another wave, the inferno ripping through the air and colliding with her shadows in a sizzling clash.The darkness shrank back, curling like burnt paper, and Zera gritted her teeth, her eyes flashing with pain.The sight of her weakness—of her fear—filled me with satisfaction, but I knew better than to linger in this small victory.
