River didn’t move her hand away from mine asshe fueled me as much as I did her. “Pull back,” I said to herbefore abruptly ending the flame.
As her hand fell away, her body trembledagainst my side, but she remained standing on her own. I wasn’tsure how much longer she’d be able to do so. Without the flame andRiver’s ability to keep him aloft, the angel plummeted to crashinto the ground five feet away from us.
I reluctantly pulled my arm from aroundRiver’s waist and strode over to where the creature lay on theground. The angel flipped over to reveal the hole in the center ofhis chest.Not from my fire.
I placed my foot against his throat as myclaws lengthened, and I knelt beside him. He opened his dazed blackeyes to stare at me. This close to the injury, I realized it wentall the way through to reveal the blood-covered floor beneath hisbody. The angels could heal with the same speed as demons, but Iwasn’t sure he ever would have been able to completely recover fromthis.
“He’s going to kill you,” the angelmurmured. “You’ll never beat Satan. Not even our creator could stophim.”
I shrugged as I dug my boot deeper into histhroat. “But he’s never come acrossusbefore. I betyounever thought your day was going to end this way.”
One of his wings swung up in a weak effortat fending me off. My hand shot out and grabbed hold of the rigidwing. I easily held it away from me. My smile only grew as I feltthe angel’s black blood pulsing sluggishly through the veinsbeneath my palm. I drove my claws deep into his throat, sawing themback and forth until I succeeded in rending his head from hisneck.
Crux gulped the head down before the otherhounds came forward to drag away the remains. I rose to my feet andwiped my bloodstained hands on my pants. Turning, I met River’sshadowed eyes. Her skin had become so pale I could see the smallblue veins running through the corners of her eyes.
Stepping forward, I rested my hands on herwaist and began to lift her to carry her, but she shook her head.“I need to walk out of here.”
“River—”
“It must be done, Kobal. If there are moreof them, they can’t know I’m weakened. I won’t refuse your helpthough.”
Her fingers gripped my forearm; her stepswere hesitant as she moved, but she kept her chin up. Slipping myarm around her waist, I took hold of her hand and pressed itagainst my chest. Exposing her to as much of my bare flesh as Icould would help to revitalize her faster.
“Where is the wraith?” I demanded.
The others turned to look through thecarnage as Crux and Phenex moved closer to flank me and River.Phenex pushed against River’s legs; her large head rubbed River’sstomach when she placed her hand on the hound’s head. I staredaround the room, searching for the wraith amid the blood-splatteredremains.
Corson broke away from Hawk and strodeacross the floor. Bending down, his hand clenched around somethingand he pulled the deformed figure of the wraith from beneath theremains of the first angel who had fallen. River’s fingers dug intomy flesh, and her gaze fell to the floor before she thrust hershoulders back and lifted her head once more.
“What do we do with it?” Corsoninquired.
The wraith was as emaciated and weakened asone of them could get, but it could never be allowed to roam freewithin Hell again. Its ability to feed from the other wraiths meantit may be able to regain its strength.
I studied River’s profile, noting the proudlines of her chin and jaw. She was one of the strongest beings I’dever encountered; she’d endured so much, and though I wished Icould spare her from it, she would have to endure more.
“It has to come with us,” I said.
A twitch in her jaw was her only reaction tomy words, as if she had already known what I was going to say.Corson dragged the wraith closer, but stopped twenty feet away fromRiver.
“Does it make you as cold?” I asked her.
“No,” she said, her gaze resolutely focusinganywhere but on Corson and what he held in his hand.
“We have to go.” I kept her against my sideas I turned her and walked with her back through the wreckagelining the seals.
“Where are we going now?” she asked, hervoice hoarser than it had been moments ago.
“We will return to the Fires of Creation andrest for a bit before continuing on. Morax should be trying totouch base with me soon. Once he does, I’ll let him know we’vetaken care of what was causing the seals to fall.”
“Then will we go for Lucifer?”
“We will rejoin the others and formulate aplan of action.”
Her fingers caressed my skin as we steppedinto the cavern where I’d ordered the skelleins to remain. Onlyfive of them turned toward us, the other six had their remainsscattered throughout the wreckage littering the cavern.
“Lix?” River asked, her gaze focused on theskellein before her.
“Yes, World Walker, it is me,” the skelleinreplied.
