My stomach sank when Onoskelis landed a few feet beyond Caim. Caim spun toward her and planted his legs in a defensive position. Folding her wings behind her, a savage smile curved Onoskelis’s lips as she grinned at him.
“You chose wrong, brother,” she purred when more angels touched down around us.
The humans and demons fell back, grouping closer to my house. Shadows crept through the trees before higher and lower-level demons emerged from the woods.
“I bet most of those upper-level demons are from the hundredth seal,” Corson murmured.
“How did they get here so fast?” Bale asked. “I doubt the angels were giving them rides across the ocean.”
“There are still two airports open,” Kobal replied.
“The idea of demons on an airplane is absurd,” Hawk said.
“More absurd than the idea of demons in the first place?” Erin inquired.
“Yeah, a little.”
“The demons behind the hundredth seal wouldn’t turn down helping Lucifer and getting what they feel is a justified revenge, no matter what they had to do to get here,” Magnus stated. “Some of them may have exited the gateway on our side and regrouped here.”
“Lucifer can telecommunicate,” Raphael said. “He could draw his followers in and let them know where he is.”
“It doesn’t matter how they got here, they’re here,” Kobal said. “And we are surrounded.”
“Satan would like to speak with you, dear niece,” Onoskelis called to me. “And he’d really like to killyou,” she said with another smile at Caim, who remained unmoving. “Raphael,” she greeted. “I’d like to say it’s a pleasure to see you again, but that would be a lie.”
“It would be the same if I were to say it to you, Onoskelis,” Raphael replied.
“I bet she was a rotten bitch even before her wings turned black,” Magnus said.
“She was,” Raphael confirmed.
“It seems some of our ex brothers and sisters have been keeping secrets. Our king is eager to learn all of them. If you’ll follow me,” Onoskelis said and gave a sweeping wave of her hand toward the woods.
“What do we do?” I whispered.
At least two dozen angels were on the ground now and shadows continued to swirl across the grass from those still circling overhead. The craetons grouped closer and circled my house until it became a sea of black wings, demon faces, and other Hell creatures around us.
“We have no choice,” Kobal said. “We can’t allow them to willingly take us to where Lucifer is. That’s playing right into their hands. We have to fight.”
Bale pulled her sword free of the scabbard on her back, and Corson’s talons extended as the hounds released a howl that echoed over the land.
CHAPTER 52
Kobal
“Stay by my side,” I said to River. “No matter what.”
“I will.”
Caim edged closer to us, but Onoskelis tracked him while she tossed her sword handle back and forth between her hands.
“They outnumber us,” Vargas said.
“I can help with that,” Magnus said.
Bowing his head, Magnus spread his hands before him. Seconds later, images of demons and humans flickered to life around us. The figures wouldn’t be a huge distraction, but they would keep the angels and demons guessing as to what was real and what wasn’t. More images of River surrounded her and spread down the porch steps. Then he added in some of me throughout the crowd.
“Are you going to make yourself look like me again?” River whispered to him, unable to hide her unease over the possibility.
