Jaxton shifts to his true Human Form and helps Lucifer stand. Hayden lowers himself to his belly so I can hop off and check on my father. Helicopters get closer and I hear a missile whizzingthrough the air before it hits behind us. The reverberation is so strong it knocks me to my feet, but I recover. Hayden rushes behind me to make sure I’m safe before we push ahead, more missiles hitting near us.
“I can fly,” Lucifer assures us. “I’ll take care of the ones in the sky.”
Lucifer leaps into the air, spreading his glorious wings, and races toward the helicopters. They are no match for him. He cuts through one with his flaming sword, spins, and throws the sword into the rotor blades of the next one. The blades jam and the helicopter spins out of control. Lucifer retrieves his sword and goes after the next helicopter.
“Take cover!” Storm yells out as helicopters plunge towards the Vatican courtyard.
Fiery explosions rock the ground and we take cover until Lucifer lands. The skies are safe. The only Crimson Templars left outside are dead ones. Most of the other Scions have made it inside. We can hear more explosions, screams, and the sounds of a raging battle.
“Let’s finish this,” Lucifer commands, taking flight and zooming towards the door.
We catch up and push our way inside, stepping over many dead Templars and a few dead Scions. I mourn the loss of those who have come to fight for their right to exist and lost their lives, but this war isn’t over yet. Not until we kill all the Crimson Templars and rescue the angel Gabriel.
“Gabriel is below us!” I call out.
“Let the other Scions handle this. They’re already winning,” Hayden transmits. “We’ll go after Gabriel.”
“Down the stairs,” Wyatt points them out.
“Forget the stairs. I’ll make a new entrance,” Lucifer calls out, jumping into the air and landing with a thunderous impact that cracks the floor. “Might take a couple tries.”
We stand back until Lucifer and the nearly one-ton combined weight of Hayden and Jaxton open a hole in the floor. I jump onto Hayden’s back and the pack leaps into the opening, landing on the next floor, which is mostly filled with artifacts. It’s a lot quieter here but screams of death echo above us.
“Where is he? Can you sense him, daughter?” Lucifer asks.
“Still below us,” I reply.
“Either in the grotto or the necropolis,” Lucifer rumbles.
“Templars!” Storm shouts.
A dozen Templars rush our location and the pack charges, but Lucifer is faster. He lands in front of the wolves, wings spread, and absorbs the bullets before tearing into the Crimson Templars. The pack finishes off those Lucifer didn’t take down, and we continue on.
Once we’re downstairs, I see tombs. Large marble caskets with honored saints and artwork depicting their deeds. I would have been thrilled to see this, once upon a time, but it no longer interests me. Nothing here does, knowing the truth of this place. We rush past them until more Templars appear.
“They’re guarding something,” Hayden transmits. “Otherwise, they would have already joined the battle.”
“We’re getting closer,” I tell my mates. “I can sense him. He’s incredibly weak.”
“These Templars are stronger than the others!” Wyatt cries out as a swipe from a sword nearly takes off his leg.
“Wyatt!” I scream, sprinting over to him and killing the Templar as Wyatt limps away.
“These aren’t like the others,” Lucifer thunders, fury powering his words. “These are the ones that have been drinking angel blood.”
He’s right. These Templars move like the ones that attacked us in Chicago. They’re faster, stronger, and more accurate with their shots. Hayden and Remy get shot and have to take cover. Jaxton plows into the Crimson Templars but even he is no match for their strength. One of them hurls him into a wall, but he kicks off and sinks his teeth into the helmet, trying to rip his head off.
“Can’t fucking… too strong,” Jaxton transmits.
Storm shifts into his true Human Form and is hit by a few bullets as he jumps on the one Jaxton is fighting. That gives them enough momentum to pin the Templar down and rip off his head. They work the same system on another, leaving the headless corpse bleeding out on the floor.
I nearly get decapitated fighting one, but duck in time to only lose a clump of my red-highlighted hair. Damnit! Extra pissed off now, I swing my fiery blade in a backhanded blow that separates the bastard from his head. Turning from that little victory, I find myself facing another. I raise my sword to fight when a flaming sword tip suddenly bursts through the Templar’s chest. Lucifer had dispatched the rest then finished off this lastone by running him through from behind. Fathers are really good that way, apparently.
“Wyatt’s hurt. Everyone’s hurt,” I wail, kneeling beside Wyatt.
“I can heal them,” Lucifer soothes my despair, dropping to a knee beside me.
More Templars appear, but not as many, so the wolves are able to finish them off while Lucifer heals Wyatt. Once things are quiet, he heals the rest of the pack, even a cut on my arm that disappears with a golden shimmer.
