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“Fucking fine. Stay out here. I don’t give a fuck.” I stroll ahead with Raven into the cavernous tree as it shifts to show the veil separating my kingdom from Dante’s while still keeping it together. We created this place as our sanctuary before we decided to return to the Mortal Realm and leave Lucian to tether Hell as we figured out how to bring the others to their thrones. It was probably another reason why he was bitter, but the guy has always been a little bit of a dick. But not as bad as Cassius. It’s one of the reasons why we chose to follow through with his plan instead of resisting and remaining in Heaven. That shit was too boring for us. The power was too good.
“Damn.” Cassius begrudgingly follows behind us and I seal the portal and use hellfire to light the small space between realms aglow.
“Wow.” Raven wiggles in my arms until I set her on her feet, but she doesn’t look at my hand. “This place feels exactly like both of you. It’s so strange and exciting. I can’t comprehend what’s going through me.”
“Because it’s made from a part of our beings. Our power comes together and unites in this very location,” Dante says, offering Raven a smile.
“It feels fucking awful to me.” Cassius rubs his hand on the back of his neck and swivels on his feet, staring around at the now empty place. It used to have furniture, but it has since been cleared out. I can’t even truly remember the last time I’ve been here.
“So, what now?” Raven asks, stepping closer to hug her arms around me. She extends her hand to Dante and beckons him closer until the two of us wrap her in our arms, squishing her between our muscular bodies.
I can’t stop the smirk crossing my face as Cassius stares at us as if he’s desperate to be invited into our sandwich. Raven doesn’t even look at him though. I don’t know if it’s because she’s wrapped up in the emotions that course through her from being in such a place or what, but I fucking love how she ignores him.
I love how it gets under his skin. He deserves it. He has far more to make up for than Lucian. If he wants even another moment of Raven’s attention or to touch her soul ever again, he’s going to have to earn it. He will have to jump from Heaven.
“We need to figure out how to get back to the Mortal Realm without the angelic army knowing.” Cassius twirls his fingers until an orb of heavenly light breaks through the air to light the world around him. It doesn’t last long, extinguishing as a wave of darkness steals it away and vanishes it from this place. He groans and shakes his head in annoyance.
“You can go back to the mortal world. We are staying here.” Dante flashes his fangs at Cassius. “Don’t even try to argue.”
I growl and warn him with my gaze to keep his mouth shut. If Dante tells him not to argue, he better not fucking argue. I will enforce it. Hell, I will kick his ass out of our sanctuary and feed him to the hellhounds.
“That’s a mistake. You’re going to lose everything if you don’t fight. Come with me. You can help me get Raven to Elias safely. Obviously, Hell isn’t as protected as you guys thought it was. These angels are so clever. Who knows what they will do next?”
I really wish he wouldn’t have said anything, because I swear to fucking-fuck that he just jinxed us.
Raven gasps and clutches her stomach, bowing forward with a cry. I watch as light seeps from her, trickling in every direction and shaking the world. The angelic army is using Elias again. I can tell. And it’s hurting Raven.
“He’s right, Kase. We can’t stay here. Not if they keep using Elias to get to her. She is protected, but not from the pain that they can make them both suffer through their bond.” Dante flashes his fangs and hisses, his green eyes shining brightly.
“Is there a way to fix it? I know that he’s my soulmate, but can I break the bond? There has to be something we can do. I’m scared.” Raven groans and heaves a couple of deep breaths, the pain bunching her muscles.
I feel helpless. I hate this goddamn feeling most in the world. We are stronger than this. We are stronger than the fucking angels, yet they have an advantage over us.
“It’s dangerous. They’ll be waiting.” I ruffle my hand through my hair, my anger turning my vision red.
“And we will be ready. I will not stand for this. This behavior is against everything Heaven stands for.” Cassius places his hands on his hips and glowers at Raven as if he can see the angels trying to mess with her very soul.
I grin. I can’t believe I’m about to agree to this. I never imagined I’d be fighting alongside Cassius while he was still a goddamned featherhead.
What choice do I have?
“Dante, go and reach out to Micah. Tell him that they must keep everyone distracted even if it means leaving Hell for a bit.” I flick my gaze to Cassius. “I swear if you do anything that hurts Raven or goes against us, you will be torn apart and scattered along every kingdom. You know that we can’t go with you into Heaven, but we can fight against the angelic army. We can give you time.”
Cassius proffers his hand to me. “You have my word. If I fail, I will turn my back on Heaven. There will be no point in fighting for something I cannot in good faith go along with any longer.”
A part of me hopes he fails. But the more reasonable part of me needs him to succeed.
For Raven.
For humanity.
For Hell.
I clench my teeth for a moment. “You have a deal.”
Chapter 26
RAVEN
