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“Neither will we,” Dezikiel said sharply, and Jophiel gave him an odd look, but Dezikiel stared him down until he sighed.
“Fine, we won’t allow it either. But I highly doubt that would be the way,” Jophiel said.
“You don’t know that for sure though,” Bug pointed out.
“No, but from my centuries of life, sacrifice isn’t as big as many believe. There will be a way that will allow Lily to live,” Jophiel said with firm belief. I took some comfort in how certain he was of this.
“Okay, so that’s the rough plan then? Find the angel, get into Heaven, find a prophet? Then go from there, right?” I clarified, and Dezikiel bobbed his head.
“How about the five of you go and get ready, we’ll be leaving right after dinner. The wardings are reinstated, and the High Council is in tatters, so no one will be coming for us immediately. We need to get a few things in order before we head off, make some calls and get things prepared,” he said as he glanced at Jophiel, who nodded knowingly.
“Should we really be waiting around? Seems risky,” Jack voiced his thoughts, which I agreed with. Sure, my father had said the Kingdom of Hell needed recharging before anyone could come after me, but we still had angels to worry about.
“Dinner will be ready in an hour, that’s enough time for us to prepare and have things ready. For now, gather your strength, you may need it. And say your goodbyes, only a few of the students will come with us on this venture,” Dezikiel said firmly, and I swallowed down the uneasiness that had settled over me.
We didn’t argue as we all headed out into the hall, and I toyed with my ring as I withdrew my wings.
“You heard your mum?” Chum asked softly as we walked.
“Yeah, and I can still feel her. It’s like she’s right here with me, a part of her at least. It’s hard to explain,” I murmured.
“To think your father had Xander working for him, that’s not something I would’ve seen coming,” Bug mused as he flicked his elastic band.
“We could feel your power changing a bit more when you put the ring on,” Creeper spoke up from behind me. “Stronger, more potent.”
“You felt it?” I frowned at his words. They’d felt other things from me before, so it shouldn’t be surprising.
“Yeah, we all did. You’re something truly special, Lily,” Jack said as he slipped an arm around my waist. I relaxed against him as I sucked in a steadying breath.
How had my life become this? To think I’d once thought I was crazy and seeing things. Now I was some powerful hybrid, capable of saving the planet.
As if I wanted that kind of pressure.
I gritted my teeth as I forced myself to remain calm. I’d already cried about how my life had become this crazy rollercoaster, how I’d lost both my parents. Angels and demons alike wanted me dead.
What if it was a sacrifice? What if I had to die in order to close the gates? I didn’t want to throw away my life. Sure, it was for the good of the entire world, and I should be thinking of the grand picture. But I’d only just got my life, really. Only now knew what I knew, had men that loved me, friends that were like family. Finally I felt like I had a place I belonged. I’d come to the Academy, learned about my powers, discovered more about what I was, just who my mother was.
“You okay?” Chum stepped up beside me and slipped his hand in mine as I let out a breath I hadn’t known I was holding.
“Just worried,” I admitted.
“Everything will be okay, there’s no sacrifice to be made. We’d destroy all of Heaven if they tried to pull anything like that,” Jack assured me. “We won’t let anything happen to you. We’ll die before we let you get hurt.”
“No.” I shook my head instantly at the thought of them putting their lives on the line for me. I hated it. They’d done it already, and it killed me each time to think about it.
“That’s the way it is, love. It’s our duty to you, our purpose,” Jack reminded me sweetly as he kissed my temple.
“There’s nothing we wouldn’t do for you,” Chum added. “And we’ll be by your side for everything. We’re not going anywhere.”
“I don’t want you to get hurt for me again, please promise me you won’t?” I begged as we pulled up in the hall.
“You know we can’t promise that,” Bug said with a pained smile.
I hated that he was right. It was just how they were. And I’d been willing to offer myself up in their place. The love we shared went both ways, I couldn’t expect them to not want to keep me safe.
“It’s all going to be okay. We’re here, always,” Creeper spoke up as he rested a hand on my shoulder. I instantly covered it with mine, taking comfort in the warmth that flooded through me from his touch.
“I know, thank you,” I murmured as Jack pulled me against his chest to hold me tight.
