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I’d take anything at this point. So, rounding up the survivors—and that word left a very sour taste on my tongue—I relayed the message.
Zuzanna and Elias were more than happy to help me herd everyone to where we needed to go, as well as keeping them calm when they inevitably realized that some of their loved ones weren’t present. Auren was more or less a zombie, leaning on Ashe for support all the way until we’d made it into the compound.
I left the arrangement-making to Zuzanna when the skeleton crew came out with wide eyes, looking just as lost as the rest of us.
It was hours before everyone had settled in for the night. The knowledge that our friends were still missing didn’t help anyone’s nerves.
Me, Aria, Ashe, and Auren were in an old home’s living room. Aria was staring out the window, likely processing all that had just happened—I was doing the same on a dusty armchair. Ashe was seated on the rug in front of a hastily wiped-off coffee table, clicking through articles with one hand on a laptop and the other on Auren’s head while he slept, his head propped up in his lap.
“Well,” he started, his voice low, but no less bitter than expected as he read the reports, “we’re fucked. The Free Kingdom killed Grel and some alleged supporters we had hiding out among them, the Upper Council leveled a few of the other Resistance compounds at the same time they attacked the main one, and there is literally nowhere safer than where we’re currently sitting. They’ve got us by the balls, and they know it.”
The news of Grel’s death hit me in the gut, forcing me to blow out a breath that I hadn’t realized I was holding.
Of course, they’d killed him. Peace was never an option for the fae.
Ashe seemed to realize the full implication right then because his bitterness faded to a regretful expression as he looked down at Auren.
Wasn’t it ironic that the brother I’d thought was dead for years was the only one still kicking?
“How unfortunate,” a deep voice suddenly drawled.
Chills ran up my arms. I knew that voice.
I jumped to my feet, Aria turned around with her angel angrily rattling our bond, Ashe all but leapt to his feet while waking Auren up with impressive speed, who also got to his feet.
Familiar horns loomed in the house’s doorway, followed by a familiar face and aura. My entire body tensed up at the painful reminders that shuddered through me, my wolf baring his teeth and angel raring up in anger.
Before we could all start our attack, Barimuz shoved Atlan and Reese through the door.
“I found these two hanging around after the Upper Council started making arrests,” he said blandly. “Your wolfy friend was about to take a bite out of this human over his dead brother.”
Atlan snarled, his glamor shifting eerily, and Reese flinched at the sound, not looking at any of us.
Barimuz’s tail was flicking like an annoyed cat as he took in the scene he’d waltzed into, and a long sigh left him.
“Since you’re down several of your strongest—” Ashe made a low hum of disagreement here that was ignored. “—I will lend my assistance in rallying your forces. I’m sure that this one will need time to come to terms, seeing as he was so quick to turn on his own people.”
He waved a clawed hand at Atlan so flippantly, it set me on edge. I had to remind myself that death wasn’t as big a deal for him as it was for the rest of us. He’d already experienced it.
“Thank you,” Aria murmured, sensing my irritation and stepping in. “We appreciate it, Barimuz.”
“I don’t needtime, I needblood,” Atlan growled out. He sounded more wolf than man, voice a low rumble that seemed to rattle the walls.
I shot a look at Auren. He was looking at Barimuz grimly, but wasn’t saying anything; Ashe was standing somewhat protectively in front of him.
“Your brother is going to be a lovely addition to my legion if it’s any consolation,” Barimuz said. It was both so genuine and so tone-deaf that I could have laughed under any other circumstance and if he was anyone else.
Reese gripped Atlan’s bicep to keep him from launching across the room at the Archdemon, only to reel back like she'd been burned when his red eyes landed on her instead.
“What? Kiran didn’t make the cut to get into Heaven?” Aria couldn’t help but ask, and Barimuz grinned at her.
“Oh, he did. But Lucifer wanted him.”
The implications of that sentence made her dizzy. I reached for her when her knees began to buckle.
It went against everything we knew about Heaven and Hell and how things were supposed to work. Good people went to Heaven, and bad people went to Hell—those were the rules. The only exceptions were supposed to be fallen angels and demons, for obvious reasons.
“It’s amazing how easily things can be moved around when no one’s watching,” Barimuz mused. His words added to my growing dread.
Lucifer’s stomping on boundaries he’s never been able to stomp on before.
This was… I didn’t have words to describe how I was feeling. How did one go up against this kind of unfairness? Could anyone?
We were all just pawns in a larger game, just like Barimuz had warned us before. A game where one of the major players, and one of the only ones powerful enough to change things, might be sleeping through it.
I glanced around the room, taking in the worried faces and frowns, before meeting the Archdemon’s eyes again.
Barimuz nodded when it was clear the message was received.
“Now, let’s get you all sorted out before everything goes to shit again. How’s that sound?”
