AllFreeNovel
Share Us
The two submissive wolves, Rick and Billy, step forward. “We’ve got this. Callie has never treated us like second-class wolves, and we’re not about to chicken out just because there are legions of envy demons between her and us.”
I don’t miss the beaming grin of pride from their brother Holden. He clasps them each on the shoulder, and Cherry kisses them both.
“I’ve never considered you two second-class wolves,” Cherry says. “I love you two just as much as Holden and Matt, and the way you stepped up to help with the twins after Geiger died is just phenomenal. You two are an important part of our family, our pack, and my heart.”
That leaves Elena and her mates. When I look their way, Elena is hugging My Sons like she might never see them again. Low whispering passes back and forth between them, not quite loud enough to hear from where I stand, but enough to tell there’s an argument underway. I move closer, curious.
“Lena, my love, that’s tantamount to suicide! You can’t be serious!”
“Aistan, baby, it’s Plan B at best. An alternative solution if Asmodeus can’t kill Leviathan.”
Samsher scowls. “It shouldn’t even be Plan Z.”
“What is this Plan B?”
They all jump at my question, so caught up they were in their bickering that none of them heard me approach.
Arman rubs Elena’s back, his blue eyes filled with worry. “She thinks we’re going to let her offer to take Callie’s place.”
My eyes widen in shock. I turn my gaze to Elena. “You would make that sacrifice?”
She looks me square in the eye with her chin up, jaw set, and tears in her eyes. “I would make that sacrifice a thousand times over for my sister.”
Human familial bonds are strange things.
After pausing a moment to marvel at the bravery of the Earth beings, I finally find my voice again.
“We’d better make sure Plan A is successful, then.”
Chapter 25
Callie
The moment Az arrives in Envy—and I know because the waters around the castle part like Moses just strolled up in here, which has to be Oren’s work—all Hell literally breaks loose.
Envy demons scramble to coordinate and defend. The problem is, in addition to Az’s surprise appearance in the castle, there are also airborne troops flying in from all sides. Wrath demons join incubi and succubi to swarm the coral palace. A few of them try to fly through the tower windows to get to me, but Leviathan’s ahead of them, sending envy demons to guard me. They fill my tower room, barely giving me space to breathe, stabbing at the incoming cavalry with sharp pikes. I shudder and cry out as several ally demons get speared and fall to their deaths. Nobody should die because of me, not even a demon.
Well, the envy demons can die because of me. Fuck those guys.
We’re here, sis. Hang tight. Be there in a jiff.
Lena. I’ve never been so happy to hear her thoughts.
With all the jostling in the tower room, eventually the butt of someone’s spear jabs me in the gut, and I scream in pain and fear. Did they hurt the baby?
My scream is echoed seconds later by a second scream, a man’s scream …
A Prince’s scream of Wrath.
“Calliope!”
Can Az hear me over the cacophony of battle going on, or did He sense it some other way? I bite my lip to keep from crying out again. I don’t want to distract Az if He’s about to fight Leviathan. He’s going to need all His concentration for that; He can’t be worrying about me and the baby.
A succubus squeezes through the window, past the spears, and suddenly all those sharp tips turn inward. She lands next to me and wraps her arms around me, but before she can lift off, a spear tip pierces her throat from behind. Another spear lances her abdomen, coming dangerously close to my own, and I dodge as quickly as I can to avoid getting speared myself. As she falls, more spear points appear as the envy demons, not the brightest eggs in the basket, keep trying to kill the dead demoness. I reach out and grab one of the spears, instinctively protecting my stomach, and by some miracle I wrench it out of the demon’s hands.
I have a weapon.
I have a weapon, but I have no clue how to use it properly. The long, pointed stick is awkward and unwieldy. I swing at the closest envy demons, but I don’t even manage to scratch them. They easily dive out of the way of my lance, laughing as I almost lose my balance with the thing.
