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I flick my magic forward, and it shoots across the space, wrapping around Asmodeus’ throat like a whip. Yanking him forward until he loses his balance, I spin, yanking my blade from the sheath around my waist, dropping low to slide it across his stomach. His blade connects with mine before I can nick the skin.
We trade blow for blow as I build up power, readying a bomb. My skin itches, pulling so tight it’s like the power is stretching it so I can accommodate more. I push off his blade, then thrust my hands forward, tossing what I’ve stored at him in one massive pulse. He flies back as a wall of hellfire surges to catch him.
Blood spills from his mouth, dripping down his chin as he pushes to his feet.
“Careful. I might take pity,” I say, catching my breath. I lift my hands, trying to use my power to lift him from the ground, but he grinds his teeth, pushing me away before I can raise his foot an inch.
He teleports forward, appearing out of thin air. His face is so close to mine, I can feel his warm breath against my skin. A large hand connects with my face, and I stumble to the side. Pain erupts across my cheek, as the sound of my heart beating pounds in my head.
I push out power, using the sharp, unyielding throb of pain to fuel my rage, giving my witch side the upper hand. He careens across the circle and I advance hard, slamming my sword down with enough brute force that he struggles to block it. Fingers wrap around my throat, denying me air and trapping me in the deadlock. His sword disappears as he grabs the flat side of my blade with a gloved hand and pushes it back toward my face.
“Something tells me… You’d be prettier with scars,” he says, gritting his teeth. The blade nears my cheek as I put everything I have into keeping it away, but not wanting to let go and lose the only weapon I have that can kill him. All it takes is a nick… Kai didn’t sound so sure that the sword wouldn’t kill me, too. I’d rather not find out. I don’t even know if I’m immortal yet.
I slam my knee into his crotch, tossing the sword to the side in the split second he lets up. My head crashes forward, slamming my face into his. Blood spills from my nose as a pinging noise rings out in my ears.Fuck!It looked so easy in the movies. My hand lifts to my forehead, putting pressure as the world tilts and sways. I scramble backward to put as much space between me and Asmodeus as possible, gathering my sword as I do.
He advances far too quickly for someone who just had their clock rung. Using my magic, I shrink the sword, tucking it beneath the band Finn gave me. It’ll either be there if I need it, or it’ll cut the fucker and get me the hell out of here. But I’m not willing to give up yet.
Asmodeus strides forward and before I can slide out of the way, his boot lands against my middle, sending me flying through the air into the barrier I created with hellfire. His magic slides over me, spiraling around my body like a snake, and tightening until it threatens to shatter me into pieces. Nails breaking and bending backward, I try to claw his power free, digging my hands into the invisible coils of power.
My spine groans beneath the pressure as I cry out, and Asmodeus bends to wrap his hands around my throat, lifting me in the same manner as he did Finn. My blood rolls down his hands as I gasp and try to force his fingers away. Kicking my feet, my lungs seize in my chest, tightening and churning until pain bursts into bright lights in my vision. The world starts to slip away as I struggle.
Putting everything I have into it, I explode. I let every damn I’ve built to block out emotions crumble until blinding rage fills my eyes and flames roar out of me. Asmodeus lets go and I drop to the ground. Lightning sparks around my body, and thunder claps in the sky, creeping through the ozone until it slams into me. When it recedes, I fucking glow with the power exuding from every pore of my being.
I spot Kai on the other side of the flames, holding up a recovering Finn and trying to get my attention. But it’ll have to wait. Thrusting my hands forward, I drag Asmodeus toward me. He flails and thrashes against my hold, but I tug hand-over-hand on my magic tether. He won’t get away this time. Whipping up tethers from the ground, they coil around his wrists and clasp over his ankles. They bring him to his knees and anchor him to the ground.
Slowly I step forward, reaching out to tip Asmodeus’ chin. “I wish it could’ve been different for you,” I say, pulling the blade from my wristband and bringing it back to its normal size. “But sadly, it has to be this way.” He looks up at me through his amber and alabaster eyes, and without flinching, I drive my blade through him until the hilt touches his chest.
Withdrawing it, I step away and watch as his body falls back and blood pools on the ground.
The circle of hell flame flickers out and Kai rushes inside, grabbing my shoulder and dragging me against his chest.
“Please tell me you’re okay,” he says, pushing back to rove his eyes over every piece of me, but I can’t take my gaze away from the man I killed. I’ve taken dozens of lives today, but this was different. Maybe because it looks like him, or maybe it’s because I know Lucifer failed him…
“Alice!” Kai screams at me, shaking my body until I come back to the present. “Are you okay?”
“Yes,” I say, my voice barely a whisper. My hand travels up to my cheek, feeling the bruise deep within my flesh as my fingers ghost upon the surface. War is chaotic,unruly, and nothing like I’d imagined. It’s ruthless, and no rules of civility apply. I could’ve died today.Fuck, I came so close to it, too. I barely scraped by with the skin on my teeth.
For the first time, no one was there to catch me when I fell. I should be happy. It’s what I’ve asked for over the better part of a year–for them to trust I can handle myself. Now that someone has, I’ve never felt more alone. Hell truly is every man or woman for themselves. I’ve been spoiled rotten. Kai and Finn have always been there to save me when I make a misstep, and today I got a taste of a reality without that.
Glancing to my left, I spot the king in all his glory, watching.Waiting. For what?
I always thought the Devil had my best intentions in mind–that he was sworn to because of the deal with my mother. I thought I could trust him, but maybe I’ve been blind… The possibility of Lucifer ‘letting me have my moment’ is too slim. He chose to let me and Finn fight for our lives and to do nothing. No one else mattered. If we had, he would’ve moved from that hilltop.
“You have to go,” Kai says, grabbing my face in his hands. “You have to go, now.” He commands me, packing power behind his words. Pressing his lips to mine, he yanks the wristband and the world around me slips away until it’s replaced by obsidian stone.
25
Kai
Creatures fall across the battlefield as the magic holding them upright wanes. My brother wasn’t supposed to be here, but we always knew there was a possibility he survived.
I’d heard he could control the dead, raise them from the ground with their gnarled bones and disjointed limbs, but I never expected this. Nor did I expect a fury to swoop in and block our men from retreating. It was a gesture that would’ve terrified most, but not me. In my eyes, it showed Asmodeus’ cards. It was an act that told me he didn’t know we had the spelled bracelets to teleport our army back to Hell Hold at the sound of a bugle. Which means he’s not aware of all our secrets, and therefore incapable of sharing them with the High King.
I’d rather keep it that way.
So far, this fight has been a bloody shit show. In the past, my father has been on the ground wielding magic alongside our men. Today, he barely participated other than to knock the lines back when our men grew too close to the fury’s line of fire. It coiled my insides and built a rage that I wanted to unleash on him and him alone.
No king rules from the sidelines. At least, not a good one. A righteous king braves the repercussions of his actions along with those who are sentenced to carry out his orders. His crown should be removed from his head after this, but I know better than to show such thoughts around him.
