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My Love plants a soft kiss on my forehead, and her voice echoes in my mind.He won’t suspect a thing. Do it.
I try to focus my thoughts into a response.When you could do it with a touch?
Her smile is radiant.I could never deny You the honor.
You’ll get the others out of here? Get everyone to safety?
Callie beams.Only if You promise to make it back to me when You’re done.
I lift her fingers to my lips and brush them with a kiss.Why wouldn’t I, when you’ve given me everything to live for?
Chapter 27
Callie
When I plane shift the whole crew out of Leviathan’s palace, I leave Az there to finish off His Brother. He was right; I could have killed Leviathan with just a touch, but I didn’t want to steal Az’s thunder. That, and I know how family is. This shit’s personal.
Molli, Oren, Arman, Cherry, and Holden take turns healing everyone’s injuries. Elena does a once-over on me as soon as her arm’s fixed, but I just twirl in a circle to show her I’m okay.
“See? Perfectly fine.” And I am. When my power erupted and broke off the collar, the gash on my arm healed itself instantly.
She smirks and points at my back. “You callthose‘fine’?”
“Huh?”
I feel a tug behind me, and when I turn around, Kamran has the tip of a demon wing in his hand. When he tugs, I feel it. I try to follow the bones of the wing to its owner, and I’m shocked when I can’t turn around to see the rest of them … because they’re attached tome!
“Whoa! When did this happen?”
My sister rolls her eyes. “You mean to tell me you grew demon wings, and you didn’t notice?”
“I was kind of distracted by the love of my life getting skewered.” I shrug, then start to become aware of the weight of the wings coming out of me. I flex my back muscles, giving them a test flap. The breeze coming off of them is warm, heated. “Cool. I thought I was just using a levitation spell. I didn’t realize I flew.”
“Speaking of the massive pain in my ass, where is the love of your life? Surely He’s dispatched with Leviathan by now.”
Just as Lena speaks, the air shimmers, and Az appears—all in one piece, holding Oren’s sword, which drips green, acidic blood.
“Az!” I launch myself at Him, throwing myself into His waiting arms. For once, it’s not a hallucination; He’s real, and He’s alive. “Gods, I was beginning to worry.”
He wraps His arms around me, wings and all, and gives me the hug to end all hugs. Even with the baby kind of getting in the way, I feel like the fit is perfect. Like I belong here. Like I’m at home in His arms.
“My Love …” He murmurs with His lips pressed to my forehead. “I thought I was lost. Thank you.”
A hot blush creeps into my cheeks, and I squeeze Him back. “You never have to thank me for helping You. We’re a team.”
Someone in the crowd behind us clears their throat. “Who’s the team?”
I chuckle and turn in Az’s arms to grin at Molli. “Point taken. Thanks, you guys. You saved Him. I couldn’t have done it on my own.”
“I don’t know about that,” Holden says. “You smell different now. Powerful. Like an Alpha, but demonic. I’d wager you’ve got plenty of—How did Molli put it?—‘juice’ for saving people now. Well, people and demon Princes.”
“The real question is, is this change permanent? Is Callie truly one of us, or is she something else?” Arman scratches his chin in thought.
Az holds me at arm’s length and gives me a once-over with those gorgeous amber eyes. Even in His demonic form, they’re beautiful. Mesmerizing. “Would it be terribly selfish of me to say I hope it’s permanent?” He winks, and I melt a little.
Molli, a relative newcomer to magic compared to most of the rest of us, surprises us with a theory.
“Well, I’m no expert, but I bet this change is part living here in Hell, part exposure to the infernal magic, and part sharing a body with a half-demon baby.” She waves at our hellish surroundings. “I mean, Lena spent a bit of time in Hell before Ben was born, but she never spent as much time as Callie has, and she never practiced demonic magic. Callie’s been here for months, and she’s been immersed in the magic of Hell. That, and I would guess that Asmodeus’s genes might be a little stronger, so the bond with the baby might be changing her more than Lena’s ever would.”
