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Through my comms, I heard Skye's voice, tight with urgency: “You need to wrap this up. Fast. More incoming, at least a dozen. Coming from the east.”

Sean, panting, glanced at Cassiel, who had materialized nearby. “End it,” he ordered.

Cassiel's expression was grim but determined. He stepped forward, lifting a hand. “Everyone who isn't a demon—cover your eyes.”

I barely got my hands up in time before an explosion of pure, blinding light engulfed the club. Even through my closed eyelids and shielding hands, the light was painfully intense. The demons screamed—a chorus of inhuman shrieks that bore into my brain like hot needles.

And then, silence.

I lowered my hands cautiously, blinking spots from my vision. Where dozens of demons had stood moments before, there was nothing but scorch marks on the floor and walls. The few surviving humans and supernatural creatures were slowly getting to their feet, looking dazed.

My ears rang in the sudden quiet. The pain in my head had receded to a dull throb, but I still felt... wrong. Like something inside me had been knocked loose and was now rattling around, threatening to break free.

“What the hell was that?” Sean asked, looking at Cassiel.

The angel was visibly drained, his normally straight posture now slightly slouched. “Divine light,” he replied simply. “It... takes a lot out of me.”

“It was impressive,” I admitted, then turned my attention to the survivors. “We need to check for wounded.”

An hour later, we stepped outside for air. The club had been secured, the wounded tended to as best we could manage. Juno was alive, though severely injured. Sterling had insisted on staying with her, making calls to arrange safe houses for the survivors. Hawk and Skye were conducting a thorough sweep of the surrounding area, making sure no demons had escaped.

The cool night air was a stark contrast to the burning heat of battle and the copper-heavy scent of blood inside. I leaned against the brick wall, my body aching from wounds and something deeper—something inside me cracking. My head still throbbed, the fractured memories threatening to resurface with each heartbeat.

Cassiel stood a few feet away, his gaze fixed on the horizon. Sean paced restlessly, wiping blood from a cut on his lip.

“Tell me what the hell is happening to me,” I said suddenly, my voice sounding strained even to my own ears.

Sean stopped pacing, his back to me. I could see the tension in his shoulders, the slight hesitation before he turned.

“I don't know,” he replied, not quite meeting my eyes.

“Bullshit.” I pushed off the wall, taking a step toward him. “Those demons knew me, Sean. They said things...” I swallowed hard. “You know something. So tell me.”

Sean finally met my gaze, and there was something in his eyes I rarely saw—guilt. “I only know part of it.”

“Then start talking.”

He exhaled deeply, glancing at Cassiel before speaking. “There's a wall in your soul, Cade. Something blocking your memories. Keeping you from remembering what happened to you in Hell.”

My stomach clenched. “Why?”

“To protect you,” Sean said, his voice softening. “The one who got you out of hell built it when he separated your soul from your body. Said it was the only way you'd be... functional. But If you knock that wall open, Cade... you might not survive what's on the other side.”

I clenched my fists, feeling incomplete, like a puzzle missing half its pieces. The fractured memories that had been surfacing during the fight... were they leaking through cracks in this wall?

“What exactly am I not supposed to remember?” I asked, dreading the answer.

“Hell,” Cassiel replied when Sean hesitated. “Not just being there—many souls experience the torments of Hell—but what was done to you specifically. What was... changed.”

A chill ran down my spine. “Changed?”

“Your mark,” Cassiel said, nodding toward my chest. “It's not just a scar. It's a connection. A tether.”

“To what?”

“To the one who marked you. Zeryth,” Sean answered, his expression grim.

“And you weren't going to tell me this?” I demanded, anger flaring hot and bright.