Page 109 of Alastair

The rest of my brothers left the cabin. After nodding to the fallen angel, Lazarus then guided me toward the door.

“Alastair.”

I looked back at Mephistopheles. “Yes?”

“There’s something else you should know,” he said, stepping toward me. “Your victory depends on it.”

This must’ve been the reason behind the prolonged glances that had left me feeling uneasy. That feeling returned full force as I waited for him to say more. But he didn’t tell me.

He showed me.

Mephistopheles placed two fingers at my temple, and in an instant, I was standing beneath a moonless sky, snow beneath my boots. Yet, I wasn’t actually there. I didn’t feel the biting cold or smell the stench of blood and death. Bodies lay motionless all around me: demons, Nephilim, angels. The aftermath of a battle.

Ahead, I saw me and my brothers fighting Lucifer. I wielded a black sword that looked like darkness itself. We fought—slashing, cutting, and striking.

It was the vision of Lucifer’s death. Mephistopheles was letting me see it for myself. And what I saw left me shaking. I watched until the vision faded away. Blinking, I found myself back in the cabin with a worried Lazarus beside me.

“What did you see?” Lazarus asked, cupping my face. “Gods, Alastair, you’re so pale. Say something.” He turned to Mephistopheles. “Tell me what you did to him!”

“I did nothing. I only showed him the truth.”

“Show me too.”

“I cannot.” Mephistopheles then looked at me with a solemn expression. “That’s how you will win this war, son of Azazel. Many paths lead to Lucifer’s victory, but only one leads to his doom. And you’ve just witnessed it for yourself. You know what needs to be done.”

“Yes,” I said, hating the quiver in my voice. “I do.”

All my life, I had enjoyed unraveling mysteries and uncovering the truth. Knowledge was power. Yet, in that moment, it felt more like a curse. A burden I had to carry until that fateful night arrived.

Lazarus and I joined the others outside and walked far enough away from the warded property to where Michael could activate the teleportation ring. The entire time, Lazarus kept his eyes on me.

When we returned to the island, Michael left for the celestial realm, and my brothers and their mates went inside the villa to speak to the allied commanders. Probably to eat too. We hadn’t eaten dinner before traveling to the realm of the lost, and I sensed Raiden’s need for family time. Cooking and eating helped ease his anxieties.

“Come with me.” Lazarus led me to the orchard beside Baxter’s villa. Reaching it, he spun around to face me. “What did you see in the vision?”

“I’ll tell you later.” I tried to step around him.

“You’ll tell me now.” He grabbed my arm and brought me closer to his body. “What. Did. You. See.”

Moonlight bled through the branches above us, shining on his face. I lifted a hand and stroked the curve of his smooth jaw. As his winter apple scent surrounded me, Pride purred in my chest. Beneath his scent, I smelled another. Mine.

“You’re so beautiful,” I told him. “The first time I ever saw you, you reminded me of the snow. Cold but striking. When you grabbed my hand though, you felt so warm. I went to those woods hoping you’d come for me.” I tucked my head beneath his chin. “And you did.”

Lazarus wrapped his arms around me. “You’re worrying me, Alastair.”

“Don’t be worried.” The backs of my eyes burned. “I saw our victory.”

“Then why are you shaking?” He held me tighter and buried his face in my hair. “Tell me the truth.”

The truth would crush him. It was crushingme.

“Remember when we caged Lucifer?” I rested my ear over his heart, listening to the beats. They helped calm my own. “Our blood was needed to seal the door, but our life force was also needed to reinforce it. The same will be required to kill him. Night Fall will need our energy. A spell must be performed to transfer our energy into the blade as the final blow is made.”

“Okay.” He took slow, steady breaths. “So it will be like it was during the first war? You will be weakened and close to death?”

He wasn’t fully understanding, and I didn’t have the heart—or the nerve—to clarify. I squeezed my eyes shut, forcing back tears. “Yes.”

“This is the only way?”