Page 133 of Alastair

Alastair froze. “Why would Lucifer need to summon Asa from the ruins of the mansion?”

“Because that’s where his residual energy is,” Clara said. She sat on the rug with a sleepy Gray cuddled up to her—Mason sat on Gray’s other side. “When Asa’s soul awoke, his life force created a ball of energy. The lingering effects of that energy are what Lucifer will tap into to summon him.”

“How is the spell coming along?” Alastair asked. The brothers’ mates were in the room, so any mention of the soul transfer was off-limits. All they knew was a spell was needed to strengthen Night Fall, not the specifics of that spell.

“Everything’s ready to go,” Clara answered. She petted Gray’s hair, and I noticed the slight wobble of her chin. She turned her face toward the fireplace to hide it.

Alastair had shared with her what Konnar said about soul magic, but there was no guarantee it would work. It was only a slight possibility that it could. He’d told his brothers about it too, deciding it was best not to keep it from them. A wise decision. They were stronger when absolute openness existed between them. No secrets.

When the boys would tell their mates the truth? I wasn’t certain.

“I’ll need to return to my palace,” King Tatsuya said, turning from the window. His long black hair fell over his blue jinbei kimono—a two-piece garment where the top resembled a kimono and the bottoms were loose-fitted trousers that hit him mid-calf. “My wives… well.” His gaze fell to his wedding ring. There was a gem in the flat band for each of them. “I wish to see them again before the battle.”

“Of course,” Alastair told him. He then looked at Daman. “If you and Warrin wish to return to the ice kingdom for a night or two, you should. Use a teleportation stone to get you there and back. We’ll meet here again on December thirtieth to make further arrangements.”

Daman peered up at his mate. “Wanna see our cottage again?”

Warrin smiled down at him. “Nothing would make me happier.”

“We should go with your brother,” Castor said to Kyo. “I’d like to see Ryoko and the babies.”

Ryoko had twin boys who Castor adored and liked to spoil with toys. They adored him, too, from what I’d heard. The reason he wanted to go tugged at my chest though. It was the same reason why Alastair suggested Daman and Warrin spend time at their home. Because it may very well be their last time to do so.

Galen cupped Simon’s cheek. “What do you say, sexy? Want to hole up in your loft for the night?” The loft above Simon’s antique shop where he used to live prior to meeting the Nephilim brothers. “We can order Chinese from your favorite restaurant and watch sappy movies in bed.”

“Hey, I don’t watch sappy movies,” Simon said. “I watch things likeAmerican Pickerson the History Channel like a respectable nerd. Not all that romancey stuff.”

“Uh-huh.” Galen angled his face and brushed their lips together. “Is that why I caught you sniffling at that Hallmark Christmas movie the other day?”

“I plead the fifth.”

“Gods, I love you.” Galen drew him closer. “Don’t ever forget it.”

“Get a room,” Bellamy teased. “On second thought, strip each other down right here and give us all a little show.”

“You goddamn pervert,” Castor told him.

“Don’t I know it,” Phoenix mumbled before he cocked a smile and nestled closer to Bellamy. “But he’s my naughty, perverted Nephilim.”

“You and Nix should come to the ice kingdom with us, B,” Daman said. “We have a guest bedroom.”

Daman and Bellamy then exchanged a look that said so much without them needing to say a single word. With their last days potentially upon them, they didn’t want to be apart either. They never had. After I’d brought Bellamy to the training grounds when they were children, the pair had quickly become friends. They’d been close ever since.

A vibration sounded before Mason pulled his phone from his pocket and placed it to his ear. “Hawk.” A pause. “Hey, Storm. Everything good?” Gray rolled over to face him. “Fuck, man. How bad? Is Scar okay?” The hunter closed his eyes and nodded to himself, as if relieved. “Good. Just hang in there. This shit will be over soon. Have you heard from Grim lately?”

He stood from the floor, and when Gray reached up to him, Mason picked him up and let Gray latch on to his back. Still talking on the phone, he then left the study.

“The war is escalating,” Alastair said. “As we stand here now, humankind is at the mercy of Lucifer’s army.”

“And his army is at the mercy of ours,” Baxter said. “We have units stationed in the areas being hit the worst, meeting them steel for steel.”

Prince Viktor nodded. He had returned to the island earlier that morning to discuss the war efforts. “With thanks to Penemuel, the humans have been more vigilant in their own defense as well, keeping the death tolls down.”

“A victor will be decided come New Year’s Day,” Sirena said. “Either Lucifer will stand victorious, or we will.”

“We will.” Confidence rang in Alastair’s tone. “I’ll accept nothing less.”

I only prayed he would be around to see that victory.