Page 140 of Alastair

“It’s good to see you, old friend.” I rested a hand on Konnar’s shoulder.

His brow arched. “I’ll forgive your use of that wretched word just this once.” He placed a hand on mine, too, and gently squeezed. “Echo Bay is our home. We’re here to help you protect it.”

“Thank you,” Lazarus told him.

Konnar smirked. “So you do have manners. I’m impressed.”

“Don’t press your luck, vampire.”

“Ah. That’s more like it.”

Once Michael gave the order, we sprang into action and headed toward the mansion. The shield that had once surrounded the property had been destroyed when Asa and his army attacked, resulting in the destruction of our home. Still, the location was far enough from town that we shouldn’t have to worry about humans being caught up in the fighting. Mountains surrounded it as well, which would help keep the fighting contained.

The element of surprise wasn’t on our side, but it didn’t matter, seeing as to how Lucifer knew we were coming. He’d seen it in the vision. As had I.

That knowledge put us on equal footing.

“But he’ll be the one to fall,”Pride told me.

For once, I agreed with my sin. If we followed the plan to a T, our victory was guaranteed. It was a bittersweet thought.

Night Fall was sheathed at my side, and as we approached the mansion, the weight of responsibility threatened to crush me. But I wouldn’t allow it to. My brothers and I would do what needed to be done. Even if it cost us everything.

“Stay strong,” Lazarus said, brushing the backs of his knuckles across mine. “Just as you always have.”

“I will.”

He looked over at me, a sad smile on his lips. “I know.”

The familiar terrain caused a lump to rise in my throat. I had once walked those grounds, finding comfort in the stretch of sea that had glistened like diamonds beneath the sun’s rays. On rainy days, the droplets of rain had created a soothing chorus as I sat beneath the outside awning and enjoyed a hot cup of tea. The garden I had tended to, now buried beneath a thick blanket of snow.

Up ahead, cloaked figures moved along the ruins of the mansion. The witches we’d encountered in Transylvania, no doubt. Clara had blown up a few of them with her witch bombs, so more had joined since then.

Anger rolled around in my chest. How dare they taint a place that had once been so important to us. It was a violation that would not go unpunished. Before dawn broke across the sky the next morning, they’d join the ashes they stood upon.

“They’re preparing the spell,” Clara whispered. “Bastards.”

“How much time do we have before they complete it?” I asked.

She frowned up at the sky, mentally calculating. “Within the hour, if I had to guess. Magical energy is all around us and only growing stronger.”

“That’s not the only thing around us.” Bellamy surveyed the area. “I sense demons. A lot of them.”

“They’re lying in wait,” Phoenix said, the cold air creating a visible cloud as he sharply exhaled. “This is feeling more and more like a trap.”

“A trap implies a deception.” I kept my gaze forward. “There’s no trick here. It’s a clashing of two armies in a predestined location, neither one having an advantage over the other.”

“It makes me curious,” Lazarus said. “If Lucifer saw the night of his death, why would he set events into motion that would cause that death to play out? The location. The black moon. Surely he knows he’s charging straight toward his own fated destruction.”

“Unless he knows something we don’t,” Michael said.

“Always a possibility,” I responded, refusing to allow doubt to creep in. “However, unfortunately for him, we have something in common. We both allow our pride to propel us into action, often despite the odds stacked against us. Because of that, I think it more likely he saw his death and believes he’s capable of preventing it by altering the order of events. But fate doesn’t work that way. There’s only one way this night ends, and it’s with Night Fall plunging into his cold heart.”

The electricity in my veins sparked, setting my blood on fire. And then a weight lodged in my core, sinking into my muscles and trying to force me to my knees. I fought the urge.

My brothers stopped walking and struggled against the same feeling. Their bodies told them to kneel. To obey. That could only mean one thing.

Lucifer was close.