Page 145 of Alastair

“Break through the line!” Alastair used his wings to gain speed, heading for the witches. He was stopped by more demons.

Raiden ducked down low and charged into the line of enemies, using his broad shoulders to barrel into them like a linebacker. They went flying.

Asa’s attention darted to the battle waging before him, and when he tried to flee the circle, two of the witches grabbed him. “Release me!”

“Our guest of honor has arrived,” Lucifer spoke in a cool tone.

Fear gripped my heart. If Lucifer killed Asa, Night Fall would die with him. Everything we’d done up to that point would’ve been for nothing.

“See?” Belphegor flashed a cold smile. “You’ve already lost.”

Chapter Twenty-Three

Alastair

Fear stabbed at my chest as Lucifer stepped toward Asa.

“Don’t worry your pretty little head.” The demon in front of me smirked. He was one of the more powerful ones—a magic wielder. “All will be over soon. And maybe I can persuade the boss to let me have some alone time with you before removing that pretty head.”

“I have a better idea.” I made eye contact with him and called forth Pride. “Remove your own. If you can. Your skin is so tough. I doubt anything could pierce it.”

The demon blinked at me before his eyes sparked purple, then glazed over. Without a moment’s hesitation, he raised his sword to his throat and slit it. Blood bubbled out in thick gushes before he dropped to his knees, pupils blowing wide.

Lazarus and Belphegor fought nearby. I knew my mate was strong, but as Belphegor’s fiery sword slashed through the air in front of his face, my breath caught. Lazarus leaned back just in time to dodge it before his whip snaked around the sword’s hilt and yanked hard, disarming the fallen angel.

“You’ve always been weak,” Belphegor growled. “In a one-on-one match against me, you fall short.”

“Yet, here I stand with my weapon while yours disappears into the sea of battle.” The whip pulsed as lightning zapped through it. “So tell me who it is who falls short now.”

“You’ve been spending too much time with that prideful prick of a mate.”

Rage filled Lazarus’ eyes before he struck at him. Belphegor lifted a hand to block the lashing from catching around his neck. It wrapped around his wrist instead, burning into his skin.

My attention was torn from Lazarus when three demons attacked me. I blocked their hits and ducked when one teleported behind me and tried to take off my head. By the time I dealt with them and looked back at Lazarus, Belphegor was no longer beside him.

“He returned to Lucifer’s side,”Lazarus told me telepathically, as if sensing my curiosity.

Kallias, who had trained hard over the past several months to master his power, then set Melancholy loose. A debilitating grief rolled over the foes surrounding him. Some clutched their chests and released agonized howls. Others looked numb, sinking into such a deep depression that their foggy minds caused them to disassociate from everything. They glanced at their weapons before dropping them and walking away.

“Well done!”I told him telepathically.

Kallias peered at me through the wave of enemies, many of whom continued to leave the field.“I did it?”

“Yes. And I’m so goddamn proud of you.”

He smiled. A rare sight.

The moment was squashed as Asa Morningstar’s yells of pain pierced the air.

“Stop!” he screamed, on his knees. He gripped his head. “Please!”

Lucifer stood over him, his eyes glowing bright blue. “It brings me no joy to cause you pain. Yet, it’s the way it has to be. Accept my dearest apologies.”

“Nix?” Bellamy was a few feet away from me and frantically searched around him. “Nix!”

And then I saw him.

Phoenix teleported directly behind Asa and touched his shoulder. Lucifer had been too focused on his son to notice anyone approaching. A mix of hope and nerves swirled in my gut. The demon had a habit of popping in just when we needed him most.