Page 23 of Alastair

His laughter died away. “Such a clever mind, but you forget one thing, Alastair.” His thumb stroked the hilt of his sword. “The way to kill a serpent…” A cold smile crossed his face. “…is to cut off its head.”

Purah and Vepar came at me from each side. Closing me in.

“Is that what you plan to do, then?” I readied my sword again. “Cut off my head?”

“In a figurative sense,” Lucifer responded. “By removing you from the equation, the cursed sons will be lost. Killing you is always an option, but taking you captive will suffice for now.”

“You can try.”

“Here you are so confident that the eight of you will defeat me…” Lucifer motioned to our surroundings. “Yet, you left your brothers behind and came here alone.”

“That’s where you’re wrong.” I couldn’t help but smile. “I’m not alone.”

The air stirred beside me as Phoenix teleported. He was my hidden Ace. One touch and he would take us back to the island. Everything was going according to plan. I had told Lucifer what I wanted to, and now I’d leave him with those words. He could choke on them for all I cared.

I didn’t anticipate what happened next.

Right as Phoenix materialized, Lucifer’s eyes flashed a bright blue. Phoenix cried out and fell to his knees, hands gripping his head.

“There’s always a tell when someone teleports,” Lucifer said much too calmly. “The air ripples before they appear.” He tsked as I dropped down to Phoenix, my chest tight with panic. “He will be of no use to you right now. Not when his head feels as though it’s about to explode. He needs to focus to use his power, and all he can focus on now is the sheering pain in his skull.”

“Release him!” I shoved back to my feet.

“Clever strategy to have a demon lying in wait,” Lucifer said. “However, your ego blinded you to the flaws in your plan. Once again, your desperation to prove yourself led to your failure.”

Once again.He was referring to when I went against his wishes and allowed Lazarus to find me all those years ago. At the time, ithadfelt like a failure. But really, it had been one of the best decisions I ever made. Because it had led me to my brothers. It set me on the right path.

Screeches echoed in the distance. Shades. I sensed their energy—part of the power my brothers and I had that helped us hunt demons—and my gut coiled. A lot were coming.

Lucifer smiled. “Do the beasties frighten you?”

I gave him no response. The low-level demons didn’t scare me. No. What scared me was Phoenix’s ashen complexion and the sounds tearing through his throat. We were outnumbered and would soon face dozens upon dozens of shades that would want nothing more than to tear into our flesh.

They couldn’t kill me… but Phoenix wasn’t as fortunate. As an upper-level demon, it took a lot to kill him, but not even he could survive his head being torn off.

My plan crumbled around me. How foolish I’d been to think I could outwit Lucifer. For thousands of years, I had prided myself on my intellect, but Lucifer being freed from his cage and appearing back in my life had reverted me to that small boy who only wanted to prove my worth. A boy who made reckless mistakes.

With one rash decision, I’d risked us losing this war. I saw that now. I saw how I’d allowed Pride to sway me. Asking for help was difficult. But I was out of options.

“Lazarus,”I projected into his mind, hoping he could hear me.“I need you.”

Chapter Four

Lazarus

Uriel stood in the palace courtyard, tracing the petals of a large white rose. After making my decision to stay with the boys to appease the council, I had packed a bag and was about to leave the realm when he’d summoned me.

The sun had just risen in the sky, and the clouds welcomed its light, shining in an array of gold and soft pink. Raiden had once described them as cotton candy clouds.

“Do not fail me, Lazarus.” Uriel’s green eyes shifted to me. “The fate of those abominations rests in your hands.”

“I will not fail.”

“Good.” He focused back on the rosebush. “Beautiful things can be deceiving. They draw you in, and without warning, they can make you bleed.” Blood beaded to the surface of his fingertip as he withdrew his hand. The wound sealed just as quickly as it’d appeared. “It’s why we must be willing to destroy these beautiful little things with their hidden thorns. If the need arises.”

“It won’t,” I said, knowing he wasn’t truly talking about the flowers. “The boys are loyal to us. Any thorns they possess will be used against Lucifer and his dark army.”

“Then it’s your duty to see to it that those thorns pierce him deeply.”