Page 29 of Alastair

“I said no! I’m barely holding back Lucifer. You and the others need to leave.”

“Why are you doing this?”he asked.

“Because you’re too important to lose.”And then, I added,“All of you are.”

Fortunately, Galen grabbed Alastair by the arm and yanked him back. The biggest of the Nephilim brothers was one of the very few people who could shake some sense into Alastair.

“Go!” I ordered them, using all my strength to stop Lucifer. I screamed again as he filled my head with fire. Searing pain radiated through the top of my shoulder as Light Bringer broke through the sword lock and sliced into me.

“Laz!” Raiden tried again to reach me. Titan wrapped both arms around him to keep him in place.

“Get your asses over here!” Daman called when there was a slight break in the wave of demon attacks. “Hurry!”

The brothers and their mates came back together, touching shoulders and arms to form another link. A bright light flashed as Daman triggered the teleportation stone’s runes. Alastair looked at me, and my name formed on his lips.

And then, they vanished from sight.

Relief coursed through me despite the ache in my skull—and the one in my chest. They had made it out safely. Whether I died that night or not, that alone brought me peace. More so,whenI died. Because while I was a highly skilled warrior, not even I could take on Lucifer by myself.

“Your saviors left without you,” Vepar said with a laugh ringing in his voice. He wiped blood from his lip, and the wound sealed seconds later. “How heroic they are.”

“They did what was necessary.” My whip dematerialized and settled back in my core. I had little use for it now. It had served its purpose—distracting Lucifer so the boys could escape. Even if I wanted to keep fighting with it, my soul was tired. Drained. A result of Lucifer’s magical assault on my mind.

“You know…” Vepar knelt in front of me and grabbed me by the jaw. “I’m not sure which I crave more. To kill you… or to fuck you.”

I jerked my face away from him as a nauseating knot formed in the pit of my stomach. “Is Belphegor no longer keeping you satisfied?”

His cockiness waned. He stood back up and glowered down at me. “My dearest Belphie is a fool. He’ll return to my bed. He always does.”

“Where is he now?”

“That’s no concern of yours.” Lucifer angled my chin up with the tip of Light Bringer, forcing my gaze to his. “I should take your head here and now.”

“Take it, then.” I held his stare. “But I suggest watching your own. Those boys won’t rest until it’s removed from your shoulders.”

“Do you think yourself a martyr for giving your life to spare them?”

“A martyr? No. I’m a warrior, and as such, I gladly lay down my life for the greater good.”

“The greater good.” Lucifer’s laugh was dry. “You sound just like Uriel.” He lowered his sword from my neck and dropped down to my level, a curve to his lips. “He speaks of good and evil when he walks the same line I do. The difference is I don’t hide my nature.”

“Uriel isn’t the one trying to wage a war on humanity.”

“True.” Lucifer nodded. “Uriel has others do his bidding for him while he sits up high like the god he yearns to become. You recall when I defected from the celestial realm. He refused to allow me to go peacefully. He’s the cause of this war we now find ourselves in.”

“You speak nothing but lies, snake,” I said through clenched teeth. “I saw your wicked heart with my own eyes. I saw you slaughter countless human souls. Uriel didn’t force your hand. You did that on your own, driven by your selfish desire to rule over the mortals you envied. And now, as you stand before me, you have every opportunity to slither back into that dark pit of the underworld and stop this bloodshed, yet you refuse to.”

“It’s much too late for that.” Lucifer’s gaze fell to my wounded shoulder, and he smoothed his thumb through the stream of blood. Since he’d used Light Bringer, my healing powers had no effect on the injury. He licked the blood off his thumb with a pleased gleam in his eyes.

“Perhaps it is too late,” I admitted. “The damage is too great for you to be forgiven.”

“Tell me something, Lazarus. When I was caged, you were the one who crafted my prison. You could’ve thrown me into a dark chasm, denying me even an ounce of light. Even those with the strongest of wills like myself would’ve gone mad with nothing but darkness for company. Yet instead, you placed me in a prison of eternal spring. Fields of flowers, trees perfectly in bloom, blue skies, and sunlight to warm my flesh. Why?”

“Fascinating, is it not?” Lucifer said, smiling over at me as he reclined in the grass.

“What is?” I asked. We had spent the afternoon playing with Michael and Raphael and were lounging in the field before evening meal. It was how we spent every day in the celestial realm. Carefree and happy.

“When I’m here surrounded by such beauty, I almost forget my troubles.” He closed his eyes, basking in the sun’s warmth. “Springtime makes them melt away. Like the snow upon winter’s end.”