Page 85 of Alastair

“I will,” Warrin said, bowing his head to her.

After she disappeared, Warrin grabbed Daman’s hand and gently squeezed.

A snake lies in wait.Lucifer must’ve been closer than we anticipated. “Let’s keep moving.”

We continued forward, weaving through the copses of beech, ash, and elm trees. Skeletal branches stretched toward us, like long arms and thin, spiry fingers.

“Gotta be careful, Lev,” Gray said, bundled in his cat-eared hoodie and fuzzy mittens, his short sword fastened to his hip. “They might grab you.”

“All of you can go to hell,” Lev said.

“Been there,” Phoenix said. “Lived there for many years. It’s actually quite nice.”

Bellamy chuckled.

Simon’s teeth chattered despite his oversized puffy coat, gloves, a wool scarf, and a winter hat. When Galen slid an arm around him, he accepted the warmth.

Lazarus furled his brow at them before looking ahead. He’d been against Simon coming with us. Frankly, I felt the same. Yet, the soul-deep ache that had me pressing closer to Lazarus as we walked through the forest was the same one Galen felt for his human. Leaving him behind was out of the question.

“Where is this friend of yours?” Michael asked Daman.

A twig snapped from the brush to the left of us. Though barely audible, I heard the light crunching of snow. Eyes glowed in the dark. Exhales of air were followed by soft snarls.

“Wolves,” Oliver said.

“Hopefully friendly,” Evangelos added.

A pair of golden eyes appeared directly ahead of us before a large white wolf emerged from the snow-covered undergrowth. His paws alone were about the size of a person’s head.

“Lycus,” Daman said, stepping forward to greet him. “It’s good to see you again. I only wish it were under different circumstances.”

Lycus bumped his head against Daman’s chest before facing the direction he’d come from. He looked back only once before padding toward an enclosure of thin trees and twisted bare vines. We followed him. One of the wolves vanished as they reached the middle of the trees, trailed by others. Lycus stood to the side and turned back to us.

“A portal,” Michael said, brows inching toward his hairline. “How fascinating.”

“You’re like an overgrown child,” I said. “Everything impresses you.”

Lazarus snorted.

Galen led Simon into the portal before Castor, Kyo, Gray, and Mason joined them. Once all of the warriors and my brothers were through, Lazarus’ knuckles brushed mine.

“After you,” he said. “Michael and I will follow.”

I entwined our fingers. “We can step through together.”

And then, we did.

The dark, snowy forest disappeared as we passed through the portal. We found ourselves beneath a clear night sky, stars shining bright above us and the air like a warm summer evening. Just like the elemental stone the ice dragons had in their kingdom that kept it winter all year long, the wolves had one that made every day like summer. It had been a gift from Gusion.

Michael beamed as he surveyed the camp. So easily amused. His childlike curiosity made sense when his entire life had been dedicated to warfare and endless days of training and keeping the peace among the angels.

Log cabins were scattered throughout the grassy clearing, and a stream ran along one side of the land, cutting into a section of the woods. The wolves shifted into their human forms and invited us to sit around the firepit, offering us food and drink.

Raiden was all too eager to accept that offer, earning a soft smile from his mate. A few children giggled as they ran past us, then were scolded by their mothers and instructed to leave us alone. That didn’t stop a small group from disobeying.

“Play with us again!” a little boy exclaimed, grabbing Raiden’s bicep and then squealing as he lifted him into the air. They remembered him from our previous visit.

“Hold on tight, little dudes.” Raiden, with a stick of jerky jutting from his mouth, allowed another boy to grip his opposite arm before lifting them both at once, causing more excited squeals.