Page 50 of As Above, So Below

He arches a brow, not slowing. “I would have thought youknew.”

I shake my head once, my fists curling.

He stops, less than five feet away. And even at this distance, I have to stareupat him. Not as tall as some demons, but tall enough.

Laughing, he extends a hand. I’m reminded of the fae, of the High Priestess. I’d refused them both and both became missed opportunities. I cannot—no matter how inherently wrong it feels—miss yet another.

“Your Lord of Wrath,” he says, leaving his hand open. “He captured me. I was offered to Netharis in exchange for you.”

I almost laugh. Two hundred and fifty years ago Kassil offered aLife Bringerto my father for me and Netharis had yet to deliver. A wicked delight curls through the base of my skull. I’m not the only one Netharis manipulates.

“If we are going to go, you need to take my hand,” Zuriel says firmly, taking another step forward. “Calm your innate, Death Bringer.”

It rolls and churns, wanting to lash out. And part of me wants the same. My innate feeds on that small part refusing to settle, to listen.

“I cannot,” I reply, the sound coming through gritted teeth.

“Find a way,” he encourages quietly.

“Why are you willing to help me?”

Zuriel moves closer. Within striking distance. His offered hand between us. “It is only fair I offer to help when it is you who has given me my freedom,” he answers.

It can’t be that simple.

It’s never that simple.

“In Kassil’s haste to ensnare me, he failed in soundproofing my cell. I’ve listened to every conversation Netharis has had in his study. Netharis deserves what’s coming to him.” He laughs, a golden sound. “Listen, I do not want to be indebted to you. Take my hand and let us go.”

I remain still. Silent.

A mistake.

Zuriel closes the short distance between us in two strides and sweeps me into his arms, cradling me against his chest.

“No!” I shout, struggling.

With little effort, he overpowers me, pinning me in place with vice-like arms. I was no match two hundred and fifty years ago, and I am no match now. My darkness streaks forth as he leaps into the air, pointed tendrils aimed for his wings, his throat, his head. White flashes of light dispel them, and he begins laughing again.

“If we had the time, I would fight you again, Vestaris,” he muses with a grin. “And you would lose again.”

His muscles coil and, in an instant, my stomach is left upon the ground as his wings begin to beat furiously, lifting us higher. Searing through the air with a speed I didn’t know possible, my simmering rage becomes ice-cold fear as I peer behind.

Kassil soars toward us, his leathery wings beating furiously, the expression on his face one of pure wrath and outrage. He launches hellfire from his fingertips, and my innate screams. Black streams of fog jettison themselves from me, ensnaring the hellfire. As the shadows smother it, Zuriel glances over his shoulder.

“Brace yourself, Death Bringer,” he shouts over the wind.

A radiant white light bursts into life from the center of his chest, old magic runes swirling outward across his skin. They too begin to glow bright, forcing my eyes to narrow. A gust of wind rises beneath us, launching us further and faster into the red sky, leaving Kassil behind with greater speed.

Above us, a white billow of clouds begins to swirl, forming a circle. A portal. Zuriel has opened a portal. Through it, I do not see the night sky, nor the sun. Instead, I see nothing but white.

Is Zuriel about to emerge into the living realm alongside me?

Or am I about to learn what happens to demons brought to the heavens?

The brilliance of the light intensifies as another gale of wind rips through. It causes my eyes to water, forcing me to turn my face back into Zuriel’s chest, squeezing my eyes shut. I close a hand over the pendant around my neck, and it vibrates with old magic.

A sensation akin to a cool touch begins at my chest’s center, quickly spreading outward until the sensation consumes every part of me. A familiar surge of energy courses through me, one I have felt before—the night at the Moon Temple.