Page 123 of Bellamy

“Of course you are.” I snatched his bottom lip between my teeth. “Remind me to punish you once this is over.”

“Punish me?” Phoenix purred. “I’d like to see you try.”

I growled and gripped his hips. Challenge accepted.

“Focus,”Alastair told me.“Don’t let your mate distract you.”

“I’ll fight stronger with him by my side.”

Alastair looked at me from his place a few feet away.“See to it that you do. I refuse to bury another brother. I won’t.”

I recalled Kallias. Silky black hair like a raven’s feathers, tanned skin, and eyes that had shone with a profound sadness due to Melancholy’s influence. But there had been times when he’d smiled, and for a brief moment, that sadness washed away.

Losing him had been devastating.

“Is confronting Belphegor really the best option?” Baxter asked as the warriors took formation in front of the nexus, facing the barrier of trees to the front and sides of us. “Wouldn’t it be better to hide and spring an attack once he steps into the clearing?”

“No,” Lazarus answered. “We can’t let him anywhere near the stone circle to summon the doorway. Besides. The closer he comes, the more I can sense his life force. Which means he can sense ours too.”

A sudden tingling at the top of my scalp had me diverting my attention to the right. My brothers turned that way too. And then… red glowing eyes appeared in the dark shadows of the woods.

Our blood had sensed him.

“Why am I not surprised?” Asa stepped into the clearing. Black wings with silver and red threads curved from his back. “You cursed sons are becoming major pains in my ass. I should’ve killed you when I burned down your mansion.”

Belphegor, Vepar, and Purah walked behind him. Purah flashed an unsettling grin and wiggled his fingers in a greeting. His nails were long and pointed. The memory of those nails slicing into my skin made me grind my teeth together.

“Phoenix,” Asa said as his gaze fell on him. “You should be dead from that stab I gave you. Perhaps I should give you another.”

I stepped in front of my demon as a protective urge came over me. “Don’t speak to him, you goddamn snake.”

Phoenix leaned in closer and whispered in my ear, “Down, boy.”

“I’ll deal with him later.” Asa shifted his gaze to Lazarus. “Right now, you’re in my way.”

“And what do you believe lies behind me, boy?” Lazarus asked. “A shield that doesn’t exist? Belphegor has lied to you.”

“I feel the energy here,” Asa said. “The shield is hidden in the pocket created from the nexus. Light Bringer led us here because my father’s essence exists in both the sword and the shield. The only one lying is you.”

“How fucking dumb can you be?” Castor asked. “Belphegor is playing you like a fiddle. Your awakening, building an army, finding Light Bringer, all of that was a trick to get you here.”

“They’ll say anything to stop you,” Belphegor said in an almost bored tone. No tension at all. He was way too confident in his deception. “Wielding both Lucifer’s sword and shield, you’ll truly be invincible. This frightens them. They hope to make you doubt me and put us at odds. Weaken their enemy from the inside.”

“Stop lying, Dad!” Gray charged forward and shrugged Mason off when the hunter reached for him. All five foot nine inches of Gray stood before Asa, Belphegor, and the few dozen fallen angels they’d brought with him. “We know everything. We know your real plan.”

Emotion flickered across Belphegor’s once hard features. “Stand aside, Gradyn.”

“No! I won’t.” Gray released his wings and readied his shortsword. “I’m not gonna let you do this.”

“You don’t have a say in the matter. Now do as you’re told before you get hurt.”

“What plan is he referring to?” Asa asked Belphegor with a ring of suspicion.

Purah pointed a sharp nail at Gray. “Bad little boy. Those bad little lips need to be sewn shut.”

“What hole did you crawl out of?” Baxter asked Purah. “You’re one freaky-looking motherfucker.”

“Gratitude.” Purah gestured like he was tipping a hat.