Page 130 of Bellamy

Blinking, Alastair looked at the stone in his hand. His usual cool confidence then returned, and he shouted for Baxter and Sirena to gather their surviving warriors. Kyo relayed the order to the dragons. Lev, Viktor, and the twins joined us next.

Once everyone was nearby, they touched shoulders, connecting all of us together. The crack of thunder sounded as an angel died, though I couldn’t tell from which side it had come from—ours or theirs.

Alastair cast a look at Lazarus, who was now fighting Belphegor. He gave a subtle nod, like an internal acceptance, before handing the teleportation stone to Bellamy. “Take everyone back to Clara’s.”

“No, Al,” Gray said from Mason’s arms. “You gotta come with us.”

Galen grabbed Alastair by the arm. “I’m not letting you throw away your life to save his.”

“It’s not up to you.” Alastair stepped away from us, breaking the link, before looking at Bellamy. “Use the stone and take everyone to safety. That’s an order.”

Bellamy activated the stone, unable to fight the direct command. The runes glowed bright purple. Alastair was staying behind. Typical hero bullshit. I shouldn’t have cared, but if he got himself killed by playing said hero, Bellamy would be distraught.

I couldn’t let that happen.Goddammit.

I let go of Bellamy’s arm.

“Nix!” Bellamy reached for me, panicked.

But it was too late. There was a blinding light, and then he disappeared with the rest of them. I stared at the spot he’d been, hoping I hadn’t just made another stupid decision.

“Are you insane?” Alastair hissed. We were the only two from our force left, aside from Lazarus and his white-winged angels.

“About as sane as you,” I responded. “How did you think you’d get home without that stone? Defeat Lucifer fucking Morningstar and then fly off into the sunset? Consider me your ticket out of here. It’s kind of my specialty.”

With Asa, providing a quick escape had been my main purpose, other than pissing off the Nephilim brothers… which had been quite entertaining at times, if I was being honest.

“We can’t defeat Lucifer tonight.” Alastair turned his attention to the stone circle and the fight waging around it, a clash of black wings and white. “I’m not so arrogant to believe we can.”

“So what’s the plan? Please tell me you have one and this wasn’t a half-cocked idea with no direction.”

“Lazarus lectures me about carrying out orders despite personal feelings.” Alastair gripped his sword. His shoulder and neck wounds from Light Bringer’s blade continued to bleed. “But him staying behind tonight was purely emotionally driven. Lucifer betrayed him. And whether he admits it or not, he wants revenge for that betrayal.” His icy eyes fell on me. “I’m going to force his stubborn ass to leave with us before he gets himself killed.”

“Sounds good to me.”

We rushed toward the fighting angels.

“If you die, I’ll never forgive you,”Bellamy had said.

I imagined his pretty sapphire eyes with traces of silver. I recalled the scent of his skin and the softness of his lips. There was no way in hell I was dying tonight.

I’d do anything to make it home to him.

Chapter Twenty-Two

Bellamy

The magic runes on the teleportation stone cracked as we materialized behind Ravenwood Mansion. The stone then crumbled to dust in my hand. I stared at the pieces as they fell to the grass.

Phoenix had stayed behind. Alastair too.

I had left without them.

“Oh, thank god!” Clara ran out onto the back porch and greeted a sleepy Gray before checking Raiden’s injuries. “You’re a mess but alive, at least. Come inside. I’ll get all of you fixed up. You too,” she said to Baxter, grabbing him by the arm when he tried to walk away. “Don’t think I don’t see that stab wound.”

My knees buckled, and I dropped to the ground as I lost my strength. More so, my will. My heart beat painfully in my chest, and my breaths were uneven.

“Wait.” Clara searched the group of exhausted, sweaty, and bloody warriors. “Where’s Al and angel boy? And the demon?”