Page 121 of Gray

It had taken a lot of convincing for him to agree to allow a witch to touch him, but his pain threshold had reached its peak. Like it was for us Nephilim, celestial steel was an angel’s kryptonite—the one thing our powers couldn’t heal. Clara’s magic couldn’t fully heal it, but it helped stop the bleeding and made the pain manageable. It would scar though, just like my throat had.

“That’ll do.” Lazarus tied the wrapping off himself and stepped away from her.

Clara arched a brow. “Too holier than thou to say thank you?”

His eyes narrowed. “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome. That wasn’t so hard, was it?”

Ignoring her, the angel turned to Alastair. “We need to leave. Uriel just told me Asa’s army has reached the citadel.”

“Citadel?” Mason asked. “Isn’t it a bunch of clouds up there? Like a cloud city or some shit?”

“I suppose you’ll see for yourself, human.” Lazarus headed toward the patio door.

“Um, Laz?” Raiden exited the pantry with three Little Debbie Oatmeal Creme Pies. One was hanging from his mouth. “How are we going to get into the celestial realm? You said we’re forbidden from ever stepping foot there. Hard to believe we’ll just be allowed in.”

“The barrier was destroyed when Belphegor broke through with the souls,” Lazarus responded. “Until it’s repaired, you’re allowed inside. Are there any more questions, or can we leave?”

Everyone gathered in the backyard, and the sky rumbled above us. Thunder? Or was it the resounding echo of the war raging in the heavens?

“Looks like I’ll be carrying you,” I told Mason before releasing my wings.

He touched my black-and-sky-blue feathers with a tender expression. “Will that take too much of your energy?”

Probably.“I’ll be fine.”

“Make room,” Daman said. “Unless you want to be knocked the hell out by a dragon tail.”

“Huh?” Mason asked.

Warrin stepped away from the group, and a tremor went through his muscled body. His form flickered and vibrated as he dropped to his knees. No sound left him though. And then, right in the spot he’d been, a large white dragon materialized.

Mason nearly fell over. “That’s a dragon. Like a full-sized, living and breathing dragon.”

“An ice dragon,” I told him. “He’s pretty, huh?”

Pretty wasn’t the right word. Warrin looked both menacing and magnificent. Blue hues shone in his soft-white scales, and he had silver wings. He looked like an ice sculpture that had come to life.

“I thought he had to be naked to shift,” I said to Daman. “Well, if he doesn’t want his clothes to shed anyway. When he wants to shift back into his human form, we’ll see all his goods.”

“Queen Kira designed clothes for them,” Daman explained. The queen had made Daman’s suit for his wedding too and designed him a coat that wouldn’t rip so he could wear it even when he flew. “She’s become skilled using magic thread. The clothes grow and shrink with them. As for War’s goods? I’m the only one who’ll be seeing them.”

The twins shifted into their dragon forms before Lev did the same. Kyo changed into his hybrid form since he couldn’t fully shift. Castor would be carrying him like I’d be carrying Mason.

Daman climbed onto Warrin’s back, and a deep sound came from the dragon, like he was purring.

I hooked my arms around Mason’s waist, and he returned my hold as I rose into the air. The others ascended from the grass, and then we followed Lazarus. The dragons’ wings flapped heavily as they flew beside us. Bellamy had seated himself on Ivan’s back, and Efrem kept pace alongside them.

“Are you nervous?” Mason asked.

“A little. I’ve failed twice trying to kill my dad. I have a lot to prove.” I was also terrified about something bad happening to Mason. “What about you?”

“I was a combat Marine for almost twelve years,” he answered. “I thought I’d gotten over this anxiety before a mission.”

“You never get over it. Not fully. Especially when you have something to live for.”

“Yeah.” Mason rested his face against my neck. “Fuck. The air’s getting thin. How high are we?”