Page 127 of Gray

“Better than well,” Alastair said, his gaze on the blue sword on the coffee table. “It’s because of Gray that we have Light Bringer.”

“Yes.” Lazarus nodded. “He proved himself when it mattered most.”

Pride filled my chest as I peered down at Gray. He had pushed himself past his limits and nearly died doing it. He’d been prepared to sacrifice his life if need be in order to stop Asa from wielding Lucifer’s sword.

My phone vibrated on the cushion beside me, and I answered it. “Hey, Storm.”

“Whatever you guys did, it worked. The attacks have stopped.”

“Really?”

“Well, smokers don’t come out during the day, so it’s hard to say for sure yet, but other hunter groups have checked in with me, and the ghouls, demons, and vamps have retreated from all the major cities. I ain’t seeing any brain-eaters stumbling around either.”

“Belphegor called off the attacks once he had enough souls,” Lazarus said, using his super hearing to eavesdrop. It was invasive but had its advantages. “Tell your hunter friend he can rest for now.”

“Uh, did you hear that, Storm?”

“Yeah. Rest sounds great to me. Talk to you later, Hawk.”

I set my phone aside and started playing with Gray’s hair again. “It’s good the attacks stopped, but the world won’t ever be the same after this.”

“Not necessarily true,” Lazarus said. “Uriel is sending down the joy bringers soon.”

“Joy bringers?”

“A class of angel that’s exceptionally skilled at touching the minds of mortals and spreading happiness, helping with grief, and even helping them find love,” Lazarus explained. “In this instance, they’ll help the humans forget about the attacks by wiping their memories. The world isn’t ready to know about the supernatural yet. Not to this extreme.”

“What about everyone who died?” I asked. “You can’t just pretend they never existed.”

“False memories will be planted in the survivors. Car accidents, plane crashes, sickness, natural disasters like hurricanes, earthquakes, and tornadoes, anything to explain the death of their friends and loved ones other than them being eaten by monsters.”

“And zombies,” Gray whispered before blinking open his eyes. He grinned up at me. “Hi.”

“Hi.” I caressed his jaw. “How do you feel?”

“Still kind of sleepy.” He quickly sat up. “Asa! Did I kill him?”

“No.” Alastair walked over to the couch. When he pulled Gray in for a tight hug, Gray’s eyes widened. Hell, mine did too. “But we have Light Bringer. You prevented Asa from leaving with it. I’m so damn proud of you. You did well, brother.”

Gray returned the hug and hid his face against his brother’s chest. I knew the words meant a lot to him. He’d been so upset about not being able to kill Belphegor. He had felt like a failure—which he’d never been in my eyes, but I understood why he’d thought so. Because for so long I had felt like a failure too.

“So what are we going to do about that?” Bellamy asked, nodding to Lucifer’s sword. “I’m guessing putting it back in the celestial realm is out of the question.”

“Correct,” Lazarus said. “The barrier is being repaired as we speak, yet it will take time for it to be fully fortified. Safeguards are being added as well to make it impossible for it to be destroyed with souls again. In the meantime, Uriel and I both agree that the sword should stay with you.”

Alastair turned to the angel. “Uriel trusts us with it?”

Lazarus nodded. “The battle in the heavens showed him and many other angels who doubted your loyalty that you are truly one of us. Their views of you were tainted by your fathers, but seeing you fight today altered their perceptions.”

Castor scoffed. “Us nearly dying to cage Lucifer thousands of years ago didn’t prove that? And what about the centuries we’ve spent protecting humanity since then? They’re just now getting their heads out of their asses and seeing we’re on your side?”

“Consider it a win, Greed, and let it go.” Lazarus stepped toward Light Bringer, his brow pulled tight. “I’ve strengthened the barrier around this mansion with every warding and protection shield I possess, so neither Asa nor Belphegor should be able to track the sword’s location. But if they somehow manage to find a way here, I trust each of you to guard it with your life. In the fight against Asa, you seven are the only ones who can defeat him.”

Lazarus and Alastair left the living room with Light Bringer. Castor placed his hand on Kyo’s hips and leaned in to whisper something. The two of them then left as well. I had a hunch they weren’t going to help with the sword.

“Do y’all have a vault here?” I asked. “Where will you store Light Bringer?”

“In Alastair’s safe if I had to guess,” Raiden said, tugging Bellamy down beside him on the loveseat. “It’s warded and stuff and will help hide it if anyone breaks in.”