Page 51 of Guarded (Hopeless Blessed #3)
“I’m coming with you,” Micah said, lightning crackling around his hands as he readied himself too. “You’re not facing this alone.”
A different kind of fear went through me. Fear for Micah. For the Seraphim. “No, not via lightning.”
Micah shot me a quizzical look, so I hastened to explain. “We’re only supposed to use it in an emergency. Don’t give Gloria any more ammunition against the unit.”
“But this is an emergency.”
I hated to say this with Jem’s life at stake, but I had to protect them too. “No. It’s an emergency for me because he’s my mate. She won’t allow it for you.”
Nox sighed. “I hate to say it, but Noah’s right. We’re better off gathering the rest of the unit and heading for the portal.”
“My brothers are flying there too.” Mori was tapping away at his phone again.
Micah looked between me and Nox helplessly, clearly torn. “But…we can’t let you face them alone, Noah. I know you’re powerful, but can you really hope to hold off the might of Hell on your own?”
For the first time that hour, I smiled. There was nothing happy, pure, or joyful about it. It was grim determination. The knowledge of what I was capable of. I’d hidden it from everyone out of fear, but now I’d reveal it to the world.
For Jem.
“Oh, I’ll be fine holding them off, trust me. Just get to the portal as fast as you can. Fuck knows what Jem has already been subjected to.”
With that, I unleashed my lightning. My vision went white as the wind howled past my ears .
When my feet hit the earth, the darkness I was greeted by was all the deeper thanks to the lightning. I’d appeared on the edge of limbo. Dead trees surrounded me, hiding everything from view. That didn’t matter. Now that I was on the same plane as Jem, I had the bond to guide me.
I followed it through the darkness. My vision adjusted quickly, picking out the various roots and bones I had to step over.
At one point, I spotted a uniform line of stones.
They stretched far into the distance, spaced out several feet apart.
The ones closest to me were white, while the ones further away were grey and decayed.
If I hadn’t been so concerned about getting to Jem, I might have wondered about it longer.
After a few minutes, the flames of the river Styx appeared. I let it guide me like a beacon, and it was only when I drew level with the banks that I realised the problem.
I couldn’t cross it.
If I did, I’d fall. I’d no longer be an archangel, but a demon. I wouldn’t be allowed to be part of the Seraphim. My whole life would change.
None of those reasons were what had me planting my feet on the ground. There was only one thing that was keeping me on this side of the river.
If I was a demon, Lucifer would have control over me. Again, not a good enough reason on its own, but coupled with the fact that it would potentially stop me being able to save Jeremiah from his clutches?
That was a very fucking compelling reason.
I wasn’t ruling it out completely, but crossing the river would be my last resort.
Steadying myself, I dipped into my power. I descended deeper than I usually allowed myself to. Not all the way—I had no idea how long this would last, and I had to make sure I didn’t exhaust myself too quickly.
All I was certain of was that I wasn’t leaving here without Jem.
Lifting my hand was also something I didn’t usually bother with but, fuck it, I was feeling dramatic. Pointing in the direction of the outer ramparts, I released a blast of white light.
A quarter of the wall exploded, the largest fragments nothing more than dust on the air.
Bells began to sound within Hell as the demons became aware that they were under attack. I didn’t give them time to rally, destroying the remaining sections of the walls with a succession of quick blasts.
Panicked shrieks met my ears, but I knew Jeremiah wasn’t heading my way. As far as I could tell, he hadn’t moved from his place deep inside Hell. If I had to guess, Lucifer had imprisoned him in the ninth circle.
With the ramparts destroyed, the demons were forced to funnel through the main gates to Hell. Honestly, it’d be like shooting fish in a barrel. They weren’t the ones I needed to worry about though. The lower demons could be executed with barely more than a whisper of power.
Those preparing to launch themselves from the top circles? They were the ones to worry about.
It didn’t need to come to that though. I wasn’t here for them.
There was only one demon I was here for.
Letting my power amplify my voice, I spoke. My words boomed out across all of Hell, making sure every being knew exactly why I was there.
“This is Noah, archangel of the Seraphim. You are currently holding my mate, Jeremiah, hostage .
“He is not only my mate, but a demon protected by the sons of Lucifer. They are aware of what is happening here and will unleash their wrath if Jeremiah is harmed.”
I paused, noting how all the demons had frozen. I didn’t give a shit that it was because I’d mentioned both the Seraphim and Lucifer’s sons. I’d invoke whoever it took to get what I needed.
My voice was deafening as I laid down my warning. “You have five minutes to bring him to me, or it won’t just be the ramparts feeling the brunt of my power.”