Page 53 of Guarded (Hopeless Blessed #3)

Noah

O ne minute passed.

A second.

A third.

By the fourth, I was tunnelling down into my power.

On the fifth, I unleashed a hit on the first circle.

Demons fell from the gaping holes in the walls. With my supe eyesight, I had no difficulty picking out the torture rooms my attack had revealed. The countless humans who’d had their sessions disrupted. Their vacant faces turned to mine, but it wasn’t their expressions that hit me the hardest.

No, it was the faces of some of the demons holding weapons. The ones who were staring at me like I was their salvation, instead of their attacker.

How many of them are trapped just like Jem?

I pushed that thought away. As hard as it was, I was here for one demon only.

My demon.

I hated that I’d have to leave the others behind, but I wasn’t a fool. We’d be lucky to walk away from this as it was.

If I decided to free countless other demons in the process? There’d be no salvation for us. If Lucifer didn’t execute us, God or her council would. Releasing a number of demons topside would have consequences. Consequences I wasn’t prepared to face.

Selfish as it was, I had to put Jem first. I had to put us first.

Besides, like angels, not all demons were good. Nor did they all want to leave Hell for any reason other than to cause carnage.

It didn’t make what I was doing right, but it didn’t make it wrong either.

The first circle was almost in ruins now. Many demons were gathering on the opposite side of the river. I could see a couple of generals trying to rally them to attack, but no attack was forthcoming.

And I knew exactly why.

When the Uprising had been quashed, Lucifer had executed every demon who’d fought against him. Those alive today had seen what happened to those who’d gone against his orders.

But they’d also witnessed what had happened next. How his sons had forced him to his knees, surrounded by the Seraphim as they tied him into a deal. I might not have been in Hell that day, but I knew what had happened. Everyone did.

Archs and demons never fought side by side, but that day they had. That kind of event was historic. Lucifer might’ve won, but he’d lost so much more in the process. Full control of Hell. Several of his top torturers.

And the respect of the demons under his rule .

Jeremiah and Nox were right; demons were inherently selfish creatures. Right now, I could see many of them weighing up the choice in front of them. Trying to decide if I was serious about the involvement of Mori and his brothers…or if it was a bluff.

As I’d expected, a few of them decided it was safer to try and take me out. Better the devil you know, and all that.

Or, rather, better the devil here right now. If Mori, Cal, Harlow, and Dagon were beside me, this would be going very differently.

But they weren’t. Not yet, anyway. It was no matter. I was perfectly capable of managing alone until they arrived.

My shield shimmered as flames bounced harmlessly off it. A smile curved my lips. Fools. Did they really believe I was standing here unguarded?

The hits paused, and I poured my powers into my shield, already knowing what would come next.

You didn’t fight as a soldier in one of Heaven’s top units without learning a thing or two about battle strategy. They’d be concentrating their blasts in one area now, hoping to penetrate my shield and dissolve it.

Fuck me, they really were taking their time coming to this realisation. The generals were arguing and shoving each other, with no clear leader taking charge.

I rolled my eyes. This was precisely why Heavenly units had a clear hierarchy—not just within the team itself, but all other units too. The Seraphim were at the top, with Juniper sitting in the second spot.

Much to Lyle’s chagrin.

While I waited for them to come to the inevitable conclusion to attack my shield as one, I scanned where the gates had stood, looking for any sign of Jem. There was nothing, just countless more demons pouring over the rubble.

The bond suggested he was moving closer to me though. I just had to hope Lucifer took the bait. The little I knew of him suggested that he was proud, egotistical, boastful. It was one of the reasons why I’d worded my threat as I had.

Challenging him in such a forthright manner would rile him up. He wouldn’t be content to hide inside with Jeremiah while his minions did his dirty work. He’d want to make an example of me.

Which was exactly what I’d planned.

The demons assembled suddenly. A horn blew and I sighed. Honestly, didn’t they realise that announcing the attack took away their advantage? Not that they really had one, but still. It was almost enough to have me wanting to offer proper battle strategy and planning classes to them.

An arc of fire split the darkness, and I narrowed my eyes as I tracked it through the sky.

Once I was sure of where it would hit, I shifted all my energy to that one spot.

There was a bright flash of light followed by a loud crack as the two met.

I gritted my teeth, not letting the fire breach my shield.

One by one, the demons pulled back their power as they realised I was too strong for them. Murmuring broke out on the opposite shore as they began to wonder who exactly they were dealing with.

The fear I’d been expecting didn’t appear though. All my life, I’d been scared of others learning of my secret. Now, I was past caring. I wanted them to know that I’d execute every last one of them if my mate wasn’t delivered safely into my hands.

Really, I should let them know that. It was only polite, after all. Then they could decide whether their immortality was something they wanted to risk on their master’s behalf.

I was willing to bet a large sum of money that it wasn’t. Not for most of them, anyway.

Letting my power infuse my voice once more, I let my message carry clearly over the river.

“Lucifer is holding my fated mate hostage. I commend you for protecting your master, but know this—if you stand between me and my mate, I will execute you. I will not stay my hand or show a drop of mercy if a single hair on his head is harmed.”

More murmuring. The reminder of him being my fated mate hadn’t hurt. They knew as well as I did that the bond was sacred. Whether the bond was in place or not was irrelevant. They were your mate.

Each of them would do the same if their mate was the one in danger.

I tutted when Lucifer still didn’t appear. Another few blasts had the second circle disintegrating. Hell was going to have a massive renovation project on their hands by the time I was done.

Assuming there was anything left standing.

“Come out, come out, wherever you are,” I sang, my words amplified. “Don’t be shy, Luci-boy. No point letting everyone else have all the fun.”

A dark head appeared in the distance. Despite my bravado, a shiver went down my spine.

Lucifer.

He was here. Finally. But he was alone.

There was no sign of Jeremiah.

My hands curled into fists as my wings spread wide. I’d do it if I had to. I’d cross the river and find him.

Before I could do that, I spotted Jem.

When I did, all my fear vanished. It was replaced with fury.

Ice-cold, murderous fury.

I’d been wrong. He was with Lucifer, not walking at his side though.

No, Jem was being dragged along behind him. By his throat.

A buzzing started in my ears. It went under my skin to my neck. Down my arms. My spine. My legs. It moved through my body until there wasn’t a part of me that wasn’t touched by it.

Lucifer was hurting Jeremiah.

Lucifer was hurting my mate.

I unleashed a blast of power before even clocking what I was doing. It was aimed at Lucifer’s face, arcing through the air and lighting up the shocked faces of the demons it passed.

No one attacked Lucifer and lived to tell the tale. Except his sons, of course. But they were an exception.

I was about to become another. I’d never been more determined to beat someone before. Then again, I’d never had motivation like this either. I hoped I never would again.

Like me though, Lucifer wasn’t foolish enough to walk into this unprepared. My hit ricocheted harmlessly off his shield.

I growled as Lucifer smirked, dropping into a defensive crouch. “You don’t want to do this, Lucifer. It’s not just my wrath you’re inviting by holding Jeremiah, but that of the Seraphim. And your sons.”

“Is that so?” Lucifer drawled, magic carrying his words to me with ease. He made a great show of looking at the barren wasteland around me. “Because it looks to me like you’re alone. ”

“Not for long.” I bared my teeth. Where were the others? I’d thought they’d be here by now. “I’m merely the welcoming party. But you can stop this all right now by handing my mate over to me.”

Lucifer clicked his tongue. “See, there’s an issue with that. Jeremiah can’t belong to you, because he already belongs to me. I own him.”

Red flashed in front of my eyes, but I fought it back. I knew exactly what Lucifer was trying to do, and it wasn’t going to work on me. He was trying to bait me into losing control. Into stepping over that line.

There was no way that was happening, not while there was still a chance that I could save Jem.

“Jeremiah doesn’t belong to anyone, ” I said hotly. “He is a free demon.”

Lucifer’s top lip curled back in a sneer. “Such a thing doesn’t exist.”

I cocked my head to the side and smirked. “Want to ask your sons if they agree with that sentiment?”

That was the wrong thing to say. I realised my mistake almost immediately as Lucifer lifted Jeremiah from the ground. My mate was barely conscious, his head hanging limp like a rag doll as Lucifer held him up in front of himself.

“This is what you want to risk your eternity for?” Lucifer said. “This weak, fragile piece of shit? Look at him. He’s not even fighting back.”

Jem’s eyes met mine, and the exhaustion in them almost had me weeping. I didn’t want him fighting back. That was what I was here for.

The fingers on one of his hand flexed, a spark flickering. Fuck, how I wished we were bonded. I needed Jem to feel what a bad idea this was .

I shook my head, trying to silently convey my message. Don’t do anything stupid, Jem. Just stay quiet.

Jem smiled. He winked.

And then he set himself on fire.

With his attention fixed on me, Lucifer was caught off guard. His grip loosened automatically, allowing Jem to fall to the ground. He rolled away, scrambling to his feet.

My heart was in my mouth as I sent a blast of power between them. No, no, no. I had to buy Jem time. Time to find a weapon. To regain some strength. To put some distance between him and the deadly being now tracking him.

Lucifer might not be able to execute Jem, but that didn’t mean he couldn’t cause him pain.

From the vengeful snarl on his face, that was precisely what he had planned.

I sent blast after blast of power at Lucifer in an attempt to slow him down. More shots volleyed back from the assembled demons, trying to find a weak spot in my shield. Jeremiah had his own shield up now, but it wasn’t strong enough to keep Lucifer at bay for long.

I need to get over there.

There’d never been a time when I’d thought I’d fall. That I’d give up my angelic status. My unit. The only life I’d ever known.

But with Jem at risk? I’d do it. It was what needed to be done, and I’d do it willingly.

I’d fallen for Jem, and now I’d fall to save him.

I spread my wings wide, but just as my feet left the ground, someone attacked my undefended back. The blast of power hit my left wing, tearing a massive hole in it.

I fell to the ground, my teeth clenched. What the fuck?

A familiar laugh echoed from behind me. “You can’t have expected me to let you go that easily. You’re mine, Noah.”

Lyle.

I extended my shield, wrapping it around myself. “I was never yours, Lyle. You made sure of that.”

Drawing up my power, I spun on my heel and unleashed myself on my ex.