Page 24

Audrey

W e don’t slow down as we rush toward Michael, nor does he. Lifting my hand, I shoot hellfire at him. Wren follows suit, but he manages to dodge both of our attacks.

“You both might have gained new powers, but so did I. It’s why we had to wait until tonight and why it had to be in Leyton. The witches made sure I couldn’t fail.” Michael taunts us as he shoots lightning bolts toward us.

We easily dodge them, each sending another stream of hellfire at him .

“Why don’t you just give up? You’ve already lost it, you just don’t know it.”

I growl, dodging another lightning bolt. “And why don’t you shut the fuck up and fight us like a man instead of taunting us?”

Michael’s smile is cruel as he inclines his head. “If that’s what you want.”

My eyes go wide when a wall of lightning rushes at me and Wren. I release my hold on my magic, allowing gravity to drop me quickly so I can dodge it. A sigh of relief leaves me when I see Wren still hovering at my side.

“Do we even know what all he’s capable of?”

I shake my head at her question. I never thought to ask what powers he had. Not that it matters if he gained new powers.

“We can do this, Wren.”

She nods, her face calm and serene as her attention turns back to Michael. “Let’s do this.”

We launch ourselves toward him, and soon, magic is flying all around us. Lightning and hellfire rush through the sky as we dip and dodge each other’s attacks. Michael might have been confident that he would be able to beat us, but right now, it seems like we’re evenly matched .

Yes, there are two of us, but Wren and I are parts of the same soul. When we work together, we are one. I just wish we were stronger than we are.

When Michael summons a sword into his hand, I curse.

I didn’t have my mom make a weapon for me, knowing my hellfire should be all I needed.

Except Michael’s sword is crackling with lightning.

I might not have been hit by his lightning, but I was hit by someone else’s.

From everything I can tell, his is much stronger than the one I was hit by.

Wren pulls a sword out of thin air, and I blink at her. “What the hell?”

“I have no idea. I just knew it was there.” She shrugs, clearly just as confused as I am.

“Great. Now I’m the only one without a weapon.”

Cassian buzzes by us, chasing an angel. His sword drives into their chest, and when he jerks it free, the angel falls to the ground below. “Don’t forget you’re a reaper. You always have your scythe.”

Oh. Right. Duh.

If I wasn’t in the middle of trying to kill someone, I’d facepalm myself.

How did I forget about my scythe ?

With just a thought, it appears in my hand. My hellfire runs along it as it lights up pink and turquoise.

Then we’re rushing back into the fight, swinging our weapons to meet Michael’s attack. He’s much better with his sword than we are with our weapons, and we’re barely able to hold our own. I’m really not liking our chances right now.

There has to be a way to turn this around, but I can’t think of anything.

My scythe warms in my hand, startling me into almost dropping it. I frown, dipping down to avoid a blow from Michael as I stare at it. It feels like it’s trying to tell me something which doesn’t make sense. It’s just a weapon. It’s not sentient…

Or is it?

I close my eyes, reaching out with my mind. There’s something buzzing along the edge of my consciousness. I reach out, sinking into it, and a picture pops into my head of me, pulling Michael’s soul from his body with the aid of my scythe.

Fuck. How had I forgotten that?

Something bumps into me, and I lose my hold on my magic. I drop down a few feet before pulling it around me once again. I really need to pay attention to what’s going on around me.

Glancing up, I realize it was Wren knocking me out of the way so Michael didn’t hit me with his sword. I shake my head and rise into the air, bypassing Wren and Michael until I can hover above them.

I take a deep breath and extend the hand holding the scythe toward Michael. “Take.”

Michael’s body goes taut, his eyes finding me as wisps of his soul extend from his chest toward my scythe.

“You fucking bitch,” he hisses, and I’m not quite sure how I can hear him, considering the distance. He shoves my sister away before flapping his wings and coming for me with his sword.

I should be scared, but I’m not. I feel completely at peace as I pull on his soul, tugging harder and harder. It makes him falter for a moment before he continues his path toward me, albeit more sluggishly.

I focus on the tendrils of his soul, trusting my sister to keep me safe. She might not know exactly what I’m doing, but she knows Michael is coming for me.

“You can’t have my soul, you witch.” He swings his sword back as he nears me, but I don’t even flinch. I just keep tugging and pulling at his soul.

I don’t move even when he’s within reach, his sword swinging toward my neck. I tighten my hand on my scythe and jerk on his soul just as my sister’s sword slices through his neck.

His wings flap once, twice as he hovers in the air. His head falls to the ground seconds before his body follows. I smile as Michael’s soul is sucked into my scythe.

Wren’s sword disappears at the same time my scythe does, and we throw ourselves at one another.

“We did it,” I murmur, barely believing it’s over.

“We did. We ended his reign of terror.”

When we pull back, I realize everyone is still fighting around us, both in the air and on the ground. That’ll never do.

I link my hands with my sisters, feeling a rush of power flowing between us. “Enough. The fight is over. Michael is dead.”

My voice sounds as if it’s been amplified, somehow reaching every ear on the battlefield. Their eyes swing up to me and Wren as we hover above the city.

“Put down your weapons and surrender. Do not make us destroy you. There has been enough death here today.” Wren takes over for me.

I see hesitation in their faces as I call to those I rose from the dead. “Your job is complete. You may return to your rest.”

It’s like their strings have been cut as bodies fall to the ground. As the last one collapses, the first sword hits the ground and the angel wielding it follows suit. She kneels, her head dipping as she stares at the ground.

After that, it happens in waves. Angels fall to the ground, their weapons hitting at the same time as their knees.

It’s hard to believe it’s over as our allies rush forward to secure the remaining angels. I’m surprised to find there’s only about a quarter of them left.

So many of them died today, and for what?

All for a madman’s need for power and vengeance against those whom he thinks his father loved more than him? He was no better than the mortals he hated .

“Are you okay, little mate?” Cassian asks as he and Nex hover in front of us. They’re not close enough to be hit by any errant sparks of flames, making me relax.

“I’m fine. What about the two of you?”

Nex waves off my concern. “Nothing that won’t heal shortly.”

“We need to check on the others,” Wren says suddenly. “Mom and Dad. The horsemen. Your mates and friends.”

I nod. “You’re right. Let’s go find them.”

It doesn’t take us long, as they’re all gathered near where they were fighting earlier. There are many injured, but it doesn’t seem like anyone from our side is dead. Probably because I raised them from their deaths.

“Girls!” Mom yells as soon as her eyes land on us. “Thank the Fates you’re okay.”

We land in front of her, and I release my hold on my hellfire. Wren tucks away her wings, and if I didn’t know better, I’d swear they were never there. We wrap ourselves around Mom, the three of us clinging to one another until someone clears their throat behind us.

When we break apart, tears streak our faces, but I don’t give a fuck. Let everyone see the tears of joy I’m crying .

Lucifer is standing there, his eyes moving between the three of us. “I hear I have a necromancer and a phoenix for daughters? Both of you displayed an immense amount of power today. You’ll need to be trained.”

I roll my eyes. “Seriously? We just killed Michael, and the angels surrendered. I’d like to go home and take a bath. Rest with my mates for like a month before I worry about anything like training.”

“Unfortunately for us, that’s probably not going to happen,” he tells us with a sigh. “There’s so much that needs to be done to clean up the city so the mortals can return. You might have brought those on our side back from the dead, but there are many who need to be healed.”

I scoff. “Can’t someone else do that?”

“Most of it is going to land on me and the other gods, but we’ll need all hands on deck. Beyond Leyton, there’s so much we need to figure out.”

Lucifer continues to ramble on about the list of things that need to be done, but I tune him out as the rest of my mates join us. Turning my back on my family, I throw myself at the five of them. I’m passed from mate to mate as we exchange kisses and quiet words not meant for anyone else’s ears.

I’m sure my dad is going to be frustrated that I’m ignoring him, but I can’t find it in myself to care.

“Cassian?”

My mate goes taut beneath me, setting me on my feet as he turns toward the voice. There are three women standing before us, each of them beautiful and strangely familiar to me.

“Mom? Aunts?” Cassian’s knees hit the floor as he stares up at the women as they move toward us. “Are you really here?”

Holy shit. It’s the Fates, but how? I thought they were sleeping.