Page 25

Chapter Twenty-Five

I gave Jack a one-minute head start before I stepped out of the coffee shop and onto the street, the city’s hustle and bustle surrounding me. I tucked my hands into my jacket pockets, since I’d forgotten my gloves today, and started walking toward the bus station a couple of blocks away. It would give me a few minutes to gather my thoughts and settle my emotions.

I kept my head down as I walked, my breath puffing out little clouds of mist in front of me. The winter chill was biting, the kind that sank deep into your bones, but I didn’t care. I needed the sting of the cold, something to wake me up from the haze of guilt and sadness that had settled over me.

But as I neared the next block, something felt off. The usual sounds of the city had faded, and the bustling crowd had thinned to almost nothing. I glanced up, my brow furrowing. The streets were practically empty, and the quiet was unsettling.

I stopped in my tracks, my breath fogging the air in front of me as I glanced around the deserted street. A prickling sensation crawled up my spine, warning me that something wasn’t right. The world had gone too quiet—unnaturally so. The kind of quiet that screamed “danger” without actually making a sound, and my instincts were pushing at me to pay attention.

I scanned the area, and that was when I noticed them.

Two figures melted out of the shadows on either side of me, their movements so precise it sent a chill down my spine. I recognized them at once—Tavira and Zera. There was no mistaking them. They had the same dangerous, predatory air about them that I remembered from Hell.

Tavira, with her wild, dark hair streaked with silver and gleaming eyes, looked as though she had stepped straight out of my nightmares. She exuded pure power, her very presence crackling with energy. Of all the fallen angels, her eyes were the only ones that weren’t blue, but rather a molten gold, complements of the feranox—beast—demon she’d merged with. She wore a luxurious fur cloak that hung over her shoulders, the fur a mix of black and silver that shimmered as she moved. Surrounding her were a pard of felines—lions, tigers, and leopards, all of which seemed to shift in the air, their ghostly forms swirling around her like a crown of deadly spirits.

Tavira’s appearance alone was enough to unnerve me—she utterly loathed me—but it was her cold, calculating smile that really made my skin crawl. She moved with the grace of a predator, her steps silent but powerful. Clearly, she wasn’t here for a friendly chat.

Nor was Zera, who stood opposite Tavira. Her silver hair cascaded in soft waves down her back, contrasting sharply with the swirling black tendrils of shadows that coiled around her form. Unlike Tavira, Zera’s beauty was haunting, ethereal, and cold as ice. Her eyes, an unearthly shade of pale blue, glinted in the sunlight. Whereas Tavira’s energy burned with animalistic power, Zera’s carried the chill of death itself.

The air around her seemed to warp, shadows thickening and twisting unnaturally, responding to her as if they lived solely to serve her will. She was likely the reason everyone had disappeared—the humans must have sensed her aura, their instincts kicking in to flee without understanding why. This was Zera’s signature. Like me, she could command shadows, bending them to her will and wielding them as a weapon. The difference was, she was stronger—far stronger. Zera’s abilities superseded mine, and in her presence, the shadows obeyed her, and only her.

At least I could still summon hellfire, and without any humans nearby, I had free rein to use that power. Unfortunately, I was still facing off against two fallen angels. The odds were not in my favour.

Cursing under my breath, I stripped off my winter jacket and let it fall to the street, revealing the triplet daggers strapped to my hips. I hadn’t brought Inferno’s Kiss with me today—because there was no way to hide a sword while out in public—but I hadn’t left the apartment unarmed. I wasn’t that stupid.

“Look who it is,” I said, breaking the silence. “Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dumb. When you see my father again, tell him he should man up and come kill me himself. I’m getting tired of fighting his lackeys.” Rathiel had always said my snarkiness would get me killed one day. Guess today was that day.

Tavira’s smile widened, but it wasn’t warm or kind. It was the smile of someone who knew they were about to tear you apart. A spirit flickered next to her, and I could have sworn it had taken the shape of a lion. Oh, goody.

“You’ve always had a mouth on you, Lilith,” Tavira said. “Guess time doesn’t change all things.”

“Guess not,” I shot back. “Just like how you two are still following Lucifer’s orders. Looking for a pat on the head? A treat? I can help with that.”

Tavira took a step closer, her long fur cloak rustling as the ghostly predators around her flickered in the air. “Lucifer wants you dead. And who are we to refuse such a request?” Her golden eyes gleamed with amusement, but there was no mistaking the malice underneath.

My muscles tensed as I eyed them both, calculating. Tavira was unpredictable, and Zera was lethal with those shadows. One wrong move, and I was done for.

“And you thought attacking me in the middle of the street during the day was a good idea?” I taunted. “Guess you two aren’t the brains of the outfit.”

“No one would dare disturb us,” Tavira stated.

As if on cue, Zera’s shadows darted forward, a twisting mass of black tendrils aimed directly at my legs. I barely had time to dive out of the way, rolling to the side as the ground where I had stood cracked and split under the force of her attack. I sprang to my feet, pulling my daggers free as I faced them both. My breath came in short, sharp bursts, but I forced myself to stay calm. If I could keep them talking, maybe—just maybe—I could figure a way out of this.

But before I could even think of a solution, Tavira’s ghostly beasts surged forward, their jaws snapping at the air as they closed in on me. With a surge of adrenaline, I threw myself backward, barely avoiding the spectral claws that raked through the space where I’d just been standing. My heart pounded in my chest, but I couldn’t stop moving. One wrong step, and it was over.

Zera’s shadows slithered closer, wrapping around the street like living vines, herding me into a nearby alley, her pale blue eyes following my every movement with cold precision. Tavira’s smirk never wavered, as though she was merely toying with me.

I gritted my teeth, keeping my grip tight on my daggers. I struggled to form a plan, knowing this fight wouldn’t be an easy win, if there even was a win for me today. I knew exactly what Tavira and Zera were capable of. I’d faced them in countless battles throughout my years of training. Ten years on Earth likely hadn’t helped me any. I knew exactly how outmatched I was. One slip, and I’d be returning to Hell under far less ideal circumstances.

The alley narrowed around me, its brick walls towering, trapping me in a darkened corridor of inevitability. I gripped the hilts of my daggers tighter, the cold metal grounding me as I scanned the alley for something, anything, that could give me an advantage. But I found nothing. Just the claustrophobic walls, the slick concrete beneath my feet, and two of Lucifer’s most dangerous angels closing in.

“Well, this is cozy,” I said, my voice sharp with defiance even though my heart hammered in my chest. “Reminds me of home.”

Zera’s lips twitched ever so slightly, as if my bravado amused her. Tavira, however, seemed more than ready to end this. The ghostly lions and tigers surrounding her flickered like dying embers, their eyes glowing with an unearthly light.

Tavira took another step forward. “You know how this is going to end. Your father has tolerated your existence until now, but your time has run out. Why prolong the inevitable?”

I snorted, masking the creeping panic rising in my throat. “If you think I’m going to lie down and let you two kill me, you clearly haven’t been paying attention. I have no intention of dying today.”

Tavira’s laugh echoed off the alley walls, a sound that crawled under my skin. “You think this is negotiable? Sweetie, the only option you have is how you die.”

The words cut through the air like shards of ice. I glanced at Zera, who still hadn’t spoken, but her shadows were tightening, inching closer with every passing second. They coiled and uncoiled like serpents, waiting for the command to strike.

“Well, then,” I said. “If I’m going down, guess I’m taking you both with me.”

Summoning every last bit of energy I had, I ignited hellfire in my palms, the flames sparking to life with a brilliant, searing heat. The alley lit up, casting flickering shadows across the nearby brick walls, and Zera’s eyes narrowed. The darkness recoiled, tendrils withdrawing from the flames.

A small, dangerous smile came to my lips. Her shadows didn’t like my fire. Interesting. In Hell, I’d never had the chance to test my hellfire against the fallen. I’d kept it hidden, honing it in secret, but now…

The flames flared, surging with a life of its own. With a snap of my wrist, I hurled a wave of fire directly at Zera’s shadows. They retracted instantly, like serpents dodging a flame, but it wasn’t only her shadows that reacted. Zera, herself, stumbled back, her hand flying to her abdomen as though the flames had hit her directly. Her usually composed expression twisted in pain, and for the first time since I’d known her, there was something other than cold detachment in her eyes.

“Well, well,” I said, unable to resist a smirk. “Looks like I hit a nerve.”

Zera’s ice-blue eyes locked onto mine, her expression a mixture of confusion and fury. She struggled to regain control, her shadows flickering erratically around her like dark, broken wings. The air twisted around her as she attempted to gather her magic, the tendrils coiling, straining to strike again.

I refused to give her the chance.

Hellfire surged through me again, fiercer this time, blazing through my chest as I pushed every ounce of will into the flames. I launched another wave, the inferno ripping through the air and colliding with her shadows in a sizzling clash. The darkness shrank back, curling like burnt paper, and Zera gritted her teeth, her eyes flashing with pain. The sight of her weakness—of her fear—filled me with satisfaction, but I knew better than to linger in this small victory.

Just as I pulled my arm back for another strike, a gust of wind whipped past me—Tavira. She moved too fast to follow, her clawed hand slicing down in a deadly arc, aiming for my throat. I barely twisted out of the way in time, but her ghostly beasts were already upon me, their fangs and claws tearing through the surrounding shadows, snapping at my heels.

Another swipe of Tavira’s claws came for me, and I met her halfway, my daggers clanging against her strike with a jarring screech. I was losing ground, forced backward by each blow. The hellfire sputtered in my hands, the flames flickering as my concentration fractured. I couldn’t let it fade. Zera’s shadows were circling again, gathering strength, ready to strike the moment my fire faltered.

Tavira fought harder, attacking with a ruthless energy I struggled to match. Her golden eyes gleamed with predatory joy, the kind that made my stomach twist—she was savoring this. I tried to spin out of her reach, but one of her ghostly tigers pounced, its spectral jaws snapping dangerously close to my leg, driving me back into the alley wall.

My heart hammered against my ribs, breaths coming in ragged gasps.

Tavira’s next swing came down, but this time, since I couldn’t move back, I stepped in, slashing upward with my dagger to deflect her claws. The impact jarred my arm, but I held steady, driving her back a step. Her eyes widened, the glint of surprise flashing before it quickly morphed into something darker, more dangerous.

“Not so easy, is it?” I spat, reigniting the flames in my free hand. I refused to back down.

Her smirk faded, and she launched forward, claws extended in a vicious arc. But I was ready this time. I ducked low, pivoting on my heel to swing my dagger across her exposed side. Tavira twisted just in time, but not enough to avoid the edge entirely. My blade sliced a shallow cut along her ribs, and her hiss of pain was all the satisfaction I needed.

I pushed into the attack, refusing to let her gain the upper ground. I whirled around, about to drive my dagger through her heart when a voice I hadn’t expected to hear shouted through the alley.

“Lily!”

My heart dropped.

I whipped my head toward the entrance of the alley, and there he stood. Jack, wide-eyed and breathing hard, stood frozen at the sight of the chaos unfolding before him, clutching my winter jacket in his hands. What the hell was he doing here?!

His expression was one of pure shock, his gaze darting between Tavira, Zera, me—and the fire flickering in the palm of my hand.

No. No, no, no!

“Jack, get out of here!” I screamed, panic tightening in my chest. But it was too late. Zera’s eyes shifted toward him, and her lips curled into a predatory smile.

“Oh, now this is interesting,” Tavira mused, her golden eyes gleaming. “A human? Really, Lilith? How…quaint.”

Zera moved toward Jack, and cold panic burst through my chest.

“Run, Jack!” I shouted. I swung my dagger, but the disruption had cost me, and Tavira easily deflected my attack. She shoved me backward, into the path of her damn spectral beasts. They circled around me, teeth snapping and claws flashing. I fought wildly, trying to fight them off, but my blades passed through them like mist.

Zera advanced toward Jack, her shadows creeping toward him. Jack finally seemed to snap out of his shock, taking a step backward as Zera approached.

“Stop!” I shouted. I yelled, panic rising in my throat. My heart pounded as I fought against the ghostly creatures, trying to push my way through to get to Jack.

But Zera reached him first.

Time seemed to slow.

No.

Not him. Please, not him.

Zera’s pale, slender hand shot out, her claws catching the faint light as they wrapped around Jack’s throat. His eyes widened in terror, his breath catching in his throat as he struggled against the iron grip of the fallen angel.

“Zera!” I screamed, throwing myself forward, but Tavira blocked me, her fist colliding with my face. I dropped to my knees, blackness stealing my vision. Shaking it off, I pushed to my feet and sliced my daggers through the air, catching her just under the chin.

She screamed and jumped backward.

The distraction worked, her pack of wild cats flickering out of existence. Long enough for me to burst forward and race toward Jack.

Zera’s grip tightened, lifting Jack off the ground effortlessly as though he weighed nothing at all. His feet kicked against the air, his hands clawing at her wrist in desperation.

If I had my wings, I could have flown. It would have been faster.

“Please!” I yelled, my voice cracking. “He’s not part of this!”

Zera’s cold, icy blue eyes flicked toward me, her expression unreadable as her shadows writhed and twisted. “Oh, but he is now.”

Zera’s expression didn’t change as her grip tightened once more, and with a sickening snap, Jack’s body went limp in her grasp. She tossed him aside as though he were nothing more than a discarded rag doll, his lifeless form crumpling to the ground with a hollow thud.

I stumbled to a stop, time suddenly standing still. I couldn’t breathe. Couldn’t think. The world around me swirled into a blur as I stared at Jack’s body, my mind refusing to accept what had just happened.

No. This couldn’t be real.

But it was.

Rage surged through me like molten lava, burning away the numbness that had gripped me. My body trembled and my chest heaved with fury and grief.

Zera’s cold eyes shifted back to me, her shadows slithering forward, but I didn’t care anymore. There was no fear left. Only anger. Only vengeance.

Hellfire roared to life within me again, hotter and more intense than ever before. The flames erupted from my hands, engulfing the alley as I launched myself toward Tavira and Zera, the fury inside me burning brighter than ever before.

My father had sent his goons to kill me, but instead, I would send them back to him.

In pieces.