Page 11 of Princess of Bael

The power divide just tilted.

It’s tainted.

Officially unbalanced.

Kristina…

My insides churned with the need to go after her, to save her. But I couldn’t just leave Johanna and Lucía here without a guard.

Not that I’d done a fabulous job the first time. However, this would only worsen if I left them unprotected.

I’d been struggling with the rift in the balance for years, which was why I’d accompanied them here to fix the veil. Except that Tracker had just come in and taken Kristina with a merespell.

I failed her.

Her presence no longer lingered on this plane, telling me she’d been taken to Heaven or Hell. Most likely the latter, given that a Tracker and a Portal Dweller were her captors.

How the fuck did I let this happen?Although, I knew exactly how.Kayla. And not just her presence here today, but also the shattered bond between us.

Four decades of separation had left me weak—a punishment I’d accepted as a result of my crimes against her.

Except now Kristina appeared to be paying the price of my ineptitude.

Fuck. Fuck. Fuck.

Jo released a final flare of power, her breath shuddering out of her from the effort as the sky healed overhead.

Only to be disturbed by a new dark energy.

Archdemon.

And not the half Archdemon beside us. AnewArchdemon.

I helped Jo stand, my sword materializing once more as Alastor appeared out of thin air, his midnight irises holding a touch of amusement as he took in the surroundings.

Then his gaze went to Kayla as he arched a brow. “So you made that phone call, then?”

Phone call?

She snorted in response, seemingly annoyed.

Which only appeared to amuse Alastor more. An amusement that reached borderline excitement as his gaze shifted to Lucía. “Excellent work, Kayla. I knew I could count on you.” He started forward, forcing me to release Jo to intercept him.

However, Alastor disappeared in the next blink, only to reappear at Lucía’s side.

Fucking Archdemon,I groused, done with this game.

Lucía’s expression told me she felt the same, her multicolored eyes sparkling with murderous intent as Alastor gently drew a finger along her ashen cheek. She might be exhausted from fixing the rift between the realms, but that didn’t make her any less powerful.

Just like Kristina.

She’ll keep herself alive, I reminded myself. The Divinity possessed the power of the realms. They were the children of specific Archdemon and Archangel matings, thus allowing them to maintain the balance. They didn’t die easily.

But they also shouldn’t be captured very easily, either.

“You’ll do,” Alastor murmured, lowering his hand to hold it palm up before her. “Shall we?”

Rolling my eyes, I moved forward with my sword, the tip angling at his neck in the next breath. “I’m in a really bad mood, Alastor. Trust me when I say you don’t want to test my patience any more than you already have.”