Page 136 of Princess of Bael

But it’s not time yet.

Zerak said we have another human year. That should give us twenty-four Heaven hours.

I clutched my chest, the ache growing by the second, scattering goose bumps down my arms.What’s happening?

I felt panicked. On edge.Lost.

And very,veryangry.

My lips curled down.How…?

Every part of me boiled with that fury, my veins lighting up with a fire that wasn’t my own.

My eyes widened.Kayla.

I didn’t bother saying goodbye to the others, my need to reach my mate overriding every instinct I possessed. Something was very wrong. She needed me. And she needed me now.

My wings beat harshly at my back as I soared through the pure blue skies toward my loft outside of the city.

Every part of me remained on high alert, searching for the culprit that dared touch my mate.

How stupid had I been?

I’d suspected someone had fucked with her cuff, and then I’d left her alone in my home. Alone in a tower with no way down unless the being possessed wings.

Of which Kayla did not.

It left her at a disadvantage, making it easy to harm her.

And without her cuff, all she had was her demonic traits—traits that would be weakened in this realm.

I pushed myself harder, my heart beating a chaotic rhythm in my chest. I should have known better. I hadn’t thought this through. I’d meant to call upon the ones who could likely provide me with answers, and had left my mate vulnerable in my wake.

The balcony of my home came into view, but I didn’t see anyone or anything lurking that might be attacking my mate. Yet I felt her mounting ire and fear and…

And sadness?

I touched my cheek to find myself weeping with her.

That ache I felt inside was emotional pain, the agony of having a heart shredded within my chest.

Has she been stabbed?

I landed on my balcony in a flurry of feathers, my swords in my hands as I stepped into my bedroom in search of the one harming my mate.

Only to find Kayla curled into a ball on the bed, her small frame shaking as though being pummeled by invisible forces.

I flew to her, my swords disappearing as I searched the bed with my hands for whatever plagued her.

Had some Orsini Devils snuck into Heaven?

No. I’d hear their chittering.

“Kayla?” I whispered, my hands going to her shoulder as I tried to pull her away from her knees.

She froze in response.

“What’s hurting you?” I asked, my wing draping over her like a blanket as I settled into the bed beside her. “Tell me how to fix it.”