Page 145 of Princess of Bael

“I know. And if it is, we’ll be ready this time.” She shivered as she spoke the words, making me question her readiness to fight.

But we didn’t have a choice.

The energy wavering around us was going to rip this plane apart if we didn’t stop whoever was behind this attack against the balance.

Swallowing, I nodded. “All right.” I wrapped my arms around her as tightly as possible, then engaged my ability to transport us through time and space.

She clung to me just as harshly, her lips against my neck, preparing to bite if needed. Or maybe she just felt safest there.

I resisted the urge to bury my nose in her hair and kept my mind alert for potential interference. But all I sensed was the unease rippling from the breach in the veil.

It reminded me of the night Kayla had used that device on the sky, only tens of thousands of times worse. Her antics had created a small crack, whereas what I sensed now was a complete dismantling of the magical wall that protected the human world.

My wings took us to the same area outside of Vancouver where we’d found Kristina’s body.

That both surprised me and didn’t surprise me. Vancouver was a large enough city where a fallout of this magnitude could be a benefit.

But it also felt too predictable at the same time.

However, predictability no longer mattered in this situation, not with my powers allowing me to sense sources of imbalance. The culprits would have anticipated my arrival regardless, which made their choice of venue moot in the grand scheme of things.

A similar invisible barrier met our arrival, the power irritating my senses.

“Slice it,” Kayla said as she released me. Then she crouched on the ground with a shudder as she continued to try to regain her strength. It was returning, just slowly.

“Bite me again if you need to,” I told her as I called my swords to me.

I slammed the metallic edges against the shield and growled when the energy pulsated back into my hands and arms.

“I’ll be okay.” Her voice lacked the assurance I heard in her mind. She wanted to appear weak, to lull the opposition into a false sense of confidence.

Clever, I mused.It may just coax them into coming out to play. Because right now, I couldn’t see them. There were too many trees. But I felt them nearby, and I could see the swirling black hole in the sky that they’d created. It was silent to me beyond the barrier, but I imagined it was quite loud on the other side.

And it was growing at an alarming rate, the inky abyss swallowing everything around it.

Similar to Shadow magic, Kayla told me.Just like my cuff.

I nodded.Someone is using the Succubus-like energy of that realm to disable the balance.

That wasn’t one of Kristina’s gifts, right?she asked, her head bowing in a demonstration of exhaustion. It was a lie. I could feel the power thrumming through her being, her Archdemon heritage rising to the surface and preparing for the fight of her life.

No,I replied as that familiar energy hummed through my sword.She had no control over shadows or darkness, just the mixture of light and dark within her.

Is it possible that it manifested differently when—

“Kayla!” Yaz’s familiar voice traveled between the trees as he darted toward her. “Shit.” He fell to his knees beside her.

I frowned. “How the fuck did you get here?” Royal Guards couldn’t teleport. And I didn’t sense anyone else with him.

In fact, I didn’t sensehimat all.

He ignored me, his focus on Kayla. “Are you all right?”

“I was attacked by a Shadow demon.” Her voice still held that same note of exhaustion, just as her posture appeared broken as well. It was a continued charade for the beings protected by this barrier, but also one for Yaz.

Because she’d noticed the same things I had about his sudden arrival.

Ezra.Her mental voice resembled a whisper as though she feared Yaz would hear her.He’s wearing a cuff.