Page 149 of Princess of Bael

“Ready?” Scion asked, his gaze on Azrael as another fiery jolt of energy sliced through the sky.

Azrael glanced up warily. “Not really, no. Zerak?”

“So it seems,” Scion sighed. “Raziel, too.”

Azrael shook his head. “We can’t kill them.”

“I know.”

Azrael nodded, his gaze finding mine. “Don’t kill Morax.”

My eyebrows rose. “Excuse me?”

“We need them all alive to understand their intentions.”

I pointed toward the fracture I felt ripping through the veil. “I think they’ve made their intentions pretty fucking clear.”

As though to punctuate my point, two more flames shot through the sky. Then one giant blast followed.

“We need to question them,” Azrael stressed.

I snorted.Bullshit.

Handicaps and rules were not my style.

And I did not answer to the Angel of Death.

Kayla?Ezra asked, likely feeling my unease.

I’m fine,I snarled.Focus on those traitors and kill them. I’ve got this.

Whateverthiswas. But he needed to focus on the assholes in the sky, not on me.

Ezra’s pride and amusement rolled over me, and then he was gone again.

Another explosion sounded, causing Scion’s feathers to ruffle. “That’s our cue, Death.” A sword appeared in his hand, reminding me a bit of Ezra, and he took off into the sky.

Azrael gave me a warning look, then glanced at Gleason. “Good luck.” I wasn’t sure if that was in reference to the pending fight or to me, but the Angel of Death disappeared before I could comment.

Whatever.

I didn’t bow to him or to the Nephilim before me. He could lead his people, but I was the superior in terms of hierarchy.

“We need to take out the portal,” I said, my focus on Gleason so he understood I wouldn’t be taking orders from him or the angels he reported to. “And be careful with those cuffs. Mine turned against me.”

“But you’ve had that for millennia,” Yaz said, his brow furrowing. “At least in Hell years. I gave it to you when you first grew your horns.”

“I know.”

“So why did it turn against you now and not before?” he asked.

“We don’t have time to discuss this,” Gleason interjected as two more of my Royal Guard members arrived via Jinx. “Where’s the portal?”

“About a mile north,” Yaz said.

I shelved my questions about the cuff and focused on the problem at hand, discussing strategy with Gleason.

He had a team of eight Nephilim.