Page 118 of Burn of Obsidian

His smile slipped, lips opening with a gasp as a fist shot through his ribs from the back. The hand grasped the chalice, yanking back out as the Daemon fell forward into the pit beside her.

Gideon stood, his front and arm covered in blood. His wings were ripped, and arcane marks blistered his face. “Nothing will stop me,” he said. “The Fates have foreseen it.”

Lucifer appeared behind him, a great shadow armed with flames, but before he could do anything, Gideon disappeared with a grin.

“Fuck!” Lucifer roared, his wings spreading. His shirt had been torn, the flesh beneath seared. Stifling his arcane, he reached down and pulled her out. Thunder was already there, burying his nose against her stomach.

“What happened to obsidian bullets stopping him from drifting?” Riley asked, the black beast that was Sythe prowling forward, chunks of flesh caught in his teeth.

“It worked,” Lucifer said, dragging a hand down his face.

“You’ve got to be fucking kidding me,” Titus grunted, brushing his hand through the smaller, grey beast’s fur. She had no idea who it was and was too traumatised to ask.

“He took the chalice.” Ruhne sat cross-legged on Sythe’s head, his wings pinned straight to his back. “The pages, too.”

“If the bullets worked, how did Gideon get away?” Riley snarled.

Lucifer rolled his shoulder, wincing as his wings folded into his back. “Because he was summoned.”

Riley stilled, sharing a look with all the Guardians. “Who the fuck is summoning him?”

Chapter 45

Thea

ONE WEEK LATER

Thea frowned at the text from Lucifer, honestly not needing the added picture attached.

Devil-Man:

He’s just pissed on my bed!

Devil-Man:

I think he did it on purpose. {wolf emoji} {water gun emoji}

“Oh, hey Thea. You been here a while?”

Thea looked up, finding Lisa, the nurse, entering the bedroom. “A few hours.”

Luckily, the cut on her lip had healed enough that it didn’t split open like it had the last time she’d spoken to the nurse. Which was awkward, considering she’d had to make up an excuse on the spot. So now Lisa believed Thea was clumsy, and had tripped over her own feet. Which was arguably better than explaining the truth.

It had been just over a week, and the deep cuts from the whip had healed except for some nasty-looking bruises. But nothing an extortionately priced complexion charm couldn’t disguise. Plus makeup. Lots and lots of makeup.

The only cuts that remained were the smaller ones, like her lip, and a few on her hands. Barely scratches. Yet she should be covered, her healing abilities only slightly better than a human.

If she thought being tortured wasn’t traumatic enough, finding out that accidentally stealing a lifeforce permanently added it to her own had certainly been. Her magic was slow, but the Skull was barely holding onto life by a thread. Thea had taken the last of his spark, and in doing so, absorbed his remaining life. It was his death that had healed her, apparently.

Her bones had repaired, and the worst of the injuries had mended. Kyra, Xander’s mate, believed if the Skull had been more powerful, Thea would have healed everything entirely. Which was a horrifying thought, and something she didn’t want to explore further.

Kyra had reassured her it was unlikely to happen again as it was unusual circumstances, and Thea believed her. She was a soul witch, after all.

“That pink suits you.”

Thea blinked up at the nurse. “Huh?”

“The pink.” Lisa gestured to Thea’s hair. “It’s a beautiful shade. It suits you, although I did love the silver, too.”

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