Page 109 of Blood So Brutal

Voiler stepped out of the forest behind him.

“Voiler?”

She held a weapon in her hand, one that buzzed with energy, with magic. It was Luseyar’s sword—the angel’s weapon practically radiated magic.

She smiled, holding it up. “I come with gifts.”

I couldn’t hold back the laugh that bubbled in my chest. Arrows stopped flying above, but chaos still ripped through the air. Rebels yelled, emerging from the trees. Ones with wings began to fly to the other side while some dove into the river.

“This is really happening?” I asked.

Wolf’s face broke into a wicked grin. “Oh, it’s happening, Huntress.”

I nodded, taking as big of a breath as I could to manage my nerves. “Great. What do I need to do?”

“No fucking way,” Wolf argued a minute later. “It’s too dangerous.”

“This entire damn thing is dangerous,” I argued. “We’re killing an archangel! We need my magic and we need this sword. There’s no time to sit around and think about this, Wolf!”

Nathan interrupted us. “They’re already moving deep into the forest. If we’re going to do this before they disappear, we have to move. Now.”

Wolf wanted Asmodeus dead just as badly as I did. I knew it was true. It was why he was willing to risk all of this just to get the rebels near him.

“The plan will work,” Voiler said, handing me the sword. “It’s the only way we’re going to get close enough to Asmodeus without being slaughtered.”

“He’ll know by now that we’re working together,” Wolf said.

“It won’t matter. He needs me to gain power over the vampyres. He won’t hurt me.”

Wolf’s jaw tightened. He knew I was right. The plan was dangerous, but everything was dangerous with Asmodeus still breathing. I was willing to risk it.

I placed a hand on him and felt his heart race rapidly beneath my touch. “We’re going to survive this, okay? Let me do this for you.” His eyebrows drew together. “Let me do this for us.”

A few seconds passed, though it felt like hours. “Fine,” he answered. “But if you’re hurt for even one fucking second, I’m stepping in.”

Protective as always.“Deal.”

Then we were moving, catapulting ourselves to the other side of the river to catch up with the archangel. Everyone else—Wolf included—swam across the river, but my wings were summoned and ready to fight. I flew across quickly, not bothering to wait.

They were all leaving, anyway. Nathan, Voiler, and the rest of the rebels would push forward toward Scarlata to prepare the vampyres there. Our plan to kill Asmodeus was too dangerous for them to stick around, especially when my magic was involved.

It would be Wolf and I facing him in the forest alone.

For being a powerful archangel, Asmodeus was humorously slow. The trees created too many obstacles to fly through with any real speed. I was the first to catch up with him. Lord was already running as fast as possible ahead of them, not waiting around to discover his own fate.

Him, I would deal with later.

I dropped to the ground in front of Asmodeus with a thud.

He stopped immediately as he smiled through labored breaths. “Come to play more games, Huntyraina? Unfortunately, I’m not interested.”

He moved to keep walking, but I held my hand up to stop him. “Wait.” He halted. Luseyar, too. “I can help you. I can get us both what we want.”

His eyes narrowed as he watched me. “And why would I believe a single thing you say?”

“Because I would do anything to save the people I love.” It wasn’t a total lie, which is what made it believable. “If I give you what you want, will you let my friends go?” I stepped closer to him, just a few paces away now.

“You’d give me your power now, after all this time?” He laughed, the sound of it making me flinch. “You are a smart, smart girl, Huntyraina. You always have been.”

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