Page 75 of Absolved In Death

“Don’t hand yourself over—it’s a trap,” Oisín said.

“Don’t go anywhere!” Ares cried as he hurled bolts of magic into the bars. Most of them fizzled out before they made an impact. “We can escape. Wait here until we do.”

“We…we aren’t escaping, Ares,” Zaz wheezed, coughing up a fit. “I think the only way we’ll get out is if Diana gets us out. You have to be careful, Honey.”

“I…I don’t know if I can do this,” I admitted. This was my worst fear come to life. My men and family weren’t safe, and I’d have to fight this war alone. I wasn’t ready…I wasn’t good enough.

Michael got up from the ground, reaching his hand through the bars. He was barely able to hold himself up, and the pained expression in his eyes made me think he was having another attack.

I took it, and he imbued me with his gentle silver magic before kissing the back of my hand. “I believe in you, Di. You’re stronger than you give yourself credit for. I’m so proud of you.

“What was the magic for?” I asked with unshed tears in my eyes, too emotional to respond to his words. I didn’t want to cry.

“It’s a protection spell, in case you need some help,” he breathed, clutching his chest. Oisín leapt up, helping him sit down again.

Lucifer took my hand, pulling me as close to the bars as I could go. His horns were out, and he had a wild, unhinged glint in his eyes.

“Listen to me, kid. Wipe that sad look off your face right now. Get your head in the game. You can fucking do this. You’ve been playing cat and mouse games with Red for months, and it’s time you realized he’s the mouse!” he exclaimed as he squeezed my hand. “You’re Diana Morningstar, act like it.”

“Your dad is right,” Bash agreed. He wasn’t the worst off, but he seemed agitated, most likely from being separated from me. “You almost killed Red, twice. You came back from the brink of death. You survived being with the five of us on a daily basis, and you fought a T-rex. You’re a fucking boss.”

“HBIC,” Q quipped. He seemed fine, if not mildly inconvenienced. I wasn’t going to ask why, because I didn’t feel like hearing him rant about Fae magic. “I made sure Marilyn, Charlie, and Nonna were safely hidden away before we got trapped. Angela is too, but Judas hid her. Something didn’t sit right with me when the alarm went off.”

“Thank fuck.” I felt like shit, because amidst the chaos, I didn’t even think of them.

“Put Morrigan and Apollo in charge of the armies. Focus on killing Red, and that should undo whatever is keeping us bound here,” Ares instructed me. He waved for me to come to him, and I flattened myself against the bars.

All five of my guys managed to touch me. Ares and Desmond, the least affected, hugged me through the bars. Bash has Zaz’s arm around his shoulder, helping him bear his weight. Theyboth kissed my hand. Mal held my face, rubbing his thumb over my lip.

“You’re a Queen, Diana. A Morningstar, destined to rule the world. When you come back here to set us free, I’ll bend the knee,” he laughed. His smile was weak, and I could tell he was in pain.

I thought of Mal chasing our future daughter around with a spatula. The bright smile on his face. I was determined to see it again. To meet my future children. To live a life with my men, where we were free of war and fighting.

“I’ll be back for you,” I promised them.

“I want his head for the trophy room,” Ares growled.

“If it’s still intact, you can have it,” I assured him. “No promises though.”

“Obliterate him. Leave nothing to resurrect or reanimate. And remember, you set the tempo,” Oisín said. “You better come back in one piece, you’re my only sibling I like.”

“Ditto,” I agreed before I left. The longer I stayed, the harder it would be to leave and the more I wanted to fade back to the apartment and sob into my pillow.

My magic was messed up in the Pit, but I managed to fade back to the town center. Apollo and Morrigan waited for me, along with every single troop in the entirety of our forces. There were thousands of them. Every ally came through to help us in our moment of need, and I suddenly didn’t feel the overwhelming urge to cry.

I didn’t have time to cry myself a river—it was time to drench the world in the blood of my enemies, until every inch of the battlefield ran red like one.

“Where are they?” Apollo asked. “The guys, Lucifer, and Michael are gone. So is Quel.”

Quel?Now I had to survive this war, because if he was comfortable enough giving my PA a nickname, I had to get the tea on how Angela’s love life was shaping up.

“Red has them trapped in Pit 13. They can’t get out. It’s on us…” I peered up at both of these tall, seasoned warriors, and despite my men’s absence, I felt like I was in good hands.

“Okay. We either go on the offensive and meet them in the transition room, or we wait for them to break through,” Morrigan presented me with the options. “The wards separating them from us are only going to hold out so long.” Her shiny black hair caught the light, and I took a deep breath while I thought about it.

“Wait. Let them deplete their magic breaking down the wards,” I decided.

Apollo nodded, gesturing to the soldiers. “You should say a few words. They’ve noticed the guys aren’t here. I heard some of them ask about Lucifer, too.”

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