Page 73 of When Monsters Fight
“Yes,” Lucifer says. “You must wake up, Shemyaza,because now that you’re here, I finally understand what must be done to free the human world, and my dear watcher,youare the key.”
Chapter 38
RUE
Dawn came too soon, and the day passed quickly in preparation for our departure that evening. The hub was thirty miles east of base zero. The sentinels and Powers may have even flown over this location several times. The base was lucky to have remained undetected. We had an hour’s worth of flying ahead of us and then…then the plan.
The extraction.
My appetite died even though I felt like there was a pit in my belly. I found a quiet spot at the kitchen table where I could polish Soul Reaper’s hilt in peace. The gem embedded in it gleamed in the artificial light.
“You should eat something.” Gabriel joined me and placed a bowl of pasta in front of me.
The smell made me want to puke. “I’ll be sick if I eat.”
“You’ll be sick if you don’t.” He claimed the seat beside me and gently took my hands, stalling my obsessive polishing. “Put the sword down and look at me.”
I did as he asked, allowing myself to meet his eyes, allowing him to see my emotions—fear, doubt, and more fear. “People are going to die tonight.”
“Yes. There will be deaths.” He held my hands, his grip firm and reassuring despite his words. “This is war, Rue. No matter how fast we are, how stealthy we are, there will be deaths on both sides. But the world will live. This world, your world, will finally breathe again. ”
I swallowed to moisten my throat. “I hate that I’m scared, not of the fight, or of getting to Lucifer, but of losing people. My friends and family. People I love…you…” He blinked sharply. Surprised. A soft laugh rode my exhale. “Like you don’t know.”
“Don’t know?”
“That I care about you. You’re my friend and…more…There could be more one day, I just?—”
“You don’t have to explain yourself. This connection we have is undeniable, but it needs time to breathe. We can give that time if you want. We can see what it becomes. Once this is over.”
“If you stay…”
“I’ll do everything in my power to stay, Rue. I swear it.” He stroked the backs of my hands with his thumbs. “There is nowhere in the cosmos that I’d rather be than by your side.”
Butterflies filled my chest. “I think…I think Shem and you would have been good friends.”
“I know we would have.” He let go of my hands and reached for the bowl of pasta. “And he’d tell you to eat.”
Maybe I could eat a little, because the smell of the food no longer made me want to puke.
Bastian helpedme into Lucifer’s holster. I was smaller than the celestial, and the damn thing was an awkward fit, but we managed to get it to sit snugly on me. Bee claimed my bat as a weapon, and Tumiel spent ages fussing over a holster he’d made for it, ensuring it didn’t cut into her.
Then it was time to leave.
We headed topside but were blocked off in the corridor by Storm and her security guy. They weren’t alone. They had several uniformed men and women with them.
A troop.
My gut tightened, but Gabriel stepped forward, his posture relaxed and unthreatening.
“Is there a problem, General?” he asked.
“Yes, there is,” she said. “You’re not going anywhere…Not without backup.”
My shoulders sagged. Thank fuck.
“What changed your mind?” Gabriel asked.
“The people.” Her gaze flicked from Oliver to the troop behind her. “I gave them a choice, and they’ve chosen to accompany you.”
