Page 90 of Castor
I just wished a certain feisty little dragon was by my side.
“Come back to the mansion,”Alastair said.“Lazarus is here.”
Seeing the angel who had ignored our cry for help during the battle was at the very bottom of my to-do list. Punching him was near the top though.
“Don’t you dare,”Alastair pushed into my head, reading my mind.
Seething with anger, I landed outside the mansion and walked through the grass toward the back patio. Lights shone from inside the house, and shadows passed in front of the windows. Everyone was gathered in the living room.
Raiden stood in the corner of the room, arms crossed and his jaw tight. Daman sat beside Bellamy on the love seat. Gray was nestled in Simon’s lap, head on the human’s chest and legs spread out over Galen, who sat beside them on the couch, arm behind his mate’s head. Alastair glanced up at me from his spot against the wall, his hands fisted at his sides. He was angry too.
My eyes zeroed in on Lazarus. He stood next to the window, his gaze moving amongst us. No one spoke at first.
“Why didn’t you help them?” Simon asked.
“You’re still as outspoken as ever.” Lazarus scowled.
A tic started in Galen’s jaw. “He has a point. Why didn’t you aid them? Are we that disposable to you? Unimportant?”
“Disposable? No.” Lazarus shook his head. “I wanted to help.”
“So why didn’t you?” Alastair’s tone remained calm, though the anger burning in his eyes was anything but. “We have always done your bidding. Fought when you demanded it of us. Killed. Sacrificed our lives to the cause you hold so dear. And when we needed you, you abandoned us.”
“I had no choice,” Lazarus said. “While Phoenix and Ramiel were attacking you, Belphegor and other angels who defected had their sights set on the celestial realm. It should be impossible for one of the Fallen to get past our defenses, yet they got close. Too close. I heard your plea for help in the middle of the conflict. I couldn’t leave.”
“A distraction,” Alastair said. “They were sure to keep you and the angelic army occupied while we were attacked on the island. So it would improve their chances of success.”
“Possibly.”
“Possibly?” I asked. “What the hell does that mean?”
Lazarus looked at me. “I believe Belphegor was after something. The attack on you and the one on us were both very fundamental to their plans. They wanted to kill youandtake something from us.”
“What would he be after?” I fought to control the rising anger in my chest. “Don’t tell me you have other possessed rings we don’t know about. Cursed weapons, maybe? Or something to bring about the end of the world?”
“I don’t appreciate the tone, Greed.”
“And I don’t appreciate being your fucking puppet, Lazarus. You don’t tell us shit, but you expect us to risk our lives and kiss your ass at the drop of a dime. Haven’t we earned your trust by now? If not trust, then at least respect? Stop treating us like mindless killing machines and fucking be honest for the first time—”
Lazarus appeared in front of me, and with a single touch against my chest, I dropped to my knees. My airways clamped shut. I couldn’t breathe. Or speak. He glared down at me, nostrils flaring.
“Enough,” Lazarus said before releasing the hold on me. I sucked in a breath. “Sometimes I still see that defiant child from when we first met. Fire in your eyes and a sharp tongue. You’re so much like your father.”
“Don’t you dare talk about him.”
He cut his eyes at me. “After all this time, you still admire him? He was a deserter. He betrayed the celestial realm. Betrayed the Creator. And yet you carry that damned golden dagger around with you like it’s your greatest treasure.”
I placed my hand on the hilt on impulse. I very rarely went anywhere without it tucked against my side.
“Do you recall the night I killed your father?”
“How could I forget?” Rage boiled in my gut, and I pushed to my feet, facing off with him. That night was so clear in my head. The fires as villages burned. The smell of charred bodies and the echoes of screams as humans were slaughtered by armies my father commanded.
It had been the battle that ended the war…
Clashes of thunder filled the air as angels, most of them fallen, were struck down by our army. The remaining demons fled with the realization of their imminent defeat.
“Castor.”
