Page 49 of Bellamy
Warrin tensed. He hated when Daman went on tracking missions because it meant they’d be apart. The ice dragon had wings, but it was a lot harder to camouflage a massive dragon flying through the sky, so he was forced to stay behind.
“Not yet,” Lazarus answered. “For now, inform your allies so they can keep an eye out for him. Penemuel might’ve left Asa’s side, but that doesn’t mean he wants to join ours. The more likely theory is he’s turned into a lone wolf. He wants the freedom to spread his corruption without interference or restraint. If the situation gets out of hand, you can track him. But our focus needs to remain on Asa.”
“I’ll see if Phoenix will tell us anything,” I said. “Maybe he knows where Penemuel is.”
Not that he had been forthcoming with information so far, but what could it hurt? Other than my damn head. The demon was stubborn as shit. Though, I was sure he’d say the same about me.
“You wanna stay for dinner?” Raiden asked Lazarus. “I’m making taco casserole. Hamburger meat with lots of cheese, spice, and topped with love.”
“I’ll pass.” Lazarus spread his wings. The white feathers had faint hints of gold, a sign he was one of the elite angels in the celestial realm. That same gold threaded in his eyes too, like subtle streaks of lightning stemming from his blue irises.
“Oh.” Raiden’s face fell. “Okay.”
“Perhaps another time,” Lazarus then said.
That perked my brother back up. “Cool.”
Lazarus glowered at Alastair. “The seven of you are more important than Lucifer’s sword. If Light Bringer is lost, our chances of victory would be lessened, but we could still prevail. However, if we lose one of you? The world will surely fall to darkness. Your gamble paid off this time, Pride, but if something like this happens again, you call me. No exceptions.”
“Understood.”
Lazarus shot up in the sky, fading from sight in a matter of seconds. As a full-blooded angel, he could fly a lot faster than us.
“Well, that was out of character for him,” Castor said. “Since when does that asshole care about us so much?”
“It’s not us he cares for,” Alastair responded. “He cares only for the power in our blood.That’swhat he’s protecting.” He faced me. “I wouldn’t have let you die, Bell. I hope you know that. I was giving Phoenix one more day, and then I planned to come for you on my own.”
Our bond allowed me to feel his sincerity. Did it still hurt? Yeah. But putting myself in his shoes, I couldn’t say I would’ve made a different call. Too much had been at stake. The situation had sucked no matter how you looked at it.
“You did what you believed was best,” I said.
Guilt shone in his pale eyes. “I would’ve traded places with you in an instant.”
I felt the truth in that too.
“Buy me a new sword and we’ll call it even.”
A hint of a smirk touched my older brother’s lips. “Another sword? You have an entire arsenal.”
“Hey, if Bell gets another weapon, can I have something too?” Castor asked. “I want another car.”
“Andyouhave an entire garage of sports cars,” Alastair told him.
Gray rubbed at his eyes. “I want a hammock so I can nap out here when it’s sunny.”
“I just want some pizza,” Raiden said. And then his eyes lit up. “Oh! The taco casserole. Shit. It’s gettin’ late. I need to get started on it.” He dashed off toward the mansion.
As I turned to head that way too, a hand snatched hold of my arm.
Castor’s smile wavered as his glassy eyes met mine. “Um. So.” He cleared his throat. “If you ever want to talk about anything… you know, stuff that happened down there… I’m here.”
It had taken Castor months to cope with the shit Belphegor had done to him. He’d drowned himself in booze and sex to help him forget. Those dark places in his head got a bit brighter. Eventually.
“Thanks. But I’m good. If that changes, I’ll let you know.” I clapped him on the back before walking toward the back patio.
I had a demon waiting for me in the basement.
Chapter Nine
