Page 103 of To Crave Madly
A wicked gleam shone in his eyes and his mouth curled into a smile. “I thought you’d never ask.” He signalled to Fenris who pulled my scythe out of thin air. Man, I fucking loved magic. It was awesome.
Gripping the handle of my scythe, I turned back to the angels and grinned like a Cheshire cat. “Sorry, boys. It looks like you’re going to have to come and get me.”
“Very well,” he crooned like the cat who got the cream. I had a bad feeling that this was his plan all along. Another portal opened behind him in a flash of light and out poured what I could only assume were members of the magical community who had gone missing. Camael stepped to the side and let them form a protective circle around him.
“Bring her to me,” he roared before all Hell broke loose in a beautiful swirl of epic colour.
Chapter 37
LORI
Chaos had descended into the ballroom. Bodies littered the floor; some were mages and witches who had stood up with me after my inspiring speech, but there were also the bodies of the mages who had been manipulated and controlled into attacking us.
This was all because of me. All because I was at the centre of some stupid prophecy that was written hundreds of years ago. At least I knew who was behind the attacks and the missing magic users. Looked like it was the Divine One who wanted me gone. Talk about a hit to the ego. I thought He loved everyone? Was I to be a sacrifice for the greater good?
Magic burst around me in all sorts of colours. I was lost in a dance of hacking, slashing and casting magic as I tried to get closer to Camael. It was a bloody mess. The mind controlled mages were fighting to the death. They had no inhibitions, no thought of their own self-preservation as they attacked. They were here for one thing and one thing only. To kill.
I took a moment to glance at the line of angels and saw that there were a handful of people in dark robes with their arms outstretched. Were they the ones doing the mind control? Were they the witches? Or mages? God, I was so confused. We needed to grab one of them and find some answers. New goal. Get to the creepy robed dudes and steal one of them.
I tried to keep an eye on my team. They were bloody and bruised but they were still fighting.
My dress was torn and my hair had come loose from its updo but I was determined to reach Camael. I could see Cassian working his way towards the line of angels and I knew he was trying to beat me to it. There was a look of determination on his blood-spattered face and I tried not to be turned on by that, but Cassian and I had a funny relationship with violence. We seemed to crave it when we were together and right now, his eyes were shining with the carnage he was leaving in his wake.
I consumed more dark energy, stole more sins and fed it into the soulbond. I needed Lucifer. Only he would know how to defeat the angels.
“Lucifer!”I called through the bond.“Don’t you choose this moment to fucking ignore me.”
There was a flutter behind the mark on my chest and Lucifer’s presence burst into my mind.
“You rang,” he drawled in his smoky voice.
“Ever heard of an angel called Camael?”
“Unfortunately,” he growled. Clearly, he had a similar opinion as me over this warrior angel.
“Well, he’s here and he’s trying to kidnap me. Any chance you can drop in and maybe, I don’t know, kill the guy?”
I cut down another mage and fed from his unconscious form. I was trying not to kill anyone. I didn’t want any more blood on my hands than absolutely necessary. And besides, it wasn’t their fault that someone was using them for their own gains.
“It would be my pleasure,” Lucifer said darkly as he appeared beside me. I squealed with joy and pulled him into a tight hug.
“I’m so sorry about before. I know what I need to do now and I just—”
He cut my words off with a kiss that made my entire body tingle. His lips were blazing hot, like Hell itself was claiming me, and I arched into him as he deepened the kiss. It was a short kiss, a kiss of things to come and my core clenched in anticipation.
“Stop apologising,” he said. “There’s nothing to forgive. Now, let's go kick some angels’ butts. I haven’t done this since my fall, and I’ve been looking forward to the chance of wiping that righteous smile of Camael’s face.”
“I’m glad I could be of assistance,” I replied, grinning.
His face turned serious. “Just stay away from his sword. That thing will kill anything, mortal and immortal alike.”
I nodded and together, Lucifer and I fell into a fighting stance to continue making our way to the angels.
It was hard going but we were almost there. I was exhausted. My limbs ached, there was blood all over me from wounds that had healed, and my feet were killing me. Stilettos were not my shoe of choice for a battle.
There was a roar in front of me and I recognised the sound instantly.
Cassian.
