Page 89 of To Crave Truly

“What game?”

Another mocking laugh.

Fuck. I needed to get out of here. I was on my own, and I knew this wasn’t going to end well.

“One, two, gonna get you…” he sang but the words echoed around the room. I couldn’t pinpoint where he was.

I could sense him moving, the air dissipating as he whipped past me at vampire speed. It was impossible for me to see even with my own supernatural senses in play.

Then a hand was in my hair, yanking my head backwards. Another hand gripped my chin and Mordecai’s face filled my vision.

“Hello my little one.” Then he sank his fangs deep into my neck and pulled my deeper into the shadows.

I was going to die down here, and no one was going to hear me scream.

Chapter Forty

Lucifer

My heart fell through my stomach when I watched Lori disappear through the ground. I knew Mordecai would have something planned. He was too smart to just expect us to hand Lori over to him so separating her from us was his best bet at defeating us and getting what he wanted.

I tried to make my way over to where the ground had given way, but my feet began to sink into the earth as if I were in a bog. Fucking magic.

I snapped my wings open and beat them ferociously, spreading them wide and trying to get some lift as I strained to get into the air. But it was no use, I was stuck.

“Shield your eyes!” Fenris roared. I had barely a second to do as he asked before the ground erupted into flames, dispersing the magic and allowing me to get free.

I landed on solid ground just as a bloodcurdling war cry erupted into the air.

Fuck.

A swarm of demons, vampires, and Guardians appeared all around us. The secondary teams launched into action and magic and fire burnt the sky.

“Where they fuck did they come from?” Jasper said as he came to join us.

I looked behind him. “Where’s Lori?”

“Working on a way out.”

“You left her?” Cassian growled.

“We don’t have time for this,” Jasper yelled above the sound of the battle around us.

“As much as we don’t like it, he’s right,” Fenris said calmly. “We’ve got bigger problems.”

I looked out at the scene unfolding around us. It was a scene straight out of a nightmare.

“Cassian, take to the sky, provide air support,” Jasper commanded.

“Fine,” he replied before bursting into his dragon. It was an amazing sight. I hadn’t had much interaction with dragons so when midnight black scales erupted over his skin and his wings spread wide, I was a little in awe.

In my fascination of the dragon – which I would never mention to him, even under pain of death – I’d missed Jasper’s other instructions. The team fanned out, Alec transforming into his lethal Hell Hound, the two mages disappearing into the smoke of varying colours, the fire demon erupting into flame and attacking some other lesser demons alongside the witch. It was amazing to watch. They worked together like a well-oiled machine, and I suddenly felt at a loss.

“What do you need me to do?” I asked Jasper.

He pointed to Camael and the Guardians. “Take care of them.”

I caught Camael’s eyes and grinned. “With pleasure.”

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