Page 144 of Viper

The queen smirked at the archangel. “Your plan worked.”

“Of course it worked.” There was no pompous arrogance in the statement, only an unshakable confidence in himself.

The queen’s red eyes slid to Ella, and her smirk deepened. “My brethren and I are going to have a lot of fun with you.” She clicked her fingers at her male guard.

Ella’s heart jumped as the strix obligingly moved toward the shield.

The archangel lifted a cautioning hand. “Wait.” Not a command, more like an advisory statement.

The queen bristled, her red eyes glaring at him. “We want her,” she said, pointing at Ella.

“You’ll have to wait until the shield lowers,” he calmly told her. “Relax. The child will not be able to hold it for long.”

Ella’s stomach dropped. Oh, fuck, he knew she was pregnant.

The queen’s brows met. “Child?”

“Yes, she carries Viper’s offspring,” he revealed.

The queen’s eyes lit up in devious delight, the lines of hunger in her expression deepening.

“As soon as the shield winks out, you can attack.”

“Why can’t we just do it now?”

The archangel flapped a hand. “See for yourself.”

The queen nodded curtly at her male guard. He rushed forward, collided into the shield—and disintegrated into ashes just like that.

Ella felt her mouth drop open.Oh. My. God.

Mia gasped, her hand gripping Ella’s arm tight. “Go, Peanut,” she whispered, awe in her tone.

That same awe coursed through Ella’s inner demon, along with a healthy dose of parental pride.

“It’s constructed of unholy fire,” the archangel explained to the queen. “It will cause death on impact. But you can keep at it if you wish—your choice.” He gave an uncaring shrug.

Whowasthis guy? One of the Seven, maybe?

It was weird that he was so chill. There was no anger, no sense of urgency, no distaste as he looked upon either Ella or hersister. He honestly seemed largely unaffected by their presence. And yet, he’d played a part in them being brought here and he clearly wanted them dead.

The slim guy at his side took a nervous step back from the shield, as did the traitorous bitch Maxine and the majority of the strix. Only the queen and archangel remained in position, appearing unfazed.

“How long before the shield drops?” the queen asked the archangel, her tone huffy.

“Not long. Then you can slaughter them all.”

Anxiety punched Ella’s chest, and she pulled in a breath. It hurt, as if her windpipe had narrowed. The shieldwoulddrop—that was a fact. There were far too many strix to hold at bay, not to mention two celestialsandMaxine to combat. There was a very real possibility that she, her child, Mia, and Joe would die today.

And if Ella died, Viper would too due to their souls being bound.Fuck.

Tamping down the panic that tried to rise, Ella cocked her head at the archangel. “Who are you?”

He regarded her for a moment. “Name’s Ophaniel.”

Never heard of him, Ella telepathically told her sister.You?

No, never.

---