Page 90 of Legacy of Chaos

“Because I believe that destroying it will do more harm than good. We can always come back and destroy it later.”

She went taut, a subtle stiffening of her upper body he wouldn’t have noticed if his hands hadn’t been on her shoulders. “Of course.”

She didn’t trust him, and he didn’t blame her. Why would an angel not want to destroy something so evil and with so much potential to cause widespread destruction?

It sounded insane to him too.

He might have made a catastrophic mistake.

“You need to trust me.”

“Do I? What team are you on, buddy? And what are you willing to do to keep your secret? Given that I’m the only one who knows, I’m guessing I’ll meet with an unfortunate accident on the way up.” She blew out a breath. “I’m finished.”

“You’re not finished. I’m not going to kill you.”

“No, I mean, I’m done. With the repair—”

Something slammed into them. They tumbled, hitting the bubble’s walls with brutal force. The violence knocked the flashlight from Cyan’s hand. It punctured the bubble walls and fell into the deep, its light gone in an instant. Water poured through the shield, several gallons before Gabriel could repair it.

Darkness surrounded them, and when he turned on his glow, he almost wished he hadn’t. The sea teemed with demon fish, their grotesque, semi-transparent bodies writhing on the edges of his light, their razor teeth flashing.

Suddenly, the school of nightmares parted, making room for a nuclear submarine-sized monster with eyes that glowed like lava.

“I’m taking us up!” He shot upward. The thing sped after them.

He broke the water’s surface, and right behind him, the toothy demon broke it too. It snapped at him as he twisted and banked toward where Stryke and the others were waiting. A massive splash as the beast fell back into the water nearly took Gabriel out, but he clung tightly to Cyan and managed to right himself and continue on course to Stryke.

To his left, Hutriel soared behind the platform, some sort of spiny-finned thing with wings chasing him.

“Remember,” he growled in Cyan’s ear as they approached the waitingSea Stormteam, “not a word to anyone. Not even Stryke. Not unless he resumes drilling operations or wants to sell the rig. This is important, demon. The current ruling body in Heaven will execute him.”

It probably wasn’t true, but Gabriel doubted Cyan would care abouthisplight. She wouldn’t give a shit that Gabriel was already in trouble and this could get him not just imprisoned but imprisoned on an isolated planet on another realm, where no one would ever find him. A fate reserved for the worst offenses…that hadn’t quite reached the level of being booted out of Heaven or executed.

No, thank you.

Unceremoniously, he plunked Cyan onto the deck in front of Stryke and flew upward on a draft, his fiery sword in hand. He couldn’t see Hutriel’s battle with the flying demon, but he could sense it.

Time to spill some blood.

Chapter 21

Stryke grabbed Cyan as she hit the deck. Gabriel flew off just as a long-necked, nightmarish creature leaped out of the water, steam hissing off its pointy scales. The whoosh of crossbow bolts whispered past his ears, and the heat from a flamethrower singed his arm hair. The demon took the full force of the bolts and flames, screeched in pain, and dropped back into the sea.

“Is the portal destroyed?” he asked her.

“Ah...yeah… Shit, behind you!”

They both ducked as the thing’s tail whipped into the supports and walls, crumpling them before disappearing beneath the waves.

“Stryke!” Taran came down the ladder two rungs at a time. “Temp at the breach is normal. No heat signatures at all. I think the breach is sealed. But now these demons are stuck here.”

Stryke shouted up to the security people lining the platform’s walkways. “Stay alert. There might be more before this is over.”

Explosions, screeches, and godawful roars rose from what sounded like the other side of the platform.

“Gabriel,” Cyan blurted breathlessly. “It has to be.”

They took off, rushing toward the sounds of battle. Streaks of lightning and black clouds full of red sparks roiled overhead, but as they approached the helicopter landing pad, everything went quiet.

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