Page 68 of Fallen Demon

The ball flattened and became a large portal.

With an outstretched hand, Aspen tugged hard on an invisible line.

Levi burst from the portal, roaring like a mad animal. His red eyes zeroed in on Aspen. He swiped his big claws, but thankfully, Aspen stepped back and out of the circle, missing the strike by an inch.

Just as the portal was closing, someone else flew through it.

Ylena.

She went directly for Levi, who turned to continue their battle.

But we knew that was a possibility and we were ready.

Lacey and Abbie threw their magic out, tying Ylena and pulling her back, until she stood in a small witch circle, inside the bigger one.

Still blinded by her rage, Ylena flapped her dark wings and made for Levi but she hit the circle’s invisible wall and fell back, her wings folding awkwardly underneath her.

Levi had also charged Ylena and met the wall’s barrier. Fangs bared, he turned around, finally stopping to see what was going on. He snarled at Abbie, glanced over at Lacey as if he didn’t know her, snapped his teeth at Aspen, and froze when he saw the dagger in Topaz’s hands.

“Levi,” I said.

He shifted his gaze to me. “You again.”

“Yes, me.” I lifted my chin. “I waited for you, you know? I thought you would come back, like you did before. But hours passed and nothing.” He stared at me, anger and frustration flashing in his eyes. “Did you ignore the bond? Or did you feel it?” I held a finger up. “Don’t answer that.” I glanced at Ylena. “I see you quickly found her.”

“It wasn’t that quick,” he said, his voice still like a monster’s.

“And yet, you found her.”

Ylena smiled at me, looking more like a depraved demon than an archangel. “You say you two are connected. He and I are connected too.”

I frowned. “Oh, I know. But do you? Do you know why you’re connected? How?”

The two of them seemed lost with my question.

“Got it!” Topaz yelled.

I took a step back as she pointed the dagger at Levi. A line of red light stretched from the tip of the blade to Levi’s chest, and before he could register what was happening, the line pushed inside of him, and he fell to his knees, roaring.

“The dagger!” Ylena screamed and rammed into the invisible wall again.

Aspen lifted his hand and the wall around the smaller circle became a light gray, like frosted glass. The angel punched the wall and screamed, but the sound was muffled.

And we could focus.

Topaz gritted her teeth. “Turn this demon back to what he was,” she said, ordering the dagger. “Change him back to the man he was.”

A spark of magic traveled through the red line, and Levi yelled when it entered him.

His arms were as spread out as his big wings, with his neck stretched, his head tilted up.

“Don’t resist it,” I told him, but I wasn’t sure he was listening.

Lacey, Abbie, and Aspen lifted their arms to their sides, and their magic traveled like a wave around them all, connecting the four of them, and feeding into Topaz.

“Turn this demon back to what he was!” Topaz yelled. The spark traveled from the blade to Levi’s chest again, and he half yelled, half snarled.

My heart tugged. He was in pain, and I was responsible for this.

---