Page 17 of Till Death

Man, it felt good to see her, too. That’s how I knew we were at the end of everything. I never thought I’d see the day I was excited to be around a witch so bad her soul had been sent to Hell after death.

“I need a status update,” I told them.

“We’ve lost several of our wolves. We’re waiting for your orders, Jade. What do you need us to do next?” Cliff asked.

I hesitated, biting my lower lip. Understanding the team’s concerns and knowing the next right step were two very different things. “I’m not sure.”

“You have to tell us what to do, because otherwise we are sitting ducks,” Andre interjected. “That is the expression, isn’t it?”

“I don’t know anything anymore! I’m supposed to be the one leading us in this fight and I’m failing.” There it was, the brutal honesty. I grimaced and felt like running away. Or rather…running to Cole.

“I just don’t know what to do,” I whispered harshly.

Kay heard me. “You appoint a new leader to replace Michael. That’s what you do. Then we keep on as we’ve been doing this entire time.”

“But who…” I trailed off, glancing behind me to where Eli still stood. Silent, sentinel. He always claimed to know me better than anyone else in this universe and once, he’d told me about how he’d been chosen to be my perfect match.

“I never wanted to lead,” I said simply. “I just didn’t have a choice. Now, with Michael gone, I still don’t think I’m in a position to lead. But I know someone who can.”

Turning to Eli, I watched the emotions flash over his normally expressionless face.

My Guardian.

“Jade.” His hand fell on my shoulder to claim my full attention. “I’m not worthy enough.”

“I can’t think of anyone more worthy than you,” I told him.

There was no other option.

The veil had crumbled all over the world and we hadn’t even managed to secure Fairport. How did we win this fight? These people were doing their best to protect people at all costs. Andre had brought his people, the way he promised. Queen Imani brought a contingent as well. Cliff, his second in command Jasper…they were all here for me.

And Kay had a gun in her hand and another fiercely determined expression on their face. What happened if I let them down?

Eli must have shared those same thoughts. “I am only a Guardian.”

“So you’ve said before. And yet you’ve been right out there on the front lines doing what is necessary to help. You are more of a warrior than anyone else I’ve ever met. You’re the clear choice to step in and fill Michael’s shoes. Only you can unite the last of the Archangels.”

He stared at me for a long second before he replied with a grave nod.

“It would be my honor to fill the role you’ve appointed me.”

With everything in total disarray, it was nice to have friends. People to count on, lean on, when trying to accomplish the impossible.

The urgency of the situation kicked me into high gear as I faced the others. “This is it, guys. This is the moment we gathered to fight against.”

“You have my people for as long as we stand,” Cliff told me, his arms crossed over his chest. “Jasper has taken some of the other wolves out to scout the streets and assess the worst of the problem areas.”

“And your vamps?” I asked Andre.

“Trying not to die.” He shrugged.

“Yeah, the same as the rest of us.”

“We need to find a way to close off Hell’s access to this realm. It would help to have a man on the inside,” Marla added.

I turned to her. “What’s the situation with the rest of the spellcaster’s council? Did they say when they would get here?” I asked.

“Only that they were coming. Who knows if they even made it to the city?” She held her head up high.

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