Page 108 of Conflicted

Apparently being mated hadn’t removed Nox’s ability to occasionally irritate the shit out of me. “You’ll just know. Can you trust me on this? Please?”

“Fine,” Nox grumbled. He pulled me into a tight embrace, his breath tickling my ear. “But only because I love you.”

I kissed his cheek. “Go. Now.”

He shot me one more smouldering look before crouching down inside the crude den we’d constructed. It wouldn’t conceal him for long, but it might just be longenough. With him inside, I added another layer of wards, ensuring he was hidden as well as possible.

I’d just finished the final touches when I heard the wings on the wind. Pulling my sword from my sheath, I released my power. Not fully, just enough to remind the approaching angels who they were dealing with. I wasn’t a minor supe. I wasn’t about to be cowed or frightened into obeying.

Not anymore.

I was the most powerful arch in several millennia. The leader of the Seraphim.

And I was in love with a demon, my mate, who had taught me to recognise my worth, to appreciate the skills I had and use them for what I thought was right, not what I was ordered to do.

Nothing was more worth fighting for than him. Nothing more worth disobeying orders for than our love.

I’d prove it to all of them. To God herself, if necessary.

I wasn’t going to give Nox up. Not for anyone.

The final wards pinged a split second before the first angel appeared.Lyle.

What joy.

Surprisingly, he wasn’t accompanied by anyone I recognised from Juniper. Instead, three regency angels landed alongside him. Not assigned to a specific unit, regents rarely left Heaven. Their role was to protect the borders of Heaven itself, the final bastion standing between Earth and the pearly gates. Metaphorically speaking, of course. Pearl isn’t a good material from a defence standpoint. They were made from a material undiscovered by humans; stronger than diamond and graphene combined.

That they’d been sent to recover me was…disturbing. Then again, missions such as these were usually fulfilled bythe Seraphim. Had they not been asked? Or had they refused?

I wasn’t sure which was worse. The first suggested the higher-ups had as much faith in them as they did in me. It would put them in a precarious position. A position I’d have to pray Ezekiel would be able to successfully negotiate them out of without losing his temper.

The second though…that was more dangerous. As much as I didn’t want them to have to be the ones I fought against, their refusal wouldn’t go unpunished. What would happen without me there to take their punishment?

I forced it out of my mind as I smiled at the other angels. “Good evening. I’d say it’s nice to see you, but lying is a sin.”

“So is fucking a demon,” Lyle snarled. “You don’t seem to have an issue with that though.”

If he was hoping to spark my temper, Lyle was barking up the wrong tree. I wasn’t ashamed of my love for Nox. “Fucking someone you shouldn’t seems to be ayouissue. Not ameissue.”

Lyle’s face turned an ugly shade of purple. He lunged towards me, his sword raised high as an inarticulate cry gurgled from his throat.

Alarm pulsed through the bond but my calmness kept Nox at bay. Which was good, because I definitely didn’t need him.

Not for this, anyway.

Lifting my sword, I met Lyle’s strike with ease. And the second. Then the third.

He let out a huff of frustration before letting loose a barrage of power. I watched, my face impassive, as it bounced harmlessly off my shields.

The regents exchanged uncertain looks but didn’t move.I imagined they’d been ordered to let Lyle take the lead but hadn’t been aware of how…poorly, he’d do.

It was only when Lyle paused, his powers flickering out and chest heaving, that I finally spoke. “My, my. Juniper really needs to raise its standards. If this is the best you can do as their leader, then there’s no way you could ever hope to compete with the Seraphim. At this level, you’re not fit to be in the same league, let alone go toe to toe with them.”

“You’re nothing without your unit,” Lyle said, spittle flying everywhere. “Nothing but another washed-up arch.”

I could practically hear Nox’s eye-roll. “Mm-hmm. A washed-up arch that you can’t land a single hit on. That’s the one.”

The veins in Lyle’s neck were so swollen they looked like they were about to blow. One of the regents stepped forward, either out of pity or because she’d realised Lyle’s ineptitude was getting them nowhere. “Micah, leader of the Seraphim, your presence is required upstairs.”

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