Page 4 of Conflicted

I swear to the Holy Creator, if he thanks me once more, I won’t be held accountable for my actions.

Shouldering past him, I grabbed Dagon’s eldest brother, Cal. I didn’t trust myself to touch Dagon without doing something stupid.

And I couldn’t touch Dimitri. I never should have in the first place.

Cal didn’t say anything during the thirty seconds it took me to fly him to the front lines. Once I’d deposited my passenger, I waited for the others to arrive.

When they did, I wished I hadn’t waited. If I’d left, I wouldn’t have had to watch Dimitri walk straight up to Lucifer. Watch as he lifted the most dangerous, evil being in existence off the ground and threatened him.

“Touch either of my mates again, and they won’t be the ones being executed. I’ll bring down the entire might of Heaven if needed. You pushed us once, and it didn’t work out well for you.”

I wasn’t sure what had my heart racing faster—seeing Dimitri go toe to toe with Lucifer, or knowing he was doing it to protect his mates.

His mates.

Lucifer sneered at Dimitri. “Who are you to challenge me?”

Thuds echoed through the air as arch after arch hit the ground around us. Rami. Ezekiel. The twins, Theo and Nathanial, together as always. Breann. Grace. And finally, Benji, his eyes ablaze with an uncharacteristic fury.

The Seraphim were gathered. All ten of us.

But after today, we would be down one member. There was no way Heaven would allow Dimitri to remain part of the unit with a demon as his eternal mate. We’d have to take on another. It had been centuries since we’d added to our ranks, but now we’d have no choice. Another would have to join us.

Someone to replace Dimitri. The thought made me want to vomit right here on the field. It might’ve been a long time since Dimitri had truly been part of our unit, butreplacing him? Taking that final step, knowing he’d never be ours again?

It was torture.

He never was yours. Not really. He’s always been Dagon’s.

Pushing that thought to the back of my mind, I drew my weapons along with the others. Until told otherwise, Dimitri was one of us.

And we would die protecting him if needed.

Lucifer’s sons had their weapons drawn too. They had more reason than anyone to extract their pound of flesh from their father. I had to imagine their childhoods had been the stuff of literal nightmares. That they’d all turned their backs on Hell was testament to that.

From the corner of my eye, I saw the lines pushing towards us. My eyes widened as I realised that the Uprising currently had the upper hand. Seeing Lucifer being challenged so openly had spurred them on, thinking a win was imminent.

Cursing under my breath, I whipped my head around to call out a warning to Dimitri, but there was no need. Dagon had apparently clocked the same thing I had. He was hauling Dimitri away, hissing something in his ear.

See? He doesn’t need you. He never did.

My inner voice was an utter cunt sometimes.

A low buzzing took up residence in my ears as I signalled for the Seraphim to fall into formation. We took to the air above the demons, preparing to launch ourselves into the battle. It was something we’d done a thousand times before, but never before had there been a gap to my right. A gap where Dimitri should have been fighting. Now there was, as he took up his rightful place beside his mate.

Ezekiel shot me a look full of too much understanding for my liking. Without saying a word, he moved closer untilthe tips of his wings brushed against mine. This was something we’d been discussing for a while. With Dimitri’s absences stretching longer and longer, we’d known that Ezekiel would eventually step into his shoes.

I hadn’t expected it to happen so soon.

Forcing my gaze away, I waited until Cal shot forward.

We followed on a tidal wave of power as we unleashed ourselves on the front lines. I stopped trying to suppress my emotions. My fury erupted with every swing of my sword. My heartbreak sang outward alongside every blast of power.

I was a man undone as I slaughtered my way through the lines. I didn’t see the faces of those whose immortality I took, I only saw Dimitri.

His mates.

Dimitri had taken two mates. Given both angels and demons had fated mates, I had to assume that was what had happened.

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