Page 75 of Reign

Ember! Baby, don’t you give up!

I peered down, a spark of hope kindling deep in my soul. Even from so high, I could see every contraction of his muscles, hear every determined grunt he gave. Below him, Zander lay on the ground. His head tilted back. Joy hit me. He was alive. But he didn’t move. He had to be injured. Another male knelt by his side. I had no idea who it was—until he too peered up at me. Dagnar! Connor’s brother had been killed in the fight rings by Stone. Dagnar must have been possessed by a demon, and Connor must have freed him the same way he did Reed.Thank you, Mother Wolf. At least Connor won't face an eternity here alone.

My attention fixed back on Connor, and I didn’t take my eyes from him. With every jab of his long claws into the frame of the gates, he got closer. The determination on his face never faltered, his grip sure and powerful. Mea whined, willing Prime closer as I willed Connor closer. I’d always thought I’d be strong enough to free myself from any situation I found myself in. When I’d lost everyone before, when Lyss had died, and Connor and Rawson had disappeared, I’d made a promise to myself that I would never again need or rely on anyone to save me. I blinked. How wrong I’d been. I hadn’t realised that strength came from the people I chose to surround myself with. My mate would fight for me no matter the outcome to himself. My friends and pack would fight for me, Mea would never let me fall into despair, and Fire would do all she could to keep me alive.

A blast of light hit my face. I looked up, and relief flowed through me.

Sophie dove down, spiralling between the falling carcasses of burning demons.

From the burning Rift, the angel army descended head-first into Hell. Together they extended their wings, and light exploded from the Halo Sophie held in front of her.

The power of its light catapulted Satan back into the deepest reaches of Hell. He roared, his bellow fading until it became nothing.

The ash of the demon army fell like a macabre rain into the boiling river of blood.

Connor reached me. He anchored his bulk with his clawed feet and grabbed the chains in his huge hands. His muscles contracted and bulged as he thundered, the veins in his neck engorging. He met my eyes and increased his efforts.

Sophie hovered nearby. “Mother! Get the others! When she’s free, the gates will close. Hurry!” She pointed down to D and Zander. Four angels plummeted down. “Connor! Hurry! We don’t have much time. The Halo has banished him to the lowest level of Hell, but he will fight its power to return and keep his key.”

Connor’s body shook with the effort, and he bellowed at the top of his lungs, the sound rattling the air. His size increased, and his muscles bulged under the strain, the chains creaking and groaning.

“That’s it! It’s working!” yelled Sophie.

The angels carrying Zander and D whooshed passed, propelling upwards through the hot winds. Connor looked me in the eye.

Go! Please!I whispered down our bond.

He snarled, baring his teeth. With a final “MINE!” at the top of his lungs, the chains snapped.

Free, I spiralled toward the ground before regaining control so Fire and I could swoop back up. In a move that required utter trust, Connor leaped into the air. I wrapped him in my Fire, dragging him away from the gates as they reformed behind us. A furious roar rattled the air. I grinned and stuck up a middle finger to the Devil himself.

Sophie flapped her beautiful wings, wings that were charred by the heat of Hell and covered with the burned bones of demons, but she didn’t stop. Gritting her teeth and clutching the Halo, she propelled herself forward.

I slowed, allowing the angels to gain distance from us. I could feel the energy of our world merging with the winds of Hell. The fire that blazed along the edges of the cavernous Rift touched neither of us. Satan might be stuck without me to open the gates to his prison, but his minions weren’t; and with a Rift this big, their numbers would soon overwhelm the British Isles.

Fire was strong after absorbing the fires of Hell. So was Connor.

We need to close it.

I know.

Together.

No, Firecracker. This is all yours. Do your thing. Destroy it. I will be waiting for you on the other side. Now put me down. I can walk.

Those were always my words to him when he carried me. Grinning, I did. Fire felt my amusement and gave a high pitched cry. His claws gently brushed my wings, his Hell-beast shining through his eyes. Then he was gone, running through the air as if he were on solid ground, his speed so fast he was a blur.

I peered into the vortex of wind and fire. The gates were no longer visible; nothing was.

Let’s do this.

Mea howled in unison with Fire’s cry, pulsing her own brand of power into my soul. My wings grew. Firegrew until our wingspan was just short of touching the sides of the Rift. We dove back down towards Hell, then, when we had enough speed, somersaulted and drove upwards spiralling, whipping the flames into a destructive vortex. Fire took control of them then, moulding them to her will. I glanced down through her eyes. A whirlpool of fire followed us, dragging the sides of the Rift inwards, collapsing it in on itself. Up. Up. Up.

The world became nothing but flames and wind.

We burst through the Rift into the night sky, an eruption of flame in our wake. Fire spiralled into the sky and stopped. With her, I peered down, searching for my mate.

Connor stood, panting by the edge of the collapsed and smoking Rift, surrounded by his brothers and our allies. The angels hovered nearby. The angels would not touch their feet to the earth. They couldn’t if they wanted to return to their own realm. Sophie and what had to be her mother landed. I wondered how they had come back together, where Sophie’s mother lived…was she half-angel? But those were questions for another day.

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