Page 80 of Blood of Two Crowns

My gaze snapped back to Malekai’s at his demand.The realization that followed them was like a bludgeon to my heart. Considering the state of our relationship, I doubted she wouldwantto come with me. She might fight against me… But Malekai…

“She wantsyou.I’ll guard the portal.”

“I hate to break it to you, but there’s no way you can guard the portal better than my drakonati.”

Theweightof a terrible magic manifested at my back, and I turned to find a subtle frown creasing Azrael’s face at the sight of his decimated palace and thousands of our enemy soldiers. If anyone were to guess based on his expression alone, they’d assume he’d merely found a stain on a white shirt.

Azrael’s four wings gracefully pounded the air to keep him hovering a few dozen feet before me.

“I tried. I really did, Nakoa. Itriedto be nice. I tried to be fair. I tried to be considerate. And look what it’s earned me.”

His eyes dipped to the hole in the ground and the battle behind me for emphasis, raising mildly accusatory brows.

“I will happily open Atratus to your denizens so long as you return oursoulbound.”

Chapter

Forty-Eight

AZRAEL

Ifelt nothing as I stared down at the scorched remains of my palace. I hadn’t particularly enjoyed being there. I mean, it ishell,so I did try to avoid coming here. And when you’re as old as time immemorial, you become rather desensitized to things.

Though what I did find upsetting was the sight of an entire league of my people—even if they were mostly demons—rushing towards the portal, desperate to escape this.

To escapeme.

That and the fact that Nakoa, Malekai,fucking Rumiel—that male had always been a thistle in my cock—and a few thousand of Nakoa’s soldiers appeared to be staging a coup.

How very droll.

On four wings, I hovered in the air a couple of dozen feet from Nakoa, heaving a longsuffering sigh.

“Mareina’s solution has proven to be more than sufficient so she’ll be staying put, I’m afraid.”

Shouts and cries went up as Nakoa’s army began to drop like flies. Guilt warred with righteous anger.

The sight of the gilded, cerulean drakonati decimating my people to prevent them from getting through the portal hadregret piercing through me at what I feared I would have to do. I tugged firmly at the cord connecting his soul to his body in warning as Iwilledmy Nephilim tofoldbetween me and Nakoa and his army. I could feel their collective reluctance to do so, but they were bound to my will. All except Asterion—because he was something else entirely—and Rumiel, who I had given far too much freedom long ago.

Malekai’s drakonati roared as it’s hungry flames attempted to devor my Nephilim. I could feel the magic of those who perished leave me, weakening me as though it were my own magic.

Fuck.

As if returning his call, I hear the very distinct, magic-laced roar of Ataraxus in response behind me. I twisted to find what appeared to beallof his drakonati damning the skies behind me, only moments away.

Akash-fucking-damn-it.

My helplessness was paralyzing. If I killedeveryone,I’d, in turn, be killing myself. Indecision and anger burned through me as I watched what remained of Nakoa’s army slaughter my people in an effort to prevent my demons from breaching the portal and wreaking havoc in their realm. With each of their deaths, my power weakened further.

Nakoa had already somehow worked his way through so many of my Nephilim that within moments, he was only feet away from me. Drenched in blood, vengeance and fury burning in the twin black pools of his eyes as they locked with mine. Instinct had me reaching for the cord binding soul to body.

Within that split second, I attempted to sever it, blinding pain shot through me. The face of a dark male with silver eyes flashed within my mind as I tried to recover, and I summoned another onslaught of my nephilim as Nakoa leapt towards me, sword raised to relieve my body of its head.

With a few hundred nephilim pummelling Nakoa across the battlefield, I launched myself into the air, eyes scanning.

Get to Mareina.

I swivelled to find Mareina cutting her way through my nephilim at a speed my eyes could barely follow—but still remained well out of reach of Ataraxus, Nakoa, or Malekai. While she wouldn’t have any memory of the latter two, I had no doubt she would follow them through the portal the moment she had the chance.

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