Page 95 of The Road to Hell

Eliza shot him a look, her jaw tight. “Unfortunate? That’s what you’re going with?”

He shrugged, entirely too calm for someone about to get torn apart midair. “Would you rather I panic?”

She looked like she was considering hitting him.

I shot Calyx a glance. “Tell me where you stand. Right now.”

His pale gaze shot from me to the other fallen. He understood the question, and for once, I appreciated that he took the time to consider before answering. A beat passed. Then another. Finally, he nodded. “With you. And Lily.”

Eliza’s shock was almost comical. I didn’t blame her. Part of me had expected him to turn on us, too. But we had something he desperately wanted—or at least the means to gain it. And for all his games, Calyx wasn’t a liar. He didn’t want to fight his brethren. Neither did I. But we’d drawn our line in the sand, and they hadn’t crossed it with us.

“Are you willing to do what it takes?” I asked.

“There are other means,” Calyx said. “We don’t have to kill anyone.”

I shook my head. “If you hesitate, we die. Do you understand me? If you’re not ready to end this fight, don’t start it.”

A muscle in his jaw twitched. Then he cursed under his breath. “Fine. I will do whatever it takes.” His wings flexed. “Iwillbe free ofhim.”

“Good.” I surveyed the land below. There was only one option.

“Down?” Calyx asked.

I nodded. “Down.”

We needed solid ground. I needed my hands free. And Eliza needed to be in the fight.

Calyx and I angled downward, cutting a descent. Lily’s weight made my balance trickier, but I adjusted. We hit the ground seconds later, my boots kicking up dust. Calyx landed beside me, dropping Eliza with a bit too much enthusiasm.

She immediately righted herself, blades drawn.

I laid Lily, Vol, and Purrgy down, fast but careful, before dropping the pack and reaching for my sword.

Calyx cursed. “They’re not slowing down.”

Of course they weren’t. They had the advantage—more numbers, better positioning, and the ability to strike from above. For a brief moment, panic needled its way through my ribs. Lily was defenseless. If they realized that?—

I forced the thought down. Fear had no place here. Not if I wanted to win. I just needed to draw blood. One cut, and my power would do the rest.

We could do this.

Because we had no other choice.

I gripped my sword and waited, watching as our former brethren closed in.

A blur of movement from the west suddenly caught my attention. I snapped my gaze toward it.

More figures. More wings.

The fallen hesitated. Their formation wavered as their attention also moved to the oncoming force.

Calyx stiffened beside me. “Is that…?”

It took a second for my vision to make out the thirty-foot-long scaled bodies streaking toward us. To see the celestial bracketing them, golden hair gleaming like a damn beacon.

A slow grin spread across my lips.

Levi.

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