Page 133 of Guarded
My demon.
I hated that I’d have to leave the others behind, but Iwasn’t a fool. We’d be lucky to walk away from this as it was.
If I decided to free countless other demons in the process? There’d be no salvation for us. If Lucifer didn’t execute us, God or her council would. Releasing a number of demons topside would have consequences. Consequences I wasn’t prepared to face.
Selfish as it was, I had to put Jem first. I had to put us first.
Besides, like angels, not all demons were good. Nor did they all want to leave Hell for any reason other than to cause carnage.
It didn’t make what I was doing right, but it didn’t make it wrong either.
The first circle was almost in ruins now. Many demons were gathering on the opposite side of the river. I could see a couple of generals trying to rally them to attack, but no attack was forthcoming.
And I knew exactly why.
When the Uprising had been quashed, Lucifer had executed every demon who’d fought against him. Those alive today had seen what happened to those who’d gone against his orders.
But they’d also witnessed what had happened next. How his sons had forced him to his knees, surrounded by the Seraphim as they tied him into a deal. I might not have been in Hell that day, but I knew what had happened. Everyone did.
Archs and demons never fought side by side, but that day they had. That kind of event was historic. Lucifer might’ve won, but he’d lost so much more in the process. Full control of Hell. Several of his top torturers.
And the respect of the demons under his rule.
Jeremiah and Nox were right; demons were inherently selfish creatures. Right now, I could see many of them weighing up the choice in front of them. Trying to decide if I was serious about the involvement of Mori and his brothers…or if it was a bluff.
As I’d expected, a few of them decided it was safer to try and take me out. Better the devil you know, and all that.
Or, rather, better the devil here right now. If Mori, Cal, Harlow, and Dagon were beside me, this would be going very differently.
But they weren’t. Not yet, anyway. It was no matter. I was perfectly capable of managing alone until they arrived.
My shield shimmered as flames bounced harmlessly off it. A smile curved my lips. Fools. Did they really believe I was standing here unguarded?
The hits paused, and I poured my powers into my shield, already knowing what would come next.
You didn’t fight as a soldier in one of Heaven’s top units without learning a thing or two about battle strategy. They’d be concentrating their blasts in one area now, hoping to penetrate my shield and dissolve it.
Fuck me, they really were taking their time coming to this realisation. The generals were arguing and shoving each other, with no clear leader taking charge.
I rolled my eyes. This was precisely why Heavenly units had a clear hierarchy—not just within the team itself, but all other units too. The Seraphim were at the top, with Juniper sitting in the second spot.
Much to Lyle’s chagrin.
While I waited for them to come to the inevitable conclusion to attack my shield as one, I scanned where the gates had stood, looking for any sign of Jem. There wasnothing, just countless more demons pouring over the rubble.
The bond suggested he was moving closer to me though. I just had to hope Lucifer took the bait. The little I knew of him suggested that he was proud, egotistical, boastful. It was one of the reasons why I’d worded my threat as I had.
Challenging him in such a forthright manner would rile him up. He wouldn’t be content to hide inside with Jeremiah while his minions did his dirty work. He’d want to make an example of me.
Which was exactly what I’d planned.
The demons assembled suddenly. A horn blew and I sighed. Honestly, didn’t they realise that announcing the attack took away their advantage? Not that they really had one, but still. It was almost enough to have me wanting to offer proper battle strategy and planning classes to them.
An arc of fire split the darkness, and I narrowed my eyes as I tracked it through the sky. Once I was sure of where it would hit, I shifted all my energy to that one spot. There was a bright flash of light followed by a loudcrackas the two met. I gritted my teeth, not letting the fire breach my shield.
One by one, the demons pulled back their power as they realised I was too strong for them. Murmuring broke out on the opposite shore as they began to wonder who exactly they were dealing with.
The fear I’d been expecting didn’t appear though. All my life, I’d been scared of others learning of my secret. Now, I was past caring. I wanted them to know that I’d execute every last one of them if my mate wasn’t delivered safely into my hands.
