Page 33 of Camael
The warrior in him recognized a tactical operation when he saw one. But the male in him? That part couldn't take his eyes off Amelia as she moved with deadly purpose. The memory of her in his bed earlier helped temper his frustration. Rami delivered yet another report confirming increased demon activity. He focused on their continued use of the stolen celestial arsenal.
"You sure about this?" His voice rolled through the space like thunder. Every warrior's instinct he possessed screamed at him to grab her and get her somewhere safe. But he knewbetter. This female wasn't meant to be protected - she was meant to be unleashed.
"We don't have a choice." Amelia's shrug didn't hide the tension in her shoulders. "Lucifer's corruption is spreading faster than we can contain it. The seeds are our best shot at cleansing the network. There are too many miles for us to get to all the sections."
"Trust your mate, archangel," Pema advised with a look that could've stripped paint. "She was born to wield this power."
Mate. That word hit him harder than Michael during training. They hadn't even discussed what this thing between them was yet. Sure, they'd shared some explosive moments and even more explosive nights, but putting a label on it? That hadn't exactly been priority while dealing with Lucifer's latest attempts at taking over the world.
His eyes locked onto Amelia, and everything in him recognized the truth in Pema's words. The possessive need to claim her, protect her, fight beside her - it all made sudden, perfect sense. And the way she looked back at him? Yeah, she felt it too. The slight curve of her lips told him everything he needed to know.
A warrior angel and a witch. The universe had one twisted sense of humor. But watching her prepare to unleash power that would make Heaven take notice? This was right. This was meant to be. Even if the timing was about as perfect as demon table manners.
He forced himself to focus as Pema moved with practiced grace to complete the ritual circle around the island. The crushed herbs and opaline powder formed patterns his tactical mind automatically analyzed for weak points. There were none.
"The moon's almost in position," Amelia announced as she spread moissanite across the island's surface.
"We'll have a fifteen-minute window to create the seeds," she continued, "and then we can get them to the injection points."
"No pressure," Isis muttered as she took her position. The power crackling around her hands reminded him of lightning before a strike. "Just trying to save the city's spiritual foundation while demons with stolen angel weapons are gunning for us."
"Focus." Suvi's voice carried the kind of authority that would've made Michael proud. The youngest Rowan sister claimed her spot with deadly grace.
Rami materialized behind him, all business despite the chaos they were about to unleash. "The Dark Warriors are in position. They've got teams ready to escort each witch to their assigned nexus points."
"And we just got confirmation of major demon activity at the port," Jo added as she appeared. Her wings were already mantled for battle. "Something big just came in by sea. The magical signature is off the charts."
"One crisis at a time." The growl in his voice made the windows rattle. "First, we get these seeds planted. Then we deal with whatever Lucifer's shipping operation is bringing to town."
Power surged through the kitchen like someone had plugged the place into Heaven's generators. The Key at Amelia's throat blazed to life, and holy hell, watching her channel both light and shadow did things to his control that had nothing to do with battle strategy. Her hands moved through the air with lethal precision as she pulled power through the artifact. The moissanite responded to her will, transforming from simple crystals into something that would've made Heaven's weapon masters weep with envy.
The Rowan sisters' power joined hers in a display that had his warrior's senses on high alert. Pema's energyanchored the working while Isis's raw force made the air crackle. Suvi completed their circuit with magic that sang of ancient bloodlines.
"Holy shit," Isis breathed as perfect spheres of power took shape. "Are they supposed to do that?"
The crystals defied gravity, rising from the circle like they'd been trained for aerial maneuvers. Each one was a perfect fusion of light and shadow - deadly beautiful. Like the witch who'd created them.
Sweat darkened Amelia's hair as she completed the transformation. The final burst of power knocked several pictures off the walls, but he barely noticed. His entire focus was on her as she divided the seeds between his warriors.
"That's some serious mojo," Malachi observed from his position by the door. "Let's just hope it works."
"It'll work." Amelia's certainty hit him right in the gut. Even exhausted, she radiated the kind of power that made his ancient blood sing.
"That's where we come in." His Sword of Light materialized as he addressed his gathered warriors. Time to do what they did best. "Each witch gets an escort team. No demon gets within striking distance of those seeds." His ice-blue eyes swept his assembled forces. "Move out."
Minutes later, he had Amelia in his arms as they flew toward their first injection point. Her warmth against him was both distraction and motivation. Araton's voice crackled through their comms.
"We've got incoming at the port! Multiple containers giving off corrupted energy signatures. These artifacts have been modified for maximum damage."
"The seeds take priority," he ordered as they landed near Jackson Square. "Get the cleansing ritual started. We'll deal with the port situation once the ley lines are secured."
He watched with barely contained pride as Ameliaworked her magic, sending the seed into the ley line with practiced ease. The network opened to her like it recognized its rightful queen. As he spread word through their tactical channels about her technique, he knew one thing for certain. This female was born for this. And he was born to fight beside her.
Once she was done implanting her six seeds, Camael told his witch he would see her soon and left her with Remi and Malachi. He headed to the Port of New Orleans to make sure they weren’t about to be overrun. It stretched before them like a maze of steel and secrets. Shipping containers rose against the lightening sky in towers that would make Babel jealous. The brackish water lapped at concrete walls older than some countries. And gulls screamed overhead like they knew the kind of shit that was about to go down.
"This place gives me the creeps," Rami muttered as he fell into step beside him. His second-in-command's wings were half-spread and ready for trouble. "These artifacts have been put through Hell's favorite blender."
"That's exactly what Lucifer did." Camael's ice-blue eyes never stopped scanning for threats as they moved deeper into the container yard. "He's gathering anything with even a trace of power and using it to spread his influence through the city."
