Page 98 of Gray
“You better not.” I moved my hands to his sides. “You know what will happen if you do.”
“No! Don’t tickle me.” Gray wiggled to get free, but I held him tighter, a hold he could’ve easily broken since he was way stronger than me, but he didn’t. I think he liked feeling overpowered. “Okay, I’ll tell you.” He settled back against me and smoothed his fingers up and down my forearm. “It’s just weird that so much bad stuff has happened. You with that ghoul attack and losing your team. Me with all my baggage about my dad. There’s also the conflict with Asa that hasn’t been fun or nice at all. But here we are right now, together. If wasn’t for that bad stuff happening, wewouldn’tbe here. I wouldn’t be so happy.”
“I’m happy too,” I whispered, afraid saying it too loud would test the gods or something and take that happiness away from me.
“I like that you and Galen are friends now.”
For the past four days, after I’d put Gray down for his evening nap, I had met Galen in the gym. My muscles were sore, but it was the good kind of sore. My mind felt more at peace, my chest lighter. Maybe with time, the nightmares would ease some too.
“We’re not friends,” I said. “We just work out together.”
“Uh-huh.” Gray nudged my ribs. “Admit it. You guys have an epic bromance happening.”
“Whatever.”
Raiden made steak and potatoes for dinner. As we all sat down at the table to eat, conversation came easy and the laughs even easier. It wasn’t too difficult with Raiden around. His goofy personality never failed to lighten the mood. The war with Asa and the worry over the reapers collecting souls kind of faded to the background.
Raiden’s food always tasted incredible. The steak was no exception—perfectly seasoned and cooked to a beautiful medium rare, just how I liked it. Maybe in another life, one that didn’t involve him risking his life every day to save humanity, he would’ve been a chef with his own five-star restaurant.
“Dinner is exceptional,” Alastair told him. “You’ve outdone yourself.”
Pink colored Raiden’s cheeks. His blush told me Pride didn’t dish him out many compliments. “Thank you. I’m glad you like it—”
A boom came from outside, so loud it made everyone at the table jolt upright.
“Stay here,” Galen told to Simon before pushing to his feet and bursting through the patio door.
Alastair was close behind him, and the rest of us followed, Simon included. Once on the back porch, I saw white wings glowing in the dark, and Lazarus stepped toward us. The sound must’ve been him crashing to the ground superhero style.
“Ready yourselves,” Lazarus said, his tone not nearly as calm as it had been the first time I’d met him.
“What happened?” Alastair asked.
“Monsters are attacking in cities all across the globe,” the angel responded, an unnerved gleam in his pale eyes. “Hundreds of mortals have already perished, and the death toll only keeps climbing. Mass panic has since ensued among the humans, and ones not being eaten by beasts are accidentally killing each other in the widespread chaos.”
“Holy hell,” Raiden said. “So it’s really started, then. The war.”
“Just like it was back then,” Bellamy added, expression grave.
“Vepar is causing storms along the coasts, massive hurricanes and earthquakes. He’s unleashed tornadoes that are wiping out large quantities of people. Purrah has awoken the dead in large cities. And Belphegor has released thousands of monsters at once.” Lazarus looked at Alastair. “I’ve sent my angels to help fight. You need to contact your allies to do the same.”
“I’ll alert the hunters.” I grabbed my phone and posted in the online forum—one that had grown in members over the last month.
“Dispatch them to the nearest cities,” Alastair told me. “Make sure they hunt in groups of at least six or more. We need a team in every major location.”
I nodded and relayed the message. Some had already posted about seeing it all over the TV. Apparently, news stations across the world were sending emergency alerts and covering the attacks, warning everyone to stay inside their homes. People were already posting about “the end of days” and calling it the zombie apocalypse.
My hands shook, and it was hard to breathe. While we’d been eating dinner, safe behind the mansion’s barrier, the rest of the world was being thrown into absolute madness. Humans now knew of the existence of monsters. So many people were experiencing what I had two years ago: the confusion, the terror, the indescribable grief.
Lives were being snuffed out and realities forever changed with each passing second.
Alastair’s phone started ringing, and he answered. “Castor.”
“They’re everywhere, Al!” Castor exclaimed on speakerphone. “Japan is like a goddamn war zone. Fuck. So many people are dying.”
“Listen to me,” Alastair calmly said. “We knew this was coming. It’s nothing you haven’t faced before. Are you and Kyo safe?”
“Y-Yeah. We’re in the palace.”
