I hoped Alastair was ready for the amount of pain Chase was going to bring, because anger radiated from him. Beside me, his temper rose. The heat coming off his body was uncomfortable against mine. I had to fight the urge to squirm.
He growled, sensing a change in the air. Something was coming. Something big. And we weren’t the only ones who noticed. The hellhounds and the demons seethed and howled in anticipation. We fanned out, preparing for the unexpected. The red-tipped dagger was clutched in my sweaty palm.
Despair consumed me.
Over the orange-red horizon gold lights flashed, coming straight for us, at least a half-dozen. I focused my heightened sight. Surprise and relief hit my gut at the same time. Faces took form, and those gold lights turned into eyes. Hayden. Craig. Ives. Sierra’s parents. And more Divisa than I had ever seen in one place.
I stopped dead in my tracks.
Zinging past me, I watched Craig slam full force into the center of a demon. They rolled and rolled in the air before Craig drove a dagger into its black heart. He landed crouched on his feet, eyes glowing. Hayden came in behind him, slicing through snapping hounds with mangy manes.
Travis slid beside me. “Looks like they got my SOS,” he said, grinning like a total shithead. Then he was off.
And just like that, the hopelessness left me and was replaced with warmth and gratitude. It was humbling knowing that people I hardly knew would fight for us. For me.
Beside me, Emma ran up a wall like a ninja, back flipped over some lowlife, and sliced one of her ruby-tipped daggers through the air, straight for Chase. He sideswiped just in the nick of time, and I watched as her knife embedded itself in the chest of a demon.
Holy hell.
She was like a goddamn Mexican jumping bean, bouncing from one demon to the next, killing everything in her path.
I saw Chase take a right hook in the face by a lowlife with black eyes and scar skin the color of toothpaste, but Chase rebounded, taking him out with a one-shot punch. Our gazes locked, relief shinning in his golden eyes. His damp hair was clinging to his forehead and temples.
Just as I was confident our side had the upper hand and we were going to pull out of this on top, Hell brought out the big guns. We couldn’t possibly have Hell on earth without fire.
Goodness no.
Shadowy bat-like creatures flew over our heads, swooping and peering down at us with beady little eyes. It wasn’t until one of them opened its mouth and let out a shrill cry, followed by the thing puking fire, that I realized their danger.
Fire rained down above us, lighting up the sky, and through all the chaos, Alastair stood in the center, smirking. Chase popped in front of me, whirling around, he pulled me to his chest, bringing us to the ground. He curved his body around mine, as flames licked above us. But before he was able to shelter me, something caught my eye. I screamed, twisting in Chase’s arms. He held my head against his chest, refusing to let me see. But it was too late.
I know what I had seen.
Alastair, he had my mom.
Lifting my head, I saw her honey-colored eyes stunned. Horror tore through my gut. “No!” I shrieked.
The smell of burned demon flesh permeated the cool winter air. The scent was sharp in my nose, making my stomach turn. I could taste the evil from the smoke in my lungs, coating my throat. It choked me.
Except all I could think about was my mom. I had to get to her, but Chase’s arms were wrapped around me. “Angel, she might not be real,” he whispered.
But it was too late. I was past reasoning. Anger as potent as acid poured through my veins.
I don’t know what happened. Something inside me snapped. A force started to build within my chest. Powerful. It traveled through every muscle in my body, filling me until I thought I would burst from the pressure.
All around me the grunts, the sound of beaten flesh, and the smell of blood fueled my rage. Chase called my name, but I ignored him. I pushed to my feet, keeping my gaze centered on Alastair and his raven eyes.
From somewhere deep inside of me, I brought all that energy to the surface with one word. “Stop!” I yelled. It actually came out more stronger and authority than I thought I was capable.
I don’t know what I really expected to happen, but it sure as shit wasn’t what transpired. A whoosh of air expelled from me and breezed over the area in a visible blue force.
Then everything stopped. Well, by everything, I really meant everything that belonged in Hell. All the hellhounds, all the lower-demons and the winged thinga-ma-bobs were frozen in place. The sensation that rippled inside me was the greatest buzz. It was electric, heady, and I wanted to do it again.
Holy Batman-Robin-Spiderman-Wonderwoman and any other superhero I couldn’t think of off the top of my head. This was new.
I stood in the center of it all, glancing over the grotesque statues. What did I just do? A few breathy moments went by as I waited for one of them to flinch, for the confusion to begin again. Nothing happened.
“Where did you learn that?” Emma asked. She poked the demon in front of her. The bastard didn’t even bat an eye.