For a brief moment, Azazel looked shocked. He masked it quickly when I picked up a piece of concrete pillar and aimed it at him. I advanced. He raised his hand and pushed back. I pushed harder. Azazel took a step backward before he swiped his hand to the side, sending the chunk of concrete with it.
I immediately sent another large piece of building at Azazel. I shoved it at him, and he grunted with the effort of pushing it away. “What’s the matter? Are you getting tired of our game?” I taunted.
Azazel narrowed his yellow eyes at me. “You’ll be sorry you screwed with me, Milayna.”
I smirked and guided the piece of cement above his head. I let it hover over him. He tried to swipe it away. I held it there. It was difficult at first, but it became easier and easier to resist his attempts to push me away. “It’s raining.” I gave him a slow smile.
“What?” He glared at me.
I squeezed, and the piece of concrete hovering over his head crumbled into dust. It rained over him, sticking in the goo that slicked back his jet-black hair.
I felt a current of electricity run over my skin, under my skin, through my veins, my bones. It wasn’t painful, but it didn’t exactly feel warm and fuzzy either.
A hot, dry breeze began swirling. It grew stronger and stronger around me, like I was the source, my energy created it. My hair whipped around my face, and I had to shield my eyes.
“Dad, what’s happening?” I yelled over the roaring wind. “Your powers are greater than his. You’re closing his portal.”
“It’s not time! I still have ten seconds,” Azazel shrieked.
“There’s one problem with that. Birth certificates aren’t timed to the second. She was born at exactly thirty-seven seconds after one o’clock. The hospital rounded up, listing her birth time as one minute after one. If you weren’t so blinded by your own arrogance and greed for power, you wouldn’t have waited until the last possible second to squeeze the most power out of her if she’d turn. It’s over, Azazel,” my dad yelled.
“No!” Azazel fisted his hands and put them on either side of his head. A scream tore from deep within him.
The earth began to close, the screams of the damned growing quieter as the ground shifted. The demons flying around our heads swooped down into the craters. The last of the hobgoblins disappeared.
Chay wrapped me against him and kissed my forehead. “You are a badass, Milayna Jackson. Remind me to never piss you off.”
With one last howl of anger, Azazel pushed Jake and the others into the pit, before following them himself.
The room grew silent. The quiet buzzed around us as we watched the earth move back into place.
“It’s over,” Muriel said, her voice small and trembling.
“Until next time,” I whispered, running the back of my hand across my forehead to wipe away the sweat and grime. There was a sour taste in the back of my throat, covering a dull ache. I licked my lips and blew out a breath. Something rolled in my stomach and coiled around my insides. It felt heavy. Not painful. But I knew it was there… waiting. “I should have killed him.”
I’d regret that decision.
The doorbell rang at five o’clock. Ben’s feet thudded down the hallway. I heard him open the door. He squealed, and I rushed down the stairs.
Ben!
I stepped off the bottom step and saw Ben standing at the door, smiling. “You scared the crap outta me! Who is it, Frog Freckle?” I ruffled his hair.
“Don’t call me that.” He turned with a frown and shuffled away.
I peeked around the door and my heart fluttered. “Chay,” I breathed.
“Hey.” He reached for my hand and I weaved my fingers with his seamlessly, almost without thought. Like they knew where they belonged and were drawn there.
“I didn’t know you were coming over.”
“No? You should have. I mean, we do have a date.” He grinned.
“Huh?” My gaze snapped to his.
We do? I don’t remember making any plans for after my birthday. I didn’t figure I’d be here to keep them.
“Yeah, you told me if the Hounds of Hell thing didn’t work out, you’d go out to dinner with me.”
I laughed. “Oh, yeah. I do remember that.”
“So? Are you ready?”
“Uh, no.” I looked down at my sweatpants with holes in the knees and Chay’s sweatshirt.
“Hurry up!” he said when I stood there. “We have reservations.”
“Where?” I looked closely at him then. He was dressed in a shirt and tie. I’d never seen him in anything but jeans and a T-shirt or sweats.
Where are we going? He’s dressed… wow. I didn’t think anything could look better on him than his jeans, but man, does he clean up good.
“The Grey Goose.”
“But… but they’re booked for weeks in advance—” I touched my fingers to my lips and squeezed my eyes shut. My skin tingled from the top of my head to my toes. My breath hitched when I opened my eyes and my gaze found his—the blue-green swirling together making a deep turquoise.
He cupped my face and skimmed his thumb over my cheek. I leaned into his hand. “I know. I made the reservation the day I asked you. I told you everything was going to work out, Milayna. When will you start listening to me?”
I pulled him in the door and kissed him. “Thank you,” I whispered against his lips.
“Anything for you.”