I paused with my hand on the doorknob asking myself the same question. I glanced out the window and then met Steve’s stare dead on.
“Ending this,” I said and stepped outside, letting the fury of twenty-five hundred years take over.
Chapter 24 – Damian
I stalked towards Lucifer, getting my mind in fight mode. A shadow moved into step with me and I glanced at my companion.
“I thought I told you to keep Naomi safe.”
“CJ and Steve will see to that,” Ty said and met my gaze. “They’re making the house safe right now,” he added, which meant he wouldn’t be able to get back in, and neither would Lucifer if he was the last one standing.
I focused on my nemesis and he dropped the heads on the ground so they faced me. I ground my teeth together at the manner in which he wiped his hands together, like they were nothing more than dirt and grime. He grinned at me, knowing just how angry I was.
“Coming to exact revenge for your family?” he asked, moving his gaze from me to Ty and back. The question was fitting for both of us and we stopped less than five paces away.
“Vengeance is mine,” I whispered, feeling more like a god than a human at the moment. “And you shall behold the full fury of the heavens.”
He laughed, leaning back and cackling to the sky. Ty and I traded a glance and then the angel by my side launched his attack, leaving me standing in place like a shocked little kid. I blinked as Lucifer went flying on his ass. Ty shook his right hand and then curled it up again as Lucifer got to his feet, his smirk long gone and replaced with wariness.
“I’ve only felt that kind of power from Michael,” he said, narrowing his eyes and studying the angelic form of Ty Ryan. “Gabriel wasn’t strong enough to wage any sort of decent fight,” he added, stepping away from the discarded heads.
Ty grinned. “The world has never seen anything like me,” he said, his voice a feral growl that promised all the pain hell could deliver. “And neither has heaven.”
Lucifer waved his hand and I landed on my ass from the invisible sucker punch. The cold snow seeped into my bloodstained jeans and I climbed to my feet, circling away from Lucifer, letting Ty take the lead in this fight, even though he didn’t have the same mental power Lucifer had.
Ty’s smile faded when he was shoved a step backwards, but he didn’t stumble, he only leveled that glare.
“What are you?” Lucifer asked, unnerved by his inability to budge his primary foe.
“I’m your worst fucking nightmare,” Ty said, pulling memory after memory of the same line delivered for the past two decades.
The two angels charged, slamming into each other and creating an explosion that knocked me back twenty feet. Dazed, I pushed into a sitting position, shaking the cobwebs from my head and focused on the flurry of snow before me. The only identifier I could see in the blur was black wings. Ty’s blended in with the snow tornado they created.
Blows sounded like thunder, shaking the landscape; and I chanced a glance at the picture window behind me. Steve and Tom had a hold on CJ, his mouth crying out, but the glass prevented me from hearing his wail. I turned back in time to witness the fountain of crimson coming from a headless body kneeling on the ground; blood cascaded down, staining the pristine white wings.
A head rolled on the snow, landing at my feet and I scrambled into a standing position. The sense of loss coming from the house clouded my vision, my heart ached with sorrow and I raised my gaze.
Lucifer stepped out of the snow cloud and I had a chance to revel in a moment of satisfaction. Ty had done some damage, but none of it was catastrophic. Lucifer limped forward on a bloodied leg. One of his wrists was twisted enough to elicit a wince from me and his right eye was swollen shut. Even with his injuries, he was a dangerous adversary. I exhaled, stepping into a defensive posture. I wasn’t going to charge into this, blinded by fury. That would only result in the same outcome as Ty, and my father, and Michael.
I was rather fond of having my head attached to my body and I had a family inside to defend, so I proceeded with caution, letting the power coil up inside me, looking for the right moment to strike.
I ignored the belligerent curses coming from CJ, the cautions coming from Steve, and the cries of pain coming from Naomi. I ignored everything but the bastard in front of me.
“I got this,” I whispered and the din in my head lowered.
Lucifer raised an eyebrow, waving me in with the fingers on his good hand. I took a tentative step forward with my heart in my throat and the metallic taste of fear lacing my tongue. New cries filled my mind and I paused, looking at the snow to my side before bringing my gaze back to Lucifer.