Court of Sunder (Age of Angels #2) - Milana Jacks Page 0,49

tried to protect you.”

“Take her! There’s no time to argue.”

I didn’t know what was wrong with Julia other than that she appeared unconscious, and I refused to assess her body.

“No, Michael, I will not. You humiliated me and caused thousands of deaths in my Court. Lucifer took advantage of the power vacuum. He’s grown stronger and will now attempt to take my entire Court. He could imprison me behind the Veil. Who knows? Depending on where he’s drawing power from, he might even be able to imprison you.”

“Never.”

“Don’t be arrogant.”

“If we’re not together, we’re apart, and apart means he wins,” he said, throwing the words I’d said to him back at me.

“You knew this when you imprisoned me.”

“You left me no choice!”

“There are always choices!” I shouted back. Lightheaded, I swayed as the world danced in darkness, but I couldn’t give in. “Choices that define us. Ripping my wings off wasn’t enough, and it should’ve been. Taking my power from the Court of Sunder, weakening the Veil as I rotted in your keep, and starving me and my people was your choice. And for what? All so you could avenge your soul’s mate. You should’ve held my Court! Instead, you left Lucifer to it, and now here I am with both you and Lucifer coming here to level my land, purge it of mortals, of the very power that feeds this realm. Trouble is, Michael, you and I were made equals, and like you, in dire circumstances, I take drastic measures.” Almost done healing my organs, I sensed the darkness on the edges of my vision disappear.

“Raphael, if you do not help her, there will be no realm. I will undo everything I’ve done, and we shall all perish as ether. Do you understand me?”

“I do, brother. I understand that you came here for help and that you are threatening me. Yet again. Go home, Michael.”

“I can’t.”

Nevaeh cleared her throat. “Commander, what’s the matter with her?”

“I don’t know.”

“She’s immortal, isn’t she?” Nevaeh asked.

“She is.”

“So she will heal herself.”

“It’s the baby,” I guessed.

Michael ground his teeth so hard, I thought his jaw might break. “Please,” he muttered.

I shook my head. “I can’t help you, Michael. I can’t forgive what you did, especially now that my own soul’s mate is in danger. I will have no Court. Should we have a Nephilim together, he will have no place in the world. That’s what you did when you imprisoned me.” I turned away and tugged Nevaeh’s hand.

She wouldn’t move, and I would’ve walked away had my chest not tightened and had I not felt her soul cry out. Her expressive brown eyes watched me, and I watched them as they lost their shine, as her soul retreated to where I barely felt it, slowly threatening to wither away. I’d disappointed her in the same way Michael disappointed me when he starved me, turned away from my Court, and allowed my people to suffer.

I could preserve my Court.

I could fend off Lucifer.

I could turn every mortal in this realm into an undead and let them feed off the blood of angels. Unmatched in power, I would rule. But Nevaeh’s soul would wither because I refused to help the one who had wronged me, and I wronged him. This was a test, I realized. Father tempted me and Michael. Nobody had said mingling with mortals would be easy. But damn it, I never believed it would be this hard.

Nevaeh moved to stand with Michael. Tears fell freely down her cheeks. I couldn’t seem to win her heart. But if there was a sliver of a chance that I could, I would. “Bring Julia inside.”

Stunned, Michael blinked.

If I did what he’d done to me, he would have refused me, tried to sever my head and chop me into pieces as soon as he regained his strength. He’d have wreaked hell upon my Court, killed everything in it. Merciless Michael, here now, begging for mercy. Did it make me a better male that I didn’t ask him to beg more? Maybe. Time would tell. Time Nevaeh didn’t have.

Chapter 19

The commander carried Julia inside the house and followed Raphael to the first floor, into the room where, on the balcony, someone, likely Richard, had already set up a table for four. All my nerves twisted into knots. I worried about Julia and also about Raphael, whose sunken cheeks told me what he’d done to the Command Fleet didn’t give him power, but took it away from him.

In the