feeling twists in my stomach, and the pain in my head intensifies, like someone is jamming a railroad spike right between my eyes. My ears ring, so loud it drowns out whatever Lucas is asking me. Dizziness crashed down on me, and if it wasn’t for Lucas holding onto my shoulder, I would have fallen over.
The pain in my head starts to dissipate and I straighten up. The hurt is fading but something else presses down on me. I gasp when I look up, and Lucas follows my gaze, turning to see what startled me.
A man, wearing a long brown robe and a golden crown on his head, steps forward from the shadows. His eyes are black as coal, and his skin is silky pale. His eyes meet mine and his thin lips curl up into a smile.
Bael.
Chapter 30
“Go back inside,” Lucas tells me, fangs coming down. He steps in front of me, ready to charge at Bael.
“Wait,” I pant, pushing my shoulders back. I hold out my hand, summoning an energy ball. It glows bright blue, sizzling and popping with magic. Bael tips his head, looking at the energy ball curiously. I bring my arm back and throw it, and it whizzes right through Bael, landing in the grass behind him. “He’s not really there.”
Though that’s not necessary a good thing. The last time Bael was able to project himself down to earth, he had powers, powers strong enough to get past my warding and nearly kill us all. He knows I’m a Nephilim, and specifically the daughter of an archangel. His whole attack on us weeks back was a set-up to see what kind of power I’m packing.
For only archangel blood can be invoked and used to kill demons.
And now we know his plan was to use me, to force me to be his demon bride and storm the gates of Hell with me by his side, bowing down and kissing his feet when he finally sits on the throne. I conjure another energy ball and grit my teeth.
Not today, asshole.
The celestial blue ball explodes into fire, swirling around in an invisible sphere. Bael’s eyes widen and his projection inches forward. He’s not afraid, but is looking at me hungrily. I send the fireball flying forward. Like the energy ball, it goes right through him, but this time it hits his crown, pushing it back just an inch. Bael reaches up, and the shock on his face is obvious.
He wasn’t expecting me to be able to touch him, and to be honest, I wasn’t either. He pulls his robes forward and disappears into the night.
“The fuck?” I pant and Lucas takes both my hands. “He’s back? How is that possible?”
Lucas looks at me for a few seconds, needing to make sure I’m okay, that there were no repercussions from doing whatever the hell I just did. “Call for Julian,” he tells me, and I nod. I take my hands from his and bring them together.
Julian? I really need you right now. Please, if you can hear me, come here.
My lips part and I look around the yard, waiting to feel that shift in energy that always comes just seconds before Julian appears.
“Bael was using Ruth to break him out of a demonic prison,” Lucas starts. “That didn’t pan out, but it would make sense for him to try again. He knows you’re half archangel, and if he somehow heard Lucifer is not sitting on the throne, he’ll see it as an opportunity to take over without having to fight the devil.”
“You’re right,” I say as his words hit me. The demons were scheming to take over Hell even with Lucifer there, but without him…it’s one less obstacle to jump over. Time is of the essence, and desperate times call for desperate measures.
Like Bael conning another witch to do his dirty work.
She could be literally anywhere, and without the obsession to get something from me personally, I’ll have no way to track this witch like we were able to track Ruth, and that was fucking hard enough on its own.
“Julian,” I try again, saying his name out loud.
“Try the cross thing,” Lucas tells me.
“The cross thing?” I shake my head, not knowing what he’s talking about.
He brings one hand up to his forehead, down to his chest, and then to each shoulder, making the sign of the cross. “That’s how you’re supposed to start prayers.”
“I don’t think it works that easily,” I say but give it a try anyway.