she couldn’t make her feet move.
“Azazel!”
He cut her a look. “I’ll deal with you later.”
Arrogant fucking demons.
Sera tugged the shard from within her shirt.
Suddenly, everyone froze.
“Here,” she called, tossing it to the archangel.
Uriel batted it out of the air with his sleeve and it landed in a muddy puddle by Tay’s feet. “Sera!” The look on his face would have been comical, if the situation wasn’t so serious.
She hadn’t even thought the action through.
If he’d touched that shard it wouldn’t have just ignited, the detonation would have been catastrophic. Maybe the entire quarter would have burned.
“Sorry. I’m a little on edge.” She wrapped both hands around the hilt of her broken sword. I need you now. I need you….
But there was nothing but cool steel in her hand.
Only the whisper of Heaven’s power brushing back against her, searching for the truth in her heart.
An angel’s blade was a dangerous weapon. It needed belief to fuel it, and she was so fucking wrung out and tired that her quotient was low.
“It looks like you’re outmatched,” Samael mocked Azazel.
“You’re a fucking coward.” Azazel sneered, and then glanced back toward his demons. “You can’t even meet me one-on-one.”
Sera was close enough to see rage flicker in the Prince of Wrath’s eyes. And just that easily, it was gone, blighted by a smile.
Shadows swept around him. Samael conjured a sword of pure darkness. Demonsteel. Tainted and forged in blood. As he lifted it, it whined through the air, the shriek of it like a thousand souls screaming, driving it directly toward Azazel’s back—
“No!” Sera screamed, lunging forward with her own blade lifted. There was no hope she could prevail—her steel could never match his—but it was the only way to protect Azazel.
The flames finally ignited. Every inch of her lit up in pure radiance, driving the shadows back.
Love.
The sword of darkness swung down, cutting through that light and then their steel met with a clash of thunder.
BOOM.
Time froze. Light pulsed, like a strobe, waging war against darkness, and the weight of Samael’s fury was rising over her like a tide prepared to sweep her out of his way—
And then the detonation blew them apart.
She slammed backwards, her head cracking against the wall of a building. Heat and pain and fury….
And then she was collapsing forward onto her knees, and from there, to the asphalt.
The world blinked in and out.
“Sera!” Uriel screamed.
“Sera!” There were hands turning her over, slapping at her cheeks.
She couldn’t move. Her ears were still ringing. All she could see was fire. Every inch of her felt burnt.
“Sera! Sera, look at me.” Azazel grabbed her chin. “Look at me.” His voice slid through her. “See me. Come back.”
It was so calm here.
Peaceful.
She floated on a tide of darkness, slowly sinking below those depths.
“No.” A furious growl chased her through the waters. “You don’t get to escape me. Not like this. No. Come back, Sera.”
A spark appeared in the darkness.
She didn’t know how she knew, but it was him.
Reaching out, she captured that spark and light bloomed in her chest, her lungs suddenly heaving in air. Sera jerked her eyes open as pain speared through her. Life. She came to, back in the alley.
Azazel hauled her into his arms, and she flopped there, broken in some ways.
It hurt to breathe.
But she could see the effect of that single blow.
Entire buildings were collapsing. Vampires screamed as they burned. Demons tried to drag Samael away, stamping out the flames that licked at his coat. He snarled and shoved them off, pushing to his feet as he glared at her.
His sword was broken.
Broken.
Jagged edges of shadow evaporating as she watched.
And hers lay unblemished, the light of its flame burning as hot as a welder’s torch.
“How did I…?” It hurt to speak. She clutched at Azazel’s sleeve as he shushed her, but the question was seared into her head. How did I break his sword? He’s a demon. A Prince of Hell. It should never have happened.
“Love,” Uriel whispered, squatting by her side and reaching out to brush his fingers against her cheek. They glowed, and then the cool glide of a healing swept through her. He looked up, meeting Azazel’s eyes. “Love unbroken. Love unquenched. A love that will never fade, no matter how many wounds it takes. There is no greater force.”
Azazel ground his teeth together.
But he held her.
Held her and rocked her.
The world was growing dark around the edges. Maybe she was still dying. Maybe sleep was beginning to suck her down.
“What will this