Chapter 4
“And three… two…” Kaito counted down as we struggled toward the glowing white sand around the perimeter of the new Angel Dorms.
Sam and Azra made a glorious appearance right on cue, their brilliantly white wings spread as they soared through the air like gods.
Blades drawn.
Muscles coiled.
The sight took my breath away.
They often chose to go shirtless, even when I wasn’t around. Something about fabric irritating their perfect feathers. They were sensitive about the snow-white plumes and I knew what a privilege it was to be allowed to touch them.
Right now their impressive wings were flared in an aggressive manner, ready to soar to my aid like the battle angels they were.
Azra often deflected a difficult situation with humor, but his gaze was serious as he took in the portal that disintegrated behind us.
“It’s just the Kami,” he said, fluttering his wings with a ruffle of irritation before he dismissed his sword. It vanished in a brilliant flash of light that sent a shockwave of warmth through the air.
I was already feeling dizzy and the impact made me lean against Kaito.
Kaito shifted his gaze away when Sam did the same as his twin. When I looked up again, I found him frowning with violence written in his violet gaze. “Hand her over.”
This was usually how exchanges between the demons and angels of my mate-circle functioned.
They weren’t really big on small-talk, but at least they’d upgraded from trying to kill each other to using their big-boy words.
Kaito did as he was ordered without protest, although not because he was afraid of the angels. He’d brought me here because I needed their powers of healing right now.
“Her body is rejecting Cole’s wing,” he told them bluntly, careful not to reach over the invisible border between the rocky terrain of Hell and holy ground.
Only a faint golden glow marked the barrier, but I could sense my weight lighten the moment I passed onto the other side and into Azra’s waiting arms.
He effortlessly picked me up, hooking my legs over one arm while he draped me against his hard chest.
Fluttering my eyes closed, I inhaled his spicy scent of mint and cherries.
Mmm. Delicious.
It was hard to focus around my angelic mates. I wasn’t quite used to the bond that demanded to be finalized between us.
Something I’d denied myself, and for very good reason.
“Anything else?” Sam asked.
Kaito shook his head.
Pleasantries over, the angels turned their backs on my mentor and strode toward the ruins.
Which, after all their hard work, weren’t exactly ruins anymore.
“You don’t have to be such a dick to Kaito,” I chided, although I felt too weak to be mad right now. The corruption sank through my flesh and weighed me down, burning lines over my left side as if I’d been struck by a spear.
“He secretly enjoys it,” Azra informed me with mischievous smile that looked positively sinful on his angelic face. “I think he likes me.”
Sam scoffed and caught up to us as Azra effortlessly carried me down the glowing golden streets they’d conjured a few weeks ago. It’s all about the finishing touches, Azra had said.
“He’d like you dead, but he would never hurt Lilith, so he’ll play nice.
” Sam and Azra shared the same physical features, but somehow they had night and day appearances now that I’d gotten to know them.
A serious cut to Sam’s jaw betrayed how much the demons in my mate-circle bothered him.
“He’s probably plotting with Cole to distract us and find a way to sever our bonds. ”
Azra kissed my forehead in thought. “Well, our beloved is with us now, so if their plotting gives us bonus time, then they can plot all they like. Our bond is one that can never be broken once it’s formed.”
“If it’s formed,” Sam grumbled, not bothering to hide his resentment that I continued to ultimately reject them.
I rolled my eyes, but I knew better than to respond. It would only exacerbate the issue.
Plus, I was so tired… and everything hurt.
Concern flashed over Azra’s gaze, his attention noticing my mood straight away. “We’ll get you in bed and then see about this defective wing the stinky demon gave you, hmm?”
Sam nodded in agreement. “Defective is the right word. I would have given you one of my wings in an instant. We should have tried it.”
I closed my eyes and leaned against Azra, pressing my ear against his chest. His strong heartbeat was eternal and rhythmic, comforting me that my angels would always be there for me.
Do anything for me.
Cross any boundary. Do anything at all even if it was just to make me smile.
“It wouldn’t have worked,” I said without opening my eyes. “I’m more demon than I am angel, you know.”
I was part succubus, part Demonspawn, and only a third was angelic from my mother Silvia.
There was another element to my makeup that I didn’t quite understand, but Kaito was making progress on that front. He was starting to suspect it was something new, something destined that went hand-in-hand with my role as the Third Champion of Calamity and wasn’t necessarily genetic, but earned.
The events I had overcome so far were greater than destiny had intended for me, requiring something extra to balance the scales. Even if I had fallen off the path, carving my own could potentially result in something even better.
I wanted to stay positive, anyway.
Something that had drawn my angelic mates to me in the first place, and once I figured that out, perhaps I could finally complete my bond with them.
“More demon than angel, huh? We’ll see about that,” Sam said with an uncharacteristic lilt to his voice that encouraged me to open my eyes.
I was rewarded by a rare smile on his painfully perfect face.
“Not all powers are equal. Once we help you discover your balance, you’ll understand what I mean. And then, you’ll be unstoppable.”
Azra snuck a feel, pinching my butt as I squeaked in surprise. “Unstoppable in bed, you mean.”
Swatting at him, he laughed and gave me a sensual kiss. The taste of him melted away all of my reserves and dulled my pain.
Kaito was right.
I needed my angels right now.
Reluctantly pulling away, Azra gave me a wink that flipped my insides with butterflies.
The smug bastard knew the effect he had on me, but he nodded, indicating the golden path.
“What do you think?” Azra asked.
Turning in his arms, I slanted my gaze at the new structures that hadn’t been there before.
A magnificent pearlescent small city spanned around us glowing with the powers of Heaven. Impressive spires soared into the cavernous opening where Purgatory had speared through Hell, ripping into it like a knife in butter.
Statues of romantic angelic figures lined the towers and traditional gargoyles stood guard at the long glassy windows.
A faint hum of energy held a distant melody I couldn’t quite recognize, but it sounded familiar.
“So, you’ve been busy…” I said.
My angels wanted nothing more than to worship me and adore me, but with my training and time I had to spend at the Academy, as well as with Cole, they had really done their best to distract themselves.
“When did you do all of this?” I asked, my eyes wide as saucers.
“Just this past week,” Sam said, glancing at me before he looked away. “We didn’t want to bother you while you were… occupied.”
Sam fluttered his wings. His body remained stoic, but I’d noticed the subtle movement of his feathers often gave his emotions away, as much as he tried to hide them.
“What’s that supposed to mean?” I pressed.
The soft ends of the quills of the longer plumes flared, revealing the tension he kept inside.
“We know you have other mates,” he said without looking at me.
The vibrant glow of his amethyst irises looked like a gemstone encased in ice as he lowered his white eyelashes in thought.
“I do not care for your demon mates, and I make no secret of that. However, I recognize the power they give you, especially power that I cannot provide until we have resolved the imbalance in your soul.”
“Sam,” Azra warned, but his twin continued.
I knew that Azra didn’t like it when Sam admitted to their collective failures, because Azra held just as much guilt as his brother over the fact that it was still too dangerous for us to bond, evident by the near-death experiences I had already gone through when we’d gotten too close.
“We continue to fail you and I only ask that you forgive us,” Sam said, bowing his head as he fell to one knee.
Wincing, I knew where all of this was coming from.
I’d had sex with Cole.
And they’d felt it.
“No one has failed,” I assured him. Sitting up, I realized I wasn’t quite as dizzy as before.
“Don’t strain yourself, beloved,” Azra said.
Testing my strength, I stretched my wings, finding the ache in my left shoulder had decreased. “I actually feel a little bit better now.”
Azra raised an eyebrow in suspicion. “You don’t have to lie for our benefit, sweet cheeks.”
“I’m not lying,” I said, frowning. “Although I’m not sure why I’m feeling better.” Holy ground was usually hard on me, but right now it steadied me.
It was too much of a coincidence that Kaito had known that I needed to be here. He’d given me Holy Water, likely as a test to confirm a theory.
Chewing my lip, I wished that he had told me what he’d been thinking, but my mentor liked to divulge information only when he deemed appropriate, or when he had been able to confirm his suspicions.
“Let me try standing,” I said.
I wiggled in Azra’s grip until he let me down. Testing my wings again, the pain was there, but definitely decreased.
“How’s the garden coming along?” I asked, hoping to change the subject away from my condition. I wasn’t going to question why I was feeling better, but I most certainly was going to take advantage of the moment to make some progress. “Any luck on Ambrosia blooms?”