Page 71 of Indecent

Alex shot them all a weary, beaming smile. “You’re welcome.”

Ashmedai laid down perpendicular to Nicolas with a raspy grunt, resting his head on Nicolas’s stomach. “Angels… stupid.”

Chaol snorted out a laugh, leaning on Daniel, and Ashmedai pointed at him without looking. The gesture felt companionable, and Chaol felt Daniel’s lips on his forehead.

“We have to go back,” Nathan said, sitting in Storm’s lap in an oversized armchair, but he looked like he was ready for a nap, not more fighting.

“We will,” Talon said. “Tomorrow. Everyone at the Rink will be fine. Shadrach messaged them while I was grabbing the rest of you and warned them to stay behind the wards. But the paladins know about that place. I wasn’t sure going there and having us all under one roof was the best option. We can rest, regroup, and then go back in the morning. None of us are infinitely powerful, and that took a lot out of all of us.”

“We have to figure out how to kill him,” Daniel said. One hand moved up and down Chaol’s arm. “Our hellblades did nothing. He healed right away whenever we managed to hurt him.”

“We won’t know until we hear the prophecy,” Draego said, pacing slowly. He seemed to be the least exhausted of all of them. A testament to the power he wielded, Chaol was sure. Daniel would be like that one day, once he’d mastered his own.

“There has to be some way to fight back until then. Menadel said demons were naturally weaker than angels,” Daniel said. “So what would an angel be weak against? There has to be something.”

“What else is there?” Isaac asked, pushing his long red hair back from his face. “Heaven, Hell… Are there weapons in Purgatory?” He snorted.

“Maybe only an angel can kill another angel,” Talon suggested.

“Then where the hell is Menadel?” Daniel asked. “She showed up, put on the wards, and then fucked off to who knows where.”

“She also could’ve told us if that was the case,” Wolf said. He and Ira were sitting on the couch with Alex. “Instead, she left us in the dark about how to kill an angel.”

“Maybe she doesn’t really want to kill Ramiel,” Luke guessed. “Just like the rest of us were leery of going to war with the paladins, because they’re our former comrades. Maybe she hopes she can get him to see sense.”

“Then she’s an idiot,” Daniel said coldly, and Chaol bit back a smile at the venom in his tone. He suspected some of that venom was aimed at his history with the paladins. He and the other humans here surely knew what it was like to be hurt by their own desire to see the best in someone.

“Maybe we’ll find her when we go back to LA,” Draego said. “We’ll ask her ourselves then.”

“For now, rest,” Talon said. “That was a long fight. Ramiel held his own against us all. That doesn’t bode well for us. He can clearly hold his own against us as a group. All he’d have to do is exhaust us, and his win would be inevitable.” He ran his fingers through his dark hair, sending it even further into disarray.

The rest of them sagged at that, disheartened by the realization.

His death was also inevitable, Chaol thought. Menadel had already said as much. Maybe they didn’t know the details yet, but that didn’t matter. They knew he would die, and probably soon. All they had to do was keep fighting.

Chaol spoke without thinking. “He can be killed,” he said with conviction. “Lucifer and Menadel both told us that.”

Daniel squeezed him. “He’s right,” Daniel swore, leaning against him. “It may not be easy, but we can do this. I’m sure of it.”

“So am I,” Ira said softly, and the prophet’s confidence was enough to bolster the others.

It would be hard, but it would be worth it. Chaol had to believe that. He couldn’t accept that he’d been led to Daniel only for them to fail here, so close to the finish line. Their eternity together was just beginning.

It was no surprise that after the adrenaline wore off, Daniel was finally able to fall asleep. He and Chaol had picked a bedroom at random on the third floor of the truly ridiculously large mansion. They stripped out of their sweat-damp clothing and collapsed onto the gargantuan bed in the middle of the sprawling bedroom. Daniel barely had the wherewithal to pull the blankets up over them before he passed out, snoring softly against Chaol’s shoulder.

Fighting angels was exhausting work.

Chaol laid there in the darkness, staring up at the ceiling, and tried to ignore the prickle of unease he couldn’t shake. They’d gone halfway around the world, and it would surely take Ramiel time to find them again, but when he did, there was nothing stopping him from blowing this place to smithereens just like the farmhouse. They weren’t safe.

Daniel wasn’t safe.

And just like in Hell, Chaol swore he would keep him safe. While Daniel slumbered, Chaol would keep the monsters at bay.

He slid gingerly away from Daniel’s toasty warmth, putting his clothes back on and slipping quietly from the room. The house was dark, but then, it was full of demons. Why wouldn’t it be? He wandered the halls, wondering if Daniel would like to have a place like this one day when their fighting was done. They’d mentioned traveling the world together. Would he like for his brother and Ashmedai to tag along? Chaol liked them well enough. It might be nice.

He caught the scent of coffee and followed his nose downstairs. He wasn’t surprised someone else was awake, but he was disappointed to find Talon in the kitchen, pouring himself a steaming mug. He’d changed clothes and showered, by the look of it. His soft black T-shirt was faded, but the black pajama bottoms looked new, still crisp and dark. His hair was still damp, curling at the edges. He looked relaxed in a way Chaol had never seen—never wanted to see. This wasn’t an enemy; it was a comrade. Their guards were down here. After doing battle together and getting whisked away in Talon’s strong grip, Chaol found it difficult to hold onto the vengeful anger he’d harbored before. Daniel had softened his sharp edges, and fighting against a common foe had truly shattered them.

Talon glanced over as he sensed Chaol’s presence, his face betraying none of his thoughts.