Page 90 of Knight’s Retribution

His yellow eyes flashed black and then back, and he growled, the sound ripping through the room. He scooped up his mate, lifting her off her feet so their faces were an inch apart, and he pressed his forehead to hers. He said nothing, just breathed roughly, and Mia said nothing, she just held him back, giving him what he needed.

Finally, he pressed a kiss to her lips and lowered her again, tucking her in tight to his side.

“Brent, Marcus, and Willow will meet us there, Grace’s crew as well,” Chaos was saying.

Rocco had told Kyler there would be others. Brent was married to Chaya, Mia’s sister, and Marcus was Mia and Chaya’s demon father—who was a good guy by all accounts.

One by one, the males scooped up their mates and dove off the balcony attached to the control room. Kyler clung to Rocco. She wanted this to work so badly, for all of them. If her blood wasn’t strong enough, or if they didn’t have enough from Ursula and Roxy, it could all go seriously wrong. Nothing like this had ever been attempted before.

Her stomach was a riot of nerves when they landed on a rooftop above the alley a short time later. It was nearly full dark, and she wrapped her arms around herself. The evil she felt took her right back…to her time in Hell.

Rocco curled his fingers around the nape of her neck and rubbed. “I’ll bring you back up here with Luna and the others before the portal opens.” He bent his knees, so he was eye level with her. “And no matter what you see, or what happens to me, you stay here. I’ll be fine. You do not move from this spot, yeah? Promise me?”

“I promise,” she said. The last place she wanted to be was near that portal. A shiver of unease moved through her.

Rocco’s brothers jumped down to the alley below, and Rocco scooped her up again and, with wings extended, jumped off the side as well. They landed with a thud, and Rocco stood her beside him. Silas had arrived with Grace and her people, some already above with Luna and the others. They lined the edges of the rooftops, armed with bows like the one Grace used.

“What now?” Kyler asked.

“We’re just waiting on Willow. She has the bowl we need and something to give it a boost.”

They didn’t have to wait long. Only minutes later, the witch rounded the corner. She was dressed in dark green leather pants and a long-sleeved black T-shirt, a bag strung over her shoulder.

“Right, let’s do this,” she said to no one in particular.

Rocco frowned at the small female, grabbed her hand, and lifted it. A delicate tattoo swirled and twisted on her skin, covering the back of her hand and her pinkie and ring fingers. “What is this? What’s going on, Willow?”

She pulled her hand back. “What? I like tattoos,” she said while rummaging in her bag.

“That’s not a tattoo,” Chaos said moving in.

She looked up at them and blew out a breath. “I’ve got it under control. I’m good. We have other things to worry about right now, yes?” Then she looked up at Kyler. “Glad to see Roc got you home in one piece.” She held out her hand. “Willow, nice to finally meet you.”

Kyler took her hand. “You too, and thank you for all your help.”

“No worries.” She smiled at Kyler, then pulled a bowl from her bag as the males frowned down at her, their worry obvious.

Willow ignored them and placed the bowl on the ground, then took a small jar from her bag as well and unscrewed the lid, emptying the contents into it.

“Is that dirt?” Kyler asked.

Willow glanced up at her. “Yep, it was all I could get this time, it’s from a burial ground, lots of powerful bodies are buried there, the residual magic leaks into the earth. It’s good stuff.”

“Does Ky need to be down here,” Rocco asked.

“Just for the first bit. I think it’ll help if she’s in close proximity to her blood when we add it to the bowl. Once things start happening, you can take her to safety.”

Rocco’s brothers shifted restlessly. Standing beside them were two tall, dark-haired males Kyler had never met. One had a sword, the other a gun and knives strapped to his chest. She’d heard Chaos address them, though. One was Brent, Mia’s brother-in-law, and the other was Marcus, her father.

“We need to time this just right,” Chaos said. “We don’t want T and Scar hanging around in that fucking cavern, waiting longer than they need to be. Diemos has had time to prepare for any eventuality.” He looked down at Willow. “How long will it take to work?”

“It should start pretty much instantly,” Willow said.

“Is Lucifer coming?” Kyler asked. “What about Roxy and Ursula?”

Zenon shook his head. “Lucifer will only help so much. His loyalties are still divided, no matter what he says.”

“Three minutes,” Rocco said as he passed Willow the vials of blood. In exactly three minutes, Tobias and Scarlet would enter the cavern, which took some working out with the time difference in Hell.