Page 128 of Hell’s Weapon

The hairs on my neck stand up, forcing me to look away from the standoff happen between my leader and the fuckers trying to steal my human. With the pause in the battle, the Angels are reforming their lines. They’re doing it slowly, but those in the air are drifting into formation and as Hades and Camael talk. I see the more willowy one of the trio holding Milo close his eyes. His brows knit in concentration, he’s using his mind magic, communicating in the silent way they seem to have with every single white winged being here.

I need to find a way to alert Hades without drawing attention to myself, I’m being watched by no less than fifteen Angels now. Looking around for Garrick, I find him still with the other three panthers I left him with, but they’ve managed to get to the edge of the dormitories. He isn’t looking at me, however. He’s not even looking at Hades. I follow his line of sight and see Khaos. Dressed in black, he’s near impossible to spot as he stands amongst the rubble. His hair is a vibrant green now and the only way I can tell it’s him from this distance.

Straining my eyes, I see him signing. I cannot tell what from here but slowly a few of our team who are closest to Khaos cross the space to him and take something–glass vials filled with swirling liquid. The potions are then distributed amongst the others as they fan back out and pass the bottles around to those standing further out.

Wyatt has returned to the ground too, although his tail swishes slowly and he’s crouched as if ready to launch once more, as soon as he can. I half wonder if Hades’s power is blocking him from taking off.

Feeling more eyes on me, I return my gaze to Garrick to find him now looking directly at where I’m hovering in the sky. His ears flick back, trying to tell me something. I tilt my head subtly to convey my confusion and he opens his mighty jaws, his tongue licking over his teeth. It makes my wrist tingle as the feeling of him sinking into my skin resurfaces. Is he trying to tell me that we might need our connection? Is he planning something by which he’s going to be separated from me by more than the air between us right now?

I wish we could communicate properly.

Growing frustrated, I flap my wings a little harder. My own tail flicking at the inability to understand him. But then he shifts and worry overshadows my anger. He staggers on his broken ankle before he gets his weight onto his good leg.

He makes a hand gesture I can interpret.

Portal.

I think he’s going to make a portal.

Words said in anger echo across the valley. “I see trying to sort this out civilly isn’t going to work, Camael. Kill them.” Hades’s order bursts everyone into action.

I have less than a second to decide who to fire my dagger at first. The dozen or so Angels that had been watching me, descend. Releasing a growl because the first kill can’t be one of the bastards currently trying to kidnap Milo, I throw my knife, tearing it through the jugular of the nearest enemy, making her death slow enough she’ll remain conscious as she loses strength and falls from the sky. Recalling my blade, I send it into the eye socket of the next as I snap both wings of another. The legion of Angels crowds in, our wings batting against each other as they try their damndest to get a grip on me.

Fuck.

Feeling the blade back in my palm, I keep it in my hand as I slice across the throats of three more before snapping my wings in tight and falling from the sky. It works to get me out of the worst of the crowd but I have to bank quickly to avoid others from my own side that have come to my assistance. Rio and two of the guards clash with the remaining Angels, engaging them in hand to hand combat. I want to offer assistance but I’m not wasting the opportunity they’re giving me. My priority is whatever is happening to my two humans and my panther shifter below.

Hades has released more of his power, demonstrating his strength by taking out five or six Angels at a time with his shadows. Black smoke engulfs them, and does fuck knows what, but only mangled corpses fall to the ground like rain.

The substance in the vials Khaos was handing out becomes known as our guards on the ground uncork them and throw them towards our enemies. Some appear to melt the skin of their victims, others render the recipient frozen until their throats are slit. It’s an absolute bloodbath as I swoop across the courtyard, circling underneath where Milo is now being held between just two of the original group of Angels. Camael has moved forwards to engage Hades directly. Stupid move if you ask me as Hades toys with him, sucking him in with his magic as Cameal tries to use his lightning power to strike the Lord of the Underworld.

Taking advantage, I turn sharply, and shoot upwards, tucking my blade to my thigh to free my hands. With the next beat of my wings my arms are locking around my human and snatching him from the grasp of our enemy and shooting both of us higher into the sky. Not expecting it, the two Angels dart to the side.

“Now!” I somehow hear Garrick’s command but don’t slow down as I climb in altitude. Milo is heavy in my arms with the awkward way I grabbed him so my wings have to work extra hard to keep up my fast pace. I’ve got my arms locked tight around his middle, my only goal to get him as far away from the Angels as possible.

Garrick had given me an idea. As soon as I was able, I was going to open a portal of my own and get Milo to safety. It would land me in a heap of trouble, and is a huge risk, especially as I planned on taking my human into the city of Elysium.

It’s technically illegal and previously, I’ve been the one to end the lives of demons who have snuck humans into the demonic hub, but fuck the consequences.

I just didn’t think about the tiny detail that I need my hands to cast the portal into existence.

There’s a drag on the air behind me, which causes my velocity to waiver. I risk a peak over my shoulder and nearly drop Milo as we’re charged by a giant scaled beast, its snout bulldozing into us.

Screaming as Milo is nearly wrenched from my grasp, my wings are battered against my body as our speed upwards increases. I manage to look ahead just in time to see the purple shimmer of a portal opening as we barrel through it.

The lights of Elysium twinkle below in every colour as we’re deposited above the skyscrapers. The noise of the population going about their nights reaches my ears as I right myself and try to stay airborne.

Sucking much needed oxygen into my lungs, my arms lock tight around my human.

The giant orange dragon circling around us releases a chuff as he tries to slow and attempts to hover. Wyatt’s eye locks with mine and I feel my lips tugging upwards before a laugh escapes my throat as I realise Garrick was trying to tell me that he was going to get me out of there.

My laughter ceases however as I think of him, and everyone else, still back at the games compound, fighting against the Angels. I hope that once they see that they’ve lost the chance to snatch Milo, they either surrender or retreat.

Wyatt makes another grunting noise, looking a little unstable in keeping his massive form in one place. He may have mastered basic flight, but the intricacies need a little practice.

“Come on,” I call to him. “I know where we can go.” Changing the angle of my own wings I take off in the direction of my penthouse. It will be the first place Hades thinks to look for us, but it’s the most warded place I can think of that will allow me access. Therefore, it’s the safest place for us to hide inside the city. Garrick must’ve closed the portal the instant we were through because none of the Angels had a chance to follow us, but in case they have a way of getting to the city, I want us out of sight. Behind the wards of my home will have to do.

As it's nearing dawn, the trams are running across the city, and the last of the night crowd are making their way home but thankfully the skies are quiet, very few are flying and as we’re up so high we avoid bumping into anyone.