Total pages in book: 85
Estimated words: 80563 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 403(@200wpm)___ 322(@250wpm)___ 269(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 80563 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 403(@200wpm)___ 322(@250wpm)___ 269(@300wpm)
It’s such an obvious statement yet not one Uriel had stopped to ponder. The hatred runs deep in him, and he wants nothing more than to be justified in killing me.
“Lucifer is not my father,” I press, realizing that he doesn’t yet believe it. “Michael is. Michael fell in love with a human and through their love, they had me. I’m not an abomination. If anything, I’m a miracle,” I say, and swallow the vomit that rises in my throat from saying the words. I’m glad Eliza isn’t here or else she be rolling her eyes and laughing at me. But I’ll do whatever the fuck I have to in order to appeal to Uriel’s sensible side… If he even has one.
“Please,” I try again he hast to be stopped. “He wants to destroy the world. You’re supposed to protect the humans. Why won’t you help?”
More demons rush down the hall, and Uriel turns his attention from me so he can throw out his hand and send them flying back.
“For all I know you could want Paimon dead so you can take the throne,” he hisses.
“Wouldn’t that be better than a demon controlling Hell?” I throw back at him. “We both want the same thing right now. Paimon dead and an arc angel on the throne, keeping Hell in somewhat of an order. I don’t want the throne. I don’t want to be the Queen of Darkness. I just want to live my life and protect my family, yet here I am fighting for humanity, because you, a fucking archangel of the Lord, would rather be caught up in a pissing match against his brothers than protecting the people he was created to protect!”
Something softens in Uriel‘s eyes.
“Believe me or not,” I continue, “there’s only one way out of this for both of us and that’s defeating Paimon. No matter what, both of us can agree he’s a bad guy who needs to be stopped, right?”
Uriel lowers his hand, releasing me. I step away from the wall, gasping for air. My throat hurts from the magical hold he had on me.
“Michael is really your father?”
“Yes, my mother was a Callista Lannister. She sought Lucifer’s help in breaking a blood bond so she wouldn’t have to marry an abusive man. My father was sent to save her soul, and when he met her, they fell in love, and they had me. She died giving birth to me, and it was her dying wish for Michael to protect me and let me live as close to a normal life as possible. I didn’t ask for any of this, yet here I am doing your job. Please,” I try again. “If you help us, we will succeed. Between me, you, Osiris, and a Horsemen of the Apocalypse, which looks bad, trust me, I know, we can take them out, get out of here, Shut the gates, and then figure this out later, because whether you like it or not, you and I…we’re family.”
Another band of demons rush down the hall and Uriel and I both turn, throwing out raw energy at the same time. It burns right through the demons.
“What is your plan?” Uriel asks.
“I have reason to believe if we take Paimon out of Hell, he’ll be easier to kill,” I rush out, looking down the Hall. Lucas and Famine are still standing perfectly still, but the energy shifts when I look into Lucas’s eyes.
“And the Horsemen?” Uriel goes on, eyes narrowing. He really doesn’t trust me.
“The demons belong to Osiris for now. If we can figure out how to destroy them, we will. But since we haven’t been able to, they’re going to be locked up like they were before. The riders are innocent,” I add. “And we’ve temporarily weakened that demon in a hope to defeat Paimon. He’s strong.”
“So am I,” Uriel says, sounding a little cocky. “Leave him to me.”
Actually killing Paimon isn’t going to be the issue. Sending Beal to Hell wasn’t that hard when I opened up the ground and shoved him to his fiery grave. It’s getting to Paimon that will be the challenge. If Uriel can weaken him enough for me to attack with hellfire from one side and Osiris burns him with Underworld fire from the other…it’ll be a done deal.
“Okay,” I say and bob my head up and down. “Every time he’s attacked, he’s come from all sides. And when I say he’s powerful, I mean his powers are unpredictable. Whether it’s smoke acting like ropes tying you to the ground or freaking demonic birds attacking from above, it’s like he’s in an impenetrable tower.”
“Divide and conquer,” Uriel goes on. “Demons like a Paimon surround themselves with other powerful demons that they will sacrifice without hesitation.”
“That sounds fitting,” I tell him. “Especially because every time he’s attacked me, he’s been in astral form, so he’s never been directly in the line of danger.” Thinking about it that way makes Drea’s claims all the more believable that Paimon is protected in hell. I couldn’t just swoop in and kill him. But now he gets to see me in the flesh. And while we might not be in the Avengers, a nephilim, an archangel, a god of the underworld, and a sixteen hundred year old vampire, riding in on the back of one of the Horses of the Apocalypse is a pretty good A-team.