“Keir!” Katia cried out as the light faded from his eyes, crystals icing them over with a final crackle.
Quick as a flash, Thanatos grabbed Keir from behind, snaked an arm around him and slammed it down hard on his chest. “Katia, what’s happening to me?” Keir asked in confusion as strength coursed back into his body. Those mismatched eyes so like Katia’s suddenly flashed red, the ice cracking and dropping off of his body like a snake shedding its skin. A look of pure malevolence came over him as Thanatos wrapped them both in a blanket of smoke that appeared to collapse in on itself sucking them both in. They disappeared leaving behind one hissed word uttered in a tone of pure evil that made Katia shudder. “Ssssissster.”
Katia whirled to face the dais. “What have you done to him?” she screamed at Satan as he chuckled with glee.
“Now I get you both, you see. Thanatos brought me one of my souls from the abyss for Keir, and you’ll be bound to me. You’re two of a kind, but I knew only one of you could ultimately survive...it seems I've found a way around that. Kind of my specialty, I’m afraid.” Satan’s twisted smile transforming his youthful face into a mask of evil, stripping away the feigned innocence to show the truth that lay beneath the surface.
“No.” Luc heard Katia whisper as his vision finally went black. The sounds around him grew muted and distant as death finally reached its cold hand toward him.
Chapter Thirty-Seven
You know what to do. Keir’s last words to her before he gave up his part of their soul echoed through Katia’s numbed mind. Shoving her heartbreak aside, she forced herself into action. She swallowed past the lump in her throat. Death. The Keir she knew was truly dead now that he was animated by a dark soul. He was gone, but Luc wasn’t, not yet and not ever if she had anything to do with it. You know what to do. Yes, she damned well did. Katia raced up the steps of the dais to Satan’s side as he clapped his hands gleefully looking like a kid who’d just gotten the latest Xbox.
“Fine, you win. I’ll do the binding,” Katia cried out. The words of the binding spell poured out of her, like they’d been sitting in the depths of her soul just waiting to be called forth. “Darkness and light, servant of neither, I bind my soul of my free will, irrevocable as the passage of time, my soul belongs to you.” She reached out her hand and touched Luc’s bloodied and beaten one. Katia felt triumphant as anger spread across Satan’s youthful face. The amazing warmth and power she’d felt before with her brother surged through her again, slamming down her arm and into Luc. His whole body jerked upon the cross. Luc’s eyes flew open as the cuts, burns, and broken bones began to knit back together at lightning speed. As the strength poured into his body, Katia could actually feel him. His love for her, his desire for her, they all washed over her consciousness through this new soul-deep connection. A split second later, B was at Katia’s side wrenching the nails out of Luc’s body and taking him down off the cross. The courtyard was in confusion as demons looked toward their master for orders. Satan stood there, a mixture of anger, awe, and incredulity playing on his face. Checkmate, Katia thought as she and B staggered down off the dais with Luc propped up between them. Hearing her thoughts, Luc turned toward her and chuckled softly. “Smartass,” he whispered.
“That’s why you love me,” she whispered back with a smile as they struggled toward a nearby wall.
Luc squeezed her arm. “One of the many reasons.”
“Okay, lovebirds, I hate to break up your little moment, but we really need to get the fuck out of here before señor psychopath comes up with another way to make our lives interesting,” B interjected, eyes darting all over the courtyard. “Any bright ideas?”
As the words left his lips, a ripple began to appear in the air about ten feet away from where they were standing.
Katia breathed out a sigh of relief. “Thank you, Amir!”
The doorway ripped open and there stood Amir with what looked like a small army at his side.
“And he brought back up!” Luc said with a smile. “I knew I liked him for a reason.”
The trio raced toward the doorway. As they approached, B shouted out to Amir. “You are my all-time favorite person!” Twisting his head he stuck two fingers between his lips and whistled as loudly as he could. “Anyone wanting to take the Jinn train out of Shit Station, all aboard!”
Amir stepped forward to grab Katia’s arm as Luc pushed her into the rift. Looking back, Katia watched as B helped Luc into the rift as another Jinn stepped forward and grasped his arm. Angels and fallen raced forward toward the doorway as Satan let out a bellow of rage. His anger pulsed through the air, setting off explosions all over the courtyard.
“The fallen, bring me the fallen!” Satan screamed as Halja burned around him, ashes falling from the sky like snow. Wooden beams and stonework crashed down off the façade of the castle like flaming missiles. The gargoyles let out an unholy screech.
Katia breathed a sigh of relief as Uriel hopped into the doorway. She could see Michael, Gadreel, Sam, Azazel, and Belial already safe in the misty hallway. As demons rushed forward, Michael scanned
