“Where’s Leila? Did anyone see her?” he shouted.
A chorus of murmured “No’s.” were whispered as everyone jostled about, straining to see through the opening in the fabric of space, desperately seeking a glimpse of the beautiful golden-haired angel. Demons rushed forward in a manic attempt to catch hold of Asmodeus, the only fallen who hadn’t crossed into the doorway. He raced forward, arms stretched toward Amir who had stepped forward once again to provide an anchor into the shadow world. Just as their fingers connected a demon’s sword swung, singing as it arced through the air toward Asmodeus. There was a horrible moment where time seemed to stand still and Asmodeus’ eyes were locked on Amir’s. Katia held her breath as though it would stop the inevitable. The moment was broken when Asmodeus’ hand dropped back down to his side, the light left his eyes as his head separated from his body, dropping to the ground.
“No!” Luc cried out from his place beside Katia. She gripped his hand tightly as tears rose to fill her eyes. Amir stepped back and let the curtain between the worlds drop. As the rift closed, their final view of Halja was Asmodeus’ body falling to the ground. As he struck the flagstones, his entire form was consumed light.
Silence reigned in the ghostly corridor as angels and fallen stood rooted to the spot in shock. Asmodeus was gone…really gone. Katia gripped Luc’s arm tight. Asmodeus had been in Luc’s apartment when she’d woken from her drug-induced stupor. Asmodeus had helped hide her and Luc from Satan’s minions. Asmodeus had risked his life when Luc had come to Halja after her. And now he was dead. Guilt washed over her. If only she hadn’t tried to rescue her brother; if only she’d stayed at Amir’s apartment with Luc. If only… She began to spiral as she hammered herself with second guesses. Katia suddenly felt a whisper soft kiss at her temple, pulling her back into the moment. She lifted her misty eyes to meet Luc’s gaze. His eyes were free of pain, only sadness remained. No anger marred the clear gray gaze staring back at her. He must have heard her thoughts, because Luc shook his head as he spoke. “No, love, don’t do that. It’s not your fault. He would have stopped at nothing to get his hands on you. Now that you're bound to me he’s got no reason to keep coming after you.”
Katia reached out through their connection. Her heart clenched when she realized that Luc was telling the truth. She could feel his heartbreak at the death of his friend, but all that radiated toward her was love and compassion, not a whisper of blame. Katia let out the breath she'd been holding and leaned her head onto Luc’s shoulder, feeling safe for the first time since she’d left their bed at Amir’s. The other fallen murmured their support for her, echoing Luc’s sentiments. B reached out to squeeze her shoulder. For the first time since she’d met him, he seemed to be in a serious mood.
“He knew what could happen coming here; we all did. This is something I think we all had to do. Maybe we’re trying to balance the scales a bit…we’ve done a lot of bad shit…you gave us a chance to do something good for a change.”
Katia looked up at B with a sad smile. “You’re a good man, Baal. Thank you.”
Uncomfortable with the praise, B cleared his throat and looked down at his feet. “Um, yeah, anytime.”
Michael and Uriel stepped forward, breaking the tense moment. “We need to go back,” Michael said with urgency in his voice. “Leila didn’t make it through with the rest of us. We can’t leave her behind, she’ll be trapped forever.”
“I'm responsible for her, she's my student.” Uriel added in a choked voice.
Amir reached out and squeezed Uriel's shoulder. “I’m sorry, I can’t do that. The balance has re-asserted itself. I felt the shift as the doorway closed. There's no way back into Halja...or out...”
Uriel hung his head, and Michael shifted his feet, uncomfortable with the feeling of impotence. Neither angel was accustomed to inaction, both feeling the emotional crush of having let Leila down.
“I can’t believe Mo’s really gone,” Luc said with a shake of his head. The fallen around him nodded solemnly. They had been together for so long, a brotherhood of misfits.
“We need to go on living, and we need to do better. It’s what he would want,” Belial added quietly.
They turned slowly and began the walk down the corridor, smoky tendrils twisting around them as they wallowed in their collective grief. Katia reached out and grasped Luc’s hand. His immortal strength was gone, but he was still a pillar of love and strength in her world, a world that had been tilted upon its axis yet again. As the group shuffled along, lost in their own thoughts, nobody noticed the well-dressed blonde who brought up the rear, flecks of red breaking through the baby blue of her eyes as she smiled to herself.
Chapter Thirty-Eight
Luc sat at a table in The Advocate, one hand rubbing his tired eyes, the other wrapped protectively around Katia’s shoulders. If he had his way, he wouldn’t let go of her for the rest of his life. She’d given him something to live for beyond simple survival. Amidst the pain of losing Mo, the shock of Keir’s transformation, and the overwhelming love he felt for Katia, Luc had one nagging, sobering thought that ran through his mind. He was human now and mortal. He was going to live and die; he would be gone in the blink of an eye. Katia was immortal. In all of his long existence, Luc had never felt the enormity of what a limited lifespan would mean, nor the importance of every moment. Deep in his heart, he knew that he would spend
