I nodded, but I wasn’t feeling confident, something that didn’t happen often.I was always confident in my abilities, but doubt was creeping in and I couldn’t stop it.
A huge angel rose in the stands.Uriel.Silas looked up, locking eyes with the male.Something passed between them, something I couldn’t read.
Nathaniel was watching the exchange as well, his gaze flying to Silas, then back to Uriel, and he looked furious.With a snarl, he swung his sword.
“What the hell’s going on, Silas?”
He drew in a deep breath and looked away from the stands.“I don’t know.”
He was lying.There was no doubt in my mind that he was fucking lying to me.
Something coiled in my stomach, dark and ugly.My gaze slid between Silas and Uriel, trying to understand what it was I’d just seen.“Yes, you do.”
“It’s nothing for you to be concerned about.”
“Silas.”
“Would you just trust me?Just this one fucking time?”he bit out.
I’d never heard him talk like that, not with that note of near desperation in his voice.“You want me to trust you?That’s something you earn.It’s fucking simple really, just don’t let me down.”Theagainwent unsaid, but his flinch told me he heard it all the same.
Felditch strode back into the middle of the arena, and when he spun and aimed his staff at the dead beast, it vanished.“Did you enjoy the warm-up show?”
The crowd cheered and stomped their feet.
“Then let’s not delay.Are you ready for a battle between good and evil?Between dark and light?I know I am!”
Hell got a bad rap, but as far as I was concerned, it was up for debate as to who truly were the evil ones.
“It’s time to find out who is strong enough to win the ultimate prize!”Felditch yelled, then shot up into the sky, landing in the stands.
“Remember what I said?Leave Nathaniel to me,” Silas said and swung his sword.
The angels’ wings extended and they burst into the air.Silas and I stood back to back, turning, keeping them in our sights.
They attacked as one, swooping down, swords slashing through the air.
Silas deflected Nathaniel’s sword with his own, grabbed Nathaniel’s ankle, and yanked him from the air, hurling him to the ground while I ducked Eloa’s slashing sword and buried my axe in her thigh.
Nathaniel came after Silas again, and I engaged Eloa.She tried to fly away, and I grabbed a handful of feathers and tore them from her wing.She screamed and swung back, swinging wildly in her rage.
Silas and Nathaniel were clashing now, sparks flying off their swords.
Eloa came at me and I lifted a hand, blasting her with power, tossing her back.I glanced over at Silas, seeing blood pooling at his feet and his face drained of color.Gritting his teeth, his sword came down, clashing with Nathaniel’s over and over.
Yanking a knife from its sheath, I threw it at Eloa as she flew at me, the blade sinking into her shoulder.She yanked it free with a cry and tossed it back, trying to stick me with my own godsdamn knife.
I dove, rolling out of the way, and shot back to my feet.“That wasn’t very polite, now was it, Eloa.”
“Die, demon bitch,” she said, and spikes made of ice burst from her palms.
Throwing up my hands, I sent a blast of power back, blocking most of them before they could reach me.Two got through, and I gasped and staggered to the side.One was buried in my thigh, the other had sunk deep just above my hip.
Baring my teeth, I pulled them out, tossing them aside, and laughed.“Bitch, please.You’ll have to do better than that.”
She shrieked and ran at me, and I blasted her back a second time and ran at her.She used her wings to propel her forward, and I dropped to my knees, skidding across the ground toward her.As she swung out with her sword, trying to take off my fucking head, I leaned back and she barely missed me.Reaching out, I grabbed her leg and swung around behind her, then using my axe, I sliced through the tendons of both ankles.
Screaming, she fell to the ground.I jumped on her before her healing could kick in.The bitch was fucking dead meat—a wrecking ball collided into my side, knocking me off her.