The Demon of Angels (Bk. 2) | ✓

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ZEKE

AS THEIR BODIES vanished from view, my entire body crashed to the floor. Numbness took over my brain as the scene replayed in my head. Over and over again, I watched Death slit Celeste's throat, and tears fell from her beautiful brown eyes after she told me she loved me.

Heart hammering in my chest, I spun on my beta with glowing golden eyes. My demon was on the verge of losing it. "Where is she?" I screamed, praying that he somehow knew the answer to such an impossible question.

Noah's eyes found mine, their warm chocolate brown irises full of terror, shock, grief, and tears. He was starting to hyperventilate, chest moving rapidly as he struggled to breathe. As much as I wanted to, I couldn't lose my shit. Celeste was counting on us.

On me.

But when he shook his head slightly and confirmed my fears, I knew I was on the verge of a full-blown panic attack. Frantic, I shifted my gaze to Evan, but he wore the same expression. He looked how I felt: Guilty, stricken, and lifeless without her in my arms.

Safe.

A lump formed in my throat as I turned to Hardin, tears streaming down his face as he stroked Morgan's hair. To no one in particular, he whispered four words that cut my already aching heart, and fueled my anger all at once.

"He almost killed her."

With a mangled half cry and half growl of rage, I bolted out of what was left of Celeste's house, stopping at the edge of the driveway. My broken leg was healing, but the searing pain in my quad and calf didn't ease.

I gritted my teeth and attempted to stand tall, but my legs gave out beneath me. I fell to my knees in a heap, bones cracking against the pavement. I growled, the image of Celeste's stab wound, the never-ending pool of blood from her chest, replaying behind my open eyelids like a damn horror movie.

Even through the bond, I felt nothing, empty and numb.

A sudden hand gently placed itself on my shoulder. "Get up, Son." My body jolted in surprise, but only for a moment before it settled back into its black hole.

Hearing his voice now made the blood in my veins boil. Snarling, I shrugged off his hand and whipped my head around as I shakily stood to my feet and stared down at the Archangel. "Don't touch me." I meant for my voice to come out temperamental and angry, but the words only croaked from my throat.

Michael sighed, closing his eyes. "I'm sorry, but this is not my battle to fight."

"You left! AGAIN!" I roared. The anger was quick to surface but quicker to dissipate as defeat weighed heavily on my shoulders. "When she needed you the most. You. Left."

The Archangel frowned, shaking his head. "Celeste no longer needs me as much as you all may think. If anything, she needs you-"

I bolted upright, gesturing to the open space around me. "Then where is she?!" I snarled, poking the Archangel in the chest. "We were there when her father stabbed her in the fucking heart." Michael recoiled from my language, but I kept going– kept pushing. "But you weren't. You never are!"

Footsteps crowded the driveway. Noah and Evan stood steadily on their feet, eyes hard as they glared at Michael. "We can't feel her," Noah murmured, despite the clear anger vibrating in his steady gaze. Emotion clogged his throat. "The soul bond," he clarified. "She's gone." Tears brimmed to the surface of his eyes. I felt his sorrow through our pack bond.

The Archangel sighed with another shake of his head, despair for the three of us written all over his features. "She's not dead, son–"

My head snapped up. "Then let's go get he-"