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I banked left in front of the main house and landed in a courtyard framed by pillars half overgrown with vines. In the middle of the square, the gate rose—an empty doorway made of artfully carved stone.
Azazel touched down next to me, whirling up some leaves strewn over the ground.
I walked to the gate, raised my hand, and then hesitated. “I…I don’t actually know how to activate one of these,” I admitted in a small voice.
I’d watched Azazel and other demons power up hellgates numerous times, but I had no idea if the same symbols would work up here. Since I’d never received Earth-visiting privileges, I’d never had cause to learn.
“I do.” Azazel stepped up behind me, took my hand, and guided me to draw symbols in the air in the middle of the empty arch. The touch of his warm skin on mine sent tingles down my arm, his power and heat at my back making me yearn to let myself fall into him.
Soon. I’d have all the time in the world to be with him, soon.
The gate activated with a shimmer and a zap of magic over my senses. I turned in Azazel’s arms, tilting my head to meet his gaze. The empty socket where his eye should be drew my attention, and my heart pinched. I raised my hand to cup his cheek on the side of his missing eye, gently caressing the area around it.
“Don’t get used to this roguish look,” he said, laying his hand over mine. “When we see each other again, it’ll have grown back.”
“I know.” I swallowed hard. “I don’t know how long it will be until I…fall, though.”
His brows drew together. “Didn’t Naamah explain?—”
“She did,” I interrupted him, my heart racing, my soul aching at the thought of watching him leave, of being separated from him once more for an indefinite time. “Normally, I’d be ready to go, but…my mom is here.” My voice cracked a little, and I cleared my throat. “I just remembered that she’s been here all along. This is my last chance to talk to her. Last time I saw her…”
I trailed off, but the understanding softening his eye told me he knew what I didn’t say.
“I need to say goodbye to her on good terms,” I whispered.
“You need to find her first.” I could virtually see how both empathy and impatience warred within him, his expression torn between indulgence and frustration. “That will take time.”
“I know.” My breath hitched. “And I know you can’t wait to have me back with you, and I want that, too, but…I need this. I need closure with her.”
Something dark flickered through his gaze, a glimpse of that harshly suppressed demon nature of his. His fingers tightened on mine for a moment, then he seemed to gather himself and nodded.
“I understand.” Leaning in, he caught my mouth in a kiss that was heartbreaking in its tenderness. His hand slid to my nape, grasping me with such possessiveness that it made me suck in air. “You’re mine. Whether you’ll be back with me tomorrow, or weeks or months from now, it doesn’t matter. Take whatever time you need. I’ll be waiting for you, ready to take you home.”
I closed my eyes. Every time I thought I couldn’t love him more, he went ahead and did something like this, melting my heart, making me ready to worship him.
“Go,” I whispered, though the word and what it meant tore at me.
He squeezed my nape and was about to turn for the gate when a voice cut through the quiet.
“Halt!”
Both of us froze, my eyes shooting wide.
Azazel had already raised his head to look up at the source of that shout, and I followed his gaze to see a group of angels descending on us.
No. No, no, no, no.
Panic iced my spine.
The thought of urging Azazel to jump through the gate flashed through my mind, but instantly, my mind skipped to the inevitable conclusion of a move like that. If he disregarded the command to stay, it would look highly suspicious, which meant the squad would give chase. And just because he made it to the other side didn’t mean he’d be in the clear. They’d hunt him down simply to investigate why he’d acted like that, to make sure nothing was amiss.
And there was no guarantee that he’d reach a hellgate before they bore down on him.
Azazel must have gone through the same calculation, because he made no move to vanish through the gate. Instead, he waited for the group to land, with all the pretense of utter calm, as if he had nothing to hide.
The angels touched down a few feet from us, ten of them in total. Inwardly, I winced. If it came to a fight, those numbers were heavily against us. Azazel was incredibly strong and skilled, sure, but he still wasn’t at full capacity after his torture—I could tell by the way he held himself, favoring his right leg, moving just a touch too stiffly—and I wasn’t a good enough fighter to fend off more than one opponent at a time.
And the dart pistol would only get me so far. I could maybe get one or two shots in before the other angels would notice what I was doing. I had no doubt they’d be on me within seconds once they’d figured it out. That weapon relied on the element of surprise, on having to shoot only one opponent rather than a whole group, not to mention it would be impractical in close-range combat.
