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All of which meant that we’d have to somehow fool them into not thinking us suspicious so they’d let Azazel go without a fuss.
The obvious leader of the squad stepped forward, a male angel with a lean build, close-cropped dark hair, light skin, and shrewd eyes. His armor looked well maintained and expensive, and his power had a bite to it. A higher-ranking angel, at least a cherub, if not even a seraph.
Shit, shit, shit.
“What are your names?” he called out as he approached.
“Zerachiel,” Azazel lied through his teeth, nothing in his face or demeanor giving the deceit away. “And this is Selaphiel.” He nodded at me.
Oh, goody. He’d spared me from coming up with a legit-sounding fake angel name on the spot.
I went down on one knee to greet the squad leader properly, lest my lack of manners be taken as inviting further inspection. Azazel, with his power clearly at seraph level—though I now knew he was actually even higher on the hierarchy, seeing as he was an archdemon—didn’t kneel or even bow, only inclined his head.
The squad leader nodded in acknowledgment. “What happened to your eye?”
“Unicorn,” Azazel said.
“You were on Lord Raphael’s compound?”
“Yes.”
The other angel tilted his head as he regarded us. “I don’t recognize your names, and I don’t think I’ve seen you before. Where are you from?”
“Lady Sariel’s domain. We were visiting when all hell broke loose and we got caught in the fray.” Azazel jerked his head at the still-glowing gate behind us. “We would have stayed to help out, but we had orders to meet up with someone and were supposed to take this gate, so if you don’t mind, we’ll be on our way.”
The squad leader shifted his weight and swung his gaze to me, giving me a probing look. Sweat rolled down my temples. Heat suffused me, making me want to fan myself. I still had the illusion on me, and at this distance, I wasn’t sure if he could tell?—
He narrowed his eyes, and his hand went for his sword. “What are?—”
At that exact moment, a punch of dark power charged the air.
I whipped around to stare at Azazel in horror. With his jaw clenched, veins ticking on his forehead, he looked like he was struggling to hold his demon energy in check…and losing the fight.
The unmistakable taste of Hell-born magic rolled off him in a wave that made me catch my breath. Behind me, the sounds of weapons being drawn and an alarmed shout disrupted the tight silence.
Before they could even charge, Azazel pushed me behind him and lashed out with his power. The entire group of angels toppled like a set of pins struck by a bowling ball. I would have keeled over from the impact of his blow as well if he hadn’t held on to me with one arm.
And yet I knew he’d restrained himself. This was only a taste of his power and was likely as much as he’d allow himself to use—because anything more would risk hitting me, too.
The angels recovered almost immediately, and the next second, they launched themselves at us. Six of them charged Azazel, while four came for me. I fumbled for my dart pistol and managed to shoot one, making her stagger to the side, stumble, and fall flat on her face as the concentrated amrit hit her system.
The remaining angels launched themselves at me. I ducked and evaded the first one while yanking up my pistol at the same time and shooting at the second angel behind her. The dart hit him in his torso, my aim off because I was moving around, and I didn’t see if the needle had penetrated through his leather armor.
Lashing out with my power at the third angel coming up from the other side—making him stumble back and buying me time—I simultaneously struck with a dagger and managed to stab my current opponent in her sword arm. I must have hit a sinew, because she dropped her blade with a curse, her fingers spasming. I didn’t waste a single second and rammed my dagger into her heart.
She went down with a hard thump.
The angel behind her, whom I’d managed to hit with my dart pistol, staggered closer, his movements off. Some of the amrit must have gotten into his system after all. Gritting my teeth, I executed a swift maneuver and managed to plant another dagger into his heart, stunning him.
I didn’t have a moment to relish the fact that I’d effectively incapacitated three angels in close succession.
The last of the angels who’d come for me charged, his sword slicing through the air. I barely ducked and evaded his strike, drawing my own sword with a trembling hand. He was so much larger than me, clearly able to cleave me in two if he got a good blow in, so I’d have to use my speed and agility to outmaneuver him.
Heart pumping fast, I danced around him, blocking his strikes in the way Azazel had taught me, while trying to get close enough to hit him, which was harder than with the others because of his bigger reach. Again and again, my sword grazed him as I angled for either his neck or his chest. Stunning him would do, but if I got the chance, I’d chop his head off without hesitation.
Whirling around his attack, I pivoted into the opening in his defense, aiming my blade for his heart. The next instant, my back hit his front, his sword at my throat.
I wheezed and froze, my eyes widening.
