Gran.

  Nothing came through my comms, which meant the line had gone dead when I’d gone under. If the others were helping, I couldn’t see them from here. I had to get there in time.

  Gran couldn’t be hurt because of me.

  I finally reached the bank and climbed out of the water, my wings beating the air until the water had been wrung out and I was able to fly. Rising quickly, I could already see more of our cars racing toward the turn we’d left behind and careening into the river.

  Blue-skinned demons went in after them, one by one, healed by the magic waters.

  I passed right by them, uncaring what happened to them anymore.

  Gran was in trouble.

  That was all that mattered.

  Wings spread, I swooped down and around, spotting Gran lying sprawled out in the middle of the street. Traffic had stopped around her. No, not just stopped.

  Piled.

  Cars and trucks lay heaped on one another. Not our cars, either. Civilians. Humans. Innocents.

  The glamour was down.

  And Gran was herself again.

  Raguel had shattered every illusion we’d conjured.

  My eyes caught on the empty canister lying near Gran’s outstretched hand. I sucked in a breath, praying it had found its mark. Landing beside her, I tucked my wings away and bent low.

  “Gran,” I called softly.

  Her eyes fluttered then opened.

  It sent a shudder through me, seeing her in her own body again. How long had she been a June bug? A year? More? No matter what, I was glad to see the Gran I knew looking back at me again right down to the gray hair and wrinkled hands.

  I smiled softly. “Welcome back.”

  But her eyes narrowed, fully focused on the task at hand. “I got his ass, baby girl. Carrie-at-prom style.”

  “You did a great job,” I told her.

  “Damn right I did.”

  She coughed, and I watched as a shadow rose over her shoulder, the figure stepping out from behind the pile of crushed cars. I leaped toward Gran, unfurling my wings to shield her.

  “Raguel,” I snarled.

  “Nice trick,” he said, tucking his dark wings away as he strode toward me. Toward Gran. His skin glistened with the stain of the serum Gran had doused him with. I hoped it would be enough. “Using her was a mistake, though.”

  He lifted his hand, sending a blast of power that hit us both. Gran was lifted clear off the ground, and I lunged, wrapping my wings around her before we flew backward. My wings beat madly as I tried to shield Gran from the worst of the fall.

  I landed on my side with Gran’s body cradled against my own.

  Pain sliced through me. Sharp, lancing, fiery pain, unlike anything I’d ever felt before.

  “Gran,” I whispered, gritting my teeth against the sting of it.

  “I’m here, baby girl,” came the groggy reply. “But damn if I don’t have one hell of a hangover.”

  I exhaled.

  She was alive.

  Loosening my grip, I looked down, examining her for wounds. A scrape along her brow was bleeding lightly, but otherwise, she was whole.

  “Get behind that building,” I told her, shoving her out of the way.

  I didn’t have to look up to know Raguel was headed this way.

  “I can’t leave you,” she protested.

  “Find a radio,” I told her, urgent now. “Tell Luca to bring Adrik here.”

  “But we don’t know if the serum worked,” she said.

  “I’ll make it work,” I insisted. “Go.”

  “I’m on it.” She ran off, and I turned to face the Nephilim as the creature he wanted most to kill. Me.

  Chapter Twenty

  Raguel’s eyes lit with a vicious glee as I returned to my natural form. The sight of me seemed to fuel his rage. Good. Hopefully, it would make him reckless enough to make a mistake. That was the idea, anyway. And so far, things had gone close enough to plan that I felt confident as I transformed back to two legs.

  “Finally, the real Gemini.”

  “Oh, were you confused before?”

  He snarled. “You accuse me of creating something unnatural, and here you’re turning the entire city into carbon copies of yourself.”

  “Whatever it takes to kick your ass.”

  “Even the great Raphziel has fallen victim to the wiles of yet another mortal.”

  His voice boomed, and I paused, knowing full well that comment had been meant for Raph. To bait him into showing himself.

  When a second ticked by and he didn’t show, I blew out a breath. My mother and Raph had both promised to stay out of sight. Far enough away that Raguel wouldn’t sense Raph’s weakened state. Just like Adrik, they needed to be close enough to help if needed but far enough away to remain undetected.

  Raguel’s focus was meant to be entirely on me.

  “He’s not here,” I said. “And neither is your little blue army.” I smiled at the remaining cars taking what was left of his army over the edge and into the river. Above us, Luca’s bat shifters helped herd them. All that remained were stragglers.

  “It’s just you and me, Raguel. The show, as they say, is over.”

  “Oh, little shifter, the show is only beginning.”

  A burst of power.

  This time, I was ready for it.

  Darting right, I jumped clear just in time.

  Another burst.

  This time left.

  Back and forth. Right and left. Front and back. We danced.

  Raguel firing and me scrambling to avoid as I worked to get close enough to retaliate. His shots were concentrated enough that I was able to dodge them. But I also knew that made them more lethal.

  He was packing the power of two Nephilim now, I reminded myself. And that meant he was stronger, faster, and had far more endurance than I did. Even with the serum, he didn’t seem affected.

  Eventually, I slowed.

  My heel took the first hit, and I cursed, going down on one knee.

  Whirling, I pulled the knife from my boot and let it fly. It stuck in Raguel’s chest, and I blinked, surprised and expectant.

  Raguel merely grinned and pulled it out again, tossing it aside like a twig.

  “You cannot possibly think that will be enough to stop me,” he said, stalking closer.

  I got up, wincing when I put weight on my injured foot.

  Gingerly, I backed up, watching warily for his next move.

  Something invisible hit him in the back, and he grunted, his eyes narrowing. He flung an arm out and unleashed a response to whatever had snuck up beside him.

  Footsteps scrambled.

  Someone yelled.

  Bodies sprinted into view.

  Faith. Jax. Luca. Even Billy Fresh. Or I assumed since I caught sight of a red-tailed fox streaking by. Milo was with them. He shot me a reassuring smile followed by a look that suggested he wouldn’t listen even if I asked him to sit out.

  The river’s tears had healed him too, thank the angel.

  They attacked Raguel with the urgency and viciousness I felt in my bones. Careful with my heel, I joined them. And so did others. One by one, my friends who’d climbed from the river joined in the fight.

  Ten against one. Then twenty. Then forty.

  Knives, blades, supernatural power, and fang and teeth, we fought as one, driving Raguel closer and closer to the water.

  On the edge, he teetered, doing his best to fight his way back to safer ground.

  “Wipe his ass,” Gran screamed, and a scraggly werewolf bolted in from somewhere behind me. Lowering its mangy head, it shoved Raguel until the Nephilim lost his balance and went careening over the edge and into the river below.

  “Lester?” I asked, and a glowing pair of eyes looked up at me. Tongue lolling, he reached over and licked my hand.

  “Good boy,” Gran said, hurrying over to pat Lester on the head. He licked her hand too, and I couldn’t even complain about the weirdness.

  He’d just saved all our lives.

  The serum had weakened him. The tears would do the rest. And when he emerged, we’d use Emilio and Z to siphon his power into Adrik.

  “Get Adrik,” I yelled. “Get ready!”

  The others scrambled to help bring Adrik out of hiding.

  My insides thrummed with excitement.

  Victory.

  We were almost there.

  It was happening.

  We were going to end it all and save Adrik.

  I was high with the anticipation. The reality. We’d done it. We’d actually done it.

  But a roar rose from the water, the force of the sound alone dashing any hopes that it had really been that simple. Raguel shot into the air, black wings spread wide, coating us all with Nephilim power like an inky poison as he landed in the street behind me.

  Behind him, a few blue-skinned demons still fought against Luca’s rebels. But their numbers had dwindled to a fraction of what they’d been earlier. If the serum and the tears hadn’t been enough to drain Raguel’s immortality, maybe it wasn’t possible after all.

  We’d been wrong.

  “What the hell,” Faith hissed, her hair still wet from her river rescue earlier. “Isn’t he supposed to be drained?”

  “Or maybe even nice?” Milo added. “That river water could have at least cured his whole warlord vibe.”

  “We should have been able to take him down,” Jax said. “His entire army is wiped out. He should be too weak to go on.”

  “You think you can weaken me,” Raguel roared. “But how can you weaken the heart of a creature without one?”

  Overhead, storm clouds gathered.

  More blue demons dropped from the sky, and our own army of supernaturals rushed to meet them. Teeth and fang and blade clashed and sang.

  More magic than I’d ever felt flew around me.

  Every cell inside me vibrated with whatever Raguel was calling to him now.

  But instead of more violence or another round of debilitating power tossed our way, a single figure floated in the air. I watched as Raguel motioned with his hands as if driving or directing it.

  The figure hung, suspended. Not moving.

  Floating closer and closer from where he’d lifted it from the building at his back. And now, I could just barely see—

  “Is that Adrik?”

  Milo’s voice was laced with dread, but it was nothing compared to the ball of terror wrapping itself around my own heart.

  Luca emerged from the side of the building where he was supposed to be hiding with Adrik. Protecting him.

  His face was bruised and bloody. His shoulders sagged, and he was limping. “I’m sorry, Gem. You said to bring him out, and Raguel found us. I tried to fight…”

  “It’s not your fault,” I said around the panic I felt.

  I refocused on Raguel.

  “If you hurt him,” I warned, stepping forward.

  But Raguel only laughed and flicked his wrist again. Adrik went flying and crashed to the ground, falling still when he landed. I tried to run to him, but the ground underneath my feet rumbled and quaked.

  Gran dropped to her knees, clinging to Lester-the-wolf.

  Jax crouched, and Faith adjusted the grip on her blade.

  But it wouldn’t be enough. I knew that like Adrik had known of our failure last night. I’d been wrong. About Raguel. About his weakness. And about beating him today.

  And now, we were all going to pay for it.

  “Gem, run!”

  Luca’s voice reached me too late.

  Raguel opened his hands and sent a tornado straight for my heart.

  Acting on instinct, I loosed a surge from somewhere inside me. Wind whipped around me, a caress and a reassurance. And then pain.

  Screams echoed in my ears, but they were out of reach.

  I was too far. Too late.

  Too helpless against the battering ram that hammered me from the inside out.

  My body screamed in pain, and I fought the urge to give in to it. To let it suck me away. To embrace failure and just let go. Whatever waited for me on the other side of death had to be better than this. No pain. No worries. Complete freedom. Maybe even my father.

  But then I caught sight of a dark-winged figure lying beside me, and my heart lurched.

  Adrik.

  Whatever waited for me on the other side of death, it wasn’t him.

  And I couldn’t stand the thought of separation.

  We’d never even gotten the chance to be together.

  I couldn’t let myself leave this world without seeing what we could be.

  Head pounding and body aching, I rolled onto my stomach and looked at the scene Raguel had created with his malevolent storm.

  Bodies.

  The street was full of them. Blue-skinned demons. Supernaturals of all kinds. Most were lying motionless, but some groaned and crawled as if trying to get to safety.

  But there was no such thing.

  Safety had evaporated the moment Raguel had shown his immunity to the serum. Or maybe the moment Raguel had stepped foot on this planet. He’d killed his own army and for what?

  To prove to me that nothing could weaken him. Not me. Not them. Not even his own thirst for power could bring him down. My heart broke for our losses. Blue demons and the supernaturals who stood with me. We were all the same. And their losses hurt my heart, every one of them.

  Across the street, metal screeched loudly, and I winced as the pile of cars began to slide away.

  My heart squeezed, and fear curled in my stomach.

  A hand appeared from deep within the tangle of cars. Then an arm. Then a face.

  Raguel.

  He emerged, looking dazed, and I realized he hadn’t hidden there. He’d been thrown against his will.

  Had I done that?

  The surge that had shot out of me just before—

  “You have no idea what you’ve just done,” he rasped.

  Blood trickled from his nose, giving me hope.

  Maybe I could still do this.

  Save the ones who were left.

  Calling up the last bits of strength I had, I climbed to my feet, groaning as the pain rocked me.

  My legs nearly buckled when I stood, but I leaned on the wall of the building, sucking in deep breaths that left me dizzy. Calling on my supernatural senses, I waited, but nothing happened.

  Fuck.

  Not a shred of fae or shifter energy remained inside me.

  If I was doing this, it wouldn’t be because of my supernatural strength.

  But somewhere deep in my soul, something stirred. It was the same foreign feeling I’d had a moment ago when Raguel had blasted me and I’d apparently sent something right back.

  It was the same strange sensation I’d felt with Adrik last night. When he’d predicted my failure. And…sent something to me?

  Across the street, Raguel stepped away from the debris of broken car parts and smashed windshields. Enormous wings spread wide as he straightened. Tall, deadly; every violent intention in his otherworldly being aimed straight for me.

  “This ends now.”

  His voice rumbled, and the power that came with it would have once sent me trembling or running.

  Selaphiel certainly had.

  But not anymore.

  Whatever was inside me didn’t even blink.

  In a moment of clarity and, finally, acceptance, I let whatever it was take the reins. And for the first time, I didn’t try to hold it back.

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Raguel started toward me, and my entire body exploded.

  Light.

  Pure, blinding white light shot out of me. My eyes, my mouth, my palms—every part of me was suddenly a ray gun. I had no idea where it came from or what it could do—or how the hell it was going to help me take down an immortal creature like Raguel. But the moment the light touched him, his skin seared in obvious burns. With each new burn, he roared, darting out of the line of fire.

  I readjusted my aim, pushing forward on instinct. Slowly, I drove him back until I’d trapped him behind the pile of fallen cars.

  Two blue-skinned demons dropped down from the sky, rushing at me, but Milo and Faith met them, driving them back and into the river.

  “What are you waiting for?” Gran hissed from where she clung to a very human, very naked Lester behind a car door. “Finish his ass.”

  “I need him alive,” I reminded her, averting my eyes from all that senior citizen skin.

  I hurried forward, picking my way through the pile of cars.

  From the other side, something black blasted me, catching me in the chest.

  Gran shouted something, but her voice was drowned out by the screeching of metal against metal.

  Raguel roared as he stepped up beside me.

  I blinked, looking up from where I landed on my back.

  There was no pain.

  The power inside me had seen to that.

  But then, Raguel stepped into view, and I wondered if the power was really enough.

  The light pouring from me faltered.

  It was only a split second before I renewed my confidence in it. And in myself.

  But in that small fraction, Raguel had his opening.

  His lips curled back in a feral smile, and the dark jab he shot at me became a spear of death. It buried itself in my chest, and the pain it sent shooting through me nearly ripped me apart.

  A scream rocked the silent street. It took me a moment to realize the sound came from my own throat.

  Pain.

  I thought I knew it before, but this—

  This was the kind of agony that ended not just lives but worlds.

  Raguel smiled down at me.

  “You’re finished here,” he said, and I felt myself slipping away even as he spoke the words.

  “No,” someone yelled, the sound of it coming through the layers of hurt and hellfire eating me from the inside out.

  But I recognized it.

  “Raph?” I rasped.

  “Use what Adrik gave you,” Raph said, the words echoing into the far reaches of my mind, all the way to wherever this strange power rested inside me.