FALLEN

ACADEMY: YEAR THREE AND A

HALF
LEIA STONE
 C O NT E NT S

Trigger Warning
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
The End
Acknowledgments
 Copyright © 2018 by Leia Stone. All rights reserved.
Cover art by Amanda Rose.

Fallen Academy characters, names and related items are trademarks owned by Leia Stone.

No part of this publication may be reproduced. Stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical,
photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without written permission of the author.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.
Any resemblance to actual persons, live or dead are purely coincidental.

Stone, Leia
Fallen Academy Year Three and a Half
Scottsdale, Arizona
1. Paranormal Romance

For information on reproducing sections of this book or sales of this book go to www.facebook.com/leia.stone

leiastonebooks@gmail.com
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To all the soulmates.
 T RIG G E R WARNING

Trigger Warning: Some mild themes of attempted suicide are in this book. Do not read it if you think it
will trigger you. Please call the suicide prevention hotline if you are having trouble. 1-800-273-8255.
 CHAPTER ONE

A s the portal closed, my entire body seized up. I stumbled forward, tripping over my feet, and
grasped at the air in front of me, trying to catch her.
“Brielle!” I screamed again, panic and grief tightening my chest.
If I could get to her in the next few minutes, stop the bleeding, she could survive…
I spun, heart hammering in my chest. “Shea! Open a portal!” I screamed to the light mage. Chloe and
Luke were frozen in shock at the back of the room, but Darren and Blake ran out the side door, probably to
get help.
Brielle’s best friend looked at me in horror, tears rolling down her caramel cheeks as her hands
shook.
“SHEA!” I snapped, stalking towards her.
Lucifer had cracked the ground wide open and Shea wasn’t on the same side as I was, not to mention
my wings were broken—a constant searing pain in my back. Luckily, my best friend had freed himself of
his bonds and was now flying to grab Shea. With three flaps of his wings, Noah deposited her by my side.
She was hyperventilating, chest heaving as she struggled to breathe. I wanted to lose my shit too, but I
couldn’t. Brielle was counting on us.
“Shea. Open the portal and Noah can heal her. Okay?” I tried to keep my voice calm, but it shook.
Still trembling, she straightened her shoulders. “Okay.”
She’d always been gifted for her age. I’d never tell her that of course, because she already had an ego
the size of Texas, but she was especially strong with opening portals, so I knew she could do this.
Shea took in a deep breath; standing with her feet planted shoulders-width apart, and held her hands
out in front. A purple fire crackled between her palms, but it died out just as quickly. Her eyes widened in
alarm, and she tried again, igniting her magic, only to have it fizzle out immediately.
“I’m being blocked,” she croaked.
“No!” I shouted, as desperation threatened to take hold of me.
Brielle … all that blood.
I shook myself, grabbing Shea’s hand, and ran past the spot where Lucifer had taken Brielle. We burst
through the doors into the cold night. The demon alarm was still going off, and across campus, I spotted
Raphael running our way, with Michael at his side. Darren and Blake trailed behind them.
“Try out here.” My hands were shaking, and I knew I was on the verge of a full-blown panic attack.
Would Brielle have bled out already? Could I still save her? How deep had he cut her? Why had he
cut her? How many minutes had passed?
Hundreds of questions ran through my mind at rapid speed. I feared I was on the edge of losing my
mind.
 Shea’s shock seemed to have worn off a little. She was wearing the look of fierce determination I was
used to, her lips peeled back in a gritty sneer and her hands held out, magic flaring wildly…
Only to be shut down again.
“Fuck!” she roared.
“What’s happened?” Raphael looked at our faces, and then most likely read our minds, because he
sagged suddenly against Michael.
“Brielle,” the archangel whispered. He looked sick with shock; I could barely look at his face.
Shea thrust herself into my arms. “Fly me to Demon City!” she growled.
Yes! Of course.
If she was being magically blocked, it probably only extended to Angel City.
“No, I wouldn’t do th—” Noah was cut off by the sound of my wings ripping from my back.
A searing hot pain shot through my shoulder blades as sweat rose on my forehead. I’d forgotten my
wings were broken. They’d barely healed, and were very fragile.
Screw it.
I tucked Shea into my body, sending some of my own healing energy to my wings, and took off for the
skies.
Oh God.
The sharp burning between my shoulders was like a red-hot poker, being driven into my back. It was
nothing compared to the pain in my heart at seeing my fiancée’s throat slit by the Devil. I flapped my
wings madly, telling my body to get over it, because no matter the pain I was getting Shea over that wall
in record time.
“Let’s think this through!” Michael screamed next to me, his voice traveling over the wind. The
archangel had taken to the skies with me.
This isn’t happening.
I groaned, ignoring Michael, focusing on the flight and my self-healing. Anything to take my mind off
of the pain in my wings and in my heart.
Looking down, I saw the border of Demon City.
Cesspool. I hate this place. I want nothing more than to free it of innocent humans and then light it
on fire.
As I descended, my arms felt like they were going numb. I was probably causing some kind of nerve
damage, but I didn’t care.
Brielle was my family. The only family I had left.
Emotion tightened my throat, and I had to bite down on my tongue to keep myself from losing it.
Lowering Shea and I into a wash between the Demon City wall and some apartment buildings, I landed,
setting her down. Pain, like razor blades scratching every surface of my skin, settled into me. Just another
reminder that I couldn’t be here for long, not like Shea or Brielle could.
Michael, Noah, and Raphael landed next to me, all wincing with the same pain I was feeling. Being a
Celestial in a demon stronghold was agony. Their eyes were searching the perimeter for threats, but my
gaze fell on Shea.
Come on. Please.
The mage slapped her hands together, and with a grunt, a spark of green magic flared to life, before
turning inky black.
“That’s dark magic,” Michael mused. There wasn’t judgment in his voice. More like he was making a
statement.
Shea shrugged uncaringly. “Gotta do what I gotta do.”
Yes!
I would do anything to get Brielle back here safely right now. Even sell my soul to a demon.
 As the portal started to open between her hands, I nearly fainted with relief. But just as quickly I
remembered that I couldn’t go through it. None of us could. Except, for Shea.
Dammit!
I winced, remembering the time Brielle had impulsively run into the portal to get Sera, and Shea had
slipped in right behind her. The love of my life was loyal to a fault. I’d tried to go in after her, and it
nearly tore off one of my limbs. This time was different. She was bleeding out; we had no time. I’d just
have to try. I wasn’t going to let Shea do this alone.
Raphael’s strong hand landed on my shoulder. “No, son. You will die. I’ve seen it happen. That world
will incinerate you.”
I felt the edges of my mind going dark, back to that place I went when my parents and sister died—that
reckless place where I didn’t care about anything, least of all my own safety. Raphael’s hand on my
shoulder turned into a clamp, pinning me to the spot, and I knew then that if I tried to jump into that portal,
he would stop me.
“I’m going to get help from other Fallen Army guards who are demon-gifted,” Michael announced,
just as the portal was wide enough to step into hell.
“There’s no time for that shit!” Shea snapped. “He cut her throat! She’s bleeding out.”
Beyond her was a fiery wasteland, with row after row of straw huts—some of which were on fire. A
few demons were milling about, talking to each other. Without another word, Shea spun on Michael.
“Lend me your sword.”
Lucifer had crashed our party when we were all unarmed. We weren’t ready for this kind of thing. It
made the anger inside of me boil hotter.
Michael faltered. “I’m not worried about the loss of my sword, child, but you cannot go in there
alone.”
I knew Shea, she was almost as stubborn as Brielle. Saying that would only fuel her fire.
“Watch me!” she snapped, and leapt through the portal unarmed.
“No!” Noah screamed, stepping after her before Michael swooped in to hold him back as well. Noah
was hyperventilating, something I probably should be doing, but I was in too much shock.
With one flick of his wrist, Michael unsheathed his sword and tossed it inside the portal, where it
clattered at Shea’s feet.
Shea nodded, scooping up Michael’s Sword of Truth, and placed her finger to her lips in an effort to
quiet Noah, who was now whisper-screaming her name.
Michael’s sword was legendary. I didn’t know any demon that had survived one lick from its blade. I
wanted to shout at her to hurry, but I also needed to comfort Noah, as he feared the loss of his girlfriend,
while I was still grieving mine.
Locked in Raphael’s grip, I stood there, while Shea snuck between two huts and stepped out into the
main road, where demons were milling about the area.
Everyone on the Earth side of the portal froze. What would she see? What would she do if she were to
spot Brielle or Lucifer himself? I stopped breathing when she looked left, and then right, and then left
again. A passing Yew demon recognized that she wasn’t dead, or a demon, and hissed, lunging for her.
Shea raised Michael’s sword, bringing it down hard across the demon’s neck, cutting his head clean off.
“BRIELLE!” she screamed in agony.
I’d never in a million years forget the terror in her voice. It sprouted gooseflesh on my arms.
“BRIELLE!” Her chest heaved as she frantically looked left and right, clearly seeing no sign of her
best friend.
The world started to spin then, and my soul split in two as I crashed to my knees.
She was gone.
Brielle was gone.
 C HAPTER TWO

M y eyes popped open and I clutched my chest. My heart was hammering wildly against my
sternum. Looking around at the tile floors and small twin bed, I realized I was in the
healing unit. Noah was asleep in a chair, Shea on the cot by the window.
“Brielle,” I breathed, disoriented.
Maybe I’d had some fucked-up dream, that Lucifer had shown up to my captain’s promotion ceremony
and killed the love of my life.
Shea bolted upright at the same time as Noah.
The looks on their faces, the utter desolation and grief, broke me. It finally set in that it wasn’t a
dream. She was really gone.
“No.” I choked on a sob.
Shea rushed across the room, nearly tripping over her own feet, and threw herself into my arms,
bawling.
“I tried. I’m sorry, I tried so hard. I didn’t see or sense her anywhere,” she moaned between tears.
I couldn’t do this. Not again. In one second my entire family had been blown to pieces, and now it
was happening all over again.
Pushing Shea back, I forced her to look at me. Tears and snot ran down her face, her mascara dripping
in dark lines across her brown cheeks. Looking at her only reminded me of my better half, and it was like
a punch to the gut.
“We’re not giving up. Ever. You understand me?”
Shea nodded, her tears still flowing. “Yes. She’s strong … has healing abilities. She has to be alive.”
I breathed a little easier, knowing I had someone on my side. The Devil was a master of illusion,
right? That whole throat-slitting thing could have been for show, and she’d bust out of there and we’d find
her.
“She’s probably already broken free of him, and is wandering the underworld. Let’s open a portal
again and call to her,” I suggested.
Shea’s lips turned up into a genuine smile. “Yes! I’ll see if the portal block has been lifted. I can open
it right where he … he took her.”
Noah cleared his throat, looking awkwardly at us both. “You guys, that doesn’t sound safe…”
“Noah…” Shea warned, and my best friend backed off, putting his hands up in a gesture of surrender.
I knew he just wanted what was best for me, but finding Brielle, or what had happened to Brielle, was
what was best for me.
Shea leapt off my bed, helping me up—my legs felt weak, but I was able to stand.
“What were they treating me for?” My broken wings probably. I’d pushed it too hard, but I also
couldn’t remember getting here, which means I blacked out.
Noah looked at the ground. “Shock.”
My heart raced. The same thing had happened when I’d lost my parents. I’d … blacked out, lost touch
with reality for a bit. Noah had seen me through that one too.
“I’m glad you’re here, man.” My voice caught.
“Always.” Noah clapped my back, and we all made our way out of the healing center, and onto the
campus.
One quick glance across the large campus and I could see that Fallen Academy was crawling with
Army guards. “What’s Raph doing about the situation?” I asked Noah as we passed the archangel’s office.
My best friend took in a deep breath. “He’s got two teams of twenty, going into the underworld at
thirty-minute intervals, for a five minute sweep. He’s working a grid across town, but … we’ve already
lost two men, so I can’t imagine he’ll keep it up much longer.”
No.
That was a really good plan … and they hadn’t found her yet? A headache throbbed at the base of my
skull.
“Have they checked the spot she was taken?” We were almost to the place where I’d received my
captain’s pin, and where the Devil had portaled Brielle out of here.
Noah shrugged. “I’m not sure. I’ve been by your side.”
Noah was a great friend. I knew his first concern right then was my mental health. I’d lost my shit
when my family died, and he’d been there to see it. Now it felt like I was living that all over again.
I shook myself, forcing those thoughts from my head. We’d find her. Today.
After letting ourselves into the large room where Lucifer had taken her, we managed to sidestep the
rubble, and with a few jumps over the jagged boulders protruding into the ground, we made it to the exact
spot Lucifer had taken my fiancée.
My eyes fell to the floor, and to the nearly black circle of dried blood there.
Oh God.
That motherfucker.
Fury rolled through me in waves, and I vowed right then and there to kill that son of a bitch for what
he’d done. One day. Somehow.
I was so stuck in my own head that I didn’t even realize Shea had already conjured the portal. It
looked like the magical block had been lifted. I wanted so badly to run headfirst into the opening, and start
screaming Brielle’s name, but I’d be of no use to her dead.
Noah caught Shea’s arm before she could charge inside. “Raph has his teams on this.”
Shea growled at him, shrugging him off, and pulling out her infinity weapons. Her fists wrapped
around the two curved discs, and she looked ready to throw down with demons.
My gaze scanned the place beyond the opening, looking for any clue as to where he took her, but I
could only see a brick wall, which meant it was inside of a building. The building he was holding her in?
Shea stepped forward, just as a familiar voice boomed behind us.
“Stop!” Raphael shouted.
Peering back, I found that Mr. Claymore was right beside him.
“She could be in there!” Shea screamed, rocking on her heels.
Raph shook his head. “She’s not. I had it swept hours ago, and lost a man in the process.”
Everything in my body went numb then. I simply ceased feeling. It was weird.
Claymore waved his hands and the portal snapped shut, causing Shea to huff in frustration.
“Listen…” Raphael’s voice took on a soft tone, and I knew he was about to deal a blow. “We may just
have to come to terms with the fact that Brielle isn’t coming back anytime soon, and we aren’t going to be
able to find her.”
 What did those murder shows say? That you had forty-eight hours to find the victim before all hope
was gone? How many hours had passed?
“No way in hell!” Shea growled.
Good. Shea still had some fight in her. I feared that I did not.
“Well, I’m sorry to say this, but I can’t risk any more of my—” I cut Raphael off with a ragged scream.
I didn’t know what came over me, but I couldn’t bear to hear him finish that sentence. After crying out
in rage, I fled from the room.
“Lincoln!” Noah called after me.
My wings snapped out of my back as I burst through the door. They were sore, but not nearly as
damaged as before. I must have slept a whole day in the healing ward. A whole day I could have been
looking for her.
“Leave me alone!” I shouted to my best friend, and took to the skies.
I didn’t know where I was headed, but I instinctively aimed for the ocean. As I flew, every single
memory of Brielle raced through my mind so fast that I thought I was going insane. I’d never forget the
first time I saw her. Wearing that silky dress at the awakening ceremony, she was the most beautiful girl
I’d ever seen. Way too young for me, and so strong willed as she stood on stage, and accepted the fact that
she was different. Black wings and all.
The moment those black wings had sprouted from her back, my heart had fallen in my chest. I knew
she’d never be a girl I could pursue. She was demon bound, bad, dark, evil. But she wasn’t. She was the
best fucking thing that ever happened to me, and judging her in the beginning was the worst mistake I had
ever made. I’d never met someone so full of love and light in my life.
Before I realized it, I landed on the sand, and fell forward, sobbing. I couldn’t breathe. It felt like I
was dying.
Everyone I love dies.
My entire body seized up in grief, as I came to terms with the fact that Brielle might actually be dead,
or kidnapped, or was being tortured … or worse. Everything hurt, but at the same time I couldn’t feel.
Like I was having an out of body experience. Like my poor soul couldn’t handle going through this again,
so it had jumped out of my body, and was watching from a perch on the moon. I collapsed onto the sand,
rolling over, and stared up at the darkening sky.
“Fuck you!” I screamed at God, the angels, and whoever the hell was listening. This wasn’t any kind
of life I wanted to live. I questioned everything in that moment. Right down to my very own existence.
My chest heaved as my heart hammered at the walls of my sternum. Being so helpless, unable to go
into Hell and search for her … it was killing me.
The rumble of a car approaching drew my attention, but I just didn’t care. When the headlights
illuminated my body, I didn’t move. A car door opened and then slammed.
“Lincoln Grey,” Shea’s voice roared. “Get your ass up!”
Despite the situation, I smirked a little. There was a reason Brielle loved this girl, and made this girl
her family against what their blood might have said. Shea wouldn’t baby me, wouldn’t let me wallow like
Noah would. She was stronger than I was, and she was going to pull me right back up and into the real
world, even though I didn’t want to go.
I groaned, and then suddenly she was standing over me.
“You don’t get to give up!” she shouted, looking down at me. “Brielle is alive. I know it. Why else
would Lucifer block me from making a portal to go after her, if he had just killed her? It’s just what he
wants us to think, and everyone else is falling for it, but not us. You understand me?”
Hope bloomed inside my chest, pumping new life into me. She was right. Why would Lucifer do that?
Unless he didn’t want us bringing her body back—but no, I couldn’t think like that.
I sat up, forcing Shea to stumble backwards.
 “Let’s do this. Never give up,” I declared.
Shea nodded. “Never give up.”
It was there, on the beach in Santa Monica where I first kissed Brielle, that I made a pact with her best
friend to never give up on her.
I wish I could say that I kept it…
 CHAPTER THREE

N early three months had passed. Every single day Shea and I snuck away, and drove to random
locations to open a portal and look for Brielle. We’d even gotten Chloe and Luke to help us.
Finally, out of desperation, I snuck Shea into Demon City, where she contacted her old friend
who was Sighted. But he had no leads on Brielle, saying that when it came to her future he now saw
nothing, which scared the ever living shit out of me. I was giving up. And now Raphael and Brielle’s mom
were having a funeral to put her to rest.
I didn’t want to put her to rest.
Noah, Raphael, even her mom, they were all trying to let her go when I just wanted to draw her closer.
Straightening my tie, I looked at myself in the mirror, and didn’t recognize the person before me. When
Brielle left I turned to bad habits to numb the pain—too much alcohol and too little sleep. Raph had
forced me on a leave of absence.
I didn’t care if I ever returned.
My eyes swept the tiny trailer. Everything I saw reminded me of her. Bernie had fled the day Brielle
was taken. It was really weird. He just left Maximus with Brielle’s mom, and left the trailer keys under
the mat. I couldn’t stand to live in the apartment with Kate. Every time I looked at her, I saw Brielle. The
way her nose turned up at the end … I couldn’t. I gave her the apartment to herself and kept a wide
distance. But today I wouldn’t be able to avoid her.
A knock at the door signaled Kate’s arrival. She’d all but begged me to attend this “funeral,” and even
asked if we could go together. I’d asked her how we could bury someone without a body, but she just told
me that she needed to go on living, and this was how she was going to be able to do it. By letting go.
The one thing I’d promised Shea I wouldn’t do.
I opened the door and a sob lodged in my throat. Kate had lost at least fifteen pounds; dark circles
hung under her eyes, signaling she was probably getting about as much sleep as I was.
“Got any vodka?” she asked.
Her question took me aback. Maybe she wasn’t ready to let her daughter go. I nodded and opened the
door wider as she stepped inside, making herself comfortable at my dining table.
After pulling out some orange juice and vodka, I grabbed two glasses, allowing her to pour. She made
two stiff drinks, and tipped hers back in one big swallow.
“We don’t have to do this,” I told her. Clearly she wasn’t ready. If she said she wanted to back out of
burying Brielle, Raphael would call it off in respect.
She looked at me—hell, she looked through me, right down into my soul. Those piercing blue eyes
were the same as my lover’s, and it cut me open.
“Yes … we do. I have a son to live for. I have you to live for. Shea, Chloe, Luke, they need me. They
need us. I can’t go on like this … waiting each night for my phone to ring. Every time you call me I hold
my breath, wondering if it’s news that you’ve found her.”
I winced. I did the same thing every time Noah or Raph called me.
“I … I just can’t. Not without seeing a body.” My voice caught, and she reached across the table,
grasping my hand.
“I understand that. No mother should ever have to bury a child, but it’s the only way I can move on
from this. Otherwise…” She paused and tears leaked from her eyes. “Otherwise I might feed into the dark
thoughts beckoning me, and I know Brielle wouldn’t want that. I need to do what’s best for me. Funerals
aren’t for the dead, they’re for the living, and I want to live.”
There was strength in Kate that I’d never noticed before Brielle’s disappearance. The same strength
that I imagine got her through her husband’s death, and raising three kids in Demon City while being a
slave—one of those kids not even biologically hers.
She was stronger than I, that was for sure. I was starting to let the dark thoughts get to me. The same
thought had plagued me for the past week:
What if I kill myself and go to Hell…? Then could I find her…
Shaking myself I poured another drink.
Kate gripped my hand again, meeting my eyes. “I know you and Brielle were only promised and never
got a chance to marry, but I want you to know I’ve already accepted you as my son. If you need anything,
I’m here. For life.”
Her words should have made me feel better, but a sharp pang sliced through my heart until I was
breathless. It took me a second to figure out what it was…
It was the realization that my beautiful future with Brielle had been taken from me.
Marriage, kids, in-laws, all of it.
Gone.
I jumped up from the seat. “Let’s get this over with.” I couldn’t sit here like this with her. It was too
much.
She nodded and stood, looking around my trailer.
“You know, I can live in the trailer if you want your big apartment back.” Her voice was soft, timid.
I waved my hand. “No, it’s fine. I like it here.”
It was solitary here. I could spend days without seeing anyone.
She nodded, and with that we set out to bury the love of my life. With no body.

I THOUGHT I could do it. I really did. But when we walked up and my gaze fell on the headstone …
Brielle’s name, right next to her father’s…
I froze.
Kate went ahead and started to greet people. Shea was weeping as Noah held her. And I just … I
couldn’t do it.
“Son, it’s time to move forward.” Raphael’s strong voice sounded from behind me as he reached for
me. “The world needs you.”
I didn’t want to go forward, I wanted to go back to that night and cut the Devil’s head right the fuck
off.
“Screw the world!”
Shrugging out of Raph’s grasp, I snapped my wings out—tearing my jacket—and with one kick, I took
off for the skies.
I wouldn’t lay her to rest until I had a body.
If that meant never, then never it would be.
 C HAPTER FOUR

A fter Brielle’s fake funeral, I spiraled. Shea and I were doing more and more dangerous missions
to try to get information about Brielle. The time had come when I’d have to stop dragging my
woman’s best friend down with me. I didn’t want to lose her too. She was the only one who
understood me, the only one who didn’t judge me for hiding in my trailer with a bottle of vodka.
A knock at my door signaled Shea’s approach. We were set to do another portal mission tonight. This
time Shea got Luke and Angela to go too. Last time Chloe got hurt and I couldn’t bear to have my fiancée’s
friends hurt trying to find her. I needed to let them go, and go off on my own, but I had no idea how to
break this to them.
“Come in!” I croaked.
The trailer door burst open and Shea ran in, flushed face, and tears streaming down her cheeks.
“She’s alive!” she screamed.
In her hand was the wedding ring she’d asked me for last night. She’d noticed the box on my
nightstand, and when I mentioned I’d bought her promise ring as a set—with a matching wedding ring to
give at a later date—she’d flipped. Said she could do some kind of magic on it. Now my heart was
pounding so loud that it felt like it was in my head.
“What do you mean?” I shouted.
Shea was trying to control her breathing. “It’s advanced magic that Claymore taught me. The two rings
were made of the same metal, so I created a tether between them. One for this ring…” She held it up.
“And one—”
“For the one on her finger!” I shouted, standing quickly, and being overcome with dizziness.
Shea swallowed down a sob. “Linc … I heard her. I swear on all the bliss donuts in the world. I
fucking heard her!”
I couldn’t move. My legs went weak and I let myself collapse as relief crashed through me.
“Where is she?”
Shea’s face darkened then, and I knew this story wasn’t going to have a happy ending.
“Someone blocked it. I heard her for a second and then … poof, the connection was gone.”
“Try again!”
“I have! It’s a dead end now, but Linc … I heard her.” Shea’s voice, her wide brown eyes … they
said, “Believe me.”
“Are you sure?” I was skeptical. Shea was in as much of a dark place as I was. It was only a matter of
time before we started hearing Brielle’s voice and talking to her.
Shea’s jaw clenched as anger masked her features. “Don’t you dare do that. I get enough shit from
Noah. I can’t have that from you too.” Tears welled in her eyes, and my heart ached to see her so
vulnerable.
Standing, I pulled her into a hug. “I’m sorry. You’re right. Of course I believe you.”
I really wanted to. It left a dangerous feeling gaping inside my chest. Hope.
For months I tried to tell myself to move on, she was gone. Now I felt stuck. Now my heart was
screaming…
Don’t let her go!
Shea pulled back and wiped the tears from her eyes. “So what are we going to do?”
I knew what I needed to do, and it couldn’t involve her.
I ran a hand through my hair. “This is great news. I just … need a night to adjust. Let’s make a new
plan tomorrow?”
Her brow wrinkled, looking down at the ring—it killed me to see it. I’d imagined in a few years I’d
give it to Brielle and beg her to marry me. Now it was … just a painful reminder.
“Yeah, sure thing. Get some rest.” Shea finally relented, nodding.
I walked her out, waiting until she drove away in Brielle’s car, then I rushed to my motorcycle. We’d
tried everything up till this point. It was time for desperate measures. I had one final plan up my sleeve.
Swinging a leg over my motorcycle, I took off for Demon City.
I’d withdrawn all my cash from my savings account weeks ago. $4,862. My Fallen Army paychecks
were still coming in—even though I wasn’t on active duty—but I made sure Brielle’s mother had
groceries delivered to the apartment every week, and that the utilities were all taken out of my check. I
couldn’t take care of Brielle, but I could at least care for her family. Financially anyway. So assuming
Raph still sent my checks while I was on leave, they would be taken care of. I needed this money in my
jacket for other things.
Before getting to the gates of Demon City, I took a left turn down a neighborhood and parked my bike.
This was an incognito mission. I was going to have to fly over, and try to go unnoticed. My buddy in the
army knew a Mugwort demon named Gaf, who would take money in exchange for various dangerous
operations. I was going to find this guy, and make him go into the underworld to bring back any
information he could about Brielle. If Angel City wasn’t yielding answers for me, then I’d have to go to
the demons for help.
Kicking off the ground, I sailed over the fence quickly, before retracting my wings and then taking off
into a sprint. Demon guards weren’t really concerned with a single trespasser so much as an entire
infiltration. Still, I’d have to be careful. A Fallen Academy captain trespassing would be seen as an act of
war.
The moment I landed, it felt like a thousand needles were stabbing into my skin. All this demon energy
took its toll on my Celestial body. I wouldn’t be able to stay here long. Being a Celestial was usually
something I was proud of, but in these moments, in moments where I couldn’t search the underworld for
the love of my life, it was a curse I wanted to be free of desperately. I was a prisoner of my own body.
After popping into a liquor shop, I bought two nice bottles of brandy to tempt the Mugwort demon
with, and now my total was down to about $4,700. A young kid outside was renting out bikes by the hour,
so I grabbed one in the hopes it would be quicker. I couldn’t risk getting a cab and being recognized, and
time was not on my side. It felt like the pain doubled every minute; eventually I’d be incapacitated.
As I started to ride, it began to rain—as it often did in Demon City. After riding for a few minutes
towards the address my friend had given me, I passed a familiar parking lot and stopped dead in my
tracks. The bike’s tires skidded across the wet pavement, and my hand came up to my throat at the memory
of this place.
This was the parking lot of the reanimation clinic where I’d fought for Brielle’s freedom. The same
place where she’d boldly, and stupidly, heaved Michael’s sword onto the ground and declared she was
fighting for Shea’s freedom. It was the moment I’d fallen in love with her, the moment I’d promised myself
I’d break every rule I had to, to get this girl to be mine. I’d never looked at her the same after that day. I’d
never forgiven myself for initially judging her. She was the fiercest, most loyal and courageous woman I’d
ever met.
The blaring of a car horn brought me back to the task at hand, and with a final lingering look at the
parking lot, I pushed off my bike and rode the rest of the way in painful silence. The needles pressing in
on my skin had now become like little fires erupting all over my body. I couldn’t stay here much longer;
the demon energy had become stronger lately. Rumor at the Army was that Lucifer was sending new
demons through to the city. Different varieties were arriving by the hundreds. Since I was on leave, I
didn’t hear the specifics, but I could feel the change here. It was big.
I reached the address, and ditching the bike on the pavement, I leapt up the stairs, banging on the
brown door.
“Who’s there?” a grisly voice called out with a slight slur.
I’d never met a sober Mugwort demon.
“Grady sent me. I’ve got money and liquor.” The rain was really coming down now and I decided that
if he didn’t open the door I’d kick it down and take him hostage until he did as I asked. I was desperate.
The door swung open and a shotgun was pressed onto my chest.
“Liquor first,” the ugly bastard called out to me.
Old Lincoln would feel fear at having a gun to his chest, but this Lincoln didn’t care. I felt no anxiety
at being threatened with death, and that scared me. I shoved the bag at him. Once he checked it and
confirmed it was indeed alcohol, he opened the door a smidge wider, but didn’t take the shotgun off my
chest.
“Show me da money first,” he slurred.
I whipped out the chunk of cash and waved it before him. Greedy yellow eyes tracked it all the way
back to my pocket, and I knew I had him.
With a growl, he lowered the shotgun and looked left and right down the street, before letting me
inside.
By now I was starting to sweat from the daggers shredding my skin. Freaking demon energy was like
acid that slowly and invisibly ate away at us. I was hoping this guy would be quick. Stepping into the
entryway, I looked around the place, immediately recognizing that this wasn’t the regular Demon City
shithole half the population had. This guy had expensive stuff lying around, and his floors were travertine,
polished recently. He made a good living doing what he did.
“State your terms,” the demon spat, ripping off the lid of the brandy, and chugging a third of the bottle
while the shotgun rested at his side.
My chest puffed out as I leaned forward. “I need you to go down to Hell and look for my fiancée.
Lucifer took her. You don’t need to get her out, just tell me if she’s alive and where she is.”
I held my breath. Demons had more connections than we did down there. If anyone could get the
inside word, it would be one of their own people.
Brandy sprayed from his lips. “Are you furcking shattin' me?” His words were slurring more and
more, and I was afraid he’d get too shitfaced to do the job properly.
“I’m serious,” was all I said, I didn’t have the energy to say any more. This place was killing me.
Throaty laughter erupted from him as he gaped at me. “The Dark Prince took your girl, and you think
I’m going to go against him and feed you information? Ohh, you better have brought a lot of money.”
A small measure of relief poured through me. “I did.” I shoved all my cash at him and watched as he
counted each bill slowly.
“That’s it?” A frown pulled at his mouth as he went to hand me back the money.
No. No. No.
“And a motorcycle! It’s right outside the city.”
 He shrugged. “I already got a bike. I need cash or…” He rubbed his jaw, appraising my physique. His
yellowed gaze ran from my arms to my chest, down to my legs.
“Or…?” I was afraid to ask, but I was desperate.
Please don’t say male stripper.
“Or I need a fighter. My friends and I run a lil fighting ring on Friday nights. It starts in a half hour.”
In a half hour I’d be in so much pain I’d barely be able to walk. But it would take me that long to get
over to Angel City to recharge and get back here.
“How many fights?” It would be suicide to do more than one. I wouldn’t have the strength without a
recharge or healing from Noah, and I wouldn’t bring my best friend into this.
“Jus' one. You win the fight and I win ten grand. That, plus what you have here, is about enough to pay
my fee for the job you want.”
I reached out and took the brandy from him. “Okay, but no more drinking. I want you going in to look
for my girl tonight. Semi sober.”
Growling, he reluctantly nodded. “Fine.”
A shaky breath made its way out of me, and I glanced down at the liquor.
This was my last shot. My final attempt at getting to Brielle, before I entertained the dark thought that
had been pulling at me since she left.
Lifting it, I took a giant swig from the bottle, and then met the yellowed gaze of the demon. The liquor
burned all the way down my throat before hitting my belly, and pooling out with warmth. I took another
swig for good measure. This fight was going to hurt. I might as well numb the pain now.
“We’re not that different you and me,” the demon observed.
I swallowed hard, dropping my head in shame.
He was right.
I was lost, and the only thing that felt right was her.
God help me.
 CHAPTER FIVE

I was a sweating, a slightly tipsy idiot about to go into a fight when I already felt like I’d been
run over by a train. My opponent was a big-ass dude who looked to be some kind of demon-
human hybrid. I’d heard whispers of these kinds of creatures, but I’d never actually saw one
up close. Rumor was that the demons … bred … with human women, right around the time of the fall,
before the archangels outlawed it. Now there were a smattering of half-human, half-demon creatures
running around. They were called Legions.
Freakiest part? I heard that Legions aged twice as rapidly as a human until the age of about twenty. At
that time they ceased aging and were frozen in a twenty-year-old body forever. It was creepy, and
reminded me of vampires. So this twenty-year-old dude before me might have only walked on this earth
for about ten or twelve years.
Michael had told me all about them, told me to have compassion for them as they had no choice. But
the way this guy was sharpening his blade and looking at me like I was dinner, made it hard to find my
compassion. If a demon were caught breeding with a human now, the archangels killed them swiftly. Yet, I
wondered how much the demons listened, though. Were there more Legions in hiding? That would make
an interesting change in the war.
“Let’s do this!” the big oaf roared, swinging his blade around like a maniac.
This guy clearly wasn’t bred from one of the smarter demons, like an Abrus. The way his bat-like
wings hung off his back, I was guessing he was part Grimlock.
It felt like someone had taken a razor blade and shaved off the first two layers of my skin. I needed to
end this fight quickly, and get the hell out of here and recharge.
“Is he a Legion?” I turned to the Mugwort demon, Gaf, who was counting the money everyone had
given him to hold.
About fifty demons had showed up in this back alley for the fight. If they wanted to, they could jump
me, killing me right here. I was hoping that fear of retaliation from the archangels would keep them at bay.
“I’m too sober for this shit,” Gaf snipped, before pushing me into the “ring,” avoiding my question.
I stumbled forward and the crowd went wild.
Dick.
Spinning quickly, I faced the Legion, who was grinning at me with murderous eyes. Gaf hadn’t given
me a weapon, and I hadn’t brought one to Demon City for fear of being discovered as a Fallen Army
soldier, so I was going to have to get creative.
Reaching out, I ripped a liquor bottle from a demon in the crowd and smashed it on the concrete,
creating a quick weapon out of it. Again the demon crowd roared their approval. The Legion didn’t have
horns like a Grimlock would, but his skin looked thick and leathery, so I was guessing cutting through it
would be tough.
God, I should have brought my blade.
Or not come at all.
I shoved that traitorous thought deep down, and erupted from where I stood. I’d been given no rules
for this fight, so I was guessing it ended only in death, until I was told otherwise. The giant oaf just stood
there waiting for me to attack, which made me think he was either stupid or he knew what he was doing.
When I got a few feet from him, he burst forward, slashing out with his sword like a maniac. I pivoted
away, immediately recognizing his scrappy street-fighting technique, and chucked the glass bottle I was
holding right at his face.
My intention wasn’t to cause any devastating harm, not with that thick skin; I was planning to steal his
weapon. The second the bottle flew at him, he shut his eyes, scrunching up his face as I suspected he
would. As he recoiled to brace for the hit, I lunged forward, yanking the sword from his relaxed grasp.
Demon cries went up around me, but I remained focused.
Win the fight. Get more information about Brielle.
Shea had said she was still alive. I had to know. I had to try everything within my power to get to her.
The bottle I’d thrown cut a large gash over his eye. Dark crimson fluid streamed down his face,
obscuring his view, and I chose that as my time to strike. With a lunge, I lashed out with the sword, which
was actually very heavy, and nicked his gut. He was a big guy, towering a foot over me, and beefy, so it
would take more than a small cut to take him down.
Lunging for him had brought me into his proximity, and he used that to swipe out with his ginormous
arms. A crash to the side of my head caused pain to explode in my temple and then I was falling. It would
put me at risk, but I didn’t see any other way than to use my wings. The moment I hit the ground, sharp
pain exploded in my already aching body, but I didn’t linger there. This big dude could crush me. I held
the sword tightly and let my wings erupt from my back, giving two strong flaps to pull me up to his height.
Everyone let out a collective gasp, and even the Legion looked shocked. My body felt like it was on
fire. They said the demon energy here was a tenth of what it was in Hell. If this was barely tolerable for
me, then Hell would surely kill me, as Raphael promised.
I couldn’t stay here much longer. With a battle cry, I flew forward, and struck the Legion in the gut
with my sword, shoving it to the hilt.
I had this fight. This asshole was going down now. I was getting my information on Brielle.
Rearing back, I readied for another stab, when the dude’s hands came out and grabbed my wrist. Red
hot fire erupted out of his palms and licked up my arms. I gasped, trying to wrench out of his grasp, but his
grip was too strong. In a panic I called forth my healing magic, pushing and guiding it to my arms. A
golden glow rose up off my skin and the fire lessened, but still burned.
Fire magic.
Fuck.
I needed to get out of his grasp quickly. His abdomen was bleeding freely and he would hopefully die
with one more stick to the gut. Or submit.
Against everything I’d ever been taught, or thought to be okay in a fight, I rammed my knee into his
groin, racking him right in the nuts.
His grip immediately left me; a groan ripped from his throat and he curled into a ball. I felt actual
sympathetic pain in my own nuts just watching him. Using my healing magic, I put the fire out on my arms,
which were welted and glistening. I couldn’t imagine being in one more ounce of pain. I’d pass out for
sure.
I held my sword over the Legion’s throat, as he groaned and bled out on the ground.
“Submit or die.”
“The fight ends only in death!” Gaf called over my shoulder.
 It was against everything within me to kill a man when he was this weak. Normally, I would arrest
him or walk away, leaving him to his fate, but I needed that information on Brielle. I needed it like I
needed air.
Show the Legions compassion, Michael had once told me.
Turning my head, I shoved my blade down into his throat, ending his life. The crowd erupted into wild
applause.
What had I become?
It hit me then that the old Lincoln was truly gone. Even if Brielle was alive, and I got her back, she
wouldn’t be returning to the same man.
He was dead.
 C HAPTER SIX

I gave Gaf all the information I could on Brielle, where she might be, and what had happened
to her. Then I watched him disappear into a portal. He told me to be back in exactly two
hours. After that, I fled his apartment and made it back to the border wall, barely able to flap
my wings and get over it. The fire injury and demon energy had weakened me considerably. After
collapsing onto a nearby park bench on the border of the two cities, I did a healing on myself and waited.
A dozen times I wanted to call Noah, or Shea, and tell them where I was and what I was doing. I wanted
their support if this man told me Brielle was dead, or that he couldn’t find anything on her. But I also
didn’t want them to stop me from going through with my final last-ditch effort plan.
At some point I must have passed out, but I’d set my phone alarm for an hour and forty-five minutes.
When I awoke, my alarm was going off and it was pitch black—near 1AM. Standing up, I swayed a little.
I felt better but was still very weak. Wasting no time in clearing the wall, I ran the entire way to the
Mugwort demon's house. My bike rental had been stolen. When I got to his doorstep I was weak, out of
breath and in pain once more.
What if he’d found out she was dead? What if he found out she was alive but he didn’t know where
she was? I felt like I was going to explode with anticipation. I couldn’t handle any concrete proof that
Brielle was no longer alive. It would ruin me.
God have mercy on me, I prayed.
Taking two deep breaths, I knocked on the door.
It took a few moments, but finally the handle turned and the door creaked open. When I saw Gaf,
sweaty and pale, holding the necklace Brielle was wearing the night she was taken, my legs gave out from
under me.
The Mugwort demon looked down at me. “Come on, boy. I just risked my life for this thing. Get your
ass inside.”
My heart was knocking against my chest like a hammer. I thought for sure I was about to go into
cardiac arrest.
Her necklace. The silver wing. It was hers. There was even a blonde hair tied around the clasp.
If she was dead, I would lose my shit. I should have brought Noah with me.
I didn’t trust myself to walk, so I crawled into his entryway and snatched the necklace from his
outstretched hands. The cold metal made everything feel so real. Brielle wore this, and he’d just returned
with it from Hell several months after her disappearance.
“Tell me,” I croaked.
The demon took a long swig from his liquor bottle, sitting down on the floor across from me.
“My buddy got this from a trader. Trader said it fell off the girl as they were transporting her body
across Hell.”
My throat pinched shut as dizziness fell over me. “Body?”
Gaf nodded. “Trader said she could have been dead or just unconscious. It was hard to tell.”
No. No. No. No.
Brielle.
“Where did they take her … body?” I could barely say the word.
He shrugged. “The Dark Prince was seen with her briefly before they went underground. No one
knows or will say where.”
Underground? In Hell?
“You gotta go back,” I begged. “I’ll bring more money. Tell me where underground. Where I might
find her body.”
The Mugwort stood, shaking his head. “I’ve already risked too much. Look, I’m sorry for your loss. If
you ever want to enter more fights, we could make a lot of money together. Otherwise our business here is
done.”
Done.
Would I ever be done looking for her? How could I?
I stood. “I’ll pay—”
“No amount of money is worth the Devil’s wrath! OUT!” He yanked the door open. Reaching down,
he gripped me by the armpit and shoved me outside. My foot caught the lip of the stairs and I tumbled,
hitting my hip hard on the ground. Gaf slammed the door and locked it, leaving me to lie on the wet
concrete alone. It was raining again. It always rained here.
In that moment, the darkness I had kept at bay since Brielle was taken consumed my soul. It was time
for my last-resort plan. The one thing that could guarantee I would be able to search for Brielle endlessly
in Hell.
I was going to have to take my own life, in an effort to save hers.
This was why I didn’t ask Shea or Noah to come with me. They wouldn’t understand. It killed me not
to be able to search for her down there. My Celestial body couldn’t survive in Hell but my soul could.
Lucifer was once an angel and he was living down there. If I ended my life right now, my soul would go
to Hell and then I’d be able to help free her, or at least get word to Shea that she was dead and return her
body. We might not be able to be together, but saving her, or at least getting concrete proof that he killed
her, would be worth it.
Pulling myself up from the ground, I stalked towards Angel City with purpose. My time on Earth had
come to a close. I couldn’t do anything more for Brielle here, that much was clear.
I reached the wall in record time, extending my wings and launching over it. I didn’t care anymore
about getting caught. I didn’t care about anything. The cold silver necklace in my hand told me everything
I needed to know. The hollow pain in my chest started to throb then as the reality hit me. This was the only
way my soul could be at peace.
I picked up a broken piece of steel near my motorcycle and walked behind a tree that grew at the edge
of a park. It was the middle of the night, deserted. This was probably best. I didn’t want Noah or anyone
who loved me to find my body. I just wanted this to be quick. I wanted to shed my human form and be free
to search for her for eternity. I wouldn’t stop until I had answers.
The first cut hurt the worst. My body rebelled, tensing up, but I kept at it. Being a Celestial, I
regenerated quickly, but not if I kept reopening the wound. My regenerative properties were in my blood,
so if I lost enough blood, theoretically I would be gone from this Earth. I was also still healing from the
Legion burns, and the energy in Demon City, so my capability to restore myself was weakened. I started to
feel lightheaded. Looking down to see the crimson life force all over my lap, I felt a pang of regret.
Brielle wouldn’t want this for me. But I was so lost, so tired of carrying this guilt.
 I should have saved her. I should have never let him take her.
Finally, I felt too weak to keep sitting upright, so I slumped over on the grass. My body felt cold and
light, as if I were made of air. Breathing became hard and I knew I was close to departing.
I’m coming, Brielle.
Suddenly, a bright golden light flared before me. The light they always showed in movies of people
who were dying, it was real. It felt warm, and loving. Reaching out for it, I readied my soul to leave this
body.
“It’s not your time, son.” Raphael’s strong and familiar voice cut through the cold dark night.
Suddenly, his strong hands wrapped around my bleeding wrists, and a buzzing warmth filled me.
Golden light flared out like a bomb had gone off, and I had to close my eyes for risk of going blind. My
dizziness eased, and clarity returned to my mind quickly.
He was healing me.
“No … you can’t,” I mumbled, trying to fight him. “You won’t be able to go home.”
For as long as I’d worked with him, Raphael had never directly healed anyone. He was banned from
intervening in mortal affairs, lest he be banned from heaven.
“You’re worth it,” he confessed, and everything inside of me ripped open.
A sob escaped my throat as I rolled onto my side. “Let me go! I need to be with her. I need to find
her.”
Raph held my wrists steadfastly, never easing up as I thrashed. “Son, suicides don’t go to Hell. They
go right upstairs, where they are showered with the love and affection they so desperately need.”
His admission made more tears flow down my cheeks. I couldn’t get to her. Even killing myself I
couldn’t reach her. I felt like such a failure.
“Help me, Raph. What do I do?”
The archangel’s face swam into view, and there was so much compassion there. He didn’t judge me.
Even after this, he still loved me. I could see it in his eyes, in the way he always looked at me with pride,
and it killed me that I was such a disappointment.
“You need to trust the bigger picture. Trust that Brielle has her own path, a portion of which may not
involve you. Trust that she is strong enough to survive anything down there, and that she’ll return to us.
Son, it’s time to let her go. For now.”
My entire body went numb. The grief I’d held at bay for so long consumed me.
Let her go…
I didn’t think I could do that, but I might just have to in order to survive. Everyone else had moved on,
even Shea… partly. She was engaged and living her life. Still looking for Bri, but she’d moved on, in a
way. A way that I never did.
“I’ve never loved anyone as much as I love her,” I confessed.
Raphael beamed at me then, a full teeth smile. “Good. Because love is eternal and can never die. No
one can ever take that from you.”
His reassurance brought a small measure of comfort to me. What Brielle and I experienced was real.
Our love, the memories we’d made, would always be with me.
The archangel removed his hands from mine, and I looked down to see thick white scars along my
wrists where I’d cut them.
“I’m going to leave those lines there as a reminder of how far you’ve come,” he told me.
My cheeks burned in shame. My greatest mentor, who I looked up to like a father, had just given up his
chance to return to heaven … for me.
“I’m sorry,” I whispered.
Reaching out, he grasped my shoulder. “My life has more meaning with you and the other kids in it.
There’s nothing you would ever need to apologize to me for.”
I just nodded. At a loss for words.
“And son?” he called out.
I looked up at him, feeling raw and emotional.
“You could never disappoint me.”
I felt like the biggest dick in the world, but I wanted Raph to know I was grateful for what he’d done.
“Thank you.” Sitting up slowly, I let him wrap me in a hug.
I needed to get out of Angel City. It was the only way I could hope to move on.
 C HAPTER SEVEN

“D on’t do this!” Noah shouted, standing like a sentinel in front of my car.

The past few months had been the roughest of my life. Noah had been there through it all and I
couldn’t stand to hurt him anymore, but I needed to get out of this city, out of this funk I was in and do
something worthwhile. I was going to join the Fallen Resistance, an elite group of Fallen Army soldiers
who worked in San Francisco, to save women and children from the underground human trafficking ring.
I’d shaved my head, sold my bike and there was no going back.
“You wanted me to let her go. I’m letting her go!” I told my best friend.
In the past few months since my attempt at taking my life, I’d taken a dark turn. I’d become a functional
alcoholic, bingeing on weekends to numb the pain. I tried to pick up my old life where I left it, but it
wasn’t possible. Going out in warzones and being active in the Army did little to distract me. I kept
thinking about what they were doing to her, if she were still alive. The thick scars on my wrists never
healed like they should have, so they were a constant reminder.
I was lost without her. So lost.
Every time I failed at life, Noah was there to pick me up again, and I couldn’t do that to him anymore.
Not when he had Shea, and his own future to plan. I wouldn’t bring him down with me. I needed to take
Raphael’s advice and move on. Create a new life.
I needed to give up on Brielle.
“I don’t want you to get killed in the process of letting her go. People in the resistance don’t make it
home.” Noah’s voice caught, and I knew I’d have to be a dick or he’d never let me go. He’d never stop
trying to get me to come back to this place that only reminded me of her.
“Then I’ll never come back. I don’t care!” I shouted in his face.
Noah reached out, blindingly fast, letting his fist connect with my jaw. Pain exploded in my face, and
for a second a thrill went through me. I’d forgotten what it was like to feel.
It was better this way.
I just stared at him. My closest friend, my only friend now.
“Shit. Linc … I’m sorry.” His regret was immediate. I could see it in his wide eyes.
I nodded. “Don’t come after me.”
I shoved myself in the car before I lost my nerve. Throwing it in reverse, I peeled out of the parking
lot, my gaze on the rearview mirror, where my best friend was on his knees in tears.
I’d become an asshole. The same asshole I was when Bri met me.
MY BUDDY DILLY, the one who talked me into joining the resistance, gave me a safe house address on the
edge of San Francisco to memorize. Joining the resistance was a position only open to captains, and Dilly
knew I was struggling with staying in Angel City. At least this would give me a purpose—killing the sick
assholes who sold children like they were property, and getting those kids back to their families without
getting caught. It was at least something positive I could do with my life. Even if my existence would be
short-lived, since the life expectancy of a resistance fighter was about three to six months.
But how many people could I save in that time? Each person I saved from slavery would be
redemption for not being able to save Bri.
The drive was long and agonizing. I kept thinking of Noah’s destitute face as I drove away; the pain in
my jaw reminded me just how broken our friendship had become. By the time I finally pulled up to the
small safe house, I was tired and weary. San Francisco was a demon stronghold; no angel-blessed was
allowed in there. The people they despised the most were Celestials. If I were found out, I’d be hung up
in the streets, making an example of me.
As I threw the car in park, a figure in black army fatigues popped out from the shadows of the house
and approached my car, a gun at his side.
Whoa, tight security.
“Who sent you?” he asked in a low, hushed voice. His hood was pulled over his head to mask his
face. I popped the door open, leaning out halfway.
“Dilly Thomas.” I matched his quiet tone.
The man nodded and looked behind me, as if assessing if I were followed. “Get your shit and get
inside. We’re moving this safe house tomorrow. Too many neighbors asking questions.”
Damn.
I wasn’t used to this type of treatment. I was a captain. I was the one usually barking orders. Yet, for
all I knew, this guy could be above me in rank and if I wanted to help the resistance, I’d have to leave my
ego at the door. Jumping out, I swiftly grabbed my bag and then followed him into the house.
The moment we entered the doorway, he closed it and spun on me. Whipping off his hood, he exposed
the face of a man of about forty, with short-buzzed hair and fierce brown eyes.
“What are you?” he asked. “Angel blessed?”
My heart thudded in my chest. What if the safe house had been compromised, and this guy was some
demon-bound asshole ready to take my head off the moment I said Celestial. I’d left my sword and all
other identifying objects back in Angel City. Other than my wings and the tattoos hidden under my coat,
nothing would be overly obvious.
My answer took too long, and I saw the moment he mistrusted me. His gaze sharpened, and his grip
tightened on the gun.
Screw it. Here goes nothing.
“Celestial.” I braced myself for the shots that might follow, if he wasn’t in fact a part of the resistance.
The man relaxed a little. “Captain Grey?”
A relieved sigh left me. Why the hell hadn’t we started with names?
I simply nodded.
He saluted me. “I’m General Stiger.”
My eyes bugged. A general? Not just any general. General Stiger was a legend, and he was running
front door security? This guy had single-handedly started the resistance.
I straightened my stance, standing at attention. “Nice to meet you, sir.”
“At ease, son. We don’t follow much protocol here. We’re all equals for the cause.”
Equals. In the military? Interesting. Especially considering they only accepted captains or higher.
He must have noticed my slight smirk.
“Can’t have a bunch of rookies up in here getting their partners killed.”
 My eyebrows rose. “Partners?”
I had thought this was a solitary mission, which was the reason I took it.
He nodded. “Every resistance member goes in with someone pretending to be their significant other.”
My stomach sank. “So…” I wasn’t sure I was hearing him right.
He placed a hand on my back, and led me into the adjoining room, where a young attractive woman
with short black hair sat on a couch, cleaning a gun.
“So, this is your new partner and pretend girlfriend, Catia.”
Oh Fuck.
The girl looked up at me and nodded. “Nice to meet ya.” There was hardness in her features that
suggested she’d been through some shit. Her smile was forced, her eyes a little sad. You didn’t join the
resistance because you loved your life, that was for sure.
My heart was pounding in my chest. I’d come here to forget about my fiancée being taken by the Devil,
not to dishonor her name by moving in with some chick and playing house.
“Hey,” I mumbled to her before turning to General Stiger. “Umm, if it’s cool with you guys, I’d like to
just go in by myself. No significant other.”
The girl raised one eyebrow but went back to cleaning her gun, not saying a word.
“I heard about your situation, son.” General Stiger put a hand on my shoulder, in an oddly comforting
gesture for a military man. “But we’ve found that single males of your physique moving into the city are
targeted for being spies. If you move in with your girlfriend, looking for work, it’s a bit more believable.
And the longer you’re in there, the more lives you can save.”
I let out a sigh and nodded curtly.
He was right.
Stiger squeezed my shoulder. “Alright then, I’ll leave you two to get to know each other, and I’ll be
back in two hours to give you your mission details. Learn as much as you can about the other in that time,
because it could be life or death if you don’t look like a real couple.”
Fuck my life.
I’d lived the past ten or so months in a trailer so I could avoid human interaction, and now I was
supposed to make this chick my fake girlfriend in two hours? A headache throbbed at the base of my skull.
Walking over, I sat on the couch next to Catia, but as far away as I could, hugging the armrest across
from her.
“I’m Captain Lincoln Grey, Celestial. I’ve been with the Fallen Army for a while now. I’m twenty—”
“Whoa there, robot.” She cut me off with a laugh. “Let’s start with normal conversation.”
I blinked rapidly, caught off guard by her question. I’d forgotten what normal conversation was.
Her eyebrow rose. “What kind of music do you like? Favorite food? Stuff like that. Couples stuff.”
Couples.
My heart pinched, I could almost hear Brielle’s voice in my head if I closed my eyes tight enough.
I didn’t want this girl thinking this was anything but an army assignment. Best to get that right out in the
open.
“Look, before we get to know each other, I just want to say that this is strictly a work assignment for
me. I’m not interested in a real relationship or anything so … yeah.”
Jesus, that was awkward, and why the hell was she grinning ear to ear?
“Well, considering I like girls, this is strictly a work assignment for me as well.”
I’m an idiot.
Why did I assume she would have the hots for me?
“Right. Sorry.” This was going to be the longest two hours of my life.
Setting her gun down, she turned to face me. “So, tell me your story. Like, for reals. Let’s get to know
each other on a deeper level. It will make all of this more believable and easier.”
 There was something about this girl being a complete stranger—even though she was asking me to
reveal my story—that had the floodgates opening inside of me. Raph and Noah had begged me to see a
grief counselor like I did when my parents died, but I’d refused because Brielle wasn’t dead. Or at least I
couldn’t believe she was until I saw a body. But with Catia, the stranger who was into other chicks and
not me, I decided to let out everything.
“I’m here because my fiancée was kidnapped by Lucifer, and taken to the underworld—but not before
he slit her throat. So, I’m not really sure if she’s dead or alive, but it’s been almost a year, and I need a
change. I want to make a difference … so I’m here.”
There. I said it. To a complete stranger.
Her eyes widened before growing misty, and she nodded.
“I’m here because my fourteen year old little sister was taken in the night, from her bed in our family
home, and sold into slavery. By the time we found her she was in Europe, being used as child labor…”
Her voice caught. “And they must have been tipped off because they killed her before we could get there.
I’m here to get as many kids as I can out, and back to their families.”
Oh my God.
I wasn’t sure what to do, but instinctively I reached for her hand and she took mine, giving it a
squeeze.
“Let’s set a record for most kids rescued,” I told her.
Her lips curled into a grin, a few tears leaking from the corners of her eyes. “I’d like that.”
And with that, against all odds, I’d made a new friend.
 CHAPTER EIG HT

C atia turned out to be one of the coolest chicks I’d met in a long time. She had a great sense of
humor, was dedicated to the cause, and gave me shit at every turn. She was a mage in the Fallen
Army, which would come in super handy in concealing my angel- blessed gifts. General Stiger
wasn’t back yet, and it had crept well over the two-hour mark, but we continued to happily get to know
each other.
“So, anyone special back home?” I asked her as I did inventory of my pack. I had a pocket knife, but
no fancy weapons that would alert a demon to where I was truly from.
She shrugged. “My ex-girlfriend cheated on me a few months ago, so I figure this is a good way to get
back at her.”
Hah. I barked out a laugh. I was about to retort, when the front door opened and then slammed.
“We need to leave!” the general barked, bursting into the room.
I stood quickly, slinging my bag over one shoulder. Catia also jumped to attention, stashing her
revolver into her duffle bag.
“The safe house has been made. We need to go out the back.” He flung the back door open and we
burst out into the night, no questions asked.
The sound of sirens blared in the distance as we ran to the back fence, hopping over it and into the
neighbor’s yard. The sound of a barking dog forced our little group to run faster, going again over the wall
and into the front yard. Now we were at the street behind the safe house, the lamps cast little yellow
circles onto the concrete, and I looked left and right before sprinting with the general and Catia to the next
block. We jogged for a good five minutes before finally reaching a dark train yard.
After a moment of catching his breath, the general handed Catia and I each an envelope.
“Your new identities. This only works if you go through the main guard gate, and request citizenship.
If you sneak in, there’s no way you’ll be made a broker. Brokers are the ones that deal with buyers, and
have full access to the slaves.”
Broker. Buyer. Slave. Those words sounded so wrong when talking about humans.
Catia and I nodded, slipping the papers into our jackets.
General Stiger walked us over to a side alley, where a beat up motorcycle was leaning against a wall.
He handed me the keys.
“If they let you in, they will put you in temporary housing for a week. Our guy on the inside says they
monitor everything you say in temp housing. No visual, but audio in nearly every room. So, be a couple.
Act like couples do, and don’t talk about anything resistance related.”
Jesus. It was at that moment that I realized I might be in over my head. I wanted to make a difference,
but would I even survive a week?
 “Who’s our contact on the inside?” Catia asked.
Stiger nodded. “James Willow. He’s deep undercover, been at his post nearly a year. Our longest
lasting operative.”
That was probably supposed to be good news, but instead, it just made a stone sink into my gut.
A year was a long time to live?
It didn’t matter. I didn’t want to live without Brielle anyway. And in the short time I did have to live, I
wanted to make a difference.
“How do we get the slaves out?” I asked. I needed to know more about an operation before going into
it. I’d never gone in blind like this.
Stiger looked over his shoulder, scanning the space. The sirens were still blaring, but sounded a
decent ways away.
“Sometimes we leave a cage open, sometimes we smuggle them out through the tunnels, but most times
we buy them.”
Cage. He said cage.
“Buy them how?” I could see he was frustrated with all my questions, but I just couldn’t ride off into
the night without more answers.
“The archangels funnel us every extra penny they have, and we buy them as if we were potential slave
owners.”
My throat tightened with emotion. Michael. Raph. They were damn good men and I’d miss them. I
should have known they were behind this.
The sirens were closer now.
General Stiger clapped us both on the shoulder, drawing us closer. “The resistance is nothing without
you. Thank you for your service on behalf of every family that will be reunited with their child, or sibling,
or spouse.”
My heart pinched, and I gave a curt nod before grabbing Catia’s bag, and strapping it to the back of the
bike.
Stiger looked at Catia. “Cover his tattoos and make him potions. He’s going in as a mage.”
She nodded, and then the general was running off into the dark night. I’d probably never see him again.
“Let me see your Celestial tattoo.” Her voice was hurried.
“I have two,” I told her, pulling up my sleeves to reveal Raphael and Michael’s symbols on my
forearms.
Her eyes widened a bit. “I’ve never heard of more than one.”
I chuckled. “Brielle had four—has,” I quickly corrected myself.
Catia frowned, sympathy rolling across her features as she worked her magic, covering one of my
tattoos, and turning the other into a death mark—marking me a black mage. When she was done, she
pulled a small green liquid vial from her purse. “Drink this and it will give you the ability to do basic
magic for about twenty-four hours. I’ll make you one every day.”
Whoa. Catia was clearly a powerful mage to be able to do that kind of spell craft. Popping the lid off,
I chugged the bitter liquid in one swig.
“Alright, let’s do this. I’m going to drive us right up to the guard gate,” I told her.
“Wait.” Her hand snaked out to me. “If we’re going to have to act like a couple, it means eventually
we will have to kiss. I’d rather do a practice run now while we’re alone. I’ve … never kissed a guy
before.”
I wanted to laugh but it wasn’t funny. It was sad. Sad that neither of us wanted to kiss each other, but
would need to in order to survive going undercover.
I just nodded, grabbing the sides of her face and moving closer. My heart jackknifed in my chest. The
only lips I ever wanted on mine were Brielle’s. She was the last person I’d kissed, and the only one I
wanted to kiss again.
Catia was wincing as if I was about to inflict pain on her.
“No tongue,” I told her.
Her eyes snapped open, horrified. “Obviously. Gross.”
That got a grin out of me, I’d never had a problem kissing girls before today.
Making it quick, I leaned in and pressed my lips to hers—like I would kiss my little sister before she
went off to kindergarten class. After holding there for three seconds, to make it seem legit, I pulled away.
Catia’s face was scrunched up like she’d just had the worst kiss of her life. “You need to shave.” She
wiped her lips. “Women are so much softer.”
I chuckled, thinking of how much Brielle liked my scruff, and how she would run her fingers along my
jaw.
“I’ll try to be more soft in our time together.”
It was her turn to grin now. “Thank you.”
Reaching in my pocket, I pulled out my cell phone, the last item that would link me to my old life, and
turned it on swiftly.
There were over a dozen texts and calls from Noah. Even one from Raph. I couldn’t bear to read
them, so I just looked at my new ID papers and texted Noah a quick message before breaking my phone,
and tossing it in the trash.
Lincoln: I’m sorry we fought. I love you man. My name is Tray Fox now.
I didn’t know why I told him my new name. Maybe on some level I wanted him to come and look for
me, to save me from myself. But I also wanted to mend things in case I never saw him again. And with
that, we got on the motorcycle and made our way into the most dangerous city on Earth.
 CHAPTER NINE

T here was a two-hour line at the border. When we finally got to the front, and I showed them
my papers declaring I wanted citizenship, they separated Catia and I and put us in rooms
for questioning. They asked a hundred average questions at first, but now they were starting
to ask questions that made me nervous.
“If I gave you a truth potion, would you still be telling me you’re not from Angel City?” the glum beefy
guard asked.
My heart rate spiked, but I kept my face calm. “Of course, man. I’m just trying to find work so I can
give my girl a better life.”
His eyes narrowed to slits. “And you say you’re a mage?”
I nodded. “Not a great one, but I’m sure I could find work in the city.”
“What kind of work are you looking for?” This man was some kind of demon blessed and I couldn’t
put my finger on what. Maybe beast shifter.
My shoulder’s rose with a shrug. “Whatever, man. Bartending, security, I’m not picky.”
The man stared at me for a good minute, before going to the back of the room, and returning with a
small vial. Suspended within the vial was a creamy green fluid.
“Drink this. It will strip you of any potions you may have taken to fake your powers. Then I want you
to demonstrate your mage power for me.”
Shit.
They know.
“Potions to fake powers?” My voice was slightly high pitched. “That’s cool. Can people really do
that?” I reached out for what he was holding, trying to sound like an awestruck teenager as I grasped my
hand around the vial. Really, I was nearly pissing myself, thinking of my exit route.
The guard looked down his nose at me. “We’ve had angel blessed trying to worm their way into our
city to spread their cheery bullshit. They’re faking their powers to get in, so we’ve devised a foolproof
plan against that.”
“Cool. Smart thinking.” I answered with a nod.
Oh God, I had to drink it. He was guarding the doorway, and there was no way around it.
I put the stuff to my lips and tipped my head back, taking it down in one big swallow. It burned like
hell down my throat, but I wasn’t sure if that was a reaction to breaking Catia’s spell, so I tried to school
my features to be calm.
The man was watching me closely. “Taste good?”
It must have been a test, so to play it safe I just shrugged. “I’m a pretty horrible mage, but what do you
want me to do? I’ll try my best.”
 Maybe he’d allow me to stand. Then I could overpower him in a fight. Instead, he pulled a domino out
of his pocket, and placed it at the end of the table.
“Knock this over with your magic,” he stated with a smug grin.
It was I who grinned, because that was something I could do with my Celestial magic. The color
would be different, but I could try to explain that away if he asked. Opening my palms facing out, I aimed
them at the domino that was about three feet away from me. Then, I closed my eyes and took a few
cleansing breaths.
“Today, kid, I got a hundred cases like yours.”
My eyes popped open, and I shot out with my healing light, sending out an arc of golden magic that
knocked the domino off the table. It slid across the floor.
The guard’s eyes popped open in surprise. “Gold mage magic?”
I tried to look bemused. “Yeah, kind of an embarrassment to the family.”
The guard opened his mouth to speak when the door burst open. “We got an angel blessed in the next
room! This guy cleared? It’s all hands on deck.”
My breath came out in ragged gasps. An angel blessed? Here? Right now? For a sick moment I thought
maybe Noah had followed me here and it was him, but I knew he wouldn’t leave Shea.
The guard took one look at me through those hard, slitted eyes. “Yeah, he’s clear. Give him and his
girlfriend temporary housing for a week.”
Temporary housing was code for spy on Catia and I for a week.
The other guard nodded and that was it.
We were in. Holy shit.

THE NEXT SEVEN days were a mixture of hilarious, awkward, and scary. Catia and I had to live like a
‘normal’ couple. Seeing as though we didn’t really know each other, that proved extremely awkward. We
couldn’t ask each other things, trying to get to know the other person better, for fear it would tip off
whoever was listening. So we just talked about weather, how I would find work, and played zombie
shooting video games, at which Catia was very good.
At night, every few days we pretended to have sex. Catia sat across from me and moaned while I tried
not to laugh. Then I joined in with my verbal utterances, and Catia would laugh. Whoever was listening
must have thought our sex life was weird as hell, because she would always laugh at my fake orgasm, and
then I’d smack her arm to shut her up. You hadn’t seen awkward until you’d had fake sex with a lesbian,
who thought you were an awful kisser.
I’d swept the entire apartment, and found small button-size mikes under our bedside lamp, under the
blender in the kitchen, under the DVD player in living room, and as gross as it sounded, under the soap
dispenser in the bathroom. For seven freaking days, I had to live with a total stranger, and pretend we’d
intimately known each other for years. I knew Catia was having a hard time with it too, because she
would randomly burst out laughing when I did something, like trying to make dinner the first night and
give her meat. She kindly reminded me she was a vegetarian, something I’d forgotten. It was a mess.
Today was our last day, thank God. We’d already packed up and been told we’d be receiving
discharge papers soon.
Catia was pacing the floors of the living room. “I can’t wait to get out of here and find some decent
work. I hope we can score a good apartment too.”
I nodded. “We can stay at a motel for a few nights until we find a good place. I’ve got that money we
saved up for the down payment.”
 With wide eyes, I tried to let her know it was actually my money, and I’d be happy to put it down on
our shared apartment.
She chuckled. “Hah. You mean the money I mostly saved.”
I grinned. Clearly she had her own money. Catia was a feminist. Brielle would have loved her.
A sharp pang hit my heart as I thought of my fiancée. Fiancée? Ex fiancée? Late fiancée? I wasn’t sure
what to call her anymore, and that killed me.
Before I could wallow further, a knock at the door pulled me from my thoughts.
“Come in!” Catia yelled and we both stood frozen.
A young heavyset female entered the apartment, slapping a stack of papers down on the dining table.
“You’re approved for residency in San Francisco. Any violating of our laws will be met with
consequences. The laws are outlined in the pamphlet.” She pointed to the papers she’d just given us.
This lady totally looked like she hated her job. It was clear in the way she was scowling at us behind
tired eyes. Catia and I simply nodded, wondering when she’d let us go. Whether they said it or not, we
were prisoners here. It was implied by the way the security guards walked the halls at all hours, and
didn’t let anybody leave. The outer apartment gates were locked from the outside, and groceries were
delivered. We had yet to even explore the city.
“Alright, go! We need to make room for newcomers,” she hissed.
I grabbed my bag, and then, being a gentleman, I reached for Catia’s, only to have her smack my hand
away and grab it herself.
With a shake of my head and a suppressed grin, I passed the mean old lady, and snatched the stack of
papers before walking out of jail, and into my new life.
 CHAPTER TEN

T he second Catia and I walked out of the apartment's front gates, I saw that the city was not
what I’d expected. It weighed down on me, like Demon City did back home, but to a lesser
degree—just a mild and tolerable pain.
Everything was coated in a red glow. The streetlights were red neon signs; everything glowed a sickly
color. It was weird. There was also an air of fear in the place. People ran quietly, head down, to
wherever they were going, as if they feared getting caught for doing something bad. My gaze flicked to a
pair of Monkshood demons patrolling the streets with machine guns.
“Jesus,” Catia breathed.
“Tray Fox?” a small voice said behind me, causing me to jump a little, which elicited a chuckle from
my “girlfriend.”
I spun, and upon seeing the small boy, softened. “Yeah?”
He took off running, and I shared a confused look with Catia.
A trap? Or something else.
She took off running after him, and I decided to follow if only to keep her from getting killed. We ran
past a body hanging from a streetlamp and we both faltered, slowing our steps. The stench of death
reached my nose, and I glanced up to see it was a female with blond hair … like Brielle. Scrawled across
her shirt were two words in red paint: Angel Lover.
Catia made a whining noise in her throat and I grabbed her hand, steering her away from the gruesome
sight. This place wasn’t like Demon City. It was much, much worse. That was just made clear. We
reached the corner where the boy had taken a hard right, and followed him. Catia was right by my side,
eyes down now, hand still in mine. I’m sure she was a badass soldier, but there was also something
delicate and fragile about her. I felt this need to look after her, protect her from seeing anything too
horrifying.
She’d become like a treasured little sister to me in this short time together.
The boy cut into an alley and I navigated us that way, only to stop abruptly when I came head to head
with some dude. The boy scrambled quickly to hide behind him, and my hand went to my waist belt where
I normally kept my sword. The sword that was at Fallen Academy.
Dammit.
The guy smiled widely. “Tray! It’s good to see you, man. Been too long.” He leaned forward and
pulled me in for a rigid hug. When we pulled away, I saw that some of the neighbors were peeking out the
window, watching us.
“Is this your girl?” he asked me, pointing to Catia.
Who the hell was this dude? How did he know me? I was hoping he was a friendly. “Yeah, this is
Cat.”
She’d gotten a name close to her own. Not fair.
Catia swooped in, like an Oscar winning actress. “So good to finally meet you!” She squealed and
hugged the guy.
Did she know something I didn’t? This guy was as tall as me and built to match. With short-cropped
light brown hair and a scar over his eyebrow, he looked rugged and well lived.
“We’re famished,” Catia commented, and the guy nodded.
“Good, dinner is ready.”
I tried to nudge Cat. There was no way I was eating food from a stranger, but the dude just slipped
into the open doorway, with his little friend following close behind him. I shared one quick look with
Catia, but she simply shrugged as if she had no clue.
Great. If this were a trap we would have spent a whopping ten minutes in the city before being killed.
We silently walked down the long hall. A few doors were cracked open to reveal eyes watching us
from behind them, some human, some demon. When we got to the dude’s apartment, he unlocked it with a
key. It took a while because he had three deadbolts to unlock, all with different keys.
Weird.
Again, Catia and I shared a look as my muscles tensed, preparing for a fist fight if needed. Once the
apartment door was swung wide open, the dude and his kid entered, looking back at us to come in as well.
Was this guy Fallen Army? Or a planted trap from San Francisco demons?
I stepped in front of Catia, positioning her behind me, and entered the apartment. Dropping my bag
immediately, I freed up my hands for a fight. Once Catia stepped in, the little boy scurried behind us and
started locking all the bolts.
“Who are you?” I asked him, assessing any exits. I could grab Catia and bust out of the window if I
had to, take a fire escape—or worst case, use my wings.
He bowed his head. “James Willow. At your service.”
Relief crashed through me. My muscles relaxed, and my heart rate settled.
Our inside contact.
The little boy went to the stove and started to ladle hot soup into large bowls.
“You had me worried for a minute there, man,” I told him, reaching out to shake his hand.
The guy grinned, and I decided he couldn’t be a day over twenty-two. So young.
“Who’s the kid?” Catia asked, taking off her coat, and making herself at home.
James looked back at the boy with a touch of sadness on his face. “To the outside world he is my
house slave. I saved him from being sold to a buyer in Saudi Arabia. I plan to reunite him with his family
soon, but he’s agreed to stay on and help the cause.”
The boy set the bowls on the table and nodded. “Stick it to the man,” he told us.
I tried to force a grin, but it was hard considering that my heart was breaking for his situation. “They
just sell kids like it’s no big deal?” I knew my question was naïve, but I was having trouble processing it
all.
James sighed. “Yeah. Daily. It’s a billion dollar industry that lines the demons’ pockets. But when I
bought Mathew, it earned me respect among the demons. All the important demons have house slaves.
Then I got brought into the inner circle, which is where I can make the most change.”
Mathew grinned, slurping his soup. “We’re going to get all the kids out,” he told us proudly as I
threatened to start crying in front of these new strangers.
James ruffled his hair. “Yes we are, buddy. As many as we can.”
I realized then that Catia hadn’t said a word. Looking over, my gaze met hers. There were unshed tears
in her eyes.
She must have been thinking about her late sister. I grasped her hand and nodded. She nodded back,
wiping her eyes before composing herself.
I met James’ cool gaze. “Tell me how we can help you.”
That’s really all Catia and I wanted. To help.
He smiled. “I was hoping you would say that.”
And with that we went over the plan. James told us everything about how the city worked. In order to
get access to the women and children, and handle the sale of them, I needed to become a broker. Women
were frowned upon to become brokers because they were too soft, but James thought he could get Catia a
job feeding and caring for the slaves while they were in transit.
James was going to hook up Archangel Michael’s bank account, to a credit card that I would be
permitted to use to buy slaves. I’d have to make up fake buyers from other countries, and ”broker” the sale
by paying the demons real money. Afterwards, I’d transfer the kids to the fake buyer—when in reality they
would be going back to Angel City, in Los Angeles, to be reunited with their family. I already felt giddy at
the prospect of helping get these women and children out of here.
“But there’s a catch…” James added, in an ominous tone.
Wasn’t there always a catch?
“Oh yeah? What’s that?”
James sighed, looking over at Mathew sadly. “You have to sell the first one for real, so the demons
learn to trust you.”
My eyes bugged and Catia’s spoon dropped into her bowl. “What? Like actually let some sick fuc—
freak take a kid?” she hissed, changing her language mid-sentence due to Mathew's presence.
James nodded. “Yes. They track your first sale, following up with that client. From then on, it’s a trust
basis. They don’t have the resources to follow every sale, and really only care about the money.”
Silence descended on the room then. I looked down at my bowl of soup with a frown.
I’d suddenly lost my appetite.
 CHAPTER ELEVEN

J ames let us crash on the couch. Well, Catia crashed on the couch and I took the floor. I
couldn’t fall asleep for a long time that night, and I knew by the way Catia kept tossing and
turning that she couldn’t either. When morning came, I was sluggish with sleep, and feeling
pretty depressed about my situation after hearing what I’d have to do while I was here.
Sacrifice one kid to save many? It didn’t sit well with me. But after hearing Catia’s firsthand story about
her little sister, I made a vow to save as many kids as I could in my short time here.
It was a catch 22.
James appeared in the doorway. “Tray, I’m going to introduce you to the Abrus demon in charge today.
If you impress him, he could make you a broker by the end of the day.”
I nodded. Broker. Brokering humans. It was revolting. “How can I impress him?”
James sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. “Bring in a person.”
My eyes bugged. “A person, like … to be sold?”
James nodded. “I’ve got a Fallen Army friend who will pose as a slave. She’s looking to get out of the
city. It turned out not to be her cup of tea.”
Yeah, I don’t think this was anyone’s cup of tea. “And selling her to a demon is going to help her?”
“She’s a badass. We will sell her to someone outside the city. She’ll kill them and break free. Head
back to Angel City.”
Catia stirred next to me. “That’s the only way to get out of here?”
James nodded. “Unless you’re a Celestial and you fly out. The exits of the city are more heavily
guarded than the entrances. There is an underground tunnel, but it’s shady and not a guarantee. A lot die
down there. Getting sold and breaking free is her best bet.”
“So I’ll be doing her a favor…” I hedged.
That made it a bit easier to swallow.
James nodded curtly. “Exactly. Think of it that way.”
Think of it that way. Wasn’t too confidence-inspiring.
“And me? How do I get inside?” Catia looked raring to go, eager for a position as well.
James shook his head. “You need to get a job cocktail waitressing, and set up an apartment for you and
Tray. Once he’s trusted and inside, he can bring you in and it won’t look suspicious.”
She looked ready to rage on James for daring to even insist she waitress and set up an apartment. That
was far too domesticated for Catia. I knew that, and I’d only known the girl a week.
I rested my hand on her shoulder. “We’ll set up the apartment together, and as soon as I’m in I’ll bring
you in too.”
With a sigh, she consented to that plan.
 “Breakfast is ready!” the boy called from the kitchen.
Catia shot James a dark look. “For a boy who is a fake slave, you sure have him cook a lot.”
James chuckled, taking Catia’s attitude in stride. “I keep telling him he doesn’t have to do anything
unless demons are around. But it turns out he wants to be a chef when he grows up. I think cooking keeps
his mind calm.”
Catia lowered her gaze in shame. “Oh.”
James looked at me standing in my boxers and a t-shirt. “Come on, get dressed. I’m taking you in first
thing.”
I nodded.
This was my moment. My time to shine. My moment to atone for letting Brielle get taken.
After eating breakfast, showering, and getting ready, James took me to meet the girl who would act as
my “slave.” Her name was Brit, and it was clear to see from her sleeveless shirt that she was packed with
muscle. I felt less bad about putting her in a dangerous situation, after seeing she could probably hold her
own in sparring with me.
“Thanks for doing this, man,” she told me as she pulled a sweater over her muscular arms.
“You’re helping me out too, so thank you,” I told her. I still had a hard time believing the only way out
of this city for a woman was being sold.
James instructed her to cut her hair in a jagged manner, and wipe off any makeup. The story was that
she was a prostitute I’d “acquired” last night at the motel. She looked like a prized cage fighter right now.
“These demons won’t wonder why on my first night in a new city, with my supposed girlfriend, I’m
sleeping with a prostitute and snatching her to sell?”
James full-on laughed, grabbing his belly and everything. “Are you kidding? These guys are so sick in
the head they would think it was weird if you were faithful to your girl, and not looking for any way to
make cash. Trust me, the darker you seem, the more they trust. It’s weird.”
Great. This was hell on Earth.
James suggested Brit put on a tiny skirt that barely covered her ass cheeks.
“Alright, Brit’s cover here is that she’s human, so magical cuffs aren’t needed, just regular ones.
You’re my buddy from a long time ago, got to the city, and I told you a bit about my line of work. You’re
ambitious. Want a new car or some shit, so you snatched Brit and you’re ready to make your first
offering.”
I nodded. “So, this will be my first sale?”
Relief flooded through me. Brit could clearly take care of herself. They’d follow up with her owner,
and after that she could break free. We’d both be in the clear.
James shook his head. “This is a freebie for Marx to trust you. You will give this offering as a gift to
Marx in order to try and get him to make you a broker.”
I gulped. “Marx?”
Brit growled. “The freakiest Abrus demon you’ll ever meet. I swear that man can read minds.”
James rolled his eyes. “He can’t read minds or I’d be dead, but he is … different. He’s definitely got
some screws loose. Just roll with whatever he does.”
Oh God, that sounded awful. “Okay.” I didn’t want James or Brit to know I was slightly scared. Best
to shove that shit down, and act like I was ready for this.
James checked his watch. “Let’s roll. I can’t be late.” It was nearly 9AM.
We slapped cuffs on Brit, and then James instructed me to manhandle her a little, and above all, for
her to be meek and timid. He also instructed her to act drugged and sluggish, since that’s how they lured
most of their victims.
“I’ll try,” she growled.
Hooking my hand under her armpit I hauled her up. Today was the first day of my double life. Tray
Fox ... the asshole who wanted to sell humans to make more money.
God help me.
 C HAPTER TWELVE

I t was about a ten-minute walk to an industrial warehouse that looked rundown from the
outside. A few windows were broken on the upper floor; the rest were blacked out with paint.
I had my game face on, but I had no weapons, and no using my angel magic. I was at the mercy
of fate. Catia had given me a bit of that spell potion to drink that allowed me to do basic magic for about
twenty-four hours. Hopefully this guy wouldn’t test me.
James walked up to some keypad on the side of the building and put in a code. The steel door hissed
open a moment later, and I yanked Brit inside.
“Hey!” Brit slurred groggily, trying to fight me.
My eyes darted around the space as we stepped inside. What looked rundown in the outside, inside
was a completely different story. There were a bunch of security TV screens up, with cameras pointing at
various parts of the city. Against the far wall was a kitchen with sleek metal countertops, where a human
female slave looked to be cooking.
“Willow! Who’s this?” Someone growled from the couch, and my head snapped in that direction.
There, in a swanky little living room set up, was a Brimstone demon, casually reclining on a leather
sofa.
James clapped me on the back. “This is my buddy Tray. He just got into town, and he’s brought Marx a
gift. He in?”
Another grunt came from the Brimstone demon, before he stood and disappeared into a back room. I
couldn’t take my eyes off the woman cooking in the kitchen. She was petite and blonde, reminded me a bit
of Kate, Bri’s mom. It took every ounce of self-control I had not to pull out my wings, grab the woman,
and fly her out the nearest window and back to Angel City.
Big Picture. Focus.
She didn’t look abused or malnourished, just overworked.
“Willow!” a deep gritty voice called from behind me.
The hairs stood up on my arms. An Abrus demon, with jet-black hair, walked out of the back bedroom
with a Succubus demon hanging on his arm. She was willowy, tall, and deadly looking. In the field, when
I saw either of these creatures, I shot first and asked questions later. Now, I was casually going to have a
conversation with them.
“What have you brought me?” the Abrus demon cooed.
He was smooth talking, dressed impeccably, and reminded me of the Devil himself. Marx carried
himself with an air of superiority, and from the look of the Succubus’ tattered appearance, they’d just had
sex.
Gross.
 You have to be all kinds of hardcore to sleep with a woman that spit razor blades for fun. I couldn’t
even bring myself to think of the Legion that would spawn from those loins.
“Marx!” James greeted the man jovially. “My new buddy Tray just got into town and he’s brought you
a gift. He’s hoping to become a broker. Make some extra cash.” James was all smiles, but I could see the
tension in his body, although barely noticeable to my trained eye.
The Abrus demon watched me with yellow eyes, taking in my appearance and that of Brit’s.
Marx slapped the Succubus beside him on the ass, dismissing her curtly. She shot him a nasty look, but
left the room, and retreated back to the bedroom. The Abrus demon stepped closer to me, face completely
void of emotion. “Everyone and their mom wants to be a broker. It’s the only way to earn a decent living
in this city. But why should I choose you?”
I gripped Brit hard under the armpit and dragged her closer to him. “Because I’m not afraid to bang a
hooker and then capture her as a slave. I’ve got balls of steel, and I’ll do a good job for you.”
The Abrus demon burst out laughing and looked at James. “Where did you find this guy?”
James grinned. “I knew you’d like him.” He avoided giving any detailed information about how we
knew each other. Smart.
“James, sell the slave and keep a ten percent finder’s fee for yourself. Brak, bring me a bottle of
tequila!” he shouted behind him, where the Brimstone demon had suddenly appeared. He looked at me
with a darkened gaze. “I want to get to know my new friend here.”
James nodded and forcefully removed Brit from my grasp. “Thank you, sir.”
He met my eyes only for the briefest moment, but there was something there. A warning. This was my
moment. I needed to play the part or I’d be in trouble.
As James left with Brit, I found myself alone with Marx in his living room, and a bottle of tequila. The
kitchen slave and the Brimstone demon had scrammed, and it was just us.
Abrus demons were powerful. No one really knew the extent of their magic, but I’d seen some crazy
shit in my time. They were second only to Lucifer himself in the power structure. I needed to tread
carefully.
Marx poured two shots of tequila and pushed one at me.
“I assume you drink?” he asked.
I grabbed the shot and tipped my head back, taking it down in one big swallow. “Like a fish.”
I’d actually weaned myself off before coming here. I’d seen the possibility of me becoming an
alcoholic, and I’d made a pact with myself not to drink my troubles away anymore. But I needed him to
trust me, so I was going to have to break my rule.
He grinned, and flashed a set of pointed white teeth. That, coupled with his pointy red horns that sat
atop his forehead, had my stomach tying in knots.
He eyed me coolly. “James has proven himself to be trustworthy, but still … I’m wary about you.”
My heart rate escalated, but I kept my face calm. “Why is that? What would an Abrus demon have to
worry about? You guys are badass.” I slipped into the role of starry-eyed ego fluffer, hoping he’d take the
bait.
Pulling a knife from his boot, he leaned closer to me. “Because we’ve got a good thing going for us
here in the city. I don’t need the Fallen Army Resistance coming in, and fucking it up for me.”
Shit.
“You think I’m Fallen Army?” I laughed, and poured myself another shot, trying to conceal my shaking
hand.
What the hell was he doing with that knife?
When I pulled my hand back from pouring the bottle, his arm snaked out and grabbed my wrist.
Turning it over, he looked at the thick white scars there.
“Tough life?” he asked.
 Bastard.
I found myself wondering why Raphael had left these scars for me, if maybe he knew a moment like
this would come, and it might sway the Abrus to trust me. Not many Fallen Army soldiers attempted
suicide.
I nodded. “Something like that.”
If he tried to kill me, I could jump out the kitchen window and fly, but dammit I wanted this gig. Now
that I’d seen what they did to the slaves, that they made slaves out of kids, I wanted to help. Bad.
“I need you to prove to me you aren’t a Celestial.” His hand was still on my wrist, other knife poised
for cutting.
I looked down at his firm grip. “What the hell, man? Know many Celestials that try to kill
themselves?”
He shrugged. “I know a lot of angel blessed sneak into my city and try to mess with my business, but
the Celestials … they’re the worst. I can almost smell them.”
He sniffed my wrist and I started to sweat.
“Dude, you’re freaking me out. James said you were cool. I’m not an angel. I’m a half-assed mage that
has a problem with authority.” I tried to yank my wrist back, but his grip tightened.
Marx held the knife over my forearm. “I’m going to need you to prove it.” With lightning- quick
reflexes he slashed the top of my arm, cutting it wide open.
I jumped up, cradling my arm to my chest. “What the hell, dude!”
This guy was insane.
Marx just sat there eyeing my injured arm. “You know, I’ve tried dozens and dozens of ways to try and
find out if someone is a Celestial. The truth spell is good but not foolproof. What I’ve discovered is that if
you injure a Celestial, their skin regenerates and heals the cut within five minutes.”
Oh fuck.
He was absolutely right. My arm was going to heal and that would be that. I’d be killed on the spot. I
eyed the window, but then Noah’s face came into my mind.
Noah. A healer. I was part healer too, something I often forgot, and neglected. I’d always felt like
more of a warrior, more like Michael, no matter how much Raphael tried to mentor me. If I could heal a
cut, couldn’t I somehow halt the cells from healing? Keep them frozen so that this looked real?
Calming my mind and my frantic heart rate, I focused on the pain in my arm. Noah was better at this
stuff, visualizing nerve endings, cells, and all that, but I did my best. I sent my healing awareness to the cut
in my arm and pushed the energy there to keep it open, keep the blood flowing. The slow dribble of
crimson trickled down my fingers, and onto the carpet.
“Can I get a towel, man?” I asked Marx, who watched me like a hawk.
He checked his watch. “In three more minutes.”
I growled, thinking that would be what a normal person would do in this situation, and he just grinned.
A few more minutes passed and I held that healing energy at bay, forcing it to actively keep my skin
from forming a scab. I needed to look before he did, so I could plan my exit if the skin was looking
healed. Peeling my fingers back, I nearly sagged in relief as I saw the open cut slowly dripping blood.
“Come on, man! It’s been five minutes. I’m going to pass out here,” I urged him.
Marx stood then and his black oily wings snapped out. Slowly, he strode across the floor toward me. I
stilled and held my breath. He reeked of sulfur and oil as he reached out and peeled my hand back. One
glance at my deeply cut and bleeding arm and he grinned, clapping me on the back.
“Welcome to my team, son. You’re my new broker.”
The relief that poured through me was short-lived. What had I just done? My life now officially had
an expiration date.
 CHAPTER THIRTEEN

“H oney, I’m home!” I called out to Catia as I entered our new, shared apartment. I’d been a broker
for a week now, and it was about as horrifying as I thought it would be.
Catia peeked her head out of the living room, where she sat on the floor with a game controller in her
hand.
“Ha ha, now get over here. I need a second player to whoop this guy’s ass.”
I grinned. Catia had quickly become a cherished friend. I went to work, saw a bunch of horrible and
heart-wrenching shit, and then came home to a chick who had no qualms about playing video games all
night, and eating takeout pizza. She was low maintenance and down to just chill.
Dropping my bag I locked the front door, before sitting next to her, and picking up the second
controller. She’d got the gaming system at the second-hand store with her tips from cocktail waitressing—
a job she hated. I used what little money I’d brought over to stock our apartment with essentials like food,
and James had loaned us a couple hundred to put down on a place until my first “sale.” This city was
more expensive than I realized, but, all in all, we were doing pretty well.
“How was work?” Catia asked as she smashed her avatar into the street fighter on the screen.
I hated when she asked that question. I didn’t want to answer honestly. I didn’t want to tell her about
the young teenagers in cages and the crying, having to walk by and ignore the outstretched fingers. It
sickened me to my core.
“Well, you’re going to see for yourself, because I got you a job cleaning cages. It’s off the books, cash.
Only three days a week but—”
Catia dropped the remote and tackle-hugged me, knocking me backward on the ground. “Thank you,
thank you, thank you!”
I laughed genuinely, hugging her back tightly before letting her go. “Sick of playing house?”
She crawled off of me and ran her fingers through her short-cropped hair. “You have no idea. I’m
dying to help out the cause. I can’t serve one more drink to an overweight pervert. Not. One. More.”
I nodded. “Well, you start tomorrow, which also happens to be the day of my first sale. The one
they’re going to track.”
There. I said it. The one thing I didn’t want to really talk about, but also needed to talk about.
I let the silence linger in the air as the heavy feeling in my chest grew. I’d met my first fifteen-year-old
slave today. She’d been ferried in from the warzones, and James had helped me win the bid on her.
The way it worked was those bastards out in the warzones, and other places, stole women and
children in the middle of the night, and transported them to San Francisco, where the brokers bid on
them. The highest bid got the slave. Then, as a broker, I took pictures of them, and listed them for “sale”
on the dark web. Once a buyer was found, I charged twenty times what I paid. Fifty percent of the profit
went to Marx, and I kept the other fifty. I didn’t know how undercover cops did this shit day in and day
out. I wouldn’t last more than a few months.
The only thing keeping me here, was knowing that I was going to free some. Knowing that I could save
some lives.
Catia fiddled with her fingers. “Is it a girl or boy?”
I swallowed hard, trying not to think about having to sell the girl tomorrow. A real sale.
“Girl,” I mumbled.
“How old?” Her voice caught.
“Fifteen.”
A whimper escaped her throat and I let go of the controller.
“We have to. This is how they will grow to trust me. From here on out, every kid I sell is really being
ferried back to Angel City, to Michael. To safety.”
Catia was trying to control her breathing. I could see the desperation in her wide eyes. “But this one
girl, she has a family. Is her life not important? Like my sister…”
Fuck.
My chest pinched the way it did after Brielle had been lost, and grief overcame me once again. “What
would you have me do? Fly this one girl to safety, blow my cover, and the rest of the women and children
after her won’t be saved?”
I had to be realistic about this. If I could get them to trust me, it could change the game. I could save
dozens of lives.
Catia bit her lip, chewing on it nervously. “No. No, that won’t do. We’re going to beat the record,
right? Most kids saved.”
“Yeah.” I assured, offering her a faint smile.
We were silent for a moment as the reality pressed in on us. To save many, we’d have to sacrifice one.
I wasn’t sure I could do it. Only tomorrow would tell, when the time came, if I were capable. I was
the broker. I’d have to ship her out like a package, and never see her again.
“I’m tired. I’m gonna hit the sack early.” I stood abruptly, and stormed back to our shared bedroom.
We kept up appearances in case people snooped around, but Catia spent most nights on the couch, which
she said was more comfortable than sleeping next to me. I had nightmares most nights, and mumbled in my
sleep.
Brielle, my nightmares were always about Brielle. They were always about letting her be taken. If she
was alive, if she was stuck in Hell, what was she doing this very moment? I had no idea. I kicked off my
jeans and slipped under the covers, uncaring that my stomach was growling for dinner. I didn’t deserve
food. I was a monster who was about to sell a fifteen-year-old to a lifetime of slavery. If Brielle were
here, she wouldn’t let it happen. She’d do something insanely stupid and dangerous, yet brilliant, and save
them all.
That was the last thought I had before sleep took me.
She was always the last thing I thought about, and my first thought when I awoke. Even after this long.

“WAKE UP !” Catia kicked me lightly in the ribs.

I moaned, rolling over to see my fake girlfriend wearing tattered clothes. Her face was covered in
some kind of engine grease. She’d ratted up her hair raggedly so that she well and truly looked like she
was homeless or a drug addict.
“What the hell, Cat?” I sat up, rubbed my eyes, and looked at her again.
 She started pacing the bedroom. “I couldn’t sleep. I kept thinking of my late sister. A life is a life and I
can’t let one go on our watch.”
She was spiraling.
I stood and crossed the room to her. “We talked about this. I can help more people if—”
“Exactly! You. It’s always going to be you helping, because brokers are all men. I can’t do shit when
I’m cleaning cages. You don’t need me.”
I frowned. “What do you mean?”
She stopped pacing. “I mean, you’re going to go into work and say you came home last night and that
my shit was gone. I split because I caught you cheating. Then you’re going to tell me the location of the
drop-off. Wherever you go to ship the girl, I’m going to sneak in and travel with her. When we arrive
together, I’ll give it a few days so that the contact can vouch the deal went okay. Then I’ll kill him, take
the girl, and get her back to Angel City.”
My eyes widened. She’d clearly been up all night thinking about this. “Cat, the buyer is in Paris. You
can’t just nonchalantly pose as a homeless woman, go to Paris, and get her back to Angel City without
help.”
Her face fell quickly at my revelation before lighting up again. “Paris! There’s a Fallen Academy
sister school there, right?”
It was super top-secret info that only someone of her station in the Army would know. Fallen
Academy had four sister schools across the world. Five places total where kids could go to get the
training they needed to deal with their gifts. Los Angeles was by far the biggest, run by Raphael. New
York, Paris, Toronto, and Zurich were much smaller schools that operated in hiding because they were
pockets on the edge of warzones. Gabriel and Uriel split their time between the four schools, helping do
awakening ceremonies and teaching the kids to control their powers.
In the event there was a Celestial found at a sister site, they were transported to Los Angeles Fallen
Academy for their tattoos and schooling. But that had only happened one time in the history of the Fallen
War. We were too rare a breed.
Could Catia get the girl out and sneak her away to the Paris Fallen Academy where they would be
safe under the protection of the teachers there? The wheels started turning in my mind. It was actually a
decent plan, one that would see them both live.
“My buyer is an Abrus demon. Powerful.”
It was my turn to pace now. Catia was my only friend in the world right now; the last thing I wanted
was to send her away to her death. After losing Brielle, Noah, and all my friends and family … it would
break me. I couldn’t be party to any more loss. Not if I could prevent it.
Catia nodded. “I understand. I’m a powerful mage who can turn an Abrus demon into a pile of shit if I
want. I’ll make it look like a break-in, and that the girl ran off afterward. It will never come back to you.”
We both knew she couldn’t guarantee that. Did it matter? I was on borrowed time anyway. No one
lasted long in the resistance, and a few months ago I’d been ready to take my own life…
I just wanted to make a difference in the world, and I couldn’t do that by sacrificing this fifteen-year-
old. It would just be another thing to haunt me.
“Okay, let’s do it,” I confirmed.
Catia squealed, jumping up and down a few times.
I held out my hand. “Hold your excitement. The buyer has arranged a private jet for the girl. So, unless
you are a flight attendant, you’re not getting on.”
She grinned suddenly. “When does the plane leave?”
My brow furrowed. “Noon.”
With a nod she started to leave the room.
“Where are you going?”
 “I’ve got a plan,” she called out. “I’ll see you at the jet!”
Why were all the women in my life so strong willed? I couldn’t keep one around long enough to
protect them.
 C HAPTER FOURTEEN

C atia was batshit crazy. I showed up to the private hanger with James, who’d been assigned as my
broker mentor, and the teen girl. Catia was waiting for us in the jet … dressed as a stewardess.
Luckily, I’d been able to brief James on the way over, to tell the teenager I was in the Fallen
Army and that we were going to get her back to her family. But still, nothing prepared me for that jet door
opening and Catia peeking her head out. Gone were the grease and ratty clothes of her homeless cover,
and now she wore a crisp, bright blue stewardess uniform with high heels. She hated heels.
Where the hell was the flight attendant who was supposed to be on this plane? I didn’t want to know.
Catia wouldn’t hesitate to kill her and dump the body, if she determined the flight attendant knew about the
kids, and was willingly helping the demons.
“Bonjour!” Catia greeted with a French accent.
James and I shared a look. What the actual fuck was going on?
“Right this way.” Cat let us on the plane. I dragged the timid kid up the steps and strapped her in the
seat. All the while, I kept my gaze on my fake girlfriend. How the hell had she managed this?
“You’re going to be okay. I promise,” I whispered softly to the fifteen-year-old, who’d started to cry a
little.
She just nodded.
“The flight attendant is one of us. You can trust her,” I told the girl.
Again she just nodded, in terror, and it killed me that I was contributing to that terror.
The cockpit door was open and two pilots were inside, chatting casually with each other like they
weren’t about to transport a child across the ocean to be enslaved.
“Starting liftoff protocols,” the captain announced over the speaker, and shut the door to the cockpit,
leaving us alone.
The moment it shut, I stepped into Catia’s space. “What the hell, Cat?” I breathed.
She glanced at the closed cockpit door warily. “I got this. Don’t worry about me.”
She’d become my only friend here; we’d been through so much together. Yes, our relationship was
fake, but the platonic one we’d built wasn’t. I was going to miss her, worry about her. In a way, she’d
filled a void that Brielle left, offering me a small amount of companionship. My throat tightened with
emotion. Maybe she didn’t need me to protect her, maybe the best thing for Cat was letting her go. I had to
believe she could do this, protect the girl and herself.
“Be careful,” I told her.
She looked at the girl fiercely. “I will. Make me proud. Break that record.”
My throat tightened harder. I didn’t want to let her go. What if she got caught? What if they killed her?
It was Brielle all over again.
 There was so much I wanted to say, so much I wanted to tell her.
“I…” I paused.
She grinned. “I love you too.”
I smiled back. I did love her, like I loved Noah or Shea. She’d brought me back from the darkness for
a short time and I’d never forget her, or the long nights we stayed up playing video games.
I turned to leave and her hand reached out, catching my upper bicep. When I turned back to face her,
there was tenderness in her eyes. “There’s something I’ve been meaning to tell you. I think Brielle … is
alive,” she whispered.
It was like a punch to my gut; the wind flew out of me. “What? Why?”
She shrugged. “I got a feeling, a glimpse. My professor said I might be part Sighted. I’ve been trying
to find the right time to tell you. I feel like you shouldn’t give up. She’s alive.”
Don’t give up. She’s alive.
My knees went weak at her declaration, but just then the jet turbines kicked on and James was pulling
me out of there.
I’d never forget the look on Catia’s face. I wasn’t sure if I’d ever see her again, so I wanted to
remember her in this moment, full of faith and hope where I had none.

S OMETHING HAD CHANGED in me since Cat left. She’d blown into my life like a tornado, and left just as
quickly, but somehow she’d pieced me back together a little, like Noah would have if I’d let him. She’d
given me hope that Brielle was alive, and now I desperately clung to that as I worked to save as many
women and children as possible. After posing as a broker for about a month, I’d successfully smuggled
seventeen women and children to Angel City, unbeknownst to Marx or any of the other demons.
I was just starting to think I could do this forever, save hundreds, when a demon kicked down my
door.
Panic ripped through me as I leapt off the couch where I’d been chilling, and backed up into the wall.
It was one of Marx’s men. Had I been found out?
“What the hell?” I shrieked.
Marx strolled in after him, looking around at my sparse pad.
“We have a problem, my friend,” Marx drawled, pinning me with a death glare. His small red horns
peeked out of his gelled black hair, reminding me of what I was up against.
My tongue was stuck to the roof of my mouth, heart racing. Was this the end of the road for me?
Seventeen. I’d saved seventeen lives. That was worth it if this were my last day to draw breath, I
decided.
“Turns out our mutual buddy James was in a little club called the Fallen Resistance.”
No.
James.
I feigned shock. “What? How?”
The edges of Marx’s lips curled as he stepped closer to me, bringing the stench of hellfire with him.
“The how doesn’t matter to me now. What matters is that you prove to me you aren’t with him.”
Shit.
James was most likely dead. I knew he’d never rat me out, but we had told Marx we were friends
from before, and James had pulled me into the job, so it did look suspicious. I only hoped Mathew had
gotten free, and left the city like James had taught him to do if things went south.
“I … what do you—” He cut off my mumbling by gathering up my shirt.
 Pulling me close to him, he breathed sulfur into my face. “I don’t want to hear what you have to say.
You get to show me. You’ve looked familiar since the day you got here, and I couldn’t figure out why.
Then today I remembered seeing you on a list of known Celestials years ago. You’re one of Michael’s,
aren’t you?”
The entire world tilted on its axis in that moment. This was how it all went down. This was how you
got caught and killed in this city.
“Screw Michael, man. I don’t know what you’re talking about!” I searched the room for weapons.
The lamp was pretty heavy, but I wished I had my sword. I’d cut these two assholes down in one fell
swoop.
Marx grinned at the Brimstone demon beside him. “He’s good. Open the portal. I need to know who I
can trust.”
Portal.
Oh shit.
Marx turned back to face me with a slimy grin on his face. “That’s right. I’ve discovered a fail-proof
way to see if I have a hidden Celestial in my midst.”
Hellfire erupted along the Brimstone demon’s palms, and a portal to Hell started to open there. At
first it was just a small circle, but it got wider by the moment. This was it. There was no talking my way
out of this one. If they made me step into the portal, not only was my cover blown, but I was a dead man.
What Catia had said on the airplane had stuck with me. She thought Brielle was alive … that meant I
had to fight for my life, like Brielle might be fighting for hers.
I was going to have to go for the element of surprise.
Shoving my entire bodyweight forward, I knocked Marx backward, just as my wings snapped out
behind me.
Oh God, it felt so good to feel them stretch the length of the room; they’d been cramped for months,
like forgotten limbs. Now that they were free, it was like scratching an itch I couldn’t properly reach.
The front door had been left ajar. If I could just—
Marx reached out from his place on the ground and swept my legs out from under me.
“I knew it!” he roared as I struggled to keep my balance.
The Brimstone demon was speechless, standing there with a half-created portal in his hands while
Marx tried to get up from the ground.
Wasting no time, I reached up on the side table next to the couch and grabbed the heavy brass lamp
that Catia and I had picked out from a thrift store—I’d wanted this retro glass one, but she had insisted the
brass heavy gargoyle was cool. Tearing the cord from the wall, I came down hard across Marx’s temple
and knocked him out clean.
A thrill went through me. Catia forcing me to buy that ugly ass lamp might have just saved my life.
I popped up just in time to see the Brimstone demon swipe out at me. Fire licked along my face as his
fist crashed into my jaw. Searing hot pain erupted along my skin, and I knew I needed to act quickly. Marx
would awaken soon, and with the two of them and no weapons to defend myself, I’d be dead.
With a grunt, I threw myself forward, slamming into the demon and sending us both crashing
backwards into the TV. The Brimstone demon’s back shattered the thin plasma screen—a gift from James.
Without hesitation, I grabbed a shard of glass and shanked him repeatedly in the neck.
Dark oily blood sputtered out of the wound and spilled onto the floor, but I kept going. I had a better
chance of killing him if I took off his horns first, but I didn’t have the time or weapon for that. I just
needed to weaken him enough to get away. When he finally collapsed at my feet, I wasted no time in
leaping over Marx and bolting out the door, sucking my wings into my back so as not to alert anyone
lingering in the hallway to what I truly was.
I just needed to get outside and then I could fly the hell out of here, something Catia and James
couldn’t do. Wiping the demon blood on my jeans as I walked, I passed a few neighbors, who just raised
an eyebrow. A lot of dark shit happened in this city, so a little demon blood wasn’t going to alert them too
much.
The moment I burst through the apartment front doors and was outside, I readied my wings to come out
and take me home.
Then my phone buzzed.
No one important to me had this number. I should have just snapped out my wings and left, but
something, intuition maybe, nagged at me to check it.
Maybe James was alive, maybe he needed help. I could fly him out of here, or Mathew.
I pulled my phone out and read the text from an Abrus demon broker I knew.
Westside Abrus: Someone named Bernie Maximus dropped off two pretty female slaves for you.
My heart crept into my throat slowly, pounding, throbbing until I couldn’t breathe.
Bernie. Maximus.
It was too close a call to be coincidence, right?
Noah? Shea? Chloe? Could it be…? Brielle?
What. The. Hell?
My hands shook as I slipped my phone back into my pocket.
I eyed the skies, my wings pulsing in my back, begging to be freed. There was nothing more I wanted
than to be free of this shithole before Marx woke up and killed me, but…
Bernie Maximus.
That wasn’t a coincidence. Someone from my old life was here.
I took off running down the street towards the west side of town, and closer to who I hoped was
someone from Fallen Academy.
Whoever they were, I needed to get them and myself out of this city before the big-ass Abrus demon
I’d just knocked out awoke.
 CHAPTER FIFTEEN

T he Abrus demon who ran this slave cell chatted my ear off at the door. When he told me the
girls had come in last night, I’d nearly punched him in the face for not telling me sooner.
When he told me one was a redhead and the other had brown skin, I thought maybe it was
Chloe and Shea. What the hell would they be doing here? After me no doubt. Dammit, what had I done?
I’d never forgive myself it they got hurt trying to find me.
After finally prying myself away from him, I stepped down into the old train station, which was now
converted to a black-market slave-trading post. Among other things … I needed to get my hands on a
weapon.
The second I stepped out onto the platform I saw a glass case full of nice-looking knives and daggers.
Some looked spelled. The other knives I’d collected were back at my apartment under my bed.
“How much for this one?” I tapped the glass, indicating a large twelve-inch hunting knife. I was going
to have to kill the guard at the cage, and free the girls before flying them both out of here. Hell, I was done
with this place now. I’d free every single person in there.
“For you? Two hundred,” he mumbled.
I was digging in my pocket to see how much cash I had when I heard commotion behind me, deeper on
the platform.
“Lincoln!”
My entire body tensed. I ceased breathing; the room swam with my pumping adrenaline.
Brielle. Brielle had just called my name.
I’d finally lost my mind. The mental breakdown that had been knocking at the doors of my mind had
broken down the walls, and now I was hallucinating her.
Still … I turned.
What I saw had me gasping for air; my heart threatened to burst from my chest.
Brielle, wearing fake red hair, was in a fight with two demons while Shea created a portal inside a
slave cage behind her.
She was alive.
Alive.
In that moment, I didn’t think, I just reacted.
“Brielle!” The sound of her name on my lips felt foreign.
Letting my wings free, I burst forward, hearing the gasps of the surrounding demons as I flew across
the platform, and dropped right behind the Abrus demon who’d just stabbed Brielle in the stomach.
No!
This wasn’t happening. Our reunion wasn’t supposed to happen like this. I’d imagined it countless
times, lying awake in bed. I’d have Shea open portals, and finally on the thousandth time Brielle would be
there, weak and injured but alive. Shea would pull her through and I’d call for Raphael to heal her, never
leaving her side. Then the Dark Prince would come for her, and I’d slice him to a million pieces, lighting
each piece on fire when I was done.
Not like this.
Not where I was fighting the Abrus demon, killing him quickly only to be tasked with taking on the
Grimlock demon as well. All while Brielle stood in shock, holding her bleeding stomach.
I could smell her and it knocked the wind right out of me. I’d forgotten what she smelled like. She was
alive, she was here.
When I’d killed both demons, I looked up to see Brielle had a whip in each hand. One black and one
white, she was fighting the advancing hoard of demons and demon blessed. I quickly tucked her behind me
before realizing a Succubus demon was crawling towards us. No. Not one, a group of them.
No … not like this.
I hadn’t even said a word to her, hadn’t held her, kissed her.
This was all wrong.
“Succubus,” I mumbled, in shock.
“Get behind me!” she growled. Brielle suddenly jumped out in front of me, tucking me behind her.
I watched, awestruck, as she mowed down a crowd of demons, and demon blessed, with some new
power I couldn’t even explain. She immobilized them with a … plasma shield that shot out of her bare
hands.
Something had changed in the woman I’d fallen in love with. Where she was once sometimes timid
and unsure of herself in battle, now she stood a fierce and determined woman. Hell had hardened her and
that saddened me a little, but I had changed too. Maybe we’d be okay, maybe we could still be together if
we’d both changed. I definitely wasn’t the same man she left.
When I saw that the threat had been contained, I knew we could wait no longer. Marx and his men
would be after me by now.
A quick glance to my left told me that Shea had gotten everyone out, back to Fallen Academy through
the portal, I presumed. She’d wisely closed it so the demons couldn’t make their way through it. Shea
knew I wouldn’t let anything happen to Brielle. Never again.
Wasting no time, I pulled Bri flush against my body, before taking her into my arms.
Feeling her warm, soft skin against mine felt too good to be real. I was in the Twilight Zone, still in
shock that she was alive, was in my arms. I took off running, up the stairs and out of the building, where
Marx and his men were waiting for us, as I thought they would be.
“Stop!” Marx shouted.
Like hell.
Kicking off the ground, I took off to the skies, holding Brielle so closely I thought I might break her.
Shots were fired, but I flew faster and harder than I ever had before. I had everything to live for now. I
wasn’t going to lose her again.
As she sobbed in my arms, I vowed to never let her go.
Ever.
Not now that I had her again. Every single piece of darkness that I’d fed while she was gone withered
away at the light that shone inside my soul.
Brielle was my way out of the darkness.
I’d never loved anyone more, and I’d be whatever she needed me to be. Whatever she needed, to keep
her safe.
After flying a good bit out of the city, I landed, taking her to the stashed car James had told me about in
case of emergency.
 I set her down and the first thing I did was look to her gut where she’d been stabbed, but it was no
longer bleeding, so it seemed to be a light graze. Thank God.
My gaze then fell to her chest, no Devil mark, and then to her neck. There was a fine white scar where
he’d cut her. Reaching out, I stroked her hair, and then placed my hand over her heart to make sure it was
beating. This was real, she was alive.
“How?” I breathed, afraid I wouldn’t be able to say anything intelligent to this woman for months. I
couldn’t believe she was alive.
She mumbled something about a healer demon, but I couldn’t concentrate. Her eyes, so blue, the two
freckles across her collarbone that I’d forgotten. How had I forgotten them? These fine details were what
held my attention, not her words. I wanted to grab her, kiss her, and never let her go, but I also didn’t want
to scare her. I wasn’t the same man she fell in love with.
What if she didn’t want me anymore? What if we’d grown too far apart from each other to come
together again?
“Brielle, I’ve dreamed of this day a thousand times, and now that it’s come … I fear I’m not the same
man you left. Your disappearance … it changed me.” My voice was husky with unshed emotion.
At my declaration, fierceness flared in her eyes. This was the Brielle I remembered and loved. You
tried to take something she loved from her, and she’d fight you to the death. I could see that fight ramping
up inside of her. She was going to fight for me, and it made my knees go weak.
“Then I’ll fall in love with you all over again.” She threw herself forward, wrapping her arms around
me, pressing her entire body against mine.
My heart hammered against the walls of my chest as my resistance broke down, and the breath I hadn’t
realized I’d been holding rushed out of me. I’d tried to push her away, warn her I was different now, but I
should have known she was too loyal for that. She’d never leave me; never give up on me, no matter how
much I changed. That was the kind of person she was and why I fell in love with her in the first place.
I couldn’t hold back anymore. Reaching around her, I cupped her butt, pulling her up onto me as her
lips crashed onto mine. Pressing my lips to hers, I kissed her with a feverish desperation, inhaling her
scent while tasting her.
I loved this woman so much that it hurt.
Part of me wanted to ask her to tell me everything right then and there. I wanted to know what she’d
been through, if that evil bastard had hurt her. But I didn’t want to ruin this moment.
Something clicked inside of me then, a wholeness. Brielle was my better half, and I realized in that
moment that I didn’t want to live without her. My mom always told me when you met the one, you just
knew it. I’d known for a long time Brielle was the one I wanted to spend the rest of my life with, but now
I didn’t want to wait. I couldn’t wait. She was young and I didn’t want to push her, but I’d go out of my
mind if she didn’t agree to marry me right this moment. I was never letting her out of my sight again.
“Your absence made me realize how much your presence has made me a better person,” I told her. “I
don’t ever want to be without you again. Ever.”
“Neither do I,” she whimpered, as I pulled her in for a hug.
When I pulled away from her, I knew without a doubt that I wanted Brielle to be my wife. Forever.
“Marry me. Tomorrow. Right when the courthouse opens,” I begged.
The grin that lit up her face made my chest pinch. She nodded, bursting into laughter.
This was what I loved most about Brielle. After being held captive in Hell for a year, she could still
smile as brightly as the sun.
She was the biggest dose of good in the world that I’d ever seen, and I was one lucky man.
 C HAPTER SIXTEEN

A fter getting back to Fallen Academy late last night, we’d briefly seen Noah, Shea, Chloe and
Luke. We told them of our plans to marry and then passed out in my trailer. I spent half the night
tossing and turning, waking up in panic that this wasn’t real, that Brielle wasn’t there, only to
find her snuggled up to my chest.
When Shea, her mom, and her friends, came to take her to her “bachelorette party” that morning, I’d
called Noah over. We’d shared a brief hug the night before, but I knew there was a lot of unsaid shit
between us that needed to be patched up soon. I’d also given him Catia’s full name and asked him to call
the Paris Fallen Academy, and see if she and the girl she’d followed, had made it out alive.
After I showered and dressed, there was a knock at the door. “Come in!” I called out, standing
awkwardly in the hallway.
Noah was my best friend in the whole world, and I’d been a total piece of shit to him the past year. I
shut him out because I was hurting, and now I didn’t know how to fix it. The healer walked into my trailer,
shutting the door behind him. A small piece of paper was clutched in his hands, but I didn’t ask what it
was. I wanted to get something off my chest before we spoke about anything else.
Looking at the floor, because I was too much of a pussy to meet his eyes, I cleared my throat. “I know
I don’t deserve it, but I hope I can ask your forgiveness for being such a shitbag to you the past year. I was
a horrible friend and a—”
I was cut off when he slammed into me with a big bro hug, tapping my back a few times before letting
go.
Finally, I met his eyes and saw that he was smiling. “You have my forgiveness. I’m just glad you’re
alive, dude. You scared the shit out of me.”
This guy was gold. I didn’t deserve him. Running a hand through my hair, I sighed. “I scared myself.
After losing my parents, then Brielle … I got lost, man. I didn’t want to lose you too, so I figured pushing
you away would be easier.”
Noah grinned. “Damn, dude, I feel like we’re in therapy.”
I chuckled, feeling light and happy for the first time in so long. “Can you believe she’s alive? She’s in
one piece?”
Noah nodded. “I can, but I can’t believe she’s agreed to marry your sorry ass.”
Just like that, everything was back to normal, and it meant more to me than I could ever tell him. He
wasn’t going to talk about my dark times; he was going to let me put it in the past where it belonged—like
a true friend.
“Speaking of, Shea finally give you an answer?”
We’d both fallen in love with younger women, but the time stamp on a Fallen Academy soldier’s life
was short. If you wanted to get married and start a family, you needed to do all that by thirty, and hope you
lived long enough to see your kid grow up a little. I was in my mid-twenties, prime time for marriage, but
I knew Brielle was a little young by societal standards. Although she said she didn’t care, I hoped I
wasn’t rushing her.
Noah grinned. “She said yes, but we haven’t set a date.”
I clapped him on the back. “Congrats, dude. We both snagged some amazing women.”
Noah nodded, holding up the paper in his hands. “That we did. Although I think mine is a bit more of a
pain in the ass than yours.”
Laughter erupted out of me. God help the man who tried to control Shea. She was as stubborn as they
came. “You might be right.” I grinned.
“Speaking of women, I found this Catia girl.” He raised one eyebrow, and I knew he was wondering if
I had been romantic with her in San Francisco.
I chuckled. “She’s gay. So, is she alive?”
Noah nodded. “Very much so, and teaching classes at the Paris Fallen Academy.”
I beamed.
She made it out.
Thank God. It had been at least a month since I’d seen her on that plane.
“And the Mathew kid? He was undercover with James Willow.” I’d also told him to look into that.
Noah nodded. “He made it out as well. Got into some trouble at the border, is injured, but will fully
recover. Michael has personally delivered him to his family.”
Relief crashed through me. It’s what James would have wanted, and I was so damn glad to hear that
he’d gotten out okay. I would never forgive myself if I had let anything happen to him.
“Why don’t you give her a call while I grab the boys. Get ready for the bachelor party of the century,”
Noah told me.
I frowned. “Really?”
Noah grinned, shaking his head. “No, dude. I had no time to plan. It’s going to be beer and video
games.”
A smile pulled at the corner of my lips, and I found myself wondering if this was the most I’d smiled
all year. I’ll bet it was. “Sounds perfect.” I’d tell him later that I’d given up drinking, and instead of beer
I’d be having water.
Noah left then, and I sat down at my table with a temporary cell phone Raphael had left for us last
night.
After taking a deep breath, I dialed the number. It was about noon, so that should be night for her in
Paris. Hopefully, it was not too late.
“Hello?”
Hearing her voice made relief spread through me. I hadn’t truly believed Noah until I heard that voice.
“Excuse me, ma’am, but I live next door and your TV is too loud!” I faked the voice of our old
annoying neighbor in San Francisco, and Catia burst into laughter.
“Lincoln! I can’t believe it. When your friend called I was so shocked. How are you? How’d you get
out?”
I could hear the emotion in her voice and it was mutual. We’d shared something special. We may have
not been romantic, but I loved her. She’d filled a part of me that was empty, the part that had longed for
family.
The part my sister used to fill.
“Well…” I didn’t know where to begin. “You were right. Brielle is alive.”
She gasped. “Oh, Lincoln…” I could hear the tears in her voice. She was crying.
“She made it out of Hell and came for me.” Now that I’d said it out loud, it made me fall in love with
Brielle all over again. The woman escaped the Devil himself, and the second she realized I wasn’t here
she entered into a dangerous mission to come after me. It was sweet and totally insane.
“I’m so happy for you.” Her voice was soft, and I wished so badly she could be here for the wedding
today.
“We’re getting married today. Wish you could come.”
“Take pictures. I’ll try to visit soon. I’ve been very busy here, helping Uriel with the school. Lots of
kids in need of coaching.”
She was a do-gooder, whether she knew it or not.
“So you and the girl got out okay?”
“It was complicated, but yes we got out, both unharmed,” she confirmed.
She wasn’t sharing what was complicated and I could respect that. I wanted to leave my shit in the
past as well.
“How many did you save?” Her voice became small. I knew she probably regretted not being able to
stay and help, but the one life she had saved was worth it.
“Seventeen, but then Brielle and her best friend stormed in and saved another dozen.”
Saying that made me realize how badass my future wife to be was.
She sighed contently. “Twenty-nine. That’s got to be some kind of record.”
I grinned, but my happiness was short-lived. I’d saved a small portion, but there were always more
who needed saving, and that weighed on me heavily. Still, I didn’t want to ruin the mood, and that was
also why I chose not to bring up James.
“So you’re happy? Safe?” I questioned her again.
“Very, especially now that I know you made it out and reunited with Brielle. I’ll try to visit next year.
Fallen Academy does supply runs from here to Angel City, so I’ll hop on one and meet your girl.”
“I’d love that,” I told her honestly. Brielle would too. We hadn’t had time to properly fill each other in
on the past year of our lives, but we would.
We spoke for a few more minutes, then I told her I needed to let her go so I could celebrate my
bachelor party.
After hanging up, I sat at the edge of the bed and stared at Brielle’s old, dusty black leather boots in
the corner. They must have been the ones she wore when she arrived. They must have been with her for
the entire year in Hell when I wasn’t. It hit me then that she was really back, living with me, and we were
about to get married. The only thing that marred this amazing moment was that my mom, dad, and little
sister weren’t here to share it with me.
They would have loved her.
As I was about to promise to do for the rest of my life.
I’d never been more sure of anything.
 C HAPTER SEVENTEEN

T he wedding was more than I ever expected. All of our friends pulled together last minute,
and it was beautiful. When Raphael walked Brielle down that aisle, I nearly lost my shit.
She looked so beautiful. Bri’s hair was back to blond, and she was wearing a simple, yet
elegant strappy dress—that I wanted to rip off desperately.
Back in my trailer, Brielle grinned, her entire face lighting up. “We’re married.”
Shea and Noah had covered the whole place with white rose petals and … condoms.
Classy.
Like we’d never had sex before. Well … we hadn’t in a year, which made it almost like the first time
again. I was nervous as hell. I didn’t want to move too fast. I didn’t know how dark her time in Hell was,
or if she was emotionally ready for sex again.
All I wanted to do for the rest of my life was protect her. But the way the silk pulled taut across her
chest felt like her breasts were begging to be freed.
I nodded, running my fingers through her hair. “I wonder if Mr. Claymore can do a spell so you can
never go more than five feet from me ever again.”
Laughter rang out of her, and it made my stomach flip. Her laugh was contagious; I couldn’t help but
grin. Brielle brought light wherever she went; she was resilient. I should have known that even Hell
couldn’t break her infectious spirit.
“Stalker!” she chided, smacking my chest but leaving her hand there, letting it trail down my abs to
rest on my belt, where she hooked her fingers in my waistband.
I swallowed hard, wondering if she knew what she did to me. How wild she made me when she did
simple shit like that. She was like a drug and I couldn’t get enough.
“Get ready for major stalker vibes. You might as well handcuff yourself to me, because I’m never
leaving your side again,” I half joked. If only she knew how stalker I was willing to go. I wouldn’t take
my eyes off of her until the Devil was dead.
Her gaze hooded, lips puffing out in a sexy pout. “Ohh, handcuffs. That sounds fun.” She winked.
Fuck me.
All the blood rushed from my head and went south. My quick thirty-second assessment was that she
was indeed not too emotionally fragile for sex. In fact, my wife was begging for it in all the non-verbal
ways.
Her fingers were still hooked in my waistband, and started to undo my belt buckle as she leaned
forward, taking my bottom lip into her mouth.
I gulped.
The taste of her was intoxicating. I wanted more. Needed more. Reaching up, I pulled those tiny straps
down, exposing her breasts. When I cupped her breast, tweaking the nipple a little, she moaned and I lost
all sense of taking my time with her. My pants were ripped from me and I kicked them off as she yanked
my boxers down next.
There was a feverish need in her touch. We’d spent so much time apart, broken, it was like we needed
this to glue us back together.
I took off the last of my clothes, just as she stepped out of her panties.
Jesus, she was beautiful.
Trailing my fingers down her stomach, I settled them between her legs and her moans became more
insistent, which only made my need grow hotter. I wasn’t going to last five minutes. It had been way too
long, and she was way too sexy for me to restrain myself and draw this out longer.
Her legs buckled and I swiftly slipped my hand behind her and lowered her onto the bed. I was still
partially in a state of disbelief that she was back … we were married and about to make love.
“I missed you,” she purred in my ear, her voice filled with emotion.
Peppering her jaw with kisses, I worked my hand faster to wind her up. “I missed everything about
you,” I whispered in her ear.
I couldn’t wait any longer. Positioning my hips on top of hers, I lowered myself onto her and we came
together. My skin tingled with the warmth of hers on mine, so much so that I felt like I might ignite.
Looking down, my gaze locked with hers. There was a fire in her eyes that drove me wild. I’d never felt
closer to her. I was consumed with my love for her and vowed to never let anything separate us again.
In that moment I knew one thing for certain. I’d train Brielle as best I could to fulfill her prophecy of
killing Lucifer. But that was the backup plan, because I planned on killing him myself. That motherfucker
was about to get some payback for taking my woman.
 THE END

I hope you enjoyed Lincoln’s perspective on things. Stay tuned for Fallen Academy Year Four.
 AC K NO WLE D G ME NT S

Thank you to Amanda Rose for the amazing cover. Big thanks to my beta readers, Steven Smithen, Lela
Eder, and Megan Mayes. Thank you to Lee with Oceans Edge editing for the amazing edits and to my
wonderful proofreader Stephany Wallace for polishing this baby. A HUGE thank you, as always to my
loving and supportive family. The time I spend with my characters is time away from you all and I’m so
grateful you understand this passion I have for writing. Lastly, to my ARC team, Leia Stone Wolf Pack and
all my readers, thank you for being so loyal and enthusiastic about my books. I heart you all bad. <3