We felt the earth shaking first.

The winds picked up after that.

The sky darkened.

Then, there was complete silence. It was like a tornado was at our door, and we were waiting for it to ring our doorbell. All breaths were held. Everyone paused, their hearts suspended, and then, with a sudden whoosh, he landed in front of us. As he ascended, the ground thundered once again. It was enough to be a small earthquake.

My father arrived, glancing around—he was alone. That was lucky for us, but I didn’t want to question our fortune. He looked like me. He looked like Damien too. Now that I knew Damien was my half-brother, we had the same nose, same cheekbones, and even the same heart-shaped chin. Our father stood tall, closer to Kellan’s height, and he was like a Greek god. Long blond hair that curled around his shoulder. Broad shoulders. Thin waist. I looked for wings, but saw none until I glanced down. A shadow of them lay out behind him on the ground. As I watched, they folded up, tucking close to his body. His eyes were blue, like Damien’s, and he was watching me, studying me back.

“You look much like your mother.”

I frowned. “I thought you would’ve seen me before now.”

He shook his head, then grew still and tilting his head forward. His eyebrows pinched together and his forehead wrinkled. “I’ve been looking, but I’ve not seen you until today.” He glanced to Damien. “Thank you for calling me, and though I asked for them to be unconscious, thank you for having her awake. Your foresight is commendable.”

“Foresight?”

I glanced sideways to Damien, who shrugged back to me. He said, “Uh—yeah.”

Our father strode forward, his hands stretched out. A low and deep growl erupted from Kellan, and he moved forward, blocking me from my father. Sachiel drew back, his eyes finding Kellan’s for the first time, and his hands went back to his side. “I see. You think to fight on her behalf, demon?”

“You’re a condescending bitch. Do you know that?”

I caught movement behind me, from Aumae, but I didn’t dare look to see what she was doing. I hoped it would help in our fight, because now that my father was in front of us, I knew it would be a big one. The power emanated from him in waves. It was almost overwhelming, threatening to choke me.

“We can’t win.”

I wasn’t sure if I had the realization or if it came from Kellan, but I shared a look with him. It was true, though. My father was too powerful. The plan wasn’t going to work. We’d never be able to overwhelm him, not with all of us.

Despair lodged in my throat. I didn’t know what to do now. We were here. He was here. There was no going back.

My father laughed, pointing a finger at Kellan. “You have backbone. Most demons don’t. You all are sniveling idiots.” he spat, indicating the ground. “Every time I come across one, it’s always the same. They start spewing promises. They’ll turn in their mother/father/sister/brother/best friend/best mate. Whoever it is that might hold my interest and they fall to the ground. They kiss my feet and start begging. They’ll serve me even in hell. They’ll search out whoever I wish to be on my side. They’ll kill anyone I want. Crying. Begging.” He paused, his eyes narrowed on Kellan. “Pathetic.” He drew closer, and Kellan’s eyes closed to slits. “Are you going to be the same?” He flicked his wrist to me. “You are in love with my daughter, and she with you. I can smell the bond between you, unlike the last time. You both are dripping with it. You’ve recently coupled. Perhaps four hours ago.”

Oh. God. That was embarrassing.

“Yes.” My father leaned closer and sniffed the air. “I can smell your love, too, but it’s going to be the same. I will strip you of your honor, your pride. You will fall at my feet, and you will be like all the others. You will beg for your life, and it won’t matter. I will take my daughter’s life first. Make you watch that. I want you to hold that memory in your mind, and then I’ll send you back to your father’s kingdom. You will fall back to hell, and he’ll never let you return to the ground. That will be your ending.”

Kellan’s growl was deepening, becoming more primal. He was going to act soon, and I didn’t know what he would do. I worried, for the first time scared for Kellan’s life. Sweat dripped down my back, mixing with the cold shivers wracking down my spine, too. My palms grew warm, and I began trembling. The fear was creeping in. I couldn’t hold it at bay any longer.

This was the end. I felt it coming.

“Father.” Damien jerked forward. His eyes were wild, skirting between Kellan and Sachiel. “You said I could return to my family after this.”

“Yes, yes.” Sachiel’s eyes were gleaming as he continued to stare at Kellan, hard. “I will uphold that promise once I’ve taken both of their power.” He swung to Aumae, who froze with her hands in the air. “And I see you brought me an extra treat. Aumae, it’s been so long.”

She had dressed in a black sweater with a hood pulled over. It was knocked off and her hair was blowing in the wind. Her arms froze, blood dripping from her fingertips, and her eyes were wild and dilated like Damien’s. I traced the blood. I couldn’t see where it came from since her sweatshirt was black, but she was wearing a white dress underneath and the ends were red. She stepped forward, and I saw her feet were barefoot. They were bloodied as well, mixing with dirt.

What was she doing?

As I thought that, she spoke in my mind, “You and Kellan hold on to each other. Hold on to Damien as well.”