Fallen Academy: Year Two (Fallen Academy #2)(59)

Taking two steps forward, I slid Sera into the floating ball in the air, careful only to let the honey-colored light cover her blade.

The bullets suddenly stopped, and I peered over my shoulder to see a handful of upper-level demons had shown up to take care of our security detail.

No.

‘That’s my future husband,’ I told Sera. ‘Protect him.’

Just then, black tentacles sprang from Lucifer’s back and wrapped around Lincoln’s body. He screamed in agony as they tightened around him, and I could hear the sound of snapping bones as Lincoln’s wings were rent backward by the dark bands.

“No!” I shouted and aimed Sera at Lincoln. Identical tentacles, but of white light, leapt out from my blade and attached themselves to the black bands holding Lincoln. The white cords yanked at the black ones, loosening their hold on my love.

‘Leave me. I’ll protect him. You grab Lincoln’s sword and fight,’ Sera instructed.

She’d never led me astray before, so I let go of her, surprised to see she was able to keep herself hovering in midair on her own. Those golden light bands were breaking down the black ones that held Lincoln.

Seeing what I was doing, Lucifer suddenly detached from his black tentacles and made a run for me.

Bending down, I swooped up Lincoln’s sword, and lunged to dip it in the Celestial orb I’d made. When I pulled it out, it was covered in twelve-inch bluish golden flames.

Lucifer laughed behind me. “You think a little Celestial fire is going to kill me?”

I spun, holding the sword before me. Those black eyes bored into mine, and I felt a sickness wash over me from head to toe.

“Let him go!” I shouted.

Lincoln was pulling at the cords, screaming in pain.

Lucifer smiled devilishly. “Done.” He snapped his fingers and Lincoln fell to the ground. The bands had disappeared.

“Come with me. It’s your destiny,” the Prince of Darkness cooed, and just like that a portal opened behind him.

Not in a million freaking years.

My wings popped out of my back, and I slowly started to walk backward to Lincoln. I opened my free right hand and used the ability Michael had taught me, calling Sera to me. When I felt the cold steel in my palm, I wrapped my fingers tightly around her.

“I’m not going anywhere with you. Ever,” I told the epic douchebag who’d just messed up my proposal.

Lincoln was now standing beside me—limping rather—and I handed him his sword.

Lucifer grinned. “It’s really touching that you two think you can keep me from getting what I want.”

A twig cracked behind me, and I peered over my shoulder to see half a dozen Castor demons and a few Hellhounds. Our guards looked either knocked out or dead, and it seemed one had even run off.

My stomach fell.

No. No one was taking Lincoln or me anywhere. The urgency of the situation pressed in on me, and something inside of me snapped. I thrust Sera forward and she shot a blinding light into the Dark Prince’s face, causing him to yelp in surprise and cover his eyes. Then a white-hot whip of Celestial light flew from my palm and wrapped around the Devil’s neck. I yanked and he fell forward, but only for a second before his wings burst from his back and then he was skyborn. With a jerk I was pulled up with him, hanging from the whip in my hand that was still around his throat.

Shit.

I pumped my own wings, trying to use the strength of my flapping to pull Lucifer back down to Earth.

“Brielle!” Lincoln shouted helplessly from the ground.

The Hellhounds howled and panic fully gripped me.

My flapping was no use. I was being dragged higher and higher, and when I looked up, I saw the Dark Prince was pulling on my whip like a rope, drawing me closer to him even though it seemed to be burning his hands.

‘Let go. Fly to Fallen Academy,’ Sera instructed.

I dissolved the whip as she told me to, and the loss of tension sent both of us flinging apart.

Using the momentum, I raced to the ground, where Lincoln was throwing a Hellhound into the Celestial orb I’d created.

We weren’t going to get out of here alive by driving, and I wasn’t leaving Lincoln and his broken wings while I flew off to safety.

‘Oh no. Don’t.’ Sera had obviously heard my thoughts.

When I was within arm’s reach of my man, I hooked my hands underneath his armpits and hauled him up into the air, flying awkwardly with him dangling from between my legs.

“Brielle, no. I’m too heavy!” Lincoln roared as I skimmed the tree line and left the cemetery. He was heavy—it felt like I was carrying a car—but I was also pumped with “mommy juice”, the stuff mothers had when they protected their child or loved one. I had it right then, coursing through my veins in a rush. I could have lifted a freaking semi off a baby deer if I’d had to.

“Mind over matter,” I spit out.

I was pretty sure I’d given myself a hernia, as something in my stomach felt like it’d ripped when I lifted him, but I’d deal with that later.

“You won’t make it to Fallen Academy. Go into the war zone. Michael is on patrol tonight,” Lincoln called out over the wind.

I could see the wall and the fiery war just behind it to my right, much closer than Fallen Academy. Flapping my wings in that direction, I veered us toward the war and prayed Michael would be there to rescue me. I’d just remembered that I’d created a Celestial orb, and I was going to crash very soon.