So what? “Azazel is immortal.”

“Yes,” Evelyn agreed. “But immortal doesn’t mean impervious to harm, and this rune is…Would you like to explain it, my blue daemon friend?”

Keon hissed at her.

“Keon?” I needed to know what we were up against.

“It affects celestials,” Keon said. “Specifically, purebloods, and as Lilith’s first born, Azazel is more celestial than any other second-generation demon in existence.” Keon moved closer to me. “If we disrupt the siphon runes, the death rune is activated.”

Evelyn gave me a closed-lipped smile. “I’m glad I was on patrol tonight. I’m glad I’ll have the privilege of watching you all die.” She looked to Keon. “Even you, Lilith’s Blade. Now that will be a blow to our queen.”

“You need them alive,” Cora blurted. “You can’t get into the Beyond without the power of their scythes.”

Evelyn’s smile was smug. “Can’t I?”

They had a new plan. Something related to this voralex and Azazel. They had a new plan, which meant we were dispensable.

Evelyn raised her hands and clicked her fingers. “Suppertime, boys.”

The mouths attacked.

Chapter Thirty-One

The mouths descended on us, glitch movements speeding up to pen us in and cut us off.

Keon shoved me back, shielding me with his body. “Get her out of here,” he ordered Cora.

Cora reached for me, but I pulled away. “Fuck that. We got this.” Power surged through me, and my scythe lit up bright, pushing back the shadows. “I’m done running.” I pointed my scythe at Evelyn. “I want her head.”

And then the mouths were on us, and there was no time to argue. Keon cleared a path through the mouths, slicing with blades that appeared from nowhere, using his tail to spear and impale. Mal worked with his obsidian daggers, because for some reason, the scythe only worked as a weapon on other outliers for me.

I took off a mouth’s head using the range my weapon gave me to keep them at bay. Cora shot what looked like lightning from her hands, winking in and out between the mouths.

Their numbers were depleting under our collective assault, and I caught sight of Evelyn making a break for it.

Like hell. “Cora! Evelyn’s getting away.”

I eviscerated the mouth standing between me and the Dread bitch and then kicked it out of the way.

Cora appeared in front of Evelyn to cut off her escape, but instead of trying to get away, Evelyn made a grab for Cora’s head.

No!

I knew what happened when a Dread did that. “Cora, watch out!”

But it was too late, Evelyn had Cora in her grip. I broke into a sprint down the long garden as Cora fell to her knees in front of the Dread.

“Let her go!”

Evelyn looked up at me, her mouth stretched in an impossibly wide grin, and then the smile fell, and she released Cora with a scream of rage.

Her body rose off the ground, legs kicking out, desperate to be free of the invisible force that had her in its grip.

Jasper materialized behind her.

The malevolent spirit glared at me accusingly, and then he tore Evelyn’s head clean off her shoulders and dropped her body. White power lasered out of her, shooting up into the air and vanishing, and then her body disintegrated into embers that floated away.

“Cora…” I ran toward my dazed friend, but Jasper got to her first.

He scooped her up into his arms and vanished.

“I put her in trouble. I made her go after Evelyn. I didn’t think. I fucking didn’t think, and she could have died. If Jasper hadn’t gotten here in time.”

“Enough.” Mal grabbed my shoulders and gave me a shake. “We need to focus, Fee. Jasper will keep Cora safe, you know he will. Despite what he is, Cora will be fine with him.”

“You don’t know that. You don’t know how much damage that bitch did. Remember what happened to Conah when Evelyn got her hands on him, and she wasn’t even trying to kill him.”

“I know,” Mal said. “But Cora is strong. She’s proven that time and time again.”

“I need to make sure she’s okay.”

“You can’t,” Mal said. “Not till Jasper brings her back, or she comes back herself.”

I exhaled, shifting through the panic to find my center.

“Right now, all we have control over is this.” He pointed at the symbol. “We can try to do something about this and save your soulmate’s life.”

Azazel. “Yes. Okay. Keon, I need you to go back to the Underealm and tell Lilith what’s happened to Azazel. There has to be a way to circumvent this symbol.”

“I’m supposed to protect you,” Keon said.

“I don’t need you to protect me, for fucksake. I need you to save my soulmate. Save Lilith’s firstborn. Trust me, she’ll want you to do this.”

Keon looked conflicted, but then he nodded. “Very well.” He looked at Mal. “I charge you with her protection. She dies, you die.”

And then he launched himself into the air like a bullet and was gone. Looked like he could think for himself after all.

I ran a hand over my face. “Okay, this is Dread stuff. They have a new agenda, and we need to find out what. We need answers about the Dread.” And there was only one person who might have those. “We need Uriel.” I locked gazes with Mal. “Fancy gate-crashing a ball?”

Turned out gate-crashing wasn’t on the cards for us. The Masterton mansion was security central tonight. Limousines and fancy cars crawled through the wrought iron gates after being checked out by bulky magiguard.

Who knew these enforcers moonlighted as security too?

“We could fly in,” Mal said, scanning the sky above the impressive walls that bordered the Masterton land. “But I wouldn’t be surprised if they have invisible wards up.”

“Then we ask to be let in.”

I adjusted my dress, noting the tear in the skirt and sleeve with dismay. Fucking mouths. I studied Mal’s disheveled state. How could he still look sexy with blood spatter on his face and a torn shirt?

I reached up to wipe at the blood, but mouth blood was a stubborn fucker, all inky and shit. All I succeeded in doing was smearing it about, making it look worse.

Sod it. “We’ll have to do.”

I walked down the line of cars waiting for entry and right up to the gates, where magiguard were checking ID and invitations.

One of the guards straightened, looking down at me with a frown. I noted how his gaze flicked over me, taking in my clothes, my messy hair, and then over to Mal and back again.

His mouth tightened. “Can I help you?”

I lifted my chin. “Yes, I need to speak with Vi Masterton.”

“If you return to your vehicle, we’ll have you checked in shortly.”

“I don’t have a vehicle. I flew here.”

His brows shot up, and then he nodded, as if, of course, that made perfect sense. “Do you have an invite?”

“No, I—”

“Then I can’t let you in. If you need to speak to a Masterton, you’ll need to make a regular appointment on a regular night.” He dismissed me and waved the limousine through.

The line of cars inched forward.

Okay, time to try another tack. “Look, I know you’re doing your job, but so am I. There’s some bad shit going on outside of these walls, and I’m trying to stop it from happening. I’m a Dominus.”

His gaze flicked my way again. I had his attention.

“I’m also a close friend of Vi, and I need her help with something urgent. Life-or-death urgent, do you understand?”

He pressed his lips together and exhaled through his nose. “I understand. But I also understand that there’s always a life-or-death situation in our world. It’s how we live. But tonight is the Masterton ball. The world and its problems will have to wait until tomorrow.”

“Are you fucking serious?”

His eyes glowed blue, and the air around him crackled in warning. “Back away from the gates, or I will use force.”

Motherfucker.

The passenger side window to the limousine I was standing beside wound down, and a man leaned his head out. His dark hair was silver at the temples, and his eyes were a strange blue color. No, they were green. Wait…blue?

“What seems to be the problem?” he asked the magiguard.

“No problem, Mr. Blackwood,” the guard said. “You can go through.”

The man, Blackwood, looked up at me. “No problem?”

Blackwood…Why was that name familiar. Oh! “Elijah Blackwood?”

His eyes narrowed. “I don’t believe we’ve had the pleasure.”

“No, we haven’t, but you’ve met my friend, Cora Dawn.”

His mouth drew in a slight pout. “Seraphina Dawn?”

“Yes. I need to get in to speak to Vi Masterton. It is a matter of life and death that can’t wait until tomorrow.” I sliced a sharp look the magiguard’s way.

“Get in,” Blackwood said.

“Mr. Blackwood,” the magiguard said, “I strongly recommend—”

“That you open those gates and let me and my guests through? Yes. What a wise recommendation.”

The magiguard’s jaw ticked, and Blackwood sighed. “Listen, Neville, if there’s something I’ve learned in my long lifetime, it’s never to take anything for granted. Never to become complacent, especially not when it comes to life-or-death situations.”

The guard nodded. “Yes, Mr. Blackwood.”

“Well?” Blackwood said to me and Mal. “Hop in.”

I didn’t need him to tell me a third time. Mal and I rounded the vehicle and climbed in.

The interior was all plush leather and glorious heat, and my ass was thankful as I sank into the seat. Mal slid in beside me, so we were both sitting opposite Blackwood, and then the limousine was in motion.