'When I asked you to fetch the Animas, Julius, I didn't give you permission to take a detour,' Bennett scolded, his shoulders rigid as he regarded Julius and Kael.
'You didn't, no,' Julius admitted, but the I don't care was implied. Even though Kael knew Julius and Taryn weren't really related, he could see where she got the attitude from regardless.
Bennett stood beside Zachariah who was seated at the large, redwood table in the centre of the library. Bennett had his arms folded tightly across his chest, his amber eyes dark and narrowed at Kael as if his gaze could burn right through him.
Taryn, meanwhile, was in one of the guest rooms being treated by a Seeress. Kael had wanted to stay by her side and he would have had Bennett not ordered him to the library – and had Julius not pointed out how distracting Kael's hovering was to the Seeress.
'Where's Asina?' Kael asked. 'Hasn't she bothered to show her face yet?'
Zachariah raised his hands to placate him. 'Be calm, Kael. We understand the magnitude of Asina's betrayal, and your anger, you do not need to voice it,' he said. 'What I need you to do is tell me where you found Taryn, and how. Was it the blood bracelets?'
Kael wanted to say yes, but the blood bracelets hadn't played a part in finding Taryn at all. Not like they had in the past. He had thought, at the very least, the blood bracelet around his wrist might have warmed even just by being near Taryn but it hadn't.
Instead, demonic energy had led him to Taryn. He didn't know what that meant – if it meant anything – and he wasn't sure whether he wanted to reveal that to Zachariah and Bennett.
'I paid a visit to a rogue Alchemist,' Kael answered instead. 'He didn't give me much, but he revealed that Asina wouldn't be anywhere near Melbourne if she was in hiding. I thought she might have been in another country entirely, but when Julius told me that an earthquake had hit Sydney which didn't correlate with the Hellgates I took a guess.'
Bennett wasn't convinced. 'That's a rather poor basis to make a guess upon, Animas.'
'I have a name,' Kael reminded him. It hadn't just been Tank's words that Kael had used; it had been Asmodeus' as well.
'The house had been mostly destroyed by the earthquake, but considering the amount of damage done it would have been safe to assume that majority of the neighbourhood was affected as well,' Julius told them, 'but it wasn't. The earthquake had been localised to the house alone. If I hadn't known an earthquake struck, I would have assumed the damage was man-made.'
'Perhaps it was regardless,' said Bennett. 'Every earthquake correlates with a Hellgate, except the one where Miss Nyte was located? I highly doubt it was a coincidence.'
'Have the Hellgates ever caused a disturbance like this?' Kael asked.
'Not in recent centuries,' answered Zachariah.
'And nor should they ever,' Bennett added lowly, and something passed between the three of them then, like a silent acknowledgement of something they didn't want to voice.
'All right, what aren't you telling me?' Kael asked, familiar with keeping secrets.
'It isn't just Infernum that the Hellgates are sealing,' said Zachariah. 'They're sealing Lucifer.'
Kael's eyes widened. 'Which gate?'
'Lucifer is under a separate seal, the location of which is kept secret even from myself,' Julius told him. 'If the Hellgates are weakened, however...'
He let the possibility hang between them.
'The Hellgates will be fortified again, and although they haven't opened it is obvious that was the intention. Which, in itself, is worrying.'
Kael could hear what everyone wasn't saying. 'You think this is all connected to Taryn.'
'We know it is,' Bennett replied. 'We're aware of what Taryn Nyte is, Animas. Her secret is not secret to us.'
Kael tensed, his gaze jumping across to Julius who looked grim. He didn't meet Kael's eyes as he said, 'The Magistrate has known for a while, Kael. I needed to entrust Taryn's secret with someone in case something ever happened to me, after all, and while I was the Infernum's captive the Magistrate revealed Taryn's nature with Bennett.'
'Bennett threatened to cut off Taryn's wrist!' Kael reminded the Magistrate, and Zachariah winced in recollection.
Bennett waved his hand dismissively.
Turning back to Julius, Kael said, 'You couldn't trust Seth to protect Taryn?'
'Seth doesn't know, Kael,' said Julius. 'He's been assigned to protect her, yes, but he doesn't know what Taryn is.'
That caught Kael by surprise and, for a moment, made him regard Seth in a different light. It meant Seth had no ulterior motive for protecting Taryn, that he wasn't suspicious of her like Bennett or eager to control her power like Asina.
It didn't make Kael like him, though.
'I know which Infernum has taken Christian's body,' said Kael, treading carefully. He wouldn't reveal the details of Kael's encounter with the Infernum, but he knew he had to warn everyone. 'It's Asmodeus.'
There was a beat of silence as Kael's words registered, and then Zachariah rose from his seat and said, 'Asmodeus?'
'That's what he called himself.'
Zachariah seemed unnerved by the name, his usual composure faltering around the edges. 'Thank you, Kael,' he said, drawing in a deep breath. 'I'm sure you're eager to check on Taryn, so you're free to go now.'
Kael didn't hesitate. He was out of the library and reaching the stairs before the library doors could even close, and it took all his will power not to break out into a run.
Taryn's room was the same one she had stayed in when they were last in the Halls, when Kael had made the promise to distance himself from her. He still wasn't sure whether to believe Tank or Cecile regarding the impact of the blood bracelets' connection on Taryn – both were as untrustworthy as the other – but he had the selfish hope that Tank's words were true.
He was kidding himself if he thought he could stay away from Taryn.
Taryn's door opened and the Seeress stepped out, her brow lifting in surprise when she saw Kael walking across the landing toward her.
'Is Taryn all right?'
'She's fine. Her body had gone into shock when you found her, but it wasn't fatal,' the Seeress answered calmly, the same way Kael imagined a nurse to speak to a patient's distressed family. She was nothing like Cecile, her hair pale brown pulled loosely into a bun at the top of her head and not a touch of make-up on her face. Kael briefly recalled Julius referring to her as a family friend.
The Seeress gestured to the door. 'Go on in. She's awake.'
'She is?' said Kael, and the Seeress offered a kind smile as she nodded.
Kael stepped up to the door, his hand hovering over the doorknob in a brief moment of hesitation. Then he walked through, his eyes falling straight to Taryn who sat poised on the edge of the bed, her blonde hair like a curtain that hid her face from him.
But she looked up, her eyes meeting his across the room. There wasn't much light in the room, the curtains having been drawn over the windows either side of the bed, but Kael could still see the tired circles under her eyes. Her complexion had regained its colour though, and no longer were her lips tinged from the cold.
Kael's feet took him forward just as Taryn moved as well, meeting him half-way, and he pulled her tightly against him. His arms curled around her shoulders and she circled her arms around his waist, her face pressed into the crook of his neck.
'I'm so glad you're here,' Taryn murmured.
Kael leaned back, but he wasn't ready to let her go just yet. 'I'm sorry I didn't find you sooner. Are you all right? The Seeress said—'
'I'm all right,' she assured him. 'I mean, I will be. What Asina did...'
'What happened to her? There was no one else at the house we found you, unless they were buried under the rubble,' Kael said, his hand lifting to cup her face. She was tired, he could see that, but her eyes seemed darker as well. He knew he couldn't expect her to be the same as she was before, especially when he had no idea what Asina had done to her, but there was a shadow over her eyes, her expression, that Kael hadn't expected at all. It was as if she had lost her innocence.
'I don't know,' Taryn said, shaking her head in dismay. She leaned forward again, her hands twisting in his shirt as she pressed her forehead to his chest. 'I don't know what happened to her, but I know what she intended. I need to speak with Bennett and the Magistrate.'
'You should rest more,' Kael insisted.
Taryn tilted her head back to meet his gaze, and then she reached up on her toes and kissed him. Kael had forgotten what it felt like to kiss her, so much so that he almost lost himself to it completely. Her hands gathered in the hem of his shirt, her fingers skimming his stomach, and he reactively grabbed her wrists to stop her.
The image of the girl whose soul he had taken – and the image of his clawed hands choking Taryn – appeared like a burst of light in his mind.
Kael stepped back from Taryn reluctantly, and he saw her eyes flash with hurt. 'Taryn—'
'I should see the Magistrate and Bennett,' she said softly, his hands slipping from her wrists as she walked around him. 'Are they in the library?'
'They are,' said Kael, following after her. 'Taryn, do you really need to speak with them now? You should rest,' he said again. He wanted to know what had happened to her, how she had survived the earthquake – why the earthquake had struck there in the first place – but he didn't want to drown her with questions. He also didn't want her to think he suspected her.
Did he suspect her, though?
Taryn didn't respond, and she walked quickly and with purpose toward the stairs. Julius happened to be at the bottom of them, as if he had been on his way to check on Taryn himself, but when he saw Taryn his eyes widened in surprise.
'You're awake,' Julius said, glancing at Kael in question.
Kael shrugged. 'She needs to speak with the Magistrate.'
The library doors opened just as Taryn passed Julius and the Magistrate appeared, Bennett at his side. They saw Taryn approaching from the stairs and their conversation died away, as surprised as Julius was to see her. Bennett's eyes flared brightly, his arms crossing obstinately over his chest in a stance Kael had come to know as disapproval, but Zachariah remained placid.
'You're clearly in better health than we thought, Miss Nyte,' said Bennett, the insinuation obvious. 'That's rather fortunate.'
'Would you have rather me beaten and broken?' Taryn rebuked, surprising Kael with her tone.
'I'd rather answers, Miss Nyte, but I seem to be getting only more questions. So if you'd be so kind?' Bennett insisted.
'I don't think here is the most appropriate place, Bennett,' said Zachariah, and Kael glanced up to the landing on the opposite end of the hall to see a few other Immortals watching in curiosity.
Taryn's eyes narrowed on Bennett. 'Asina wanted to extract the demon inside me, then use it for herself. To conquer you.'
Kael looked across to Julius sharply, whose eyes had widened at Taryn's words – not of Asina's intentions, no, but of Taryn knowing the truth. Kael's first instinct was to reassure her, to tell her that she shouldn't worry, but that was because he didn't want it to be the truth.
Bennett's expression didn't change except for the slight tightening of his mouth, the edges of his lips turning white with annoyance.
'So you've known all along,' said Taryn.
'Of course,' Bennett replied crossly. 'Julius should have told me the moment you came into his care, but he chose to keep it a secret for quite some time which I did not appreciate.'
'It shouldn't have been kept a secret from me,' Taryn said, her voice sharpening.
'Taryn,' Julius began, stepping around to face her. 'I wanted you to live normally. I couldn't have imagined seeing your childhood, your friendships, ruined because you were scared of something you had no control over.'
Taryn regarded Julius for a moment, and Kael saw her fists clench at her side. 'You wanted. You couldn't have imagined,' she whispered. 'Didn't it ever occur to you what I might have wanted, that maybe if I had known the truth I might have been strong enough to bear it?'
Something broke in Julius then, Kael saw it in his expression. He saw the anguish pass over his eyes, saw how his shoulders dropped as if a weight had settled on them, and Kael genuinely felt for him. All this time, Julius had thought he had done the right thing – but perhaps Taryn was right. Had it been the right thing for Taryn, or for Julius himself?
But Kael was no better. He had known the truth about Taryn and yet kept it from her, as if by not admitting it aloud he could somehow make the truth disappear.
'Your feelings, Miss Nyte, have no place here,' Bennett snapped. 'Do you not understand the magnitude of the situation? You hold a demon of immeasurable power inside of you and at the same time your existence comes to light, the Hellgates begin to weaken. If it had been up to me, you would have never seen the outside of a prison cell – that is, of course, if I had decided to let you live.'
'Bennett!' Julius exclaimed, shocked.
'It's all right,' said Taryn, her gaze steady as it held Bennett's. 'You've never liked me, have you? It's because I'm a disturbance to your balance of power. Everyone has their place; Immortals at the top, Alchemists beneath, then mortals, and demons below... but what about me? I'm not quite a mortal, not quite of divine blood, and not quite a demon. It must cut you up inside,' Taryn added lowly.
Bennett's expression darkened, like a storm settling over him. 'Do not test me, Miss Nyte.'
Kael felt something in his arm then, a vague tingling that made him flex and curl his fingers in response. But the sensation grew, reaching from his fingertips to his bicep like his blood was running cold through his veins and chilling his skin from underneath. He glanced down at his arm, frowning when he noticed the poisoned veins appeared darker than normal.
'But that's exactly what I want to do,' Taryn said – and something struck Kael about her voice.
It wasn't her voice.
But Kael reacted too slowly, and Taryn moved too quickly.
She reached over to Kael, grabbing his dagger from his belt and in one swift move, Taryn launched the dagger across the short distance between her and Bennett.
The dagger landed in Bennett's heart.
There was a beat of stunned silence as Bennett's eyes widened in shock, and from the corner of Kael's eye he saw Taryn smile.
Then the world spun back in to motion as Julius shouted Taryn's name and Zachariah caught Bennett's body as it crumpled. Zachariah's gaze snapped back to Taryn and Kael saw that his eyes were now a brilliant gold, just like Seth's.
A surge of energy threw Kael, Julius and Zachariah off their feet. Kael's back hit the marble ground and he skidded along it, throwing his eyes back to Taryn only to watch as her clothing began to meld into her skin, the colour and texture changing into leather-like armour that hugged her torso, legs and shoulders. He saw black symbols rise to the surface of her skin, tattooing her neck and face and exposed arms, and no longer were her eyes hazel – they were red. They glowed like heated rubies, and not even the whites of her eyes were untouched.
'It's been released,' Kael heard Julius say, his eyes wide with bewilderment.
Kael climbed to his feet, meeting Taryn's eyes as she glanced over him – as if he was insignificant – before she settled on Julius. 'It?' she repeated, sounding amused. 'That's rather offensive, Immortal. My name is Fury, and I suppose I'm Taryn's... other half.'
It was Taryn's face, but not her voice – not even her soul.
Zachariah moved, no longer the unassuming human he had portrayed himself to be. His eyes, his skin, were all aglow with pure gold, and his energy washed over Kael the same way Seth's had. Angel.
'Oh?' said Taryn, turning to face the Magistrate. 'Ah, I see. You're Zerachiel, aren't you? Angel of Judgement, how fitting.'
Kael tried to step forward, but a weight like the air had suddenly thickened into glass pressed down on him and he dropped to one knee. He tried to push himself up but his limbs felt like they were filling with lead, and it was a sensation he recognised.
A light above them caught Kael's eye and he looked up, finding the same large symbol flaring to life on the ceiling which he had encountered when he first entered the Halls a week ago. Its body was white, a neon-blue glow edging its curves and lines and when he looked to Fury he saw that she was struggling under the power as well. Only Zachariah and the Immortals weren't affected.
'The sanctuary ward,' said Julius, keeping his eyes on Taryn – Fury – as he added, 'If by any chance a demon with malicious intent breaches the Halls the sanctuary ward activates, suppressing them.'
Even the one who didn't intend harm, Kael thought bitterly. He couldn't move.
Fury, on the other hand, managed to straighten under the ward, her expression smoothing out from a grimace to something that suggested victory. Kael supposed it was a victory if Fury could withstand the sanctuary ward. Kael certainly couldn't.
Wings of gold energy had unfolded from Zachariah's back, and as he raised a hand Kael saw a sword materialize from the air. Its blade was sleek and of a strange silver-white steel Kael hadn't seen before, with a handle of polished gold that glinted against the energy pouring off Zachariah.
'What are you doing?' Kael shouted. 'You can't kill her!'
Zachariah's eyes flicked across to him, but only for a second. 'This is not Taryn, Kael. This is Fury; Lucifer's daughter. We cannot let her leave this room.'
'He's not entirely wrong,' Taryn – Fury – added, 'but I'd be careful where you point that, Zerachiel. I may be in control of this body, but the girl is still inside.'
'Then give it back to her,' Julius demanded. 'You're free now – so release Taryn and find some other body to inhabit.'
Fury scoffed. 'If only it were that simple, Immortal.'
She threw out her hand and Julius was pushed back, as if hit by a gale. He slammed into the library doors and dropped to his knees, grimacing, while Fury's eyes glowed like burning coals. Kael saw a Hell's Signum on her palm like the one Christian had had which stood for control, giving her the ability to manipulate a weaker being's body.
Zachariah moved like lightning, coming up behind Fury with his sword raised and Taryn's name left Kael's lips before he could stop himself. Fury spun around, but she didn't move out of the way – she let the sword slide right through her, as if she were merely an illusion. Zachariah reeled back in shock and Fury released another wave of energy, pushing everyone further away from her.
Zachariah withstood it, his feet planted firmly as the energy crashed over him, and then he launched himself at Fury again with his sword sweeping in a clean arc through the air. Fury moved like an agile, experienced fighter as she curved her body beneath the sword and then snapped out her palm into Zachariah's chest, and then through it.
'No!' Julius shouted in dismay, throwing himself forward to stop Fury but she pushed him back with her other hand, an invisible force keeping him at bay.
Kael still couldn't move beneath the sanctuary ward, and so he watched helplessly as Fury crushed Zachariah's heart from inside his chest, the glow of his skin becoming brighter and then solidifying until he became a golden statue. And then he shattered.
Fury stepped back, dropping her hand that was now covered in Zachariah's blood. 'That was easier than expected,' she said, turning to stand between Julius and Kael. 'Now for you two.'
Kael's first instinct was to reach for his dagger, but with it still embedded in Bennett's chest and the sanctuary ward active Kael could hardly lift his arm. He watched Fury as she decided who to strike first, and then the hall was suddenly filled with howling wind as multiple Doorways tore open around them.
Immortals stepped through, their hands raised toward Fury with the Heaven Signum of banish blazing white-hot across their palms. Kael knew Doorways couldn't be used in the halls except for those in the gateway rooms, but he wouldn't be surprised if the use of the sanctuary ward negated that rule to allow for the Immortals' instant arrival.
Fury staggered against the onslaught, but the fiery light of the banishing mark didn't burn through from inside her like Kael had seen demons do before when they were banished. It meant she was too powerful to be banished.
One of the Immortals broke away from the circle they had formed, armed with a holy blade that he swung out toward Fury. Fury moved slowly, likely from the sanctuary ward, but she moved just in time for the sword to only glance across her elbow, slicing open a thin line. The Immortal leapt back in readiness for a counter, but Fury didn't retaliate straight away.
She looked to the cut on her arm instead and lightly dabbed at the blood that welled from it. Kael saw her smile broaden, but it was edged like a razorblade. He wanted to think the smile unnatural because it was on Taryn's face, but there was something inherently different about Taryn's face now that Fury wore it. He looked at Taryn, but saw nothing that resembled the girl he met only a few weeks ago.
Fury drew her finger away from the wound, but with it came a trail of blood like red thread. She gestured with her fingers and the thread changed, widening and sharpening until it took the shape of a naked, hilt-less blade as long as her hand. It hovered in the air, and Fury pointed it towards the Immortal.
'Taryn,' Julius called desperately. 'Taryn, don't do this! Don't—'
Fury flicked out her hand to silence him, and at the same she sent the blood-blade flying. The Immortal moved his sword to deflect it, but the blade turned to liquid and passed around the sword before solidifying – and then piercing the Immortal's head.
The Immortal dropped with an instant death, his eyes wide.
The other Immortals all hesitated, their marked hands falling to their blades now that they knew their Signums were useless. Fury raised her own hands, and the blood-dagger returned to a liquid form as it came free from the dead Immortal's head. The blood darted back to Fury, only to divide into several smaller strands that reformed into new blades. One for each Immortal.
'Enough!' Julius demanded, throwing out his arm to keep the Immortals back. His turned his eyes on Fury, levelling his gaze with hers. 'They do not need to die here, Fury. You've proved your point, now leave.'
'No one needs to die, Julius,' she replied, 'but sometimes there are wants that no other act can fulfil. I only came here for one thing – no, I apologise, I came here for three things.'
Fury stretched her arm up to the ceiling, her blood-daggers circling her like thorns of a rose's stem, and Kael watched as her fingers reached into the air as if feeling for something no one else could see. Her eyes closed but Kael could feel her energy rising, and at the same time he felt as if she were drawing all the energy from around her – even Kael's.
Then something tore, a terrible ripping sound that set Kael's teeth on edge. He looked up and saw a Doorway tear open below the ceiling, a roiling mass of black oblivion on its other side, and then Seth, Ace and Eljae were suddenly thrown through it. They crashed to the floor at Fury's feet, their hair and clothes in disarray as if the Doorway had tossed them like a hurricane, and then the Doorway sealed shut.
Fury stumbled, placing a hand to her head. 'Oh, that was unpleasant.'
'What – I thought we were going to Zed's!' Eljae exclaimed, and as she tried to stand she was hit by the effects of the sanctuary ward. It crashed down on her shoulders and she hit the floor again, held down by an invisible weight.
Ace was already down, his face twisted with pain, but Kael knew the sanctuary ward shouldn't be affecting him. Something else was wrong.
Then Seth sat up, grimacing. He shook away his disorientation only for his eyes to fall on Fury, and Kael saw confusion pass over his face. 'Taryn?'
Fury folded her arms, frowning. 'Not Taryn, actually. You're Setheus, correct? Well I have no use for you.' She flicked her wrist and Seth was pushed back, slamming straight into one of the pillars lining the hall.
'You three,' she continued, glancing between Kael, Ace and Eljae, 'have something I want back.'
'What's going on?' Eljae uttered, trying again to resist the sanctuary ward. She fell to the floor, craning her neck to look up at Fury. 'Taryn? What... What's happening?'
Fury glanced back to Kael, looking impatient. 'They just don't listen, do they?'
Julius' eyes were a solid, unwavering amber. 'That's because you are Taryn,' he said, and Kael knew he wasn't talking to Fury. He was speaking as if to Taryn's soul, wherever it was behind Fury's eyes.
Ignoring him, Fury regarded Kael, Ace and Eljae again. 'You three were my anchors, you know. The girl was my host, but a ritual needed to take place that would extract some of my power and anchor it to reality so that I could more easily claw my way out. The ritual required three anchors, all of which had to have divided natures; both of the mortal and demonic realms or else they could not withstand my power, and my power could not take root in reality.
'Asmodeus performed that ritual,' Fury added, but she said the Infernum's name with a subtle hint of distaste, 'and you three were instilled with my power. But guess what? I want it back.'
Kael looked down at the blackened blood highlighting the veins in his arm, their existence now making sense. But as he regarded the veins a sudden sharp pain lanced up his arm into his shoulder, and Kael's jaw clenched shut to stop any sound leaving his lips. The pain intensified but Kael couldn't move his arm – and it wasn't to do with the sanctuary ward.
His hand was pressed flat the floor, his fingers flexed, and the blackness within his veins began to move down toward his fingers like slugs crawling through his blood stream until they gathered at his fingertips. Kael felt the power burn against his skin and he heard Eljae and Ace in pain as well, experiencing the same thing, but Kael couldn't look away as the blackness seeped out of his skin and onto the marble floor. They slithered toward Fury with grotesque precision and she knelt down to meet them, her hands pressing to the floor so the power could transfer to her own skin. They circled her arms, darkening her own veins in their wake, and did the same to her face to create a web of black veins around her eyes.
She hardly resembled Taryn anymore.
Fury raked a hand through her – Taryn's – hair, flicking it back off her face. 'That's much better. I'm actually starting to feel like myself again.'
Kael thought he might pass out, as if taking her power back had taken all of Kael's energy as well. He pushed back the darkness rising to swallow him and resisted the sanctuary ward again, enough that he could push himself up on his elbows.
'Fury,' he called, and she turned to him with a confident smile. 'Is Taryn really alive?'
It was the only question that mattered.
Fury's smile dropped slightly. 'Of course she is. She's alive, however, until you manage to kill me.'
'You're saying we can't harm you without harming her?' asked Seth, back on his feet now with eyes of molten gold.
'And vice versa,' she replied. 'Tricky, isn't it?'
'There will be a way,' Julius assured.
Fury gave him an irritated glare. 'Good luck finding one, Immortal.'
Something suddenly exploded between Kael and Fury, but it wasn't heat or smoke or fire that followed the tremendous boom and force; it was light. A light so blinding Kael turned away and shielded his eyes, feeling warmth that wasn't painful or suffocating but rather comforting and soothing, temporarily taking away his pain and fatigue. The light faded though and he turned back around, finding two men standing before Fury – or, rather, two Angels.
Their translucent wings were extended high, the gold energy forming to make each pair of wings slightly different in size and shape. Kael instantly recognised one of the Angels; Rafe, the owner of the café Taryn took him too. He knew he shouldn't be surprised; almost everyone in Taryn's life seemed to have a connection with what she really was. The other man however, possibly Julius' age with neat brown hair, Kael didn't recognise – but the sword he did. He just hadn't believed it existed.
The Sword of Michael.
It was nearly as tall as the Angel, the blade lined in traces of fire like the edges of a burning piece of paper, but the heat didn't affect the Angel who was holding it. He must be Michael himself then, Kael thought, if he's holding the sword.
Fury's arrogance had left her face, replaced by anger and cautiousness as she regarded the two men before her. 'I wasn't expecting an entire entourage for my arrival,' she uttered, her red eyes flicking back and forth between Rafe and Michael. 'Are you willing to let the girl die in order to end me, Angels?'
'I think the better question to ask is, Lucifer's daughter, are you willing to let her die?' said Michael, bringing his sword out in front of him.
Kael was torn. He wanted them to stop Fury, but he didn't want them to harm Taryn. The sanctuary ward forbade him from doing anything though, so instead he narrowed his eyes on Julius. 'You're not going to let them kill her, are you?' he said.
Julius didn't say anything, because in that moment another wave of energy rippled through the library, pushing everyone back – and suddenly Fury was gone, a large black scorch mark burnt into the ground where she had been standing.