Raum lifted the sword at the exact moment that his hands lost their ability to grasp, probably because his fingers were gone. The heavy weapon slipped from his grip, but it didn’t matter, because he’d positioned it perfectly.
It dropped, blade pointing straight down. The tip hit Raphael’s temple, and with that preternatural sharpness, it sank straight through his skull, pinning it to the floor.
The archangel lay still.
There was a moment of total silence. The world was spinning.
“Raum!” Sunshine’s voice. She was still on the floor. “Your hands!”
He blinked, trying to focus.They’ll grow back, he wanted to tell her.Been there, done that.In fact, last time they’d been melted off, Eva had used her badass Nephilim powers to regrow them almost instantaneously. Maybe she could help him out again.
“Y’okay?” The word came out garbled, but honestly, he was impressed he was speaking at all. He was swaying on his feet, barely holding himself upright.
“Yes, I’m okay.” There was pain in her voice, but he believed her. “A-are you?”
Sunshine was safe. The relief was so immense, he nearly passed out then and there. But first, he had to make sure Eva was all right.
He stumbled in the direction he knew she was in. His sight wasn’t working great. Somehow, he managed to discern the edge of the sigil trapping her, and he smudged the chalk line with a foot.
A second later, he felt Eva’s hands gripping his arms, keeping him upright, which was helpful. He hadn’t fallen on his ass yet, but he wasn’t far off.
“Oh mygod, Raum, your hands! Why the fuck are you always melting your hands?”
“S’all good,” he mumbled.
“How the hell did you break out of that sigil? That was the craziest thing I’ve ever seen— Oh, Jesus, fuck, your hands— Oh god, I’m gonna be sick.”
“Help Sunshine,” he muttered because he didn’t think he’d be able to stay conscious much longer.
“I need to heal you, but I’m not very good, and Ash never lets me practice because he says it’s too dangerous—”
“Help.”
“That’s what I’m trying to do!”
“Sunshine.”
“She’s okay. Her chains are stuck around Raphael, but she’s—”
“Help Sunshine!” Raum snapped. “Please?”
And then he finally passed out.
* * *
Sunshine struggledto free herself from under the immense weight of Raphael’s unconscious body. The sword pinning his head to the ground kept him from waking up, but since the chain between the manacles at her wrists was wrapped around his neck, it also kept her trapped.
She was weak from the fight, and the way she was coughing up blood told her she’d sustained serious internal injuries. Her wings, which she’d used to protect her body, were broken in several places and hung limply from her shoulders.
None of that mattered. She’d heal fine once she got the cuffs off. Right now, she just wanted to get to Raum. Watching his arms burning as he wielded Raphael’s sword had filled her with horror. And awe.
A demon wielding one of the deadliest consecrated weapons ever made—it was a remarkable feat of strength. How he’d managed to hold onto the blade while it incinerated his flesh was beyond her comprehension.
And that wasn’t even touching on how he’d broken out of an Empyrean sigil, drawn by an archangel at that. It shouldn’t have been possible, but she’d already learned that Raum was full of surprises.
Eva’s silver eyes suddenly appeared in the narrowed space of Sunshine’s vision. The edges were darkened with pain and weakness. “Are you okay?”
“Raum—”
