With a shake of his head, Lincoln sighed. “It worked at first. We were killing demons left and right, but they seemed to catch on quickly, and news of our raid spread throughout the war zone. There are so many more of them than there are of us, and I think they put two and two together that the school was unguarded.”

He stopped in the middle of the parking lot, and looked down at me with searing blue eyes. “I’m so sorry I left you here all alone. That will never happen again. From now on, you go where I go.”

Oh no. Stage-five-clinger Lincoln was back. I feared I’d never use the bathroom alone again.

Reaching up, I ran my fingers through his dark hair. “Linc, he’s going to come for me. I made a pact with the Devil. Do you think he’ll just let that go?” I needed to be real here. The time would come when I wouldn’t be able to escape Lucifer again. Tonight was a test, but the real day was coming.

Lincoln looked determined, jaw clenched and menacing scowl in place. “Let him come. I’m ready for him.”

“Lincoln…”

He was all puffed up and looked ready to kill someone. I didn’t have the heart to tell him he couldn’t fight for me, that it would be pointless. Instead, I rested my forehead against his chest, and sighed.

His hands made their way to my face, cupping my cheeks and tilting my face toward his. “Brielle, I took a vow as your husband to protect you, and I meant it.”

“I know,” I murmured.

That’s what I was afraid of more than anything. If Lucifer killed Lincoln… No. I couldn’t even conceive of it. That would be my worst nightmare come to life.

“Lincoln, you know what the prophecy says. I’m the one who—”

“Fuck the prophecy. I’m going to kill that bastard the next time I see him, and then we won’t need to worry about anything anymore.”

Eleven

It had been two weeks since the attack, and the school was still on high alert. All Fallen Army personnel not enrolled in classes were on duty for twelve hours a day. Today was the first day back at school, and last night had been the Awakening ceremony. Next year would be the very last Awakening ever. The fact that almost every single angel blessed, or demon gifted child had already grown up and awoken blew my mind. All that would be left to protect humanity from the demons was… humanity.

Grace had moved into Raphael’s office, and was starting the Demon Hunter Academy today as well. She had rounded up a whopping fourteen students who’d volunteered to learn how to fight demons. A slow and humble start.

Raphael had also agreed that all eleven of my students fought bravely, and would be passed into their second year without having to repeat the gauntlet. I was so damn proud. They’d all earned their place in year two.

Now, I had to start year four like I wasn’t a ticking time bomb, waiting to be kidnapped by the Devil, and taken to the gates of Hell.

“Nervous?” Lincoln asked as he poured me a cup of coffee.

I shrugged. “Feel a bit better now that you’ve agreed not to sit in my classes with me.”

He grinned. “Only because I’ve got Shea, Chloe, and Luke on your ass at all times.”

I nodded. “And you’re tracking my phone.”

Lincoln clinked my mug with his own. “And that.” He winked.

I grinned. My psycho stalker hubby was sexy. “You know, you’re kinda hot when you’re stalking me.”

Leaning forward, he claimed my mouth in a deep kiss, pulling my bottom lip into his.

Yum.

When he moved back and met my gaze, my stomach did flip-flops. “Remember, I’m stationed at the front gate, so if your phone alerts me that you’ve left campus, or if you call in distress, I can be there in seconds.”

He was trying to hide it, but it was clear he was still genuinely worried, and I didn’t want to lie to him and say I would be fine. I wasn’t fine. Lucifer would be here any day now; it was a reality for which we all needed to prepare.

“Okay,” I replied simply.

A hard knock rapped at the trailer door. “Let’s go! First day. Tiffany is wearing a shirt so low she’s bound to suffer a nip slip,” Shea called through the door.

Lincoln and I both grinned.

“Love you,” I told him.

“I love you too, Bri,” he answered, more seriously than I had.

I left him in the trailer and met Shea outside. She was rocking her engagement ring today, freshly polished. “Hoping to shove that in Tiffany’s face some more?” I asked her.

She nodded. “You know it. Now that Lincoln is locked down, she’s on the hunt for another man, and you know only a Celestial will do.”

Chloe was waiting for us up ahead, looking at some flowers that were in bloom.

“Is she still…?” I asked Shea.

Shea nodded. “She’s different. I mean, she’s Chloe, but she’s like a fifty-year-old Buddhist monk now.”

I winced. The near-death experience had changed the Nightblood. She was no longer interested in bashing Tiffany or talking about cute clothes. She’d gone deep and introspective, which just made me love her more. Whatever she’d seen or experienced had obviously influenced her completely.

“Hey, girl.” I came up and gave her a hug.

She embraced me fully, holding on for longer than would be normal in a casual friend hug. This was a Chloe 2.0 hug.

“You look lovely, Brielle. I’m so honored to be finishing the year with you girls.” Her voice was soft, not timid but not aggressive either.

Shea and I shared a quick look, but then Chloe linked arms with us, and we headed into school together.

We walked in silence for a while, until we reached the courtyard where Grace was standing before a newly set sign that read ‘Demon Hunter Academy.’ The sign hung over the small gym, where I normally trained with Emberly. They would have all their classes in that one room until Fallen Academy students had fully graduated, at which point, Grace hoped to fill the entire school with humans who wanted to hunt demons.

“I think it’s wonderful that Grace is empowering the humans to look after themselves,” Chloe shared.

“I think it’s great too,” I agreed. Grace had already offered me a full-time position next year, once I graduated, and I had accepted it immediately. I would teach combat strategies and demon weaknesses, and I was so freaking excited. Assuming I lived until next year, of course. It was hard to think that far ahead with so much doom and gloom going on here on campus.

“I think it’s a good idea, but I hope they don’t get hurt.” Shea shrugged.

I felt a little bad that we treated humans like such fragile creatures. Look at Grace, after all. Half the time I forgot she was human.

“Well, well… if it isn’t the little demon lover trio.” Tiffany’s voice dripped with sarcasm as my gaze flicked over to where she stood.

Who wears that to a school where we have battle class? Shea was right, her boobs were nearly about to fall out of her low-cut silk shirt. She was definitely going to flash someone over the course of the day.

Shea ignored Tiffany and turned to me. “You and Lincoln should have quieter sex. I walked past the trailer last night, and could hear you two across the entire parking lot,” she informed loudly.

I busted out laughing as Tiffany’s face fell. Lincoln and I didn’t have sex last night, but my bestie was savage, that was for sure.

Without warning, Chloe unlinked from our arms and walked toward Tiffany with her arms outstretched like she was going to hug her.

“It’s so clear to me now that you just want to be loved. You need attention and want to feel special.” Chloe drew closer, and Tiffany just looked at her with a horrified, yet slightly vulnerable expression.

“Don’t touch me, you undead freak!” Tiffany roared. Her voice carried so far that every head in the quad whipped in our direction, including Grace’s.

Tiffany turned tail, running as Shea and I grabbed Chloe and pulled her back. “Okay, Dali Lama, save that for someone who isn’t a total psycho,” Shea told Chloe.

Undead freak? Yikes.

The rumor mill had started, had someone else seen us that night? Luckily Raphael hadn’t asked about what happened that night, and Michael didn’t say anything either. My mom was in the clear.

Chloe frowned. “She just wants to be loved.”

“Someone else can love her,” I told the Nightblood, leading her to the south end of school, where our advanced angel history class was.

The near-death experience had certainly changed our wild Chloe, but I was just glad and grateful she was alive.

As we passed Grace, I saw her signing in a new student, a scrawny-looking girl with no muscle. Was that how we looked when we first started? Probably.

We were just stepping into the class, comparing our schedules, when the demon alarm went off around us. Everything within me clenched as we bolted inside, barring the door. If school was in session, demon alarm protocol was to barricade inside the nearest classroom.

Seriously? On the first day of school?

Lincoln was at the front gates on duty, and I prayed he was okay. These demon attacks were getting too frequent.

“All right, fourth years, this is not a drill. Let’s stay calm, but prepare for a possible attack. Please bring out your weapons if you have any.” Mrs. Delacourt, a centaur, galloped to the front of the classroom and stood before the entrance.

Shea clapped her hands together and a green magical fire erupted from her palms, just waiting to throw it at a demon, no doubt.

There was a frantic bang on the door.

“Let me in! There’s a Castor demon out here!” Tiffany’s high-pitched voice shrieked.

Shea groaned. “For Heaven’s sake. Let it eat her.”

Mrs. Delacourt shushed Shea, and looked to me with uncertainty in her eyes.

On a small level, I really did want to let it eat her, but on some other more mature level, my conscience couldn’t allow that. Maybe it was that thing Michael had done, or maybe it was Chloe’s new influence. I wasn’t entirely sure what caused it, but pulling my sword free, I sidestepped Mrs. Delacourt.