Free Ascension of Evil (Battle for Souls Book 3) by Ciara Knight Page B

Gabby to Satan. “Be ready. Demons are easily manipulated and stupid, but they’ll still catch on quick.”
    “We just have to clear the tree line,” Grace reassured him. “Boon will handle any stragglers.”
    Boon tugged his shirt over his head. “Don’t get carried away, Sammy,” he warned, worry plaguing his stare.
    Alexander stiffened, but refused to think of the harm he could cause if rage got the better of him. If he focused too much on the consequences, the anger would subside and he’d ruin any chance they had of escaping.
    Shuffles raked across the shingles above. “Don’t forget the ones up there.”
    “Got it covered.” Boon pulled Sammy to him. “Be careful, my love. I’ll see you at Prim’s place.”
    Bruce disappeared behind the kitchen wall and returned with a handgun. “Just in case.”
    Alexander nodded and turned to Sammy. The fury ebbed and drained from his body. How was he going to do this?
    “You know she’s always had a thing for wounded men. Forras probably has her in his arms right now,” Sammy shouted at him. “It’s your fault I’ve been trapped here on Earth. You think you’re above the rules, that you’re special?” Her words stung, but he knew she didn’t mean them. Sammy was too sweet. She always had his back. This was just her way of nudging him to move forward.
    “You know I was protecting you.” The words slipped from his lips before he could stop them. No. He needed to fight, not just argue. “If you hadn’t been so caught up in finding Boon…” At the surprise on her face, he returned her stare with a mocking one. “That’s right, Sammy. I remember. You were bending the rules yourself.”
    Sammy soared outside and landed with wings spread wide. “I never broke any angelic laws.”
    “Didn’t you?” The day he folded and accepted his fate stirred his emotions. He’d always blamed himself, but his memory had returned, mostly. Pieces were still trickling in. Thousands of years of memories, as if they had all happened yesterday. “I remember the day I fought for you, challenged Appius and the rest of the council. I placed my eternal salvation on you, but you’d gone against angelic law to find Boon. All this time, I lived with the weight that I had caused you to fall, but it was really you who had caused my fall.”
    Sammy shook her head, eyes wide. “No. Appius accused me of behavior unbecoming an angel. It had nothing to do with Boon. My innocence was proven, but we were sentenced because they believed I’d urged you to defy the council.”
    He froze. “Wait, if I regained my memory when I… then you must have regained yours when you bonded with Boon. You’ve known what happened all this time and let me continue to live with the guilt?” Hot anger bubbled inside him, then stilled as realization set in. Sammy had remembered once she bonded with Boon. Did the return of his memories mean he and Gabby had truly soulbonded? Was it different from that of other angels because she was part angel, demon, and human?
    Trees rustled overhead, reminding him of their purpose. “You lied. It wasn’t me. It was your determination to be with Boon that caused our fall. I have no use for Heaven and their laws now. Forras has Gabby, and she’s the only reason I’ve survived this long. The blame for my fall to Hell rests on your shoulders.”
    Sammy narrowed her eyes and lunged. He met her mid-air. Deep growls roared from the tree canopy. His shoulder smashed into the passenger side door of Bruce’s old tank of a car. Demon roars from the front drive answered the ones from the trees. He only hoped the ones in the rear joined in soon to watch the show.
    Sammy grabbed his hair, pulling his scalp tight. He clutched her hand and swung her overhead, onto her back on the gravel driveway. Rocks skidded across the grass and he jumped to keep her down, but she rolled back and ripped a branch from a tree. Bark rained down around them. He rolled. Dozens of eyes glowered