CASTYR'S POV
My eyes widen as I watch a group of demons land behind Kilo.
Kilo is swift in responding. He whips around as a demon reaches him. Aiming carefully, I snipe four of the eight demons. A sudden, strong whoosh of wind knocks me off balance, preventing me from eliminating my fifth target. As I steady myself, I see hundreds of Heaven's forces transfer to the city and begin resisting the invading demons.
I spin around and aim my rifle at the new enemy landing on the balcony. In one swift movement, the demon reaches me and yanks the rifle from my hands. He wraps his hand around my throat and turns me around. I lose my breath as I am pushed inside and slammed against the bedroom wall with incredible force.
I claw at the demon's hand as he stares at me with red, glowing eyes. I close my eyes as I struggle to breathe. The demon loosens his hold as dizziness floods me. My breath comes back, but the demon keeps his hand around my throat, reminding me I am still not safe.
"Who are you?" I inquire through strained breaths. "You need me alive. Why?"
My attacker remains silent. His black hair flows in front of his red eyes and contrasts with his pale skin. His eyes...they look deep and broken...like Kilo. Who is this mysterious demon? Why isn't he killing me?
"Aklys!" A younger demon calls as he enters the room. "Is this the star?"
I feel dread and fear enter the angel.
The tightening of Aklys' grip breaks my focus on the link. "This is the star," the demon answers.
"He's all we need, right? Let's go," the younger demon responds.
The bursting in of Kilo startles the demons for just a split second, but a split second is all I need. I rip free of Aklys' hold and race to the nightstand as Kilo engages in combat with Aklys. I grab the handgun from the nightstand and fire at the younger demon. Advancing as I fire, three of my shots hit their mark in his gut. The demon spreads his wings and escapes by way of the balcony.
I turn around as a hand grabs me. I look to see a blood-covered Kilo dragging me out of the room. Kilo spreads his wings as we dash out of the residence. Still running, Kilo pulls me into him and kicks off of the ground. I glance behind to see Aklys exit the residence holding a flaming bow with three arrows made of fire.
Pain pierces me through the link. I open my eyes to see Kilo gasping on the ground. Besides the arrows, bullet wounds and slashes cover Kilo's legs and abdomen. Wasting no time, I immediately brighten my glow and channel it to Kilo's wounds.
"Castyr, don't. Save your energy," Kilo protests.
"Stay still," I order as I concentrate.
Aklys stops advancing as my glow engulfs Kilo and me. He just stands and watches with pain as he looks at the arrows piercing the downed angel's wings. Why isn't he attacking? Now is the perfect moment. We are both vulnerable.
To my horror, the demon snaps out of his trance. What do I do? I am not done healing Kilo. A familiar burning sensation enters my stomach as Aklys approaches. I clutch my stomach as the burning grows. It enters my throat as Aklys reaches us.
Kilo suddenly sits up and flips me under him as Aklys readies another arrow. My angel covers me as the light explodes from my body. I lose consciousness as my body has yet to adjust to these critical bursts.
KILO'S POV
As soon as the light fades, I scoop Castyr into my arms and begin running. Slightly aware of Aklys recovering and pursuing, I run with all my might. I come to a halting stop as I realize we have arrived at the edge of the city. I turn from the edge to see Aklys reaching us. He looks at the star in my arms before locking eyes with me.
"I'll let you live if you hand him over," the demon offers. Exhaustion fills his voice. He must be really powerful if he is able to withstand Castyr's blast. Although, Castyr's blast was at about thirty percent capacity as he has been filling Ithyos's reserve and used a ton of it to heal me in just seconds. It would usually have taken hours to heal my extensive wounds.
"Forget it. I can't lose him again."
The demon's eyes narrow. "Who is he to you? Just give him up."
"You may be able to give up on someone you love, but I can't."
For some reason, what I say affects Aklys. Tears touch his eyes as he stares at my desperate expression. Is takes a few moments before he answers through silent tears, "You are right. I can't give up on him. He needs me. But that's why I need Castyr. I can only save him if I give Castyr to the king."
His words pierce my heart. He is just as desperate as I am. There is no lie in his voice. This demon is fighting to save someone he loves.
"You'll have to kill me," I tell Aklys.
"Same here."
By this time, tears are streaming down both our faces.
"Please."
I look behind me as Aklys readies his bow. Tightening my hold, I kiss Castyr's head before taking a step back. I do not know where this part of Heaven leads to, but it is the best chance for Castyr to live. He will survive if I break his fall. Aklys releases the arrow as my feet leave the edge. The arrow pierces my shoulder as we fall from Heaven. I wrap my wings around Castyr as we plummet to places unknown.