Sean crouched through the narrow tunnel, trying not to knock his shotgun against the rock while keeping clear of Barratt's huge, overly-large form ahead of him. They came to the end and looked out over a large cavern, seeing multiple levels of rock floor in a wide-open space. Their tunnel opened out several feet above a high platform, with other tunnels and cave openings at various levels around the area.

Somewhere nearby, through the walls, Sean could hear a low chanting. The constant sounds were deep, almost guttural, and everywhere, like they were whispering in his mind. Below them, several men stood in a loose group. Their thin frames, pockmarked pale skin, and baggy clothing might have marked them as homeless junkies at a quick glance, but Sean had developed a keener eye for spotting demons in human form. Nearby, other men in hooded robes were huddled together, possibly praying – or whatever the demon equivalent to praying was.

"We wait for Zuriea to move first," Barratt said quietly beside Sean.

Above them, Zuriea was looking out from a hole in the cave ceiling. The other angels would be approaching, or already waiting, at other points around the room.

Sean wiped a hand over his sweaty face and tried to control his breathing. Candles lined some parts of the walls, filling the cave with a hot, stifling air. He was partially reminded of the incense candles from church, when he was younger. Back when he was an altar boy and used to help the priests prepare for Sunday Mass. He shook his head, realising how messed up it was to compare a demon stronghold with a church.

"When it starts," Barratt said, "you stay back. You hear?"

Sean nodded, his grip tightening on the shotgun. He had never fired a gun before he joined the Angel Squad, but then Sean wasn't the same man anymore. While bullets couldn't kill a demon, a good shotgun blast served well enough to slow them down.

"I hear," Sean said. "What about you? What made you come back? It can't just be for Cam's unfairly perfect looks?"

Barratt gave a slight shrug, as best he could in the tunnel. "War always calls to us. And sometimes we can't keep ignoring it."

"Aye, we can't fight who we really are."

Barratt looked at him sideways. "Or who we become."

"I tell you what," Sean said. "Once today is over, how about we get a pint, and you can tell me about that awkward look you had with Lahabiel earlier."

Barratt's eyes narrowed. "The 3D Supervisor detective."

Sean grinned.

Movement caught his attention above them. Zuriea leaned out from the hole. She met their eyes and then focused below.

"Showtime," Sean said dully.

Zuriea flew down like an arrow being fired, her light sword igniting. The light plunged into the back of a demon's neck, burning and hissing. Rathanael fell alongside her and rammed his sword into the next demon, falling onto him. Laylah appeared in a flash and took the head off a third demon as Zuriea took down another, all before they could transform.

The robed figures threw back their hoods, revealing themselves to be more demons like the others. They began to convulse and expand, growing into their larger beast forms. Their robes stretched and tore over their hulking bodies, now standing more than twice their original heights.

Without another word, Barratt dropped down, leaving Sean in the tunnel to look over the battle. He landed between two of the large demons, a light sword shooting out from each of his hands, and spun, cutting through both demons in a whirl. They stumbled back but recovered enough to reach for him, and Barratt dove away as the other angels joined in the fight. Sean stared with wide eyes, having never seen an angel use two light swords before. Expelling twice as much of their inner light was thought to use too much focus and leave them more vulnerable. But then Barratt didn't seem to conform with the other angels.

The large demons met the angels in a crash of flashing lights and swinging claws, a chaotic blur of clashing powers. More demons dropped down from holes in the walls, transforming as they fell.

Chayyliel dove through the air, his outstretched fists surrounded by balls of light—another angel who extended their light with both hands—and barrelled into a rushing demon. He threw a bombardment of punches as he pushed through the demon, lashing out at a second demon and switching between the two at once. The anger and aggression in Chayy was clear to Sean, and it was evident in his choice of weapons. He didn't seek to cut the demons down, but to pulverise them. Make them hurt.

Lahabiel came up behind him, pushing off a demon's shoulders and hopping over their heads. For someone who Sean had never seen fight before, she was a surprisingly formidable force, moving from demon to demon and hacking away at them. She flipped and took the head off one demon, and landed on the shoulders of another before jumping away. A huge hand plucked her from the air and slammed her into the ground in a sudden jerk. She lay there as a demon stood over her. Zuriea appeared in a flash and cut through the demon as she passed, her light streaming like a lightning strike. She landed between two demons and twisted, her sword twirling around her hand like a helicopter blade. Pulpy dark blood spurted and flew around her as she cut through them, her light spinning as a solid disk.

As another demon came up to her, Laylah ducked under her and came to it, plunging her sword into its chest and jumping up. She pushed them high above the battle and then came back down, smashing it into the ground with her sword embedded in its chest. Chayy threw out a powerful uppercut that threw a demon into the air, and a flying Barratt caught it, pushing it through the air with him.

Sean tensed, itching to join the battle. But he knew going in now would only get him killed. He considered popping off a few shots but he was too far away for effective damage, and would only draw them to him and split the angels' focus.

Rathanael called out, and Sean turned to see him on the ground, backed up against the wall as a demon stepped to him. It reared up, raising its huge claws, and then jerked up as two lights shot out from its chest. The two angels on its back pushed it to the ground. Kalaziel and Mihr released their swords and hopped off the bloodied demon. Sean smiled and breathed with relief. He had dropped them off here outside the stronghold earlier that morning, where they'd been keeping watch, and he was glad to see them join the fight. He looked around but still couldn't see others from Zuriea's team, who should be making their way there too. He just hoped it would be enough.

A low, thrumming sensation came to Sean, like a far-off static, catching his breath. He steadied himself as the powerful sensation washed over the room, becoming a deep throbbing whine that constricted his chest. Like a hand reaching into him and squeezing.

He gasped and steadied himself, turning to the source, and saw someone had entered the room. Sephiaza stood by a door on the far side of the cavern, behind a low wall hidden by the others. Sean blinked through the sweat pouring from him, grimacing, having never felt anything like it before. She wore a black bodysuit that hugged her striking curves, and her long raven hair hung like a solid sheet. She was exceptionally tall. Her stunning beauty was beyond anything Sean could have imagined. An enthralling aura exuded from her and pulled him in. Made him want to be close to her. To love her. His hand slipped and he had to push himself back, realising he had been leaning out. He shook his head, trying to regain his senses. It somehow felt like waking up. Like he had lost some time and just came back to the moment.

He could only watch as Sephiaza shot up and soared through the air. Arching towards the battle, she spread her arms out and a dark, tumultuous energy built up over her hands. She swung an arm out and a beam of chaotic energy burst out, hitting Rathanael and sending him crashing into the wall in an explosion of rock and grit. She landed and spun, sending a wave of swirling dark energy outwards. Angels and demons were thrown back, some hitting the walls or crashing into each other, while some managed to dig their heels and slide back.

Chayy, Mihr, and Laylah rushed towards her, executing a series of closely timed attacks. They moved in and out of each other, striking and retreating, flowing between their motions like one mind. A dark surface burst from Sephiaza's intercepting hands with each of their attacks, pushing their light back. Around them, the other angels fought back the demons, who seemed to be growing in frightening numbers.

"That's enough watching, Seany boy," he said to himself.

He slid out of the tunnel and dropped to the platform below, and ran along the wall towards the door Sephiaza had entered from. A deep, hideously powerful growl echoed through the cavern as he left it, and he almost stopped and turned back, but he had to keep going. The angels needed some backup, and somewhere imprisoned in this place was a guy who could help them. Sean just hoped he was still willing to.

[Thank you for reading. Please feel free to leave a comment and click the Like star. I'd love to hear what you think of the story. Thanks!]