There was a strained silence in the wake of Terran's sudden death but it took just a moment for the beast's words to settle in. And then the demons surged towards the door as they fought one another to escape its wrath.

Several demons stumbled and fell to the ground in the swarm. Their cries were loud as they were trampled underfoot by their co-conspirators. No one stopped. No one looked back. There was no honour among these demons - every demon looked out for himself as they scrambled for survival.

My mouth felt dry as I turned away from the chaotic scene and focused on the main threat in the room. The Soul Stealer. The ease with which it had dispatched Terran sent fear flooding through my body.

The fear intensified when the beast turned towards the fleeing group. And then, with a flick of his wings, familiar black bolts emerged from the wing tips and hurtled towards the crowds. Again and again it struck. The screams of agony grew louder as more and more fell under the Soul Stealers onslaught.

A few managed to escape, their footsteps pounding against the floor at their hasty retreat, but most were impaled by the black rods and fell to the floor dead. It drew quiet far too quickly. Over one hundred demons were strewn before the throne room doors in a matter of minutes; still and silent upon the floor. Several still had their eyes wide open, their bodies rigid with the terror of their dying moments.

If I survived this, their expressions would surely haunt my dream. The orb against my chest pulsed, filling me with a soothing warmth of Lucius's spirit.

Turning my attention to the beast above, despite my fear, I felt resolve growing within me. This beast was powerful. It was an unknown. But one thing I did know for certain was that it needed to be stopped if I was going to protect my family. A family that included fallen angels and even the devil himself.

"I cannot decide whether you are brave or stupid." The Soul Stealer said with a derisive snort, its eyes falling upon those of us that remained. "It doesn't matter. In the end, you are all the same. A bag of meat with a single precious thread within you."

The Soul Stealer drifted down, its feet drifting just a foot or so above our heads. He set his eyes upon Lucius and his head tilted oddly to the side. "Although you are somewhat of anomaly. How is a puppet walking without its strings?"

Lucius's top lip curled upwards exposing his canines, a snarl escaping his lips. His knees bent and his entire body coiled in preparation to strike.

The beast laughed. "It's like a mouse trying to be bear."

The birdlike eyes swept over us all dismissively. And then those cold hawkish eyes jumped back to me as his features contorted into an expression of unrestrained fury. "THIEF. That's mine."

My eyes glanced down and I instinctively placed a protective hand over the orb. "It's not yours. It was never yours." I replied fiercely.

The beast's wings arced backwards and I bit back a curse. And then I was running as fast as my feet could carry me. The ground shook as lethal black shard impaled the ground where Castiel and I had been standing just moments before. Again and again, the beast launched the poles at us. Why did I have to open my mouth?

Another pole shot in front on me, forcing me to drop low to the ground and slide beneath it. I was glad for the thick leather that protected my already battered body from further injury as debris a caught against the material.

And then I was up on my feet once more, hunched over as I tried to avoid the Soul Stealer's attached. Hurtling forwards, I ducked behind Lucius's throne and came to a stop.

Panting from effort, I took a moment to calm my racing heart. Then, after drawing in a steadying breath, I peered around the edge of the crystal throne. I heard the whistle first. Pulling back, I felt the breeze as another bolt flew past me and struck the wall behind me.

"Crap," I muttered, back pressed against the throne as adrenaline surged through my body.

"Thief, come out and face me." The beast demanded, before another black shard flew overhead.

The wall cracked under the impact, dust and debris raining down upon me. There was nowhere to hide. The thrones were up front and there was nothing but open space on either side. As soon as I moved from behind them, I was exposed. I had backed myself into a corner with no escape route.

Glancing down at the orb resting against my chest, I felt panic. I knew one thing for certain, the Soul Stealer couldn't have the orb back. If he got it, all hope was lost. There was a scraping sound. I turned my head just in time to watch Castiel sliding across the ground towards me.

Without preamble, I hissed, "You need to take the orb. He thinks I have it right now. I'll create a distraction and you get it out of here. It's our only hope of getting our Lucius back."

Castiel shook his head but I was already pulling the orb from the leather wrapping. Lucius's soul buffeted against my fingers, a tingling warmth against my skin, before I deposited it into the fallen angel's waiting hands.

"It's the only way. You get out of here, you find my son, and you protect both pieces of my heart with your life. Do you understand me?" I ordered, poking a finger firmly into his chest.

"But –." Castiel began but I pinned him with a hard look. I could see the hesitation in his eyes but finally he gave a reluctant nod. "I don't like this at all."

"Me either," I replied with a grim smile. "But it has to be this way."

"My siblings picked a wonderful time to be surface side." Castiel muttered, before reaching out and placing a hand on my shoulder. "Stay alive. Saving Lucius's soul will mean nothing if he loses you. Trust me. Losing his granddaughter hurt him but losing you would destroy him."

I drew in a shaky breath. At times I forgot that the man I loved was older than me – much older. He had centuries of dalliances under his belt. His granddaughter had only been a few years younger than me at the time of her death and the loss had hit him hard. He had tried to hide it but there were some things he couldn't hide from me.

"I'll do my best," I promised, as my sword reformed in my palm with a simple thought. "On three?"

Castiel nodded his head as he wrapped his arm around the orb. He peered around the edge of the throne and then called, "Three."

We broke cover at the same time, both of us darting in opposite directions. Black bolts immediately started firing in my direction, impaling themselves into the wall and floor around me. I glanced over my shoulder just as the Soul Stealer flicked its wings at me with deadly precision.

Time slowed. On instinct, I knew my feet would not be fast enough this time. There would be no running away from the strike.

The sensation of my wings erupting from my back was odd but familiar. Since I had gained the wings, a feature of my second chance at life, I had been reluctant to let them free. I still felt too human and they were most definitely not human. But, as brightly coloured feathers encased my body in a protective cocoon, I had never felt so grateful for the new appendages.

The feathers slowed the impact of the weapon but couldn't stop it completely. I sucked in a sharp breath as the black spike tore through the feathers of wings, scraping past my shoulder, and embedded itself in the wall behind me. Black gloop dropped from the protrusion and onto my now exposed skin.

It was fire. Cold fire. Like I had touched my skin to ice and received freezer burn for the effort. I tried to unfurl my wings, to escape more of the viscous substance, but a sharp lance of pain coursed through me with each tug.

I was pinned.

Cold laughter drifted over me and I could feel the breeze as the Soul Stealer flew towards me. "The poor mouse is caught in a trap," he taunted. "I will enjoy taking your soul and adding it to my collection."

Tightening my fist around my angel blade, I gritted my teeth against the pain I knew was to come. And then, with a great cry, I forced the wings open with all of my strength. My right wing shredded as I tore myself free, whirling to the side just as the talons clawed through the space I had occupied only a moment before.

An involuntary groan of pain escaped my lips as my tattered wing brushed against the wall. The Soul Stealer turned towards me. I shivered and backed up a step. And then its eyes flitted down to my chest. The hawkish shriek of rage sent a bolt of fear through my body.

"Where is it?" The Soul Stealer screamed as it hurtled towards me.

The attack which followed was nothing but talons, feathers, and fury. The Soul Stealer was relentless, doing everything in its power to cause me harm. I slashed and stabbed in response, determined to injure the beast and slow its attack. Every second I survived was a second longer that Castiel has to get away.

Finally, unlike the previous glancing blows, I felt my blade make contact. It sliced through the flesh slowly, despite putting all of my strength behind it. It was as if I was trying to drag my sword through treacle, the movement slow and lagging. And then it came to an abrupt halt as it met bone, lodged firmly within the beast's muscular thigh.

The body surrounding the blade coiled and prepared to strike. I breathed deep and yanked sharply on the hilt. It barely moved but drew a pained squawk from the Soul Stealer. It only fuelled its rage.

Beak and claw tore into my every part of my skin it could reach. Trapped between the beast and the wall, my options for escape were limited. With a thought, I willed my sword to become incorporeal once more. No longer having physical form to stop its movement, I was able to remove it from the Soul Stealer's flesh. However, in that brief moment between the sword vanishing from the beast's flesh and reforming in my hand, I was defenceless.

The beast knew it.

With a vicious smile, the beast's claws tore towards my throat. I lifted an arm to knock them away and was instead rewarded with a line of fire as the razor sharp claws sliced up both sides of my face. Warm blood immediately spilled from the wounds and dripped down my cheeks.

A groan escaped my lips at the stinging pain. And then, as I brought up my sword to counter the next attack, a feral roar reverberated through the room. The sound was so loud the ground trembled beneath my feet.

The Soul Stealer didn't have time to turn before Lucius was on him. Strong hand gripped the beast's wings and then, in a feat of strength, Lucius tore them from the Soul Stealers torso. Dark black blood splattered across his face but he did not take a second to revel in his victory. Lucius flung the feathered limbs aside and then took hold of the Soul Stealer's shoulders, tearing him away from me in the process.

Wingless, the Soul Stealer was disorientated and off balance. Yet, when Lucius's moved in for a brutal strike, the wounded creature proved just how dangerous he really was. The beast tore its claws into Lucius's chest, tearing him into ribbons.

But without his soul, Lucius was either immune to pain or so far gone that he just didn't care. Instead of moving away, he forced his way closer. The claws were driven deeper.

"Mine." Lucius snarled, and then his angel sword formed in his hands. It looked duller than usual. Weaker. And there, on one of the sharpened edges, there was a defect in the blade. My hand instantly went to my pocket where the shard still remained.

And yet, despite its weakness, it was sharp enough to carry out Lucius's will. With its wings gone and its claws buried deep into Lucius's chest, the Soul Stealer had no opportunity to defend against the sword swinging towards its neck.

In almost slow motion, the blade cut though its neck, facing less resistance under Lucius unrestrained strength. With nothing holding it to the body, the Soul Stealer's expression took a few moments to register the change, its claws continuing to dig and tear into Lucius's flesh. But, when its eyes finally widened in shock, the head was already falling from its perch.

I watched with morbid fascination as it hit the floor with a bounce and rolled away. And yet, the eyes continued to move. The Soul Stealer was still alive.

Lucius gave a roar as stabbed and cut at the motionless body before him. Even without the Soul Stealer's mind controlling it, it stood there. Still and waiting. Black blood streamed from the cuts. Yet, his strikes were relentless as he continued to hack and carve into the Soul Stealer's body. Eventually he gave up with the sword and in some macabre display, he wrenched the talons from where they were still buried in his chest and then swiftly turned the beast's own body against him. Lucius used his strength to force the talons through flesh and bone, straight to the heart of the beast. A few broke off in the process and clattered to the floor.

The decapitated head was the first sign that something had changed. The beast's lips twitched as it fruitlessly attempted to draw breath; its features turned pale and sweaty. Desperation and rage consumed its face

Lucius gave a cry of triumph and, as I looked back at him, I watched in morbid fascination as he drew the talons from the body. A murky black shadow clung to the very tips. Lucius's expression was chilling as he eyed his prize. And then, much like the beast had done to Terran, Lucius picked up the broken talons from the ground and used it to tear and shred the soul until the broken tatters drifted to the floor.

Apparently even the Soul Stealer had had a soul.

But not any longer.

The headless body swayed before crumpling to the ground in an ungainly heap.

In the absence of battle, the only sound was Lucius's harsh pants. Covered in demon and Soul Stealer blood, he was a gory sight to behold.

"Lucius?" I asked, taking a tentative step forward.

When he didn't move, I took a step closer and placed a hand on his shoulder.

Lucius spun around and had his blood soaked hands wrapped around my neck between one breath and the next. His grip tightened, restricting my ability to breathe. Meeting Lucius's eyes, there was no sign of the man I knew and loved. His stare was wild and feral – as if he was more animal than human. He was acting purely on instinct and bloodlust, and I had walked straight into the firing line.

Bringing my hands up, my tattered wings fluttering painfully behind me, I attempted to pry his hands away. It was as if I was wrestling granite. His vice like grip only tightened painfully around my neck.

"Lucius, please." I mouthed, his grip so tight that I couldn't speak. I slapped at his hands desperately even as my lungs, hungry for air, burned within my chest.

Gasping and choking, I could feel that time was running out. Consciousness would only last so long. And, as no one would be coming to the rescue, it was up to me to save myself.

Closing my eyes, I tried to think of options but how did you hurt someone who seemed not to care about pain?

The only chance was surprise.

I opened my eyes and stared up into his face, hating myself even as I relaxed into his hold and allowed my hands to drop to my sides. A quick glance over his should and a terrible plan formed in my head. But it was the only one I had.

Gritting my teeth against the pain, I beat my wings with all of my strength. Pain tore through me as the movement sent us speeding across the throne room. Lucius crashed into the throne first, his head snapping back against the crystal this a dull thud. I tried to brace myself for impact but my own body crashed against his a second later. Only my hands prevented my face meeting the same fate s

Dazed, Lucius's eyes rolled within their sockets and his hands dropped away from my neck. He blinked a few times, trying to regain his bearings. I swallowed past the lump in my throat even as my stomach lurched uncomfortably. There was no time for hesitation. I called forth my sword, and stared up at his blood soaked face.

I lifted my sword.

"I'm sorry," I murmured. Then, as hard as my tired arms could manage, I brought it down sharply so that the hilt crashed against his skull.

His eyes which had stared to focus rolled up into his head. Lucius lost his fight with consciousness, his eyes closing as his body slumped into the chair. Reaching out, I pressed my hand to his cheek. Relief flooded through me when I saw his chest rising and falling in time with his slow and even breaths.

Clambering backwards away from him, I glanced at the destruction around me. Somehow, despite the odds, we had made it. We had won.

Yet, as I took in the still form of my fiancé, I could only hope that we weren't too late to save him. I had to have faith that the man I loved would come back to me.

It was all I had left; hope and faith. It had to be enough.