"I will kill you! I will rip your throat out and feed you your spleen! I will castrate you and quarter you with your own gonads!"

Tora's shrieks bounced off the black marble walls, echoing along the high ceiling. Her claws raked across the smooth surfaces, leaving no marks.

The hall remained empty. No matter how loudly she screamed or smashed against the walls, nobody took notice of her. The small flaming lamps held by the stout demons threw dancing shadows along her path.

She could kill Cimerus. It didn't matter she was in no fit form to hunt down even a Furball. The human world went to hell and he had the audacity to drag her away when her friends needed her the most.

It all seemed like a terrible nightmare.

Damien's last smile hovered in her mind. You're such a strong girl. It's okay. Green eyes wide, trustful and relieved that he'd reached her – that he'd saved her.

And she left him for dead.

He couldn't be dead. He couldn't.

"Let me go back!" she shrieked. She slammed her palms on the rock-hard walls. "They need me! Let me go!"

And she was met with nothing but the dying echoes of her cries and a cold silence.

It was hard to tell how long she stayed there. Time wasn't a concept. She knelt on the floor, still as a statue, head hanging. Her hearts slowed to her normal rate over time. The thoughts swirled like a snowstorm, incomprehensible and raw with emotions, the panic and anger eventually waning. All that remained was a silent, burning fury.

"Are you enjoying the show, Azyazel?" she said in an icy voice.

Almost without a sound, Cimerus's general moved out of the shadows. His flaming hair eliminated the nearby darkness. The glow reflected off the nearby marble walls.

"Senses sharp as ever."

Tora straightened her back, not looking at the scarlet-faced demon, who had plucked her so unceremoniously from the battle, emerge fully from one of the portals.

"Considering you've returned, am I right in assuming the Frostites have conquered the human realm?" Her voice was empty of emotions.

"It is the eventual outcome."

Ever the sadist.

"You are disappointed there wasn't much of a fight."

"It was a very one-sided battle."

She pushed aside his implications. Straightening to her feet, she made her way down the hallway. Small sparkles on the marble surfaces winked at her.

She stopped when she realised Azyazel was following her.

"Did Cimerus tell you to protect him from me?"

"No."

He didn't elaborate. She narrowed her eyes at the shifting figures at the other end of the hallway. The small demons averted her dangerous eyes, blending into the background again. She sniffed. Nothing but the strong scent of demons.

She shot her arm sideways. The clawed hand elongated and thinned. The diamond end embedded into the chest of one of the tiny demons. It dropped its torch. The fire extinguished on landing. It exhaled and sagged. Tora withdrew, taking the corpse along with her, and sucked its flesh in. She sighed, feeling the energy returning, and licked her lips.

"What made Cimerus even entertain the idea of me supporting his cause?"

"You're a Shifter."

She laughed, a cold, mirthless sound.

"Because of him, the love of my life and my best friend are both dead. He will be lucky if I leave him in ten rotting pieces. And the same for you, Azyazel."

"Such sentiments. I see you still hold me responsible for the death of your little pet."

Azyazel approached her from behind until her leathery skin picked up the heat emanating from his body. He leaned his head in, his voice barely above a whisper.

"The time for selfishness is over, Lilitha. You paid your price when your indulgences got the better of you."

"My indulgences kept me sane, kept me human," she spat.

The snort in reply was full of disdain.

"The happiness was worth all the worlds we conquer."

Azyazel appeared taken aback by that. She knew the bloodthirsty demon could never imagine anything more joyful than blood and death. He made an excellent second-in-command in that aspect.

"That world is gone, now." His tone turned harsh, his patience waning. "Either you take up your rightful place as the queen of demons or you wallow in pathetic self-pity."

It was Tora's turn to snort in disbelief.

"Cimerus destroyed the human world to get me back. I highly doubt he would give me the luxury of a choice."

"The Sentinel would have destroyed the human world regardless. He wants the Artefact."

Mark's face came to her mind. She clenched her fists, emitting a growl.

"You were perhaps incapacitated and did not hear his confession, but you and your supernatural comrades were bait for humans all along. With the Frostites destroying the humans, it's a matter of time before the Sentinels acquire the Artefact and take us on."

"You speak as if these events affect me."

"Twice, you made your choice out of whim. Twice, a life was the price. Perhaps a disregard for consequences will ensure more lives – Shifters and humans – lost for a third time."

She flinched, pins and needles coursing through her skin. If only she had taken out Markl as Cimerus said. Azyazel might as well have plunged an ice shard into her chest.

Pleased his words had impacted, Azyazel bowed his head and stepped back, disappearing once more into the shadows.

****

The last time she was in the conference room, it was when the Sentinels had just declared war and her father had summoned council. She and Cimerus knelt at his sides like good, silent learners. Her father would sit at the head of the table, facing the wall of veils, through which he could spy on the other realms. His generals would sit down the length of the table, with his second-in-command to his right and the strategist to his left. The head of the first regiment would sit beside the strategist, and his lieutenant beside him.

When Lilitha was given the post of the first regiment lieutenant, it was such an honour. There was no point in living if she couldn't do something big, just to exist like a pathetic parasite. She could make her mark in history and make her father proud – not that he cared, of course. But then again, her world was so very small back then. Life had no purpose aside from performing her tasks, before she met Maraduc.

Piricca sat at the first regiment general's seat. She looked even younger than the form she'd taken before Lilitha was exiled. The sight of the sadistic but experienced Shifter was not unexpected. Cimerus was the careful sort who valued the guidance of a senior.

Azyazel sat to Cimerus's right, his eyes closed and hands clasped on the table in front of him. His hair was dimmed to a low, scarlet glow. Abaddeon, in his Spectre form, arms tucked neatly along his spine with his main ones crossed over his chest, sat opposite him beside Piricca. His head tilted, sensing her presence but not hearing her silent steps, but his blank face remained facing forwards.

Cimerus, sitting at the head of the table, grinned at the sight of her.

"Ah, dear sister."

He waited. Tora said nothing, her face impassive.

"Please, take a seat beside Azyazel. We are just planning out invasion of the human realm and acquiring the Artefact."

She did as he suggested. The Smallgrill seat accommodated the bony shape of her pelvis, providing a soft warmth. She clasped her hands together on her lap, not meeting her brother's golden eyes.

"You look well, Lilitha," quipped Piricca, perky as ever. Tora nodded, curt. "Hard to believe it's been four red moons."

"Perhaps we should exile you some time also, Piricca," said Abaddeon in his rattling voice. Piricca stuck her tongue out at him. She wore her hair in dark blonde braids streaked with bright red, likely to resemble blood, and a poofy little-girl dress.

"You and what army?" she teased.

"Pirrica, Abbadeon." Cimerus snapped them both to attention. He acknowledged Tora, who watched him out of the corner of her eyes. "I was just informing my generals what had ensued in the human world. Abaddeon will be tailing the Sentinels for the Artefact's location and Piricca will lead the first wave to secure the surroundings and prevent Frostites from interfering. Azyazel shall lead the second wave and attack the Sentinels directly."

Tora frowned. Cimerus caught her look.

"Ah, I forget. Much has changed since you... left. We have acquired Embirites after Azyazel destroyed their realm. All Shifters now have the form – unfortunately that meant Azyazel's unique appearance is no longer unique. The Frostites' powers are no longer threats."

The fire demon kept his eyes closed and his face straight.

"It would be helpful if you could acquire one, too... I'll send one of my scouts to the Embirite realm. See if there are any stragglers."

"I doubt it."

"Well, I, too. But it would be a shame if Lilitha couldn't help fight against those freaks."

"What makes you think I will wish to fight against Frostites for you?" Tora said, her voice as cold as the frost giants."

"You wish to further your cause, correct?" Cimerus tilted his head, his golden eyes locked on hers. "I wish you to accompany me after the first two waves have entered."

"I doubt you will require my assistance."

"You know the humans best. Their ways of thinking are unlike ours – perhaps your understanding can aid us in getting the Artefact before that Sentinel gets there. He won't be acting alone at any rate, not without his weapons and backup."

Strategic, methodical – Cimerus hadn't changed in all this time.

Twice, you made your choice out of whim. Twice, a life was the price.

"We share common enemies, Lilitha."

She hated how her brother could read her so well. Ross and Markl could, too, back then. Her heart skipped a beat at the reminder of her friends.

"If the Sentienls gain the Artefact, the Shifter world dies – so do your friends. If we gain the Artefact, we can kill the Sentinels. You get your revenge on that old friend of yours and your human companions might survive."

Piricca, Azyazel, and Abaddeon's presences faded to the background. It was only her and Cimerus, power emanating off their naked bodies. Tora breathed in through her nostril slits, the fire burning in her belly.

"What will be your choice?"

He knew the answer.

"When do we begin?"

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