“When will she awaken?” a calm, feminine voice inquired.

“Won’t be long now,” a deeper voice replied.

“What are your plans for her? I know she isn’t your type.”

A pause. “You’ll see soon enough. They’ll all see.”

A light, almost fluttering pressure found its way toward Abby’s cheeks and eyelids.

“Why are you doing that?”

“She just looks so much like her mother.” There was a sigh and then harshness in tone when the masculine voice said, “Well, don’t you have somewhere you need to be?”

“Y-Yes, sir. Sorry. I’ll leave you two alone.”

A much gentler sigh was emitted and all points of pressure began focusing on Abby’s right hand.

“You’ll never see this side of me and I’m sorry. If circumstances were different perhaps you could have been mine. But I’ll never let her know she took that away from me as well.”

The man’s gentle words made no sense in Abby’s barely conscious state of mind. All she knew was that the darkness was insistent and closing in faster than before.

Aidan watched as Abby’s frantic blue eyes met his. Lucifer had his hands wrapped securely around her, his body no doubt pressing the demon’s blade further into her back.

Aidan was commanding every muscle in his body to move, to get him closer to Abby and away from Lucifer. He could feel sensation returning to his fingertips. As his arms unfroze, Aidan attempted to run but couldn’t. Finally, as he was about to lunge at Lucifer, both he and Abby disappeared in a cloud of smoke. And as they did, so did the rest of the Damned army.

Aidan ran his hands through the air, trying to feel anything tangible. Nothing. No, there can’t be nothing.

Dante placed a hand on his shoulder, Aryan and Mikael starting to thaw as well.

“I’ll kill you.” Aidan lunged for Dante’s throat and Dante didn’t struggle too much against the choking grip.

Aryan interfered though, putting some distance between the two of them.

“We know you’re upset, Aidan,” Aryan replied. “But you’re not the only one.”

“He took her. He actually took her,” Dante murmured, seeming lost as he sat down on one of the chairs.

“Don’t act so surprised. You knew,” Aidan yelled. “What other deals did you make?”

Dante’s gaze narrowed as he stared Aidan down. “None of our deals involved him taking Abby away. He said he needed her blood. That was it. I figured he’d take some and leave. I need her here to avoid a war; him taking her negates that. Elita is gone and she remembers everything. She and Gabriel will send an army after us. If that happens we’re all dead.”

“Maybe I can help.” All eyes turned to the archangel who had just walked into the antechamber.

Aidan stared at the man before him, the man who was supposedly his father. He figured he should feel some sort of connection to him, some meaningful emotions. But all he felt was anger and resentment.

If Abram hadn’t come to earth, Lucifer wouldn’t have been able to either.  With a marked fury unlike any he’d ever felt before, Aidan charged at Abram.

“I’ll make sure you pay. You’re the reason he took her. I’ll kill you. I don’t care what or who you are.”

Aidan grabbed the nearest sword he could find and raised it to the point of Abram’s heart, about to drive it home when Abram said, “I’m sorry” right before disappearing.

Yet another being that had slipped right out of his grasp. Aidan was seeing red, his emotions flitting all over the place. He dropped the sword and placed his head in his hands.

“We’ll get her back, Aidan,” Mikael said, his voice low.

As much as Aidan wanted to get Abby back, he wasn’t sure how he or any of his brothers would accomplish that. All he knew was he needed Abby—she was the only person who made him feel with a magnitude he didn’t know he was capable of.

Without her, Aidan’s life didn’t hold as much meaning. Abby had fought for him, for them, moments before she was taken, and now it was Aidan’s turn to fight for Abby.