I throw my scales in rapid-time, delighting at their illuminated image as Ramiel sends a bolt of lightning down; it crashes into the metal and sends out webbings of charged energy. He whoops and hollers at the sight, and I do not bother to stop the manic giggles that escape my chest. This is pure delight. If that fallen angel were a girl, he would absolutely be my type.

There is only one other thing that would make this moment better.

My mount yanks her head with a loud whinny, and I turn her in that direction. Uriel’s flaming sword glows in the midst of a group of demons as he slashes left and right. I whistle at Ramiel; he follows my eyes in the same direction of our mutual nemesis for this fight. My fallen comrade spins his spear as he brings it up to aim.

I stand up atop my mount and tense before jumping off with two more flicks of my wrist. The sharp edges of my scales clear a path, and my mount charges as I land atop the ice. Get him, girl, I think with wicked glee. A streak flies through the same path, whipping past my mount’s inky black mane in a perfectly straight line towards its target. Ramiel runs after it on the wind, his hands now empty, but no less potent; electricity crackles from his clenched fists. He punches left and right as he makes his way towards his older brother.

You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.

In a way, I had forgotten they were siblings, even if estranged ones. But when Uriel knocks away the charged spear, he grins towards Ramiel; he’s enjoying every second of this.

Asshole.

The grin is gone in an instant as my mount’s lowered head crashes into Uriel’s gut. The smile turns first to surprise, then to winded pain. My black beauty, however, stomps her feet and lets out a sound as close to laughter as I imagine a horse can get. I laugh with her, and my own giggling screeches higher into some kind of crazed battle cry. I run through the chaos of bodies to join Ramiel, my scales flashing in the cold light from the moon.

I want to make sure that smile stays gone from Uriel’s face, and doesn’t get the chance to come back for more than a few centuries.