Grace’s eyes focused on her mate’s face.
“Stop this, leave us alone!” someone screamed.
Grace looked back and saw one of the wizards jumping to his feet and lunging at the hunter nearby. Michael slammed his arm against the wizard’s chest and threw him back. The wizard landed on his ass and coughed up blood. The wizards that were still conscious protested and twisted in their restraints.
“Monsters!” voices accused them.
“They are completely brainwashed,” Noah said, helping Grace get back on her feet.
“They’re protecting what’s inside,” Grace said, breathing deeply one last time before fisting her hand and aiming her attention at the closed doors.
The dragon princes were using their magic to break the seals, but it was as if the seals were made of liquid fire and were bouncing back their attempts. Ancient runes glowed and circled, creating a spectacle of lights.
“What ancient magic is this?” Kaye grumbled.
Grace walked to them. “Please, step aside.”
The princes stopped what they were doing once Prince Aaron agreed with her order.
“It’s ancient angel magic,” Darren spoke.
Grace acquiesced. “I’m not well-versed in angel runes, but my instinct tells me the same.”
“How did they learn it?” Noah asked behind her.
“Someone must have taught them.” Aaron glanced back. “But I doubt they’ll tell us who and why.”
“Everything about this mission feels wrong,” Darren shared.
“I’m glad I’m not the only one thinking that,” Grace voiced.
“You’re overthinking it,” Ewan claimed, folding his arms.
“The hunters and the dragons should step back,” Grace warned, spreading her arms and embedding her hands with magic.
“We have no idea what’s behind the door once we break the seal,” Noah warned.
“I have an idea,” Grace murmured. She glimpsed at the wizards’ daunted expressions. Her voice came out sober and powered with magic. “They won’t be safe for long even if we don’t break the seal. You’ve made your prayers. I’m answering them.”
She wasn’t expecting the others to understand what she was saying, and she didn’t have the time to tell them her suspicions.
The energy around them had shifted. The Celestials were coming. She could feel it in her bones as if their presence triggered an alarm in her mind. The Celestials were waiting for Aaron’s message to invade that place.
“Master, she’s one of them,” a wizard said.
Grace ignored the shouts and laments that came next. She had no use for their fear and distrustful thoughts. Their collective mind had already told her what she needed to know.
She focused on the magic running through her veins and the wings spreading behind her back. It should be a terrifying view to the wizards who feared angels as if they were the dreadful and bloodthirsty monsters that some humans believed vampires to be.
Her hair flew up and floated above like a wave being caressed by the breeze. The protective runes appeared in her mind and melted one by one, transforming into orange smoke. Her hands pushed her magic forward, and the seals broke and dissolved like fog under the sunlight.
Opening her eyes, she used her powers to open the doors. The sound of the creaking wood being pushed back sang inside the chamber. The open doors released the cries and frightened gasps from the children and the women in the cavernous hall.
“There’s just children and women,” Aaron stated what Grace already knew. “Where’s their leader? Is he hiding behind innocent children?”
“I’m their leader,” someone shouted from the group of wizards that Michael, Steve, and Lori were surveilling and keeping away from the doors. “You have us. Leave the innocents behind.”
“What’s going on? No one said there were women and children here,” Kaye grumbled.