“The Harrowgate malfunctioned this afternoon,” he said. “And while it was being repaired, fallen angels showed up and blocked the parking lot exit. They wanted Lilliana. I…refused.” The linked ring of glyphs around his throat that signified a mated Seminus male undulated as he cleared his throat of the rawness in his voice. “They killed Wraith in response.”
Cipher swore softly, and Hawkyn echoed the sentiment. He’d be devastated if he were Eidolon. And once he got over his devastation, he’d hunt down those responsible and gut them with their own teeth. As a bonus, their souls would go straight to Azagoth, and he’d make them pay all over again. And again. And again.
For all eternity.
“My father said Lilliana used the Harrowgate,” Hawkyn said after an appropriate pause. “But you said it was broken.”
Eidolon nodded. “Technicians said it was a coding error or something, and they repaired the problem. Or so we thought. I was unaware that Lilliana didn’t arrive in Greece until Ares showed up.” He gestured to where the gate stood between two pillars, a shimmering curtain invisible to humans and inoperable in their presence. “As far as I know, she’s the only person who’s been reported missing after using it, but as a precaution, we’re not letting anyone leave through it.”
Ares gestured down the hall at the parking lot doors. “Are the angels gone?”
At Eidolon’s clipped nod, Cipher turned to Hawkyn. “Sounds like we need to check out the gate.”
Eidolon’s phone rang, and he gave them the universal go-ahead-without-me gesture. As Hawkyn, Cipher, and Ares headed toward the Harrowgate, Hawk heard him answer the phone in an emotional rumble.
“Serena...I’m so sorry…”
Hawkyn tuned it out, too compromised by his own fears for his brothers and Lilliana to witness the fallout of someone else’s private pain.
Once inside the Harrowgate, Ares punched in the sequence that would reveal the secret symbol and code box leading to his private island gate. It popped up, glowing a brilliant orange. As Ares reached for it, Cipher grabbed his arm.
“Wait. Don’t touch it.”
“What is it?”
Cipher studied the wall, his eyes bright with the challenge of a tech mystery. He’d always been happiest when he was messing around with codes and programs Hawkyn didn’t understand, but now that Cipher had fallen angel powers, he was also able to see most magic in the form of code.
Unfortunately, because his wings weren’t fully formed yet, his powers were limited.
“Someone overrode the coding,” Cipher said. “I don’t think it’ll take us to Greece.”
“Can you tell where it goes?” Hawkyn asked.
“Definitely the human realm…” He rubbed his chin as he studied the wall. “Somewhere in the Pacific.” He shrugged. “It’s gonna be a crapshoot.”
Hawkyn rolled his shoulders, taking comfort in the weightless energy contained in his wing anchors. It wasn’t time for the wings to come out, but he liked knowing they were there. He was still getting used to the things, and the power they brought with them.
“Maybe you should stay,” he told Cipher. “This could be dangerous.”
“Fuck that,” Ciph growled. “My fallen angel powers might not be at full strength, but I can still fight.” He gestured to Ares. “Plus, we have Mount Horseman with us.”
Ares snorted and mashed his gauntleted thumb on the symbol. The gate opened, and blinding sunlight flooded the inside of the dark space.
They stepped out into a bloodbath.
Cipher inhaled sharply, baring his fangs at the sharp notes of blood in the salty air. “Where the fuck are we?”
Hawkyn studied the foot and hoof prints that churned up the sand and the slurry created by all the blood. Greasy, ashen stains darkened the beach, the remains of dead demons that had disintegrated the way they did in the human realm.
“I don’t know, man. But, shit, this is—” Hawkyn broke off at the sight of a dermoire-covered arm poking out from beneath some bushes. His gut dropped to his feet. “Wraith. Fuck, that’s Wraith.”
They all stared for a moment, the sound of soothing waves seeming bizarre on an island so stained with blood. Finally, Ares stiffly walked over and solemnly, reverently, hauled the dead demon into his arms.
A cell phone fell from Wraith’s hand and tumbled onto the sand.
Hawkyn reached for it.
“Don’t!” Cipher kicked it, knocking the device into a clump of seagrass a few feet away. “There’s a spell around it.” Crouching on his heels, he poked it with a stick as if it were a viper. “Looks like it’s a spell to make it invisible to everyone but someone with Azagoth’s blood. Damn. That’s some tricky shit.”
“Then why can you see it?” Hawkyn asked.
Ares scowled. “See what?”
“It’s a cell phone.” Cipher poked it again. “I can’t technically see it, but I can see the spell that surrounds it.” He waved his hand over the phone, made a few gestures, and then picked it up. “Disabled it like a boss.”
Hawk took the slender device from Cipher and turned it over in his palm. It was new. Cheap. Still had the plastic screen protector.
“Obviously, we were meant to find it,” he said, staring at it like it was poisonous. Maybe he should borrow Cipher’s viper-poking stick. “That can’t be good.” His queasy stomach agreed.
Ares barked out a curse. “You gonna turn it on? Or are you going to stare at it all damned day?”
“Yeah. Shit.” He pushed a button on top, and almost instantly, a video started playing. The churning in his gut turned serious, and his hand began to shake. “No,” he whispered. “Ah, no…” The phone fell from his hand as he heaved up everything he’d eaten for the last two days.
“Hawk?” Through his pain, he felt his friend’s hand on his back. “What is it?”
“They’re dead,” he croaked. “Maddox and Journey.” Tears burned in his eyes, blurring his vision.
“What about Lilliana?”
The image of her trying to fight her way out of a horde of demons before being struck down by an axe was like a bruise on the brain.
“She’s gone,” he whispered. “They took her. They fucking took her.”
Chapter 10
Lilliana wasn’t sure what woke her. The throbbing pain in her head, the nausea in her stomach, or the baby’s urgent kicks in her womb.
Groaning, she shifted. Why was the bed so hard? And why did the bedroom smell like a sewer?
Fighting the urge to vomit, she sat up and peeled open her eyes.
Instant terror winged through her. She wasn’t in Sheoul-gra. She wasn’t in bed next to Azagoth.
She was on the filthy floor of a dais overlooking a dank, dark great hall strewn with straw and…body parts. Bile filled her mouth, and she lurched toward the edge of the platform. A sharp jerk around her ankle yanked her to a hard stop. Pain shot up her leg, but at least she didn’t need to throw up anymore.
Laughter echoed throughout the chamber. Chills slithered up her spine as she risked another look around, taking in the throne of skulls that she was chained to.