Turning away from the snow darkness, I looked at Gabe. “It’s in the old school where the Triple Six raised Apollyon. Where that hellhound was dragging Bobby Sue tonight.”
My partner appeared to mull over the revelation. He put down his mug and pinched the bridge of his nose between his thumb and forefinger. The silence stretched out for a solid minute.
“People said for years that place was haunted,” he finally said. “Do you remember? When we were in school, so many odd occurrences. It got so bad, they didn’t even move the furniture out of it when the new school was built.”
“The library… That library was the worst. I remember it would get so cold, so fast you could—”
“See your breath in front of you,” Gabe said at the same time. “That was what they made into the music room, thinking it might help.”
“Right where the Triple Six…”
“Yeah.”
Our eyes locked as we fell back into contemplative silence. Gabe was coming around to understand what I felt.
“Your gut is usually right. I don’t care about the hard data. I trust your instincts on this,” he said.
I beamed. “Thank you. Now, let’s go check it out.”
“Hold up,” Gabriel said, holding both hands palm out. “We can’t go just the two of us, at night. If that situation with the hellhound was what you suspect, there’s no telling what we might walk into.”
My shoulders slumped, but I agreed. My partner’s caution was well-founded. It wouldn’t do us a whole hell of a lot of good to find the Crossroads, only to get killed—or worse, having our own souls replaced with demons’—for running in half-cocked.
“You’re right,” I told him. “I don’t really want to slow my roll, but I think it could get ugly if we just waltz right in there.”
“Let’s get past Christmas, then we’ll go in at dawn with the whole team. What’s left of us,” he tacked on.
I didn’t mention that Joss wouldn’t be in our number. He’d find out soon enough. Our manpower was taking a serious nosedive.
“And we’ll just see what we see?”
“For the time being, yes. The fact is, even if your hunch proves correct, we don’t know how to close the breech between Planes.”
“Michael told me we have every tool we need at our disposal.” I moved away from the windows and sat back down on the couch. “What do you think that means?”
Gabe shook his head. “I’m not sure. It could have to do with the abilities Yescha gave us. They didn’t tell you anything else?”
“No. They’re forbidden from getting involved. Can’t interfere with the divine balance, or something like that. But if we tip the scales, all on our own—”
“All bets are off.”
“You got it.”
Chapter 22
Everyone was coming—every person from the Amasai, plus Meg and Gio were coming to our impromptu Christmas get-together. Even Solomon planned to look in after he was off duty. The holiday is some kind of lightning rod for domestic crimes, so it was all hands on deck for the local law enforcement; otherwise, he said, he would have come for the entire evening.
We had mentioned the party to Meredith when we visited the hospital that morning, but didn’t press her with an invitation since she was spending all her free time with Hugo at the hospital. They promised to do a video call, though, to wish us all a Merry Christmas.
Gabriel and I had divulged my hunch and our plans to Hugo during that morning’s visit. We told him the backstory and about Bobby Sue. He had seemed invigorated by the prospect of shutting down the demons’ source of entry, but offered no guidance. I wondered if he didn’t have anything additional for us to consider, or if he was holding back to give us room to lead the mission as we saw fit.
We were also able to get an update about Bobby Sue’s condition from her family. She couldn’t yet have visitors outside immediate family members, but it looked like she would pull through. The flowers we left felt like a poor offering in comparison to what she had been through. She was, after all, targeted because she was a friend to us.
Survivor’s guilt crashed over me like a wave as I looked at my reflection in the mirror. There I was putting on lipstick and fussing over my pretty new sweater while two people lay in hospital beds. It felt all wrong.
I went downstairs and found Gabriel with his remote control built for world dominance, setting the lights to the exact right level.
He turned when he heard my footsteps. “You look very…” paused, cleared his throat. “Festive.”
“Thanks,” I said. Looking down at the sweater, I added, “My mom gave this to me last night.”
“It’s perfect. But what’s wrong?”
“How do you know something’s wrong?”
Gabe said nothing—the eyebrow raise I got did all the talking.
“It’s just that I feel terrible being here and enjoying ourselves while other people can’t,” I shrugged. “Kinda stupid, I know.”
“Not stupid at all. But us sitting around being miserable and feeling guilty won’t help them.”
“I know, but I feel weird about it all… especially stepping into Hugo’s place, you know? Doing things he would normally do. Taking on his responsibilities all while he’s laid up in a hospital bed.”
“He asked us to do these things—this is what he intended, whether because he chose retirement or was forced out by injury, or… worse. You didn’t shove him out of the way.”
“Of course not, I would never—I thought I could do it. When Hugo stepping away was just a hypothetical, it made sense. I’m a legacy member, after all. Now, though, I’m not as sure.”
Gabe shook his head. “This isn’t about your dad, Rem. It’s about you and what you’re capable of. Hugo sees it… I see it.” He put his hands on my upper arms with a reassuring squeeze. “We’re a team. I can’t do this without you. I won’t do this without you.”
I opened my mouth to respond, then shut it again when I couldn’t find the words. Before I could continue with the fish-out-of-water routine, the doorbell rang, and Gabriel looked like no one regretted it more than him.
He went to answer the door and returned with Joss and Dylan. My brother carried a huge crock-pot full of something that smelled delicious, and Gabe accompanied him to the kitchen to set it up. Jocelyn met me in the living room.
“I’m so glad you like the sweater,” she said. “I helped your mom pick it out, but she has great taste herself.”
The confirmation of my suspicions made me smile. “She does. And I’ve always been a disappointing shopping partner for her, so I’m glad she has you now.”
“There’s one big shopping trip coming up that I hope you’re ready for.”
“Dress shopping?”
“Yup. Girls day, Dallas, in two weeks. I’ve already asked Meredith, and she said she’d be okay leaving Hugo by then. The two of you are my only bridesmaids, so finding something for both of you ought to be easy.”
“I’ll be there. What colors did you settle on?”
The question rolled off my tongue without a second thought. Having a growing enthusiasm for discussing wedding plans was something that surprised me. And it was a good time to be pleasantly surprised by something.
“Navy and blush. It’s close to Valentine’s Day, so I want to avoid all the cliches.”
Dylan and Gabriel emerged from the kitchen, chatting about the place we Amasai would be moving into at the end of the week.
“Have you told him yet?” Joss asked quietly.
When I looked confused, she pointed at her still-flat stomach.
“Oh, right. No, I haven’t said anything.”
“Said anything about what?” Gabe asked.
“Well… We have news. I’m pregnant!” She beamed as she shared her sweet secret.
Gabriel hugged Jocelyn and congratulated her, then clapped palms with Dylan.
“We aren’t telling everyone just yet, but you need to know because Remi and Dylan dec
ided last night that I’m out of the nightly rotation.”
“They’re right,” he agreed.
“And I want to ask you to be a groom’s guy… thing. In the wedding,” Dylan said.
“Groomsman,” Joss and I both chimed in at the same time and giggled.
“It’s going to be in February,” she added.
“The date doesn’t matter—I’m honored to be a part of your day,” Gabe said.
The doorbell rang again, and I went to get the door so he could finish congratulating my brother and Jocelyn. I saw through the narrow window that it was quite a crew.
Matt and his wife Janine, plus Ty and Stacey, Aric and Garret all came out of the cold, most of them holding a dish or two. I let them get inside, then pulled Garret into a hug.
“I didn’t expect you to make it. Are you feeling okay?” I asked him.
He pushed his thick glasses farther up his nose and nodded. “I’m mostly just tired now, like I’m getting over a bad respiratory infection.”
“Come sit down then,” I told him. “Don’t wear yourself out.”
I guided him to a comfy chair in the living room, close enough to be a part of the conversation, but out of the way so he didn’t get bumped into.
“I’ll get you something to drink,” I offered.
“Nothing alcoholic, or I’ll be blacked out until next Tuesday with all the meds I’m on,” he said with a small smile.
I smiled back. “You got it.”
Gabriel let Meg and Gio in while I made Garret a glass of sweet tea and took it to him. Not long later, Casey was the last to arrive and chips and queso and a case of craft beer. The party was complete, but it felt foreign not to have Hugo and Meredith among us.
Even with them missing from the group, it felt right for us to all be together.
Creed and Eden had tried to tear us apart from the inside—Eden with her own agenda, then Creed defecting to our enemies. He had destroyed our home, our place of refuge and safety, but he had not destroyed us.
I looked around at the people surrounding me and found that same sense of home I had always felt at the old farmhouse.
We would miss our original headquarters, it was true, but we would have a new place soon and we would make it home. As long as we held together, no one could stop us.
With the Sumner building soon to be ours, a strong hunch on where the Crossroads was located, and the promise of new life, my hope was renewed. I still wasn’t keen on leading, but I had made Hugo a promise. And after all he’d done for me, I planned to make good on that vow.
Gabriel stepped away from the others and joined me in the corner of the room.
“I would ask if you’re still feeling guilty about having our party, but you look happy just now.”
I smiled at my partner. “I am happy. And you were right… We do all need to be together.”
“Back when you first joined the Amasai and until not long ago, I never thought I’d hear you say those words,” he said, smile matching mine. When I looked confused about which, he added, “You. Were. Right,” like he was savoring them.
“Never is a long time,” I laughed. “But we have come a long way.”
“Merry Christmas, Remi.”
“Merry Christmas.”
About the Author
H. Anne Henry was born and raised in small-town north Texas, and often draws inspiration from the windswept landscape for many of the locales described in her books. When she isn’t busy pecking away at a story, she spends time with her husband and three young sons. She can also be found squeezing in some time to read, trying out new recipes to feed her hungry crew, snapping photos, and exploring her new surroundings in San Angelo, Texas.
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Three Times Burned: A Paranormal Fantasy (Remington Hart Book 3) Page 18
