by Julie Kenner
“Where?” he growled.
“Take me,” I said, hoping my gamble would pay off. Hoping that the demon inside him wouldn’t burst out and control the man. It was a horrible risk I was taking. He could rip me apart and toss my limbs into the boiling water. He could take the Oris Clef from me.
He could do any damn thing he wanted because once he had grabbed me under the arms and lifted me, I would be dangling below him, helpless.
“Hurry,” I shouted.
Below, Kokbiel was rising out of the water, Rose still clutched in a tentacle, but apparently not his main concern. That, I was pleased to see, was now me.
Another violent shudder of the earth, and Kokbiel burst free, flying up toward us with an impossible wingspan, my sister still tight in his grip.
“Take me!” I yelled again. “Dammit, Deacon, go!”
He did, grabbing me and shooting forward, Kokbiel hot on our heels.
Deacon put on a burst of speed, and—yes—we were over the portal, looking down at the maw and at the horsemen that were now barreling down the long, interdimensional corridor toward the now-open gate.
“Let go,” I cried. “Drop me.”
But he didn’t, his rough refusal costing us precious seconds. “Lily, I can’t.”
Kokbiel reached us, grabbing Deacon’s leg and jerking us back just far enough that we were no longer over the portal.
“Deacon, I have to. You have to trust me. Please, please, get us back.”
But he couldn’t. He was moving in the opposite direction. He was simply no match for Kokbiel, not as he was, still fighting his demon side.
I heard a roar and realized it came from him, followed by a blast of fire. He’d changed.
Deacon had taken on the full mantle of his demon, and with a burst of fire and speed, he broke free of Kokbiel.
He was a demon, though. Brother to those who were crossing. And I could only hope that there was still enough Deacon in him to do what had to be done.
He rose, away from the portal, and I grabbed my blade tighter, fearing I would have to thrust it upward, into his heart. Fearing I’d have to try—somehow—to nosedive through space and into the widening portal before it was too late.
But then, just when I feared the worst, he dropped me, and as his guttural howl meshed with Rose’s sharp-pitched scream, I fell down, down, down into the waiting mouth of hell.
Into the choice I had to make right then.
I didn’t know if I could save Deacon, or if I could once again save my sister. But I did know that I could save the world. And that, I thought, was something.
Around my neck the Oris Clef tightened, and then the chain snapped, the master key falling fast toward the boiling water, bound to this dimension while I plummeted toward hell.
Then, with my sister’s cries echoing in my ears, I brought Alice’s dagger to my breast, and plunged it in.
The blade slid through my flesh, and my blood poured into the portal. And as I fell toward the suffering that awaited me, I finally understood: That was what the dagger had been meant for all along. In a way, it really was the missing key. But it was useless without me.
TWENTY-THREE
“Y ou did well, Lily. You made the sacrifice willingly, even knowing the price you would pay.”
“There was no other choice to make.”
“There was. But you had faith. Faith in your choice and in your courage. And faith, Lily, has its own rewards.”
“I don’t understand.”
“You will. Good-bye, Lily Carlyle. We will meet again.”
Nothing.
Not black. Not white. Not color or light.
Just . . . nothing.
No fiery pit. No burning flesh. No anything.
And then the softest hint of a breeze, the wind upon tender flesh. The scent of flowers. The cool crush of grass beneath my cheek.
Grass?
I wiggled my fingers experimentally. That certainly felt like grass. My toes followed suit and came up with the same conclusion. Running out of options, I gathered my courage, then opened my eyes fast. One quick peek.
And I liked what I saw.
I opened them a little wider. Grass, all right.
I shifted, rolling over so that my back was on the grass and the sky would be above me. Blue, with fluffy white clouds.
I smiled.
Under the circumstances, this was rather unexpected.
Almost as unexpected as the man who stepped up, shirtless, his face blocking the sun and shadowing me, his smile warming me.
“Where am I?”
Deacon reached down to give me his hand. I took it, letting him pull me up and guide me into his arms. “You did it.”
I swallowed. “I closed the gate?” I glanced around, confused, a jumble of images and emotions, of fear and fascination, pounding inside my mind. “Then it was real,” I said with wonder. “What I heard? What Gabriel said?”
“I don’t know what he said,” Deacon said. “All I know is that you stopped the horde. You saved the world, Lily.” He stroked my cheek. “And then you came back.”
“Rose?”
His smile was soft and understanding. “You saved her, too.” He nodded to a figure in the distance, hurrying toward us over the cool park grass. “The force of the gate slamming shut weakened Kokbiel. He’s not dead, but he’s gone for now.”
I closed my eyes in a silent prayer. I’d gambled, but this time it had turned out right. Rose was safe. Deacon was back. And the world, for now, was safe.
“You made the right choice, Lily,” Deacon said. “We both did.”
“I can’t believe it,” I said, as my sister launched herself into my arms, her leg bandaged with Deacon’s ripped-up shirt.
“You’re alive,” she said. “We did it, and you’re alive.”
Tears were streaming down her face. I brushed them away, then realized she was doing the same to me.
“It’s over,” I whispered, hooking one arm around Rose’s waist and reaching out my hand for Deacon. “I can’t believe it’s really over.”
Deacon and Rose exchanged a glance.
“It’s not over?”
“You closed the gate, Lily,” Deacon said, “and the world’s going to keep on turning. But there are still demons here. Still portals that can be opened. Still evil in the world.”
“And somebody has to kill the demons,” Rose said, her hand going automatically to her knife.
I nodded, understanding. Some of that evil still lived within me. I could feel it inside, struggling to get out. But I finally knew that I was strong. Strong enough to make the hard choices. The right choices.
If there was still evil in the world, I’d step up to the plate and fight it. I could be über-girl-assassin-chick. I could control the demons—the ones in the world and the ones that lived inside me.
And with Deacon and Rose at my side, we could seriously kick Evil’s butt. I was even looking forward to it.
Right then, though?
Right then, I was taking the night off.
Honestly, I think I deserved it.
Table of Contents
ONE
TWO
THREE
FOUR
FIVE
SIX
SEVEN
EIGHT
NINE
TEN
ELEVEN
TWELVE
THIRTEEN
FOURTEEN
FIFTEEN
SIXTEEN
SEVENTEEN
EIGHTEEN
NINETEEN
TWENTY
TWENTY-ONE
TWENTY-TWO
TWENTY-THREE
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