“I always do.”
We arrived at the coordinates between one step and the next. The ramshackle cabin had seen far better days.
“Are we sure this is the right place?” Chaos asked, staring at the front door, which was only half-hanging on its hinges.
“This is the address she gave me,” Malice affirmed.
Tattered curtains waved in the slight breeze, coming out of the broken window that had been infiltrated by vines and other foliage.
“There is no one here. Not a single spark of life.” That sense of dread in my gut I’d been nursing since the moment she left grew to the size of a boulder. “She was never really here.”
“Lucifer planned his trap well,” Chaos murmured.
My horse huffed and stomped at the ground, sensing my frustration.
“What do we do now?” Sin asked.
“We have to tell her she’s not where she thinks she is, and we keep looking.” Chaos brought his horse around to face us all.
“Where would Lucifer take her?” Malice asked.
“Nowhere good.”
“And in the meantime? It’s not going to be easy to find her,” Malice pointed out.
Chaos answered. “We keep her safe the only way we can. Feed her when she comes to us, help her stay strong. Strategize alongside her.”
He was right. As much as I hated the idea, dreamwalks were the only way for us to reach her. Merri would have to fight Lucifer on her own until we could find our way to wherever she was.
I could only hope she’d learned enough during her time with us to do so.
Unfortunately, hope wasn’t something I was overly familiar with.
Chapter
Sixteen
CHAOS
My heavy, rhythmic footfalls and steady breaths were the only sounds that accompanied me as I ran through the wooded area surrounding Malice’s château. With little else to do but wring our hands and talk incessantly about what our next move might be, I needed an outlet. That became punishing my body through intense exercise. It was either that or pummel my brothers bloody. And while helpful, at least for me, no one appreciated being a human-sized punching bag.
Following a slight curve in the path, I released a pulse of pent-up power. There was a loud crack immediately followed by the ominous sound of a tree toppling down.
“Timber, motherfucker,” I muttered. “Who needs an axe?”
“Are we seriously running?” Merri’s voice caught me off guard, annoyance coloring each word.
I staggered to a stop, feet skidding on the dry terrain before I could face her. When I did finally turn around, she had closed the distance between us. Gods, she was beautiful. Skin glowing, hair pulled back in a high ponytail exposing her perfect features. I glanced down at my dirt-streaked legs, baggy basketball shorts,and sweat-soaked tank with exaggerated arm holes that left most of my ribcage exposed. I could not have looked worse.
Tugging at my shirt, I pulled the fabric up and off, attempting to mop up as much sweat from my face as I could.
“You’re here,” I said stupidly.
Merri pressed her lips together, but to her credit, she didn’t laugh at me. “I am.”
“We tried to come for you, but the house was vacant. You aren’t where you think you are.”
“What are you talking about? I’m at the lake house. I can see the lake from the kitchen window.”
