Chapter
Twenty-Six
GRIM
My brothers all stared at me like I’d just suggested we all ride llamas into battle instead of our horses. Choosing to ignore their disbelief, I got to my feet and adjusted the cuffs of my shirt before clearing my throat.
“Shall we be off then?”
“All right, I’ll address the kitten in the corner.”
I raised a brow at Sin. “Pardon?”
“What makes you think Lilith will be atIniquity?Isn’t that like the very first place anyone would think to look?”
“I never said she’d be there.”
“Why go then?” Sin asked.
Chaos shrugged. “Not like we have any other pressing engagements. Might as well check it out.”
“Does it even still exist? London was decimated,” Malice added.
“If you think Lilith doesn’t have protections in place as well as eyes and ears everywhere, you have another think coming.”
Malice made a musing sound. “Fair point.”
“Any other stupid questions, or can we be off?”
Proving that he was still the reigning king of stupid questions, Sin cleared his throat. “Did you saythinkcoming? Isn’t it anotherthingcoming?” he asked, brow furrowed.
I sighed and rolled my eyes. “I’m not going to take the time to educate you on basic grammar, Sinclair. You can Google it when this is all over.”
“If we ever get the internet back,” Malice said under his breath.
Chaos locked eyes with me. “That’s the least of our worries. You’re right, Lilith is our best chance at this point. We need to find her.Iniquityis a strong start.”
Sin made a circling gesture with his hand.
I raised a brow. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
He snorted, muttering, “Now who needs Google?” Then he rolled his eyes and explained with exaggerated patience, “Let’s get on with it. After you. Keep calm and carry on. Allons-y.”
“Someone stop him. He’s going to get stuck on a loop if we let him continue,” Malice said.
I simply popped out of the room and into a strangely humid London alleyway. The street was littered with rubbish and debris. Most of the businesses were boarded up, and the ones that weren’t had been looted of everything that wasn’t bolted down. The scent of what had to be burning garbage filled the air, and as I looked around what used to be a bustling metropolis, it wasn’t hard to confirm my suspicions. Here and there, orange glows emanated from alleys, and on one corner in plain view, a large skip bin burned nearly out of control.
“They’d better be careful,” Chaos whispered, eyes on the three emaciated humans huddling around the fire. “If the flames don’t get them, the demons will.”
From a bit further down the alleyway, a lone figure rose and shambled our way. He wore layers of tattered and grimy clothes, his skin weathered and dirt-streaked. As he passed one of theflickering bins, his eyes flared, and I was struck by a fleeting sense of familiarity. Whatever he was, it wasn’t human. I took a moment to suss him out. Not a demon, that was certain, but something... other.
“They’ll get them eventually. They’re picking them off slowly. One by one,” the man muttered, as if he were part of our conversation.
“How do you know?” Sin asked.
“I’ve been watching. That’s what I do. Watch. Wait.”
“From where?” Chaos asked.
