“That’s how she’s become so powerful,” Lucian said, his voice lower. “That’s why she was in the taverns, feeding off the darkness. That’s what she was using Jewel for.”
Peri’s arms dropped as she watched Celise throw her head back and laugh like the maniac she was.
“The great Perizada.” Celise’s laughter faded, but a smirk remained. “You really thought you had a chance against me?”
“I guess I underestimated your intelligence.” Peri shrugged. “Considering you’re holding the book that controls the ability to open the gates of hell, it’s easy to conclude you’re a dumbass.”
Celise’s smile vanished, replaced by ugly contempt. As she held Peri’s gaze, she shifted one hand to rest on Jewel’s shoulder.
Peri’s eyes darted to the healer. The devastation was clear on Jewel’s face. She looked ready to meet her end and believed she deserved it.
“I’m sorry.” Jewel’s voice trembled. “I never meant for this to happen.”
Peri’s eyes shifted to the dead thing that Celise had raised, the twisted version of Jewel’s mother. Peri understood. She hadlost enough people in her long life to know that grief could drive people to do terrible things, even unintentionally. “I know that. You have to let your mother go, Jewel. That small piece of her can’t leave this realm until you do. I forgive you. Be at peace, Jewel Black.”
Jewel shook her head. “There is no peace for someone as selfish as I’ve been. Death is a mercy I don’t deserve.”
“It’s a good thing I’m not killing you,” Celise practically sang. “You can wallow in your pitiful state forever or until another supernatural kills you. Where I’m sending you, they don’t exactly like humans.” And with that, Jewel was gone.
“What have you done with them?” Lucian demanded.
Celise waved her hand dismissively, the one not spewing dark tendrils. “Calm yourself, wolf. They’re all alive.” She took a deep breath and seemed to relax, totally unhinged. “But they’ll wish they were dead.”
Peri glared at the sprite, wondering how someone from a people so full of light and love could become so malevolent. Could grief alone truly bring a person to this level of depravity? Apparently so.“She’s sending them to different realms.”Peri had tried to communicate with Lucian when the dark tendrils first appeared but had been unable to. Celise must have let her power slip, hoping Peri would use her magic so she could siphon it. It had worked, briefly.
“Think of the draheim realm,”Peri said.“I think I can flash us, but I want to wait until she uses her power so she thinks we’ve gone where she sends us.”
“Why draheim?”
“Because when we get out, and we will, I’m going to ask Serapha to eat the bitch.”
“Now it’s your turn.” Celise’s grin widened. “Have a nice eternity in hell.” Her free hand whipped out, and just before the dark magic could touch them, Peri flashed. Her mind wasfully focused on Seraph-a. She wanted her power to take them straight to the draheim who had become her ally and friend.
She felt the ground beneath her feet a few seconds later. The draheim realm surrounded them. She’d done it. She sagged forward. Thank the Great Luna.
Lucian immediately turned and pulled her into his arms. She felt his love, fear, worry, and hope surging into her. Like her, knowing the others weren’t dead meant that all was not lost. They’d been knocked down, but like the warriors they were, they would pull their asses up off the ground. They would not give up.
A rumbling noise filled the air, and Lucian released her, pulling her behind him as he faced what might be a threat.
“Perizada.” Smoke flowed from Serapha’s nostrils. “How fortuitous that you would show up now.”
Peri’s brow rose. “Why is that? Did you miss me?”
“Always,” Serapha chided, then moved her massive tail back to reveal five children. “Fortuitous, because while I would do my best, it would be difficult for me to care for supernatural children not of our kind, especially the one who cannot walk or talk.”
Peri felt like the wind had been punched out of her. Her feet moved without conscious thought as she ran to the group, huddled tightly together. Titus had Hope in his arms, rocking her as she slept. Thia sat beside Slate with her arms wrapped protectively around him, an angry glare on her little face that seemed to say, “Come near me and I’ll gut you.” And Torion, the oldest of the group, sat in front of all of them, his arms folded across his chest, a determined scowl on his face.
Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Lucian beside her as she reached the kids and knelt beside them. “Are you all okay? No one is hurt?” Peri’s gaze roamed over every single one of them, checking for injuries.
“We’re good,” Torion answered for the group. “Hope was screaming like a banshee when we got here, but Titus is a babywhisperer and got her calmed down and asleep in just a few minutes.”
Titus shrugged. “It’s a gift.”
Peri stared at them for a moment, then frowned. “Why are you all so calm? Shouldn’t you be freaking out and calling for your parents?”
Thia’s lips pulled up into a smile, transforming her face into something angelic. She pointed at Serapha. “The dwagon’s gonna eat the bad lady,” she said with a disturbing amount of glee. She was certainly her mother’s daughter.
“Serapha assured us that she’d help us get back to our parents.” Titus spoke in that grown-up way of his. “We just need to be patient and not get a rash.”
