Danica
I frowned. My head ached like I’d been hit, and my stomach clenched uneasily. I blinked my eyes opened and the light burned my eyes, making nausea roll through my body.
All I wanted was to close my eyes again, but I forced myself to sit up. The library was a mess, shelves fallen, books sprawled on top of each other. None of them seemed destroyed, but I felt bad anyway. I loved books.
Except for the book next to me.
The book had seemed thick at first, but it actually only had one page, which it was opened to. I scowled at it. Whatever had happened, to both me and the library, was because of that stupid book. I leaned over to close it, once and for all, and my hand stilled.
One sentence. The first page only contained one sentence.
When the Morning Star goes to war with the Nephilim of his bloodline, only one shall survive.
A Nephilim. I was a Nephilim. I snorted. I was pretty sure my mom hadn’t been getting it on with Lucifer on the downlow. I flicked the page, and as I watched, the following pages turned to ash, crumbling into nothing.
A deep sense of unease was crawling up my spine.
I stared around the library. I didn’t want to be here anymore. I clicked my heels together. “There’s no place like home.”
My voice sounded hoarse. I was oddly numb. I didn’t exactly know what I was doing here, but it didn’t bode well for me. All I wanted was to be back in my apartment.
“Uh, hello? I want to leave now.” I brushed myself off and wandered back the way I’d come. Now I was dodging piles of books and shelves that had fallen like dominos.
There. In the distance, something was glowing. I scowled. I’d been lured in by glowing in the distance last time, and all I had for my troubles was a roaring headache and a sense that I’d fucked up on a grand scale.
I turned and let my gaze wander over the mess behind me. The path I’d just walked down was no longer there. I couldn’t get back unless I wanted to climb over bookcases and books. And the flames still bordered the library at every turn. Guess I was moving toward the shining light.
I hadn’t realized how far I’d walked. But this time, the light wasn’t a book. It was a portal. I pulled the amulet from my pocket. It glowed in the same silvery white color.
With a deep breath, I walked through the portal.
Strong arms grabbed me, pulling me to a hard chest. I panicked, pushing away, and they immediately released me. I was back in Samael’s tower, the kids nowhere to be seen.
“Holy shit, what did youdo?”
The kids’ room was a mess. Someone had rampaged through it, and I was pretty sure it was the demon in front of me.
“You better fix this,” I said absently, focusing on Samael. He turned and strode away.
“What’s wrong, Samael?”
“What’s wrong? You opened the fucking prophecy, that’s what’s wrong.”
I went very still. “How do you know that?”
Samael was the picture of frustration as he whirled, baring his teeth. “Because I felt it. Every demon alive would have.”
I studied the man in front of me. I’d never seen him worked up like this before. Samael typically got cold, icy, and silent when he was pissed. This wasn’t anger… this was fear.
“Tell me,” I ordered.
He let out a low growl and my pulse increased. “Tell me.”
“You already know. You’re Nephilim. And you’re of Lucifer’s line. According to the most famous seer in all the worlds, you are the key to his undoing.”
“I don’t believe in prophecies.”
He laughed at that, but it was bitter. “Well, darling, they believe in you.”
