On the next bed over, Joy rested her head in Payne’s lap, his fingers drawing absent shapes along her collarbone.
Isabella and Nova sat together nearby, both perched on the edge of another bed, watching the chaos unfold. Their lips were tight lines, silent and tense, as their mates struggled to keep hold of the thrashing ghost.
Prudence was the only one missing.
When I reached for her presence, I sensed it in the human world—far from here, with her marked mate.
My throat locked up. My smile wobbled.
They were still trying.
Even after everything, they werestilltaking turns trying to enter Hell for me.
A sharp squeak echoed as my shoe met the tile. The entire room stilled.
Even Barron went quiet.
“Kitty!”Maureen was the first to move, voice high with disbelief.
“I’m fine,” I said quickly, but that didn’t stop the rush as they took turns hugging me. Fingers brushed my arms and checked for wounds like I might vanish.
Finally, August stepped forward, pulling me into his arms last. “I’m glad you’re here… but how did you escape?”
A sudden yank from behind pulled our attention—Barron, thrashing against the magical restraints holding him down. “Let me up! I want to see our sister, too!”
Sebastian faded beside him, patting Barron’s head in a way so condescending I nearly winced. “Are you going to stop trying to enter Heaven?” he asked flatly.
The veins bulging across Barron’s forehead answered clearly enough.
Sebastian sighed. “Didn’t think so. Then, no. We’ll go after Gwen and Dadafterwe deal with Harvest and the Devil.” He looked over at me. “Now that Kitty has escaped, that’s one less fire to put out.”
So, Gwendolyn was gone, too. I hadn’t known.
The words lodged somewhere deep in my chest. They felt wrong.
“I didn’t escape.” My voice was quiet but clear. “Luke let me go.”
August stiffened.“Luke?”
I winced. I shouldn’t have said that name aloud. Old habits, maybe. Or just exhaustion. “The Devil,” I corrected quickly.
Maureen crossed her arms, eyes narrowing as she zeroed in on me.
“Don’t give me that look,” I said, frowning. “Heletme leave. But… I have to go back.”
My brothers erupted at once—scoffing, pacing, scowling.
“You can’t go back!” Sebastian snapped.
“Now that you’re here, we can finally try Dad’s spell,” August added, stepping forward with grim urgency.
I glanced down at the bracelet wrapped snugly around my wrist, its dark surface glinting with barely contained power. “You can’t keep me here,” I mumbled. “But Icanhandle Lu—the Devil. Don’t worry about me. Just tell me what I’ve missed. Has the portal opened yet?”
“Don’t worry about you?” Joy repeated, incredulous. “You weretrapped in Hellwithhim. We want to know howyouare. Youcan’tgo back.”
“She’s right,” Maureen said, voice firm. Her burns still steamed softly, but her posture was unyielding. “You look like you’re running on fumes.”
A flicker of motion to my left caught my eye. Shadows shifted near Barron’s bed—denser, darker. My gaze snapped toward them.Shadow?
