What remained of his clothes had been scorched by the trip through Hell. August had materialized new pants on him right before they all lost their powers, but that was the only thing holding him together.
I didn’t know exactly what had gone wrong. Joy, Maureen, Payne, and Jackal had gone to the southern gate to distract the Devil. August, Isabella, and I had caused a stir outside the western entrance while Sebastian slipped through a descending soul’s portal into Hell. The plan had worked. All of it had—until Sebastian returned without Kitty.
He shoved Joy’s hand away and stood. “We don’t have time. Someone separated us on purpose. Kitty might already be back in Hell!”
August’s brow furrowed deeply, his jaw clenched. “He’s right. Our powers are back now, and the Devil’s not our only concern. Harvest wants her. What if he’s the one who pulled her away at the last second—separated her and Melinda from Sebastian?”
My stomach twisted. “If Harvest has her—”
Sebastian didn’t wait for me to finish. He faded with Isabella instantly. Joy and Payne followed seconds later.
I looked to August, who stalked toward me, the tension in his shoulders so tight it looked painful.
“August,” I said, a plea in my voice. He needed to be ready for what we might find. If Harvest had her while she was mortal…if we were too late—
“It’s okay,” he interrupted, his voice low and firm. “I still sense her essence. Let’s go.”
He placed a hand at the back of my neck, and in a flash of light and color, he faded us again.
We landed in near-total darkness.
Well... not entirely.
Three vibrant orbs hovered several feet away, casting a white-hot glow that made my eyes sting.
The others were already there, frozen, staring at the lights as if spellbound.
It took me a second to realize they weren’t just lights.
They were beings.
And in the middle, limp and cradled by one of them, was Melinda.
My breath caught.
Her head dangled at an unnatural angle. A sharp pain tore through my chest as I strained to detect the rise and fall of her breath.
Nothing.
Magic flared through me, tingling down my arms and into my fingers as I stepped forward, refusing to believe what I saw.
“What have you done to her?” I shouted, flinging my arms forward as magic crackled from my fingertips, surging toward the first orb of light.
The blast struck.
A sharp ping echoed through the air, followed by a metallicding—like something large and round had dropped and rolled in front of us. I didn’t take my eyes off the lights to check.
August stepped in, gently placing his hands over mine. “They’re angels,” he said. “They didn’t harm her. They’re here for her.”
“But why?” Joy asked, voice sharp, eyes narrowing. “They’re risking becoming fallen just by being here.”
A low, serene male voice spoke from within the blinding light. “We look after our own.”
“It’s time for Faye to return,” another added, the tone steeped in reference.
Faye?
Were they talking about…Melinda?
