They reached a set of double doors that presumably opened onto the main chapel.Caleb pressed his ear against the wood, trying to make out what was happening on the other side.He could hear voices — multiple voices — chanting in a language that made his very bones ache.
That same language had echoed in the halls of Hell, and he’d hoped he’d never have to hear it again.
“Demons,” he mouthed to Delia, who gave a grim nod.
His earpiece crackled again.“Whatever you’re going to do, do it fast.”Ty sounded less than thrilled with life right then, and Caleb couldn’t really blame him.He didn’t know what the half angel generally did during his downtime, but it probably didn’t involve acting as bait for some of Hell’s minions.“I’ve got at least six demons converging on my position, and they don’t look very happy.”
Well, that was just fabulous.
“Pru, is there any way you can cut the power to the building?”Caleb asked, keeping his voice pitched low so he couldn’t be overheard.
He hoped.
“As if I’m able to do something like that,” Pru replied, clearly annoyed.“I’m just a private investigator, remember?You want a hacker, go find one on the dark web.”
Like they had time to do something like that…even if Caleb had possessed the foggiest idea how to accomplish such a thing.He knew he’d been lucky enough just to find the people who’d supplied his fake birth certificate and credit report, and they’d been a couple of petty criminals and not much more.
Okay, his little team would just have to deal with these demons the hard way.
Caleb looked at Delia and saw his own determination reflected in her clear, blue-gray eyes.“Ready?”
A brief nod.“Ready.”
He placed his hands on the double doors and took a deep breath, calling up the fire that lived in his demon blood.The heat flowed down his arms, gathering in his palms until the metal door handles began to glow.
“On three,” he whispered.“One…two….”
The doors exploded inward in a shower of flame and splinters.
The chapel beyond was clearly a far cry from the saccharine space it used to be.Now it was a nightmare of twisted geometry and impossible shadows, the sort of place any sane person would want to avoid.The pews had been arranged in a complex pattern that seemed to twist the laws of physics, and in the center of it all, three figures in hooded robes stood around what looked like a portable altar covered in symbols that appeared to writhe and shift in the firelight.
But it was the thing hovering above the altar that made Caleb’s heart pound in fear.
It wasn’t quite a portal — not yet — but it was close, a tear in reality that leaked darkness and whispered with voices that belonged to no earthly creature.Through it, he caught a glimpse of red skies the color of old blood and landscapes of bone and ash.
A place he’d never wanted to see again.
One of the robed figures turned toward them, and beneath its shadowy hood, yellow eyes glared with unholy light.“The half-breed,” it said.“How delightfully convenient.”
“Caleb.”Delia’s murmur practically vibrated with fear.“Tell me you have a plan.”
He flexed his fingers, feeling fire dance between them.“Working on it.”
The demon smiled, revealing rows of needle-sharp teeth.“You’re too late, boy.The network is nearly complete.Soon, every chapel in this city will be a gateway, and your precious mortals will walk willingly into our embrace.”
“Like hell,” Caleb said, and hurled fire at the nearest robed figure.
It ducked, but the fireball still caught the edge of its hooded robe.Judging by the way it quickly and efficiently extinguished the blaze, he guessed these weren’t the low-level demons he’d tangled with before — these were scouts, advance units of something much larger and more organized.They seemed to work together, almost as if they understood one another’s thoughts, and he could see they were using the twisted geometry of the chapel to their advantage as they melted away from the altar.
But Caleb knew he had advantages of his own.His demon blood blazed in his veins as he rolled left, avoiding a lance of shadow that speared through the air where his head had been.The twisted geometry worked both ways — he used the angled pew as a springboard, vaulting over it as flames wreathed his fists like living things.
The second robed figure raised its hands, and the air around Caleb suddenly thickened, pressing against him, reminding him of spring days back in Indiana when the snow melted and left viscous mud in its wake.He gritted his teeth and pushed harder, his supernatural strength allowing him to burn through that resistance and turn it to so much ash.Behind him, he heard Delia’s sharp intake of breath.
“The symbols,” she called out, her voice cutting past the demonic whispers that leaked through the tear in the universe above them.“I think they’re feeding power to the ritual!”
As she spoke, the demons’ heads all swiveled toward her, sensing fresh prey.
Shit.
