Immediately afterward, he received similar messages from Ty and Pru.Whatever the demons were planning, they weren’t being subtle about it anymore.
Which was fine.That just made them easier to find.
Caleb found a good vantage point in the shadow of a nearby office building and settled in to wait.The plan called for him to hang back and simply observe until the others were ready to begin their coordinated disruption, but as the minutes ticked by, he began to sense something was very wrong here.
The energy patterns around Angel’s Dream weren’t just strong…they were oddly familiar as well.Although he probably wouldn’t have been able to articulate such a thing before now, the specific resonance of the supernatural disturbance tugged at memories from his time in Hell, reminding him of the aura that had surrounded certain high-ranking demons he’d encountered there.Luckily, they hadn’t paid him much mind, thinking a quarter demon like himself beneath their notice, but they still had a particular smell, so to speak.
And this stink definitely reminded him of Vinea.
His phone buzzed — he’d put it on vibrate for obvious reasons — and he answered immediately.“Ty?”
“We’ve got a problem.”The half angel didn’t sound too happy about his life choices right then, and Caleb couldn’t blame him.“I’m picking up movement at multiple sites around the city.It looks like they’re accelerating their timeline.”
Well, that was just peachy.“How accelerated?”Caleb asked, doing his best to sound as if this latest development hadn’t sent adrenaline shrilling along every nerve ending.
“Like, right now,” Ty responded.“I can see figures moving around the Desert Rose Wedding Chapel, and they’re definitely not human.Whatever they were waiting for, they’ve decided not to wait anymore.”
Before Caleb could respond, a new voice cut through the phone connection — one that made the blood freeze in his veins, deep and harsh.
“Hello, nephew.”
The line went dead.
Caleb stared at his phone for a moment, trying to process what he’d just heard.Then the implications of those two simple words hit him like a pair of punches to his gut.
Nephew.
There were only a very few beings in existence who would refer to him that way.While the demons and devils who occupied the highest levels of Hell’s hierarchy weren’t technically related to one another, they still referred to the others of their kind as “brother” from time to time.
Often ironically, but still.
And his demon grandfather had been among them.
Somehow, Vinea was already here.The demon lord must have found a way to cross over without completing the city-wide summoning circle.His early arrival implied he had some kind of assistance, someone powerful who’d used their own ritual to bring him here.
And that meant everything the little group of defenders thought they knew about the situation was wrong.
Delia and Pru and Ty needed to regroup, get back to Pru’s apartment, where they would have at least a modicum of safety.
Abort,he typed, replying to Ty since he was the last person in their team he’d communicated with.Go back to home base.Now.
Ty’s response came back almost immediately.
Are you coming?
Soon.Just do it.
All right.I’ll message Delia and Pru.
The convo ended there, but it was enough.Caleb knew Ty would do as he asked, mainly because the half angel also understood that this was not the occasion to waste any precious time on arguments.
Caleb’s phone vibrated again…a text from an unknown number.
The chapel.Come alone, or watch your city burn.
ChapterEight
The silencein Pru’s living room after they’d all regrouped there was the most terrifying sound Delia had ever heard.She sat on the edge of the black sectional, her phone still stubbornly pressed to her ear even though repeated calls to Caleb’s number just went over to voicemail.
