“You’re one of the fiends who cursed Scorsha’s bloodline.” He wiped his wife’s forehead with the cloth, not bothering to look at me as he spoke. “And my daughter, of all people, has taken a liking to you. If you want her to survive this, keep her wet, but don’t touch your skin to hers.”
It appeared brazenness ran in the family. Most mortals would cower in the presence of a demon of my stature, but I tempered my anger and followed his lead, swiping the rag across Cinder’s cheek. “You said only Scorsha could channel the goddess. Why did you allow Cinder to join her in the trance?”
He laughed dryly. “The first thing you need to learn is that no man allows a Holland woman anything. They do what they want, and there’s no stopping them.”
I glanced at him before returning my gaze to Cinder. “So I’ve noticed.”
“I’m Marshall, by the way,” he said, finally looking at me.
“Under different circumstances, I might say it’s a pleasure.” I dipped the rag into the water and wiped Cinder’s neck.
“Even under different circumstances, I doubt I’d say the same.”
“Fair enough,” I said. “I suppose your warning to Cinder was not to touch her mother?”
He nodded. “She can handle it, though. Cinder is a strong elemental like her mom. Hecate said any other witch would die from the intensity of channeling a goddess, and that’s the only reason I haven’t joined Scorsha in the trance.”
He dipped a mug into the bucket and offered it to me. “See if you can get her to drink.”
The cave rumbled again, and dust floated down from a crack in the ceiling as I pressed the cup to Cinder’s lips and tipped it back, trickling water into her mouth. “Drink, my love. I will not leave your side.”
The veil grew thinner by the minute, the higher vibration of the earthly realm seeping into the cave and making my arm hairs stand on end. The very air we breathed seemed to groan as the pressure shifted, lifting and sinking, pressing in before expanding. I could only hope the effect was unfolding more slowly on the other side, giving the others time to complete their mission.
“You said Ember and Ash were searching for the amulet,” Marshal said. “How do you know? Have you spoken to them?”
“With my brothers’ assistance, yes, they are.” I set the mug on the table and pressed the rag to Cinder’s forehead.
“How do you know?” Marshall’s jaw tightened, his nostrils flaring slightly, indicating he did not approve of his daughters’ commingling with demons.
Our relationships were woven into the fabric of fate and did not require his approval, but I kept that bit of information to myself for the time being.
“They attempted to summon me, but I refused.” I continued wiping Cinder’s brow. “Ember and Ash followed Cinder’s instructions and released my brothers from the dark prison. But my bond with Cinder makes it impossible for her to survive my successful summoning.”
“Your soul bond.” He blew out a hard, disbelieving breath.
“Precisely,” I said. “My essence briefly crossed the veil, nearly killing Cinder, and I instructed them to find the amulet and re-summon me. It contains Hecate’s power of resurrection, and without it, none of you can return home.”
I turned, meeting his skeptical gaze evenly. “I love your daughter with my entire soul. Our fates are intertwined at a level you may never understand. She will have my utter devotion until the day my existence ends, but with our bond comes danger. Our very lives are wound so tightly, one cannot exist without the other.”
He pressed his lips into a thin line, regarding me. “And she knows who you are? What you’ve done?”
“She knows me better than I know myself…and she accepts every part of me.” My heart warmed with my words, a hint of a smile playing on my lips. “There is nothing hidden between us, and it is her understanding that gives me strength, even now.”
“She’s a special young woman,” he said.
“Indeed, she is.” I wiped a tear from the corner of Cinder’s eye.
Marshall returned his attention to his wife, dabbing her neck and chest with the enchanted water. “She can’t stay here with you. She belongs in Salem.”
“I am acutely aware, and I have no intention of keeping her in the Underworld.” I tilted my head, studying her pained expression. If my brothers did not send the amulet soon, Cinder and her mother might shred with the fibers of the universe.
Even with their elemental power and whatever magic Hecate had shared, two mortals could not hold the veil together forever. Perhaps not even for another ten minutes.
As if on cue, the cave trembled. The floor shook, the vibration causing a vase to slide across the table and shatter on the floor. Pinpricks of energy skittered across my skin, making my entire body shudder. Marshall gasped, fisting his hands.
Scorsha wheezed.
Ember groaned.
