He held me close, stroking my head, plunging his fingers in my hair. “What happened?”
I shook my head, refusing to do anything but breathe in his scent.
He’s alive. He’s here.
“Why wouldn’t he be?” Blaise asked, and my heart thumped against my rib cage four times in a row, pumping blood at a dizzying fast pace.
“Blaise!” I pulled from Kai and launched myself into Blaise’s arms.
His familiar charcoal scent enveloped me as his arms wrapped around me, and he kissed my forehead.
“What in the hell is going on, love?” Thaddeus asked, and another sob wracked through me, shaking my shoulders.
I flew toward him, wrapping myself around his neck. “Mm. Coffee.” I breathed in. “Thaddeus.”
“My beloved, what’s happening? Did you...did you see something?” Aziel’s soft voice broke through my hysterics.
I sucked in a few breaths before turning away from Thaddeus and hugging Aziel, who nuzzled into my neck.
The dry air of Hell skimmed over my sweaty body every time I moved, and I shivered.
“You were sweating and screaming like something was killing you,” Aziel murmured.
“We couldn’t wake you up,” Thaddeus said.
“The screams you were making—” Kai’s voice broke.
“—bloody awful,” Blaise finished. “We rang for King Zelek. He said he would come when you woke up. He didn’t seem as concerned as we were.”
“I told Mortala as soon as we saw your eyes open,” Aziel told me as I stepped back and ran both hands through my hair.
Kai placed a soft blanket over my shoulders, and I wrapped it tighter around me.
“We stripped you because the clothes you had on seemed to be making you hot,” he told me, his hand rubbing my back over the blanket.
“They were, thank you.” Sweat was still slick on my skin, and my cheeks and ears were burning up.
The black goo of the portal swirled, and Dad stepped through, arching an eyebrow as he noticed Kai and Aziel’s arms around me.
They both let go of me and bowed their heads toward him.
“Lilith, what did you see?” His tone was grave.
“I saw everyone die. Viktor killed them all.” I pressed my fingers to my trembling lips.
“Why did they die?”
Aziel’s plea echoed through my mind, and I shot my hand out to grip his. “Stay together. We should’ve stayed together.”
Dad pursed his lips. “I think you had a vision of what’s coming.”
A tidal wave of exhaustion washed through me, and I staggered backward and sat on the edge of the bed. “Visions are for angels.”
Aziel never let go of my hand and sat down with me.
“Maybe it’s because you’re a hybrid?” Thaddeus suggested.
“Possibly,” Dad agreed, but I was getting suspicious by his lack of surprise. “Either way, you’re not splitting up for the mission. Visions take a lot out of the one seeing it. Take tomorrow to rest and replenish energy. The mission will start the day after. I’ll see if The Order of the Void will take their supernatural army down to the North Dakota facility when you all go to the Montana one.”
