Hudson grabbed my elbow as I made to step toward the circle.Tick, tock, Principal. I want this over with so we can get back to our lives. Hopefully save the world and pick out a wedding dress.
“What does he want?” Hudson asked Cillian.
“How would I know?”
“You said he will use every trick in the book to get what he wants. You know something.”
“I know lots of things, Principal, but not his will. Only he can impart that knowledge.”
I read between the lines. “He can’t tell us,” I murmured. “He knows, but Donn’s spelled him to secrecy.”
Hudson snarled. “Nope, we aren’t doing this.”
Lucifer snorted, grabbed my other arm, and yanked us both inside the circle. The runes flared to life, blinding us with their light before depositing us on the top of a tiny island. The wind tugged tendrils of my hair loose from my braid. I tasted the salt in the air as lightning struck the sea in the distance. Waves battered against the rocky shoreline, and the magic in my veins hummed in both anticipation and recognition. There was a force here, a lurking darkness waiting to unfurl its power into the world. When it did, it would destroy everything we knew and rule over us. Donn.
To my left perched the only building on the island, and my feet moved toward it without permission from my mind. The heavy drugging power was a seductive force. Hudson grabbed my hand and spun me to face him. He stole my breath with a kiss, branding me with a reminder of everything we had. I fell headfirst into that passion, and the heavy weight of the magic in the air snapped, freeing its control of my mind. I hadn’t even realized it had crept in within moments of our arrival. My mate gave me everything I needed to steady myself in the newly formed bond that tied us together.
He pulled away and ran the pad of his thumb over my cheek. “When we get home, I have something I need to tell you.” My breath caught in my throat as my heart stuttered in my chest. Those words never meant anything good.
Lucifer caught my gaze, the message in his eyes clear.Yes, I’m aware I can’t just tell him about your super secret club. But we either bring him into the fold, or they lose me.I refused to keep secrets anymore.
“Okay,” I whispered. “After we persuade a god to intervene and stop the destruction Eloise is enforcing, we’ll talk.”
Hudson’s brows lowered. He wasn’t stupid. He could feel I was holding out on him. That was the thing with mate bonds; they knew everything you weren’t saying. Dave got away with it, because as far as I was aware, he and my aunt weren’t mated. And even then, I thought the bond between us only existed because of Indigo. It really was her that was bonded to Hudson, not me. That was a sobering thought.
Lucifer moved toward the dilapidated brick building, and we hurried to catch up with him. He cocked his head, staring at the warped wooden door hanging off its hinges.
“I don’t sense any wards.”
I shook my head. “Me neither.”
Hudson pushed past us and flung it open, stepping inside first, his head swinging back and forth as he checked it out. I rolled my eyes and followed him inside, Lucifer bringing up the rear. Inside was a derelict wasteland. Ceramic and glass shards littered the broken floorboards of the small open room. To the right, a once grand sweeping curved staircase led to the upper floor, many of the stair treads missing or rotted, making it unusable.
“Now what?” I muttered. This was like one of those escape rooms. Find the random clue to get you to the next stage of your destiny—normally a pizza and beer.
I spun in a circle, hoping for a signal. Maybe Cillian sent us to the wrong rock? Just then, the air stilled, and goosebumps danced over my flesh as my blood chilled. Something was coming.
The air sucked out of my chest, and I plunged into the earth, darkness filling my vision. I clutched my throat, panic clawing at my mind as I tried to force air into my lungs. Breathe.Come on, Cora. Breathe.
My knees slammed into the ground, and I slumped onto my hands as I dragged in a breath.One, two, three.I tilted my head to the right, finding Hudson in the same position, struggling with his own mortality. Lucifer stood to my left, his features twisted with rage—the kind of look that gave him the power to command the worst of humanity.
I swallowed and pushed up to my feet, refusing to meet this god on my knees. That seemed like a bad introduction. Hudson also rose, and together, we glanced up. Once again, my breath hitched.
We stood in a circular room, the floor made of slick black obsidian. Surrounding us was the ocean, and panic sliced down my spine at the realization we were under water. Long ropes of kelp danced in the currents, while a school of fish spun in a lazy funnel, ignoring the sharks swimming below them.
Water pulsed against an unseen barrier surrounding the outer walls, rippling now and again, indicating it wasn’t a glass wall holding it at bay, but power. I didn’t doubt the deity we were here to meet couldn’t just snap his fingers and drown us if he willed it.
The violent waves above cast intricate dappling around the room, illuminating the single physical wall. A rocky platform jutted out of the base, and on top of it sat a massive black throne. A pair of black leather boots rested on the platform, but the rest of the figure was encased in shadows.
I glanced at Lucifer and Hudson, who were cataloging everything in the room that could be used as a weapon. This was part of the plan. Mine was to engage the god.
I took a few steps forward and raised my head. “I am Cora Roberts. I’ve come at your request.”
An arm swathed in black leather rose and curled its fingers in invitation.
You can do this. Breathe in. Out.One, two, three steps closer. Hudson and Lucifer flanked me, mirroring my movements. Show your face, Donn. I tilted my chin in the air, silently communicating that his silence didn’t intimidate me.
Fake it until you make it.
