“Just waiting for everyone to get here,” I explain when we all turn to face the opening as we hear Reaper barreling down the hall. He runs in, shaking his head as he conquers a stuffed animal and slams into the edge of the seat closest to him.
“Sheesh, he’s a menace,” Chester observes, walking in behind him, and Moni smiles as she inhales the steam from the coffee cup in her hand.
“All stocked up?” JP asks, peering over his shoulder at the couple.
She gives a thumbs up as she takes another drink of her coffee and takes a seat with Chester. All we’re waiting for is?—
Confusion and anger slam into me hard, and I suddenly sit up, wondering where it’s coming from. Our group looks completely relaxed except for Lynx, who sits up in my peripheral and turns a look on me. I shrug, and we both stand up, our instincts propelling us and alerting the room.
“What’s going on?” Zeke asks, sitting up and addressing me.
“I don’t know,” I say hesitantly, but everything in me says something isn’t right.
“Rez!” Lynx exclaims in realization and takes a few steps, clearing the sofa before stopping in his tracks.
In the doorway stands Knox, but his attention is on the hallway behind him.
“Knox…” His green eyes pierce mine across the room. Without saying a word, I ask if everything is okay or if there’s anything I can do. He quickly and minutely shakes his head as Rez shuffles into his arms. She stares at something in her hands and doesn’t even look up as Knox guides her into the room.
I straighten out my suit jacket before sitting back down, trying to act like nothing is the matter, but the room is already on alert. They don’t need any special abilities to know something is wrong. All eyes are on her as Knox helps her sit down on the sofa before he kneels between her legs.
She’s holding a picture in her hands; it’s worn on the edges, but the people in the photograph look to still have clarity. But before I can assess them, she pulls the picture against her stomach.
“Kitten,” Knox gently says, and Rez’s gray eyes slowly meet his. Tears are gathered along her lower lashes, and once she sees Knox, she seems to snap out of her trance.
“Uh— Sorry,” she says, wiping her eyes and taking in the room. A blush slightly tints her cheeks before she claps her hands together. “What did I miss? Did we find anything useful?” she asks, trying her best to put on a brave face, but I can still feel the turmoil twisting inside her.
“Is there something you need to tell us first?” I hedge carefully.
“I-I…can I process it first? I don’t know what to make of it yet.” Her shaky voice comes out in a whisper.
I nod, grateful that she’s not trying to keep it a secret that something has happened. Asking for time to process whatever it is isn’t unreasonable.
Knowing she’s looking for someone to take the heat and move it off her, I catch everyone up with how we looked foranything that pertains to Demons, Princes, Legions, and the Fallen.
As I explain, Rez’s shoulders relax slightly, but I still feel some of her agitation.
“So before we start, I did find something on the trials as a whole. It turns out that there are some rules in Hell that the Princes have to abide by. A way to get around those was the Trail of Worth, so depending on how the princes were feeling, or last felt when designing their trial, will depend on what kind of traps we are going to walk into.”
“So it’s like my cousins and the Ever Woods!” Moni blurts out, shooting up into the air with her coffee.
“Exactly.”
“I bet they won’t be messing with me anymore after I pow-pow them with my super boom boom.” Moni chuckles and starts choking on her own spit, but Chester is there to save the day, patting her hard on her back until she starts breathing normally.
“That’s disturbing,” Knots points out, running a hand through his shoulder-length hair.
“Which part? The psychotic princes or our own princess going to the dark side,” Lynx mumbles.
“Both?” Knots shrugs.
“Okay, I think we’re getting off-topic. Did anyone find something on level one?” I ask, hoping to move this conversation on.
“Oh. I did,” Lynx offers, opening up his page. “Balam is the Prince of Illusions and rules over level one.”
“Really?” I’m taken aback since L.A.M.B.’s and Mother’s residences are on the same level. I can’t imagine them sharing their rule with someone else.
“Here, let me see that,” Ryker demands, grabbing the book out of Lynx’s lap and digging through it quickly before chuckling. “Who taught you to research?”
