Page 9 of Till Death

“What’s happened since I’ve been gone?” I asked. “Catch me up.”

“It’s been two days of constant bloodshed and fighting. The Halflings and demons come in waves, trying all they can to push out and expand their hold on Fairport,” he answered. “We’ve been able to hold them off with the assistance of the vampires, spirits, and wolves, but we’ve lost a lot of warriors.”

That made my chest squeeze with fear. Had any of my friends been killed? Did I want to know?

The question hovered on my tongue, but I repressed it and settled with “I’m sorry” instead. If I had been here, maybe I could have helped enough to make a difference. Maybe I more lives could’ve been spared.

“It’s not your fault, Jade,” he replied. His gaze flicked upward, telling me what he really wanted to say:It was God’s.

Eli strode across the alley to the brick wall and raised his hand to knock on the stones three times. Then he paused before doing it again. Magic skittered up my arms as the ward keeping the place secure swept through us before finally receding. The wall shimmered and wavered before disintegrating before my eyes, revealing the storefront beyond.

Clever.It had to be Arianna’s doing. Or maybe one of the witch twins, Marla or Tamara.

Reaching back, Eli grabbed my hand and pulled me inside with him. Behind us, the bricks regain their solidness and block out the alley as they reform.

A squeak drew my attention, and when I turned, Arianna launched herself at me and her arms were around my neck.

“Are you kidding me right now?” she said. “Where did he find you? We thought you were demon food!”

She leaned back far enough for me to see her grin, and I commanded Bertha to temporarily pop out of existence.

“I wasn’t in Hell for long. At least, it didn’t feel long to me. Time moves differently down there, and Eli said I missed two days?”

Her hair jutted out in every direction in a wild mess of a halo around her head. A small jagged cut went from her eyebrow to the top of her cheek. Worst of all was the hope in her eyes and in her tone now that I’d come back.

“It’s been rough without you, not going to lie,” a familiar male’s voice said solemnly. When I turned around, I found Sean standing there, looking just as broken and tattered as her.

“Did you all miss my terrible motivational speeches?”

Arianna snorted.

As I glanced around the store, I found it a mess but basically empty. The windows had been boarded and fortified with strong magic—I could feel it buzzing in the air like a swarm of angry wasps—but since the place was still demon-free, whatever the spellcasters had done had been working.

It did make me wonder where the rest of my friends were, though. I expected Marla to be there with her niece, with Tamara lurking somewhere. Oh, and Wyatt reloading a shotgun while Lisa tsked him for his technique nearby.

And Kay… Laurence…

“Where is everyone?” I asked.

Sean plopped on a metal chair, sighing heavily. “We are doing everything we can to contain the Halflings to Fairport, so we’ve divided up the city between us. This is one of several safe houses,” he stated. “The fighting has been nonstop.”

Oh. Perfect.

“We weren’t sure what you wanted us to do once you disappeared,” Arianna went on honestly. “We tried to channel you the best we could, figured this was the best move in the meantime, but it’s been a mess.”

“Well, I’m glad you’re all right. You did an amazing job, given the circumstances. Probably better than I would’ve done honestly.”

Arianna shook her head automatically. “Doubt it. Have you seen it out there?”

I remembered the darkness soaking down from the sky and staining everything beneath it. The streets shimmering, the air shifting and glowing. The dead, the destruction of the city I loved…

“I’ve seen it,” I replied. Worry urged me back and forth, pacing, unable to stay still, and guilt made me itching to get back out there and end this faster. Somehow. “I shouldn’t have left you all alone to fight this.”

“We weren’t alone, Jade,” Eli eased. “We managed.”

“Yeah…well, still…” I feltawfulfor involving them—even if it was my idea to start with.

Eli gripped me by the elbow, drawing me to a stop. “I know what you’re thinking and stop it,” he said. “I told you to go, that we would figure it out, and we have. Now you’re back. There’s no point in blaming yourself for anything. You’re here, so fight with us now. Side by side.”

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