Page 24 of Hell Gate

“This is your ride? Where did you get a car?” I blurt.

Matthias grins. “Stole it.”

“Get in,” Valerian demands as he takes the keys.

“Where are we going?” I question as Alder hustles me into the backseat.

“Our gate,” Valerian says. “We need to contact the demon council to find out what’s going on.”

My brows pinch. “Is that a good idea?”

Alder distracts me for a moment while Valerian pulls onto the road. He pets the top of my head with a big palm. My breath catches. Whatever he’s doing helps soothe the dull throb lingering from having my hair ripped out. I want to melt against his warm side and beg him to never stop running his hand over my head like that.

Biting my lip to smother a sigh, I focus on my questions. “I mean, did the council put out like a burn notice or something for not killing me?”

Matthias twists from the passenger seat with a smirk. He understands human references much better than the others.

“They don’t operate on whims without a deliberation to pass judgment,” Valerian says. “Even if a human escapes death by a gate guard’s hand, there’s an order to these things.”

“It’s not just that they attacked us unprovoked that’s a red flag,” Matthias explains. “They broke our laws by potentially exposing our kind to humans. Big fucking no-no.”

I smack the back of his headrest. “Then what about people like me who fuck with your gate? You revealed yourself then.”

“Humans who summon the gate fall under a different classification than the general populace,” Alder says. “They are destined for death, so it’s not necessary to hide our true nature from them.”

The car falls quiet as I process what they’ve told me. According to the dash, it’s almost three in the morning.

“That guy spoke to you before he attacked us.” I frown. “It was in another language. What did he say?”

Alder shakes his head. “He accused us of being traitors to our king. It doesn’t make any sense.”

Unease churns my stomach. “So why send scouts if they think you’re traitors?”

“That was not a fucking scout group,” Valerian grits through his teeth. “Who gave the order to the warrior guild to come topside? The council would never go to such extreme measures for a mere human.”

“And us,” Matthias reminds him.

Valerian’s grip tightens on the wheel and he steps on the gas. The sign for the Brim Hills town limits comes into view.

CHAPTERNINE

LILY

If I were a mere human, this would be over already. Before their kidnapping plan went tits up because of the attack on the motel, Valerian said there was something different about me. The impossible thought clangs around in my head as the car rolls to a stop in front of the abandoned Brim Hills Cemetery. I’ve been told there’s something wrong with me my whole life and have fought to run from it.

“I saw that demon in town before all this.” Valerian and Alder freeze at my confession, turning expectant gazes on me. I avoid their eyes. “Um, in the alley. Without the horns, obviously. Before you and Matthias left.”

Heat spreads through me when I recall what they were doing to me, how close they had me to exploding in pleasure before something made them leave.

“That was the scent I picked up.” Valerian mutters a curse and slams the car door when he climbs out. “Stay alert. If they’ve been watching that long, something isn’t right.”

“Got it,” Matthias says.

I poke my head out of the car and Alder blocks my path. “Stay here.”

“Um, how about fuck no. You three kidnapped me. You’re not leaving me behind to sit in the car with potential murder demons on the loose.” I point at myself. “I’m not bait.”

“Very well.”

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