Page 54 of Infernal

“The one and only.” He shrugged her name off like it was no big deal. “I mean, unless you know another Caster.”

I didn’t.

Great. How on earth was I going to convince Nikki to do me a solid? And worst, how was I going to stop myself from rearranging her facial features long enough to ask her?

The only thing worse than having to ask Nikki for a favor was having to go to Temple to do it. Apparently, Hollow Hills’ number one Caster was dutifully attending an emergency meeting called by the Council. One in which all Anakim near and far were required to attend. Being that I destroyed my cell phone, I wasn’t sure if my invite got lost in the mail or if I was purposely left off the guest list. Either way, I wasn’t about to let that stop me from going.

The rain was a light drizzle by the time Dominic and I made it to Temple. The parking lot and surrounding streets were filled with expensive cars, which only served to deepen my apprehension. The place was packed with powerful Descendants that could easily take me out with their little pinky nail. It wasn’t the kind of place you wanted to hang out at when you happened to betheDaughter of Hades.

Halfway up the walkway, I considered waiting for the meeting to finish and catching Nikki outside. It wasn’t because I was afraid of the crowd—not with my trusty Amulet, anyway. It was who was in the crowd that was worrying me. Tessa. Gabriel. Nikki. Morgan. Julian. My uncle. William…And God knows how many other people I’d rather not see. There were far too many people who could get in my way, and even more ways this thing could go wrong.

Then again, I didn’t exactly have the luxury of time.

Conceding, I sucked in a deep breath and opened the door.

After a series of thumb scans and passcodes, Dominic and I were finally inside the cryptic building. From the entrance, I could already hear a strong, commanding voice booming through the atrium, letting us know the Council meeting had already started. We followed the sound all the way down the elaborate corridor until we got to the meeting hall. Taking in another breath, I cracked open one of the double doors and then slipped into the packed room with Dominic right behind me.

We quickly blended into the shadows and listened to the speech from the back of the room.

“With the threat of the end of days fast approaching, it is imperative that all the factions band together as one,” said William at the front of the room. He was planked by my Uncle Karl, Alford, and another man I didn’t recognize. “We cannot allow the Dark Legion to undo centuries of service our kind has contributed to the mortal world. Now, more than ever, we must fight the evil that threatens all of us.”

“With all due respect, Magister. How are we supposed to do that?” asked a middle-aged woman I‘d never seen before. “The Hellgate has already been opened.”

Another man stood across the room. “And we still have no idea if Lucifer is earthbound or not!”

“We need answers!”

“How do we protect ourselves? Our children?”

A roar of agreement rippled through the crowd.

“Please.” William rose his hands to quiet the mounting upheaval. “There’s no need to panic. We have already assembled our top Rigs, who are out gathering information as we speak. This battle is far from over.” There was a quiet confidence about him, almost as though he knew exactly how this whole thing was going to play out.

I thought that was strange, being that he didn’t even know who the vessel was.

“So, what do the rest of us do in the meantime?” asked a younger man from the audience. He looked about twenty.

“The best thing any of us can do right now is to continue to live our lives—honor your duties and your studies, and for God’s sake, check in with your superiors and Handlers. Demon activity has been on the rise throughout the entire west coast, so please be prepared and stay vigilant.”

“Interesting tactic,” whispered Dominic in my ear. “He’s giving them the bare minimum of information.”

I’d noticed that too.

“Why do you think that is?” I wondered, my eyes narrowing with suspicion.

“Why do you think, love?” he said, and I could hear a smile behind his words. “It’s easier to control people when you keep them in the dark.”

I suppose Dominic would know that better than most. He wasn’t exactly a spring of information.

“Do you see her anywhere?” I asked, having heard enough of this angel meeting.

He shook his head. “Negative.”

“Maybe she decided to ditch.” I wouldn’t put it past her. She was probably out in the woods sacrificing animals. That, or stalking Devil-Trace somewhere.

When I turned my focus back to the front of the room, my uncle had taken the podium. “Those of you interested in training with the High Casters, please see me at the end of the meeting. Again, Elite Casters only…”

Then again, if Nikki was running late, maybe I still had a chance to catch her outside—alone.

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