Page 87 of Infernal

“Like I said before,” she said, spitting on the ground again. “You can’t. His soul is tied to Lucifer and his vessel. Taking one out automatically kills the other one.”

My throat tightened until it felt as though I were being strangled. “You’re lying,” I said, even though, deep down I already knew that she wasn’t.

“Do you honestly think we would’ve made itthateasy for you to undo everything we worked so hard to do?” She laughed again, and this time it felt like a knife to my chest. “He’s a goner, baby. You might as well kiss his ass goodbye.”

Everything inside of me hardened into stone as I listened to the words I had been secretly fearing since the moment they put that monster into Trace’s body. Tears scorched the corners of my eyes as every remaining fragment of hope vanished from my heart, leaving nothing in its wake but the unbearable agony of loss.

He really was gone, and there was nothing I could do to get him back.

I’d failed him…

And it was allherfault.

A dark need for vengeance bore into my heart as I dropped the knife and grabbed the sides of her face. I had every intention of making her suffer, of beating her to a bloody pulp and then leaving her here to wither away and die, but in the moment, all I could think about was my need to see the life drain away from her eyes.

“Angel!” warned Dominic, but it was too late.

My hands were already moving, twisting her head around until I heard her neck snap. She fell to the ground in a lifeless heap, and all I could do was cry.

32. THE BODYCOUNT

The drive back to Huntington Manor was a haze of suffocating darkness and tears that seemed to have no end. Every breath I took scorched my lungs as though I were breathing under water, as though I were slowly drowning to death, except that my end never came. There was no break from the storm, no place to hide for sanctuary. The grief was all-encompassing and unwavering as it wrapped itself around every organ in my body, strangling me from the inside out.

“It isn’t over yet, angel. We’ll find another way.” Dominic’s words only briefly cut through my agony, but they were too fleeting and baseless to hold onto. So, I didn’t.

I shut him out right along with the hope I’d held onto for so long.

I could no longer allow myself to believe that this was going to end well, because the truth was, it wouldn’t, and I couldn’t suffer through that realization all over again.

There was no way to get Trace back.

The sisters had made sure of it.

There was only one thing left to do, and I couldn’t even stomach the thought, let alone picture myself doing it.

We pulled into the driveway behind several cars and an SUV. I immediately noticed Nikki’s red Jeep and Caleb’s Camaro. They were waiting for the good news. Bile turned in my stomach as I realized I was going to have to relive the whole thing and tell them the truth: that there was no hope of getting Trace back.

He’s a goner, baby. You might as well kiss his ass goodbye.

Dominic killed the engine and turned to me, but I didn’t even have the strength to face him. All I could do was stare forward, blank-faced and broken.

“Let me help you, angel,” he pleaded. His voice was solemn and soft and something else…pained.

I shook my head, knowing there wasn’t anything anyone could do to help me now. This was my living nightmare, and I was never going to wake up from it.

“I can’t bear seeing you like this,” he said and then captured my hand in his.

I stared down at our interlaced fingers through a blur of tears.

“Let me take the pain away,” he whispered quietly, though I never had a chance to answer his plea.

The front door of his house swung open, stealing my attention. I immediately recognized Ben and Caleb as they bolted down the steps towards us, their expressions sullen and twisted with apprehension, and I instantly knew they weren’t just coming here to collect the fruits of our labor. They were coming to deliver bad news.

I sucked in a breath as Ben yanked the passenger door open and crouched down beside the car.

“What happened?” I said, my voice a strangled whisper.

“It’s bad, Jem.” His expression pinched. “Hannah’s dead.”

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