Page 32 of Infernal

I shook my head decidedly. “That’s not happening.”

“Only you can yield the weapon—”

“NO!” I fired back as William exchanged a look with the others. “I don’t give a crap about who can yield what. I’m not doing it.”

My uncle quickly stepped forward, fire brimming in his eyes. “Youwillyield the weapon, Jemma,” he said matter-of-factly. “There is no other option here.”

I met his cold eyes and let his words sink in for a moment.

There is no other option.

My natural instinct was to distrust anything that came out of my uncle’s mouth, but this time, his words were ringing true. If there was another option, another person who could take Lucifer out, they wouldn’t be here right now wasting their time with me.

I really was theironlyoption.

“Alright, let’s say I believe you. Let’s say I do this. What exactly happens to Lucifer’s vessel once I yield this weapon?” I asked, deciding to play along for information’s sake.

“What becomes of the vessel is neither here nor there,” snapped my uncle, the irritation heavy in his tone. “That isn’t a factor here.”

“Well, it’s a factor forme, and since I’m the one that has to yield the weapon, it’s a factor for you too.”

He pinched the bridge of his nose, as though I were giving him a migraine.

Good, I thought and crossed my arms.

“Jemma, the vessel is almost certainly already empty,” answered William, reclaiming the reins. “And whatever remains of it, if anything, will be broken beyond repair.”

“Almostcertainly?” I verified, ignoring the part about being broken beyond repair. “So, basically, you’re not sure.”

His lack of a response was answer enough for me.

“Don’t you think you should figure that out before you send me off to murder an innocent person?”

“For Pete’s sake,” shouted my uncle, his face turning purple from anger. “This isn’t the time for your teenage rebellion! You will do as you are told!”

“Like hell I will,” I seethed and lurched forward, my hands balled into fists, as though ready to sock him. “You don’t get to tell me what to do anymore. You lost that right a long time ago.”

William quickly stepped in front of me and tried to be the soft voice of reason. “I understand your concern, Jemma. I do. The loss of an innocent is always painful, but it will pale in comparison to the bloodshed that will come if we fail to act now. Thousands of lives are at stake here, if not millions.”

His words sobered me, and suddenly, my load felt heavier. It wasn’t just Trace’s life that was at stake. It was all of our lives, and they were all resting on my shoulders.

“There has to be another way.”

“There isn’t.” He picked up my arms and inspected my Marks, his expression somber. “You’ve invoked.”

His eyes trailed the silver runes up the length of my arms. They were nothing like any of theirs, which only served as a reminder that I wasn’t like them. I was different—something darker.

Something markedly more dangerous.

“I must insist we begin training at once,” continued William, mistaking my silence for acquiescence. “Now that you’ve invoked, you’ll need to learn how to use and control your abilities, and of course, how to yield the weapon. There isn’t much time,” he said and nodded back to Alford, who began stalking towards me. “We must go now, or we risk losing—”

“Woah! Wait a minute!” I ripped my arms free from his hold. Sheer panic exploded in my veins, sending blood pumping into my ears as though my pulse had relocated there. “I already told you I’m not going anywhere with you, and I meant what I said!”

I was pretty sure I had made myself clear about that.

Apart from being the middle of the night, I still didn’t trust any of them as far as I could throw them. And I certainly wasn’t about to leave the security of the only two people I did trust to run off with my twisted uncle and company.

For all I knew, they were going to take me straight to the slaughterhouse and be done with me and my cursed blood once and for all.

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