Page 80 of Infernal

“Yeah, they’re waiting inside. Carly, a.k.a. the delicate mortal, was too cold,” he said with annoyance.

He was always entirely too hard on that girl. I guess he just didn’t understand what it felt like to not want the life you had, to wish for something more—for something different.

Inside, we walked through the atrium and found the three of them hovering by the elevators. Nikki was talking quietly with Carly while Caleb lingered around the edges, puttying around on his phone.

You could literally feel the tension between them, and while I didn’t particularly care about their relationship issues, I hoped it wouldn’t interfere with anything.

“It’s about time,” snapped Nikki as her gaze flicked up from Carly and found us. “Not like it’s the end of the world or anything.”

“I had some business to take care,” I said, deciding to leave out the details about the sword. I really didn’t want to go there until I had absolutely no choice left.

The elevator doors opened, and the six of us filled in with me and Dominic on the tail end.

“Everything’s ready, right?” I asked Nikki as she ran her fingers through her long, silky hair.

“Do I look like the kind of girl who comes unprepared?” she asked and now it was my turn to roll my eyes.

Once we were back inside the room, Nikki wasted no time getting herself set up in the living room. Dominic had already fixed himself a drink, but not before drawing all the blinds closed. The last thing we needed was to be seen by somebody. Granted, we were like fifty floors up, but we weren’t about to take any chances.

“Where should I sit?” asked Carly as she hovered awkwardly beside Nikki, who was already sitting on the carpet, legs crossed, setting out candles at the center of the space.

She didn’t look up when she answered, “I need one of you on each side.”

“Which side?” asked Carly, her caramel eyes bouncing between Nikki and her brother.

“I don’t give a shit which side you sit on, Car. Just make sure you remember the incantation and do what you’re supposed to do when I tell you to do it.”

“Right,” she said sheepishly and then lowered herself to the floor from the spot she’d been standing in.

“Um, are you sure you’re all, you know…equipped to do this?” I asked as politely as I could. Honestly, seeing Carly so unsure of herself made me a hundred times more hesitant than I was coming into this.

“If you’re asking if I can pull this off, the answer is: with my eyes closed,” said Nikki. She obviously didn’t like being questioned, and definitely not about her abilities. Apparently, that was a hot button issue for her.

I filed that away for a rainy day.

“Don’t worry about us, Blackburn,” added Caleb as he joined his sister and Nikki on the carpet. “We wouldn’t be here if we didn’t think we could do this. You can trust us,” he said, nodding into it.

Exhaling sharply, I turned my attention to Dominic who was quietly watching the exchange. My eyes searched his for confirmation, for reassurance that we weren’t completely in over our heads. He dipped his chin as to answer my silent plea and I instantly felt myself relax at his gesture, grounded once again.

“How long will it take to do the spell?” I asked, dragging my gaze from Dominic.

“I don’t know,” Caleb answered and then looked at Nikki for confirmation. “I’d say ten to fifteen minutes?”

She nodded without looking at me.

“Can you guys narrow it down a little more?”

“No, we can’t,” blurted Nikki as she lit each of the candles in front of her. “This is magic, Jemma, not a casserole.”

“Thanks, smart ass. So how exactly are we supposed to know when to go in?” I needed to make sure we were on point tonight and didn’t burst through the doors three minutes before the spell was finished.

“I can text you,” offered Carly with a shrug. I could tell she was trying to be useful.

“That works,” I said and then grabbed her phone to program Dominic’s number.

Handing it back to her, I straightened out and took in a shaky breath. The closer we got to this, the more erratic my heart was beating. Deciding to distract myself with preparation, I threw my schoolbag onto the couch behind me and unzipped it. I didn’t have enough time to pack everything I wanted, but I’d still managed to fill my schoolbag all the way to the top.

I pulled out the shoulder holster first, the one Gabriel gave me the night Trace was taken, and I quickly put it on. As soon as the buckles were fastened, I immediately started equipping it with everything I brought, from throwing knives to brass knuckles.

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