Page 100 of Chaos
“I didn’t think that was possible. Lilith said no one could resist me, even with magic.”
He let out a short bark of laughter. “She was wrong. Typical demon.”
I puzzled over that for a moment, confused how Lilith could be wrong about something like that. Unless she’d lied to me, but that didn’t feel right either.
“Hecate protects her own. She ensured we would remain safe so long as we are in her service,” he explained, likely sensing my confusion.
“Oh, that makes sense.”
And it sort of did. If anyone would know how to combat Lilith’s allure, it would be a goddess. Lilith might be the first demon, but she wasn’t omnipotent. It was possible there were creatures out there who were stronger and more powerful—and more knowledgeable—than her.
I internally flinched at the traitorous thought. If she had been in my head at that moment, she wouldn’t have been pleased.
“Mademoiselle? Are you all right?” Christian was staring at me as though I’d been obviously distracted.
“Yes, sorry. I just never knew such a thing existed. It would have come in handy.”
Goddammit, I probably could’ve been handing these things out like candy on Halloween and then just strolled through town like a normal human without worrying about killing people. There had to be a catch. If that was possible, Lilith would’ve done it for me.
“It takes a great deal of power to keep it active. Of course you wouldn’t know.”
Right. So no Halloween goodies for me.
Somehow that was comforting. Even though it was an option, it wasn’t one that could have actively changed the trajectory my life took.
I waved a hand, wanting to change the subject. “So your family is still out there? Dealing with all the crazy?”
He nodded. “It’s just my sisters and me now.”
“I’m sorry,” I said, feeling my own lack of family.
“It was a long time ago.”
“Are your sisters also in France?”
“Non. They are scattered around. Free spirits that travel as the goddess pulls them.”
“So you don’t talk to them often?”
He walked to the sink and rinsed out his coffee mug before returning his gaze to me. “I have made contact a handful of times since the apocalypse began, but it is always short and difficult. They are safe. That is all I care about. One day we will be reunited.”
“Is it really that bad out there?” I shuddered, thinking about what London had looked like before we left.
“Oui. This island has created a—how do you say—bubble of safety. But outside is a great deal of chaos with a few pockets of untouched reality. The more isolated they were to start, the better they seem to be faring.”
“I can see that. Especially the places where they are already set up to be sort of self-sufficient.”
“Exactement. Which is probably why Monsieur Laurent has me working on expanding our gardens and other enhancements for the property.”
“A homestead?”
“Among other things. We are safest here for the time being. If we can grow our own food and sustain ourselves, we will be far better off when the power grid inevitably goes down and the resurgence of the death rattle spreads beyond the few places it has popped up. And with martial law being declared in many countries, it’s only a matter of time before the riots that have started in other big cities shift their focus to places like here.”
It was shocking to hear how bad things had gotten. Shocking, but not necessarily a surprise. They’d been making movies and video games about the end of the world for decades now. It was basically a road map for how humanity should behave in times like these.
“They declared martial law?”
He nodded. “The US did last night. The UK and Canada this morning.”
