I close the drawer and stuff the map in my pants pocket, hoping it will be safe there until we can escape. Not bothering to shift back, we race to the door, unlock it, and swing it open. The sight before me as me shocked still. Finley and Stolas running down the hall with the devil on their heels.
Finley
A few moments earlier
It took three songs to put Lucifer under my spell. I walk closer, looking him in his eyes. “Stay here and don’t move. No one’s going to hurt you. Thank you for everything.” I place a quick kiss on his cheek. It’s the least I can do since I spelled and stole from him. I look back to Stolas.
“Let’s go,” I say. “That should have given the others plenty of time to get the map. Plus, I don’t want to be anywhere near here when Lucifer comes out of this trance.” I grip my violin and bow and take off at a run with my hellhound close on my heels.
I run out of the dining room and into the hallway. A demon comes running right for us. Stolas jumps in front of me, causing the demon to halt in his tracks. Stolas lets out a menacing growl. He backs up until he bumps into my legs. I tangle my fingers in his fur, letting him know I’m okay.
The demon in front of me has to be stupid because he pulls a knife out, and all it does is enrage Stolas further. Hellfire starts to gather around his paws, and smoke plumes from his nose at an alarming rate. The demon glances at me before focusing back on Stolas. I smile at the fear in the demon’s eyes. I know he’s about to run.
“Go ahead and run,” I say. “He loves fast food.” I stroke Stolas’ fur, feeling his muscles bunch beneath my hand.
The second the demon turns to run, Stolas is chasing after him. He doesn’t get far before Stolas pounces. The demon screams as Stolas digs his claws into his back. I watch my hellhound rip the demon to shreds. In the next second, the hallway is silent. Stolas turns, looking at me, blood dripping from his teeth and muzzle. He looks exactly like every photo depicted of a hellhound. I smile at him, showing him that I’m fine. He trots over, sniffing me, making sure for himself.
A loud roar pierces the air. The sound coming from behind us. I whip around and the ground shakes with the force of the steps headed our way. My eyes widen, and Stolas whines, because we both know who is coming. Lucifer didn’t stay in the trance long and he’s pissed, and from the sound, he has shifted as well.
“Run!” I yell.
I turn and bolt down the hall with Stolas at my side. We take a few turns, but is doesn’t matter how fast we run the devil is still too close. We make another turn, and I push myself harder. A door whips open off to the right, and I see Obsidian standing in the doorway. I would love to run straight into his arms, but we can’t stop.
I run right past him, Verkor, and two guards, and scream, “Run!” I don’t look back to see if they follow my direction. If the twelve-foot-tall demon lumbering after me didn’t get him moving, then nothing will.
“Shit!” a voice screams out behind me. It was one I don’t recognize. It has to one of the guards.
Stolas picks up his pace and leads us to the back door of the castle. I whip the door open and run right out into the garden. I wish I had more time to admire its beauty. I skid to a holt. Right in front of me are two guards. Stolas leaps, launching himself at one of them. He latches onto the demon’s throat and starts shaking his head. A warm spurt of blood lands across my face.
I look over at the other guard and see him raising his clawed hand. Oh, hell no. I bend down, placing my violin on the ground. I grab the daggers from my boots, plus the throwing stars I have hidden in the heels.
“Hey!” I yell as I stand.
The demon looks in my direction. In quick succession, I throw the stars. One lands in his eye and the other in his neck. But he doesn’t go down. He staggers a step toward me, letting out a mighty roar. I flip the daggers in my hand, bracing myself for an attack. He doesn’t disappoint. He reaches out toward me, and I wait until the last second before twirling out of the way. I spin so that I’m behind him. I dig my daggers into his back, twist them, and drag them down. He arches his back and roars, but it cuts off and he falls to his knees then to his side. What’s left standing before me is my hellhound with a bloody maw.
Verkor
For a brief moment we were surrounded by demon guards. The two I knocked out earlier were waiting for us, and the two guards outside Lucifer’s office followed us. I wonder if they were the guards that Bael heard earlier? Everyone is at a standstill until Stolas makes the decision for us, leaping and attacking one of the demons. Obsidian growls from beside me and lunges for one of the guards. I turn and engage with the other. I step to the side and into the shadows, calling them to me.
I lash out, wrapping the shadows around his neck. He tries to move but I strengthen the hold I have on him. I don’t plan on making the same mistake twice. Using one of Finley’s tricks, I placed a knife in my boot earlier, and I’m glad I did. I pull the knife out as I pull on the shadows, dragging the demon toward me and right into my blade. I watch as he stumbles back, his hands going around the hilt of the knife still in his abdomen. I grip the handle and twist, pulling the blade free. I release the shadows, letting the demon fall to my feet.
Turning, I look for Finley. I start to panic because I can’t find her. She’s not where I last saw her, but Stolas is. He leaps at the demon, tearing him to shreds. As the demon falls, I see Finley, standing right behind him, with blood on her face and on the daggers in her hand.
A loud roar emanates through the open door. Stolas shifts back into his human form.
“Bael, you need to go. Now!” Stolas yells. Bael hesitates. “We’re going to be fine. Go.” Bael turns to leave but stops to hug his brother. “Thanks for everything.” Bael quickly gives Finley a hug.
“You’re the best big brother,” she says. She smiles at him. He shakes his head and takes off.
There’s a loud bang, followed by another. The wall surrounding the door starts to crumble.
“Shit,” Obsidian states. “Let’s go!” he yells. He takes off, scooping Finley up in his arms.
We race through the garden. Obsidian pauses right before the gateway. He looks back to us.
“Go, we’re right behind you.” He nods. I hear him say Magic Realm before walking through the gateway.
“The bags are over here.” I dig through the brush tossing two bags at Stolas. The ground rumbles. I hastily grab the last two bags, slinging them over my shoulder.
“Let’s get out of here,” Stolas states. We run over to the gateway. A roar sounds and it’s entirely too close for my liking.
“Magic Realm,” we say at the same time. I glance over my shoulder, and the last thing I see before walking through the gateway is Lucifer barreling down on me.
Chapter 25
Finley
“Oh, thank God,” I say as I see Verkor and Stolas stumble through the gateway. I wrap my arms around both of them.
“We’re okay,” Verkor says. I nod, taking a step back.
“How close was Lucifer on you? Do we have to worry about Lucifer walking through that gate at any moment?” I rattle off my questions.
“He was close, but we got through the gate. The gateway closes between each use,” Verkor replies.
“Okay, but is Lucifer going to come barreling through there at any moment?” I’m practically yelling. Stolas steps in between me and Verkor. He places his hands on my shoulders.
“Love, look at me.” I do as Stolas says. “Even if he heard us say Magic Realm, the chances he hunts us down himself is slim. He’d have someone do that for him, and we took out a handful of his guards that he could immediately send. Right now, Lucifer’s probably enraged, but he doesn’t know why we were there and what we took. Let’s hope it takes him a while to figure that out.”
“And if that doesn’t happen?” I ask. “Can we stop him from coming through the gateway?”
“I don’t know if there is a way to do that, block a gateway. But trust me, he isn’t coming. He woul
d have been here by now with how long we’ve been standing here.” Stolas starts rubbing my arms up and down.
“He’ll come after us eventually,” I whisper.
“Yes, and when he does, we’ll deal with it together. We’ll ask Izzy if there is a spell that could help us, to ward him off for a while.”
I nod, but I’m not convinced by his words. I pull away from Stolas and take in my surroundings.
“Where are we?”
I know Obsidian said Magic Realm as he carried me through the gateway, but I haven’t seen this part before. The buildings are too nice to be considered the lower part of the realm. But the buildings aren’t nice enough for the richest part.
“It looks like we’re a few hours away from home,” Verkor states. “We’re on the other side of the Magic Realm.”
“Okay,” I say, drawing out the word. “How do we get to our side?” I ask.
“We can go back through the gateway and see if we end up closer to home,” Verkor suggest.
Hell, at this point I’d try anything. “Alright,” I acquiesce. Plus, on the off chance that Lucifer does decide to come after us, he’ll end up here and we’ll be on the other side of the Magic Realm. The more space between us the better.
Obsidian lifts me in his arms again. “You know I’m perfectly capable of walking,” I say to him. He shrugs his shoulders.
“I know, but at least this way I know we’ll end up at the same place,” he responds.
I don’t say anything. Nope, I’m happy that if something were to happen, I will have one of my guys with me.
“Okay,” I say. Obsidian raises an eyebrow. “What?”
“No arguments?” he questions. I shake my head.
“Nope,” I say popping the ‘p’. “I’m stubborn, not stupid.” He smirks, before nodding.
“Magic Realm,” he states as we walk back through the gateway.
The second we step out on the other side; I breathe a sigh of relief. We’re back on our side of the realm, just a few blocks from my home. Obsidian places me on my feet but keeps me close to his body, like I would complain. We don’t have to wait long for Stolas and Verkor to pop out of the gateway. They adjust the bags on their backs, and that’s when I remember.
“Fuck,” I groan.
“What is it? What’s wrong?” Stolas moves until he’s standing in front of me, cupping my face. “Are you hurt? Do you need to see a doctor?” The concern etched in his voice makes me fall for him a little more. I reach out and pat his chest.
“No, I’m fine. I swear.”
“Then what is it?” he questions.
“I don’t have my violin. I left it on the ground when we were fighting those demons,” I answer.
He visibly relaxes. “We’ll get you a new violin and have Izzy spell it like she did your other one.” He plants the sweetest kiss on my lips. Stolas interlaces our fingers, turns, and starts walking us the direction to the house that I share with my best friend Izzy.
As we’re walking, I notice people staring and giving us a wide berth. I look down and realize I have blood on my hands, arms, and dress. A quick glance at Stolas and I see that he’s covered in blood as well. Well, at least people will leave us alone. Luckily, the walk to my place isn’t far because I’m ready for a shower, food, and sleep, in that order.
I unlock the door to my house that’s falling apart and yell, “Izzy!”
My mocha colored friend comes barreling down the hall with her dreadlocks swinging behind her.
“Finley!” she says excitedly as she gathers me into a hug. She pulls back and really looks at me. “I see things got messy.”
I chuckle. “You can say that.” I smile at her and she smiles back.
“Are you okay?” she asks.
“More than. We have a couple of things to tell you.” I glance over my shoulder to Stolas who winks. “I’m pregnant!” I say enthusiastically. Izzy stares at me wide-eyed and open mouthed.
“Holy shit, I’m going to be an aunt,” her voice increasing in pitch as he talks. She squeals, embracing me into a hug. This time when she pulls back, she places a hand over my belly. Her beautiful green eyes water with unshed tears. I can’t help the emotions welling up inside of me. I give her a watery smile in return.
“Oh, I’m spoiling the hell out of this kid,” she says. I laugh because I believe her.
“Wait until I show you the recording.” She claps her hands.
“I can’t wait.” She looks over my shoulder, staring down the guys. “Which one of you is the father?”
“We all are,” Stolas answers. “Biologically speaking, I’m the father, but we’re all going to raise this kid.”
“Good,” Izzy nods, pleased with his answer. She moves over to the couch, taking a seat.
“Speaking of the recording where did you put it?” I direct my question to Obsidian.
“It’s in your bag, doll. The little pocket on the inside,” he replies. I nod, glad that it’s safe.
“You said you had a couple of things to tell me?” I turn my attention back to Izzy.
“Yup,” I nod, moving to sit next to her on the couch. “I was wondering if you knew of any spells that could protect our home from Lucifer or his demons? Maybe something that could warn us if he’s close?”
Izzy starts shaking her head. “I don’t, but I could look and ask around about. Why?”
“Well, when we left Lucifer was pissed. I spelled him and he was angry when he came out of it, but once he finds out what else we took, he’s probably going to come after us and I want to make sure that not only me and the guys are protected, but that you are well,” I say.
“That’s a good idea. I’ll go out tomorrow and start looking. I’m sure there is something out there,” Izzy replies.
“Thank you,” I say and give her a quick hug. “Besides that, we got the next piece of the map.”
I turn my attention to Obsidian. He digs through my bag that Verkor and Stolas placed on the floor the second they came in. He stands, walking over to me and hands me the map before putting his hand in his pocket producing the third piece of the map. I kneel before the coffee table lining up the edges of the map. A bluish white light flares. Lines appear on the map, starting from the left and moving right.
Trees, mountains, and lakes take shape. As well as some bridges, but no names form. Just as fast as the lines appear, they disappear. I pick up the map that’s now three-fourths of the way completed and hand it to Izzy. I move to sit back on the couch.
“I can’t believe it. You almost have…” she trails off.
I shift to look at her. Her eyes are white. She’s in her trance. This happens every time we’ve gathered a new piece of the map. She gets a vision with the next part of the poem. I look over at my guys, who are crowded around the opposite side of the coffee table from me.
“We’re so close to knowing where the last piece of the map is,” I say softly. The guys share a look.
“We are,” Obsidian agrees.
“How do you feel about it?” Verkor inquiries.
“Honestly…” I sigh. “I don’t know.” My eyes flit between them. “I’m nervous and scared.” I place a hand on my belly. “There’s more at stake.”
“We know.” Stolas shuffles closer, kneeling before me. “But, love, you know we’ll never let anything ever happen to either of you.” He grabs my hand and gives it a gentle squeeze.
“I know, but our plans need to be a little less fighty,” I say. “They never go exactly like we plan.”
“On that, I think we can all agree,” Stolas says. My gaze falls on Obsidian and Verkor. They both nod in agreement.
“I’ve got it.” Izzy’s voice startles me, causing me to jump.
“Jesus, Iz. Warn a girl next time,” I say, placing a hand over my racing heart. Izzy giggles.
“Sorry, Fin.” I shake my head.
“Where are we headed next?” I ask.
“The last piece of the puzzle you will find in a place where only t
he moon shines. A party in the moonlight will be quite a sight but be prepared to fight. Assemble the pieces and follow the trail and you’ll end up in a distant land. A throne is what they sought, now go and take back what they took,” Izzy rattles off the last part of the poem. Well, there goes my idea of us being less fighty.
I meet each of my guys in the eyes, stopping at Obsidian. His body is fraught with tension. He’s clenching his fist so tight that his knuckles are white.
“Obsidian?” He’s looking everywhere but at me. I let go of Stolas’ hand, stand, and walk over until I’m right in front of Obsidian. I place my hand over his heart, feeling the erratic beat. “What is it?” His jaw ticks.
“I know where we’re going,” he says between gritted teeth.
“Where’s that?” He looks down at me, and I see fear and worry in his amber eyes.
“We’re going to my home, where I'm from.” He runs his fingers through his red hair and groans. He meets my gaze. “We’re going to the Shifter Realm.”
Epilogue
Unknown Person
“What was so urgent you had to summon me?” I glance up from the Fountain of Reflection to Finley’s mother.
“They have the third piece of the map and know where to find the fourth,” I say. That stops her in her tracks.
“Shit,” she groans.
“Exactly.”
“What are we going to do?” she asks as she starts to pace.
“Nothing.” She stops and glares at me. “You know we can’t interfere.”
“I know you’re right, but I still want to help.”
“I know you do, but they need to do this by themselves. This will right all the wrongs.”
She sighs. “Why did it have to be her? Why my daughter?” she questions. She looks at me like I have all the answers.
“Because you fell in love with someone with a lot of secrets.” She plants her hands on her hips.
“You don’t have to tell me that I was stupid. I already know that.”
“There’s one other thing.”
“What’s that?” She begins pacing again. Her brows furrow, and I know she’s trying to think of a way to help her daughter.
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