Page 31 of Endless Terrors
Once again, Lucifer seemed completely unaffected by rejection. He gave me a swift, fluid bow and said, “Two days, Lady Sworn. I will come for your final answer then.”
Here’s your answer. Go fuck yourself. I kept the volatile response inside, painfully aware that Lucifer held my brother’s life in his hands.
With the faintest of smirks, as if he’d heard anyway, Lucifer stepped off the edge of the cliff and dropped out of sight.
A startled sound escaped me. I rushed over and peered down, half-hoping to see his body dashed against the rocks. But there was no sign of him, of course. The black water churned, reaching up the cliffside like frothy fingertips.
I moved back, letting out a pent-up breath. Had that really just happened? Had I really allowed the devil to touch me like that?
Remembering what he’d done to the sky, I tipped my chin up and sought that faint, thin moon. Even though Lucifer was gone, the crescent remained. It was confirmation that none of this was a dream, no matter how much I wished it were. Ironic—once, I would’ve given anything for this place to be tied to reality.
Thinking of Oliver, I glanced back at the cottage. The windows were softly lit, and I wondered how much he’d seen. At least Lucifer hadn’t mentioned him, or used yet another person I loved against me in his efforts at persuasion. I knew Oliver would be waiting impatiently, anxiously. I should go, I thought. I should tell him I’m all right.
Just … not yet. I could still feel the imprint of Lucifer’s hand on my body, and part of me worried Oliver would sense the fire. Sense the way the devil’s touch haunted my thoughts.
I lingered there for another minute, gazing out at the star-speckled water. But I didn’t see the sea anymore. Instead, I saw a city.
An eerie, beautiful city with a red sky and dark spires.
I didn’t go back to sleep.
Instead, I got into my shitty car—the van was long gone, abandoned several states over—and drove to town. I’d left a note on the counter for anyone who might notice my absence and worry. There was no sign of Finn, and I hoped that meant he was just out on a hunt. Going into town for a few hours. Love you.
Fifteen minutes later, after brief reunions with Cyrus, Ariel, and Gretchen, I settled in a booth at Bea’s. I’d brought a heavy, bulging backpack of research with me. Three of the books were journals that belonged to an ancient faerie named Lustina, mate to Shadi. I’d never met her, but the bloodline felt indebted to me because of what I’d done for Daratrine. There was no mention of Lucifer, specifically, but they were fascinating accounts of events that had occurred just after the Fall. Apparently an entire bloodline had gone missing, and the rest of the fae still didn’t know what had happened to them. Why Lyari thought this was relevant to my search, I didn’t know. Maybe because I had no idea what I was looking for, either.
As I reached for the next volume, I took a sip of coffee and grimaced. Not sweet enough. I added more sugar and stirred. The sky beyond the window slowly brightened. Now and then, dishes clinked in the dining room behind me.
Despite the noise, it was a slow morning. None of my old regulars had made an appearance yet. Good thing, since I didn’t know what I’d say to them when the inevitable questions arose. Where have you been? Why hasn’t anyone heard from you? Are you coming back to work?
The truth was, I wasn’t sure whether I was still employed here. Bea hadn’t come in yet, and though Gretchen had been happy to see me, I’d gotten the distinct impression I shouldn’t expect the same reaction from her partner.
A figure stopped next to the booth. Without looking up from my coffee I said, “There can’t be a crisis today, my schedule is already full.”
“The only crisis here is that you came out of hiding and I haven’t received so much as a text.”
At the sound of the Unseelie Queen’s voice, my head jerked up. When I confirmed that she was really standing there, I slid out of the booth to hug her.
“You’re underground, V. Texts don’t exactly reach you,” I said as we pulled apart. Thankfully, she was wearing long sleeves and a thick coat, so our skin didn’t make any contact.
Noticing the mess I’d made, I turned to clear all the clutter away. I could feel Viessa’s eyes on me, shrewd as ever, but my demeanor stayed casual. Even as I made sure to cover anything that could hint at what I was researching.
“Are you hungry?” I asked over my shoulder. “Our cook’s breakfast sandwich is legendary.”
“God, no, that sounds awful. Humans eat like vermin.” Viessa sat in the seat opposite mine, and I couldn’t help but stare. I’d seen the faerie glamoured before, but that was in a dim club. Viessa had never looked so … normal. Her frostburn was gone, replaced with pink, healthy skin. Her lashes were coppery instead of frozen, her eyes a darker blue. Her rosebud lips shone with lip gloss.
“But I will take a Bloody Mary,” Viessa added, setting her purse and coat neatly beside her.
I nodded and looked toward the bar, but Gretchen was occupied with a group of deputies that had just come in.
“Aerilaya, darling, it’s wonderful to see you. I thought you’d died.” Viessa lifted her head and flashed a brilliant smile. “What on earth are you doing in this revolting place?”
Ariel didn’t look uneasy, exactly, but she stood too still. It was a dead giveaway for someone who practically skipped her way through life. “King Collith originally assigned me here,” she said, her tone polite. “When he relieved me of my post, I found myself … unhappy at the prospect of leaving. And then I heard you’d given the Guardians a chance to honorably hang up our swords.”
My ears perked. This was the first I’d heard of Viessa making such an offer to Collith’s old guards. If she was feeling so generous and forgiving, why shouldn’t that extend to Lyari? While the two faeries continued their conversation and Viessa ordered her Bloody Mary, I unlocked my phone to send a text to my Right Hand about it.
By the time I looked up again, Ariel was gone. I’d missed the end of their exchange, but I didn’t miss the way she lingered at the order window. The discomfort she’d shown Viessa had been replaced with a soft expression. When I saw the blatant adoration in her eyes, I felt my jaw go slack. There was only one person in Bea’s kitchen. One person she could possibly be looking at like that.
Why, Cyrus Lavender, you sneaky bastard. No wonder Ariel was so reluctant to leave. I had to give her credit, as well—she’d finally seen him. Too often, we overlooked other kinds of beauty because we were so distracted by what was in front of us.
