Page 130 of Endless Terrors
My entire body jerked, and agony blazed through me. “Son of a bitch. You fucking liar! You said you would count to three!”
Zara rolled her eyes and set the stake aside. “It was either a little pain or a lot of death. Which do you prefer?”
I was about to offer up a snappy comeback when the world tilted. I grabbed a fistful of blanket as if that would keep me anchored. The door opened while I was still swaying. Collith came in first, followed by Laurie. Both of them wore coats, as if they’d come straight from outside. Zara completely ignored them and got to work.
I hadn’t seen the Seelie King since the night I’d left for Hell, and I felt a burst of happiness at the sight of him. But my worried gaze went immediately to Collith, who’d moved to sit on my other side.
“Gil is with Emma,” he said the instant we made eye contact. Some of the stiffness left my shoulders, and Zara made a pleased sound, continuing her administrations. Her hands were hovering over the wound, and though I couldn’t see anything happening, I knew she was pouring her energy into the ruined tissue. Weaving it back together. Closing the gaps. By the end, there would be barely any sign of trauma at all. Maybe a faint scar, but I liked scars. They were the marks of a survivor.
Laurie met my gaze from across the room. He stood beside the window now, his arms loosely crossed. Gray daylight slanted over him, making him seem like a distant, untouchable creature. “The vampire gave us an account of what happened out there,” he told me. “Everything you said. And Collith has made me aware of last night’s events, as well.”
Good, I thought, holding back a wince as Zara did something that sent a lightning bolt of pain through me. I really didn’t feel like reliving it all, or telling Laurie about what an idiot I’d been.
Out loud all I said was, “Lucifer said he was coming back to finish what he started. Why do you think it was so important he have his own body?”
Laurie gave me a tight smile. “I doubt he’s here to play tourist.”
“We’ve both sent our spies out to see if they can learn anything,” Collith added. I looked at him and mustered a faint smile. He was trying to offer reassurance in whatever way he could, but we both knew I’d fucked up. Like Laurie said, there was a reason Lucifer had come here. If Nym’s drawings were any indication, stopping him was worth dying for.
“Do either of you know why he took Thuridan?” I asked. The hard part of Zara’s healing seemed to be over, because she straightened slightly, returning to the chair she’d dragged over to me. Her eyes remained shut, her eyebrows drawn together in concentration. The hands she held over my body were steady.
Laurie turned his head back toward the window. He looked out at the trees and murmured, “No, but we intend to find out.”
Collith leaned forward, bringing my attention back to him. “Last night, before Lucifer appeared, you were dreaming. Next thing I knew, Lucifer was in the room with us. He stood there and looked at you, and then he walked out. What was your dream about?”
Last night. Why did that already feel like so long ago? I really didn’t want to talk about it, but they had a right to know. With Zara’s hands still hovering over me, I told them everything I could remember about the confrontation in the dreamscape. Toward the end of my account, she finally lowered her arms and settled fully in the chair. Her eyes still hadn’t opened.
“Then Oliver showed up,” I concluded. “Lucifer heard him coming, and they just … stared at each other. Eventually Lucifer whispered something, and whatever he said convinced Oliver to let him go. A door appeared, or Lucifer summoned it, I don’t know. He walked right through, and I woke up. You know the rest.”
“What else?” Collith pressed. “Something else must’ve happened for him to gain a foothold in our world. We need to understand, if we’re going to have any chance of sending him back where he came from.”
His confusion seemed genuine. He still didn’t know, I realized. I may not have told them about my confession to Lyari, but even after everything Gil had heard outside, Collith hadn’t put it together. He was no fool, so it could only mean he didn’t want to see the truth. He didn’t want to accept that I’d fallen in love with the creature who’d spent decades torturing him.
Looking at Collith now, I wondered if he had regained more of his memories from that time. Or maybe his reaction was just instinctive. I knew better than anyone how your soul could remember terrible things, even if your mind couldn’t.
Laurie, I suspected, had known the truth before he came into this room. It explained the rigid line of his shoulders, and how he couldn’t seem to look at me. Oh, Laurie was very aware of what I’d done.
“I let him in,” I said simply, looking at the Seelie King as I spoke. I hoped he could hear what I was really saying. Hear the words hidden underneath. I’m sorry.
But Laurie didn’t move. I turned back to Collith. He was frowning. “What do you mean?”
“My patient needs to rest,” Zara interjected. I was so relieved that I almost shot her a look of gratitude. She gave me a knowing look of her own, as if she knew, anyway.
I’d always liked Zara, but that was the moment I started thinking of her as a friend.
Without giving them a chance to argue, the healer ushered the powerful fae males out as if they were unruly toddlers. Laurie gave her an affronted look, and I half-expected him to swat at her hands. Collith, of course, was more composed in his reaction. He did allow a flicker of annoyance to show in his eyes just before they vanished through the doorway.
Once they were gone, I had a fleeting, curious thought about whether they’d stay here or go back to the Seelie Court. Actually, I thought faintly, I don’t even know where Collith is living right now.
Everything had been so chaotic since I’d gotten back. But wherever my faerie kings went, something told me it wouldn’t be too far away. I sank down in my bed, letting out a ragged breath. God, so much had happened. Things I hadn’t even begun to process. While I didn’t love getting stabbed, I did appreciate this moment to myself. I needed to think.
As I lay there, I realized the loft was completely silent. The rain had stopped, and the birds still hadn’t returned after the Dark Prince’s visit. Any other day, I would run from the quiet. Right now it was a relief. My bleary gaze went to the window. It was still morning, the day only just begun, and I felt like I could sleep for days. I decided to give in to the urge. I’d need my strength to fight Lucifer. I may have lost today, but our war had just begun.
I’d only been lying there a few seconds when a sound crept through the stillness.
My closet door creaked open.
I sat up, frowning. I looked toward the closet and waited, wondering if there was a draft somewhere. Or if Finn had oiled the front door hinges a little too well. Nothing else moved, and the silence was so profound I could hear a distant ringing. I was about to lower myself back down, and finally drift off to sleep, when the closet door moved again.
