Page 42 of Endless Terrors
No one looked surprised, and no one spoke. They were giving me a chance to explain before they reacted. Hiding a rush of apprehension, I reached behind me for the journal and held it up.
“This belonged to a witch named Goody Baldwin. She created two spells. One that connected her to her coven, so she could draw on their energy, and one to send her soul to Lucifer’s world. It’s all here—the incantations, the herbs she used, everything we need. I’ll make the deal to save Damon. Once I’m in Hell and I’ve gotten confirmation my brother is awake, I’ll come right back. Lucifer won’t be able to stop me, or trick me, because I’m not depending on his magic to travel there. I’ll be relying on my own.”
A failsafe, exactly as Dracula had advised.
Their doubt was so thick in the air that I half-expected a flavor to burst on my tongue. I looked from face to face, unsurprised by the reactions I saw. I’d expected this. I’d prepared for it.
“Give me another way. I’m all ears. We’ve been searching for months now, and all we keep finding are dead ends. Lucifer can’t be killed. He can’t be trapped. And from what we know about the spell on Damon, only the witches who cast it can bring him back. We don’t have the time or the manpower to hunt them down, one by one, and force them to do it. Damon’s body is weakening. If he doesn’t wake up soon, those machines won’t be able to keep him alive. This is the only way, and I’m doing it.” I stopped, then cleared my throat. “That is, if some of you agree to the spell.”
There was a pause. Gil turned his head, seeking out Finn, of all people. Neither of them spoke, and yet it was obvious they were communicating. For the first time, they looked like they agreed on something. Then Gil met my gaze and said, “Where do we sign?”
“If you need to think about it, we have a little time. It would be another form of binding yourself to me, and each other. You might even feel weaker, since I’ll be using our connection to stay alive. To stay tethered to my body,” I clarified. They needed to know what they were getting into.
Finn’s dark eyes landed on the witch at my side, as if my warning was irrelevant. “Are you the one who will be doing the spell?” he asked.
Savannah visibly startled. It was the first time someone besides me had spoken to her. She hesitated, her expression betraying her surprise. Then she straightened and nodded. “Yes, I am.”
There was a pause. I glanced at each person in the room, giving them a chance to speak. “Okay, then. You’re all aware of the plan now. He’ll come for my answer tonight, but—”
“I need a full moon for the spell,” Savannah reminded me.
“That’s tomorrow night, right?” I asked. She nodded, her lips thin with nerves. I nodded back, hiding any doubts I had behind a self-assured mask. “Then I’ll buy us twenty-four hours, like I said.”
“And if he doesn’t agree?” This was from Lyari, who had been strangely quiet.
I’d been hoping to avoid that question. I looked down, pretending to be distracted by Hello, who was attacking my feet. “He wants my cooperation. Badly. I don’t think I’ll have any problems sweet-talking him into giving me one more day,” I said dismissively.
Another pause filled the room. I stooped to pick up Hello, and I scratched her beneath the chin. The kitten’s eyes closed in bliss and she started to purr like a small engine.
“Do you know how he’ll arrive?” Laurie asked, his eyes flashing. I assumed his thoughts had turned to Collith, and the fact that Lucifer could control him like a puppet. It sent my own mind back to that terrible night in the parking lot, when Collith had looked at me but it wasn’t really Collith. All the gentle parts of him erased, like they’d never even existed.
Shying away from the memory, I shook my head and said to Laurie, “He didn’t specify, no.”
“So you expect us to let you face the Dark Prince without any backup and without any way to defend yourself?” Gil questioned.
“That’s exactly what I expect,” I replied matter-of-factly, raising my eyebrows at him. My attention flicked to the window. “Actually, all of you should go now. I’ll send an update to the group chat when … when I can. Nym, I’ll try to get a message to you through Lyari or Savannah.”
Everyone began to disperse. Their reluctance was obvious, but as I’d pointed out, no one had come up with any alternatives. I went over to Gil, then Finn, speaking to them in a low murmur. Once I’d gotten both to agree to stay elsewhere tonight, I stood back and watched my family leave. I mentally catalogued where everyone would be. Cyrus and Ariel at the house. Lyari at whatever mysterious place she’d been staying since her banishment. Danny at his apartment in town. Savannah and Nym back at the Unseelie Court.
That only left two people still in harm’s way, and I had a plan for them, too.
“Emma,” I said softly. She turned, raising her gray eyebrows. Beside Emma, Savannah was saying goodbye to her son. “Would you be willing to stay at Cyrus’s place tonight, and take Matt with you? I don’t want anyone nearby when you-know-who shows up.”
Her forehead wrinkled. The door closed behind Savannah, and Matthew started to fuss. Emma rubbed his back in an absent gesture, her full attention on me as she asked, “You wouldn’t be staying here alone, would you?”
“That’s the plan. There isn’t a single being on this planet who would be able to protect me, Ems. I doubt even an army could.”
My words didn’t exactly reassure her. “But no one should step into battle alone, if they don’t need to,” Emma murmured.
I reached out to tap Matthew’s nose, making my tone bright in hopes of reassuring him. “I wouldn’t be able to think straight if I knew you guys were here. This is the best way, I promise.”
Surprisingly, Emma looked like she wanted to argue. But she must’ve decided against it, because she nodded and mustered a smile that didn’t fully reach her eyes. In the same breath, Emma shifted Matthew, holding him with one arm so she could give my hand a fleeting squeeze. “Fine, we’ll go. As long as you stop by to say … to say good night.”
To say goodbye, she’d been about to say. I could smell Emma’s fear, and it clouded her thoughts. I wish I had better words to comfort her. Everything that came to mind was a lie. As the silence between us got even longer, I thought about hugging them, but that would only worry Emma more. She knew physical touch wasn’t something I did lightly.
“Of course I will,” I said. “Look, Ems, I … there isn’t anything …”
“Emma, dear, you simply must give me this recipe,” Laurie declared. He came forward, holding a half-eaten cookie in one hand. He looped his free arm through Emma’s and steered her away. She said something back, and though I couldn’t see her face, I knew she was blushing.
