Page 8 of Endless Terrors
After I’d poured the red contents down the drain and everything was back in its place, I sent a group text. Finn, Gil, Emma, Damon, and Cyrus’s names shone bright on the screen. Their phones would be on, since we’d made that a rule during our last safety briefing.
I double-checked my clothes for blood, then went down the hall to wake Nym. He still wouldn’t touch the cell phone I’d given him, so it was pointless to send a text.
Somehow, I wasn’t surprised to find him already awake.
The faerie was sitting upright in bed, his face turned toward the window. But there was nothing to see—beyond the glass, the sky was dark, and the trees were blackened hulks. Without looking at me he said, “Do you hear it? The ticking?”
“Yes, I do. I think it’s coming from the clock I bought you. It’s there on the nightstand, Nym. Will you join me in the living room?” When he finally turned in my direction, I kept my expression neutral. Part of me wondered if I was in shock. “We need to have a family meeting.”
He bent his head. “Of course, Your Majesty.”
“I told you, Nym. Call me Fortuna. Just Fortuna.”
“As you wish, Your Majesty.”
A small sigh escaped me. Leaving the door ajar, I went back to the living room and sat on the sofa to wait. Lyari moved to stand behind me, as if we were the Unseelie Queen and her Right Hand residing over our Court once again.
“Sylvyre is fine,” she said, her gaze constantly moving between the windows and the door. Listening. “An alarm was tripped at one of his properties. He was speaking to the human police.”
My eyes slid shut. “Thank you.”
We waited together, neither of us speaking. I thought about what had just happened. I’d committed a murder, and Lyari had literally helped me get rid of the body. Somewhere along the way, this prickly warrior hadn’t just become my friend … she’d become my best friend.
Best friends with a faerie. It was a strange world.
My family started arriving after that. One by one, they entered the room quietly. Finn emerged from the stairwell, his golden eyes instantly going to me. Dirt clung to half of his face, though it was obvious he’d tried to brush it off. He must’ve changed shape once he was done with his hunt, then fallen asleep in the woods somewhere. Distantly, I wondered how often he did that. It wasn’t safe, no matter how strong he was. Not so long ago, I’d been taken by goblins during one of my own nights in the forest. We’d have to talk about it. Later, when we weren’t about to flee for our lives.
Once everyone was seated, I didn’t hesitate or mince words. I told them about Lucifer. About how he’d been wearing Jacob Goldmann like a flesh suit. About the reflection I’d seen in the mirror. Though I left out the grisly details of the beheading, I caught Finn’s nostrils flaring and Gil’s bright eyes darting toward the stairwell more than once.
“We have to go dark. Cut off all contact. Change our identities,” I finished tonelessly. My hands were tight balls against my knees as I waited for their reactions.
Cyrus, unsurprisingly, decided to stay. Nym also expressed that he wouldn’t be coming with us. When I pleaded with them, Cyrus agreed to hide in town for a while, and take Hello with him. I looked at Nym, and it felt like my mask had cracked. I begged him with my eyes. Come with us.
“I am difficult to catch, my lady” was all Nym said.
Dissatisfied, I opened my mouth to argue. Finn put a hand on my arm and stopped me. I glanced at him, and he gave a subtle shake of his head, gentleness moving down the bond. He was telling me to let it go. To let them go.
I clenched my jaw, half-tempted to disregard their wishes and bring them with us in handcuffs. But that would make me no better than the creatures who had imprisoned me and taken my choices away. I made a mental note to send a text to Ariel, asking her to keep an eye on Cyrus. Lyari could send me reports on Nym. They’d be okay, I told myself.
“Don’t leave without saying goodbye,” I said finally. “Please.”
Cyrus nodded, and Nym put his arm across his waist and bowed. As the two of them left the couch, I turned to my brother, steeling myself for an argument.
He didn’t protest about leaving, though. Neither did Emma. They just looked back at me with dark, worried eyes. “What’s the plan?” Damon asked.
Some of the tension left my shoulders. I released a long, silent breath and reminded myself this battle wasn’t over yet. “That’s the other part you’re not going to like,” I admitted.
I told them what else I had decided while I’d been cleaning Jacob’s blood off the floor. This time, there was some pushback, as I knew there would be. Eventually Damon and Emma did agree to split up, since I was the one Lucifer wanted. Staying here wasn’t an option for them—the devil had already proven that he would use my family. While Cyrus and Nym might be able to defend themselves, Emma and Matthew were too vulnerable.
They weren’t happy about it, but they agreed.
We separated after that, all of us going off to pack. No one spoke or made a sound, mostly because of Matthew, who was still sleeping. But I knew it was also because my family was scared. It was in the air and on my tongue, myriad flavors that didn’t belong together and created a revolting taste. I couldn’t offer any comfort, not without lying to them.
Suddenly I wished I’d made Lucifer’s death slower, and more painful. I went to the closet and yanked two bags out, desperate for a distraction.
I’d just started filling the first one when Gil appeared in my doorway. His voice was low. “I’ll be back in ten minutes, give or take. Don’t have much to pack, but I should warn Adam. Let him know I’m leaving.”
I straightened, a folded T-shirt in my hands. There was something in the vampire’s expression that made me hesitate. “Gil, if you need to stay, I understand. I know Adam has been … helping you. If you’re not ready—”
