Chapter 35 #2
“You’re going back through the Veil?” she asks, not entirely able to keep the concern from her voice.
I nod. “Yes. To the demon realm, for tonight. After that…”
I chance a glance at Callum, remembering for the first time in a few minutes that he’s here.
Standing a tactful distance away to give me and Soleil space, he inclines his head.
Not in agreement about where we’ll go after our night of rest, but at least in acknowledgment that we need to figure it out.
“Alright,” Soleil says. “I’d tell you to be careful, but…”
“You don’t have to worry about me,” I say with a half-hearted grin.
“Some days it feels like that’s all I do.”
There’s so much more to unpack here. So much we need to say.
But the Veil is waiting, and the hunt hasn’t ended. Maybe when it’s all over we can talk, but for now…
“We should probably get going.”
Soleil nods, and after one more brief hug, I turn back to Callum and find him waiting and ready to step through.
Before we can, though, I remember Gavin’s warning and request, and turn back to my sister.
“Hey, so all those trackers and the damn bubbles?”
“Yeah?”
“You might want to recast them.”
Soleil’s brow furrows. “Why?”
“Because I’m not the only thing that might be creeping out of the Veil in the near future, and you’re going to want a heads-up for any other unauthorized entries.”
Those furrows deepen. “Oh-kay, and what kind of unauthorized entries might we be dealing with?”
“Fae, elves, ogres, maybe a frost giant or two—”
“Seren, what in the—”
“—it’s really not a big deal. And probably not going to happen. Callum and I were just talking about how we should—”
“Ser.”
“Yes?”
For a few long moments, Soleil attempts to regain her composure. She rubs the bridge of her nose and takes a deep breath. It’s so achingly familiar that a little pang echoes through my chest.
I can’t count the number of times she’s looked at me just like she’s looking now. Like I’m a tornado sent to blow right through all her carefully laid plans.
Most of the time those plans needed some blowing around, just to liven things up a little. Tonight, though, I really do feel bad about dumping all of this on her.
“Are you trying to tell me,” she finally begins, enunciating each word clearly, “that we are about to be invaded by beings from other realms?”
“Invaded is a pretty strong term. At most, you’d probably be dealing with a couple of hunters.”
“Hunters?”
“Bounty hunters. Looking for a wielder, actually. Nice guy, but he got himself mixed up with a fae queen and now—”
“This is what you’ve been doing? Bounty hunting? I assume that’s how you met him?”
She glares at Callum, who puts his hands up in front of himself as if ready to ward off an attack.
“If you saw the prize the queen is offering, you might join the hunt, too,” I offer gamely, and she sighs.
“Give me the bare bones. Just what I need to know so I can inform the coven.”
I give her the rundown, and by the end of it, her face has gone several shades paler.
“You’ll tell the coven?” I ask, and she nods slowly, eyes already distant, like she’s calculating what kind of spellwork it’ll take to lock down the Veil and keep any wayward hunters from causing chaos in the human realm.
“Alright,” I say, grabbing Callum’s hand. “You stay safe here, too.”
“I will,” she murmurs.
By the time we reach the Veil and lay our hands on the stone—the ether pulsing crimson—I spare a look back, and she’s already gone.
The portals we take through the demon realm don’t feel so jarring this time. Still will never be my favorite way to travel, but at least I know what to expect.
We make it back to the city and wind our way through the narrow streets and alleys until we reach Callum’s building. I move to start climbing the steps, but he grabs my hand to stop me.
“What—”
Callum’s face is white, his features pulled taut. His eyes are trained on something above, and I follow his gaze to see a figure near his front door, hand raised to knock.
The demon waiting on the threshold is female, older, still tall like I’m beginning to realize most demons are, but slightly stoop-shouldered with age.
“We’re leaving,” Callum says under his breath.
“What?”
“We’re going somewhere else. We’re not staying here to—”
“Callum?” The older demon woman finally spots us. “Is that you?”
Callum turns and drags me after him—out of the building, down the street, then toward the hub we arrived through earlier, designated for demons to come and go with their portals.
Though it’s already full evening, the streets are still busy, and the demon woman must not be very fast, or she’s just not that interested in keeping up, because when I look back, there’s no sign of her.
As we approach the hub, I dig my heels in.
It does barely any good.
I’m sure Callum’s got at least a hundred pounds on me, probably more. He’s determined to get away from her, whatever his reason, and it’s not until I use my other hand to dig my nails into his forearm that he releases his grip on my wrist.
“Ow,” he complains distractedly, looking at the line of demons waiting to portal out like he’s judging whether he can muscle his way in and skip the line.
“Callum,” I try now that we’re not actively fleeing. “Who was—”
“It doesn’t matter.”
Fuck this.
I might be the one who wasn’t ready to go all-in on the mates thing. I might be the one who ran away from him initially, and Goddess knows I’m not great at being emotionally honest.
But Callum is just as bad, in his own way.
He’s been keeping something from me. Something that has to do with the truth about what he’d really use his winnings for.
And even though he didn’t owe me that truth the first time we had this conversation, he sure as hell owes it to me now that we’re about to drag our asses back into Faerie and face the queen.
“Enough,” I say. “Callum, you’ve got to tell me—”
“Not here.”
Before I can open my mouth to argue, he’s fixed his eyes on something at the far edge of the square.
The demon woman.
Face creased in concern, with one hand raised and her mouth open, but it’s too far away to hear what she’s saying.
They look alike.
It’s impossible not to notice.
Despite the strands of gray in her hair, the deep brown is nearly the same shade as Callum’s. Their features are similar, though hers are slightly less angular and softened further with age.
And she’s looking at Callum like her heart is breaking.
Without another word, he opens a portal and pulls us inside.