Chapter Forty-Nine
Sebastian
One second, my siblings and I were screaming Kitty’s name. Then, we were falling into Grim’s woods. Branches whipped past my face, cutting into my skin. The air slammed out of my lungs when I hit the ground.
Fuck.
I was alive.
Solid.
It hurt too fucking bad to be otherwise.
My head spun, replaying the last few minutes on loop. The Devil—he, he…
“Sebastian,” Isabella groaned.
I pushed to my feet with what little strength I had and staggered toward her. Her hair was tangled with fluffy, colored leaves, scratches marring her cheeks—but she was already healing.
And that’s when it hit me—
Oh, fuck.
My chest ached as if someone had cracked it wide open. I had been helpless. The Devil had knocked her out, and I couldn’t stop him.
I thought—
I thought.
It hadn’t gone anything like we expected. We didn’t stand a chance, and yet…
We were alive.
A sob broke through me as I pulled her into my chest.
“I love you. I love you.”
She was crying as she said it back.
It didn’t take long to find the rest of my siblings scattered across the forest floor. Everyone was safe—except Kitty.
A sinking sensation grew in the pit of my stomach. When I looked around, I saw the same grim realization on every face.
Mom appeared in a flicker of gold and dropped to her knees the second she saw us. A sharp cry burst from her lips. Her mouth moved, but no words came out as she looked us over, silently counting each of us.
Her smile faded.
“Where’s Kitty? Where’s Kitty?” She gasped. “I don’t—I don’t feel her.”
Her breathing turned to wheezing sobs as she collapsed forward, hands fisting the forest floor. We dropped beside her.
“The Devil has her,” Joy whimpered. “She’s not dead, Mom.”
“Then why can’t I feel her?” she screamed, her voice broken and raw.
“I think she’s imprisoned with him,” Maureen spat, hate dripping from every word.
Mom’s eyes darted between us, frantic. Searching. “I don’t understand. The Devil didn’t cross over. He let himself be imprisoned.”
“I heard him talking to Kitty,” Payne said, holding Joy tighter. “I think she was his goal from the very beginning.”
Disgust rolled through me. I was supposed to protect her. Keep her from him. Instead, I’d been powerless. And Kara paid the price—for all of us.
“Why did he remove our curses?” August asked.
That silenced us.
“The Devil removed your curses?” Mom asked.
“Yes…it’s gone,” Maureen whispered, closing her eyes. “It’s peaceful.”
Mom’s chin trembled. “My baby. What must she be going through? Why?”
“She’s his mate,” Nova said, surprising me. I remembered the murder in her eyes during the fight—how she looked at the Devil like she would end him herself.
“He must care about her,” she continued quietly. “He had plenty of chances to kill us. And he didn’t.”
“He didn’t,” I admitted, throat thick.
Mom clutched her chest and stood abruptly, glancing around.
“What is it?” Barron asked. “What’s wrong?”
She stared behind me, then raised her hands to her mouth.
When I turned, my heart nearly stopped. Two cloaked figures emerged from the trees. I knew them instantly.
When Dad tipped back his hood and smiled, his voice cracked. “I knew you guys could do it.”
Mom ran to him like lightning, crashing into his chest.
The smaller figure beside him stopped and waved.
Barron was staggering now, breath hitched, on the verge of falling apart.
When Gwendolyn pulled her hood back and asked, “Did you miss me?”
Barron broke.
He scooped her into his arms, spun her around, then dropped to the ground, sobbing as he held her tight.
Dad’s eyes scanned the clearing. As he hugged Mom, his smile faded.
“Kitty.”
“She’s imprisoned,” Joy began.
The color drained from Dad’s face.
“What happened? You stopped him from crossing, and he took her as punishment?”
“That’s the thing,” Maureen muttered. “We didn’t stop him—we couldn’t. He let the portal close on his own…and as Hell was pulling him down, he took her with him.”
Something dark flickered in Dad’s expression.
“He got her,” he whispered, gripped his head, forehead furrowed deep. “Explain it to me. How was your sister? Was she afraid?”
His voice cracked. “Was she…crying?”
I froze.
No…she wasn’t.
“She was laughing,” Joy whispered, just as stunned as I was.