Chapter 31 #2
Shifting to drape herself over Hugh, Gwen stacked her hands on his sternum and propped her chin on top. “What did you do after your meeting with Dottie?”
“Found a demon with a good reputation for reliability and discretion, had him sign an ironclad nondisclosure agreement, and paid him top dollar for his teleportation assistance. All of which took much longer than I’d hoped.
” Even now, the frustration of that delay turned his face taut.
“But he eventually teleported me to the location specified by the werewolf, with the intent to carry you out immediately.”
There was no mention of the other oracles getting carried out too—which was an omission they’d discuss once he’d finished his tale.
“But I wasn’t there.” She could only imagine how he’d felt in that moment. “No one was, despite ample evidence of our recent habitation.”
“Correct.” A vein at his temple pulsed faintly. “Given the consequences of trespassing in the Realm Below, the demon who carried me there didn’t wish to linger. I let him leave but asked him to teleport to the courthouse at dawn, in hopes I could find you in the meantime.”
So far, so good. But given the seemingly limitless expanse of the Realm Below—“How in the world did you find us?”
“I was hoping you’d ask that.” Looking pleased with himself, he used the tip of her braid to tickle her nose until she batted his hand away.
“When you first arrived on my doorstep, I didn’t know what to make of your story, so I tried to read your emotions for assistance.
And upon discovering that you don’t always express your wants or needs, I continued to stretch my limited talent in an effort to fill in that communication gap. ”
A startlingly lascivious sparkle lit his amber eyes. “I also employed my ability while in bed with you. To fill in…other gaps. So to speak.”
She snorted. “Was that the first dirty joke you’ve ever made, Hugh Blacke?”
“Yes. Thank you for noticing.” He grinned, and the mingled pride and sheepishness in the expression made him appear remarkably boyish.
“In short, I employed my empathic ability almost constantly during our brief time together, and doing so evidently strengthened my talent. At least when it comes to you.”
“No freaking way. You tracked me?” She stared at him in dawning wonder. “Using your empath ability?”
He nodded. “It led me to your second encampment. I figured there would be guards, so I tried to enter as quietly as possible. And you know the rest.”
“Oh, wow.” She patted his chest and beamed down at him. “That’s so impressive, Hugh.”
His chest puffed out a little. “Thank you.”
“So now we just have to find our way to the courtroom by dawn and hope the teleporter you arranged is waiting for us,” she summed up.
“He’d better be waiting.” Hugh’s expression turned stony. “The consequences of breaking our agreement would be unpleasant for Drake. Extremely unpleasant.”
Which brought them to an even more fraught topic: “One demon can’t teleport nine beings, though, right? Even if he’s especially powerful?”
“No. Two, max.” To his credit, he didn’t hesitate, and he didn’t lie. “But I intend to get everyone else out too.”
Brows raised in mute question, she waited.
“Initially, Drake will remove you and one other oracle.” Hugh didn’t sound happy about his plan, but he did sound determined. “Whoever you feel is in the worst physical condition and least able to either run or defend themself.”
Wait. He intended to stay behind? “Hugh—”
“I didn’t have time to vet other demons before leaving with Drake to find you.
Once you’re aboveground, though, I want you to contact Thora immediately.
” His commanding gaze held hers. “She can’t act openly on my behalf, but in my absence, she will have been compiling a list of demons who owe me favors and duplicating Drake’s nondisclosure agreement for them.
You’ll need to meet with the listed demons, convince them to offer me assistance, ensure they sign their NDAs, and get them to teleport the rest of the oracles out. ”
She spoke with pointed emphasis. “And you.”
“And me,” he agreed.
A troubled frown had beetled his brows, and for good reason. His proposal sounded risky as fuck, and she hated it.
She ticked off the problems on her fingers.
“What if those demons aren’t willing to meet with a mere human?
What if they don’t believe that I’m truly working on your behalf?
What if getting enough of them on board takes too long and Josiah catches up with all of you?
What if Death and the Fates find you before I’m done? ”
“I realize the process may prove difficult, and the necessary wait time will risk the safety of everyone still belowground.” His tone was apologetic yet firm. “But I’ll do my best to protect the other oracles, and it’s the best plan I have. Unless you can think of a better alternative?”
She could, in fact. “Why don’t you take Jing-Jing and gather more demons yourself while I stay down here with the others?”
“Gwen.” The temperature of his body had flared again, his cheekbones blooming with ruddy color. “I know you’ll hate leaving everyone behind, but you need to go. Not for your own sake. For me.”
When she stubbornly shook her head, his hot, careful hands cupped her face.
“Your disappearance a week ago shredded my sanity and turned my heart into a cold, dark pit in my chest. I’m genuinely not sure I’d survive losing you for good.” Pleading intensity had carved stark lines across his forehead. “I know I wouldn’t want to.”
His admission gripped her own heart like a fist.
She stared at him through a blurred glaze of tears, horror and happiness warring for supremacy within her. “Do you love me, Hugh?”
“Yes.” Immediate. Unequivocal. “Like darkness loves a spark. In your absence, more than I can bear.”
His stark declaration contained all the agony of a week spent uncertain of her survival, and tears of remorse filled her tired eyes, because she didn’t want him to suffer. Not ever, and especially not because of her.
“I’m so sorry,” she whispered, stricken. “I’ve upended your entire existence—”
“Gwen, no.” He was shaking his head. “Don’t—”
“—and ruined your reputation, maybe ruined your life—”
Ruthlessly, he interrupted her again. “You are my life, honey.”
There was only one good response to that declaration.
“I’ll leave first and get more demons.” Even if it gutted her to abandon the others. “If making sure I’m safe means that much to you—”
“It does.”
“—then Jing-Jing and I will go with Drake.” She nodded, resolute. “Right away.”
He exhaled slowly, his entire body relaxing beneath hers. “Thank you.”
“Hugh…” Her shaking hand flattened over his heart. “You can feel how much I love you too, right?”
The corners of his eyes crinkled with his small, shy smile. “Yes. Much to my joy.”
“Good.” Ducking her head, she rubbed their noses together. Then yawned loudly and directly in his face.
Hugh huffed out an amused breath. “You need rest, and so do I. Let’s turn out the lights and get some sleep, shall we?”
“We shall.” Clearing her throat, she mustered the most formal tone her post-kidnapping, post-sex, pre-escape exhaustion would allow. “Forthwith, my good sir.”
After flipping off the lights, he tugged the blanket over her and tucked her into the curve of his slim, hot body with a heartfelt sigh of contentment.
Already half asleep, she nuzzled into his neck. “Love you.”
“Love you too, honey,” he murmured, and planted a kiss on her crown.
The next thing Gwen knew, dawn was only an hour away—and Matilda was shouting for her to wake up. Harry, the oracle with the most remaining power, had collapsed insensate at the kitchen table minutes earlier, racked by an apocalyptic vision.
And once he’d woken, he’d told Tilda the awful news: That vision had starred Josiah.
—
There was no time to linger. Before Josiah could arrive at their hiding spot, Gwen and Hugh rounded up the group and led them back into the Realm Below’s warren of hallways.
No triumphant fae asshole waited for them outside. No three-headed dog. No employees understandably pissy about the wholesale theft of their neatly labeled yogurt.