A boy of perhaps ten human years remained behind. I’m afraid.
Swallowing the lump in her throat, she went down on her knees before him. “I am, too.”
Really?
“Yes, but only because it’s something new. But it’s also something wonderful. Do you miss your family?” At his sullen nod, she took his hand. “They’ll be on the other side of that light, waiting for you.”
My parents? And sister?
“I don’t know about that, but trust me, generations of family are waiting to greet you.”
He bowed his head. I don’t think so. I did something bad. I played with matches.
“Is that how you died?”
And my sister.
“Oh, sweetheart, don’t you worry. Your family loves you. There is eternal forgiveness in the light.” She turned to the glow, where several adults and a young girl stood, all smiling. “See? They’re waiting.”
Tension mounted as he stared into the light, his chin quivering and tears rolling down his face. He kept shifting his feet, stamping them like a colt that was about to bolt. Finally, with a giant sob, he ran, straight into their arms. As he turned to wave to her, the spirit light faded.
Hers remained.
When she turned to Lore, his eyes were as large as the boy’s had been. “Idess. My… God.”
“You saw?”
He nodded numbly. “Must be the bond or something, but yeah. Wow. That was… beautiful.”
She laced her fingers with his. “It’s my turn.”
“I know. Eternal forgiveness, right?” His smile trembled, but he was trying to be strong for her.
Eternal forgiveness. She hadn’t lied to the boy. She felt it in her heart and soul, and for the first time since the light had come for her, she wasn’t afraid.
Slowly, he dipped his head and touched his lips to hers. “I love you,” he murmured. “I love you so much.”
“Be good,” she said, even as her heart split wide open. She wasn’t afraid, but she was in pain.
Before she could change her mind, she pulled away from him and walked into the light.
She didn’t look back.
Lore watched her leave, and the moment she disappeared and the gate slammed shut so it was nothing but dark, cold rock, he dropped to his knees and screamed.
Screamed until medics came. Then Eidolon. Then there was a prick in his biceps, and mercifully, the world went black.
Twenty-five
Lore was going to kill Deth. Okay, sure, he said that all the time. But after two days of doing nothing but sit in his hovel and drink, Lore realized he didn’t have anything better to do anyway. And if Lore died during the attempt, so be it. He couldn’t care less about himself, because the best part of him was gone.
The bond with Idess had broken. Which meant she was dead.
You f**ked away your purity and can’t Ascend. You’ll probably be destroyed.
Rami’s words had been clanging around in his skull since the moment she’d disappeared into the light. She’d lied about being summoned to get her wings, damn her. Lore had been stupid enough to believe it, and now she was dead. So yeah, if he died, too, so what. And if he survived, Sin would no longer be at the mercy of that evil bastard. Idess had helped him forgive himself for what he’d done to Sin, but that didn’t mean he wasn’t going to keep trying to make it up to her.
Lore just hoped his sister was all right. She hadn’t contacted him, nor had she answered his texts or returned his calls. If Deth had hurt her…
Soul-searing anger joined the black hole of grief that no amount of white lightning could fill.
You shouldn’t have left Sin behind again. You shouldn’t have let Idess go. They’re both dead because of you.
He took a swig of alcohol, relishing the raw burn in his gullet. If he couldn’t scour away the grief, at least he could savor the pain. He raised the bottle into the air.
“To you, Deth. One of us will be dead by morning.”
Lore hit the demon bars at midnight. He knew exactly who he was looking for, and sure enough, he found the tiger shifter, Sunil, at a poker table, doing his best to scam a vampire, a Sora, and an orange, horned thing of unknown species.
“Hey, man, can I talk to you?”
Sunil threw down his cards. “I’m out anyway.” He followed Lore to a corner table. “Heard you’re free. Congratulations.”
“Yeah. How’s Sin?”
“Haven’t seen her.”
A chill throbbed through Lore’s veins. “What do you mean, you haven’t seen her? How did you know I’m free?”
“The new Sem told me. He came to me for some healing after Deth was through with him.” Sunil shook his head, making his long, tawny bangs swish across his eyes like wiper blades. “The bastard waited until Tavin was crazed with lust, and then he brought in a whore. Turned Tav loose and watched the show. I don’t know what happened to the female, but damn, Tav’s broken. Afterward, Deth kicked him to me to patch up.”
That sick son of a bitch. Lore would take revenge for Tavin as well as for Sin. “Can you get me into the den?”
Sunil knocked back a swig of his beer. “Fuck that.” He wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. “I like my head on my shoulders, thank you very much.”
“Sin could be in trouble.”
“You know I like your sister, man. But I can’t risk my life for her. I have kids to feed.”
“I know, and I wouldn’t ask if this wasn’t important. I plan to re-up with Deth,” he lied.
“Then go through the normal channels.”
He couldn’t do that, because Deth would meet him in the Guild Hall, which was under a Haven spell similar to the one protecting Underworld General.
“I need to see Sin first.”
“Dammit, Sem—”
“Please.” Shit, Lore hated begging. But he sucked it up and added, “I’ll do anything.”
Sunil cursed. Long and hard. Finally, he growled, “I’ll get you through the barrier. You’re responsible for getting yourself inside Deth’s keep. And if we’re caught, I’ll save my own skin and say you forced me.”
Lore grinned. “I wouldn’t expect anything else.”
Deth was as good as dead. All Lore had to do now was pay a visit to Eidolon.
* * *
Lore had earned a fierce ass-chewing from Brother Doctor.
“I’ve left you a dozen messages,” Eidolon said, as he spread his palm on Lore’s bare chest.
“Didn’t feel like answering.”
“How have you been?”
This was exactly why Lore had avoided Eidolon. He didn’t want to talk about any of this. Didn’t want to talk about it, think about it, didn’t want to be here, because he’d made love to Idess for the last time in this very hospital.
“I lost my mate,” Lore rasped. “How do you think I’ve been?”
“I’m sorry. If anything happened to Tayla…”
“You’d die. I know.” Lore took in a ragged breath. “Thanks, by the way. You know, for knocking me out the other day.” Whatever his brother had shot him up with had put him on his ass for a good twelve hours.
But when he’d awakened in a hospital bed, Idess was still gone, and he’d gone into a fresh meltdown.
Eidolon nodded. “You shouldn’t have taken off so soon.”
“’Cuz I so wanted to hang out here and watch everyone pity me.” He looked down at Eidolon’s hand. “A little to the right. The scar has to look real if I’m going to get past Deth’s goon squad.”
Eidolon adjusted his palm. “You sure you want to do this? If you wait, we can work out a plan to get Sin out of there—”
“Can’t wait. I need something to do.” He didn’t see any way for his brothers to help get Sin out of Deth’s contract anyway. This was their best shot.
“We could keep you busy.”
Lore snorted. “Doing what? Polishing the floors? Emptying the garbage? I’m good at killing people, not healing them.”
“We haven’t replaced our ME,” Eidolon said with a shrug, and Lore stared.
“You have got to be f**king kidding me.”
“It’s perfect for you. You don’t have to worry about killing anyone.”
Lore shifted Eidolon’s pinky a hair to the left. “You should be doing standup.”
“I’m serious, Lore. We could use you.”
“Yeah, whatever. Tell you what. If Deth doesn’t kill me, you can do whatever you want with me.” He figured he wasn’t coming back, so hey, this would be just yet another promise to a sibling that he couldn’t keep.
Eidolon pressed his hand more firmly over Lore’s heart. “This is going to hurt.”
“Again, whatever.” There was nothing left in there to injure.
Eidolon’s dermoire lit up, and instant, searing pain tore through Lore’s chest. Who cared. He lost track of how long it went on, but when it was done, he had a hand-shaped scar on his chest. It wasn’t an exact replica of Deth’s, but it should be good enough to get him past Deth’s minions.
“Good luck,” E said. “You sure we can’t help? Wraith can get inside anything.”
“I can’t risk an alarm being raised before I get to Deth and Sin. He’ll kill her and get out before I ever hit the throne chamber.”
“If you change your mind, call.”
“You bet.” He reached out, shook Eidolon’s hand. “Thank you. For everything.”
E nodded. “If anything happens to you, we won’t stop looking for a way to rescue Sin.”
“I’m counting on it.”
Lore met up with Sunil at the demon bar, and together they headed to Sheoul. For the first time in thirty years, Lore couldn’t see the entrance to Deth’s keep. Sunil took Lore by the sleeve and guided him through an invisible—to Lore—barrier. Ahead, beyond a narrow walkway of frozen earth, boulders, and vicious booby traps, was the arched entryway to the den, where two of Deth’s henchmen kept watch.