"The gates of hell only need one gate keeper. And the worst demons can cross over any time they want. These people have been waiting and searching for the second gate keeper for centuries. They've groomed her, making her strong enough to endure the opening. If she died before the gates were opened, all would be lost. Now she's ready."
"The little girl?" Kane prompts, demanding an answer.
"She's one of them. They needed Freya's spawned bitch creature out of their way. She's the only one who was foretold to stop it. But it's too late now. The gates will open, and Dragona and Damon will walk amongst us once again."
The faces I already thought were ashen turn even paler. "Purgatory. They're opening the gates of purgatory?" Chaz asks in a register lower than a whisper, speaking as though it's blasphemous.
"They'll release everyone from there," Kane says softly, cursing louder after he lets it sink in. "You can't open the gates for just two people."
The night stalker looks up, smiling. "I know. This world is about to go up in flames. Burn, bitch. Burn."
A lash of power bursts out of Kane before he can stop himself, and the night stalker screams out until his screams turn into silence and his head drops in defeat, leaving only his garbled final breaths to taint the air.
"Fuck," Deke gripes while running his hands through his hair. "Now we don't know where the damn gate is!"
Kane shakes his head as he walks toward the counter, grabbing his keys.
"I do know."
"How the hell do you know?" Dice asks as we all start hurrying outside.
"Because we lived on top of it. It draws in the immortals like nothing I've ever seen before."
"Fucking where?" Dice prompts as we make our way outside, following Kane to the vehicles.
"Pine Shore."
If I didn't know for a fact that this was Pine Shore, I'd never believe it. The apocalypse from hell is what it looks like. People are screaming and running as we come into the town that is literally burning. The lake is even on fire. How is that possible?
Fire and brimstone would be an understatement.
Kane barrels through the chaotic streets, barely missing the frenzied people rushing away. The dark blue light shines like a beacon from the ground to the sky, guiding us to the center of the war zone.
Kane swerves and misses—something.
"Spirits are everywhere," he hisses, shaking his head. "They'll have to let everything out before Dragona and Damon can climb to the surface. They're bound at the back—pushed as deep as they could get them centuries ago."
I've learned it's a painful process to go through to be sentenced to purgatory. Tossing them in there is easier than breaking them out. It's supposed to be a one-way street. I didn't realize there was a gate to open.
Red eyes of forced possessions shine through many of the people wandering the streets, and we dodge shots of power coming from their human hands.
"This is worse than I imagined," I murmur in a hushed whisper, letting Kane obliterate the mass of debris in front of us, and knock innocent humans out of the way—using his power—before we run over them.
We're the lead car, and the convoy behind us is working just as hard to keep people safe.
"Dray can handle some of the possessed, Deke and Zee can fight their way through anything, and I'm pretty sure Chaz can hold his own," Kane says. "Frankie is a skilled and seasoned warlock. I'm fucking glad he's here. Dice will do what he can where he can, but he's not as powerful as us. You need to stay close to me at all times. I don't
even want you here."
"Shay is with Mom, trying to bring down Drackus. Sierra and Amy can't come out before the sun, and Reese can't leave his pack before the sun. You need me."
"The sun will be up soon," he says, looking at the sky that might never brighten again.
"Kane," I murmur in disbelief, gasping at the sight I shouldn't be able to see.
"What?"
My eyes stay fixed on the red beauty high in the sky, taunting the world with the power they don't know exists.