Heir of Night (The Thorne Hill)

“They’re closing in on the house.” Lucas steps in front of me, ready to take on every single demon outside to try and keep me safe.

“Clever girl,” someone says, and Lucas and I both whirl around.

“You heard that, right?” I ask him. “It’s Paimon…I…think. Where is he?”

“I am neither here nor there,” he sneers. His voice is clearer spoken out loud than the whisper I hear in my head.

“Ugh,” I huff. “You’re even lamer in person than I imagined.” I inch forward, putting one hand on Scarlet’s shoulder and reaching for Lucas with the other. Do you sense anything? I mentally ask my familiars. Binx is in the foyer and lets me know dark, depressive energy is coming from the yard. War and the demons have crossed the first warding.

“What do you want?” Lucas glowers.

“Isn’t it obvious?” Paimon replies. “The same thing others have sought but never found.”

“If you say you want Callie, I will rip your fucking throat out before you get a chance to lay even a finger on her.” Lucas pushes me back again, keeping me between the wall and his body.

Paimon laughs, and the negative energy Binx warned us about starts to creep in, able to be felt through the walls of my house. War and the demons are stopped behind the line of my second warding, and they’ve all grown silent.

“Of course I want her, the impossible child. The one born of light and dark, the one weak enough to be controlled yet able to sit on the throne and command Hell.”

“Listen, asshole,” I start. “Things didn’t work out so well for the last demon who tried it.”

“I am aware,” Paimon goes on, voice getting a little louder as he draws closer. He’s astral projecting, and I have no idea if he can project into the house. When I saw him in the woods earlier today, he was right outside the warding. Now that line is gone, and he can get closer. I’ve spelled my wardings to keep anyone or anything out if they wish to do me harm. It took years to figure out how to tweak the spell to include non-corporeal entities in its protection.

But astral projections? Technically, it’s not a spirit. Bael wasn’t able to cross the line, yet his powers worked, and he was able to summon and send monsters after us.

“I’ve watched others try and fail,” Paimon continues. “I’ve learned from their mistakes, and if you haven’t noticed, I’ve brought insurance.” His voice is louder again, and both Lucas and I turn. “Demons made just for me and the promise of Hell on earth once I rule. And why stop there?”

My blood runs cold. One of the reasons the other archangels don’t want to allow Nephilim to live is because they can enter both Heaven and Hell. If Paimon can use me to take over Hell, he can use to me to take over Heaven as well.

“How does astral projection work?” Lucas whispers.

“It, um…it’s complicated.” I blink and think back to my senior year at the Academy when I came up with my own astral projection spell. I scored incredibly well, and Ruby was sour about it for weeks. Before I could come up with the spell, I had to know exactly how astral projection worked so I wouldn’t project myself somewhere I couldn’t escape from.

“You need to have a connection to wherever you’re going. It came be something as simple as a memory or even a well-studied photo of a location you’ve never been to.”

“What’s Paimon’s connection?”

My lips part, and I look at Lucas in horror for a half second. “It’s me.”

Chapter 34

War crashes against the remaining warding. A strangled screech fills the air, and this time, Lucas can hear it. Scarlet crouches, getting into a stance where she’s ready to attack. Binx shadows by me, black spirit form towering above us. Freya and Pandora move back and forth along the front of the house, trying to keep the negative energy from infiltrating us.

“Silentium,” I say, sweeping my hands out in a circular motion. I’ve created a literal cone of silence, and I can only hope it will prevent Paimon from listening to our revelation.

“Get upstairs in the attic. Lock the door and seal it with magic.” Lucas’s eyes flash. “Call for your dad or Julian. You need to get out of here, Callie.”

“You’re coming with me.”

“I’d like to. You’re the one they want. Not me. Once you’re gone, the connection will be severed.”

“But War will still be here.” My chest tightens.

“He’ll leave to find you again.” He works hard to convince me he believes what he’s saying.

“Or use you to get to me. No one makes me vulnerable like you do, Lucas. I’m not leaving you.”

Jaw tensing, he turns and looks at me, mind whirling with what to do. “I can get you to the Covenstead door. Between your familiars and Scarlet, they can hold off the demons.”