To our broken house.
With bloodstained floors.
And Julian’s body.
“If the Egyptian Underworld exists, what other hell dimensions do you think exist as well?” Taking Julian’s note, I sit on the bed. I’m mentally exhausted again and want to sleep, not thinking about blue hellfire, Egyptian gods, or how I’m supposed to get Osiris to open his gates and welcome the Four fucking Horsemen in.
“According to the Book of the Dead, there are seven gates. When it was written, an Egyptian deity was assigned to each gate, or portal. The names they gave them are not the names we know today.”
Things slowly start clicking in my head. The same gods have been worshipped throughout history, being called different names as the years went on.
“Does that mean there are seven hells?”
“I don’t know.” Lucas sits on the bed next to me. “Evander is doing more research, scouring the Academy’s library for anything about it.”
“I should help him,” I say, voice void of emotion.
“That’s a good idea.” Lucas rests a hand on my thigh. He wants me to stay busy and doesn’t worry about me wandering around the Covenstead. It’s safe in here.
“Or maybe I’ll take a nap first.”
“I’ll rub your back.”
He’s trying so hard, and I feel so undeserving right now. I put a pillow under my stomach and lie down, closing my eyes. I fall asleep, jerking awake not long after from a nightmare.
Gasping, I push up.
“What’s wrong?” Lucas drops the book he was holding and reaches for me.
“A nightmare, that’s all.” I let out a breath, feeling sick to my stomach. “Paimon was there, in the yard, making me watch Julian burn over and over again.”
Bottom lip quivering, fat tears fall down my face. “How am I going to find Lucifer? He’s cloaked, and I have no idea if his powers are still bound. If they are, he won’t hear me. And where’s my dad? What if something bad happened? What if Uriel found out about me and is punishing my dad?”
“But what if he’s not?” Lucas lies down and wraps me in his arms, cool skin against mine calming. “We’ll figure it out, and I know that sounds like a bullshit line right now. Julian’s sacrifice buys us time, and he was onto something, Callie. And Lucifer is related to you by blood. There was a section about blood magic in one of the books I translated for Ruby. You could use blood magic to locate him.”
“That’s black magic. The Grand Coven forbids it.”
“Don’t you think we’re a little past caring about what the Grand Coven allows and doesn’t allow?”
“You’re right. I’ll do it. Just…just not here. I don’t need anyone detecting dark magic inside the Academy. Once the sun sets, we need to go home.”
Lucas grips my hand, slowing as we emerge from the forest. The back porch lights are on, and the mound of dirt from where the pool was dug out casts a shadow on the yard. My heart lurches. The broken kitchen window is boarded up, reminding me of when Lucas and I came to see this place when it was still in shambles.
There are no bodies on the ground, and the stones Paimon used to channel our power have been removed. If Evander was here last night, I’m sure he took them back to the Covenstead to be studied.
“Eliza is in the house putting it back in order,” Lucas tells me so I don’t get startled. “And she insisted she needed to move in now.” I can tell he’s rolling his eyes without looking at him, but we both know she’s right. My gaze goes to the spot where Julian died, and my breathing quickens.
Lucas takes his hand from mine so he can put his arm around me. I hold onto him, turning my head in and pressing my face against his chest. We stop, and he rakes his fingers through my hair, patiently waiting for me to be ready to continue. My familiars and Scarlet are walking in pace with me instead of bounding ahead like normal.
I inhale and nod, letting Lucas know I’m good. We go into the house from the back, entering into the small mudroom. The smell of cleaning products hits me as soon as I walk in. It’s not bleach, though, and I wonder if Eliza remembered me saying the research lab used bleach water to clean and smelling it triggers my undiagnosed and untreated PTSD.
Taking off my shoes, I pause for a second before stepping into the kitchen. I didn’t see the damage before, and I’m scared of how bad it looks. Scarlet’s collar is hanging on the hall tree. I put it on her, and she shifts from giant hellhound to a less-giant Irish Wolfhound.
And then I step into the kitchen, and it looks exactly the same other than the boarded-up window. My fresh flowers I keep on the table have been replaced in a new vase. I’m assuming the demons knocked that over, and I’m impressed Eliza remembered I even had flowers there at all.