“Gabe?” I called again, but it was clear that no one was at home.
Turning on my heels, I ran toward the only place that could be housing all the missing Nephilim—the ballroom. Silently, I prayed that they were all there. The eeriness of an empty manor was starting to get to me. The littlest noise had my nerves bouncing like a thousand rubber balls down a staircase.
The doors to the grand ballroom came into view. Giant wooden beasts with carvings of swords and wings on their faces. I pushed through with all my might, not caring who might be on the other side.
“Help!”
A hundred pairs of eyes fell on me at once and the room went silent. I breathed a sigh of relief as my Nephilim family stared at me with open mouths, shock evident on all their faces. Silvia stood at the front of the room in a black blazer with matching sleek black pants and high heeled boots. She pointed a finger at me, anger blazing in her eyes, but didn’t speak a word.
“They’re coming,” I cried, once I could catch a breath. My throat had suddenly turned dry, not helping the situation. “The ferals, they’re on their way.”
“Lizzy.” My father stood from the middle of the crowd. He pushed through a row of people, swimming toward me. “Lizzy, are you alright? Where have you been?”
I nearly cried when he took me into his arms and hugged me tight. It felt so good to be back with my family. I’d never push them away again. Never.
“Elizabeth kidnapped me,” I panted. “She threw me into the Hell Gate. I managed to escape, but not until at least fifty ferals got through the gate.”
He looked down at me, his light blue eyes growing wide. “Fifty? We’ve never had to fight such a large force.”
“That isn’t the half of it.” I gulped, wishing dreadfully for a glass of water. “There’s an army just on the other side of the gate. Tens of thousands of ferals, just waiting to slip through. They’re prepared for battle. I saw it myself.”
A gasp went through the crowd. I closed my eyes against the panic and listened to the sound of Luke’s breathing as he hugged me tighter. I imagined this would’ve been exactly how it felt as a young child to cling to her father during a thunderstorm. My head built that scene around me and for once, it felt good to let go and just be a kid again. Nothing bad could happen in my father’s arms. Everything was right in the world.
“Lizzy?”
Gabe’s soft questioning tone had me opening my eyes to search for him. He stood only feet away, shifting his feet as if unsure what to do.
“Gabe!”
I ran toward him, throwing myself into his arms. He caught me and pulled me close, kissing the top of my head. It felt right to be near him again. My heart beat wildly in my chest and the pressure I’d carried behind my temples suddenly melted away. His hand cradled my chin and pulled my face up to meet his, his mouth crushing mine. Heat whirled in my stomach and I kissed him back, feeling the softness of his lips as they desperately clung to mine. All the while, the room around us began to buzz with conversation.
“An army?”
“Tens of thousands of ferals.”
“How did she survive Hell?”
“How did she get back?”
“They’re coming for us.”
“We have to prepare.”
“Where have you been?” Gabe asked, finally pulling away. His cheeks burned red. “Everyone thought you were dead. Silvia halted your search days ago.” Cradling my cheek with his hand, he peered into my eyes. “But I knew you couldn’t be. I just knew it.”
“Days ago?” I clung to the soft fabric of his t-shirt. “What do you mean? I was only gone one night.”
He shook his head. “You’ve been missing for a week and a half.”
My knees shook with the news. It couldn’t be. I’d only spent minutes in the depths of Hell.
“Time must work differently through the Hell Gate,” I said, shaking my head. “I was only there long enough to see the army of ferals and then to follow the ones that got through the gate. It must move slower there. A day there is like a minute here.”
Gabe pressed his lips into a thin line. The muscles in his jaw tightened as he pulled me in closer and ran his hands down my arms. Looking down at the tattered and dirty remnants of my pajama pants, he gripped my arm tight.
“Are you hurt?”
I tried to shake my head no, but the sharp pain in my leg would’ve made me a liar. My eyes trailed down to my ankle and Gabe followed my gaze.