“Yes. The rumor circulating Hell that you are still alive is gaining validity. Unfortunately, killing Varrador proved just how powerful you are. High-ranking demons aren’t easy to kill.”
“Only someone with equally high powers could kill them. Not ordinary witches,” Lucas finishes.
“Yes.” Julian gives a curt nod.
“If Bael is trapped in some sort of vessel, how did he hear about Callie?”
“The ‘vessel’ you speak of was a human body,” Julian explains, and I grimace. “The body has since deteriorated, and Bael is free to roam about the demonic prison he was cast into.”
“Which is in Hell?” I ask, head buzzing with even more questions.
“Yes. The prison is—”
“Wait,” Lucas interrupts, eyes narrowing ever so slightly. “You were able to get into this prison and then come out?”
“Yes. The prison is a one-way street for demons but not for angels. Well, it’s supposed to be a one-way street.”
“That’s not ominous or anything.” Lucas slips his arm around my waist.
“Someone on Earth was trying to open a door. There was a small rift when I got there, nothing big enough to let him out, but enough—”
“For him to astral project down here and summon up some sort of monsters from tree roots to attack me?” I cut him off.
“I suppose.” Julian tips his head slightly. “You’re not talking hypothetically, are you?”
“No. A little over a week ago, he attacked us. The only thing that killed the root-monsters was my blood smeared on a blade.”
“You said something, too,” Lucas reminds me. “In Enochian.”
I nod, closing my eyes, thinking back. “The blade glowed for a second, and then we were able to chop them down. And then I realized Bael was standing in the woods, just watching.”
“He was testing you to see if you were who you were rumored to be. And if your blood killed anything demonic…” Julian lets out a breath, looking tense.
“What?” Lucas asks.
“Then he knows you are half archangel. Only archangel blood can kill demons like that.”
Silence falls over the room, and I can hear the ticking of the clock that’s hanging on the wall behind me.
“So he had help from Earth?” I ask, voice a little thin. Julian nods. “I think I know who. There’s a witch that’s kind of dead set on revenge. A few months ago, she accused me of striking some sort of deal with Lucifer, and that’s how I was able to get out alive after facing a high-level demon. She tried to blackmail me into summoning him and having him grant her the same powers. I got her arrested, tried, and kicked off the Grand Coven. Now she’s turned to necromancy to seek her revenge.”
“If Bael knows you are half archangel, would Ruth?” Lucas asks.
I slowly shake my head and look at Julian. “This Ruth,” he starts. “She wants to use you to grant her more power?”
“Yes. And it’s kind of funny now.” I let out a snort and roll my eyes. “I do have a connection to Lucifer. Just through my lineage, that’s all.”
“If Bael has indeed figured out you are in fact the daughter of one of the archangels, I don’t think that’s information he’d willingly share,” Julian tells us. “Especially with a human who could grant him no favors beyond opening the door.” His eyes meet mine. “You know how demons are. They lie. Cheat. Do whatever they can to benefit themselves. The only reason Bael would have responded to Ruth’s summonings is because he thought he’d be able to gain something.”
“And that something is Callie,” Lucas says, and his words send a chill through me.
“Yes. As you can imagine, no one wants to be imprisoned. But being imprisoned while knowing the offspring of an archangel freely walks around…” His brows furrow. “It would be maddening. From a demon’s perspective, of course.”
“Yeah,” I agree and feel like the room is spinning. “Here I am, living my best life and just trying not to die.”
“Bael didn’t escape,” Lucas states, but I hear the question in his voice.
“No, he did not. I sealed the rift just in time, both from keeping him out and from keeping the angel Vehuiah from coming to investigate. She has been assigned to that particular level of Hell and reports directly to Metatron.”
“Metatron?” I ask.
“Another archangel, I believe,” Lucas says, and Julian nods. A knot starts to form in my stomach, and my throat feels tight when I swallow.
“Another uncle,” I say quietly.
“Technically, yes. He is Michael’s brother,” Julian goes on. “And is one who’s made it known he is very against Nephilim being allowed to live. He’s voiced his concerns many times that he thinks it’s too risky.”
Silence falls over us again, and my heart pounds against my chest, which is feeling too tight and constricting right now. I suck in air only to feel like I can’t breathe, and anger suddenly boils inside me, my mind unable to stop playing a highlight reel of the worst moment of my life.