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“We need to find the vessel,” Greyson said as he studied the walls.
“Spread out. There has to be something here with that symbol on it,” Julian told them.
Cassia slammed down her shields in an attempt to seal out any of the negative energy. Focus. It wasn’t the first dead body she’d ever seen, and it wouldn’t be the last.
She studied the room that had been dug into the side of the mountain. A large area, it had been fitted with modern conveniences…a refrigerator and a sink in the corner. A mural of curved horns sprouting from scorched earth had been painted onto the face of its white, cement, brick walls.
“Lucifer,” she whispered. “Look at all the demons. That one.” Her heart pounded in her chest. A lion with a severed woman’s head lay bleeding at the edge of the painting.
“It’s okay, Cass. Don’t let this get to you. These are human conventions.” Julian placed a hand onto her shoulder.
“Who are these people?”
“Hey guys.” Rafe pointed to plates and knives inside the cracked porcelain sink, smeared with dark dried blood. “Looks like they were in a hurry.”
“You’re lucky you got away,” Greyson said to Cassia. “I have a feeling they were planning on you as their next meal.”
“But these are all humans.” Dominique pointed to the hanging bodies. “Cass is supernatural.”
“I think they knew what I was,” Cassia said.
“Ladies and gentlemen. I think we’ve got a winner.” Greyson pointed to a dead man lying crumpled in the corner. “Check out his back.”
“What in the…” Cassia stepped back at the sight of the carved-up corpse.
“Don’t touch it,” Greyson warned.
“Y’all gonna need some next level hand sanitizer after this.” Rafe shook his head.
“Thorn said we only had to see the symbol to know it’s here. That symbol has been carved on his legs.”
Julian retrieved the pouch from his inner jacket pocket. He reached inside and unfolded the paper. “It matches.”
“I’m a little nervous about this,” Cassia confessed. “We don’t know what the vessel is going to look like. What if it’s alive or something?”
“We’re literally about to read something out loud that a demon wrote,” Rafe added.
“Half demon,” Dominique corrected.
“My instincts tell me he’s legit. And my instincts are always correct,” Julian took a step toward the body. “Let’s get to it.”
Cassia watched as Julian focused on the small piece of rice paper. The spell revealed itself, written in Thorn’s perfect penmanship.
“We all flash if this goes south.” Julian looked upward.
Cassia rested her palm onto his shoulder, readied to shift and fight.
“Cum Dea mecum et circum, portam poscimus ehe. Secretum revela inferni et vas dimitte. Aroya.”
Several seconds passed and nothing happened. Cassia scanned the room, a sense of impending doom lurking over her. “This isn’t good.”
“I knew we couldn’t trust that damn demon,” Greyson said.
“I gotta say he didn’t seem that bad to me,” Rafe commented.
“That’s because he wants the fae dead. Not that I disagree with the sentiment.” Dominique sighed. “If I don’t get out of here soon, I’m gonna lose my shit. It reeks in here.”
Cassia’s mind raced. The hellhounds had come to her before anyone else. She called them. “They spoke to me.”
