Gabriel could only nod.
Malcolm was right. Dorian absolutelywould’vewaged that war. At the time, Gabriel had thought him as mad as Malcolm.
But now, he understood.
Gabriel nearly laughed. He’d once told Jacinda that fear made honest fools of them all, but in truth, it wasn’t fear that trampled logic and reason. Wasn’t fear that obliterated sanity and turned otherwise rational men into blundering halfwits who believed they could take on the demons of hell and win.
It was love.
“Summoning Azerius…” Malcolm turned over the blade again, the raven’s wing reflecting the deep red of the sky. “I didn’t know for sure it would kill me. I’d overheard heard Dorian talking about it in the crypts with Isabelle—they hadn’t even known I was there. I listened to their speculations, to the passages from Father’s journals, and suddenly it was like… like a light bulb exploding in my mind. If Dorian attempted to kill his own brother with Azerius’ blade, there was a good chance it’d bring the demon to our realm, where Dorian could destroy him.”
“You knew Dorian would do just that,” Gabriel said. “End him.”
It wasn’t a question.
“I told you, brother,” Malcolm said. “There was never a time when Iwasn’tbacking our king.”
“Looking after him, just as you promised.”
Mac held his gaze for a beat, a flicker of warmth igniting in the otherwise empty depths.
Nearly two hundred fifty years ago, on the night the Redthornes had been turned into vampires, their mother and youngest siblings had been slaughtered. Their mother’s final words had been for Mac.
“You must look out for them, for I fear your brother’s soft heart will be the death of you all…”
In service to his vow, he’d gone so deep undercover, become so utterly unrecognizable, even the Redthornes themselves believed he’d truly turned on them.
They hadn’t even held a memorial.
“I’m so sorry, Malcolm,” Gabriel said now, his voice breaking. “We should have known better than to doubt you.”
“I don’t regret what I did. Only that I hurt you. The things I said to you, to Dorian. What I did to Charlotte…” Malcolm shook his head, gazing out across the ruined hellscape. “It’s a thing for which I fear I cannot atone.”
“We’rethe ones who should atone, Mac. You died for this. For us. And we—”
Malcolm’s laugh rang out, sharp and bitter. “I don’t know what I am now, brother, but I assure you—it wasn’t Death who claimed me on that rooftop.”
“Then who?”
He stared at the blade. “I’ve no idea.”
“We know it obliterates demons. Even here in hell, it killed Azerius and the mother both.”
“And it turns humans into vessels,” Malcolm said. “According to the information Dorian and Isabelle had.”
“Right. But you’re a vampire. We didn’t know how it would affect our kind.” He met Malcolm’s eyes again. “Westilldon’t know, do we?”
“I’m here, right?”
“Are you a demon? A lost soul? Are you hellbound?”
“I don’t know, Gabriel. My body is gone—ash in the wind. This is just…” Malcolm ran a hand down his torso, wincing again as he passed over his wound. “…whatever’s left of my soul, I suppose. You were my brother in life, so you’re seeing me as a whole person. But I’m not. Not anymore.”
“You could be.” New hope sparked to life in Gabriel’s heart, his thoughts coming fast and furious. “Aiden was trapped here. Jacinda’s father as well. We sent their souls back through the portal and—”
“I’m aware.”
“We saved them, Mac. They’re alive. Whole. I felt it happen the moment we reached the crypts, just before I…” Gabriel closed his eyes, swallowing the tightness in his throat. He didn’t want to think about his death. About Jacinda’s hands covered in ash. His life might’ve been over, but for Malcolm, if there was even the slightest chance… “I can send you home, Mac. I can figure out how to do the portal spell. Or find a witch here who can help. Demetria—she’s a demon. Perhaps she could tap into hell’s power and—”
