The demon inclines its head, a hundred voices whispering in my mind as one.
What do you ask of us, Moon Blessed? We are yours to command.
“Destroy,” I reply, placing the crown in his hands.
At his fiery touch, the gold melts away, the rubies dropping to the ground and vanishing in a puff of red smoke.
The last of its cruel tendrils retreat from my mind, and I blow out a sigh of relief.
“Now I command this legion to return to hell,” I say firmly, “forever banished to your dark realm, never to answer the call of another summoning. Never to possess another being. Never to rise for another master.”
There’s no questioning or bargaining. The demon simply turns back into shadow, then mist, then disappears entirely.
In its place, a white light appears, growing larger and larger until it finally takes the shape of a doorway.
I turn to Tatiana and the others, and grin.
All of them look at me with wonder. With the sort of happiness I didn’t think we could ever feel in a realm like this.
“Fucking hell,” Jude says. “Is that—”
“It’s the way home, boys,” I confirm, and Tatiana gives me a knowing wink. Laney and Fleur rush me with a group hug.
My gargoyles join in, too.
Then, as bloodied and battered as when we arrived in this forgotten realm, three witches, four gargoyles, and one dark-fae Wintermoon Cerridwen witch from Brooklyn step into the light.
Chapter Twenty-Six
ROOK
Time.
It moves differently in the fae realms, and what we thought was a mere few days in Wintermoon was actually an entire month back home.
The night after our return, the gargoyles and I are gathered in the study, watching the news coverage on my laptop. The reporter’s voice accompanies an aerial shot of the rubble formerly known as Thornwood Cathedral.
“After a weeks-long investigation,” the woman says, “authorities have confirmed that the deadly collapse of Thornwood Cathedral in lower Manhattan last month was the work of a dangerous cult with ties to ancient witchcraft and demon worshipping. In total, two hundred and seventeen members of the cult—most of them with known ties to organized crime—committed mass suicide by detonating a series of highly sophisticated explosive devices that caused the structure to collapse, crushing the people who’d barricaded themselves inside. It is not yet known whether hallucinogenic drugs were also a factor. A spokesperson for Blackmoor Capital Group, the historic preservation firm that owns the landmark building, has stated that they will not be pursuing criminal charges. However, three of the cult’s most notable members, Lennon Forsythe and his son Hunter, along with Eloise Avery, have been missing since the explosion and are still wanted for questioning. Authorities are asking anyone with information to contact—”
I snap the laptop shut and scoff. “Ties to ancient witchcraft, my ass. If they only knew it was witches who saved the city from a demonic takeover at the helm of a dark-fae madman.”
“Speaking of witches who kick all kinds of ass.” Auggie grins as Westlyn enters the study, three ravens hopping in a row behind her. “Good evening, witchling and company.”
Apparently, Jean-Pierre escaped the portal spell that sent us all to Wintermoon and made his way back here, where he found Lucinda and Huxley tucked away in Draegan’s room.
At the time, we thought we’d only be gone a few hours.
Fortunately, the ravens—clever little beasts that they are—escaped, likely with the help of J.P.
But not before they made a delightful mess of Drae’s linens. And his carpet. His furniture. His bath. Pretty much no surface was left unscratched or—not to put too fine a point on it, un-shat upon—a thing that brought us all an immeasurable amount of joy.
Even Draegan himself couldn’t help but laugh.
He’s planning a complete remodel of his bedroom, but hey. At least he finally sees the humor in it.
West insists the birds were more upset about being left out of the fight than about being locked up, but according to her, they’ve decided to forgive us.
I’m doing my best to win back their favor by sneaking them cookies at regular intervals, just to be on the safe side.
