Page 82 of I Hope This Email Finds You in Hell

He holds my stare. “Far surpassed it, actually.”

I break away before the fire in his eyes incinerates me. My body is burning, like the room is a sauna and I’m trapped in its suffocating heat. “I figured the blood loss was clouding your judgment.”

“Maybe a bit,” he admits. “If I was thinking clearly, I would have made sure it was alright with you first. I am sorry for that.”

“Of all the things you have to be sorry for, that’s not one of them.”

“Then let me be sorry for everything else. Starting with the truth about my brother.”

I refocus my gaze on bandaging his wound. “Why did you keep that from me?”

“I wasn’t completely sure he was the devil. Things were complicated when I left.”

“When he banished you, you mean.”

Luke flinches, though from my words or me tightening the gauze, I don’t know. “Right.”

It’s quiet as I finish. He moves his arm and winces, but doesn’t back up. Now that his shoulder is wrapped, I have nothing to pin my gaze on but his own.

“We’re alone here?”

His question feels like a swift kick to the backs of my knees, crumbling the cliff edge of restraint I’m clinging to. “Sure are.”

“You met Moira.”

I nod. “Your mother.”

“Yes.” He hesitates before adding, “Did she say anything about me?”

“Just that if you made it through the night, you’d be fine. I guess she was right.”

He grimaces. “ ‘Fine’ is a stretch. Where is she now?”

“She took Krystal, Poppi, and Yasmine to Santa Monica Pier, where she said there’s an entrance to the overworld. They should be there by now. I hope.”

“So should you.” Luke’s disapproving gaze sears into me. “Why didn’t you go with them?”

“And leave you here? You were going to die.”

“I wasn’t going to die,” he insists. Which, sure, is easy to believe now when he’s standing here very much alive. But a few hours ago? Not so much.

“I know you’ll get me back.”

His expression is conflicted, like he wants to assure me he will, but can’t. “Brie, I—”

“I know,” I cut him off.

“You have no idea what I’m about to say.”

“You’re about to tell me that I should stay here while you go face off with your brother. The devil. That I should go by myself to the pier and return to the overworld before the eclipse.”

He blows out a frustrated sigh. “Is that so bad? That I want you to stay safe?”

“When are you going to get it?” I ask him quietly. “I have nothing to lose. I made sure I wouldn’t have anything to lose ever again after leaving my hometown for good. And the only person who crept past those walls is hopefully on her way back to her family.”

“The only person?” He asks it like a dare.

Something’s different. Maybe it’s our kiss. Maybe it’s the heat seeping off his skin and into mine. Maybe it’s the damn towel. Maybe it’s the way I wish it wasn’t there at all.