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I didn’t get a chance to celebrate my victory. The pain grew to insurmountable depths, stealing away my breath. But for once, it was the good kind of pain. A cleansing sort of fire. Burning away the dead and making room for new growth.
Screaming and twisting in pain, Mona fell to the floor just as Raquel shot up in bed, her wild eyes scanning the room for a sign of the commotion. Her pale feet landed on the floor next to my head just as the pain peaked and a bright, white light filled the entire room. It was dazzling, like someone had transported the moon into our bedroom. With amazement, I looked down at my body. I was the source of the pure light. Every inch of bare flesh glowed with the power of the Angels.
“What’s happening?” Raquel threw her arms up to shield her eyes from the light. “What are you doing?”
“It’s...it’s...” That was my voice! My very own words. A new surge of strength filled me as I relished in the control of my own body once again. “It’s me...”
She looked at me quizzically through squinted eyes.
“I’m back.”
Chapter Nineteen
Raquel shook her head, sleep still heavy in her eyes. “I don’t understand. What do you mean, you’ve been held captive for the past few days? You’ve been here the whole time.”
“No, I haven’t.” I rushed about the room, unearthing our small weapon’s collection and strapping daggers to my belt and in my boot. “That was Mona. She was controlling me.”
She blinked twice. “Who’s Mona?”
“My demon.”
My skin no longer glowed and the pain had quickly disappeared. After the unleashing of my Nephilim powers, Mona had been thrown to the back of my mind and that’s where she currently huddled. It would be a long time before she would see the light again. Of that, I was sure.
Satisfied with my collection of daggers now strapped to my body, I turned to Raquel. “I need you to go find Luke and warn him that a demon attack is eminent. Someone inside the manor is working for Seth and will be carrying out the attack tonight. We have to stop him...” I paused at the door and bit my lip “...or her. It could be either.”
She stood slowly and stared at me, no longer groggy. I waited for her to spring into action, but she just stood cemented to the floor. Finally, with a sigh, I approached her and wrapped my arms tightly around her narrow shoulders.
“I’ve missed you,” I whispered. “You’ve got no idea how hard it was to almost lose you and everyone I love. I never want to come that close again.”
She stiffened for a moment and then relaxed into my hug, wrapping her arms around my back. We embraced for a few seconds before I pushed away and jumped back into the business at hand.
“I’m going to wake Gabe,” I told her as I flew out the door. “Go straight to Luke. Don’t let anyone stop you.”
I saw her nod before I ran down the hallway and down the path I knew so well to Gabe’s room. It was like I’d never lost control of my body. Every muscle moved with a fluidity that constricted and contracted without hesitation. I could’ve run a hundred miles, with the energy that was flowing through me.
There was no hesitation at Gabe’s closed door. I needed to feel his arms around me, his lips against mine, and his warm breath on my neck. It felt like ages since I’d last had him to myself. Throwing the door open, I burst in upon a fully lit room and two men surrounding the giant fireplace. As the door slowly swung shut behind me, I blinked in confusion at the scene. Something wasn’t right. He wasn’t supposed to be here. Not in Gabe’s room. Not now.
“Have you completed your task?” Seth rested his elbow on the mantelpiece and tilted his head toward
me. He hadn’t changed out of his customary black suit, which I was starting to detest. “Is the board dead?”
Gabe stood on the other side of the fireplace. Misery wracked his face as he swung around to stare at me. “Lizzy...tell me you didn’t.”
I didn’t know how to respond. Words had left me. Instead, my mouth hung open as I gazed at the two of them like a lobotomy patient. What was Seth doing inside the manor? In Gabe’s room?
“Is something the matter?” The smile melted from Seth’s face. He stood a little straighter as the flicker of a fire in the hearth threw him in shadow. “Tell me you accomplished the mission. Without that, I’m afraid Gabe will be at a disadvantage to complete his own directives.”
Gabe hissed and turned back to him. “I told you already, I’m not your puppet. Our deal was a one-time thing. I delivered Psyche’s Urn to the designated dropping point. You have what you want. We’re through.”
Seth’s shapely mouth curled into a cruel grin. “We’re through when I say we’re through. Don’t forget why you came to me in the first place. Why you’ve forsaken your friends and family for my help. Lizzy’s demon will destroy her without my intervention.”
I blinked at the two of them as they each puffed their chests out with unspoken aggression. Suddenly, it clicked. Gabe’s warnings about a man on the inside of the manor. It had been him all along! He was working for Seth, the Prince of Hell. He’d made a deal and threatened our family. My heart shattered and left a deep throbbing pain in my chest. Tears filled my eyes as I squinted at the man I loved. The man I trusted. He’d betrayed us.
“What have you done?” I took a step closer. “Gabe Cael, tell me the truth.”
He wrung his hands, his face crumbling. “I made a deal, Lizzy. It was for you.”
Shaking my head, I edged closer. “You made a deal with the devil.”
