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I stoppedat a motel in Pennsylvania around midnight, turned my phone’s ringer up to max volume, set an alarm, and crashed.
When the alarm went off at five a.m., I dragged myself out of bed and hit the road again. I stopped at a drive-through for coffee and enough bagels to keep me sustained for the day. And that was the most exciting thing that happened for the next thirteen hours.
It was almost six when I crossed into Georgia. According to the map on my phone, I still had an hour before I would be at the address Samuel had given me.
With the exception of gas stops, I hadn’t been out of the car since I left the motel, and I was debating if I should ditch the vehicle and fly the last few miles to stretch my wings.
I called Samuel one last time.
“No, we didn’t catch up to her,” Samuel answered. “And I haven’t figured out where she went next. She’s not picking up her phone.”
“I’m in Georgia now. I’m going to leave your car soon and fly the rest of the way.”
“Don’t worry about it. There’s a tracer on the car. I’ll find it.”
“That would have been nice to knowbeforeI drove across the country in the thing.”
Samuel chuckled. “I’m the only one who can track it. And trust me, I’ve been a little too busy looking for your baby mama to watch you trek through the South.”
I gritted my teeth. “Don’t call her that.”
“Yeah, yeah. Try not to get yourself killed down there.”
I left Samuel’s car in a field by the side of the road. It felt good to spread my wings. If I was going to die tonight, I would be glad I’d taken this last chance to fly.
I knew the general direction of the address Samuel had given me, but partway there I stopped caring about the warehouse where Dantalion was set up. I could feel the bond getting stronger with every mile I flew. I was getting close to Sierra.
She was here, in Georgia.
I was too late to keep her out of Dantalion’s clutches, but I wasn’t too late to save her. I could feel her heartbeat inside my own. She was alive, and I was going to get her back no matter what it took.
I held on to that warmth inside my chest, focusing on the fact that she was alive as I pushed myself to get to her faster. Wind whipped past me, tugging at my clothes and hair, but I hardly noticed.
It was dark by the time I landed in a patch of woods just beyond the warehouses. I hit the ground with enough force to send me to my knees, but not being graceful was the least of my worries. I felt wild and reckless, and I didn’t have it in me to be cautious.
The warehouses were nestled in a tiny commercial area surrounded by woods and fields. They were situated between a carpet store and a car mechanic shop with a cabinetmaker, liquor store, and donut shop across the street. It didn’t look like the home base for a duke of Hell.
But I knew I was in the right place.
I felt the same sharp tug in my chest that I had the very first time Sierra was attacked by Dantalion’s demons. I was already half-crazy with worry and panic, but this was different. It was impossible to ignore the need to get to her. It wasn’t just my emotions demanding I save her now. The bond was reaching out to me, calling for help.
Twenty-Eight
Sierra
My body felt strange,caught in a place between consciousness and nothing. There was no pain, and thoughts slipped from my grasp before I could really hold on to them. I couldn’t think, couldn’t feel.
The world came back slowly as my brain registered various details. My cheek and bare arm were pressed against something smooth and cool but also hard and unyielding. Was I lying on the floor? Maybe a basement floor? The cold soaked into my skin and chilled my bones.
There was a pounding behind my eyes, a persistent throb that made it hard to think.
My eyes felt glued shut, but I forced them open. I was lying on my side on a concrete floor, facing a rough wall made of some kind of stone or cement. It was bright with that harsh white light that stores and fast-food chains use. I looked around as best I could without moving my heavy limbs. I appeared to be in some sort of warehouse or storage unit, but there was no stuff. The room was eerily empty.
The ceiling was high, at least two stories above my head. The floor was fitted with metal rings spaced about seven or eight feet apart. One of the walls had a large garage-style door with a chain keeping it closed. Opposite the door, a crude set of wooden stairs led up to a mezzanine. The balcony created a shadowed area underneath it, and no matter how hard I strained my eyes, I couldn’t see anything in that corner of the room.
I swallowed, and pain shot through my throat. I remembered the demon in the airport wrapping his hand around my neck. I moved an arm with more effort than was normal and touched the skin. I didn’t want to see how bad the bruises were this time.
