Page 23 of Wicked Ties
“Should I be concerned you have a kill list?” Logan crossed his arms.
Maze’s brows furrowed. “Who doesn’t?”
“Right you are, mate.” My list was getting longer and longer these days. I’m going to have to deal with that . . . at some point.
Maze sat up and dusted his hands off. “Let’s get it done.”
“Aren’t we eager. We need to start a battle, or do you just need to find one?”
Tilly glanced at Maze then back at me. “We just need to find one, I guess.”
There were things this lot didn’t know about. Things that existed that they hadn’t seen yet. There was something to be said for being young and unknowing. It might let them sleep at night. “I know where to find a battle . . . with the Fallen.”
I let that sink in. They sat for a long moment, not moving and only thinking about the fallen angels who ruled our world with an iron fist. Their black wings were legendary and so was their take-no-guff attitude. No one crossed the Fallen. Not even The House of Shade.
Long moments ticked by, and Kylian finally spoke, “I just got goosebumps.”
Tilly shivered. “But how?”
“The Fallen serve a higher purpose besides headmaster and ruler of all. Demons.”
Odin tiptoed to hide behind Tilly’s legs. He curled into a ball behind her feet and peeked at me around her legs with that one bright green eye. Tilly sat forward. “What about demons?”
“Hell demons. They walk the earth creating havoc, killing the innocent. The Fallen are locked in a battle since the beginning of time with Lucifer and his hell spawn. They’re trying to earn their redemption. Much good may it do them.”
Logan’s eyes widened. “Why do you say that?”
“Because they’ve been trying since the beginning of time and haven’t.” My words fell heavy with the rest of them. They were heavy with me. “Poor sods.”
“So how do we find one of these epic battles of the Fallen?” Maze sat forward and rested his arm on his knee. “And how soon can we get there?”
I glanced at Odin and chuckled. Bait. “If we build it, they will come.”
CHAPTER 10
TILLY
We bumped along in Grayson’s black Land Rover. I was tucked in between Maze and the door. I rested my head on the cool window and watched as the forest around us drifted by. So much had happened in two days. Yet, I felt like we were getting nowhere. I didn’t know if my missing spirit still existed and if not, would these people still want me around? I blew on the window and ran my fingertip over the foggy part, drawing lines on the window. We were all silent, just waiting to get where Grayson thought we needed to be.
Logan turned around in the front passenger seat and cleared his throat. “Are you sure this is going to work?”
Odin hopped up on my lap and glared at him with that one bright eye. “I’m a demon. It’ll work.”
Kylian sat forward from the back row of seats scrutinizing him. “Are you sure you’re a demon? You’re fluffy.”
I scoffed. “Bro, my whole problem is because he’s a demon.”
A burst of laughter escaped Maze’s lips, and it was the first time I ever heard it. It was deep and rumbling. He rested his head back against the seat and let his arms fall across his stomach. I didn’t know why but I enjoyed his laughter and his smile. It was so rarely seen. Until that moment, I wasn’t sure he even knew how to laugh or what humor was.
The forest gave way to a huge open field, yet Grayson didn’t pull into the field. Instead, he turned into the forest and stopped the car behind a giant boulder, hiding it from view.
“Out you go.” Grayson shut off the car and opened his door to jump out. I couldn’t decide if I liked the vampire or not. Something lurked behind that smooth British exterior that I couldn’t put my finger on . . . secrets. The vampire had secrets. How did he know so much? How did he know how or where to find the Fallen? And how did he know all about demons?
We all trudged out into the middle of the field. The grass hadn’t grown in some time, and it was soggy with thick mud. Winter was like that here. At least to start with. My boots sank into the ground and squished with each step I took. The air was damp and cold. Little puffs of fog drifted from my mouth with each breath I took.
Grayson stopped in the middle of the field and clapped his hands together. “Right. The plan is for the lot of us to hide behind those boulders over there.” He pointed across the field. “And for our little cat to do the rest.”
Logan shook his head. “How is this going to work, though?”
