Page 47 of Broken Shadows

Ezra blinks twice, exhaling a tense breath. “Sorry, my brain just seized up for a second. Becauseyoudid not just suggest we go to Hell.”

Aiden puffs out his cheeks and leans back in his chair. “Yeah, dude, I’m out. Like, I am not going to the place that made these two.” He points at Lorcan then Ezra. “Plus, there are demons there and I’ve experienced my fair share of those.”

Ezra chuckles. “There are much worse creatures in Hell than demons, Kiddo.”

Aiden and Lorcan exchange a glare, but we don’t have time to unpack whatever history is there. I clear my throat and announce, “The Order will be on their way. If Gideon is here, then surely the rest of your brothers know. We can’t take on all of them including The Order, or maybe we can but…”

Half of us will end up dead.I finish the last part in my head. I continue, “Even if we can kill them, they’ll just go to Hell and be able to come back. We need to obliterate their souls or whatever is needed to actually wipe them out of our existence.” Ezra winces and I remember that I am talking about his family, and even if he hates them, bonds like that don’t break easily. So I add, “Or just Samuel at least.”

Ezra and Lorcan both nod.

“Samuel needs to go,” Lorcan says. “But what will going to Hell do? You don’t want to go there, Evie. It’s not a good place.”

I roll my eyes. “Well, I didn’t think it would be a vacation.”

Rosa laughs along with Aiden and Ezra while Lorcan, unbeknown to them, speaks into my mind.

You need to be dead to go to Hell, Baby Girl. I’m not going to see you dead before your time.

My stomach does a cartwheel at his words. I mentally kick myself for swooning over a nickname when we have much more important things to discuss.

I saw that in the grimoire, except there is another way. We go through one of the gateways to Hell.

His response comes all too quickly.Absolutely not. It’s still a risk and there are far more demons there than there ever were in the Shadow Realm. Their favorite pastime is tearing human souls apart. The answer is no.

I glance sideways at him.I wasn’t asking for permission. You let me open the portal even though it was risk… or was that just because it benefitted you?

I knew you would be okay. I’ve seen how powerful you are.

I nod.Then you can trust me on this. You’re not my damned keeper and I’m going. It’s the only way to get us out of this mess.

Rosa clears her throat and we both turn our heads to look at her. “You know, we can’t hear whatever you two are saying to each other. I know about your blood bond through the portal or whatever.” She waggles a finger between us.

“Technically, it’s because of the Fallenmoore blood spells tying my family line to Lorcan,” I say, but Lorcan quickly rebukes it in my mind.

It’s not that. It’s a mating thing. I can imprint on a witch’s mind, if I… feel a certain way.

My eyes widen and Ezra grins as if he knows exactly what it is.

The question burns in my mind.What way?

In a bat-plushie buying, hair washing kind of way.

I’m dying to dissect exactly what that means, but Ezra interrupts us. “So, Hell? Why?”

“Right.” I tap my fingers on the table in a rhythmic motion. “We need to talk to Lucifer. Err, your father.”

Aiden’s eyebrows shoot halfway up his forehead. “TheDevil? You mean you want to go to Hell to see theDevil?”

“Where else would she go to see him?” Rosa asks, earning a smirk from Ezra. “For real, though. Is this really our best plan? What if we’re wrong about it all and he’s in on it?”

Lorcan shakes his head. “He’s not. I thought so too, but Samuel and Evangaline are pulling the strings.”

Ezra nods, his leg bouncing under the table. “I never heard an order come from Dad himself. They don’t allow us to go see him. I agree with Evie. We should go. Dad has the power to banish or destroy anything.”

I can feel Lorcan’s eye roll without looking at him. “Such a daddy’s boy.” He sighs. “Well, I suppose, Evangeline won’t stop until I’m destroyed. I guess we need to go to the bitch herself.”

My stomach knots. I hadn’t thought about that part too deeply. Instead, remaining willfully delusional about never having to meet the woman who manipulated Lorcan, and was the most powerful witch in the world before me.

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