Page 98 of The Devil's Waltz

He nods, his expression void of any emotion, as if we’re not talking about his mother. “There are points along particular ley lines in every state where a portal can be opened by spilling Lucia’s blood on sacred ground. Most are guarded by hunters. But last I was informed, the location in Olympia currently is not.”

“Where in Olympia is it?” Sophia asks.

“Just inside the national forest,” Blake answers.

“That narrows it down,” Noah remarks dryly.

“Anyskilledhunter should be able to find it,” Blake shoots back. “I thought it wouldn’t be a problem for someone with your reputation. Unless you’re all talk?”

Harper exhales a sigh, as if she’s already tired of their bickering. “Great, so we just need to kill the members of her inner circle, knock her out for a little road trip from Portland to Olympia, then ship her ass back to hell.”

“Basically, yeah,” Blake says.

“What’s the plan once we’re inside the compound?” Rylee asks, tying her hair up as she glances around our group.

“I’ll make sure the demons on our side are standing at the front of the room closest to Lucia,” Xander explains. “The rest are fair game. Noah, I’ll let you direct your team.”

“How very gracious of you, princeling,” he shoots back in a mocking tone. “As if I need permission fromyouto do my job.”

I grit my teeth, dreading Xander’s response, but he only chuckles.

Noah turns his attention to the twins. “Take out the other demons as quickly as possible. No fucking around. Sophia and Rylee will hang back a beat before joining the fray as the second wave of attack, eliminating the remaining demons.”

“What about you?” I blurt, then press my lips together, as if I can pretend I didn’t speak. I don’t doubt Noah for a second, but I find myself needing to know what part he’s going to play in all of this.

He spares me a brief glance. “I’ll move in to detain the queen with Harper and Elias. Blake and Xander, we’ll have you flank us and make sure anyone who gets the idea to try to stop us doesn’t get the opportunity. Got it?”

The demons exchange a look before nodding at Noah.

I bite my tongue, going back and forth on whether I should voice the question plaguing me. When I can’t hold it back any longer, I ask, “What is my role during all of this? Considering I’m not a hunter or a demon, I’m not sure where I fit.”

“You can drive the car, love,” Blake jokes with a wink in my direction.

I scowl at him, but before I can respond, Harper says, “That’s actually not a bad idea. We’ll need to get in and out quickly, so if you can make sure our getaway is ready—”

“You have got to be kidding me,” I cut in.

“Once we enter the room,” Noah starts, as if I haven’t spoken, “you get the hell out and wait for us in the car.”

I blink against the sudden burn of tears in my eyes, dropping my gaze to hide them. I want to say,way to make me feel absolutely useless, but again bite my tongue. This is about far more than me. If this is the plan that has the highest odds of working, it’s what we need to do.

“Fine,” I finally mutter.

“When are we doing this?” Ezra asks.

“We should put it in motion immediately,” Xander says. “The less time we give anyone to catch on or suspect something, the better.”

“Agreed,” Harper says, turning to Blake. “Let’s get this over with.”

My stomach sinks, and I blurt, “Wait.” Harper meets my gaze, and I add, “Are you absolutely sure about this?”

She reaches across Xander and grabs my hand, squeezing it. “I’ve got you, babe.” Turning her gaze to Xander, she narrows her eyes. “You better not fuck this up. If I think for a second—”

“Harper,” I cut in, squeezing her hand until she stops shooting daggers at him.

“Okay,” she grumbles, pulling back as she looks at Blake again. “Come on, Double Bubble.”

Xander chuckles as Blake grumbles something uncomplimentary, tugging the drawstrings on his hoodie. The former shifts closer until our legs touch, snagging my attention, and says to the others, “Can you give Camille and me a few minutes?”

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