Page 114 of The Devil's Trials

She opens her mouth, then pauses and shakes her head. “Never mind.”

I catch her wrist as she turns toward the stairs. Her pulse races against my fingers, and when her eyes meet mine, she freezes. “Is there something you want to say to me?” I ask in a low voice.

She only shakes her head again, pulling her wrist out of my grip. “I should call my parents.”

When I fish my phone from my pocket and hand it to her, she takes it without a response, then climbs the stairs, leaving me looking after her with a longing that tugs at the remnants of my human heart.

TWENTY-EIGHTCAMILLE

I find my way back to the bedroom I was put in when Blake brought me here and close the door. After contemplating using the furniture to barricade it, I decide against it and wander to the seating area across from the bed.

I don’t feel as though I’m in danger being here but that definitely doesn’t mean I’m happy about it. I’m also waiting for Xander to explain what’s actually going on. While part of me would much rather stay in the dark and enjoy the ignorance of not knowing, my anxiety isn’t having it. I need to know.

I drop onto the end of the bed and find Harper’s number in Xander’s phone. She picks up on the first ring.

“I’m going to kick your ass to the ninth circle of hell, you fuck—”

“Harper,” I cut in, “it’s me.”

“Cami, holy shit.” The relief in her voice is clear. “Are you okay? Xander told me you’re with him, and I’ll be there as soon as I can, but—”

“Take a breath, Harper. I’m fine. Anxious and annoyed but otherwise okay. You’re back in Seattle?”

“Yeah. I got a red-eye and went directly to HQ when I landed.”

I inhale slowly before asking, “Have you spoken to my parents?”

“Uh, nope. That’s all you, babe. Sorry.”

I cringe. “They’re going to lose their minds. I don’t even know what I’m going to tell them.”

“If Noah wasn’t expecting you for training at Ballard, you could probably get away with not telling them anything for at least a few days, but he’ll want to know where you are when you don’t show up.”

Groaning, I pull the tie out of my hair and rake my fingers through it. “They’re not going to understand, Harper.”

“I take it you haven’t told them about the whole soulmate thing?”

“Yeah, that’s a big no.” I wouldn’t know where to start with that conversation, considering I still know little about it myself. I fall back against the mattress and stare at the ceiling. “This is so messed up and it keeps getting worse.”

“We’ll figure it out, babe. If you give your dad a call and let him know you’re out of town maybe you don’t have to tell him and your mom everything right now.”

I drum my fingers against my stomach, turning that over in my head. It sounds like a better idea than trying to explain where I am and why I’m here. That said, there’s the added complication of Noah. I’m not sure he’ll believe I just left town, and when he’s not able to get ahold of me, I don’t want him reaching out to my parents.

When I share my worry with Harper, she hums. “I’ll tell him you came back to Seattle with me.”

“Don’t you think he’ll see through that? I was just there before you visited me in New York.”

“Maybe, but I don’t see another option. I think we need to take our chances and cross that bridge if and when we come to it.”

She’s right. I’m limited in what I can do when I don’t want to share information about what’s going on here—not that I have much.

“Okay,” I finally say. “When do you think you’ll get here?”

“I’ll try for the next few days. I signed up to teach a few novice classes at HQ and it’ll look suspicious if I cancel at the last minute.”

“You’re staying there, right? You’re not alone?”

“Yes. I’m perfectly safe. No creepy, big-bad demon is going to get their hands on me.”

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