Page 136 of The Devil's Trials

Xander wets his lips. “She’s been in hell for five years, but time moves differently down there. To her, it will have felt much longer. And if she returns topside, she won’t be the person you remember. Being in theunderworld for so long changes you—and she won’t be able to return here with her soul.”

Something in me snaps, and I grip the front of his shirt until my fists turn white. “I need to get her back. She shouldn’t have—This never should have happened! I need you to take me there.” My vision blurs with hot tears, and I clench my teeth at the utter helplessness clinging to me like a sticky film.

His forehead creases with tension, and he shakes his head adamantly. “You can’t go to hell, Camille. It’s far too dangerous.”

“You’re not going to talk me out of this. My sister needs me. She’s the last person who deserves to be there. If she comes back different, that’s better than her not coming back at all.”

“Is it?” he presses. “Danielle died. Her human soul has been trapped in hell for half a decade inhumanyears. If she returns, there’s no telling who—orwhat—she’ll be.”

I shake my head, and a tear slips free, rolling down my cheek as I plead, “Don’t.”

“Your sister could come back a demon without her soul. Could you and your parents handle that? Could she?”

Pressure pours into my chest, and I clamp my jaw shut to keep from screaming. I can’t make sense of this. My sister—a demon.Could I handle that?And what about our parents? How would they, as heads of the demon hunting organization, live with having a demon for a daughter? The thought of them fighting her being brought back under those circumstances is a punch to the gut. I can’t say with any certainty how they’d react, but the idea of allowing her to stay in hell after all these years now that I know where she is…

“I can’t just leave her there,” I say in a low, uneven voice. “Even if I can’t bring her back here, there has to be something we can do to free her from hell.”

His eyes scan my face, but I can’t discern his expression as he says, “I want to tell you there is, but I truly don’t know.”

“We have to try,” I insist firmly, though my voice still shakes. “I have to go after her.”

“A human can’t go to hell and return without consequences.”

My response is immediate. “I don’t care. Danielle has already lost enough. Her life, hersoul—”

“And what of your soul?” he demands, swallowing hard, and I’m taken aback by the sudden emotion in his eyes. My heart beats like the wings of a hummingbird as I stare at him, and he stares back at me. He lowers his voice, as if he’s concerned about being overheard. “I can’t say what will happen down there, but there’s a chance—”

“If sacrificing my soul is what I have to do to get my sister back, then so be it.”

“No.” He shakes his head again, blinking hard. “I can’t let you do this. I won’t.”

I tug him closer as I’m gripped with such a profound fear my knees shake. “So you’re the only one allowed to sacrifice their soul to save someone they love?”

His expression doesn’t change. “This is different.”

“Why?” I demand.

“Because you weren’t dead. I killed Lucia to prevent you from dying.” He lowers his voice once more. “Your sister is already dead, Camille.”

I swallow hard, shaking my head adamantly. “If you ever want there to be a chance for us, you’ll help me.” My jaw clenches, and I wait for the demon before me to cackle at my weak attempt to sway him.

Except, he doesn’t. Xander freezes, eyes sharp. “Are you saying there is a chance?”

My stomach dips, my brows scrunching together as more tears gather in my eyes. Everything else in my life ceases to exist in this moment. My parents, being a failure of a hunter, the awkwardness with Noah…Nothing matters but my sister, and Xander is the only one who can help me.

He grips me tighter. “Is there a chance?”

“Yes,” I breathe, my voice cracking. I swallow. “So,please. Help me get my sister back.”

He holds my gaze for a moment that seems to stretch on for an eternity. Finally, he speaks. It’s a single word that holds so much pain it fills my veins with ice. “Okay.”

Xander pulls me in without hesitation, burying his fingers in my hair as he holds me against his chest, and clinging to him is the only thing that keeps me from shattering.

THIRTY-THREEXANDER

“I seriously miss the days you didn’t have my number,” Harper muses when the call connects.

I sit on the lounge chair in front of the unlit fireplace in my bedroom, lifting my legs to rest them on the marble coffee table. “And yet, you answered my call.”

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