Page 93 of Soulmarked

“The wards are shattered. Whatever protections they had, ancient magic, holy ground, the lot, it's all gone. Like someone took a sledgehammer to a glass house.”

I looked to Sterling, whose expression had darkened. “You knew about these wards?”

“Not specifically these,” Sterling admitted, a flicker of guilt crossing his face. “Hallow keeps certain knowledge compartmentalized. I knew these churches were significant, but not why. Not until we started investigating Phoenix's interest in them. By then, it was too late.”

My gaze was accusatory. “Might have been helpful information to share earlier, chief.”

“I didn't make the connection until now,” Sterling said. “The original Hallow records mentioned five anchor points around the city, but not their exact locations. When I saw them mapped out like this...” He gestured to Skye's screen, where the five churches formed a perfect pentagram.

“So these churches have been secretly warded for generations,” Cade said, his analytical mind already working through the implications, “and Phoenix somehow knew exactly where they were and what they were protecting?”

“Someone on the inside,” I said grimly. “Has to be. We've got a mole. Always do in these situations.”

Skye's screens filled with surveillance footage showing broken doors, desecrated altars, symbols burned into ancient stone. “These weren't random attacks. They knew exactly what they were looking for.”

“And now the locks are broken.” Skye overlaid ley line maps with their surveillance data. “The energy patterns are shifting. Whatever those churches were holding down, it's starting to wake up.”

“How long until—” I started to ask, but movement caught my eye. Cade had gone completely still, staring at his reflection in the darkened window. His breath hitched sharply, fingers clutching at his chest where the mark pulsed beneath his shirt.

“Cade?” I moved toward him, recognizing the signs. “Stay with me, Sunshine. Don't go wandering off into the ether on me now.”

But he was already gone. His pupils dilated until barely any blue remained, body trembling as if caught in some invisible current. The mark blazed through his shirt now, cold light painting patterns across the glass that seemed to reach for something beyond our reality.

“Fecking hell,” I muttered, catching him as his knees started to buckle. “Not now.”

He inhaled sharply, like a drowning man finding air, and his hands locked around my arms with bruising force. “Sean...”

“I'm here. What did you see?”

The fear in his eyes made my blood run cold. “It's already started,” he gasped out. “The ritual, the gate, if we don't stop them now, we're too late. They're about to open a direct passage to Hell.”

“Of course they are,” I muttered. “Because a normal Saturday night was too much to ask for.”

As if confirming his words, another crack of that wrong thunder split the sky. The shadows crawling across neighboring buildings seemed to pulse in response, their movements becoming more purposeful, more hungry.

“How long?” I asked, but I already knew the answer from the way his mark pulsed, from the terror barely contained behind his professional mask.

“Hours. Maybe less.” His hands tightened on my arms. “Sean, I saw... I saw what's waiting on the other side. What wants to come through. They are planning to unlock the gates of hell and let demons free.”

I wanted to tell him it would be alright. Wanted to promise we'd stop whatever was coming, save the world, ride off into the bloody sunset together. But we both knew better. This wasn't that kind of story.

“Then we fight,” I said instead, letting my forehead rest against his. “We fight until we can't anymore. And if the world's ending anyway...” I managed a smile that I hoped looked braver than I felt. “At least I'm facing it with you.”

His laugh was shaky but real. “That's your plan? Face the apocalypse together?”

“Aye, well, not like I had anything better scheduled for today. Was gonna clean my guns and watch bad TV. This seems more exciting.”

Another blast of that terrible thunder shook the building. Through the windows, we could see more of those wrong things gathering, their forms becoming more solid as whatever barrier separated our world from theirs grew thinner.

We had hours at most. Hours before whatever waited on the other side broke through completely. Hours before the choice was taken from us entirely.

“Sean.” Cade's voice was strange, carrying an edge I'd never heard before. “If something happens...”

“Don't,” I interrupted, stepping closer until our foreheads nearly touched. My hands came up to cup his face, thumbs brushing against his cheekbones where tension made the muscles jump. “Nothing's happening to you. I won't let it.”

“You can't promise that.”

“Watch me. Been hunting monsters since before you got your fancy badge, Agent. Not about to let some hellspawn take what's mine.”

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