Page 117 of Hell On Earth
“Are you hungry?” Zotera asked.
“Sure,” I said, even though I wasn’t.
Zotera and I ate breakfast together; then I went to shower and dress. I didn’t look at the bathing room. It made me miss Hades too much. That ache in my chest returned, and I rubbed there as I left my bedroom.
Zotera was in the living room, watching more home improvement shows.
I didn’t think I’d be able to sit and watch TV while worrying whether everyone else was okay. So I sat next to Zotera, facing her. She immediately focused on me.
“There has to be something we can do,” I said.
“Like what?”
“I don’t know, honestly. I was hoping you’d have ideas.”
“I don’t want to see any of them hurt. And the best way to ensure that is to protect you. They know that too. That’s why they’re doing what they’re doing.”
“But what are they doing? Playing decoy. Why? What does Adira have planned? They took away my ability to say his name then stole the memory potion. If they wanted me to call him, why take that ability away from me? Adira has a plan. She always seems to know what’s going on. So what’s she really trying to do? Why go after Eliana’s dad? He has nothing to do with any of this.”
Understanding hit me.
“Oh gods…she can’t get to me because of all of you, so she’s going to find a way to pull you all away from me.”
I was already dialing Megan.
“Adira’s trying to find a way to stop you and Eliana from protecting me. That’s why she went after Jason.”
“I’ll head back to Eliana's parents now. Jason doesn’t have a mark. I can hide him somewhere, and Eliana can—”
“That’s what she wants, Megan.” I closed my eyes against the pain I felt. “Please. Send Zayn to me. Please.”
She didn’t answer for so long that I looked at my phone. The call was gone. When I tried again, I got the message that the number was no longer in service. Same with Eliana and Mrs. Quill.
I hurried to my bedroom, where the spare phone was waiting, and dialed Megan again.
“Hello?” she answered.
“It’s me,” I said. “I think she’s blocking calls on my other phone.”
Megan swore. “I’m with Jason now, taking him somewhere safe.”
“I don’t think she’ll go after Jason again. Who else do you care about?”
“Adira wouldn’t touch Oanen and can’t touch my mom or—shit. Grandma Irene.” The line went dead for a moment then came back. “Grandma?”
I heard someone answer.
“You need to pack a bag, Grandma,” Megan said.
“What about Eliana?” I asked. “If Adira can’t go after her parents, who would she go after?”
“I would say Fenris, but Eliana put some hoodoo on Adira so she can’t touch him. I’ll call her and find out. Thanks for the heads up.”
“Be careful,” I said. “Saving me won’t be worth anything if you lose the people who matter to you.”
“You matter too, Ashlyn. You always have. Don’t ever forget that.”
She hung up, and I looked at the phone for a long moment.
