Total pages in book: 133
Estimated words: 125077 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 625(@200wpm)___ 500(@250wpm)___ 417(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 125077 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 625(@200wpm)___ 500(@250wpm)___ 417(@300wpm)
“I can try to help find Mia. I can go anywhere I like, but I need a reason. I’ll think about it, but I’m sure I can find a way to help. I’ll also contact Jacob. He’s been quiet for years. I think he’s been ordered not to interfere. You should know there are factions on the Hell plane who oppose Myrddin’s plans. We can use those, too.”
I was starting to see that having some power in the enemy camp might not be the worst thing in the world. “All right. How about you hang around as long as you can and we’ll talk these things through.” I leaned over and kissed him because no matter how irritated I was, I couldn’t let him think I didn’t love him. I did. I loved him so deeply, but he was right. It was a harder relationship than the one I had with Trent—who was now irritated with me. “Hey and if you can put a good word in with Trent, I would appreciate it.”
He chuckled and drew me in closer. “I think all you have to do is give Trent some attention and he’ll get over it pretty fast. I’ll do the same. We have to go easy on him. We’re rough to live with on occasion. I want nothing more than to get to be your husband for a while, to take care of you, to watch our baby grow and be with Fenrir. I want us to be a family. I want it so badly I dream of it at night. Stupid, ordinary dreams about sitting down to dinner and watching movies together.”
He’d always wanted a normal life, and he’d ended up with me. “We can have some of that.”
“While you save the world.” His mouth found mine and he kissed me sweetly.
“And you reign over a portion of Hell.” I wasn’t the only one with a stressful job.
“A tiny portion,” he said between kisses. “Practically minute.”
I bet it wasn’t, but I was done arguing with him. I let him kiss me over and over until I remembered we were here to do a job.
I stepped back. “Come on. Let’s talk to these gnomes and figure this whole thing out so we can have a break before the next crisis.”
He stood and then his eyes went pure black.
I knew what that meant. “Don’t you dare. I do not need another fucking prophecy.”
He frowned, his whole body tightening. “Not another prophecy. The fulfillment of an important one, one begun long, long ago. Kelsey mine, I have to go.”
“No, you don’t.” He couldn’t leave me again. “Grayson Slone, you said…”
And he was gone.
I was left standing alone. I would have to do this job all by myself, and yes, it was only a couple of gnomes, but I liked having backup. Especially since everyone—even small Fae creatures—get pissed when you accuse one of them of murder.
It had been a shitty day, and now both my husbands were gone and I had to deal with gnomes and weird paintings and figure out how to housetrain a hellhound puppy.
My frustration was pretty much at a peak.
“Kelsey!”
I turned as I heard a woman shouting my name. I jogged back up the path and found Rose clutching Luna, who was crying and holding her ears.
“What’s happening?” I moved as quickly as I could because Luna was in obvious distress and Rose was crying.
“It’s screaming. They’re all screaming,” Luna said between sobs.
“I think she’s talking about the paintings,” Rose explained, her arms tightening around her daughter. “A couple of minutes ago, she woke up and started crying. I don’t know what to do. Christopher won’t be awake for hours.”
We wouldn’t have the strength of the primals with us until long after dark.
It would be a perfect time to strike.
How would they use the paintings to strike? It was what I couldn’t wrap my mind around.
How was it connected? Was everything connected? Luna could hear the paintings hum. Weird creatures were getting into the Under with no reason for them to be here. Someone killed two of the painters. The gnomes were growing everything they needed for witch’s ointment.
Witch’s ointment, which Jade had used to try to contact her mom because she believed with the right magic she could find the ether.
She’d wanted to open a portal to another dimension.
Luna had been able to hear Tix travel.
An idea started to form in my head. A horrible, wicked, nasty idea that I prayed I was wrong about.
“Luna, does this sound like when the prophet travels down to the Under? Or his servant?” I asked, praying the answer would be no.
Luna was crying as she nodded.
And I knew what the paintings had been for.
An invasion.
“Rose, I need you to hide. Tell everyone you can that they need to take cover because Myrddin is invading the Under. He’s using the paintings to open a portal and get around the wards,” I said. “The gnomes are in on it. At least I would bet the newest one is. He’s a plant. You have to hide Luna, and find a way to protect the primals if you can.”