Kaylea reached the lobby, pushed through the stairwell doors and ran outside. Early morning was upon her as she hurried down the sidewalk to Halo, knowing it wasn’t open yet, but her parents would be inside preparing for the day.
Breathing hard, she rushed in the front door. Her parents took one look at her, stopped what they were doing and guided her to a chair.
“Kaylea, what is it?” Gage asked, his eyes assessing her.
“I made a mistake. A big mistake.”
“What kind of mistake,” her mother questioned, putting a placating hand on her shoulder as she dropped into the chair beside her.
“I slept with the devil’s henchman.”
Her parents exchanged a knowing look.
Kaylea’s brain raced. Why weren’t they panicking? Why were they so calm? “What?” Kaylea asked, surprised by their reaction.
“Was his name Brand?” Gage asked.
Flustered and confused, Kaylea stiffened in her seat. “How do you know Brand?”
“Because we go way back,” a deep tortured voice sounded at the door and pulled her focus.
Kaylea spun around to see Brand standing just inside the archway. His mere presence made her breathless. Despite everything that had just happened between them, the sight of him had her heart pounding, and her body longing, needing.
Her father stood to his full height. Although he’d greyed, and aged thirty years since he’d escaped Hell, his stature still commanded the room. “Brand,” he said cautiously. “It’s good to see you.”
In a combative action, Brand widened his stance, his thick muscles shifted. He cocked his head, dubious. “Is it?” Pain and darkness flashed in Brand’s eyes, his jaw clenched.
Gage took an easy step forward. With his strides determined, Brand matched him with a step of his own.
“We’ve been waiting for you,” Jadyn whispered in a soft voice meant to soothe as she stepped up beside Gage and held her hand out to Brand.
Brand’s gaze shot to Jadyn’s, a perplexed look on his face. “Waiting for me?” Brand’s glance went from Jadyn, to Kaylea, to Gage. He pinned him with a glare. “What do you mean you were waiting for me?”
“Brand—” Gage began, but Brand cut him off.
His eyes turned dangerous and intense, his fingers fisted at his sides and he growled, “You escaped, and left me behind to rot in Hell.”
Gage softened his voice. “It wasn’t like that, Brand.” He gathered Jadyn into his arms. “We both sacrificed ourselves to save each other, and before we knew what was happening we were both pulled from Hell. If I could have taken you with me, I would have. You need to believe that.” A short pause and then, “I love you, my friend.”
Brand lowered his head and swallowed. Kaylea could almost hear his mind racing, sorting and compartmentalizing, struggling to unlock the truth. As she studied him, understanding dawned in small increments. He was the man, the one her mother had told her about. The one man who’d sacrificed himself to save them, which made her care about him so much more.
An invisible band tightened around her heart as she watched a barrage of emotions play over Brand’s face. He looked so lost, so forlorn, and every ounce of anger she held dissolved in a flash.
After a long moment of silence his fingers loosened and he scoffed. “I wanted to believe that, in fact, I did believe that at first, but Hell, and years of torture, have a way of distorting a guy’s views.”
“I understand, Brand. Believe me, I understand,” Gage offered, cursing Lucifer under his breath. “I knew he’d do this to you, but I also know that if you dig deep, you’ll get past the lies and discover the truth.”
Kaylea took in the tension of Brand’s posture and the paleness in his face as he battled his way out of the fog. After taking a moment to reflect on everything that had happened, Brand let out a heavy sigh and met Gage’s glance. “You said you’ve been waiting for me?”
Gage visibly relaxed, and touched Brands arm. “Yes, we’ve been waiting for you, Brand.”
Brand relaxed into Gage’s touch and Kaylea could feel his anger softening as the truth warmed his darkest corners. She let out a breath she hadn’t even realized she was holding.
“How?” Brand furrowed his brow, confused. “How did you know I’d come?”
Her father opened his hand and gestured toward Kaylea. “Because of Kaylea. She was born of goodness and purity and I always suspected she was the key to drawing you from Hell and freeing your soul. Now that you’re here, my suspicions are confirmed.”
Kaylea’s pulse leapt. Brand was the one meant for her. He was her destiny.
A low tortured groan sounded in his throat. In a voice that was regretful and sad, he said, “It’s too late for that Gage. I marked her.”
The dark grieving look in Brand’s eyes twisted Kaylea’s heart and pulled her from her seat. Everything inside her reached out to him as she climbed from her chair and walked over to Brand. When she moved in close, until only inches remained between their bodies, he let out an anguished breath and hauled her into his arms. His warm, familiar scent curled around her and filled her with solace. “Kaylea, oh God, Kaylea what have I done to you?” His voice was merely a strangled whisper.
After a long moment, Brand turned to Gage, his breathing labored, erratic. In a tone that was almost frantic, he barked out, “What do we do to fix this? What do we do to save Kaylea?”
Gage shook his head, worry lines creasing his forehead. “We don’t have all the answers, Brand. We’re as much in the dark here as you are.”
Kaylea looked at Brand’s hands, which for a brief moment appeared almost translucent. Her legs weakened beneath her. “What is it?” she asked, taking his hands into hers for a closer examination.
“I only have forty-eight hours on Earth. My body will continue to weaken until I’m gone. If we don’t figure this out by midnight, I’ll be back in Hell and
