Luke glares at him. "What are you trying to say?"
"I'm not falling for your tricks." Is he trying to get a rise out of me? Doesn't he realize that I'm done with all of his shit?
"Unfortunately, it's not a trick." His tone is condescending, and he lifts his nose up in the air.
What a pompous ass.
"Don't roll your eyes. There’s something you might want to know before it's too late for your beloved Charlie." He walks over to Charlie and glances at him. "You see, it's too late for Beth because her body is too decayed. She would look like a zombie if you tried resurrecting her now. There is only a certain shelf life a body has."
Dammit, I hadn't even thought about that. Her body has been decomposing for over two years.
"And you wait until now to share that information with her?" Dax places the gun back on the table and then grab some bullets on the side. Pulling out the gun he always carries, he begins re-loading it.
"So why did you keep her soul if it's too late for me to bring her back?" Why lock her up in that amulet if he knew it was too late?
"Because he still can use her as a bargaining tool." Luke barks out a nasty, deep laugh. "You truly are an awful demon."
"Ahhh, and the elder finally caught on." Damien chuckles and touches Charlie's arm.
Right now, I want to slug him. He's a special kind of asshole.
"I'm assuming our loyal…" he says as he looks up as if trying to search for the right word, "seeker wants a chance for Beth's soul to have peace after all." He arches an eyebrow and winks at me. "Am I right?"
"If I could kill you right now, I would." I'm so over his shit and manipulation. If I had a guess, he orchestrated the whole thing just to make sure I ended up in the spot I'm in now.
"I'm willing to give her to you." He wraps his hand around the amulet and purses his lips. "For a price, that is."
"It's always for something isn't it?" But can I really leave my friend trapped for all her eternity in that windowless room the angels showed me?
"Don't listen to him." Luke slams the book shut and stand. "Demons are sneaky and usually always one step ahead."
Isn't that the freaking truth. "What do you want?"
"Nu-uh... Now isn't the time for me to tell you all my secrets." He tucks the necklace back under his shirt and shakes his head. "That would be too easy. I'll let you know when it's time, but we better hurry before it's too late for Charlie."
Shit, I hadn't even thought about that, but he's right. The longer it takes, the less my chances are for bringing him back. I don't need his body decomposing.
The door swings open, and soon Brad enters. His eyes land on Charlie, but he tears them away and focuses on me.
"Where is everyone?" Dax crosses his arms and frowns. "I thought you said the former council was going to help us."
"Wait." Luke rubs his hands together and takes slow steps to where he stands right behind me. "What the hell are you talking about?"
Oh, this is going to be fun. "Brad works with the original council. They want to make sure the corrupt council members don't get their hands on the artifact." It'll be interesting to see how he reacts to this.
Luke’s expression is unreadable. "Why would we want to have those traitors helping us?"
"Because you might need bigger numbers." Brad puffs out his chest and scowls. "But they aren't willing to join forces with this council, so I'm going to help you and provide them with updates in case we need the extra help."
"We could need reinforcements." Dax nods and claps Brad on the back. "We wouldn't have been able to attack the fortress if it hadn't been for your team."
"How were you able to get to the water world?" Luke's forehead wrinkles, and he bites his lip.
"Don't worry. We have our ways." Brad grins but startles when the door opens once again. Four teenaged boys that appear to be between sixteen and eighteen walk in.
I’ve never seen these guys before. My power pulses inside me as if it’s ready to protect me at a moment’s notice.
“Why are you here?” Brad’s tone is rough, and his jaw ticks.
“We’re your backup.” The oldest of the four stands in front and crosses his arms. “They told us to come with you.”
“It seems like your leaders aren’t very confident in your ability.” Damien waggles his eyebrows.
Oh, dear God, I need to diffuse this. "Let's head back and see what's going on so we can make a plan." I need to get moving, or I might go stir crazy.
"That's a good idea, especially since Luke hasn't been there." Dax heads into the center of the group. "Now, everyone touch my arm." He lifts his left arm out as he closes his eyes, drawing the portal back to the water world.
"I'll get there on my own." Damien grins as his body begins to disappear into a dark, black shadow.
"What the..." Brad shakes his head, but we don't have time for that. I push him forward into the portal.
Soon, all eight of us appear on the beach, and the purple moon is high in the sky. I glance toward the town and spy someone standing about one hundred yards from us.
Luke stiffens. "Do we know who that is?"
Oh, thank God. "It's Melody." What is she doing out here like this? Did something happen to her? I rush over to her and scan her for injuries. "Are you okay?"
Melody gives me a small smile. "Yeah, but I've been waiting for you to come back. The town has gotten a little crazy since Charlie's death."
A dark, smoky shadow begins swirling beside me, and Melody's panic causes her to stumble back a few steps.
The stench of hell
