“Come with me,” Elena said, her jaw hardening with determination.
She turned back into the storage room, and I followed. After shoving a few cots aside, Elena crouched to the ground and reached under a shelf of food storage until she extracted a small box.
“Emergency Demonhunting kit,” she said with a wry smile.
She pried it open to reveal a few potion bottles, an athame, and a long, wooden stake.
“Do you still have your athame?” she asked.
“Yes.”
She took the athame from the box and strapped it to her ankle holster. Then she shoved the potion bottles down her dress, wedged between her breasts.
Embarrassed giggles burst through me, and I covered my mouth.
Elena smirked. “We ladies must do what we can.” She handed the stake to me.
I glanced up and down my ripped dress and finally slid the stake down my dress, between my breasts like Elena. Though my body wasn’t stick-thin like Elena’s, my chest left much to be desired, so I had plenty of room.
Elena snorted and pressed her lips together. “Very nice.” She stood. “Let’s go get Oliver.”
I took her by the arm. “Elena, wait.”
Elena sighed, her eyes weighed down by grief and resignation. “I’m sorry I blamed you for what happened to Manuel. It wasn’t your fault. I know you cared about him too.”
I swallowed as emotion built in my throat. I nodded. “Thank you,” I whispered. “But there’s something else you need to know.”
Elena’s brow furrowed. “What?”
I took a deep breath. “Oliver made a blood bond with El Diablo.”
She stared at me, frozen for a long moment before her eyes widened. “I—Lilith.” She exhaled and raised a hand to her forehead. Her face drained of color as she slumped backward to lean against the wall.
“I just felt like you should know before we go in there. Oliver might be compelled to fight us.”
Elena’s mouth opened and closed, her eyes distant. Then she shook her head and straightened. Determination blazed in her eyes. “Well, he’s still alive. And as long as he breathes, I’ll fight for him.”
My mouth opened. “I . . .” I had no response.
Elena looked at me impatiently. “What? We don’t have any time to waste.”
“Aren’t you curious about how this happened?”
“El Diablo is powerful. I don’t have to guess. I know Oliver didn’t have a choice.”
“What if he did?” I asked quietly.
Elena stiffened and searched my expression, her eyes narrowing. “Look, Desi, I don’t know what you think you know about Oliver, but he’s solid as a rock. He would never betray anyone willingly.”
“But he didn’t tell anyone!” I protested. “Don’t you think he should’ve told someone? Alba? Anyone? So we could help him?”
“He’s stubborn!” Elena said, throwing her hands in the air. “All men are. He probably thought he could get himself out of it.”
“But he should’ve told me,” I protested through clenched teeth.
Elena crossed her arms over her chest. “So you’re saying you’ve been forthcoming about all your secrets since you arrived here?”
My mouth clamped shut, my teeth grinding together. “I—I opened up to him. I shared private things with him.”
“He did, too,” Elena said, her tone softening.
My eyes snapped to her. “How do you know that?”
Elena tilted her chin up slightly, her lips pressed together. “Because he’s shared things with me. Personal things. And if he chose to be with you over me, I’m certain he shared them with you too.”
My throat felt dry, and I dropped my gaze to the floor. I snaked one foot behind the other and muttered, “I’m sorry.”
“Spare me your pity,” Elena snapped. “I’ve made my peace with it. You can’t force someone to love you. But that doesn’t mean you stop loving them or give up on them. Whatever secrets he kept from you, that doesn’t mean he deserves to die or be sacrificed for some sick ritual.”
I raised my eyes to meet hers and nodded stiffly. “You’re right.” I knew she was right. So why did betrayal keep wriggling through my gut? Why did I still ache with hurt and longing? The pain and agony rippled through me, coursing through the cavity in my chest like a waterfall, fresh and excruciating.
“Now, if you get close enough to El Diablo, run that stake into his heart,” Elena said. “With any luck, we can banish El Diablo and free Oliver from the bond.” She eyed me, her brows pinching in concern. “Have you done this before?”
I shook my head. “Don’t worry, though. I can do this.”
She touched my forearm. “Then let’s go rescue Oliver.”
Chapter 31
ELENA SCOURED THE COTS until she found the one Oliver slept in. Before I accused her of taking her feelings for him a little too far, she stood with a triumphant smile on her face and a short, blond hair in her hand.
“Oh,” I mouthed in realization. A locater spell. Blood or hair was needed to find a person’s location.
Elena sat cross-legged on the floor of the kitchen and withdrew a potion bottle from her dress. After pouring the contents of the bottle into a bowl at her feet, she carefully dropped Oliver’s hair in as well. The mixture sizzled, and small sparks flew from the bowl.
I flinched, but Elena remained calm and collected. Her eyes closed, and her face smoothed into a perfect mask of tranquility. She could’ve been asleep for all I knew.
“I call upon the magic of the earth,
To search and find this soul,
Guide us and lead the way,
So that we can see who is lost.”
A shudder rippled through me, and I drew my arms over my chest. The contents of the bowl glowed blue. The bowl rattled, and I was reminded of when I’d cast the time travel spell and how intensely my cauldron had shaken from the power.
I swallowed down my fear as the blue glow faded. A small blue ember floated from the bowl and hovered in the air in front of Elena.
Her eyes opened and focused on
