“We’re not going to let that happen,” Tabatha says, chest rapidly rising and falling.
“How do we stop it?” I ask Julian, desperation bubbling inside me.
“Close the gates,” he replies.
“Okay…but how?”
“There is a way to restore the seals and shut all the gates, but from the inside.”
“Then go,” Lucas urges. “Go close them. You can fly down to the underworld, can’t you?”
“I can,” Julian says. “But only someone with archangel blood can restore the seal.”
“Take me,” I say. “Take me there now so we can close the gates once and for all!”
“Callie, no.” Lucas shakes his head. “You’re not going to Hell!”
“I’ll come back,” I counter. “What kind of world is this for our daughter?” I sweep my hand out at the front window. “Demons are coming to take over Thorne Hill. This isn’t the world I want her growing up in.”
I grab Julian’s hand. “Take me to Hell.”
He gives a curt nod and then we disappear, twisting and turning, and spinning and falling. Traveling to the underworld is a lot different than traveling to a pretty beach in Australia. I get my bearings and blink several times.
“This is Hell?” I whisper, looking around. We’re standing in a vast wasteland of nothing but tall, dried grass, with gray cloudy skies drifting overhead. There’s a large black castle just feet from us, with dark stained-glass windows and evil-looking gargoyles on every peak and corner of the roof. Thick twisted and spiked vines wrap around the large columns on front of the castle, and all the vegetation around is dry and dead.
“We need to go in,” Julian says. “Once we’re in, we have to find a hall that leads to a throne. There will be a sigil on the ground. Anoint it with your blood, and it will lock all the gates.”
“Oh, why does that wound way too easy?”
“Because I didn’t mention the hall will be filled with demons.”
“Great.” I let out a breath and adjust the flower crown on my head. “Let’s go.”
Crows caw above us, and a weird, muted light shines down upon the ground. The place looks earthy, but the feel is all wrong. Julian holds out his hand and summons his dagger.
“When we get to the sigil, I’ll cut your hand,” he tells me. “Put it on the center of the pentagram.”
“What is this sigil, an oh-shit button or something?”
“That’s exactly what it is. The trick is, though, it has to be an archangel who activates it. I just hope your blood is strong enough.”
“Me too.”
With a nod, Julian sprints forward. My low heels are not what I’d choose to wear to a trip to Hell, but it’s not like I had time to get dressed for this. Julian pushes large iron doors open and—oh shit—he was right. This place is crawling with demons.
My heart jumps into my throat and I look past them, finding the sigil on the ground. It’s a large pentagram, with the archangel sigils carved around it. Just get to the pentagram, I tell myself. That’s all I have to do. Get to the pentagram, put some blood on it, and then Julian can fly me home in time for the second serving of cake. Which isn’t a thing, I know, but I’m making it one.
We step into a dark and cavernous grand hall of Lucifer’s castle. The place smells like brimstone and it's way more rustic and gothic than I’d peg Lucifer’s style to be. A circle of hellfire burns around the throne, which is tall and black and encrusted with millions of jewels.
“Get to the pentagram,” I whisper to myself. “All I have to do is get to the pentagram.” Getting away from it, out of this dark castle, and back home where my baby shower is still going on. Swallowing hard, I curl my fingers into fists. “What’s the plan here?”
“Activate the sigil and don’t die.”
“I like the simplicity of it, but uh, how do we get past them without dying?”
“I’ll distract them,” Julian, holding his dagger up. “Get to the sigil and then get out of here.”
“Not without you.”
Julian’s brows push together, and his usually stoic face shows more emotion in this moment than I’ve seen before. “You might have to.
“Julian, no. I refuse to accept that.”
“We have to close the gates,” he says, ignoring that he just said he’s going to sacrifice himself. “That’s what matters, Callie. The fate of the entire world depends on it.”
“We came to Hell together, we’re leaving Hell together. And if you want a distraction, I can give them a distraction.” Hellfire sparks around my fingers.
Julian nods. “And I’ll kill as many as I can.”
“I’ll get to the sigil and then we’re getting out—together.”
Julian doesn’t say anything or give me the smallest nod this time. “Be careful, Callie.”
“You too.”
We crouch behind a big stone pillar, getting a little closer to survey exactly what we’re walking into. Most of the demons are in human form, to some extent at least. The bodies they’re in are decaying with scabs and scar tissue covering most of their exposed skin. The smell of sulfur fills the air, so strong I can taste it.