“You do know me, Lil. You know me better than anyone.”
She pinched the bridge of her nose. She was suddenly exhausted. She wanted to curl up beside Mist and fall asleep for days. “I need time to think. And some space. And—”
She stiffened suddenly, twisting in the chair to look through the glass door inside. “Did you feel that?”
“No, what?”
“It felt like…”
She felt it again and leapt to her feet.
Magic.
By the time her instincts rose, she had realized several things. One, she should have obeyed her urge and never left Mist’s side for a second. Two, she should have pushed him to talk about what was bothering him and share his plans before she did anything else.
And three, in the time it had taken her to figure that out… she was already too late.
* * *
As soon asLily shut the door behind her, Mist sprang into action. Her instincts were sharp, and he knew he didn’t have long before she would return to check on him as she promised. And the moment he activated the gate, others would feel it.
For the second time that week, Mist drew the complicated hellgate that would return him to the last place in any of the realms he wanted to be. His plan was simple. Stupidly simple. But he was out of time and options, and it was the best he could do.
And maybe… just maybe… he would be successful.
If not, well, he was headed there anyway, so at least he could go out knowing he had tried. Wasn’t that what Lily had asked of him? To have hope?
Just before he was ready to activate the gate, he paused. He remembered the look on her face as she tried to figure out what he was planning. He thought about how she would feel when she discovered he was gone, and knowing it would hurt her sent a sharp pain lancing through his chest.
For millennia, he had existed in a state of cold indifference, detached and numb, living only for the hunt. Now, he felt things, and he wasn’t sure he liked it.
He hated the idea of causing Lily pain, but he knew he had to. He wanted her to be free. He wanted her to forget about him and his doomed existence and go on with her human life where she was safe and happy.
He growled suddenly, fingers tightening around the chalk in his hand until it snapped in half.
That was a lie. He wanted her to need him and only him. He wanted her to wait for him forever, to tear the worlds apart seeking him, and to hunt him to the ends of the earth for daring to leave her.
But he knew that was selfish. His demonic nature didn’t care about that, but that other part of him, the part that felt things… that part just wanted what was best for her.
So, he would meet his end on his own terms, knowing he had enjoyed the human experiences he wanted and knowing he was keeping Lily safe in the only way he could. And if he failed, he knew Belial would honor his promise to protect her in his stead.
Fueled by his conviction, Mist broke through his final mental barrier of resistance and activated the gate. Immediately, he heard silence fall over the apartment, the hum of voices in the kitchen stopping as they detected the flare of Sheolic magic.
He heard someone shout, “What the fuck?” and the sound of thundering footsteps approaching rapidly.
Seconds before they arrived, he stepped into the gate and disappeared.
21
One-Way Ticket To Hell
Lily ran towards Mist’s bedroom, having sensed exactly what the demons had. She burst through the door, nearly colliding with Belial’s towering form, only to find the room empty.
“Motherfucker,” he growled.
“He’s gone,” Lily breathed in horror. “Where did he go?” But she already knew.
Belial answered anyway. “Through that damned gate, back to Paimon’s lair.”
