He heard Hannah crying and smelled the unmistakable scent of human blood before he took a step onto the block. He strode down the block and paused in front of Hannah’s cell. She was curled up on the bed, sobbing. When he looked at the cell across from her, he saw why. Jared stood in the cell, covered in blood. The cell looked as if a human had exploded, and Rhyn saw a pile of bones Jared had gnawed clean then stacked neatly.
“Ully didn’t make it,” Jared said.
“I see that.”
“I didn’t touch the cupcake.”
“Good for you,” Rhyn said. He placed the talisman on the door frame of Hannah’s cell. The door opened.
“Are we still good? You taking me with you?” Jared asked.
“I’ll do you a favor,” Rhyn said. He grimaced at the pain in his chest as he hefted Hannah into his arms. “I’ll leave you right there instead of tearing you limb-from-limb.”
“Fuck you, Rhyn.”
Rhyn ignored the demon and left the cell block, returning to the hallway before opening a portal. He crossed through the shadow world to the beach of the Caribbean Sanctuary. Toby was dragging Kiki up the beach by one leg.
“What the fuck, Toby? Go get help if you can’t lift him!” he shouted at the young angel.
Toby dropped Kiki’s leg and took off for the Sanctuary. Rhyn strode through the loose sand of the beach and paused beside Kiki. He set Hannah down.
“Hannah, walk,” he ordered. “I can’t carry you both.” He hefted Kiki once again. Hannah sniffled and crawled to her feet. Rhyn hurried towards the Sanctuary, concerned for Kiki but even more anxious about making sure Katie was alive and well.
The convent members who managed the Sanctuary had replaced the wall Rhyn knocked down with a row of brown tents that matched their dresses. Rhyn eased between two of them, aware of Kiki’s fading pulse. He set his brother down on the ground and looked around wildly, hoping they hadn’t sent Katie’s Ancient Healer, Lankha, home to the underworld.
“You!” he yelled at a member of the Sanctuary entering the courtyard. “Where’s Lankha?”
“Sleeping. You’re not – “
“Go get him.”