“Heaven and Hell sensed her presence nearly two weeks ago. They will sense that she’s gone. But they won’t remove the barrier yet. Every gray is still a threat—but they’re not nearly as strong as Natalie was.”
I stared up at him. “So when you said you thought you’d be all finished in a week…?”
“Wishful thinking.” He grimaced. “I was originally told I’d be extracted after the Source was gone so I could be healed if there were any side effects of breaking through the barrier. That’s when I planned to find a way to help you—while the others were still here on patrol. But that’s not going to happen now. I’m not going anywhere. I’m officially fallen.”
“And officially crazy, depending on the day.” Kraven appeared to my left. “By the way, you’re welcome for saving both your butts. Now, can we go? I’m not in the mood for dancing with teenagers tonight. Maybe tomorrow.”
Natalie was gone, but there were still grays in Trinity. And something else was bothering me, something that Seth had said just as we’d parted ways earlier tonight.
“I told you about the homeless guy, the other fallen angel,” I said to both of them. “He sees things, visions, sort of like I do. He said to me that the dark mouth is already open. Just a crack, but it leaks its poison. Is he talking about the Hollow?”
They exchanged a glance.
“Sounds like it,” Bishop said with a nod. “Natalie made it clear that it’s changed. It’s not a place of nothingness. It’s a place. And if it’s leaking, then that’s all the more reason for the barrier to remain right where it is.”
“But that puts Trinity even more at risk, right?” I asked as a shiver went down my spine.
“Good job we’re here,” Kraven said with a smirk. “More potential things to kill. Fun, fun, fun.”
If the Hollow had sprung a leak, and that was how Natalie had originally escaped, that meant other things could, too. Which was a very scary thought. However, it gave me more hope that Carly could return. In the meantime, anything supernatural was stuck inside the city until future notice.
The demon snatched the gold dagger off the ground then swept his gaze over Bishop. “You don’t look so good, brother.”
“I’m fine.”
Bishop had been so strong when he’d tried to hang on to me so I wouldn’t slip into the Hollow, but I knew he must be hurting after being brutally stabbed twice.
I stared at the dagger in Kraven’s grip. Seeing Carly thrust it through Natalie’s chest—she’d killed her to save me.
I’d known Carly since kindergarten. Spoken to her every day. Shared everything with her, good times and bad. Secrets I wouldn’t tell anyone else, tears, heartbreak, hopes, dreams, wishes. Now she was gone and I had no guarantees I’d be able to find her again.
Bishop went down the stairs first. I followed slowly, passing Kraven as I went.
He watched me warily. “You knocked me out, gray girl.”
I let out a shuddery breath. “I had no choice. For what it’s worth, I regretted it after I got here. We could have used the help.”
“Obviously. But I’ll have to watch you carefully. I can block your mojo if I concentrate.”
“I know.” I swallowed hard. “Listen, I know we’ve had our problems, but thank you for saving me and Bishop.”
I turned and started down the stairs, but Kraven caught my arm, making me look back at him.
His expression was tense as his eyes met mine. “Who says I was trying to save him?”
He let me go and I continued down the stairs, unsure of what he meant. He hadn’t wanted to specifically save Bishop, his brother with whom he shared some unpleasant history. History that neither one wanted to talk about. But he’d come here after I’d knocked him out. He’d come here not to help push us both into the Hollow, but to save us.
To save me.
Whatever his motivation, I was grateful to him. I wouldn’t forget that. But I didn’t think I’d ever trust him completely.
After what just happened on the second floor, I was surprised that everything looked like just another Friday night on the main level. The cloaking on the lounge had worked perfectly, since nobody down here had any idea what had happened. The music hadn’t let up for a moment and multicolored lights flashed across the kids on the dance floor.
That was me a week ago. It felt more like a lifetime.
Stephen was nowhere to be seen. I wanted to believe that what they’d said about my soul wasn’t a lie, but I’d been lied to so much this week that I didn’t know what to believe anymore. Just what my gut told me, I guess. And my gut told me he’d been speaking the truth. My soul still existed—somewhere.
And if it did, then one day very soon I was going to find it again.
* * *
I would never give up on the possibility of rescuing Carly from the Hollow, but her absence had to be dealt with. And, again, the truth wasn’t going to be much help to anyone right now.
First, we met up with the others.
After Zach tended to Bishop’s wounds, healing them with a touch, Zach went with me to Carly’s house. I tried to hold it together, to be strong, but I felt weak and tired and sick with grief as Zach gently explained to Mrs. Kessler that Carly had run away from home with a boy she’d met at Crave.
A runaway teen. Not exactly a new story. With a bit of angelic influence from Zach, Carly’s mother believed what he told her one hundred percent.