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Sabrine had just started to read the passage when Loren heard Darien’s voice floating up from the stairs. It sounded like he was halfway up them.

“Hold on,” Loren hissed. “I think Darien’s coming.” She listened?—

Yup, he definitely was.

“I’ll call you back,” Loren said. She snapped her laptop shut just as Darien walked into the room.

“Hey, beautiful,” he said. “Who were you talking to?”

“Singer,” she fibbed.

The dog was curled up on his favorite cushion by the big windows. The sound of his name had him blinking his eyes open and lifting his head.

“Is it time?” she asked Darien as he paused beside the bed.

“Just about.”

“You’re going to my parents’ house now?” He had to get something from Roark—something he needed for tracking.

“After I meet with the Butcher,” he replied. “I need more salt.”

“Where’s he been staying, anyway?”

“Somewhere Below. But I’m not going there” —thank gods,she thought— “I’ll be meeting him in Black Alder.” He scanned her arms—the tattoos that were glowing against the front of her shirt. “You’ll be okay for a bit?”

“Don’t worry about me today—I’m fine. You’ve got a lot on your plate.”

“I’ll always worry about you.” He came closer and kissed the top of her head. “I should be back within the hour, but I’ll check in once I’m done in Black Alder.”

“Okay.”

He slipped her hand that was resting on her laptop into his and gave it a light squeeze. “Doing some online shopping?” he asked, his eyes flicking to the computer.

“Of course—with your credit card.”

He snickered and stepped back, his fingers trailing off hers as he headed toward the door. “Call me if you need anything, okay?”

“I will.”

“See you in a bit.”

She listened to his footfall, and once he reached the foyer, she opened her laptop and called Sabrine back.

“Hey,” Sabrine said as the video call connected.

“Hey,” Loren whispered, sitting up straighter. “What did you find?”

Exactly nine hoursremained when Darien pulled his car to a stop in front of the apartment building where the Brights lived.

Nine hours until Witching Hour. Nine hours until Yveswich and the last of the survivors who were still trapped beneath the forcefield would be blasted apart with anima mundi missiles.

Nine hours until Darien’s life would change. Whether it would change for the worse or the better remained to be seen.

Roman, Shay, Dean, and Pax were keeping in touch as they traveled back to Yveswich. Last Darien heard, as long as they encountered no delays, they should arrive at the outskirts of Ker’s capital just as the forcefield came down. As for Travis and Max, their group had managed to fully charge the warhead—right on time.

Their plan had worked. Against all odds, it had worked.

He grabbed his phone from where he’d tossed it onto the dash and found Loren in his contacts. He’d left Heaven’s Gate less than an hour ago, and while he could claim that his reason for texting her was simply to see if she was safe, he had another reason.