Page 2 of Beyond the Storm

“I’m sure it’s harmless,” he said. “You’re so suspicious of everything.”

“Of course I am.” I stepped closer and examined the box without touching it. It was solid black with a simple silver clasp, no markings on the outside. “Ominous boxes don’t just appear out of nowhere. Someone waited until we left for lunch before dropping it off.”

“Well, the shop still has protective warding, so a demon couldn’t have teleported inside.” Simon peeked around me. “But I have to agree. Itiskind of ominous. And this shop doesn’t exactly have the best history when it comes to antique boxes showing up out of the blue.”

The back of my neck prickled. Was I overreacting? Was I so used to conflict and the evils of the world that I saw threats everywhere I looked?

“We should open it,” Simon said.

“Correction,Iwill open it. You stay where you are.”

He sighed but didn’t argue.

I sensed no energy coming from it. A good sign. The box containing the ring with Asa’s soul had radiated a strong negative energy even while closed. This one held no power that I could detect. I popped the latch and eased the lid open.

“What is it?” Simon asked, leaning closer.

Red velvet lined the inside. A folded piece of parchment sat on top, the paper antiquated. Frowning, I unfolded it to reveal a handwritten note. The ink smudged around the edges of the fancy lettering. A single sentence was written:You’re formally invited to a night you’ll never forget.

“It’s an invitation,” I said.

“To what?” Simon squinted at the paper. “That’s… weird. It doesn’t say anything else? Give a location or time?”

I turned the paper over. “No. Nothing.”

My unease from earlier returned. The box might not contain a cursed item or be infused with dark magic, but the mysterious message didn’t bode well.

I tapped into my telepathic link with my brothers. The distance prevented me from reaching some of them, but one was close enough.

“Gray. Where are you?”

“Trapped in a comfy bed,”he responded.“A Marine has me barricaded against his strong body. He’s hot though.”

“But you’re okay? Has anything strange happened?”

“Yeah, I’m okay.”Gray’s tone turned serious.“Are you?”

“Yes.”I then told him about the mysterious box.

“You’re invited to something? Can I go too?”

“No other details were given.”

“That’s dumb. Any idea who coulda sent it?”

“I was hoping you knew.”Because truth be told, it sounded like something one of my brothers would do just to fuck with me.

“Nope,”he said.“No clue.”

I ended the line of communication with him and focused back on the box. After double-checking that nothing else was inside, I studied the note again. “A night you’ll never forget. Whatever this is will happen once the sun sets.”

“That gives us a few hours of daylight to investigate.” Simon smiled at me. “Is it weird that I’m kind of excited?”

“This could be a threat,” I pointed out. “Possibly from one of Lucifer’s former followers out for revenge, like an upper-level demon or a fallen angel. I should call Alastair.” I grabbed my phone and dialed his number.

However, my eldest brother had no answers either. He listened as I explained the situation and then told me to tread cautiously. At least he was taking it seriously. Then again, he took most everything seriously. He saw the same shadows I did, the monsters that lurked around every corner, threats that were just waiting for the moment to swoop in and fuck shit up.

It would take much longer than a year to change thousands of years of habit. Vague invitations showing up in black boxes didn’t help.