Page 15 of Broken Shadows (Corrupt Shadows Duet #2)

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

Evie

I finish my fourth coffee of the evening and glance at the clock. Midnight. Yet, again, I haven’t followed by body’s cues to go to bed at a normal time.

I hold my breath for a few seconds when Lorcan sits on the chair next to me at the kitchen table along with Ezra, Rosa, and Aiden.

In the Shadow Realm, everything was muted including our chemistry, and even then it was off the charts. Now it’s like I’ve been transported to a whole other level of desire.

His curious voice booms into my mind unexpectedly and I almost drop my coffee mug.

What are you thinking about, Little Witch?

I exhale slowly then respond, Just thinking about your sins. Lust in particular.

Oh, do tell.

The corner of my mouth lifts and I watch Lorcan in my peripheral vision, his gaze burning into me. I track his fingers as he glides them to the inside of my thigh, tracing them up and up until… my quads clench as he flicks a finger against the jean fabric between my legs.

I’ve missed the way you taste.

“There are other people in this kitchen, you know,” Ezra says, eyebrows raised.

Heat floods my cheeks. Fuck! Normally I wouldn’t mind an audience, but these are people I know. At least Rosa and Aiden are. Thank the devils that Gomez is sleeping on the couch. He’s been scarred enough by shit like this.

“Right.” I clear my throat and have to push Lorcan’s hand away when he doesn’t move it, because it’s not like he gives a fuck who sees.

Lorcan’s claws protrude from his fingers, digging into the jeans over his knees. A low growl rumbles in his chest as he grumbles into my mind, Later , sounding more promise than request.

“It’s okay. I get it,” Ezra exclaims sultrily as he watches Rosa gliding her tongue over the few remaining sprinkles clinging to the whipped cream on the rim of her mug.

Lorcan makes a face and Rosa shoots him a look I can only equivalate to murderous. I’d like to believe she’s not charmed by Ezra, but when she leans forward, the sudden arch to her back and wiggle of her hips tells me otherwise. She fucking enjoying his attentions.

Damn. If he fucking hurts her.

“So,” Rosa says, pulling me back to the present. “We’re all here for your idea. What’s up.”

I cast a glance at the grimoire that I’ve been reading ever since an unconscious Gideon was thrown into one of the spare rooms. My magic pulses in my fingertips, ready to be used. The desire to let it out on the rest of The Order is the equivalent to a damned orgasm. Gods I just want to rid the earth of them, but killing one of the demons is going to be harder than I first thought.

I clear my throat and announce, “It will likely kill me to destroy Samuel, something The Order likely knew when they tortured me.”

Lorcan’s claws extend again, but out of anger this time as I watch them slice through the fabric of his pants. “You won’t. I’ll fucking kill him myself.”

I shake my head. “That’s sweet, except you’re not a powerful witch and you can’t kill your own kind.”

Ezra smirks as Lorcan’s cheeks flush with pink. “Yeah, Lor. That’s sweet, but she doesn’t need your help. Let your girlfriend take care of the big bad men while you sit looking pretty.”

Girlfriend. I watch Lorcan carefully for his reaction, but that doesn’t seem to be the part that’s pissing him off.

I shoot Ezra my best psycho gaze and intone, “I’ll take care of you in a minute.”

Lorcan pushes his elbows against the table, muscles flexing under his rolled-up sleeves. “I can kill Samuel. I don’t need to be a witch to do that. I kill demons all the time.”

Ezra nods as he stands, scraping his chair backward. “Lor’s right. I can too.”

Rosa grabs his arm and pulls him back to his chair. “She said you can’t kill your own. I assume Evie’s done her damn research,” she says, then adds with a roll of her eyes. “Fragile. Fucking. Egos.”

Aiden snort laughs then quickly slaps his hand over the servant’s mark on his neck. “Ouch, bro. It’s Rosa that said it, not me.”

“Gods, I’m going to need more coffee.” I look at the empty cup, then slide it across the polished wood. “Look, I’ve been thinking.”

“Me too,” Aiden adds unexpectedly.

Lorcan laughs. “That’s dangerous.”

I suppress a smirk for Aiden’s benefit and mask my laugh as a cough. “I’ve been thinking that we need to go to Hell.”

Ezra blinks twice, exhaling a tense breath. “Sorry, my brain just seized up for a second. Because you did not just suggest we go to Hell.”

Aiden puffs out his cheeks and leans back in his chair. “Yeah, dude, I’m out. Like, I am not going to the place that made these two.” He points at Lorcan then Ezra. “Plus, there are demons there and I’ve experienced my fair share of those.”

Ezra chuckles. “There are much worse creatures in Hell than demons, Kiddo.”

Aiden and Lorcan exchange a glare, but we don’t have time to unpack whatever history is there. I clear my throat and announce, “The Order will be on their way. If Gideon is here, then surely the rest of your brothers know. We can’t take on all of them including The Order, or maybe we can but…”

Half of us will end up dead. I finish the last part in my head. I continue, “Even if we can kill them, they’ll just go to Hell and be able to come back. We need to obliterate their souls or whatever is needed to actually wipe them out of our existence.” Ezra winces and I remember that I am talking about his family, and even if he hates them, bonds like that don’t break easily. So I add, “Or just Samuel at least.”

Ezra and Lorcan both nod.

“Samuel needs to go,” Lorcan says. “But what will going to Hell do? You don’t want to go there, Evie. It’s not a good place.”

I roll my eyes. “Well, I didn’t think it would be a vacation.”

Rosa laughs along with Aiden and Ezra while Lorcan, unbeknown to them, speaks into my mind.

You need to be dead to go to Hell, Baby Girl. I’m not going to see you dead before your time.

My stomach does a cartwheel at his words. I mentally kick myself for swooning over a nickname when we have much more important things to discuss.

I saw that in the grimoire, except there is another way. We go through one of the gateways to Hell.

His response comes all too quickly. Absolutely not. It’s still a risk and there are far more demons there than there ever were in the Shadow Realm. Their favorite pastime is tearing human souls apart. The answer is no.

I glance sideways at him. I wasn’t asking for permission. You let me open the portal even though it was risk… or was that just because it benefitted you?

I knew you would be okay. I’ve seen how powerful you are.

I nod. Then you can trust me on this. You’re not my damned keeper and I’m going. It’s the only way to get us out of this mess.

Rosa clears her throat and we both turn our heads to look at her. “You know, we can’t hear whatever you two are saying to each other. I know about your blood bond through the portal or whatever.” She waggles a finger between us.

“Technically, it’s because of the Fallenmoore blood spells tying my family line to Lorcan,” I say, but Lorcan quickly rebukes it in my mind.

It’s not that. It’s a mating thing. I can imprint on a witch’s mind, if I… feel a certain way.

My eyes widen and Ezra grins as if he knows exactly what it is.

The question burns in my mind. What way?

In a bat-plushie buying, hair washing kind of way.

I’m dying to dissect exactly what that means, but Ezra interrupts us. “So, Hell? Why?”

“Right.” I tap my fingers on the table in a rhythmic motion. “We need to talk to Lucifer. Err, your father.”

Aiden’s eyebrows shoot halfway up his forehead. “The Devil ? You mean you want to go to Hell to see the Devil ?”

“Where else would she go to see him?” Rosa asks, earning a smirk from Ezra. “For real, though. Is this really our best plan? What if we’re wrong about it all and he’s in on it?”

Lorcan shakes his head. “He’s not. I thought so too, but Samuel and Evangaline are pulling the strings.”

Ezra nods, his leg bouncing under the table. “I never heard an order come from Dad himself. They don’t allow us to go see him. I agree with Evie. We should go. Dad has the power to banish or destroy anything.”

I can feel Lorcan’s eye roll without looking at him. “Such a daddy’s boy.” He sighs. “Well, I suppose, Evangeline won’t stop until I’m destroyed. I guess we need to go to the bitch herself.”

My stomach knots. I hadn’t thought about that part too deeply. Instead, remaining willfully delusional about never having to meet the woman who manipulated Lorcan, and was the most powerful witch in the world before me.

Rosa arches a brow. “Can we die while we’re in Hell?”

Ezra shrugs nonchalantly. “No, because you need to die before you go. Do they teach humans nothing?”

She slaps him on a toned forearm, right on the face of a crying stone angel tattooed there, and he feigns pains. “I mean is there any other way to go there? I’m not killing myself.”

Lorcan’s grin widens. “I can do the killing if needed.”

“He’s joking!” I say before it escalates. At least I hope he is. “We can go through one of the gateways to Hell.”

Aiden slowly stands. “Gateway? Where?”

“Hellam, Pennsylvania.”

“Aptly named,” Rosa jokes, although I notice a bead of sweat collecting on her forehead, and Ezra snickers.

Aiden hisses a breath between his teeth and professes, “You all have fun with that. I’m going to head off to Mexico or some Caribbean Island.”

“With what money?” Ezra questions.

Aiden shoves his hands into his sweatpants pockets. “Uh, I don’t know. I guess since you’re all dying, I’ll just sell this place.”

Lorcan’s chair screeches back as his tattooed knuckles land on the table. “You fucking try it. You sold your soul to me first, Valet, or have you forgotten. Just because we are allies doesn’t mean your servitude is over.”

Aiden’s mouth forms a perfect ‘o’. “Evie said—”

“I agreed to let you go, but there was no contract. I am not required to do anything.”

I place a hand on Lorcan’s arm, pulling him back to sitting. I forget sometimes how angry he can get with all that power contained behind those untamed eyes. “You did promise, but…” I add before he can lose it again, “perhaps we can add another layer to the deal. That you remove it on the condition Aiden goes to Hell with us.” I look at Aiden and sigh. “I wish we could cut you free, but the truth is you’re in danger on your own. They’ll never stop hunting you because they know you were with us at The Order.”

Aiden pauses for several seconds, then throws his hands in the air. “I’m not swimming through any lava pits and God help you all, if there are any clowns there, I’m out.”

Ezra rolls his lips in and Lorcan snickers.

“There are, aren’t there?” Aiden asks, and I shake my head, as if I’m the authority on it. “Look, I’ll make sure there’s a contract this time. So you can be free.”

Rosa shrugs and points at Lorcan. “It has to be better than spending a lifetime attached to him.”

“She’s right,” Ezra says to Aiden. “I’ve had Lor at my side for centuries and it’s a fate worse than dying in a lava river.”

Aiden’s face blanches. “Lava river? You’re kidding, right?”

Rosa grabs my hands from across the table, ignoring Aiden’s freak out. “It’s a good plan.”

“I wish you didn’t have to come. That I could keep you and Gomez safe.”

“You are.” Her smile widens, although I detect a flicker of fear in her brown eyes. “Besides, it’s not like we have any other choice. We’re not safe here anymore.”

I close my eyes, clenching my fingers as she releases my hands. I hate that I dragged her into this. I only hope Ezra’s little crush means he’ll actually focus on protecting Rosa in Hell. Although, going by the type of person he is, it doesn’t seem likely.