Page 114 of Demon's Heart

In a blur, demons rushed toward the shimmering gateway and disappeared into the darkness. Into the Human Realm.

Lucifer had opened a gateway between the realms. That tug on Dante’s chest was the link he still bore to the confinement magic, which was now broken.

Ollie’s fear flared again. “Ollie!” he called desperately as he was thrown to the ground. Whoever had been holding him was clearly more interested in escape than keeping him incapacitated.

Dante’s call was lost in the chaos erupting around them. Demons flew in from all sides, shoving each other out of the way to get to the portal. Dante looked around frantically. He couldn’t get up. A wall of flying demons pressed in from above.

Where was Lucifer? Where was Onyx?

Ash snarled.

Wings beat and demons cried with joy as they disappeared in droves, and all the while, Ollie’s fear clawed at Dante’s heart.

“We have to get back,” he yelled.

“Where’s Luc?” Ash shouted.

At last, the stampede thinned, revealing a nearly empty room.

Onyx was slumped near the edge of the stone floor, one arm hanging out the shattered floor-to-ceiling window. Dante rushed to his side, pulling Onyx from the ledge.

His face was a grayish color and no breath passed his lips.

“Why isn’t he waking up?” Dante shook him. There were no visible wounds and Onyx’s magic should have healed him from any poison or mortal death quickly.

Ash staggered toward them. “A curse. Fuck. We’ll have to counteract it, but something is wrong with Harper.”

Dante hoisted Onyx up. “Ollie too.”

“It started before the portal opened. It can’t be Luc.” Ash took a breath and scanned the empty room once again. “Why would he let them out?”

It was the perfect diversion, but it couldn’t have beencompletely spontaneous. How long had that screen held Eternal runes? It wasn’t how the containment spell was initially created. What had Luc changed?

“I don’t know. We can worry about it later. Can you get us back with Onyx like this? He can’t help with the spell.”

Ash folded Onyx’s wings, supporting him alongside Dante. “It should work since the containment is broken. It’s not ideal, but I’m not flying through that portal with no idea where we’ll end up.”

It could deposit them anywhere on Earth, thousands of miles from their mates.

Ash began the spell, and Dante let his power loose. Ollie’s fear hit him in a fresh wave.

He’d failed with Luc. Again. He wouldn’t fail Ollie too.

31

OLLIE

Ollie stirred,darkness all around him. His face was pressed against something cold.

What the hell?

He remembered being in the casino. Pamala! She’d done something to him. Ollie’s eyes flew open. He wasn’t in the casino anymore. He was outside. It was dark, the air foul. He was in the street. No, an alley.

Where had Pamala gone? Ollie reached for his phone. He had to call Harper.

“Don’t,” said a soft voice behind him. Ollie’s arm seized, muscles going rigid. “Keep your hands where I can see them.”

“Okay.” The tension fled, and Ollie pushed off the ground, twisting around to face Pamala. “W-what are you?”