Page 39 of The Eternal Mirror (Lucifer’s Mirror #3)

Let’s Go to Hawaii

O utside the tent, I pause for a moment and take a deep breath. I need air.

Not magic. Not strategy. Not another fucking council vote.

Just...air.

So I walk. Away from the tent, away from the people, away from the weight pressing down on me like a crown made of jagged glass.

Honestly, I went into that meeting determined not to be responsible for anything.

Not to make any life-and-death decisions.

To make it perfectly clear that this was not my fight.

How long did that last?

I don’t go far. Not beyond where the guards are patrolling the perimeter of the camp.

I found this place on my first day. It’s a small clearing in a copse of tall trees—with dark bark and silvery-green leaves.

They rustle in the breeze. It’s sort of peaceful.

And it’s just far enough from the tents and training grounds that I can pretend I’m alone in a world that doesn’t need saving.

It’s around midday, nearly lunchtime, but I can’t face company right now. I must be in a bad way. I close my eyes. I remember the exercises Hecate gave me to clear my mind when she was trying to help me awaken my magic. But the thought of Hecate just depresses me further.

I count my breaths and sink down into the darkness inside me. Frenzy wakes up briefly. But then sleeps. And so do I.

When I open my eyes, the sky’s still blue, but the edges are bleeding gold.

Birds are doing that annoying end-of-day chirping thing, like they don’t realize the whole world is about to explode.

Again. They’ll die along with everything else if the Eternal Mirror implodes.

But would that be such a bad thing? I remember the twisted, tortured creatures in Hell. Better death than that.

God, I’m cheerful.

I sit up and hug my knees to my chest. Then I realize I’m not alone. Zayne is standing at the edge of the clearing. He strolls over and stands over me, hands in his pockets. “I didn’t want to wake you,” he says.

“You didn’t. It was the birds. They’re noisy as fuck.” I squint up at him. “Don’t loom.”

He takes that as an invitation and sinks down onto the grass beside me, legs stretched out. He looks around. “This reminds me a little of the clearing back at Hecate’s village. Where I used to train. ”

He’s right. Maybe that’s why I feel so comfortable here. It was a beautiful, magical place before the shadowguard destroyed the village. Why does everything lead back to a horrible thought?

My hands shake a little. I press them into the grass.

After we destroyed Hell, there was a moment—just a breath—where I felt it. Happiness. Hope. That maybe we were done. That maybe, just maybe, the fight was over.

And it was beautiful.

Only it didn’t fucking last.

Zayne snaps his fingers in front of my face. “Hey,” he says. “Don’t look so tragic. It’s not the end of the world.”

“Isn’t it?” I say gloomily.

“You’re a little ray of sunshine today. I bet it’s because you had no lunch.”

“Probably.”

“By the way—you were epic in that meeting. It was crazy earlier; they were all just shouting over each other. Except for your boyfriend. He was just watching them and waiting for you.”

“I don’t want to be epic. And it doesn’t matter, does it?”

He waits.

“I mean...we win. We survive. We burn the bad guys to ash. And it still goes to shit. The world just resets to its natural level, which is pretty low. Like it can’t stand the idea of peace.”

He’s quiet. Not arguing. Not comforting either. Just...letting me say it .

“After Hell,” I say, “I thought we’d get time. You know? Days. Weeks. Maybe even years. Enough for Josh to grow up without watching someone die.”

“He still could,” Zayne says. “Well, without watching anyone else die. We don’t know what’s next.”

I shoot him a look. “Was that supposed to be reassuring?”

He gives a half-shrug. “It’s not about what’s next. It’s about now. We’re still here.”

I exhale slowly. “For how long?”

He watches me for a second, then pushes to his feet. “You need anything?”

“A time machine. Or a strong drink.”

“I’ll see what I can do.”

He leaves.

The trouble is, I don’t know what I’m doing here.

This isn’t my world. I was born in Hell.

But I suppose it used to be my father’s—before Khronus twisted everything.

Lucifer had land and a beautiful home here.

I asked Hecate once what happened to them.

She said when Hell was created, Lucifer’s estate had vanished from mortal sight.

Still there but veiled in shadow. A wound the world refused to look at.

Maybe that’s where I belong. In the shadows.

The sun slips lower. The light turns syrupy. I lean back on my elbows and close my eyes, letting the warmth bleed into my skin. Maybe if I stay still long enough, I’ll vanish.

Of course, that’s when I feel him .

He doesn’t make a sound, but I know he’s there before I open my eyes. The mate bond tugs like thread wrapped tight around my ribs.

I don’t look at him.

He lowers himself beside me without asking.

We sit like that for a long time.

Then I say, “After we killed Lucifer and got out of Hell, I had this plan.”

He turns to me. I can feel it.

“I was going to take you to Hawaii.”

“You mentioned it before.” He frowns. “But I have no clue where that is.”

“It’s an island in the Pacific Ocean. Really beautiful. It’s got golden sandy beaches and warm blue sea.” When I was at Lissa and Pete’s, I used to dream about going to Hawaii when I was grown up, after I’d found my lovely family. Hah. “You can get cocktails in pineapples. It’s perfect.”

He’s still looking at me. “And you were going to take me there?”

“Yeah.” I smile, bitter. “Sunburn and fruity drinks. Maybe a bed with an ocean view.”

Silence.

Then he says, “Why not?”

I blink. “What?”

“Let’s go,” he says.

I turn and stare at him. He’s not joking .

“Let’s play hooky,” he says. “Just you and me. One night without monsters. Without maps. Without destiny breathing down your neck.”

And the worst part is—I want to say yes.

So badly it hurts.

He takes my hand. “You need something to remind you that life can be good.”

I swallow. “But when we come back, everything’s still broken.”

“Probably,” he says. “But maybe we’ll be a little less broken.”

I close my eyes.

And I nod.

Because even if the world’s on fire...I could really use a drink with a tiny umbrella.