Page 58 of The Eternal Mirror (Lucifer’s Mirror #3)

When I’m Given One Last Chance to be Queen

I follow Khaos through the mirror, but as I step back into the courtyard in front of my father’s house, I stop dead. The air tastes like lightning and old magic—sharp on the tongue, heavy in the lungs.

“What’s happened?” Khaos murmurs from beside me. “Something has changed.”

It’s still nighttime here, and the place looks the same, beautiful but somewhat faded. Everything is as it was when I left just hours ago. My tangled sheet still lies at the top of the steps. But something’s...off. Normally the place feels muted; now it’s charged with a strange sort of energy .

“I don’t know,” I say. “But something. Look over there.” I wave a hand to the north where the sky is rippling, like someone dropped a stone into the stars. At a guess, the stone landed just above the pavilion in the forest to the north—about two hours away on foot, minutes in flight.

And I’m guessing the hum in the back of my skull isn’t nerves or magic overload.

It’s the Eternal Mirror.

Khaos senses it too. He’s prowling the courtyard, restless and silent, golden eyes locked on the shimmer in the sky. His dragon stirs beneath his skin—I can feel it, like the air itself is holding its breath.

Shit. It’s happening. It’s here. Or part of it, anyway.

It’s too soon. I thought we would have more time to prepare. Or at least eat something—I’m ravenous—and go to bed, make love, and maybe sleep. I’ve been sleeping poorly recently, but I think sharing my bed with Khaos might cure the problem.

I can feel the panic rising inside me.

A silent scream—I don’t want to die.

And then he’s beside me, and his hand slips into mine. “You’ve got this,” he says. “We’ve got this.”

I turn into him and rest my head on his chest—it’s so wonderful to do that without the guilt and the dread.

He smells like safety. But safety is an illusion.

All the same, it calms me a little, and I give myself a minute just to listen to the beat of his heart.

Mine slows so I can feel them beating as one.

I step back and take a deep breath—smile, or maybe grimace. “You’re right, we’ve totally got this.” Except I have no idea what to do. It’s clear that the Mirror has manifested in this place. But how? And why here? Is it because of me?

Is it stalking me? Ugh!

My heart rate is kicking up again. If I go on like this, I’ll have a heart attack before I can destroy the world. Another deep breath.

I need to know what’s going on. And there’s only one person who might have some idea. Time for her to shift her ass and get in the game.

I close my eyes, and I pray.

And guess what? Nothing happens.

I try again. “Selene,” I whisper, barely audible. “If you’re going to show up, now would be a really good time.”

Still no answer. Of course.

Then I hear it—soft footfalls, uneven, dragging.

Beside me, Khaos tenses.

I turn just as a huge black wolf stumbles into view, limping hard, half-collapsing with every step, but he keeps moving. Until he sees me. Then he stops, swallows, and raises his head.

He looks like death chewed him up and spat him out. Fur matted. Blood smeared across his jaw. One eye swollen shut. He drops to the ground in front of us, as though he’s used the last of his strength to get this far.

“Killian?”

There’s a shiver—or more like a shudder—of magic in the air. And then Killian is back.

His shirt is torn, but I’m pretty sure it was like that when we last saw him; otherwise, he looks unharmed, just exhausted.

He closes his eyes for a moment, then exhales and pushes himself to his feet. He peers down at himself and then runs a shaking hand through his hair and swallows. “I thought I would never be a man again,” he says, his voice rusty.

Khaos crosses to him quickly and steadies him before he falls over completely. He lowers him to the edge of the fountain, where Killian sits as if his spine were made of thread. His breathing’s wrong—shallow, ragged.

“Where have you been?” Khaos asks.

“After...” He swallows again, and I can hear the pain in his voice. “After Sheela was killed, I went a little crazy.”

At the sound of her name, grief swells inside me like a tide I can't hold back, and I reach across and squeeze his arm. “I’m so sorry.”

He just shakes his head. “I tried to attack him, but I couldn’t get near.”

I presume he’s talking about Khronus. “Go on.”

“Then I ran. I think I lost it for a while.”

“Khronus will do that to you.”

“I was captured by the rearguard of his army. I’ve been a prisoner since, kept in wolf form.” He sways. Clearly, he’s at the end of his strength. I’m guessing food hasn’t played a big part in his life since he was captured.

“Come inside,” I say. “We’ll get you something to eat and drink. ”

I lead the way, and Khaos takes his arm and helps him up the steps. We head to the kitchen. Killian collapses onto the bench at the big wooden table.

At least we’re not short of supplies. We had plenty for the whole army, and now they’re not here. Which means I get to eat what I like.

I fetch a jug of water and a glass for Killian and place them on the table in front of him. He looks dazed, so I pour a glass and nudge it in his direction. He drinks convulsively, and I refill the glass. Then I go in search of food.

I place bread, cheese, and some cold meat on the table. Then I take a seat opposite him and help myself to a slice of bread and some cheese. I make a sandwich and eat it while I watch him eat. He needs a few minutes to compose himself.

Where did he come from? Where has Khronus been in the weeks we’ve been hiding out in my father’s lands? Khaos is leaning against the wall behind him, arms folded. I catch his gaze and raise a brow, but he just shrugs.

Finally, Killian’s eating slows, and he sits back and looks at me.

“How did you escape?” I ask.

“I didn’t. He let me go.” He looks away for a moment. “I’m a messenger. A bearer of good tidings.”

Hmm, I detect a hint of sarcasm there. “Then spit it out,” I say. “Don’t keep us all in suspense.”

“He’s here,” Killian says, voice wrecked. “Khronus is at the border of this place. Wherever this is. Fucking weird, if you ask me.”

He’s sounding better, stronger, more like his old self .

“It’s what remains of my father’s lands,” I say, making myself another sandwich. I hold it up to Khaos like an offering. See, I totally love him. He shakes his head, and I take a bite.

“Lucifer, right? So, this is Hell?”

“No. This was here before Hell. It’s what was left after Khronus created Hell.”

“Can he get through the border?” Khaos asks me, but Killian answers.

“He’s already broken through those weird shadows. Then he sent me with his message. Said he will wait until dawn for an answer.”

Dawn can’t be more than a couple of hours away. My next question should be—what’s the message? But I’m putting that off as long as possible.

And while this is not good news, it’s not bad either. We were going after Khronus anyway. Now he’s come to us. I’d just been hoping for more time.

“How big is the army?” Khaos asks.

“Huge.” He looks around him, a frown forming on his face. “Where is everybody?”

“I sent them to Valandria. To safety.”

His brows draw together. “So, there’s no army to fight Khronus.”

“Nope, just us two.” I wave a hand to include Khaos.

“Fuck.” Then he shrugs. “It doesn’t matter anyway. You would never have beaten him by force. He has too many men. And he has magic. It’s growing until you can almost see it, like a glow in the air around him.”

That’s not good. Okay, time to find out what he wants. “The message?” I ask. My voice is steady. Don’t ask me how.

“He says...you have one last chance. Join him. Be his queen. Or...” A bitter laugh. “Or be enslaved with the rest.”

“The rest?”

“Your followers, your friends, your family. Him.” He nods toward where Khaos is standing. “We’ll all be tortured for all eternity.” Killian says the words without emotion, as though he’s used up all his fear. I’m sure that will change.

My body goes still. My mind, too. Not because I’m tempted. Not even close.

Because it’s just so fucking typical.

I nod once. No anger in it. Just cold, hard clarity. “Right,” I say. “Let’s go get that fucker.”

I stand up and realize I’m still barefoot. I walk to the corner where I left my boots, then sit on the steps and shove them on, one at a time. Next, I strap on Nightfall, tightening the buckles across my chest. I tie my hair back. Breathe.

Khaos watches me but doesn’t say a word. He’s already checking the blade at his back.

Killian’s still slumped at the table.

“I can send you to Valandria,” I say. “To the others. You’ll be safe at least for a while. There’ll be enough time for you to work out where to go, where to hide if we fail.”

He shakes his head. “I’ll stay. You need all the help you can get. ”

“There’s no point in you dying for nothing. This fight won’t be about numbers; it’s about magic. Go to safety, Killian.”

He thinks for a moment, and a look of longing fills his dark eyes. “Can you send me home?”

“To Earth?”

He nods.

“I can do that.” I think for a moment, then whisper the words of a spell, and a mirror forms in the kitchen. He pushes himself to his feet. “I thought—when you told me Lucifer was dead and Hell was no more, that it was the start of a new world. But it’s the same shit, isn’t it?”

“Worse.”

He snorts, then pushes himself up and goes to the mirror. The glass ripples. He hesitates. “He thinks he’s won. Prove him wrong, Amber.”

“We will.” Maybe. Sort of.

Khaos steps up beside me. He doesn’t touch me or speak. We watch as Killian steps through the mirror, which fades into nothing, leaving us alone again. I’m glad he’s survived, and I think he’ll be okay if he’s given the chance.

And now, the final battlefield waits.

“Are you ready for this?” I ask Khaos.

“No.”

“That makes two of us. But let’s go end it anyway.”

One way or the other.