Page 192 of Wicked Believer

Already having what I need, I drop to my knees and manically paint several of my satanic symbols across the floor. I’m no Michelangelo, but for now they’ll do as I chant in ancient Latin. “Procedite, legiones meae. Venite ad me.”

Proceed, my legions. Come to me.

I continue my chant, feeling a bit of my hellish power called forth, though I’m not able to access it currently, but I can sense it there, lurking in the shadows.

Biding its time until the world is ready.

Abaddon appears at my side a moment later, still wearing the Canadian lumberjack he was previously. This time, he drops his gaze in deference. “You summoned me, my lord.”

I nod, staggering to my feet. “Tell the legions it’s time. Bring them forth.” I let out an arrogant laugh. “Let all of Heaven and Earth tremble.”

Chapter Sixty-Six

Charlotte

Inside the ether, the swirling mass of a map made of stars glitters in front of me.

In the few moments it takes for me to explain to Greed who I’m trying to locate and where I suspect Ian and Jax might be, I manage to convince myself this isn’t a half-bad idea.

Until Greed announces she plans to abandon me.

“All right, well, now you’re on your own. Ta ta for now, dear sister.”

“Wait!” I make a grab for her, but she yanks her hands away. “Aren’t you going to—?”

“I promised to get you out of there, nothing more. Nothing less.” She stares down the bridge of her nose at me and shrugs. “Consider this a lesson in celestial dealmaking.”

She moves to snap her fingers, and I have to practically dive on top of her to stop her from leaving. I thought we would be doing thistogether.

Greed’s my trainer, after all. And that’s what I’d hoped she was going to do.

Give me a little on-the-job training. Teach me how to rip Ian limb from limb.

Not abandon me at the first opportunity.

She isabsolutelyjust like a big sister. And like every older sister before her, she plans to teach me about her world the hard way.

“Let me go,” she growls, trying to shake me off.

“At least show me where I’m supposed to go,” I say, clasping my hands over hers before I bring them together in front of me. Like I’m praying to her.

I’m not above getting on my knees and begging if it will get me to Jax faster.

Greed rolls her eyes. “Fine.”

It takes only a second of her searching the glittering pinpricks on the celestial map before she announces, “See. There. Seers shine brighter than regular humans.”

How she can tell the difference betweenthatspecific speck of stardust and the millions of others swirling inside the tiny starlit map of the city, let alone the surrounding world, is beyond me. But that isn’t something I have time to figure out or consider.

I guess that speckdoessort of shine a teeny bit brighter? If Jax were here, she would absolutely crack a joke about how I’m just too used to dimming my own light to recognize her true brilliance.

Now that I think about it, there may be something deeper to that, honestly.

Greed isolates the destination from the swirling stardust menu like she’s annoyed she has to do it, but she still cues it up for me. “There. You’re on your own now. Happy?”

And with that, she’s gone.

Leaving me standing there alone inside the ether.