Total pages in book: 106
Estimated words: 98961 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 495(@200wpm)___ 396(@250wpm)___ 330(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 98961 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 495(@200wpm)___ 396(@250wpm)___ 330(@300wpm)
“Trapped?” Easton repeats. “Trapped how?”
“Julian made a deal with Osiris,” I start, saying each word slowly because it hurts to hear it spoken out loud. “To take the Horsemen to the Underworld. I…I don’t know the terms of the deal, but it was for all four. Lucas and I…we…we killed Famine but then the others showed up and we were outmatched. So Lucas sacrificed himself to become the new Famine and Osiris took them all to his hell.”
“Fuck,” Easton mumbles, staring at me for a few seconds before shaking his head. “The Horsemen are gone?”
“For now. I don’t know what Osiris will do with them,” I confess as nerves prickle along my spine. The Horsemen are powerful weapons. Lucifer kept them with the intent of reigning hell on earth to get revenge on his father and thankfully had a change of heart. Paimon used them to get to me. Julian made the deal with Osiris, but can we trust him not to use the Horsemen?
A few more seconds pass by with Easton staring at me. “Osiris is real?”
“Yeah. It’s a lot to take in, even for someone who’s used to stuff like this, I know.”
“It makes sense.” He picks up his coffee and takes a drink. “What did he look like?”
“Probably how you’d imagine,” I say with a shrug. “He was like our age and dressed like an Egyptian God. He was kinda good looking, but for right now I’ve decided to fucking hate the guy. He has my husband.”
“Who is now a Horseman of the Apocalypse.”
“No. He’s not.” I shake my head, pulse rising. “He just took the place of one so the others would go.”
Easton bobs his head up and down. “Maybe now is a good time to sit back and evaluate your life choices.”
“What?”
He raises his eyebrows. “You know what I mean. Now’s a chance to start over fresh. With someone who has a pulse.”
My lips part and look at Easton, slowly shaking my head. “That’s low. Even for you.” I turn away, doing my best to control my emotions. I don’t need to freak out in the middle of a public place.
“You’re right. I’m sorry.” He puts his hand on the table, fingertips touching mine. “It’s just that I…I never stopped caring for you, Callie. And I’ve never fully forgiven myself for how close I came to—”
“Murdering me?” I finish and the woman at the table next time us looks up. Hah. If you knew even half of it, lady.
“Yeah,” he goes on. “I let myself get easily swayed and could have done something I regretted. Especially given how many times you’ve saved the world now. Without you, Bael and Paimon would be, uh, bringing hell to earth.”
“Paimon is still TBD on his whole end of days shit.”
“You’ll stop him,” Easton says encouragingly, and I look back up at him. The feelings I had for him were genuine at the time. I was sixteen and in love. Easton was the first person outside of my coven to know I was a witch and not be freaked out by it. He knew all along and was tasked by older hunters to put down the evil witch.
By the time I found out the truth, I had already fallen for him and had befriended Melinda. Along with being the first non I thought I could trust my magic with, Easton took a few other firsts from me as well. First love, first guy I ever slept with, and the first to break my heart. I never thought I’d forgive him, yet here we are.
“That’s my plan. Which is why I need Lucas. I can’t do this without him.”
“You can,” he says gently.
“I don’t want to.” Tears prick the corners of my eyes and I blink them away. I open my mouth only to close it again, not wanting to say something that’s been slowly eating away at me. It’s something I haven’t even wanted to admit to myself. “Paimon almost killed me in his astral form. There’s a good chance I could die while taking him out. My daughter deserves to have at least one of her parents.” I lose the battle with my tears and one rolls down my face.
“Callie,” Easton starts but stops. He can’t tell me it won’t happen because he knows that I’m right. I faced Paimon once before and lost. “What’s your plan if you do find the oracle?”
“Go to the Underworld and suss things out?” I offer with a shrug. “Honestly, I don’t know. I’m not gonna release the Horsemen,” I add, almost wincing at my words.
“Okay.” Easton inhales and looks at me, unspeaking, again. “Well, uh, I guess we should start by going to the warehouse.”
“Thank you,” I say and put my hand over his, wanting him to know how much I appreciate this. He just confessed to still having feelings for me and is helping me save my vampire husband.