Page 63 of Infernal Secrets

Zeke squinted. “What’s she doing?”

“Trying not to react.” Ash’s voice stayed low, edged with agitation. He wanted to intervene, but we couldn’t. “She’s afraid.”

Zeke looked from Ash to Raelynn in confusion. “How do you know that?”

Ash froze.

“Ash?”

He turned his gaze to Zeke. “If you’d never seen a delemora, you’d probably be afraid too.” He said it like that explained everything, but I suspected he was hiding more.

Zeke’s voice rose, frantic. “Why’s it focused on her? It’s reaching for her.” He turned to Ezra. “We need to do something.”

“We’re not sanctioned to use magic,” Ezra said through gritted teeth.

The infernal moved, closing the distance between it and Raelynn.

Zeke turned to Ash in alarm. “It’s coming for her! We have to do something!”

“Fuck,” Ezra spat as the familiar sensation of Ash’s power spilled into the air in clear defiance of his oath to the council.

The infernal froze, looking our way, sensing the invisible power thickening the air. It turned back to Raelynn and screeched, alerting the others.

When the delemora didn’t retreat under the weight of Ash’s command, the air grew oppressive as Ezra lent his own magic. Even I struggled to stand under the power the two of them wielded to protect Raelynn.

They didn’t need to exert this magnitude of power, so why did they?

A tremor passed through the delemora before it started backing away from Raelynn, head angling from side to side. Its limbs wrenched back in a disjointed gesture when Ezra’s magic swelled in response to the lesser infernal’s resistance. Only when the delemora stopped looking at Raelynn did Ezra release the magical binds, allowing it to glide away from the tent.

“Look!” Zeke pointed at the other delemora. “They’re leaving.”

As the one who threatened Raelynn retreated into the shadows of a nearby cluster of trees, the others dispersed without challenging us.

For lesser infernals to feel emboldened enough to dare stand against the council’s heirs, they must have been on Earth for far too long.

One of the first things we needed to do upon returning to Elyrdin was identify who needed to pay for unleashing infernals on Earth. This wasn’t random weak points in the veil—it was a deliberate breach letting infernals slip through.

16

NOT ALONE

RAE

Was it too much to ask to go one day without seeing a demon or infernal? Whatever they called themselves.

I didn’t expect to come face-to-face with the horrific figure at Grandma’s funeral, but I was more concerned about its attempts to communicate. It spoke to me. That had never happened before—not that I remembered.

Once everyone loaded into their cars after the service, I lingered, watching the cemetery workers lower her casket. The sun sank behind the trees, casting eerie shadows across the graveyard.

Now that I was alone, I struggled to keep the overwhelming grief at bay. I couldn’t even muster the self-preservation to leave before the figure returned.

“Rae!”

I whirled as Zeke called to me, but before I could say anything, strong arms wrapped around me, hauling me into a broad chest. Bay rum and cinnamon flooded my senses.

“Let it out,” Ash whispered against the top of my head.

My body went rigid.