was open in a silent scream. Tears tracked her cheeks. “It’s not about hostages. It’s about your spirit, Godslayer. You’re too spirited to obey me. For now.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“Bring Nathaniel to me. Let that be your primary concern.”
“How?” she asked. “He’s a god now. I can’t control him.”
Belphegor’s chuckle was low and unpleasant. “You’re the Godslayer. Get creative.”
Elise took another step, and she was back in Russia.
None of the buildings were burning now. The hotel was safe, along with everyone inside.
Belphegor was gone from sight, but she understood now that he hadn’t really left. He was omnipotent. He was God.
There would be no escaping Belphegor anymore.
Five
Elise watched through the window as Nash began arranging to relocate the pack. He was pulling together a ragtag collection of vehicles: some flatbeds from the seventies, a few trucks that looked like they might optimistically have come from the year Elise was born, and several vans with company logos on the side.
“Any resistance?” she called.
Nash settled his wings as he approached the open window to answer. The red burns covering his face and neck still looked painful. Even though Elise had been the one to inflict the injuries, he hadn’t tried to confront her about it, remaining coolly professional.
“No troubles from the natives,” Nash said. “They’ve almost entirely left. However, most took their vehicles, and I believe this is now all that remains.”
She did a quick count. Thirteen. It would be enough to transport everyone. “Fuel?”
“I’m working on it.” He took flight again, dragging a little on one side. His wings were still damaged, too.
Elise closed the window, blocking out the cold air. Nearby, Anthony was bundled in a fur-lined jacket stolen from a hotel room. Thick gloves made him clumsy as he took a sip of a cup of tea. When Elise returned to his side, he offered it to her.
She accepted it with a nod of gratitude and took a long sip. Tea wasn’t as good as coffee, but “good enough” would be fine.
“The nearest gate to Eden is in the Himalayas,” James said, spreading a map over the table in the hotel lobby. Nobody had been able to focus with Rylie’s body on display, so she’d been moved upstairs, leaving plenty of room to plan. “It’s going to be a week of driving to reach it, depending on conditions.”
“Conditions like holes to other universes getting in the way,” Anthony said, taking the cup of tea back from Elise when she finished drinking.
The look that James gave him was distinctly unfriendly. “Yes, conditions like that.”
Elise paced by the wall, arms folded tightly. She would have given anything for a bottle of whiskey and a pack of cigarettes.
“We’d be able to move faster with fewer people,” Anthony said. Elise realized that he was addressing her, and she forced herself to stop pacing. “Maybe just you, me, Brianna…”
“What about us?” Levi asked. He was standing next to Abram, who lurked in the corner of the room to avoid the cold leaking through the windows and the conversation at large.
Brianna grinned at the werewolf, wedged onto the couch between Anthony and the padded arm. It was a crazy expression that made her look like she wasn’t quite all there. “What about you?”
“You can’t tell me that you just want to ditch the werewolf pack in some shitty Russian border town.”
“No, the werewolves have to come,” Elise said distractedly. She would need the pack if she was taking Abram. They were his family; they would be most invested in his protection. They would make sure that his heart remained beating long enough to unlock Eden.
“The werewolves are fast, but they’ll still slow us down,” Anthony argued. “Their metabolism is ridiculous, so you have to feed them constantly, and all they eat is raw meat. It’ll take ages to get anywhere with them.”
“How do you know that?” Elise
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“Bring Nathaniel to me. Let that be your primary concern.”
“How?” she asked. “He’s a god now. I can’t control him.”
Belphegor’s chuckle was low and unpleasant. “You’re the Godslayer. Get creative.”
Elise took another step, and she was back in Russia.
None of the buildings were burning now. The hotel was safe, along with everyone inside.
Belphegor was gone from sight, but she understood now that he hadn’t really left. He was omnipotent. He was God.
There would be no escaping Belphegor anymore.
Five
Elise watched through the window as Nash began arranging to relocate the pack. He was pulling together a ragtag collection of vehicles: some flatbeds from the seventies, a few trucks that looked like they might optimistically have come from the year Elise was born, and several vans with company logos on the side.
“Any resistance?” she called.
Nash settled his wings as he approached the open window to answer. The red burns covering his face and neck still looked painful. Even though Elise had been the one to inflict the injuries, he hadn’t tried to confront her about it, remaining coolly professional.
“No troubles from the natives,” Nash said. “They’ve almost entirely left. However, most took their vehicles, and I believe this is now all that remains.”
She did a quick count. Thirteen. It would be enough to transport everyone. “Fuel?”
“I’m working on it.” He took flight again, dragging a little on one side. His wings were still damaged, too.
Elise closed the window, blocking out the cold air. Nearby, Anthony was bundled in a fur-lined jacket stolen from a hotel room. Thick gloves made him clumsy as he took a sip of a cup of tea. When Elise returned to his side, he offered it to her.
She accepted it with a nod of gratitude and took a long sip. Tea wasn’t as good as coffee, but “good enough” would be fine.
“The nearest gate to Eden is in the Himalayas,” James said, spreading a map over the table in the hotel lobby. Nobody had been able to focus with Rylie’s body on display, so she’d been moved upstairs, leaving plenty of room to plan. “It’s going to be a week of driving to reach it, depending on conditions.”
“Conditions like holes to other universes getting in the way,” Anthony said, taking the cup of tea back from Elise when she finished drinking.
The look that James gave him was distinctly unfriendly. “Yes, conditions like that.”
Elise paced by the wall, arms folded tightly. She would have given anything for a bottle of whiskey and a pack of cigarettes.
“We’d be able to move faster with fewer people,” Anthony said. Elise realized that he was addressing her, and she forced herself to stop pacing. “Maybe just you, me, Brianna…”
“What about us?” Levi asked. He was standing next to Abram, who lurked in the corner of the room to avoid the cold leaking through the windows and the conversation at large.
Brianna grinned at the werewolf, wedged onto the couch between Anthony and the padded arm. It was a crazy expression that made her look like she wasn’t quite all there. “What about you?”
“You can’t tell me that you just want to ditch the werewolf pack in some shitty Russian border town.”
“No, the werewolves have to come,” Elise said distractedly. She would need the pack if she was taking Abram. They were his family; they would be most invested in his protection. They would make sure that his heart remained beating long enough to unlock Eden.
“The werewolves are fast, but they’ll still slow us down,” Anthony argued. “Their metabolism is ridiculous, so you have to feed them constantly, and all they eat is raw meat. It’ll take ages to get anywhere with them.”
“How do you know that?” Elise
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