“Can you still get it out of our brother?” Alex doesn’t look convinced.
“Yes,” Kristy assures him. “We’ll figure out a way.”
If I could do my little hand trick then this would—wait a minute. I hold out my right hand and conjure a flame of hellfire. It’s bluer than usual, looking like the bottom part of a flame. I watch the fire dance on my palm for a moment and then look up. “If the gates are closed, I shouldn’t be able to do this.”
A collective silence fills the room. I close my fist, and the fire goes out.
“It’s rather presumptuous for us to assume Hell is the only place evil can be sent to, isn’t it?” Lucas gets a book off one of the shelves and opens it to a chapter about Hades and the Underworld. “Historically speaking, this came first.”
“He’s right,” Evander notes. “It’s something I’ve thought about a time or two just recently. Lucifer isn’t the be-all, end-all of punishment. The universe is too big for that.”
I bite my lower lip, mind racing. The gates of Hell are closed, and yet I summoned hellfire, which isn’t possible.
Unless the fire I summoned wasn’t from Hell.
Chapter 9
“Julian?” I call, looking up at the darkening sky. “Can you hear me? Dad? I’m in a bit of a pickle. Again, I know. I could really use some help.” Waiting a beat, I sigh. Deep down, I knew I wouldn’t get a response. “And Lucifer? I’m guessing you can’t hear me now, can you?”
I get nothing and sit on the top step of the back porch. Scarlet brings me a slobbery tennis ball to throw, and I use magic to pick it up and toss it far into the yard for her to chase after. Everyone is inside, keeping watch over the demon that’s possessing Noah. Lucas is going through books with Evander, translating what he can.
If the hellfire I’m summoning is coming from another hell dimension, then we can send the demon there. We already know I have the power, but the trick is finding the correct combination of words to say in the right order to cast the demon out.
The backdoor opens, and I look behind me, expecting Lucas to come out, even though the sun hasn’t fully set. It’s Alyssa, and she’s holding a cup of tea. I can tell by the scent that it’s a tea to cure a headache. Judging by the bump on her forehead, she’s going to need the whole pot.
“I hope you don’t mind. I needed some quiet.” She closes the door and surveys the yard. “It’s peaceful out here.”
“It is, and I don’t mind. How are you doing?”
She rests a hand on the porch railing. “I should be asking you that.”
“This is all in a day’s work,” I sigh.
“I’m sorry to bring trouble to your door.”
“Don’t be. It’s not your fault the demon possessed your son. Since it was doing so to get to me, I feel responsible anyway.” I wait for her to ask why the demon wants me or what makes me so special, but she doesn’t. The breeze picks up, blowing cool air across the yard. This warm weather snap won’t last forever, and I really want to enjoy it while I can.
“How far along are you?” Alyssa sips her tea.
“Almost seven months.”
“Do you know what you’re having?”
“A girl.”
She smiles. “You must be excited. It’s your first, right?”
“Yeah, it is. Am I that obvious of a new mom?”
Alyssa chuckles softly. “No, not in that sense. It’s just, um, you’re married to a vampire.”
“Ah, right. I can see how that raises questions.” I flick my wrist and send the tennis ball flying for Scarlet again.
“I would also assume he was turned after you got pregnant, but he’s an old one.”
“He is. The oldest—” I pause for a second, because Lucas isn’t the oldest vampire I know. Not anymore, and it seems like months ago that Eamon came to the house trying to get me to join him on his crusade to rid the humans of their power. “—oldest vampire I’ve met,” I finish.
Lucas told me he purposely lied about his age when he registered as a vampire. Vampires over five hundred years old are supposed to have more restrictions since they have the ability to hold people spellbound. Vampires gain power and strength as they age. Humans have no way of knowing, but us supernaturals can sense it.
“Would it be too forward to ask how the heck that happened?” She eyes my stomach. “He said he was the father, so I’m assuming that means he is the biological father, but it’s not possible.”
“Normally, no.” I rest a hand on my stomach. The baby is still for the time being. “He was cursed with humanity by an evil necromancer who had it out for me, bringing him back to life only so he’d die. I was able to break the curse, of course, but not before this happened.”