of the items on the list,” Ruby says, unable to take her eyes off of Julian. “Do you, uh, want some dry clothes?”
Julian looks at me, and I nod. It’s not normal for humans to wear sopping-wet clothes, even if it doesn’t physically bother him. “Yes. Thank you.”
Ruby runs her eyes up and down him, figuring out what size clothes to grab for him, and hurries off. I eat in silence, watching the fire burn.
“Once the spell is cast,” Lucas says, breaking the silence, “it will be safe for Callie to return home?”
“In theory,” Julian replies. “It will shield her from Bael being able to project himself nearby. I still need to repair the rift,” he says, knowing I won’t like it. “It will give us the most time to come up with a way to stop him for good.”
“Can’t we summon him and stab him or something?” I ask, knowing there’s no way it’s that easy. If it were, it would have been done already. But as it is, it took an entire coven of witches just to lock him up in a supernatural detention center.
“Humans cannot face Bael. They don’t stand a chance,” Julian says gently.
“But I’m not human.”
“No,” Lucas and Tabatha say at the same time.
“I agree,” Julian says. “Bael is powerful. He was one of the first demons Lucifer created when he was cast to Hell and has risen through the ranks since. He still holds his position of power even within the dimension he’s been sentenced to.”
“Wait a minute…if Lucifer created him, couldn’t Lucifer destroy him?”
Julian considers my question. “I suppose.”
“Well, if he would, that would solve a giant problem.” Feeling hopeful, I pick up my spoon and break open the crust of the cottage pie.
“What on earth are you suggesting?” Tabatha asks, looking at me like I just suggested running around naked through the town square.
“On earth,” I echo and lose my appetite. Setting the spoon down, I push the tray back on the desk. “There’s something I have to tell you, and I need you to promise not to get mad.”
“I’ve heard that enough to know whatever you’re about to tell me is bad.” Tabatha crosses her arms and looks at me. “Out with it.”
“Lucifer broke out of Hell. He’s here on earth, and he’s been helping me.”
Tabatha’s eyes drill into mine, and she waits a beat before speaking, probably hoping I’m going to laugh and say I’m joking. “Helping you?”
“Abby almost died,” I start, voice thinning as I remember my sister lying in a pool of her own blood in her foyer. “And he healed her. And then the day before we left for vacation…there was a weird energy spike. That was me, and it was specific to the energy archangels put out. I didn’t mean to do it, and Lucifer came, took us to a strip club in Texas, and then made the angels think it was him. He led them away from me and it worked.”
“It did,” Julian says. “He has shifted the attention away from Callie.”
Tabatha strides to the other side of the office, long dress swishing around her feet. “I just…I…and you trust him?” She’s rarely ever flustered, though who can blame her?
“I think so.” I pick up the spoon again, nervously turning it around in my hands. “He’s the reason I was able to break the curse put on Lucas.”
“What?” Lucas asks, eyes flashing.
“We didn’t know how to transfer the curse from you into another body. I asked Lucifer, and he’s the one who told me I needed something undead.”
“Why the fuck didn’t you tell me?”
“Because I knew you’d have this reaction!” I close my eyes in a long blink and lean back. “I can’t explain it, but there’s something about him that I trust. He was kicked out of his home, had his family turn their back on him, and has been alone in Hell for thousands of years. I’m not defending the things he did, like create a demon who’ll stop at nothing to kill me, but I don’t think he’s as bad as we thought.”
“He’s the devil, Callie.” Tabatha’s eyes drill into mine. “He’s stolen thousands of souls from our ancestors.”
“I, uh, asked him about that,” I say, feeling like I’m digging myself into a hole. “He said he doesn’t make people give up their souls. It’s their choice and all he does is uphold his end of the deal.”
“And you believe him?”
“I want to,” I say quietly. “And I know he takes advantage,