Reign of Night (Thorne Hill #7) - Emily Goodwin Page 0,116

Eliza must have asked Lucas for help planning the menu because it’s all of my favorite things. Eliza promised to keep this party classy while still being traditional, and she pulled it off perfectly. Once we wrap up a game about guessing Elena’s due date, we go back into the kitchen for cake.

And then after that, it’s opening presents…in front of everyone. Why is this a thing? Whoever thought up the whole open gifts and fake excitement in front of the gift givers was a sadist, I swear. I take my time eating cake, hoping people will just leave and I can open gifts alone with Lucas.

“Take a seat right up front,” Eliza tells me, motioning to a pink velvet chair in the middle of the living room. Kristy, who knows I don’t like being the center of attention like this, pats my hand. Putting my sparkling cranberry juice down, I go to the chair.

“Open mine first,” Eliza says, picking up a big pink box that’s probably a lot heavier than it looks considering she has super-strength. “You’re going to lo—” She cuts off tipping her head. “Do you hear that?”

“Hear what?” I ask right as Lucas comes out of the office, speeding into the living room. Whatever Eliza heard, he heard it too. “What’s going on?”

“It sounded like chains dragging over the ground,” he tells me, and my blood goes cold. “I’ve heard it before.”

“You have,” I say, breath coming out all shaky. “When Varrador came through the gates of Hell.”

Chapter 37

“What do we do?” Kristy asks, springing to her feet.

“The nons,” Tabatha says, somehow thinking clearly. “We need to get them out of here.”

“I’ll handle it,” Lucas says, breaking away from me. He holds Betty, Vanessa, and Danielle all spellbound, telling them they enjoyed the party but now it’s time to go home. He breaks contact and they gather their stuff, thanking me for inviting them and saying they had a good time.

No sooner are they out the door, I notice smoke rising from miles away. If Hell did come to earth, the demons are wasting no time. My fingers start to tremble, and I turn, closing the door. How is this happening? The protection spell worked. Demons didn’t get through our lines last night.

We won.

There’s a slight shift of energy in the air and I turn to see Julian in the foyer.

“The gates of Hell have been opened,” he says, eyes wide with fear. “The demons are coming to earth.”

“How did this happen?” I rush out. “We cast a protection spell on the Ley lines last night.”

“I don’t know,” Julian answers. “The demons must have found another way.”

Footfalls come from behind us, and Tabatha, Lucas, and Kristy all hurry to us. “The gates opened, didn’t they?” Kristy asks, blue eyes full of fear.

“Yes,” Julian answers, holding out a hand. “And they’re headed here. They’re going to flock to the towns along the Ley line first, taking what they can before moving onto the next one.”

“We’re not going to let that happen,” Tabatha says, chest rapidly rising and falling.

“How do we stop it?” I ask Julian, desperation bubbling inside me.

“Close the gates,” he replies.

“Okay…but how?”

“There is a way to restore the seals and shut all the gates, but from the inside.”

“Then go,” Lucas urges. “Go close them. You can fly down to the underworld, can’t you?”

“I can,” Julian says. “But only someone with archangel blood can restore the seal.”

“Take me,” I say. “Take me there now so we can close the gates once and for all!”

“Callie, no.” Lucas shakes his head. “You’re not going to Hell!”

“I’ll come back,” I counter. “What kind of world is this for our daughter?” I sweep my hand out at the front window. “Demons are coming to take over Thorne Hill. This isn’t the world I want her growing up in.”

I grab Julian’s hand. “Take me to Hell.”

He gives a curt nod and then we disappear, twisting and turning, and spinning and falling. Traveling to the underworld is a lot different than traveling to a pretty beach in Australia. I get my bearings and blink several times.

“This is Hell?” I whisper, looking around. We’re standing in a vast wasteland of nothing but tall, dried grass, with gray cloudy skies drifting overhead. There’s a large black castle just feet from us, with dark stained-glass windows and evil-looking gargoyles on every peak and corner of the roof. Thick twisted and spiked vines wrap around the large columns on front of the castle, and all the