to you, and I’m sure you might have some questions that we can perhaps answer.”
“I don’t have any questions,” Blain says bitterly. “I know everything.”
Carrick and I exchange a quick glance before I give my attention back to Blain. “Tell me everything that happened to you.”
Blain surprisingly knows more than I would have thought. Apparently in Switzerland, Kymaris—who had been wearing Fallon’s likeness—revealed her true appearance. She explained who she was and why she was on Earth. She didn’t hold back the truth of what happened to Fallon. If him being human might have caused him to have some disbelief, that was dispelled when she removed her glamour so he could see her true likeness.
Kymaris then revealed to him that he was going to be a human sacrifice. From that moment forward, he’d been a prisoner.
“I was drugged a lot,” Blain says, his eyes sliding off to the side to stare at the floor, as if that embarrassed him. “I’m not even sure how I got from Switzerland back to the States but she put some fae named Pyke in charge of it.”
Of course Pyke would be involved. I remember back to that time we talked on the phone while Kymaris/Fallon was in Switzerland, and I heard someone male with her after Blain went “missing”. Clearly, that was Pyke.
I know they didn’t move him back to Seattle by bending distance because that would have killed him. I’m sure Pyke has access to money and a private jet that got him back.
“And you’ve been at the gallery the entire time?” I ask.
Blain nods, gaze coming back to me. “Usually only one or two daemons guarded me, but they had a poker game going on last night. They drugged me so they didn’t have to keep watch.”
“So you know what daemons are?” I ask curiously.
Blain gives a mirthless laugh. “Like I said, I know everything. They felt no need to hide anything from me, seeing as how I was going to be a sacrifice.”
That causes a stab of pity to hit me that they so callously let him know his demise was unavoidable. “Do you know about the ritual?”
Blain nods. “It will tear the wall down between Hell and Earth. Let all the evil creatures out.”
“Do you know when?”
“October 8th,” he replies, his voice catching slightly. “My guards made sure to keep me apprised of the countdown to my death.”
I squeeze his hand. “That’s not going to happen now. Do you know where they’re going to have the ritual?”
When Blain nods, I feel a zing of pure adrenaline shoot through me. This has been a major stumbling block for us. For all our plans on how we can stop her, none of that mattered if we didn’t know where the ritual would take place.
“They talked freely in front of me… the daemons that watched over me. They’re part of the plans… muscle so to speak. She has a lot of it as she expects some opposition, although I can’t imagine who would take her on.”
Another glance to Carrick, then back to Blain. “Where is the ritual supposed to take place?”
“Over at Lake Wenatchee State Park,” he replies. “There’s a secluded area between Lake Wenatchee and Fish Lake, just west of the airport. It’s deep in the woods and there’s supposedly a clearing.”
“So it’s going to be outside,” I murmur, turning toward Carrick. “For some reason, I had envisioned it would be inside.”
“Me too,” he agrees. “It will be easier to fight outdoors, especially if the area is wooded.”
“Wait a minute,” Blain says, looking back and forth between me and Carrick. “Why am I here in Carrick’s condo? And why are you with him? And how do you know about all this stuff?”
I take a deep breath and give him a reassuring smile. “It’s an incredibly long story. Are you hungry?”
Blain nods.
“How about we bring you something to eat and I’ll tell you all about what’s been happening? After that, you can shower and we’ll get you some clean clothes.”
He merely nods again, and I turn back to Carrick. “Would you mind having Zaid put something together?
“Of course not,” he says, inclining his head. He doesn’t look back at Blain, just quietly leaves the room.
When the door closes, I release Blain’s hand and rise from the bed. I grab one of the chairs in the corner and drag it over. Taking a seat, I lean forward and rest my elbows on my knees. “Let’s start at the party you threw for Fallon’s twenty-eighth