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Eric! Eric is the person I need to help me?" I couldn't believe it. I ran my fingers through my hair resisting the frantic urge to rip it all out. "He saw the war letters and knows about the Satan Stone?"

She nodded at me, "He never mentioned Satan's Stone to me, but I knew he must have seen that passage in the original letter. He came across it while he was hunting you over the years. He mentioned finding the original translation. He was excited about it at the time. He always got a kick out of stuff like that."

Springing out of bed, I grabbed a pair of jeans, asking Al questions as I got dressed, "So if Eric isn't Eric anymore, I'm screwed right? Or do you think if I went to his old apartment, the papers will still be there?" I paused, and looked up at her as I pulled on a boot. There was a surprised expression on her face, so I added, "He had a book, you know - a book with tons of writing in it, and pictures of stuff. He threw it in my face when he found out I had Valefar blood, and made me look at the pages. He said it was years and years of work.." Eager to know more about it, I sat next to her and asked, "Do you think he still has the letter? Do you think it's in that book?"

She nodded. "Maybe. He wrote that book over his life. In the early days, I'd see him scratching notes in it when he stayed with me. I haven't since it since. I didn't realize that he still kept it, but that would make sense. He'd keep record of things so he didn't forget over the years. If that's the same book, there'd be notes in it about everything and anything. Better go get it before someone else does. Do you know where it is?"

Pausing, I shook my head. "The last time I saw it was the night that Jake came through his window. Shannon snatched the book when we ran. There were Valefar everywhere. After that, we were separated and I didn't see what happened to the book. Do you think it's possible that it's still in his apartment?"

Al looked uncertain, "It's possible. Eric would want it hidden if it contained information like that. After the attack, I didn't think he went back, but I didn't see the book either. He didn't have it with him the night you two closed the portal at the old church and forced the demons back into the Underworld. After that, Julia banished him and I didn't see him around these parts again. There's a slim chance he hid the book in the same spot, until he could return and take it, but Ivy..." she shook her head at me, "the odds of it being there are slim. The Martis leaked to the landlord that Eric was killed in a horrific accident. All of his things were destroyed. The only way that book is still there is if Julia didn't take it, and it was well hidden."

Ice dripped down my spine. I turned to Al, "Would she take it? Really?" Before Al nodded, I knew that Julia would take the book. Of course she would. The Martis covered their tracks and would have removed any proof of his existence. They thought he was a traitor. I wondered if they had any idea what their actions resulted in. If they didn't condemn him to die, he wouldn't have followed me into the Underworld and become one of the most evil Valefar I'd ever seen.

But I couldn't think about that now. It'd have to wait until later, when this was over. After lacing up my other boot, I grabbed a sweater and yanked it over my head, and said to Al, "Then I need to hurry and hope to God it's not already gone. Here's to hoping Eric paid rent several months in advance." I kissed Al on the cheek and ducked out and into the night.

CHAPTER TWENTY

Collin was waiting for me outside the church, but when he came running up to me we didn't hug like a normal couple. When I ran out the doors and into the night, I saw him standing in the shadows. My stomach twisted. There were so many things to tell him. We ran toward each other and stopped, toe to toe. He seemed unsure of something,