Shadow Kissed 03 - Shadowman
now.
âKathleen died, but when Khan breached Heaven to find her, she wasnât there.â
Because Kathleen had been reborn as herself, Layla Mathews, the one who was doomed to die at twenty-eight. Okay, she got that.
âIf Kathleen wasnât in Heaven, he was going to go after her in . . . Hell.â
Layla flinched. What had Kathleen done to deserve Hell?
âSo he built a gate.â
Oh, God, the gate.
âAnd the gate was opened.â
âFor a second! Not even a second.â
âAnd a devil escaped.â
âLike with horns?â She hadnât seen anything like that. But then, it had been so dark. And Khan and been there, so close. Oh crap, she was shaking.
Adam sniffed. âNope. The devil is a woman. Caucasion. Five-two and about a hundred pounds.â
Layla stood, knocking over her chair. âThat was her !â
âYep,â Adam said.
âShe killed those men.â
âYes.â
âBecause I opened the gate.â Stars formed before her eyes. She needed to sit.
âPut your head between your knees,â Talia soothed and drew her down, shoved a chair under her butt. âItâs going to be all right.â
âNot for those guys. Whereâs Khan?â Layla spoke to the floor. She needed to see him. Now. He was superstrong. Mr. Powerful. He could get rid of the devil woman, right?
âKhanâs got a day job now,â Talia answered. âBusting up the gate.â
âBut Custo was doing that,â Layla argued.
Adam shook his head. âWhen Custo tried, he hurt you. If he were to continue, itâs likely that youâd die. The hope is that since Khan built it, he can tear it down again.â
Layla lifted her face. âArenât I about to die already?â
Talia grabbed hold of Laylaâs hand so tight that Layla could feel a heartbeat in the connection. âI lost you once. Iâm not letting you go again. Neither is Khan.â
âWeâll keep you safe,â Adam added. âThis isnât our first battle against an otherworldly creature. Custoâs wife, Annabella, had a real keeper for a while. Bloodthirsty thing, he was.â
âBut whyâs the devil here? Sheâs after me, right?â
âWell, yes,â Adam said. âItâs in her best interests, and the gateâs, to get to you. The gate was built for you, and so itâs connected to you. The concern is that if she manages to . . . to kill you, or if you die by some other means, like an accident, then the gate will never be able to be destroyed. And since a gate to Hell is not ideal for the mortal world, itâs necessary that it be destroyed immediately.â
Which was what Khan was doing. A gate to Hell? He was the man for the job. He could destroy it. Okay. Fine. She could wait until night.
What time was it?
Talia squeezed her hand again. âThe good news is that this devil has no chance against Khan. None whatsoever. We just have to hold out until he gets here, until he finds her.â
âWhat about the babies?â Tears finally spilled. If Talia or the babies or even Adam were hurt . . .
âSegue has excellent security,â Adam said. âNone of my alarms on the interior grounds has been tripped. You set off a dozen on your first visit to Segue. I think the devil backed off for the moment and is reconsidering her approach. Sheâs not very subtle.â
âSheâs a devil! She doesnât have to be.â
This time Talia answered. âA devil is just a bad person who died and was sent to Hell. Nothing more than that, though, like Custo, she very likely has some extraordinary abilities.â
âSecurity cameras got footage of the assault,â Adam added. âIâve sent a screen shot to the FBI already. If she died recently, they should be able to identify her.â
âSheâs just a bad person,â Layla repeated.
âNo horns,â Talia confirmed. âBut very bad.â
And Khan could destroy her as soon as he was done with the gate.
kat-a-kat-a-kat: The gate tittered at her, like a metallic giggle.
Layla drew back from Talia. Let go of her hand while Hell laughed, at home in Laylaâs head.
kat-a-kat-a-kat: Best to give yourself up now.
No.
kat-a-kat-a-kat: You donât belong with them. You belong to me.
No.
kat-a-kat-a-kat: He canât destroy me.
He will. He can do anything.
âLayla?â Taliaâs
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