“Then we should go back inside and hear him out.” I stand up straight, push my shoulders back, and tighten my jaw. “We’re wasting time out here.”
I’m about to stride back inside when Nova catches hold of my arm. “We can stay out here as long as you need to,” she says softly. “Really… as long as you need.”
Instead of answering her, I pull her to me and kiss her. My lips graze hers, my hands weave into her hair. I lose myself in her, then I force myself to stop.
Back inside, Nico’s restraints have been removed. Luther doesn’t look happy about it, but with four huge mages staring him down—plus Nova—I can’t image him trying anything.
He stands up when he sees me. “Sam, I’m sorry. I told you it would be hard to hear.”
“I don’t want to talk about my mother,” I snarl, the wolf in me flashing its teeth. “Tell us what Ragnor plans to do to Nova.”
“I don’t know exactly,” Nico says, gratefully accepting a glass of water from Mack. He takes two large gulps before continuing. “My mother told me about the pact. That’s it.”
“With the Devil?” I raise my eyebrows at him.
Interrupting, in a professor-like tone, Mack says, “The Devil, The Shadow King, The Unnamed… he is called many things.”
“He’s a demon?” Nova asks.
“King of Demons,” is Nico’s reply. “Ruler of the Underworld.”
“The biggest bad of all the big bads,” Tanner adds. “I always thought he was a myth.”
Nico shakes his head. “He’s not a myth. Ragnor and his men are up at The Hollow right now.” He glances at Mack. “His witch—Eve—she’s insane, and crazy powerful. She’s getting ready to perform some kind of ritual. Something to do with the energy underneath the mansion. Bad energy.”
Kole and Tanner exchange a knowing glance. Nico’s version of events tallies precisely with what they saw—and felt—when they went into Phoenix Falls yesterday. But they don’t let Nico know this.
“Mother said Eve will open some kind of window, Ragnor will give the King Nova’s name, and tell him where to find her. In return, he’ll…” Nico swallows forcefully and looks at me. In a whisper, he adds, “He’ll bring Elena back.”
“And then what?” Nova is standing in front of Nico, arms folded. “The big bad demon kills me so he can set his friends free from hell and take over the world?”
Nico doesn’t reply, just meets her gaze, and blinks up at her.
“Oh,” she says, as if the true weight of the situation is finally dawning on her. “I see.” She sits down heavily on the coffee table.
Kole puts a large, Viking-like hand on her shoulder. His fingertips brush against her tattoo. “We won’t let that happen,” he growls. “We won’t let anything hurt you.”
“If you want to stop it,” Nico says, “you need to stop Eve. Stop the ritual. Then kill Ragnor.”
As silence descends on the others, I finally find my voice. “You’re okay with killing your father?”
“Ourfather.” Nico stands up. Staring at him is like staring at a distorted version of myself. My eyes travel to his wrist and the birthmark. The same as mine. Exactly. “He’s evil, Sam. Pure evil. He’s brought nothing but pain into this world. He’s made my life hell, and my mother’s. He took you away from me. He took my dignity, my life, and he wants to take Nova’s, too. So, yeah, I’m okay with killing him.”
“Why do you care? About Nova?” I stare at him as I wait for his answer.
Without taking his eyes from mine, barely waiting a beat, Nico replies, “Because she saw me. Despite the lies I told her, she saw me.” He taps his chest. “She saw inside, and she made me feel—even if it was just for a few days—like I was worth something.” He looks down at his hands. “No one has ever done that for me before.”
Nico’s words are so raw I almost expect Nova to take his hand and tell him everything will be okay. Of course, she doesn’t. Before she has the chance to say anything at all, Luther growls, “Why don’t you do it yourself then?” His question makes everyone look around. He’s standing by the window, flicking a lighter with his thumb. Staring past the flame at Nico, he repeats, “If you’re okay with killing Ragnor, and so fucking desperate for redemption that you’d come here in the middle of the night to warn us what’s about to happen, why haven’t you done it? Why haven’tyoukilled him?”
With a defeated shrug, Nico laughs. Not a happy laugh—a resigned laugh. Laced with sorrow. “Why haven’t I killed him?” He gestures to himself with open palms and laughs again. “Because I’m a fucking coward. Auselesscoward. Ragnor would slit my throat before I got the chance to even give him a paper cut. So, I did the only thing I’m good at—I listened, and learned, and passed on the information to you. Because the six of you are the opposite of cowards. The six of you actually stand a chance.”
20
NOVA
“You should go.” Mack moves toward the door while looking at Nico. “You’ve said what you came to say. We need time to discuss what we should do.”
For a moment, I expect Nico to object, ask to stay, beg not to be thrown out. But he simply stands up and walks over to Mack. “You have five days,” Nico says. “When the moon is full, Eve will perform the ritual.”