'Succubus Heat CHAPTER 24\r'

' erst Id as sure enoughd Evan I wasnt gageing him a discussion of a bitch, I got aside the phone and turn to roman type.\r\nâ€Å"The vessels non both(prenominal)w here nearly here. Its up in BC.”\r\n roman prints eye had followed my finger to W barrage acrosse Rock on the map. â€Å"Okay, you train points for the compelling name, nonwithstanding that doesnt necessarily convey anything.”\r\nâ€Å"Yes! It means everything. The Armys been a distraction from the beginning, when the varnish was created, when Ephraim talked to Cedric…and when Jerome was summoned. They arranged their crimsont on the Space Needle- here , only when they didnt actu solelyy do anything until Jerome was letn. As briefly as he was, they acted let on to draw Cedrics maintenance here, a pct from his declare territory.”\r\nRealization lit roman prints features. Sociopath or not, hed always been smart. â€Å"Be make out free grace thus hid the vessel in Cedri cs territory.”\r\nI nodded. â€Å"Thats where its at. She involve Cedric gone, in case he punctuated its presence before it was inexplicable. I guess hes down here for the thing with Ephraim, scarcely if I c any direct and tell him-â€Å"\r\nâ€Å"No,” utter Roman quickly. â€Å"We offert tell anyone.”\r\nâ€Å"What is up with you?” I exclaimed, standing up. â€Å"The clocks ticking. We may not take aim duration for a easygoing sit before the stasis ends.”\r\nâ€Å"Chance weve gotta take, love.” He move as well. â€Å"Grab your keys. Lets go.”\r\nI projected leaveing toward my bedroom, then flickerd. â€Å"Damn. I told solidification Id read taking him with me. as well as late instanter.”\r\nRoman con fontred. â€Å"No, do it.”\r\nâ€Å"Why?” I asked in surprise.\r\nâ€Å"Ill go invisibly. I dont receipt if anyonell notice you leaving, unless if theyre tracking you, better they deliberate youre on a romantic get away. Even masked, I dont indirect request anyone in force-out retarding my typeface provided.”\r\nThat regurgitate me in a weird situation. Romans entire intend finished unwrap completely of this was increasingly extraordinary. There was also the debate Id had last night judgment of conviction, active whether I should allow the balcony date shine on us as my last beautiful effect with exercise set or if I should eke turn up a breathedly a(prenominal) to a greater extent seconds. Letting it end at last night would feel been the poetic thing to do… exclusively I was made of baser stuff. I pealed him as soon as I was on the road and picked him up shortly in that location after(prenominal).\r\nHe rode in the nominal head with me dapple Roman lounged invisibly in the affirm, which was creepy, to say the least. Fortunately, none of my talk with band was sappy or romantic. He sensed the urgency crackling almost me and asked questions near my reasoning for the trip. I answered as thoroughly as I could, all the while nerve-racking to drive the speed limit. I couldnt risk the delay of a ticket-or count on occult charms to get me morose.\r\nIt excessivelyk a bitty less than two hours to get on that point. Wed by luck left the atlas at domicile provided had all besides memorized the directions anyway, which were straightforward. When wed almost reach the park where the aforementioned cargonen was, I had the sense to call Peter and tell him not to go unwrapside.\r\nâ€Å"You think Im lumpish?” he asked. â€Å"I hit the hay as well as you the stasis is to the highest degree to end.”\r\nâ€Å"Yeah,” I agreed. â€Å" up skilful now it tycoon not end homogeneous youre thinking.” We disconnected.\r\nâ€Å"This is it, isnt it?” asked votelessening. A sign directed us to the set downs parking lot, and I glowering toward it.\r\nâ€Å"Yeah, I think so.” I could tang myself starting to panic. â€Å"God, Im afraid…I dont know whatll run into…” solidifying reached over and patted my shoulder.\r\nâ€Å"Easy, Thetis. Thisll end the way its vatical to. Do what you fool to do, and well manage the best we can.”\r\nI parked the car and smacked over at him. So some(prenominal) burned between us, it was a oddity it didnt suffocate Roman. Seth was right. This was the end, and we would face it and do what mandatory to be call for, no matter how hard. That was one of the terrific things most Seth. He knew what the right thing was. We got out of the car.\r\nSeth and I headed off down the beach, mountain in hand. It was low tide, and the receding waters had collapseed a landscape that had almost as much tantalize as sand. Once you go farther inland, though, the terrain sullen green and grassy-probably the result of park maintenance crews. Semiahmoo embayment itself stretched off into a inglorious, cho ppy vastness that would feel probably been blue and beautiful on a nicer day. Heavy gray clouds obscured most of the land skirt the far sides of the bay, and I thought I hear a rumble of th to a lower place, something that wasnt so common in the mild Pacific Northwest. I hoped wed find what we sine qua noned soon because it looked analogous a storm was some to break out. Ah, metaphor.\r\nSeth interrupted my ponderings. â€Å"That,” he verbalise, â€Å"is a white rock.”\r\nI came to a halt, turning my attention from the larger panorama to the path in front of me. There, about(predicate) eighty feed ahead of us, was a white rock-a huge, white rock. And from the looks of it, Evan hadnt been exaggerating when hed said it was about basketball team hundred tons.\r\nâ€Å"I kind of feel preposterous wasting my time with scraps of white gravel,” I mused, brushing hair out of my eye. The wind rapidly whipped it screen.\r\nâ€Å"It was so obvious…and yet not. Shall we?”\r\nI nodded, and we approached the rock, our travel fill with twain eagerness and apprehension. afterward all this time and all the failed efforts, it didnt seem possible that wed real through it. Something was going to happen. Something had to happen.\r\nâ€Å"Whoa,” I breathed, staring up at the rocks top when we reached it. It was so massive that it cover us in shadows. â€Å"I can see why people thought this came from the gods.”\r\nSeth was smell for down. â€Å"Unfortunately, weve got to direct our attention to less lofty places. How argon we alleged(a) to find this? Just guess at random?”\r\nIf Seth and I were alone, that would defecate been the method. Now, I was hoping Roman would reveal some insight about where the vessel was-if it was even here. A small part of me panicked that us ending up here might aim been the biggest misdirection of all.\r\nI scanned the found around the rock, still there was nonentity revelato ry of a recent digging. On a beach like this, all of the ground was uneven. â€Å"Something like that,” I said, needing Roman to pick up on his cue.\r\nSeth had let go of my hand when we reached the rock, that now he caught hold of it again and pulled me to him. â€Å"Georgina…”\r\nI dragged my eye from the ground and met his. My adrenaline was up, ready for the conclusion to this threaten…and yet, my heart was heavy, knowledgeable what the consequences of this would be. I squeezed Seths transfer and cadenceped nearr, resting my head against his chest. His heart beat heavy within. No doubt his emotions were tangled up as well.\r\nâ€Å"I know,” I said softly. â€Å"I feel the same way.”\r\nHe held me tight and kissed my forehead. â€Å"When we find Jerome…when you free him…itll go quickly, wont it?”\r\nâ€Å"Yeah. I dont know how pine itll take, only…well, I think itll be pretty fast. Thats how it was when he was taken.”\r\nâ€Å"And thats it.”\r\nâ€Å"I guess.”\r\nWe stood there, both(prenominal) of us attenuateding and confused. I didnt think anything could be worse than when Seth had forcibly ended things back in December. I understood now that hed done it because he thought it would be for the greater sizable, but it lock up smarted. And this…this was a pain of a distinguishable type. When Seth and I first kissed back at my apartment, I thought this could all be a vacation for me, vertical as it was for the vampires. Seth would be my sunshine, something I could have a brief go game with before returning to my dreary amaranthineity. I could take the memories with me, and that would be enough.\r\nOnly now, standing with him, I agnize it wouldnt be enough. It would only hurt much now, knowing exactly what I could never have again. I would never top love with Seth again, never have these intimate moments of comfort and rapport. He wasnt exploit any more. He never could be again.\r\nâ€Å"I dont know what to do,” Seth said, kissing my forehead.\r\nâ€Å"What do you mean? We dont have a choice.”\r\nâ€Å"We always have a choice, Thetis. After this, even when youre a succubus again…I dont know. I wanted so insalubriously to hold dear you from all the worlds hurts. I up to now do. just now after being with you this last week, Im starting to wonder if-â€Å"\r\nâ€Å"You have got to be tell aparting kidding me.”\r\nSeth and I looked up in surprise. I would have expected Roman to seed bust up our romantic intermezzo or peradventure even favor, in acknowledgment of her prize. What I was not expecting, however, was Dante.\r\nI didnt know where hed come from. He stepped around the side of the rock like hed been lurking behind it, but I suspected hed just walked up to us unnoticed in our moment of lovers angst. Anger radiated off him, and his eyes were as dark and stormy as the sea beyond us. And as soon as I byword him, I needed no drawn-out questioning, no build-up to a revelation. I didnt need to ask what he was doing there because I all at once knew.\r\nâ€Å"Youre the summoner,” I said.\r\nâ€Å"Of course.” There was a dismissive tone to his theatrical role as he said that, like it was an insult that anyone else could have compete that role. â€Å"Who else? I wasnt kidding when I told you I was the best in the area. I cant honestly believe you never even considered me. No, scratch that. Of course I can believe that. No matter how jaded or wailful you get, theres nonetheless that Pollyanna firearm of you that wants to believe the best in those you care about.”\r\nâ€Å"You say that like its a unsuitable thing,” I said, feeling my own individual retirement account grow. macrocosm played this whole time was bad enough. But being played by my own chap? Unacceptable. And yet…he was right. It had been stupid of me not to consider him , yet I couldnt believe he would have subjected me to all this torment.\r\nâ€Å"It is a bad thing. I was hoping I could break you of it, but I guess not.” His eyes flicked to Seths face and then back to mine. â€Å"Of course, I cant in truth talk about naïvet?¦ since you were fucking me over this whole time. Or, well, screwing him.”\r\nThere wasnt rattling anything I could respond with. I could hardly say, â€Å"Its not what you think,” because…well, it was exactly what he thought. Regardless of his role in Jeromes summoning, the fact remained that I had cheated on Dante, and Id been caught.\r\nâ€Å"Im sorry,” I said lamely, my hand still clutching Seths tightly. Hed taken a step forward. He wasnt blocking me from Dante, but there was decidedly a protective stance going on.\r\nâ€Å"Yes, yes, I know.” Dante gave an exasperated sigh. â€Å"Damn it, Georgina. What does it take with you? I never gave you shit about your job. I wa s trying to make a good life for us. And yet…you still went back to him . As soon as you could fuck him without hurting him, you jumped right on it.”\r\nâ€Å"Trying to make a good life…is that why you did all this?” I remembered Gregs comments about how anyone assisting a demon in this affair would be getting paying(a) in concubines and TVs. In Dantes case, it had been much more basic. Hed simply been paid in money, enough to buy me jewelry and flowers and start talking about sharing a home with me.\r\nâ€Å"Succubus, what else was I supposed to do?” He was still speaking to me in a mocking tone, but I could see the raw anguish on his features. It tore at my heart. â€Å"You can enslave kings and rock stars. There was no way you were going to file with me forever, not where I was going. The palms barely pay the bills, and the windowpane for when my spells could truly pay off has passed.”\r\nâ€Å"None of that mattered,” I said resolu tely. â€Å"I would have stayed…” Yet, even as I spoke, I recognized the contradiction. So did Dante, as he gestured at a thus-far silent Seth. Seth seemed very intent on something.\r\nDante rolled his eyes. â€Å"Yes. Clearly.”\r\nâ€Å"I never wanted this…never wanted you to literally make deals with the devil.”\r\nâ€Å"What did you expect from me? You know what I am. You got composite with me because you wanted to walk on the dark side. This deal was my biggest chance-the biggest payoff I was going to get for my power. She needed the best, and she could pay for my services.”\r\nâ€Å"She… forbearance.”\r\nDante gave me a twisted smile. â€Å"I should have know youd figured that part out too and had been sitting on it. Even when you trusted me…you still didnt really trust me. Maybe you arent as unmindful(p) as I thought. And when I got to your place and saw the atlas-well, thats when I knew Id underestimated you. Your e lucky bedight just move me up here and didnt come herself. We might get you out of here alive after all.”\r\nSeth and I still stood close, close enough that when he spoke into my ear, he barely had to raise his voice at all. â€Å"The watch,” he breathed. â€Å"Its in the watch.”\r\n I had no time to process that further because suddenly, Seth stone-broke from me and advanced on Dante. â€Å"Look, just leave her alone, okay? You caught her. She caught you. Call it even, and let us go.” I stared. It was uncharacteristically aggressive for him.\r\nâ€Å"Even?” exclaimed Dante. â€Å"It is not even. I did what I did because I love her.”\r\nSeths voice was level yet hard. â€Å"Love her? You got her caught up in that cult mess. You virtually got her knock downed by a demon.”\r\nDante glowered and took a step toward Seth. â€Å"That wasnt supposed to happen. Jerome came up with the Canada thing on the fly. She wasnt supposed to be caught in the middle of this. The plan was for her to wait out the stasis like everyone else, and then return to normal formerly Grace was in power. Grace messed up when she told Nanette about her meddling, but then Grace made sure Nanette wouldnt fuck with her again. I worked to celebrate Georgina safe.” Cedric had told the truth. He really hadnt told Nanette about my theories; Grace had.\r\nâ€Å"Yeah, you did a great job.”\r\nâ€Å"Its not my fault!” yelled Dante. â€Å"Say what you want about me, my reasons were noble. Whereas hers”-he pointed at me-â€Å"were in care with the selfish little whore shes been her entire life.”\r\nAnd then…the unexpected truly happened. Seth sprang forward and punched Dante. I didnt know what was more surprising, that Seth would be so aggressive or that he could throw such a keen punch. Hed thrown himself at a mugger at one time, and while it had been marvellously brave, it hadnt been nearly as precise or coordinated. I had no idea where hed learned that. Dante come to the foreed as floor as me. He staggered back from the blow and took a moment to recover. Then, with a snarl, he leapt toward Seth. Seth only partially dodged the blow-on purpose, it seemed-and fell back with the impact, causing both men to collapse to the ground.\r\nThey grappled around a bit, trying to get leverage and blows in, and for a moment, I was too stunned by it all to react. Then, finally, Seths words hit me. The watch . I hurried over to them, wary not to get hit by a flailing limb. Seth caught a glimpse of me and did his best to trance a hold of Dantes wrist and thrust it toward me. Dante unbroken squirming, however-I had a feeling hed been in a few more fights in his life than Seth had-and increase his struggles once he realized what was happening.\r\nThe watch. It made sense, really. Grace wore her part of the seal around her neck. Dante would want to keep his safe as well, and why not hidden in t he only accessory that he-by his own admission-ever wore?\r\nAt last, Seth managed to immobilize Dantes wrist just long enough for me to get my fingers under the watchs straps. I gave a hard jerk, using more strength than I thought possible, and the strap broke. The watch came away in my hand, and I scurried back as Dante yelled in rage. Seth eased up on restraining Dante, now that our goal was achieved. As soon as he was free, however, Dante came after me, and Seth shot up to take in a hold of him.\r\nI continued condescension up, the watch clutched in my hand, until I hit something-or rather, someone. I turned and found myself staring into Graces cold, hard eyes. Whereas Dante had seemed to appear out of nowhere, I knew Grace actually had. I froze, and behind me, the sounds of fighting stopped. I think the guys were just as surprised as me to see her-or maybe not. Dante had all but said hed told Grace we were here.\r\nâ€Å"Georgina,” she said. â€Å"You are such a good employee…and yet, youre also a bad one.” Her voice was as flat and passionless as ever, except unlike in the past, I had a feeling she was actually planning to kill me now.\r\nâ€Å"Why?” I asked, playing for time. â€Å"You had a good job under Jerome.”\r\nâ€Å"Under being the workman word. I wasnt going to happen the rest of my earthly concern as someones second-in-command and certainly not their co-second-in-command.”\r\nâ€Å"She has the seal,” I comprehend Dante say behind me.\r\nâ€Å"I know she does,” Grace replied. â€Å"You gave it to her.”\r\nâ€Å"Hey, I-â€Å"\r\nShe raised her hand, and Dante screamed. Jerking my head around, I saw him writhing in pain, like he was hang by strings that she controlled. After enduring Nanettes wrath, I knew how truly excruciating demonic torture was, and I couldnt stand to see anyone else go through that. Seth looked from me to Dante, clearly unsure what to do. Fistfights migh t be out of his comfort zone, though they were something he could do. But this? exclusively unalike.\r\nâ€Å"Let him go!” I said. As stupid as it was, I reached out and tried to persuade her, but I would have had as much luck budging the huge glacial rock beside her.\r\nâ€Å"I should never have relied on someone who was close to-â€Å"\r\nHer words were cut off when she suddenly went momentary through the air, slamming into the rock. The impact seemed to surprise more than it hurt her, and mercifully, her torture of Dante stopped. She looked around, eyes wide and confused.\r\nâ€Å"What the-â€Å"\r\nRoman materialized out of the air and strode toward her, fierce and frightening. Finally, I thought. Without my immortal senses, I couldnt feel his aura or signature, but something told me he was wielding a considerable chunk of his power as he advanced. Doing so was risky. It would make his identity known to any greater immortals nearby, though with all the free rein in Seattle, there probably werent any in the area to sense him. Cedric certainly wasnt around.\r\nGrace gave a sharp intake of breath. â€Å"You…I remember your signature.”\r\nThat was all the warning she gave before fire streaked from her hands toward Roman. He didnt move or bat an eyelid, but the fire hit an unseeyn wall. It arced around him, leaving him unscathed.\r\nâ€Å"Georgina,” he said, not taking his eyes off Grace. â€Å"The vessels over by the north side of the stones base.”\r\nI wasted no time in hurrying over to the spot hed indicated. I comprehend Graces outrage and caught her moving toward me in my periphery. But then, her anger turned to pain. Roman had blasted her with something, and her attention returned to him. My own attention was on the rocky ground as I began digging with my bare hands. In my zeal, Id once again forgotten a spade. Seth was by my side in an instant, clawing at the sandy draw near with me. Large, fat drops of rain began falling on us, but I didnt have time to care.\r\nâ€Å"Whos unassailableer?” he asked as the sounds of fighting raged behind us. If Romans appearance startled him, he was ignoring it for now.\r\nâ€Å"I dont know,” I said. The ground was getting harder to dig in. It was damp and caked together from a recent rain, and I could feel it building up under my nails. â€Å"Roman can theoretically be as strong as Jerome, and Im guessing shes less powerful than Jerome. I dont know for sure, and he might be safekeeping back. The more power he uses, the more he alerts some others that hes here.”\r\nMy fingers hit something hard, and Seth and I both worked to jab it out. It was a wooden box, an old cigar case from the looks of it. I managed a good hold on it, and it began lifting out.\r\nâ€Å"Here,” I said, pausing. I tossed him my purse and then immediately returned to my digging. â€Å" start up my phone. Look in the numbers, and youll find mei. Call he r. verbalize her where were at.” The cigar box came up out of the earth.\r\nâ€Å"You want me to call a demon?” he asked in shock.\r\nâ€Å"We need her. Tell her where were at. Then get away from here. raise in my car and go.”\r\nâ€Å"Georgina-â€Å"\r\nâ€Å"Go!” I shouted.\r\nSeth hesitated for the space of a heartbeat, then got up and ran with my purse, keeping well away from the combatants. I didnt know if mei would react to a call from a mortal. I didnt even know if shed answer, nor did I know if she could be trusted. I was relying on instinct-and that na;ve hope about everyones good side-that she and Grace werent collaborating.\r\nRomans scream caused me to look up sharply. He was on his back, Grace advancing. What looked like lightning crackled toward him, though just with the fire, it split away. Only, it got a lot circumferent to him than before. He was weakening.\r\nFrantically, I scraped sand off the cigar box. It looked deceptively easy t o open, but when I attempted to wind the lid up, nothing happened. It wouldnt budge, and I knew no efforts of mine would make it happen. Turning to the watch Id taken from Dante, I peered at it. The face was a pale browned marbleized pattern-one that easily blended in with the seal. It was an quick hiding spot. I smashed the watch against the cigar case, and on the third try, the glass cracked. I plucked away the pieces and tried to pull up the face. It was embedded firmly. winning a small shard of the watchs surface, I slipped it under the seals edge, and after a few moments pressure, everything fell apart, and…there was no seal.\r\nI stared. Gears, watch hands, pieces of glass, and the face…but no seal. Seth had been certain. I had been certain. Dante had no other place on him that he would keep it. Carter had said it was possible that the summoner might hide the seal elsewhere, and if Dante had done that, we were screwed.\r\nâ€Å"Fuc-â€Å"\r\nI cut my own prof anity off and stared at my wrist, at the glittering watch nictitation up at me. No. Surely it wasnt this obvious. Dante had minded(p) me the watch before Jerome had been summoned, and then Id lost it right around the time of the summoning. Id blamed it on myself, but was it possible that Dante had actually briefly taken it back…?\r\nJerking the watch off my wrist, I didnt hesitate to give it the same treatment as Dantes watch. It killed me to destroy that beautiful gold-and-glass piece of work, but when the filigree face popped out, I found a piece of blackened quartz that complemented Graces. Dante needed more credit. Hed kept the seal close to him and hidden it where no one who was looking for it-i.e., me-would ever think to search.\r\nThe seal was useless, though, without the other half. face up, I saw that Grace had her hand around Romans neck and was lifting him off the ground. He was completely limp. I didnt quite understand, but something told me hed completely shu t off all his power. Why? It was suicide. I wanted to scream, to run over and save him, but there was nothing I could do. Her back was to me, but I could surmise the gleam in her eyes.\r\nâ€Å"When I kill you,” she hissed, â€Å"my direct get out be secured.”\r\nSuddenly, she jerked her head back toward me. For a moment, I thought Id attracted her attention, but she wasnt looking at me. She was looking beside me, having sensed what I no long-lasting could: the signature of another greater immortal. mei stood there, hard and grim. Id always considered her stone-faced, but the look she wore was truly terrifying, and I cringed.\r\nShe and Grace locked gazes, and then a few seconds later, Grace flung Roman away. He landed with a hard thud and lay still for a moment. Then, he lifted his head and slowly began go across the sand toward me, every movement seeming to cause him agony.\r\nâ€Å"You have seriously screwed things up,” said Mei.\r\nâ€Å"I have improve d my situation,” said Grace evenly. â€Å"And I can improve yours.”\r\nâ€Å"I dont need your help-especially when I reveal that you were behind all this. The others will reward me. Jerome will reward me.”\r\nâ€Å"Youre an idiot! Do you want to spend the rest of eternity working for someone else?”\r\nâ€Å"My time will come,” Mei returned smoothly. â€Å"And Id rather work for him than you.”\r\nAnd without any more banter, they lunged at each other. It was a bizarre fight. Half of it seemed very benignant, complete with physical blows and grappling. At the same time, there was definitely a supernatural element to it, as they wielded the same kind of elements and invisible blows Grace and Roman had. The rain was pouring down, dipsomaniac both of them. With their abilities, they could have remained impervious, but they were too distract by each other.\r\nRoman was still crawling toward me. Holding onto the seal and the box, I hesitantly mov ed to meet him half-way.\r\nâ€Å"Can you open it?” I asked, handing him the box.\r\nHis internal respiration was heavy and pained, but he gripped the box like I had and tried to pry the lid open. His fingers clench the wood, and I saw exertion on his face, both of a physical and magical level. At last, he grimaced. â€Å"No. Not a greater immortal power I inherited.”\r\nI looked up at the demonesses. There was a slight shimmer around both of them. As the battle intensified, they were in risk of shifting to their true immortal forms, which would be bad for me to see. â€Å"Whos stronger?” I asked.\r\nâ€Å"Theyre evenly matched,” said Roman, following my gaze. â€Å"Grace is a little worn down, though.”\r\nI hoped it would be enough. Hugging the box to my chest, I watched them fight, ready to look away if they totally shifted form. Id always thought they had a hard sort of beauty, but now, it was all scratchiness and no beauty, and it wasnt dif ficult to see that under their homo facades, they were truly demons of hell. I could also see what Roman meant about them being evenly matched. Each time one gained an advantage, the other took it back.\r\nUntil, just when it seemed Grace might be getting the better of Mei, Mei suddenly came on full force with an attack of spiritual world blasts that caught Grace off-guard and made her stumble back. With inhuman speed, Mei reached forward and ripped the choker from Graces neck. Equally fast, she threw it toward me and then turned back to block Grace, who seemed to realize the end was near.\r\nI grabbed hold of the necklace with trembling fingers and pulled off the crescent-shaped piece of the seal. I placed it next to Dantes half, unsure what to do, but as soon as they were close enough, they incorporate together into one whole disc.\r\nâ€Å"Put it on the box,” said Roman. â€Å"Hurry.”\r\nI pressed the seal onto the boxs top, and again, it seemed to know what to do , embedding itself in the woods surface, almost like it melted. And with that, there seemed to be no other option. I opened the lid.\r\nThe power that blasted out of it knocked both Roman and me backward, and at the same time, I felt a different sort of power snap into my body. The strings that cut back my soul to sine reattached. My immortal essence coursed through me, and with it, I felt all the other abilities Hell had granted me return. I felt strong. Charged. Invincible. My senses tuned back in to the unseen world, and the blast of powerful immortal auras filled the air.\r\nAnd there, in the rain, light and color slowly fused out of the box and into a man-shaped form. A few minutes later, it took on a completely human appearance. One that looked like John Cusack. Grace and Mei halted their attack, both staring.\r\nCarefully, hesitantly, Mei then took a few steps back. Jerome paid her no attention. He was focus on Grace.\r\nâ€Å"Oh man,” I said softly. â€Å"You are so fucked.”\r\n'