Gilded Inferno (The Helio Trilogy Book 2) Read online

  “Maybe. It’s been a long day for all of us, and I don’t want to make it a bigger deal than it has to be. Let’s get some sleep and we can talk after breakfast.”

  The corner of Jack’s lips turn up to one side as he pulls me closer, “Well then, Miss Harris, would you do me the honor of joining me for breakfast in a few hours?”

  Pushing up to my toes to meet his height, I grip his shirt in my fists. “How can I deny a man with the most beautiful and irritating smile I’ve ever seen?”

  Just before my lips touch his, Jack pulls back with amusement, “Irritating?”

  I giggle, capturing his lips with mine. When I pull back, we stare into each other’s eyes. “I love you, Jack.”

  His voice lowers even more, “I love you too, Ivy. You are mine, and I am yours.”

  “Always.”

  He grins before kissing me again. “Goodnight, Sunshine.”

  I slide from his arms, letting my hands trail down his biceps to his fingertips that coil around my own, wanting to keep me there. “Goodnight, Jack.”

  Tracing my fingers over the tingle in my bottom lip as I walk upstairs to my room, I feel a weight has been lifted from making a decision about my future and successfully sharing it with everyone who matters to me. As I close the door behind me, a new weight begins to settle on my shoulders. I pull my phone from my back pocket and check the time before tossing it on the nightstand beside my bed. With thirty minutes before I have to meet Trey in the Veil, I take a quick shower and pull on some sweats before throwing my hair into a ponytail and smoking a cigarette on the balcony.

  Two minutes before four o’clock in the morning, I get comfortable in bed. I look to the Enochian markings on my right forearm, take a relaxing breath, close my eyes, and run my fingers from my elbow to my wrist in order to send my spirit into the grayness of the Veil.

  The transition is much easier without my father’s intense calling into the Veil. When I open my eyes, the sky above rolls swiftly with angry gray clouds. The tall dull grass of the Veil’s field surrounds me, and my heart pounds with the anticipation of seeing Trey again. I surge to my feet, seeking out the Tree of Life as I expect him to be waiting for me there. The last time I spoke with Trey, he thanked me for the pure mortal soul I unintentionally gave him. It doesn't stop the haunting memory of Beleth forcing me to slit Trey’s throat. I swallow hard as I spot the Tree of Life in the distance to my right.

  When I reach the lone oak full of life, Trey’s nowhere to be found. I call out, “Trey?”

  A young girl, who appears to be my age, steps out from behind the oak’s large trunk. She’s slightly taller than me with platinum blonde hair pulled back into a ponytail, and her straight bangs touch the top frame of her square, black glasses over her violet eyes. Reaper. I take a step back, steeling myself for a fight, even though she is far from threatening with her hands stuffed in her tight blue jeans and a pale scarf over her dark blouse.

  My eyes narrow, “Who are you?”

  The nerdy blonde takes a brave step forward, removing her hands from her pockets to introduce herself, “My name’s Tallulah, but everybody calls me Telly.”

  I relax a little with her friendliness, but looks can be deceiving. I don’t shake her waiting hand, still assessing whether she’s a threat.

  Tallulah clears her throat, letting her hands return to her pockets. She confesses, “I guess you got my note or you wouldn’t be here. I’m glad you came alone.”

  My muscles tense with her words, and my eyes grow wide with each question I bombard her with, “Why? And Why would you leave a picture of Trey? Better yet, what the hell were you doing on the Roe’s estate? Where’s Trey?”

  Tallulah sucks in a long breath through her perfectly straight teeth. “Yeah,” she drawls on a sigh. “Well, I would’ve tried to introduce myself at the coffee shop, but you’re… Well… You’re Ivy Harris, and you were with The-Jack-Roe. You’re both legends. Plus, there were those Fallen you were hanging out with, and the biggest power couple among Reapers—“

  “—Tallulah!” I bark in an attempt to get her to focus. Her rambling is giving me a headache.

  She jumps to attention, “Sorry… So, Trey was a friend of mine.” She becomes still and quiet.

  “I’m sorry, Tallulah.”

  “Please, call me Telly.” I nod as I relax with my hip cocked out and my arms crossed over my chest. She pushes up the bridge of her glasses, and I notice how beautiful Telly truly is. If it wasn’t for her style of dress, she could be a supermodel. Telly continues, “Anyways, I know I shouldn’t have set foot on their property, but I’ve been trying to track you for a while to get you alone.”

  I quirk my brow, “Why?”

  She avoids eye contact as she wrings her hands. “Well, you see… The thing is… I kinda was here after Trey died…In the Veil… and I saw you… With him… And Michael.”

  “How?”

  “I’d just brought a soul through and sent him to his destination only minutes before. I was lingering here,” she touches the tree, “It helps me think. It’s quiet.”

  I shift my weight, “So, why have you been trying to track me down?”

  Telly straightens her spine, locking eyes with me, “I want to ask you for a favor.”

  “A favor,” I repeat.

  She takes a deep breath, “I know what you did for Trey and that you can do it again. What did Michael call it?” She snaps her fingers next to her temple. “Ah! Immortal Pestilence!”

  I shake my head. What the fuck does she want with my ability? Whatever it is, the answer is a big, fat N-O.

  “I want to be mortal, Ivy.”

  I continue to shake my head, “You’ve got some nerve dragging me here and asking me to do something like that. Do you have any idea what that entails? What I’ll have to do? You have no right!”

  Telly shrinks back, “I know, I know. Look, do you have any idea how old I am? Do you know how many souls I’ve guided?”

  “No, but I bet you’re going to tell me,” I deadpan.

  “I’ve lost count. I’ve been around since Adam… I’m so tired, Ivy.”

  “Figuratively?”

  Her eyes roll, “No, Ivy. Literally. Like Cain and Abel’s father.”

  I let out a whistle of astonishment. “Still, I can’t just give you a mortal soul, Telly.”

  She clasps her hands together at her chest as she pleas, “I’ll do anything, Ivy. Anything. Name your price. I’ve been around since the dawn of time. I’ve acquired more knowledge and skills than you could imagine. Anything you need, I can do it or make it.”

  I chuckle, “Make it?”

  Telly shrugs, “Yeah. You name it, I’m an expert.”

  “Elaborate.”

  “Medicine, science, economics, politics, geology… Anything.”

  I rub my head. “Let me think about it.” Telly jumps up and down, clapping her hands. I put my hands up, “Calm down. I said I’ll think about it. I’m not making any promises.”

  She stops jumping, yet the bright smile on her face ceases to fall, “Ok. Alright. Ok. Um, I’ll give you my phone number and you can text me.”

  I nod as she recites her number for me to remember, then I slink away, leaving her leaning against the Tree of Life as I swipe my fingers from my wrist to my elbow.

  Chapter 7

  As I come back into my body, I realize the sun is high in the sky. I check my phone. It’s two o’clock in the afternoon, and I have three text messages from Jack. How the hell did I spend that much time in the Veil? I think back to the times I’ve been in the Veil before, and conclude that each time I had gone, I’d lost chunks of time. For most of my visits, I had blacked out and chalked up the lost time to being unconscious. I open the messages from Jack.

  Jack: Good morning, Sunshine.

  Jack: I guess we’ll b having breakfast 4 lunch.

  Jack: Going w/ Eric 2 meet someone n town about wards. Text me when u wake up.

  I text him back, my eyes falling from lack
of sleep.

  Me: I’m so sorry. Didn’t sleep well. Still tired.

  Jack: Nightmares?

  Me: No. Just didn’t sleep well. Wake me up when u get back?

  Jack: See u soon.

  I groan as I fall back into my pillow, throwing the covers over my head to block the light filtering into the room.

  Heavy breathing pulls my attention to my right, but my head fails to turn. Its weight feels immense. My mind is lethargic as if I’ve been drugged. As I slowly take in my surroundings, I recognize the sharp rocks at my feet, the stench in the air, and the shadows crawling along the cave walls in the darkness. I’m in Sheol.

  I groan with the pounding in my head and attempt to rub my temples, but my hands are shackled above me. I jerk and twist with all of my angelic strength to no avail. My eyes land on the large frame to my right. Hanging next to me in the same position is Solas.

  His breathing’s labored. His head is stretched back as far as it can go with a double edged pitchfork, the size of my hand, wedged between the hollow of his throat and his chin.

  “No,” I plea aloud with a dry throat.

  A voice calls to me, “Ivy.”

  I search for the source, finding no one else around.

  “Ivy, wake up.”

  I gasp for breath as I wake with Jack’s hand on my cheek. Worry creases his brow, “Hey. Are you ok? You’re sweating. Did you have a nightmare?”

  I shake my head and wipe my face before I sit up. The room is dark. “I’m fine. What time is it?”

  “Almost eight. I was trying to let you sleep, but you haven’t eaten all day.”

  I sigh, rubbing my face again to rid the dream from my mind. “Sorry. I can’t believe I slept that long.”

  “Are you having nightmares again?”

  I avoid his eyes, “No. I think yesterday just took a lot out of me.”

  Jack nods with a disbelieving gaze, “Are you hungry? Eric made some barbeque.”

  My stomach rumbles at the mention of food, and we chuckle. “Yeah. Let me get cleaned up and I’ll be right down.”

  Jack kisses my cheek with his soft, warm lips, and I give him a reassuring smile as he leaves. Showering the sweat from my skin, my body trembles with an onslaught of emotions. Shadows and ghosts of fear, rage, sadness, and hope burn through my bones. Fear that I’m too late to save Solas. Rage at whoever put him in such a state of weakness. Sadness that he could be there now and I have no way to save him. And hope that he’ll survive long enough for me to find a way.

  What did you do? How am I supposed to get to you down there?

  He was so weak, the pain clear in his countenance. The way his body hung, there was no energy or fight left in him. It kills me that he’s spent almost my entire life trying to save me and I can’t get to him. Or maybe I can.

  Telly.

  She said she would do anything for me to take her essence and give her a mortal soul. She said she could do anything. Can she get me into Sheol? If she can help me breach Sheol without anyone finding out—because the others, not to mention my father, will kill me—and I can escape with Solas, I’ll give her the soul she wants. Fuck, I’ll give her anything she wants for that matter.

  Wrapping my body in a towel, I don’t bother to dry as I dash to my phone in the bedroom and text her. My fingers fly over the screen.

  Me: Need 2 talk.

  T: Give me 4 hrs? Same place.

  Me: Ok.

  My hands continue to shake as I get dressed and braid my hair over my shoulder. I tuck my hands under my arms, holding myself tight to hide their shaking. Strolling into the kitchen, the side door’s wide open. The scent of barbeque ribs, burgers, chicken, and sausage float through the air, causing my mouth to water. I follow my nose to the back where I find everyone drinking, eating, and laughing.

  Beck throws his arms wide as he continues to sit at the elongated picnic table, “It’s alive!”

  I bite my bottom lip with my grin as I approach. Jack pats the empty seat next to him. Sitting down, I hold my hands between my thighs. “Smells great, Eric.”

  Eric smiles wide, “This is the best barbeque you will ever have, and that’s sayin’ something since you’re immortal now.”

  “That’s a pretty hefty assumption,” I chide.

  He boasts, “That’s because you’ve never had Big T’s Sloppin’ Sauce!”

  I grin, “Is that right?”

  Cassius offers me an empty plate, “He’s right. It’s the best barbeque I’ve ever had.”

  I ask, “And who’s Big T?”

  Evelyn passes me a glass of sweet tea, “Tony. He’s a Cherubim. You just missed him. Jack and Eric picked him up earlier, and he was kind enough to come out to ward the estate.”

  I perk up as I look around the table, “So, it’s done already?”

  Alice pipes in, “Yup.”

  I look to Thea, Beck, and Cass, “I don’t understand. How are you guys still here?”

  Thea informs me, “He found a way around it by giving us each a talisman of passage.” She flips me off, and I’m caught off guard with the gesture because of her mischievous grin. Jack chuckles, and Beckett joins his sister in giving me the bird.

  I glance between the two for a moment, and my mouth drops. Their middle fingers are adorned with identical silver signet rings, a renaissance depiction of a Griffin in the center. “Wow! Let me see.” I grasp Beck’s hand, turning it left and right to see the Enochian script in the sides. “That’s great!” I tell them as I release his hand.

  “You’ll never be rid of us now,” Beck threatens.

  I huff, “Damn.”

  The table laughs, and I dig in to the best barbeque I’ve ever had, thanks to Tony and his Big T’s Sloppin’ Sauce. As we eat and I watch the Griffins scarf down plate after plate of ribs, the trembling in my body diminishes. I’m thankful Jack hasn’t noticed, and I try to keep my nerves at bay with expecting him to want to talk later.

  After dinner, Alice sets up a projector to shine on the barn. We lounge in the field on blankets to watch a movie. I sit between Jack’s legs and lean back into his solid body as he brushes his fingertips up and down my arms. The air is crisp with the fragrance of pine. The snow seems to finally be over for the season. The evening is the most normal I’ve had or felt in a while. I’m thankful.

  I stir awake as Jack ascends the stairs to the third floor with me, and I wrap my arms around his neck. “I’m sorry. I can’t believe I passed out. I’m so tired.”

  He gives me a worried look, “Maybe by tomorrow you’ll be rested up enough.”

  I nod, snuggling my face into the crook of his neck as I breath him in. Jack lays me in bed and kisses my forehead. Placing a hand on his cheek, I look deep into his eyes, “I love you, Jack.”

  “I love you, Sunshine,” he whispers low before his perfect, kissable lips press into my own. He pulls away, searching my face for an answer to an unspoken question. “You want me to stay with you tonight?”

  I understand his worry for my restlessness, but I need to slip into the Veil again without him knowing. It’s important for me to find Solas now more than ever. I’m not putting anyone else in danger along the way. I refuse to lose anyone again.

  My fingers tuck the wisps of his blonde hair under his baseball cap from sticking out over his ears, “I’ll be alright. Promise.”

  “You know where I am if you need me.” Jack takes my hand and kisses my knuckles. I give him a reassuring smile and nod. He slips from my bed, calling over his shoulder as he leaves, “Goodnight, Sunshine.”

  The door closes as I mumble, “Goodnight, Jack.”

  I find Telly pacing before the Tree of Life in the Veil, seemingly talking to herself with wild gestures. When she sees me approaching, she looks nervous as she fidgets with the hem of her shirt. I start, “You said you could do anything.”

  Her eyes widen a fraction. She stutters, “Y-Yeah.” I cross my arms and study her a moment, wondering if she’ll be capable. She probes, “Should I be worri
ed?”

  The corner of my mouth twists in thought. “Maybe.”

  “What do you want me to do?”

  I huff, “Can you get me into Sheol?”

  Telly freezes, stunned with my request. After a few seconds, she bursts out with the most high pitched laugh that pierces my ears. It's broken up by occasional snorts and dwindles as she notices the seriousness of my expression. She clears her throat and straightens her spine. “You’re serious.”

  Whether it’s a question or statement, I reply, “Deadly.”

  She clears her throat again and rights the glasses on her face. “Right. Well, I can take you to the portal, but I can’t go in there with you.”

  My head tilts with the furrow of my brow, “There’s a portal?”

  Telly shrugs with a look of confusion, “Yeah. Right in Red Meadow. Why do you think so many Fallen like Red Meadow as their playground? It’s basically next door to Sheol.”

  I groan, wiping my face in frustration. Nobody tells me a damn thing! How the hell has it just slipped their minds that Red Meadow sits on a portal to Sheol? What in the actual fuck? And how the hell is it possible that of all the places I could’ve chosen to move and go to college, Red Meadow is like an epicenter for Fallen?

  Telly continues, “Why do you need to get into Sheol?”

  I cross my arms over my chest, “I have to find someone. When can you take me to the portal?”

  “If I take you to the portal, you promise to make me mortal?”

  I take a deep breath. “If you can help me breach Sheol without anyone finding out and I can escape with who I’m looking for, I will give you a pure soul for a mortal life.”

  Telly’s breathing picks up on the verge of hyperventilation, “Really?”

  I nod with a little giggle, “Really.”

  She screams as she runs in place. I give her a moment to calm back down. Her beautiful smile meets her shining eyes. She breathes, “I’m gonna be human.”

  “So, when can you take me? I need it to be during the night. Nobody can know where I’m going,” I urge.

  “Then, Monday would be best,” she insists.

  “Do I need anything?”

  Her excitement never falters, “Nope. I’ll text you with an address to meet me and I’ll take you from there.”