Chapter 36

36

CAROLINA

T he warm scent of coffee and burning sage fills the air of Cup & Cauldron , a stark contrast to the cold, uninviting atmosphere of the Underworld. The comforting hum of familiar magic pulses through the walls, grounding us in the here and now. Camila and I are back, safe, with Declan sitting beside me, his hand still wrapped loosely around mine. But even with that comfort, the weight of what we’ve been through hasn’t left me. I doubt it ever will.

Silas is curled up on the counter, his eyes narrowed in thought as he listens to us recount everything that happened. Luna slithers across the floor, her dark scales catching the soft candlelight, her gaze sharp and focused.

“So,” Silas says, his tail flicking lazily. “Esme’s gone, then? For good?”

“Gone,” Camila confirms, her voice tired but certain. She’s sitting on the floor next to me, resting against the counter, her head tilted back, staring at the ceiling as if she’s still processing everything that happened. “She used some ancient spell—one I’ve never heard of. It cost her her life.”

“And Mal?” Luna hisses, her eyes narrowing as she coils next to me. “He’s not coming back? ”

I shake my head. “No. Esme’s spell dragged him back into the shadows. He’s…gone for now. His magic must have caved in on itself when Esme used it against him.”

For a moment, there’s silence. The familiars exchange a glance, and I know they’re both thinking the same thing—this fight, this nightmare we’ve been living through, is finally over. Or at least, that’s what we want to believe.

Silas flicks his tail again, a thoughtful expression on his face. “So, what about Bas?”

Camila stiffens slightly at the mention of his name, her fingers fidgeting with the edge of her shirt. Bas—the man who’d worked with Esme, who had unknowingly played a part in her dark plans. I know she doesn’t want to talk about him, but we have to. He’s still passed out in the magic room.

“We’ll wipe his memory,” I say firmly. “Of Esme, of the summonings, of everything he did with her. He’s not a threat if he doesn’t remember. It’ll be like none of this ever happened to him.”

Camila nods slowly, her eyes tired but grateful. “It’s better this way. He didn’t know what he was getting into. He thought he was protecting the town.”

“Then it’s settled,” Silas says with a yawn. “Bas will forget everything, and you two can finally get some rest.”

Before I can respond, Declan’s phone buzzes on the table. He pulls it out, frowning as he reads the caller ID.

“It’s the police captain,” he mutters, swiping to answer the call. “O’Reilly.”

I watch him as he listens to whatever the captain is saying, his eyes widening slightly in surprise, then softening with relief. “You’re sure?” he asks, his voice quieter now. “All of them?”

I sit up straighter, a knot of tension forming in my chest. When Declan finally hangs up, he turns to us, a strange expression on his face—part relief, part disbelief.

“They’ve returned,” he says slowly. “All of the missing townspeople…except Elijah. They’ve been found, safe, back in their homes.”

I blink, trying to process the news. “They’re back?”

Declan nods. “They don’t remember anything. No memory of where they were or what happened to them. It’s like they were never gone.”

The relief that floods through me is overwhelming. For weeks, we’ve been living under the weight of those disappearances, the town’s fear and suspicion hanging over us like a cloud. And now…it’s over. Well, almost. There’s still Elijah, who will always be missing even though we know he’s gone, but at least the others are safe.

Camila leans her head against my shoulder. “Their souls must have been freed when Esme cast that spell. Good. That’s good. One less thing to worry about.”

We sit in silence for a while after that, the weight of everything slowly beginning to lift. There’s still so much we need to process, so much that needs to be dealt with. But for now, I’m just grateful that we’re safe, that the people we fought for are back, and that the nightmare we’ve been living through is finally over.

Declan excuses himself to check in at the station while we deal with Bas.

He’s still slumped on the ground where Declan left him, and I summon my magic to flip through his memory.

I see images of Esme running into him in town months ago. Then there’s an emptiness about him. A spell Esme cast to get him to do her bidding in town so that we couldn’t sense her. I see him at meetings at Hazel’s Inn with everyone who had gone missing. I see him in Camila’s room, taking her necklace. I see it all…and then I erase it.

From the threads of time, I sever the strands,

What’s known to thee, now slips from thy hands.

Memories once clear, now drift away,

As mist in morning, they fade with day.

By night’s dark grace, I let thee be,

What’s forgotten shall no longer see.

What was known is no more, let it be free.

Camila watches from beside me, arms wrapped around herself.

“Esme spelled him. He really didn’t know what he was doing,” I tell her, touching her arm in comfort.

“That’s good, I suppose. That he isn’t evil, I mean.”

I let out a laugh that surprises us both, and it’s only a moment before we’re both hysterical. The laughs morph into tears, and we’re wrapped in a hug that feels endless.

“I’m sorry,” I whisper when we pull away.

“Why are you sorry?” she asks, wiping under her eyes.

“I’m sorry I didn’t pick you right away. I just…I couldn’t…”

There are no words for my betrayal of our sisterhood, but I hope she can forgive me one day.

“Don’t be sorry, Caro. I can’t imagine how hard that decision was. I can only hope to be as strong as you. If I had to choose between you and my mirror soul…I’m not sure I would have made the same decision.” She looks guilty at the admission .

“I appreciate you saying that. We should probably get him back home, yeah?” I ask, inclining my head at Bas.

“Yeah, I’ll take him. I could use some normal, mortal air. Hey, where did that joined power idea come from? Something you thought of in the moment?”

I shake my head. “Declan, actually. The prophecy mentions a joined power. He suggested that instead of it being about who we were looking for, it was about a power to unite to save the Mortal World.”

Her face grows puzzled. “But a joint power didn’t stop Mal. Esme did. Do you think that means it was about them, and we stopped the prophecy?”

Cauldron , I’d love to believe that, but the Fates never let us off easy.

“Let’s worry about that another day. For now, I want to think we’ve reached some semblance of normal.”

She gives me a small smile before using her magic to levitate and cloak Bas in invisibility like we had Declan and Nightcrawler just a few days ago. Though it had felt like centuries.

Later that night, there’s a knock on the door of the apartment. I’m not surprised to see it’s Declan, but I am surprised to see his suitcase beside him.

“That’s a little presumptuous, don’t you think?” I ask, moving aside for him to pass me.

He raises his eyebrows at me. “Is it? I figure it’s the least you could do for almost having me killed.”

I scoff as we climb the stairs to my room. “That’s not funny.”

“No,” he agrees, “but we should talk about it.”

A sinking feeling grows in my stomach. The guilt I felt about not picking Camila right away is nothing compared to the feeling of devastation that filled me, knowing that I risked Declan’s life on a theory that Camila and I could save him .

I shut the door as he drops his stuff at the foot of my bed.

“C’mere,” he says, sitting on the edge of the mattress.

I stand between his legs, and he does me the favor of starting this conversation.

“You did the right thing, Carolina,” he tells me, bringing my hands to his neck before his hands go to my waist to pull me closer against him.

“It doesn’t feel like that. It feels like I gave in to everything I was trying so hard to avoid.”

His eyes are soft as he looks at me. “You did exactly what you had to do to keep Mal from doing what he planned. I know that was hard for you, but we’re here now. You’ve saved me again, and now we get to be together. In this lifetime.”

I wanted to see it that way so badly. I wanted to believe that was the only time we’d be in a situation like that, but there was no guarantee. We were right back where we started.

“I know that face,” he frowns, reaching up to smooth the crease between my eyebrows. “How about this? We don’t think about the future.” I laugh, and it makes him smile. “Okay, maybe just not the distant future. Let’s think about…5 minutes from now.”

His smile is infectious. “5 minutes from now?” I ask, amusement filling my voice.

“Yeah, read my future, Carolina. What do you see in the next five minutes.” He presses my palm against his cheek, and I lower the barrier I usually place my premonitions behind.

My body stills, and Declan’s future fills my head. I see him pressed against me. His hands are in my hair. His mouth is on my skin. I’m a voyeur to our own escapades, and when I pull away, my body is tight with anticipation.

I’m tugging off his shirt. He laughs but complies, lifting his arms for me. “Someone’s in a rush. ”

“We’re on a time limit,” I remind him. “Wouldn’t want to piss off the Fates…again.”

“ Cauldron , no. We wouldn’t want that,” he agrees, stripping off my jeans as I pull my shirt over my head.

Our mouths find each other in a frenzy of touching and pulling off articles of clothing. His lips are rough against mine.

“ Gods , I love you.” Once again, words are flowing out of me before I have time to filter them, but any concern I have about saying them disappears when he responds.

“I love you, too,” he says, smiling against my mouth. “It’s good we got that out of the way, Caro, because with what I’m about to do to you, you’re going to think I hate you.”

I preen at the use of my nickname coming from his mouth. It’s distracting enough that I don’t question what he means by the latter part of his statement. It becomes abundantly clear a minute later.

“Declan, I swear to?—”

“No, no. I didn’t get to take my time with you last time, Caro,” he says, lifting his head from between my legs. “And if recent events have taught you anything, it’s that we need to savor these things.”

“ Oh fuck that, ” I groan, my magic flaring.

Declan lets out a surprised, but thoroughly aroused sound, when he finds himself underneath me. I lower myself onto him, tipping my head back at the feeling of him stretching me.

“ Jesus , Carolina,” he moans, shifting so his chest is pressed against mine.

His teeth nip against my neck, and my fingernails dig into his shoulders when he hits a spot deep inside me.

“ Fuck ,” he says when I rock against him.

He flips me beneath him again and dips his head to take a nipple in his mouth, biting down just slightly as he pumps into me again .

I think he hates me when he pulls out slowly before rocking into me again. He’s making me work for it, and I’m growing impatient.

“ Declan ,” I whine when his pace becomes torturously slow.

“You want something, Carolina?” He looks at me challengingly. “Then take it.”

My magic flares again, pinning him back underneath me. We’re wrapped in my shadows, and Declan’s eyes widen at the sudden change in scenery.

“They won’t hurt you,” I tell him quickly, worried he might be afraid of them after Mal.

He blinks at me, confused. “Of course they won’t. They belong to you, just like I do.”

The gentleness of his voice and words spurs me forward. A heat gathers between my legs, and his lips part at the feeling of me tightening around him.

“I take it back. You might kill me like this,” he says, gripping my hips and moving me against him at a pace that has him groaning and me seeing stars.

I’m climbing impossibly higher. I roll my hips so my clit rubs against him every time he thrusts forward.

“Declan,” I mumble as I start to come undone.

Once again, I find myself underneath him, and I fall in love with this fight for dominance over each other’s pleasure. I let him win this time as he continues his unforgiving pace, and my body continues to tighten around his.

“Fall, Carolina,” he whispers against my breast. “I’ve got you. Always.”

And I do. The pressure bubbles over, and the sounds that come from my mouth are unlike any I’ve ever made. They’re raw and sated and happy.

I love him .

Just when I think it’s over, it starts all over again. Like I’m falling through every lifetime where we didn’t end up together, and I’m painting a new ending.

Declan’s face is flushed, and sweat dots his temples as he continues to find his own release. His red waves of hair fall forward as he looks down at where we’re connected, at where he’s sliding into me.

Reaching down, I slide my thumb and index finger around the base of him, adding pressure that has him bucking wildly.

“ God, you’re so good, Carolina. So fucking tight. So perfect.”

He’s murmuring praises as he continues to watch us slide together. The sight is so erotic that it has me building again. I can feel it.

His head lifts to look at me. “Again?”

Declan’s face is haughty, like he wants me to praise him for getting me there again.

“Don’t be cocky,” I whisper, my voice hoarse.

“Never,” he says, kissing my lips. I slip my tongue into his mouth and stroke against his at the same pace he’s thrusting into me.

The heel of my palm digs against my clit, and I go off. He stills on top of me, and I know he’s right there with me.

His breathing is still ragged as he rolls off me and lays beside me. We’re quiet, and I let the shadows slowly fade away.

“So,” Declan begins after a few minutes, breaking the silence, “if someone were to order a ‘medicine ball’ not knowing what it was, would you give it to them?”

I break out into laughter. “After all that…that’s what you want to ask me?”

He props himself onto his elbow. “It’s killing me, Carolina. I must know.”

I slap his chest and laugh again. “The dying jokes are not funny, but we’d just give them an actual tea. Usually with honey and lemon. You know other coffee shops have ‘medicine balls’ too. I hope you’re interrogating them just as much.”

“I’ll be the one asking the questions here, Miss Castillo.”

I can’t stop the fit of giggles that erupt this time, and I let myself enjoy it.

I let myself savor us .

After I shower, I fall into bed beside Declan, his arm wrapping around me as I close my eyes, my body sore with fatigue. Camila is getting ready for bed in the bathroom next to my room, and I can hear the faint sound of her moving around before the quiet settles over the shop like a blanket. Safe. For now, we’re safe.

But the peace doesn’t last.

At exactly 3:03 a.m., a scream rips through the house, shattering the quiet.

I jolt upright, my heart pounding as I throw off the covers. “Camila!”

Declan is already on his feet, his face pale. Together, we race down the hallway toward Camila’s room. I fling the door open, and there she is—standing in the center of the room, her face white with fear, her eyes locked on the figure standing in the corner.

Sam.

I freeze, my breath catching in my throat. Sam, not in the Underworld, but here, in our home.

“What the hell are you doing here?” I demand, my voice sharp and filled with alarm. My magic hums beneath my skin, ready to strike if I need to.

Sam raises his hands, a gesture of peace, but his expression is anything but calm. “I didn’t come here to fight,” he says quickly, his eyes flicking between me, Declan, and Camila. “I came here to warn you.”

“Warn us about what?” Camila snaps, her voice shaking with a mix of fear and anger.

Sam’s expression darkens. “The portal Luna opened to let Declan into the Underworld only closed once you got back. It let…things out while it was open.”

I feel my stomach drop. “What do you mean?”

“I mean demons,” Sam says, his voice grim. “Creatures that should have stayed in the Underworld. They’ve escaped. And now they’re loose in the Mortal World. If you don’t send them back—if you don’t destroy them—they’ll wreak havoc on the humans.”

The room feels like it’s spinning, the weight of his words sinking in. We thought we’d ended this, that Mal and Esme were the end of the nightmare, but we were wrong. The Underworld was leaked into the Mortal World, and now we have a whole new problem on our hands.

I meet Camila’s wide, fearful eyes, and I know we don’t have a choice.

We have to stop this. Again .