The End of Magic (The Witches of Echo Park #3)(12)

Like this place . . . and the creature The Flood had created with their horrific experiments. The one who haunted the facility in poltergeist form.

She was pretty sure it was the reason the paramilitary members of The Flood had evacuated their underground lair. It was obvious from their behavior that they were scared of the creature-and even though it had come to the blood sisters' aid when they needed it, it had unsettled Arrabelle as much as it had The Flood's soldiers.

"They're so small," one of the Eagles said, an edge to her voice. Her name was Belinda and she was one of the two women who'd arrived in the helicopter with Jessika. "These tiny cages were for people?"

She sounded incredulous, as if she couldn't imagine anyone doing something so inhumane. Arrabelle was pretty certain that if she'd been a mercenary, one who'd supposedly seen it all, she would be way more jaded. She barely had any faith in humanity left as it was. Right then it was really hard to have anything but rage for The Flood and its members. Not after what she'd seen . . . cages housing young girls who were barely near puberty and who wore the haunted expression of the brutalized.



       
         
       
        

"They did this to children," Arrabelle said, as the group of women gingerly made their way through the abandoned lab toward an industrial-sized metal roll-up door that opened onto one of the many twisting underground corridors.

"There's no rhyme or reason for why these bastards do what they do," Jessika said to Belinda.

"Oh, they have a very good reason . . . they're true believers," Lyse said, as she stabbed a large red button on the wall with her palm and the door began to roll upward. "The Flood thinks if they erase us from the Earth, then they wipe out magic forever. And then the world is cleansed of our evil influence and everything is set for their new world order to begin."

"It's kind of biblical," Evan said as he led them down the darkened corridor.

Lyse agreed.

"It's no different than the crazies who believe that starting World War Three will bring about the end of days."

"You mean, they think God will take all the good guys up to heaven and damn the rest of us sinners to an eternity spent on some apocalyptic version of Earth?" Evan asked.

"As far as The Flood is concerned," Lyse replied, "I'd say you're dead on. It's a very similar idea."

Arrabelle stepped up in line with Evan and took his hand. She found it hard not to be touching him-especially since she'd been thoroughly convinced he was going to die only hours earlier. But via their sheer force of will, the caged blood sisters had healed him so he could fight off the remaining members of The Flood for them. He was better now, almost an entirely different person from the ill man she'd spent the last few days with-and he was using this newfound energy and good health to do what was necessary to help those who'd saved him.

The click of heels on the polished cement floor was so loud that Arrabelle hoped they didn't run into anyone else down here. The element of surprise would be woefully lost in the clatter of the Eagles' heavy tread. Belinda and Evan had taken out their cell phones and were using the bright lights from their screens to illuminate the way in the murky darkness. Arrabelle felt Evan squeeze her hand and her heart fluttered.

Though he'd been on the periphery of her life for the last decade or so-his choice, not hers-there'd never been another person for Arrabelle. Evan was her big love, had been since she was eighteen, and, now that he was back in her life and safe, she wasn't going to ever let him get away again.

"How do you know all of this stuff?" Jessika asked Lyse. 

"Lyse got an earful from Desmond Delay-" Evan said, and Jessika stopped in her tracks, turning to stare at him. This made everyone else stop, too.

"He's involved in this?" Jessika asked, and for the first time she didn't look like the calm, assertive woman they'd met topside.

"He is," Lyse said. "He's up to his neck in it. And just so all the cards are on the table-he's my grandfather. So if that's a problem . . ."

She put her hands on her hips, holding her ground. Firm and tough.

So unlike the will-o'-the-wisp she'd been when she'd first come back to Echo Park, Arrabelle thought. She hadn't expected much from Lyse back then, but now, after a trial by fire, Arrabelle was proud to call Lyse her coven master.

Jessika put up her hands in mock surrender.

"Not a problem. At least, not for me or my gals," Jessika said. "He's tried to get us to do some sketchy stuff over the years, and I've always said no. He made it sound like it was at the Greater Council's behest, but he never fooled me. Him and that son of his . . . a real nasty piece of work."