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blood-red lips.
    Rawlie and Jamie struggled to secure the roof to the car. Lil didn't budge from outside the vehicle; she stared at the strange demon in front of the car. Lil's body refused to move and the smoke rippled closer to her, winding around her petite frame. She opened her lips, tried to speak out a single word of 'help,' but the sound never escaped. Her eyes widened, and the smoke formed a view of a scene she couldn't fathom—Bray lying on a cobblestone floor, his body inches from her own.
    “Rawlie!” Jamie screamed. The smoke surrounded Lil.
    The roof was secure and tight in place. “Get her in the car!” Rawlie edged around the back of the vehicle, farther from Eilith, one hand keeping the smoke from finding its way to the three of them. Jamie and Rawlie pushed Lil into the car. Jamie climbed in and slammed the door.
    Rawlie moved around the front of the vehicle just past Eilith. “You won't touch me.” He passed alongside of her. It wasn't a question. Eilith didn't respond as the smoke dissipated along with her appearance. He climbed into the driver's seat and glanced at Lil. Slowly, she came to, a dazed look on her face.
    She tried to remember what she'd seen. Rawlie tried the key and this time the car started without hesitation. He took off, leaving dust in the rearview mirror.
    “Bray.” Her voice caught in her throat, and her fingers trembled. Lil reached out, painfully gripping Rawlie's arm. “Bray's here. You have to take me back to him.” Desperation dripped from her voice. Her heart ached at the thought of anything happening to her best friend.
    “Bray?” Rawlie repeated, glancing at Lil, confused.
    Covered in a sheen of sweat, she said, “My best friend. He's here with Willow. I saw him.” Her grip on Rawlie's arm lightened before finding its way back into her lap.
    “Are you sure?”
    “Whoever, whatever that woman is, she has Bray.” Lil glanced out the window. “Bray needs my help, and I won't leave him.” Lil didn't quite understand how Bray had managed to find his way into this world or what Eilith would want from him.
    Jamie leaned forward, coming to rest a hand on Lil's shoulder. “Are we going to the sanctuary?” he asked.
    “Of course we are,” Rawlie said. “We're halfway there already.”
    “What?” Lil shifted in her seat, glaring at him as he ignored her and focused on the road. He looked on high alert. Not a surprise after what had already transpired.
    Rawlie laughed. “I knew you'd agree.”
    “I didn’t agree to go to the sanctuary. I agreed to help find Bray and your Willow.” Lil rolled her eyes, annoyed. Her allegiance was to her best friend, not some stranger.
    Jamie coughed, cutting the tension in the front seat. “I don't care why you're staying. I'm just glad you are.” He wanted his sister back.
    Lil glanced at Rawlie. “What exactly is the sanctuary?”
    “We need to get you and Jamie prepared for when we storm Eilith’s castle. Trust me, we'll all end up dead if you’re not able to wield a sword.” Rawlie continued driving, turning off the main path onto a stone road. “We need the eternal suit. Without it, we have no chance of you surviving Eilith.”
    In the distance, just along the horizon, there was a three-story mansion nestled safely inside an iron gate. Rawlie slowed the car as they approached the entrance. He rolled down his window and held up his palm. Lil watched with curiosity as a series of jigsaw locks slid in and out of place before the final safety mechanism moved from its fortified position. The gates parted in the center, and Rawlie closed the window and put the car back into drive.
    “How'd you do that?” Lil asked. The lawn was well manicured, and from the distance she could see a mansion. A hint of forest peeked out behind the building. Lil glanced behind her as they continued the drive along the path. The gates closed and locked them inside the lot.
    “They should be expecting us.” Rawlie pulled the car to the