Miracle

Pt. 40

"In my room now!" Jinx hissed, her voice a raw, urgent whisper, pushing Lily with surprising force towards the darkened doorway of her bedroom. Lily stumbled, her eyes wide with fear and a flicker of disbelief, her gaze lingering on Jinx's drawn, tense face for a moment of uncertain terror before she reluctantly obeyed, her long gown rustling as she disappeared into the shadows. Alex and Max followed quickly, their movements swift and silent, but Valentine, despite the escalating danger, remained rooted in the living room.

"Jinx, what about you?" he asked softly, his own voice betraying a hint of strain, his arms crossing protectively over his chest as he watched her rigid shoulders, willing her to meet his gaze.
"If I don't answer the door when they knock, they'll know something is up. Go in the room, I'll be fine," she insisted, her back still to him, her posture deliberately stiff, unwilling for him to see the stark, cold fear that had begun to tremble violently in her usually defiant eyes.

"If you think I'm leaving you in here by yourself, you're crazy, darling. That's not happening," he stated firmly, his voice low and unwavering. He walked towards the couch with a forced casualness, sitting down, a picture of false calm designed to steady them both.
Just then, a hammering, imperious knock vibrated through the sturdy wooden front door, rattling the very hinges, echoing ominously through the small apartment.

"Fine. You're so damn hardheaded. I just hope it doesn't get both of us killed," she muttered, a grim resignation settling over her features. He simply shrugged his shoulders, a slight, almost imperceptible tremor running through his hand, as she took a shaky, fortifying breath and reached for the doorknob.

The moment the latch clicked, the door burst inward, shoved open with brute force. Alistair stormed inside, his eyes blazing with a cold, infernal fury, his very presence radiating oppressive power. Satan followed smoothly behind him, moving with an unnerving grace, his hands clasped behind his back, an almost benign, yet utterly chilling, smile playing on his lips.

"Hello, Alistair... Satan. What are you two doing here?" Jinx asked, trying desperately to keep her voice steady, to infuse it with an air of innocent surprise. But the sight of Satan, the true lord of Hell, walking through her doorway instantly filled her with a profound, icy uneasiness that prickled her skin and made her breath catch.

"We'll ask the questions here... Were we interrupting something? Were you and the Incubus about to go somewhere?" Satan purred, his voice like silk wrapping around steel, his piercing black eyes flicking pointedly to the two backpacks clearly visible on their backs, straps taut against their shoulders, a silent, damning indictment. Alistair's gaze, meanwhile, swept menacingly around the living room, sharp and predatory, dissecting every corner, searching for any tell-tale sign.

Jinx tightened her grip on her bag strap, her knuckles white against the dark fabric, glancing quickly, nervously, at Alistair. "Our business is our own," she stated, her voice sharp with a desperate defiance, a desperate hope they would simply leave. Valentine pressed his lips tightly together, his earlier composure finally cracking. A bead of sweat trickled down his temple. Alistair, ignoring Jinx's words, began to systematically open random doors in the house, first the kitchen door, revealing mundane pots and pans, then a small, cluttered storage closet, his eyes piercing each space, searching for any sign of a recent, concealed presence.

Anxiety thrummed violently in Valentine's veins. He stood up, walking towards Alistair, attempting to intercept him. "You sure you're not planning on running away?" Satan's smile widened, a cold, calculating grin as he gauged Jinx's reaction. She honestly felt like she was going to pass out; her heart was pounding a frantic, deafening rhythm against her ribs.

"Why would we run? We've done nothing wrong," Valentine said, his voice strained, trying to block Alistair's path to what looked like another empty closet. "We would very much appreciate it if you leave. We have plans together."
Alistair, with chilling ease and surprising speed, simply shoved Valentine aside, sending him stumbling backward, losing his footing, and collapsing to the ground with a grunt.