Standing in front of Hill House once again, Grey felt a hopelessness growing within him. They had walked the entire perimeter. There had been several outbuildings, as well as some sort of small stadium, but they were as empty as the house. Defeat was not in his vocabulary, but dammit, this was as close as he’d ever been.

“She’s got to be in there,” he growled.

“Where, man? We’ve checked every damn nook and cranny at least a dozen times. She’s not here, Justice.”

Gallagher was right. They had searched every room numerous times. Had looked for secret passages and hidden doors. There was nothing. The place was a lifeless tomb and as cheerless as one.

Many times, he hadn’t known Irelyn’s whereabouts. She would disappear for weeks or even months. He had worried during those times, but not for an instant had he doubted he wouldn’t see her again. This was the first time he wasn’t sure. Dark had taken her somewhere out of Grey’s reach, and no matter how much he reminded himself of Irelyn’s strength and resilience, an insidious voice inside him was whispering that she was gone for good. He brutally fought that voice, refused to listen to its lies. Dammit, he would not give up.

He had a choice to make. He could return to his car and call, email, text his contacts. Begging, pleading, demanding that someone, somewhere, give him information about her whereabouts. Somebody had to know where Dark had taken her.

Or he could do what his gut was telling him to do. Go back inside that monstrosity and find Irelyn. She was here. Dammit, he knew to his soul that she was here!

He would not rest until she was found. And if she was no longer in the world?

Grey shook his head. No. He would not even allow that thought to enter his head. Irelyn would stay alive and come back to him. He had to believe that. He had no choice.

His cellphone buzzed. His heart in his throat, he pressed the answer key. “What?”

Kennedy’s excited voice said, “We think she really is there, at Hill House.”

“You found something?”

“Yes. An updated set of blueprints. They’re only about a year old. Looks like Dark added several rooms in the basement.”

He started running. “What part of the basement?”

“The northwest side. Looks like there’s a door behind one of the wine racks.”

He knew exactly where that was. He’d seen nothing that would indicate a hidden door, but that didn’t matter. He’d tear down everything in the damn basement until he found it.

Pocketing his phone, he threw a glance over his shoulder. Jonah and Gallagher were right behind him.

“We’ve got a lead!” He turned back to the house. “Let’s—” His breath caught in his lungs. Was that smoke coming out of a third-floor window? What the hell?

“Call the fire department!”

All questions of her whereabouts disappeared. Irelyn was, without a doubt, inside that inferno. Grey jumped up onto the front porch. Tendrils of smoke seeped through the front door.

“Justice…wait!”

He didn’t know who was yelling at him and didn’t care. Irelyn was in there.

“Put this over your head.”

A wet cloth slapped into his hands. Still running, he wound the material around his face, leaving an opening for his eyes. He slammed through the door and was almost knocked down by the heat and smoke.

“Irelyn!” he bellowed.

* * *

Flames licked at her back as she ran through the long hallway. She had mistimed how fast the fire would spread. When she’d finally found her way out of the giant room beneath the house, she’d found all the necessary requirements in the janitor’s closet. Paint thinner, turpentine, and matches. She’d started on the third floor. Throwing the flammable liquid into each room took time. Though her body was telling her she was on her last reserve of strength, she refused to stop. Her only focus, her only goal was to destroy the place where nightmares were created. The instant she saw the flare of the first flame, life and energy zoomed through her. Feeling renewed, she ran down the hallway, stopping at every other room to douse it with flammable liquid.

She jerked to a stop at the punishment room. This was the one he’d used the most. It hadn’t changed much. A mattress with heavy chains and handcuffs on each side. A table and chair where Reed would often sit and talk her through her punishments. A thick, heavy leather belt hung on the wall. It looked old and worn, and she remembered Hill using it on her.

Drawing in a shaky breath, she inhaled noxious smoke and remembered why she was here. This was not about going back, but moving forward. She doused the room, threw a match, and moved on. It was over, finished.

As fire consumed each room, she imagined she could hear the echoes of crying children calling out to her to help them. Even though it was too late for her and so many others, she could ensure that no child or adult would ever have to endure pain within these walls ever again.

She ran down the stairway to the second floor. Breathless, she stopped on the landing and considered her next move. Should she work her way through these rooms as well? She glanced up at the balcony of the third floor and, for the first time, felt alarm. Greedy red ribbons of flames were eating at the walls. The fire was spreading even faster than she had anticipated.

As though they wanted to escape, too, heavy smoke and flames followed her. The ravenous fire ate up the walls. Light fixtures exploded, raining glass. Exhaustion and grief pulled at her. From the second-floor, through the haze of dense smoke, she could see the giant foyer and the front door. She could make it. She had too much to live for to stop now. Grey was somewhere waiting for her. She had to leave. Now.

Irelyn took a step, and something slammed into her, knocking her legs out from under her.

Dark hadn’t left after all. His red-rimmed eyes wild with fury, he glared down at her. “You bitch! You destroyed it all!”

She jumped to her feet and swung wide, her fist barely glancing off of his jaw. He pulled back and slammed his fist into her face. She felt herself falling, her arms wind-milling, looking to grasp on to anything. She landed on the hard marble surface of the first floor. She lay there, unable to move, unable to breathe. Dense smoke filled the air. She tried to cough, could find no air.

Her hazy, pain-filled mind told her this was a fitting ending. She had experienced agony here, but now she could be at peace. Hill House was no more.

She closed her eyes, imagined she heard Grey screaming her name, and she smiled.

* * *

Thick, black smoke filled the house, leaving no room for air. Grey held his breath. He couldn’t see much, but he’d been through this house enough times to figure things out. He ran, shouting her name. The heat was becoming intense, but that would not stop him. She was here. She had set this fire, he was sure of it. But where the hell was she?

“Over here!”

He could see almost nothing, but he followed the voice. Gallagher was on his knees beside a prone figure.

Irelyn.

His legs could not move fast enough. He had to get to her.

“We’ve got to get her out of here!” Gallagher shouted.

Lifting her in his arms, Grey started running. Gallagher and Jonah were in front of him, clearing away obstacles. He ran onto the porch and then down the steps. The instant he was clear, he placed her on the ground.

She was a bloody mess. Covered in cuts and scratches from head to toe. Her left leg was twisted at an odd, painful angle, indicating multiple fractures.

Dropping to his knees beside her, he checked her pulse, relieved to feel the beat. Grey opened his mouth, and nothing came out. He swallowed, tried again. “Irelyn? Baby?”

Nothing. He leaned over her, realized she wasn’t breathing. As Grey began CPR compressions, Gallagher kneeled down on the other side of her. They counted off thirty compressions together. Then, tilting her head back, Grey gave her mouth-to-mouth, keeping a careful watch on her chest. When it rose, he pulled away, was about to begin compressions again when he heard the sweetest sound he’d ever imagined. A cough.

“Irelyn?”

His heart stuttered when her eyelids flickered. She opened her mouth and then coughed violently.

“Take it easy, sweetheart. Help is on the way.”

“Grey,” she rasped.

Brushing her hair out of her face, he whispered, “Don’t try to talk. Everything’s going to be fine.”

“Always getting…into a bit of trouble, aren’t I?” Her voice was weak and raspy.

“You are that, my love.”

A faint smile tugged at her mouth. “Love it when you call me that.”

“It’s always been true, even when I was too stubborn to say the words.”

“Is it done?”

Grey raised his head and viewed the destruction. She had accomplished what she’d set out to do. Hill House was no more. The place where she’d known both pain and joy, where innocence was lost and the woman before him became a warrior.

“Yes, it’s done.”

“That’s good, then. ” She gasped, coughed, swallowed. “We…can be done with the past now, too.”

No, there was one more thing to do, but he would take care of that himself. “We’ll talk about that later.”

“I think I may need a little help getting up.”

Her face was coated with soot, grime, and blood. The red dress that had looked so lovely earlier hung in tatters. The cuts from all the glass that had exploded around her were too numerous to count. And he knew he had never seen anyone more beautiful or more precious. He loved her with endless abundance. His strong, courageous, beautiful warrior woman.

“Ambulance is here!” Jonah shouted.

Grey glanced up, spotted the vehicle zooming toward them. Though still worried, he felt almost weak with relief. If she was in any danger, the EMTs would know what to do.

Heavy footsteps ran toward him, and a voice said, “Step aside, sir.”

Releasing her hand, Grey jumped out of the way and allowed the medics to attend her. Noise from the firemen working to put out the flames sounded in the background, barely penetrating his consciousness. His entire focus was on Irelyn and the medics working on her.

“We need to get her to a hospital.”

Not bothering to see if they would protest, Grey ran with them as they rolled the gurney toward the ambulance and jumped inside with them. They were away in seconds, the siren blasting as they zoomed down the drive.

Her hand in his, Grey glanced out the back window to the burning house. Had Dark died in the fire? If he was still inside, he was dead now. But Grey was too well acquainted with evil to take the bastard’s death for granted. Evil never died easy.

Irelyn moaned slightly, and Grey squeezed her hand, making sure she knew he was there with her. He would tend to Irelyn, ensure her safety and well-being. Once he was sure she would be okay, he was going on the hunt. If Dark was still alive, he would find him. And he would kill him.