Wicked Curse (The Royals: Warlock Court Book 4)

by Megan Montero

  “Are you sure you want to be here for this?” I glanced over my shoulder toward where they were holding Angel. “It could get ugly.”

  “Logan is part of the heirs and part of this weird little family we’ve got going. I’m not leaving.” She pressed her lips into a tight line. “Whatever it takes.”

  “Whatever it takes.” I kept one arm wrapped around her while I turned to guide her toward the holding area.

  The second we entered the area, I glanced around. “We really need to get a proper cell.”

  There was a chain hooked into the wall. It laced down onto the floor and snaked around Angel’s thin ankle. She scrambled back against the wall and huddled there, with her knees drawn up into her chest. Her mess of red hair fell over her face and knees. With each quivering shake of her body, the chains rattled.

  Penndolyn stepped into the middle of the room. “Allow me.”

  She waved her hand, and her emerald-green smoke poured from her body. The walls wavered and the room spun like a top around us. Papers whipped through the room, and Astrid sagged against me and pressed her face toward me. Everything was a blur, and I wanted it to stop. I was exhausted enough to not want to be on this ride anymore. It stopped just as fast as it started, and everything was gone.

  The basement was free of the piles of crap that had been everywhere. Now there were three cells lined up against the back wall. The fronts were the traditional iron bars that ran from floor to ceiling. Each cell was separated by a thick cement wall. There were no windows, only a single cot, a toilet, and a sink. Nothing more, nothing less. Angel was still chained to the wall of the middle one.

  Ophelia looked over my shoulder. Her eyes widened, and I swear I thought I saw tears gather in them. Her face split into a huge smile. “Toys! All the best kind of stabby toys!”

  I glanced behind me, and my jaw dropped. The opposite wall was covered from one end to the other in medieval torture devices. A rack to stretch people, hot pokers—complete with a stoked iron oven full of fire, knives, hammers, hooks, ropes, cuffs, whips, chains—all filled that damn wall from one end to the other.

  Ophelia squealed and clapped her hands and it sent a cold chill down my spine. She sprinted for the wall then sighed real loud. “Which do I play with FIRST?”

  My mouth opened and closed three times before I could speak. “Penndolyn!”

  “Rather excellent, isn’t it?” She looked very much like the boss in her black pantsuit as she walked across the floor and motioned to the wall of horrors. “It’s exactly how they used to be.”

  Ophelia darted from the cell and ran past us. She pulled a particularly nasty hook off the wall and held it up to the dim lighting. Her eyes wide and gleaming. “My precious.”

  Angel began to sob uncontrollably, her body wracked with heaving breaths. I shook my head. Now she was good and terrified. Astrid stumbled against me, and I held her close. I glanced down and met her eye. “You good?”

  “Just need to sit down.” There, under all the sharp pointy things, was a lone wooden bench. I led her toward it and let her drop down onto it. If she said she was good, I wouldn’t fuss over her—at least not until I got everything out of Angel. I had learned my lesson—never hold back a determined Astrid.

  I turned on my heels and marched into the cell. Adrenaline pumped through my veins and I towered over her. “Where is he?”

  “I-I don’t know.” Angel peeked up at me with terrified aqua watery eyes.

  “I don’t believe you.” My words came out like a growl.

  I let my power seep from my hands and crawl over the floor toward her. It stopped just in front of her, then continued, creating a half circle around her. She cringed away from it curling in on herself. She wrapped her arms around her legs and ducked her head. The darker side of me, the warlock side, liked that she knew exactly what I was capable of. What we all were capable of. If she was innocent then we wouldn’t hurt her, but we couldn’t just assume anything right now. We had to try and scare the truth out of her…because if she was guilty, so help me God I would set Ophelia and her wall of toys loose on her.

  Maze strolled in behind me —a dark towering menace. His black hair fell over his forehead into his eyes. They flashed from milky white to glowing green. Power seethed from him as he opened his jacket, letting his cards fly from his pocket and swirl around her. The sound of them rustling sounded like they were shuffling in midair. They moved so quickly they caused a light breeze, like a fan.

  Maze glared down at Angel. “Give me five minutes with her and the cards… she’ll crack. I’ll make sure of it.”

  “I swear, I don’t know.” She sniffed and rubbed at her nose.

  I squatted down and met her eyes. “You were the last one to see him. He was always spending time with you and not here with us.”

  “Then I was tricked, just the same as you were.” She slid up the wall and tried to stand. One of Maze’s cards flew too close to her, and she pressed herself closer to the wall as though she could melt into it. .

  My gut told me this wasn’t an accident. There was no way she wasn’t part of it. “Spare me. How long had that thing been pretending to be Logan?”

  The muscle in her jaw ticked. “I don’t know!”

  “Bullshit! Tell us what it is—” Cross moved to my other side, and the three of us stood there, staring her down. He pulled a knife from behind his back. He thumbed the blade, letting it glint off the dim lighting. “Or I will cut the truth out of you.”

  “I don’t know, I don’t know.” Tears streamed down her face and her whole body shook from head to toe.

  “She’s lying,” Ophelia called from outside the cage. “Let me test this hook thing on her—boom—we’ll have our answers.”

  A strangled cry escaped her lips. “I didn’t do anything, I swear.”

  “Fine, I’ll give you this much. I won’t let them hurt you if you tell me the truth.” Ophelia began to whine, and I silenced her with the wave of my hand. “But don’t deny that you know something. You are the only one who’s seen him. He was with you all the time. You know how this looks, and we don’t have time for games.”

  Angel took a step toward me, her chains rattled and she took a step back. “Why won’t you listen to me?”

  Just then, Penndolyn moved into the room. A calm wave of authority settled over us. She stepped around me and looked the girl in the eyes. “I have ways of extracting the truth, and I will use them on you.”

  “Yes do it, please. Then you’ll know I’m telling the truth.” She glanced around at all of us. “Please, then you’ll see.”

  “Fine.” Penndolyn gathered her magic in her hands.

  “You sure you can handle this?”

  There was something in the glint of her eyes. Something ominous I used to see in myself before I locked it away. The call of the darkness a warlock held deep. It was why we broke from the witches, but more specifically, why Penndolyn did. To have the kind of freedom magic like ours demanded.

  Her head snapped around. “You want the truth?”

  Did I want to go down the route the council would? No. But for Logan, I would, and then some. I would drop this girl on hot coals if it would get my brother back from that hellish dimension. I stepped to the side. “I want the truth.”

  My voice came out cold as steel. Astrid rose to her feet and gingerly walked toward the cell. I held out my hand to her, and she took it and leaned into my side. “I don’t care what she does. I want Logan back.”

  I lowered my mouth to just next to her ear. How do we know if you even know the real Logan?

  Those words sent an icy chill down my spine. How long had he been gone? Who took him? And to what end? Was the council behind this, or was it something more? My mind whirled with all the horrible things that could be happening to him right this very second. I tightened my grip on Astrid’s hand.

  As though she was reading my mind, she whispered, “He’ll be okay. I know it.”

  Penndolyn pressed both her ha
nds to Angel’s shoulders and guided her to stand against the wall. She took one step back and held up her hand. A swirling ball of energy gathered in the palm of her hand. It illuminated her pale skin and glinted in her eyes. “This may hurt a little.”

  She threw the ball at Angel’s chest. Deep emerald magic spread over her skin, holding her there. It held her captive, then little flashes of green shocks flickered through the smoking magic that held her. Her face turned ghostly white, and her body rose up off the ground, yet she remained pinned to the wall. Penndolyn spread her hand wide, and all of Angel’s limbs moved away from her body like a star pressed to the wall. An ear-splitting scream burst from her lips.

  Penndolyn’s eyes flashed and danced as the words flowed from her mouth. “Truths unbound. Tongue untied. Come to me now and reveal the words covered in lies. Over the lips and through the eyes. Honesty bound reveal your disguise.”

  Once the spell came to an end, Angel’s head lolled to the side as though she’d fallen asleep. Her body floated into the middle of the room and hovered there. Penndolyn smiled, and the green glow of her power over Angel made her look like the villain in a cartoon.

  She walked in a slow circle around Angel. “Angel, can you hear me?”

  “Yes.” Her voice sounded like a ghostly echo that came from the end of a long hallway.

  Penndolyn stood up straight and put her hands on her hips. “What do you all want to know?”

  The rapid-fire questions came from everyone in the room:

  “Who took Logan?”

  “What was it?”

  “How long has he been gone?”

  “Who the hell do you work for?”

  I pursed my lips and gave a quick loud whistle and the room fell silent.. “I’ve got this.”

  “Who took Logan?” My words were calm and sure, ringing out loud enough for everyone to hear.

  “I do not know this creature.” The spell surrounded her completely holding her in some kind of trans. The eerie sound of Angel’s distant echoing voice filled the room.

  “When was he taken?”

  “I don’t know.”

  “What took him?” I snapped. I couldn’t believe this girl was innocent; she was there. It all lined up perfectly. She HAD to have something to do with it. Otherwise, we didn’t have shit to go on and nowhere to start looking for Logan.

  “I don’t know. Demon? Shifter, maybe?” There was no emotion in her words, and I knew they rang of truth.

  “Are you guessing?”

  “Yessss.” Her head tipped back, yet she didn’t seem to wake.

  I licked my lips. “How long have you and Logan been involved?”

  “Almost two months.” A light smile played on her lips.

  “How do you feel about him?”

  “I think I love him.” Her smile fell. “He doesn’t love me back.”

  Astrid gave me a look that said “we know how that feels.”

  I kept on with my questions. “What makes you say that?”

  Angel sniffled. “Sometimes I think I annoy him too much. He gets angry and leaves.”

  I shook my head and faced the others. “She sounds…”

  “Heart broken.” Astrid finished.

  “Shit.” I turned toward Penndolyn. “This spell is foolproof? She can’t get around it?”

  She shook her head, sending her long blond locks flowing in a golden cascade. “No, it’s a very old spell—one I myself created.”

  “I have so much to learn,” Ophelia mumbled, her voice full of awe.

  Penndolyn held up her hand and began syphoning back the magical hold she had on Angel. “She knows nothing.”

  Angel dropped to her knees and sucked in a sharp breath. “What happened?”

  “You can go.” I waved her away. There was nothing more to get out of this girl.

  “No.” Astrid’s voice was strong and sure. It was a stark contrast to how tired she really looked.

  Angel staggered to her feet. “You heard him. I’m innocent and free to go.”

  “Innocent as far as you know,” Astrid countered.

  Angel’s face paled, yet she squared her shoulders and faced Astrid. “You will let me go.”

  Power laced over her voice and through her words. She was a charmer through and through. Now she was trying to use it on us. I felt its pull, and for half a second, I considered it. Maze was the first to chuckle, then Cross, and O. They weren’t humorous laughs, they were the chuckles of dark warlocks who knew they were stronger. Too strong for her.

  I ducked my head and met her eyes. “Nice try.”

  “We are the heirs.” Astrid stood among us, and for the first time, I saw how unbreakable the ties between us all had gotten. She snickered. “Your power has no effect here. You will stay in this house.”

  “What? You can’t keep me here!” Angel whimpered.

  My gaze never dropped from Angel, and she shrank away from it. “Ophelia?”

  “Yeah?” She moved into our small circle.

  “Bind her to the house so she can’t leave.” I’d never been so ruthless to anyone in all my life, but this girl knew something, and I wasn’t going to let her disappear without getting that knowledge.

  Ophelia cracked her knuckles and smiled. “You got it.”

  Angel’s eyes widened and she backed away. “But why?”

  Astrid stepped in closer to her. “Whether or not you know why, there’s a reason that fake monster Logan thing chose you. He spent his time with you, and we need to know why. And until we figure that out… consider this your formal invitation to stay at the heir’s house.”

  “Invitations can be declined,” she whispered.

  I shook my head. “Not this one.”

  Chapter 3

  Beckett

  “You’re free to roam the house, but nothing beyond that.” I flicked my wrist and motioned for the rest of us to leave. “And don’t try to hurt any one of us to get free. We’re always ready, and I won’t hold anyone responsible if you die while they defend themselves.”

  She crumbled to the ground with tears streaming down her face. “I lost him too, you know?”

  “You don’t know what you lost.” Ophelia tossed her war braid over her shoulder. “None of us do.”

  My stomach sank into knots as visions of Logan, bruised, battered, starving, and disgusting filled my mind. He was a part of this little messed-up house we called a family. He was my responsibility, and I would make sure he came home safe. I turned from Angel, feeling exhausted and defeated. How could she know nothing? NOTHING! I wanted leads to get to Logan—something to go on, some way to find my friend. And we didn’t have shit. I stomped up the stairs and felt the rest of them following behind me. Anger rolled within me, and the house began to quake.

  At the top of the stairs, Astrid placed her hand on my back. “We will find him.”

  Her touch only calmed me enough to stop the stairs from shaking. I knew we would find him because I wouldn’t rest until we did. But how could I not see? How could I not know it wasn’t the real Logan? Was I that wrapped up in all the other crap that I missed the biggest threat of all—the threat coming from within our own house? I wanted to stop the council, to help save Evermore, and I couldn’t do that without him. But standing here now, none of that mattered. I didn’t matter, the council didn’t matter, one of my family was lost, and I’d be damned if he was missing for a moment longer than he had to be.

  Astrid’s steps slowed and then paused in the hallway leaning against the wall. She sucked in a breath and blinked hard and shook her head. When I reached for her, she held up her hand, stopping me. “I’m good, I promise.”

  Ophelia stepped around me and stopped in front of Astrid. She reached into her pocket, pulled out a vial, and handed it to Astrid. “Drink this.”

  “What’s this?” Astrid held up the vial and shook the dark brown contents. Sweat beaded on her forehead, and her skin held a pale, sickly green color.

  “It’ll make you feel better.”
Ophelia nudged her with her elbow. “We need your brain right now.”

  Astrid shrugged and popped open the top. I pressed my hand over hers. “It’s not gonna turn her hair blue or set it on fire, is it?”

  Ophelia chuckled. “Hardly. I reserve that for people who deserve it.”

  “Okay, but shouldn’t we just discuss the problem at hand before we go downing potions?”

  Astrid tugged her hand out from under mine. “I trust her.”

  She threw back her head and swallowed the contents like a shot. A faint white glow emanated from her skin, and her coloring went from sickly green to rosy pink. She stood straight and squared her shoulders. “What was that?”

  Ophelia shrugged. “Just a little something I’ve been working on.”

  “I feel…I feel…good?” Astrid smiled at her. “You’re a miracle worker.”

  “Not really, just a little magical pick-me-up.” She shrugged and stepped to the side giving Astrid and I space to move. The sound of footsteps on the stairs behind us told me the others were right on our heels.

  With my soul tied to Astrid’s even I felt the shared effect. She wasn’t draining me or taking me down with her. My energy returned, and I felt ready. I grabbed Astrid’s hand and led her up the next set of stairs toward the library. The rest of the group followed silently behind us. We had to figure this out. There was no time. The longer that thing was with Logan, the less of a chance he had of walking out of there alive.

  I threw open the doors to the library and stopped at the head of one of the long rectangular tables. Astrid circled around to stand beside me as the rest of them filtered in around the table. Only Penndolyn sat. We were all too wired, too concerned for Logan, to sit or even stay still.

  “First, does anyone have an idea what the hell took him?” I curled my hands into fists and rested them on the table, leaning into them. I hung my head. Astrid gave my shoulder a little squeeze, trying to comfort me, yet I felt none. How could I have missed this?

  “I don’t know what did it, but I’d like to stab and kill it as soon as possible.” Burgundy smoke drifted from Cross’ hands, and a knife spun in his palm. It moved so quickly that the hilt and the blade began to blend together in the rapid motion. He ground his teeth. “Kill it now.”