by Cindi Madsen
“Eh.” Dad wobbled his head from side to side. “Not forced. Just influenced. If you think about your desires hard enough while focusing on someone, you can get them to do what you want. Especially if you voice those thoughts.”
I shook my head. “That’s not true, I—”
Dad snapped his fingers and the translucent image of Dominic and me seated on his motorcycle the day we’d run away together glowed in front of us as if it were being shown on a projector.
I stepped toward the image, wanting to put my hand on Dom’s cheek, wishing I could have his arms around me one more time. Maybe he and I didn’t have a deep soul connection, and yeah, like any teenage boy he’d been pretty focused on my looks, but the guy had been there when I needed him.
My words from that day echoed through the room. “If I asked you to run away with me right now—to just get out of here until this whole thing blows over—would you?”
I watched myself lock eyes with Dom, and my dark brown eyes lit up, glowing amber as I said, “Come with me.”
I gasped and brought my hands over my mouth. “No.”
The image froze like that, my eyes gleaming like a freakin’ flashlight, determination filling my features. The determination had been about leaving, but apparently I’d felt it so strongly…
“Was any of it real?” I asked as pain radiated through my chest.
“Of course,” Dad said. “He thought you beautiful, enjoyed being around you, and he would have gone with you anyway because he was relentless in his pursuit to sleep with you.”
Dad’s words hit like a sledgehammer, only adding to the amount of agony churning through me.
The holographic image shifted to Dominic’s face. His eyes were glazed over, entranced. The image unfroze long enough for him to say, “Yes.”
For what seemed like forever, I stood in the expansive foyer as everything I’d been so sure of came crashing down around me. I manipulated people? Moments ago I might’ve said that would be a cool trick. But seeing it, not knowing if anyone in my life did things because they liked me or cared about me, or if they’d done things because of my supposed natural ability…
My sense of self shattered, and my knees felt like they might, too.
Dad put his hand on my shoulder. I closed my eyes, not wanting to see his pompous face or hear how much like him I was. “I’m sure you think I’m being cruel,” he said, “but I’m showing you who you are so that you can see the life you thought was so perfect and amazing wasn’t what it appeared to be.”
“I’m never going to use it again,” I said past the lump in my throat. I’ll suppress it. I’ll do whatever it takes to make sure I never manipulate anyone ever again.”
“Even on Earth, people with far less power than you manipulate others every day. People are naturally selfish and will do most anything to push their own purposes. How do you think I collected so many souls to run this place?”
“So, I’m just supposed to what…?” My internal organs rebelled, doing their best to reject the worry needling away at them. “Give in and join you? Do you think I’m that weak?”
“No. I think you’re that strong.” He squeezed my shoulder, and then he walked into the living room, leaving me alone to wonder exactly how much of my life had been a big, fat lie.
Ten
I entered the Tempter Training school, beyond ready for the weekend. Then I wondered if they even had a weekend here. I don’t know if I can take it if we don’t get a couple of days off. Two seconds inside this place and I already feel like I’m going to crack.
Since my life wasn’t already sucky enough, the first people I encountered were Tristan and Constance. They stood in a corner, heads lowered, voices quiet.
My mind flashed back to yesterday, to the hatred in Tristan’s eyes and the way he’d loomed over me. I didn’t even realize I was staring until his gaze met mine.
He straightened and crossed his arms. “He must be getting desperate if he thought sending you in to get to me would be a good idea.”
Offense pricked my skin. “I don’t know what you’re talking about. I was just seeing where you were so I could avoid you.” I started around him, but he blocked my path.
“Don’t play dumb with me,” Tristan said, his voice razor-sharp. “I know why you’re here, and it’s not going to work.”
Hate filled Constance’s icy-blue irises. “I don’t think she’s playing. I think she’s just dumb.”
Less than twenty-four hours had passed since I’d sworn not to use my influence, and I suddenly wanted to compel Constance to go take a swim in the River Styx. She could float around in misery until Grim got around to fishing her out for all I cared.
The air changed, and I realized I was accidentally doing it—sending the thought to her. I tore my gaze away before it could take hold.
Tristan’s eyes widened, and I knew he’d seen it. The way my eyes lit up. The monster in me I hadn’t even known existed until yesterday.
Constance pressed her fingers to her temple. “I feel…strange. Like I should go to…the river.”
Tristan wrapped a protective arm around her, flashed me a look of pure loathing, and steered her away from me.
Yeah. That was probably for the best anyway.
Halfway through our first class, Tristan interrupted Ms. Bing’s lecture on spy tactics by saying, “The princess was bragging about how good she was at this very thing this morning.” He turned to me, his expression daring me to deny it, and the rest of the class did the same.
And here I’d thought I just had to keep my head down and get through the rest of the day. I should’ve known better than to be optimistic by now, but sucker that I was, I kept thinking it couldn’t get much worse.
That was probably why all I could do was stare in shock at the boy who’d gone from friendly to my enemy.
Disdain rolled off Mrs. Bing in waves. “Well now, you’re good at everything, aren’t you?”
I was sure she didn’t want my smart-ass answer, so I didn’t bother replying.
Ms. Bing patted her platinum locks and took up her lecture where she’d left off.
As soon as she turned to the old-school chalkboard, Tristan leaned into the tiny aisle between us and whispered, “In case you’re not getting it, I’m not buying your act. I saw what you did to Constance, and I won’t let you do it again. Stay away from her or I’ll—”
“Let me guess,” I said, twisting in my seat to face him. “Make my life a living hell? Hate to break it to you, but you’re a little late.”
“I realize you might already know it all, Lilith, but you need to be quiet so others can learn, too.” The succubus instructor narrowed her eyes at me. “Your father will reinforce any punishment I see fit to put on you, you can count on that.”
My temper flared, my tongue moving before I’d had the chance to leash it. “And yet, no matter how much you punish me, you’ll still be here. That must kill you—I mean, drive you crazy. Obviously you’re already dead.”
Gasps traveled through the room in a wave. Oops. I’d never been great at keeping my mouth shut—especially when someone pushed me, and between the boy beside me and the teacher who hated me despite never doing anything to her, I was sick of all the crap.
“You’ve just earned yourself detention,” Ms. Bing said. “Report to me an hour after the end of the day for your punishment.” A wicked grin split her lips. “Then we’ll see if you’re still so smug about being alive.”
By the time I pushed out the doors of Hell High, I felt like I’d been run over by a truck. Repeatedly. I didn’t know why the other Tempter trainees didn’t scurry off to wherever they stayed, but people filled the area in front of the school.
Steeling myself for the glares-and-insults gauntlet, I charged down the steps.
Tristan glanced my way, and I wished I could take back that first day, where I thought he was nice and charming. I wished I’d never joked with him, never saw the way his eyes lit up with amusement. It would’ve been
so much better to think that he was a full-time jerk, incapable of anything but spite.
“What? No escort today?” he asked as I passed by.
Holding my head held high, I kept on walking. But I didn’t turn down the path to go home. There was no point since I’d have to return in an hour to serve my detention. Instead I headed toward the river. Water used to be one of my biggest fears, mostly because I always feared someone would drag me back to Hell. But since that ship had sailed and my current home held no comfort, I decided to go stare out at the water—either until I felt better or went insane.
At this point I didn’t really care which.
Grim sat under one of the gnarled black trees that reached for the suns that’d only scorch them faster, his head resting against the trunk. He looked up as I approached, the rays of light illuminating the gruesome features partially hid by the hood of his cloak. “What’s wrong, darlin’?”
I plopped down next to him. “Everything. It’s awful. Everyone hates me, and I hate everyone.” I leaned my head on his shoulder, and he wrapped a bony arm around me. “I just needed to get away from it all for a while.”
An idea hit me, and the words were out before I could think them through, so I obviously hadn’t learned my lesson. “Could you take me across the river? Just so I can see colors besides black, gray, and red. Maybe peek at Earth for a quick minute?”
Grim’s sigh stirred the hair at my temples. “I would if I could, but your father gave me strict orders. You’re too much of a flight risk.”
“But what if we didn’t go very far, and I promised you that I’d—”
“Sorry,” he said, shaking his head. “I would if I could—you know I would. But the punishment would be too severe for both of us.”
My heart dropped, taking my hopes along with it. Nothing I could say would change his mind, and truthfully, seeing the other side would only worsen my misery. I might even get crazy enough to make a vain attempt at escape. Even right now, fully knowing the consequences, I thought about plunging into the river and taking my chances.
Grim patted my knee. “Did I ever tell you about the couple who jumped in the river and tried to make a break for it?”
I tensed, wondering if Grim could read my mind.
“The lost souls snatched them up and dragged them under.” Grim shook his head, the fabric of his cloak tightening with the movement. “Don’t know what they were thinking. No one ever truly escapes. Anyway, His Royal Darkness needed them—he was furious I couldn’t keep them in the boat. Took days to fish ’em out.” He lifted a flayed finger and made a circle around his temple. “Messed them up in the head, too.”
That’s a real cheery story, Grim.
One that definitely had me thinking twice about my swim-away plan. Grim’s face was hopeful as he turned it to mine, so I plastered on a smile. Not his fault he didn’t know a lot of stories with happy endings. Or happiness of any kind.
Speaking of unhappy endings, I should probably see exactly how much trouble I’d landed myself in. “Ms. Bing gave me detention. Any idea what sort of torture I’ll be subjected to?”
Grim’s one eye widened, tugging what used to be his upper lip enough that I saw his teeth and most of his grayish gums. “Don’t tell me she’s going to have you push boulders up the hill with the rest of the bad kids.”
My arms began to ache like they already felt the physical strain. “I don’t know. Is that what she normally does?”
He nodded. “And don’t take this the wrong way, but I don’t think you’re going to be strong enough. It’s even hotter there, and the manual labor—even for the dead, it’s a very difficult task. You shouldn’t go there.”
His ominous tone sent a healthy dose of fear through my system. “I don’t have a choice. I lost my temper and shot off my mouth. It’s landed me in trouble before, only I was usually able to talk my way out of it.” A tight band formed around my chest. “Or influence my way out of it, as the case may be. Part of me even wanted to use my powers on Ms. Bing today, but I don’t want to be anything like my dad. Because then when and where do you draw the line, you know?”
I thought about accidentally putting Dominic in a trance; about how I’d almost sent Constance into the river today simply by thinking about it.
The desire to stifle that part of me, mixed with sheer determination, filled me. “Nope. No influence, no asking Dad to get me out of it. I can handle whatever she’s got in store.”
Grim’s head jerked up. “I’m being summoned to the other side. We’ve got some new souls to welcome.”
“Okay. Well…” Good luck with that seemed like the wrong thing to say, and it was kind of creeping me out how happy he was about it. I stood and brushed off the seat of my shorts—more because it seemed like the thing to do than worrying about my clothes being dirty. Not like I had anyone to impress here.
“You be careful, Lily. And you should apologize to Ms. Bing and see if you can get out of detention. If that doesn’t work, you need to use your influence. You’re too sweet for some awful punishment like that.” Grim straightened, patted my head like I was a little kid, and then picked up the steering pole he’d leaned against the trunk of the tree.
The boat sent ripples through the water as he pushed off the shore, distorting the red and gray reflected on the surface.
I contemplated what he’d said about detention. As tempting as it was, Ms. Bing wouldn’t kill me for fear of Dad’s retribution, despite undoubtedly wanting to. I wasn’t going to give her the satisfaction of breaking down and telling Dad like she expected me to do, either.
Not like he’d help.
Yesterday Dad told me I was strong, and he was right. I was strong, and I’d be damned if I let some succubus push me around.
On second thought, better rephrase. Clearly the whole being-damned thing was something I wanted to avoid. The point was, I had a heart and a soul. And no matter how hard anyone here pushed me, I’d never let anyone take them away.
Eleven
Heat like I’d never felt before blasted me from every direction. The landscape went all wiggly, the blazing temperature distorting it. Sweat poured off me in disgusting streams, dripping from my hair and down my face and plastering my clothes to my skin.
Ms. Bing didn’t have a hair out of place, and surprisingly, her collagenated lips hadn’t exploded from the sweltering conditions.
Ms. Bing hadn’t taken me to the hill to push boulders. No, she’d gone all out and brought me to the Lake of Fire to lecture me on the seven deadly sins. “So, let’s see. We haven’t covered wrath yet.”
I bent over, bracing my hands on my thighs, and coughed. My throat felt as though I’d swallowed a roll of barbed wire and chased it with alcohol. “I think you’re covering it pretty well, actually.”
The vulture-esque creatures that had pulled the black buggy we’d ridden here shrieked. I focused on them, taking in their horse-sized bodies covered in gray scales, their sharp, snapping beaks, and their glowing red eyes.
Don’t think about the burning in your lungs or how you’re going to survive a Q&A session on wrath. Just think about those freaky nightmare creatures and how they did that kind of half-run, half-flying thing here.
“Yes, I suppose you are getting a valuable lesson on just how powerful wrath can be.” Ms. Bing leaned over, nearly spilling out of her corseted top, and gave me an acidic grin. “Now why don’t you tell me how it feels to still be alive?”
The last of my fight went out of me, and I dropped to my hands and knees. I gritted my teeth against the sharp, volcanic rock digging into my knees and my palms. “Not great,” I choked out.
She gripped my chin with her long red nails. “The other beautiful thing about being dead…” With her free hand, she skimmed the edge of the lake with her finger, leaving a black streak across the surface. Pain tightened her features, and her words came out clipped. “It stings, but my skin will grow back.”
She shoved her burnt finger in my face. The flesh was r
ed and black and disgusting, and the charred scent made my stomach roll. “What about yours? Should we see if it’ll grow back?”
I swore I wouldn’t use my influence, but desperate times, desperate measures and all that. If I didn’t use it now, I’d die right here on the spot and never make it back to Earth. I couldn’t do that to Mom.
I wouldn’t. Here goes nothing…
Only Ms. Bing separated in two, and I couldn’t figure which set of eyes to look into.
“You think you can swoop in, take Abigor from me, and become the Princess and Grand Duchess of Hell?” She yanked me toward a spout of fire that shot up from a fissure in the ground.
I tugged against her, dragging my hands and knees even though it hurt like a mother. “You can have it all. I don’t want it. Just take it and leave me alone.”
“Leave you alone? What fun would that be?” Another tug pulled me closer to the flame—so close it filled my vision. “Maybe we should mangle that pretty face?”
I twisted my face away from the torrent.
“Consider this a warning.” Ms. Bing clamped on to my hand and jerked my forearm over the shooting flame.
A scream ripped from my throat as searing pain tore through me. My skin sizzled, and I felt the blisters forming. Black dots danced across my vision, and I told myself not to pass out now or I’d end up facedown in the fire.
Ms. Bing released her grip, and I flung myself back on the hot ground, unable to move even though every inch of me burned.
I was wrong. I wasn’t strong, and I couldn’t take any more. I didn’t even care anymore. I was just going to lie right down here and die.
Come on, sweet death.
“Don’t pass out on me now.” Ms. Bing’s voice drifted over me. “We’re only beginning our fun.”
Closing my eyes, my mind conjured up Grim, his skeletal hand stretched out for me.
Through the haze, I reached out and took it.
