“Come on,” I said. “Let’s go.”
We hurried down the hill—jumping over fallen zombies in our way—and stopped at the edge of the lake. Even though the lake was natural, it had a fountain in its center, which was why we could use it as a portal. And it was big enough that we could jump in at the same time.
“Now!” I said, and we tossed our tokens into the lake. Purple leaked out of them, spread through the water, and swirled like a galaxy of stars.
The glow brightened, and together, we jumped.
I anticipated a splash, but there was none. Instead, I floated into nothingness. I was weightless, like an astronaut in space.
Like the first time I’d portaled, I opened my eyes. The purple mist and sparkling stars fully surrounded me. There was no up or down. There was just open space.
But I didn’t have time to fully take in its beauty, because mist covered my vision and blocked out everything.
My feet hit solid ground, the mist cleared, and I gazed around the foyer of King Devin’s sleek, modern apartment.
I was back on Earth. I couldn’t believe it.
Next stop: Avalon.
But first, it was time to find the king and do whatever was necessary to acquire that staff. And with Julian, Torrence, and Reed by my side, I had no doubt we’d succeed.
34
TORRENCE
I GLANCED at my Apple Watch for the time. But of course, its battery had died soon after I’d arrived in the Otherworld.
Luckily, there was a massive clock on the wall.
4:30 AM, Caracas time.
Caracas was an hour ahead of the Bahamas, which meant it was 3:30 AM in the Bahamas.
Four hours to go.
I took a deep breath, and the unmistakable iron scent of blood filled my nose. My sense of smell had gotten stronger since starting on this quest, and I wasn’t complaining. Anything that benefited me was welcome.
I spun to face the dining room, which was where the scent was coming from. “This way,” I said, and the others followed.
I stopped in front of the double doors and pushed them open.
A voluptuous, naked woman lay sprawled out on the table. King Devin hovered on top of her. He wore only Aphrodite’s girdle, and he faced away from us, so we got a full moon view. He straddled her, his knees on the table beside her hips, and he caressed her breasts as he drank blood from her neck.
She writhed and moaned as he drank.
He licked the remaining blood from her skin, and moved to lower himself inside her.
Julian cleared his throat.
The king jumped off the table and spun to face us. The golden girdle covered practically nothing, providing a full frontal that I’d never wanted to see.
He smiled at me and tilted his head. “Torrence,” he said, his voice silky smooth. “Might you want to join us? Your friends can stay and watch.”
His dark, liquid eyes swirled with longing, and he beckoned me closer. Desire warmed my core.
How did I not notice how attractive he is the last time we were here?
I started to walk toward him, but Reed flashed to my side and wrapped his hand around my wrist, stopping me from going any farther.
“Let go.” I tried to pull away from Reed, but he was too strong.
He tightened his grip around my wrist. “He’s wearing the girdle,” he said, as if I couldn’t see for myself. “Do what you did in the Otherworld to block the compulsion.”
Aphrodite’s girdle. Right.
It made the person wearing it irresistible to anyone nearby.
I need to fight it.
I called on my dark magic, and a shadow flashed across my vision. The smoky magic swirled inside of me, raced to my head, and cleared my thoughts.
I swallowed down disgust at the way King Devin was leering at me.
The woman on the table pushed herself up to sit, but she must have been weak from the blood loss, because she fell back onto her elbows. “My king,” she begged. “Come back.”
King Devin’s focus remained on me. “Come on, Torrence,” he said. “Why settle for the boy when you can have a real man?”
“No chance in hell.” I clenched my hands into fists, seething, and the dark magic continued to gather inside me. It would be so easy to throw it at his heart and end him…
Then Circe’s staff would no longer be his. We could find it, take it, and return it to her. I’d be free to return home.
But killing King Devin would be the equivalent of Avalon declaring war on the Tower. We couldn’t afford a war against another kingdom when we were already at war with the demons.
If I killed him, so many people would die because of my actions.
I wouldn’t be able to live with myself if I did that. So I relaxed my hold on the dark magic, although I kept enough of it as a shield around my mind to protect me from the girdle’s compulsion.
He looked around at the others, and his eyes narrowed. “None of you are affected by the girdle,” he said, and then he zeroed back in on me. “How?”
“Just a little Jedi mind trick I learned in the Otherworld.” I smirked. “Reed can do it, too.”
“And the two others?”
“They’re mates,” I said, not yet wanting to give away Selena’s identity. “Soulmates—like Sage and Thomas—are immune to the girdle’s effects.”
“Interesting,” he said, and he studied me, fascinated. “No witch in the Tower is strong enough to resist the girdle’s magic.”
Revulsion curled in my stomach at the thought of what he must be doing to them. Dark magic rose within me, but I reminded myself of the task at hand and quelled it.
“Get dressed and meet us in the living room,” I said. “We need to talk.”
“And why should I listen to you?”
Selena raised her hand, and a ball of electricity hummed in her palm. The sparks reflected in her violet eyes, making her look downright terrifying. “Because I’ve brought you a letter,” she said. “From Princess Ryanne. I assume you want to read it?”
King Devin looked at her and licked his lips. “And who, exactly, are you?” he asked.
“Selena Pearce.” She held her head high, her gaze not leaving his. “Chosen champion of Jupiter, and daughter of the Earth Angel of Avalon.”
“Well,” he said. “Aren’t you fancy with all those titles.”
“Do you want the letter or not?”
“Wait in the living room,” he said. “I’ll be down in five minutes.”
“What about her?” I glanced at the woman on the table. She was lying on her side, making goo-goo eyes at the king.
“She’ll stay here,” he said. “I’ll finish with her later.”
He marched past us, left the room, and headed to the steps.
The woman frowned as she watched him leave.
Once he was gone, I rushed toward her and helped her sit up.
She blinked, and the vapid look in her eyes disappeared, quickly replaced by horror. She looked down at her naked body and wrapped her arms around herself. Tears rolled down her cheeks.
Reed joined us and covered her with his cloak.
“Can you get out of here?” I asked her, even though I knew the answer.
She was a human blood slave in the most brutal vampire kingdom in the world. Of course she couldn’t get out of there. Or at least, not easily.
“Kill me,” she begged, desperation plastered across her tear-streaked face. “Please.”
“No.” I yanked my hand away from her, appalled by her request. “But I promise you that after the demons are gone, we’re coming back here.” I leaned closer to her ear, not wanting King Devin to overhear the next part. “And I’m going to kill him myself.”
35
TORRENCE
“I KNOW you said King Devin was a disgusting pig,” Selena said as we stood in his living room, waiting for him to return. “But that…” She trailed off, stared out into the hall, and electricity raced along her scars.
Bef
ore she could continue, King Devin strolled inside. His hair was slick with water, and he wore a fluffy white bathrobe. Luckily, it was tied around his waist, so it covered the regions of him I never wanted to see again.
Aphrodite’s girdle was nowhere in sight.
“You took a shower?” I asked.
“A cold one.” His eyes hardened. “You didn’t expect me to focus on our conversation in the state I was in, did you?” He laughed and looked over his shoulders. “Lucinda!” he called. “Bring some of those pastries in here. I need to break bread with our guests.”
The woman from the dining room—Lucinda—rushed in with a tray of pastries.
King Devin watched her place it on the coffee table, and he frowned. “I was wondering where the mage’s cloak went,” he said. “Take it off and give it back to him.”
She shifted uncomfortably.
“Did you hear me?” he said. “Take. It. Off.”
She looked to me, and I nodded, as if reminding her of my promise. Then she took the cloak off and handed it back to Reed.
He took it and put it back on, although he kept his eyes lowered in respect for Lucinda as he did.
“Much better.” King Devin’s gaze roamed approvingly over the woman’s body. “Go back to the dining room. When I return, you better be just how I left you.”
Dark magic coiled inside me.
He can’t treat people like that.
He needs to pay for it.
A shadow shrouded the room. I was seconds away from letting my magic loose on him when she nodded, bowed her head, and hurried away. The dining room doors slammed shut behind her.
The penthouse was eerily quiet, and my magic retreated.
King Devin picked up one of the pastries, ripped a piece off, and popped it into his mouth. “I’d ask what happened to the vampire-shifters who accompanied you before, but I don’t particularly care,” he said. “Eat. Then, we’ll talk.”
We each picked a pastry up off the tray and took a bite. Mine was filled with blueberry jam. Yuck. I hated blueberry.
“The letter?” he asked once we were all finished.
Selena removed the turquoise gem from her pocket and held it out to him. “It should return to letter form after you touch it,” she said.
“I know how fae letters work.” He grabbed it and stepped back.
The gem shimmered, and then transformed back into a sealed envelope.
He ripped it open and unfolded the parchment. His eyes scanned the words, and his brow creased, as if deep in thought. Then he wiped all emotion off his face, folded the letter back up, and placed it into his pocket.
He crumpled up the envelope and tossed it into the nearest trash bin.
“Good news?” Reed asked.
“None of your business. Now, I’ll personally escort you out of the Tower so you can teleport back to Avalon. And since Her Highness, the Earth Angel’s daughter, has returned from the Otherworld, I’ll be draining my fountain and demolishing it. The portal will be destroyed.”
“We didn’t just come here to give you the letter,” I said, and he stilled. “I have a proposition to make.”
He raised an eyebrow. “I have a feeling this isn’t the type of proposition I enjoy receiving from women.”
“No, it’s not,” I said. “But I do believe it’s the type of proposition that you’d want to hear from anyone, regardless of their gender.”
“I’m listening.”
He sat in the closest armchair, spread his legs, and leaned back.
The four of us remained standing as I told him about the deal I’d made with Circe. He grinned wickedly when I told him that Circe had sealed the deal with a kiss.
“I must say,” he said once I was finished. “Circe will be one lucky woman to have you around as her pet for all eternity.”
Dark, hot anger filled my chest and expanded through my veins. “I’m no one’s pet. And I’m here because I want to make another deal with you.” I paused to rein in my emotions, and he gestured with his hand for me to continue. “Julian and Selena are more powerful than Sage and Thomas,” I said. “The four of us together are capable of retrieving an object far greater than any of the four you already have.”
“Let me guess.” He brought his legs together and straightened. “You think there’s another, more powerful object I want, and you want to trade that object for Circe’s staff.”
“Yes.” I didn’t let my gaze leave his. This was too important to show anything that might be taken as weakness.
He said nothing for a few seconds.
Dread filled my stomach, and my throat went dry.
He’s going to say no. I’m going to be stuck on Aeaea forever with Circe. And she’s going to…
Shame flooded through me, and my cheeks heated. I couldn’t bring myself to look at my friends.
“It’s an interesting proposition.” He stood up, and I breathed slightly easier. “But I have to consult with my witches to learn if there’s an object that will satisfy my needs.”
“And what, exactly, are your ‘needs?’” Reed asked.
“They’re none of your business.” He headed out of the room, but then he turned to face us again. “You’ll wait here. And don’t go into the dining room to check on my little human. I have cameras installed everywhere. If you speak with her—if you so much as look at her—then we don’t have a deal.”
I nodded, although I hated myself for it. Because I couldn’t risk messing this up. And there was nothing we could do for Lucinda—at least, not yet.
“We understand,” Julian said, and I was grateful for it, because I couldn’t bring myself to say it. “But it’s in your best interest to hurry, to give us the most likely chance of success at retrieving the object.”
“If there’s an object I want,” he reminded us.
Electricity danced between Selena’s fingertips. A light breeze blew through the penthouse, and I had a feeling it was taking every last strength of will for her to not reach for the Holy Wand and use it against King Devin.
But when she’d introduced herself to the king, she’d left out the fact that she was the Queen of Wands.
Because there was one item we wouldn’t trade for the staff—the Holy Wand.
“I’ll return as soon as I can,” he said, and then, he left to decide my fate.
36
TORRENCE
JULIAN WALKED over to the floor-to-ceiling windows that lined the wall of the living room, pressed his hand to the glass, and gazed out at the skyscrapers. They gleamed blue, and their windows glowed with light. The buildings were packed together so tightly that it was impossible to see out to the shantytowns beyond.
Reed walked to Julian’s side and also stared out the window. “I’m not used to it, either,” he said. “Not sure I ever will be.”
Julian simply nodded in acknowledgment, and continued staring.
I supposed that compared to the Otherworld and Reed’s home realm of Mystica, Earth’s technology was like stepping into the future.
At the reminder of technology, I glanced at my watch again, annoyed by its dead, black face. “You don’t think King Devin has an Apple Watch charger around here anywhere, do you?” I looked around, but of course, there wasn’t one. If he had one, it would probably be in his bedroom. And there was no way I was going up there.
“Hand it to me,” Selena said. “Maybe I can charge it up.”
“You can do that?”
“No idea.” She shrugged. “The Otherworld wasn’t exactly a high tech place, and this is my first time back on Earth since getting my magic. But it’s worth a try.”
I unstrapped the watch and handed it to Selena. “Give it all you’ve got.”
She held it in her palm, her fingers outstretched, and a soft, blue glow emanated from her hand.
The watch’s face turned on.
“There you go.” She smiled and held it out to me. “Fully charged.”
I grabbed it and snapped it around my wrist. Sure enoug
h, the battery gauge read one hundred percent. I dug into the settings and made it so the face displayed both Eastern Standard Time and the local time wherever we were, so we wouldn’t have to worry about calculating time zones.
Since hidden cameras were watching us, we gazed out the windows as we waited for King Devin to return.
Ten minutes later, the elevator dinged. King Devin stepped out of it and into the foyer, and re-joined us in the living room. His dark eyes glinted in excitement, and he stopped, looked around at us, and smiled.
There’s something he wants.
“I explained your proposal to an important advisor of mine,” he started, and then he paused for dramatic effect. “It turns out that there is something I’d trade for Circe’s staff.”
“What?” I bounced on my toes, ready for anything.
“The heart of a dragon.”
I stilled, and my mouth nearly dropped open. Dark magic slithered under my skin as I stared him down. “That’s not possible,” I said.
“Why not?”
“Because dragons don’t exist.”
“Before we met, you didn’t think any of the objects I asked for existed.”
“That’s different,” I said. “Those were objects related to mythology. Dragons are supernaturals, like you and me. We’d know if they existed.”
He raised an eyebrow, amused. “I’m surprised to hear such doubt from you,” he said. “Especially given that you’ve seen evidence of their existence with your own eyes.”
“No, I ha—”
I stopped mid-sentence.
Because King Devin was right.
And I knew exactly where we needed to go next.
37
TORRENCE
I SENT a fire message to our destination so our contacts there knew we were coming. Then, as promised, King Devin personally escorted us outside of the Tower’s gates.
One by one, I teleported Reed, Selena, and Julian to our location. I was the only one of the four of us who’d been there before, which meant my teleporting would be far more precise than theirs.
The Faerie Plague (Dark World: The Faerie Games Book 5) Page 16
