by Linsey Hall
“Eloquent,” Roarke said.
Caden spit on him.
“This is going to be great,” I said.
Roarke shot me a sardonic smile, the corner of his mouth curved up. For fate’s sake, he was handsome. Even in these crappy circumstances and speckled lightly with swamp water.
Jim Bob pulled his truck around while Roarke hauled Caden out of the boat and tossed him in the back seat.
“Sit in front, Del.” Roarke climbed into the back with Caden.
“I don’t know what the fuck you want with me,” Caden growled.
“You can’t begin to imagine?” Roarke asked.
In the rearview mirror, I saw Caden snarl. Oh, he was a charmer, all right. Roarke had clearly gotten all the charm and saved none for his brother.
While Jim Bob drove us back to the cemetery, I called Mordaca and Aerdeca and asked them to meet us at Roarke’s place. We wanted to question Caden, and the best folks to help with that were always the blood sorceresses.
After I hung up the phone, I twisted around and inspected the metal cuffs binding Caden. I could only see the ones at his ankles since his wrists here hidden behind his back. It was hard to say if they looked strained, but better safe than sorry, so I dialed Nix.
“Hey,” I said when she picked up. “Do we still have that super strong chain?”
“The one that Roarke tore off like it was cotton?”
“That’s the one.”
“Yeah, we have it. Need it?”
“Yes. Bring it to Roarke’s in an hour if you can.”
“Perfect. Shop will be closing right around then. I’ll see you there.”
“Thanks!”
“Don’t you think that if Roarke could tear that chain off, I could too?” Caden spat from the back of the car.
“Maybe,” I said. “But I doubt it. He’s stronger than you.”
“Not by much.”
Given how quickly he’d shaken off the effects of Connor’s potion, I had to admit he was right. “Well, it’s a good thing you’re wearing the iron cuffs, then.”
I called Connor for good measure, requesting some kind of sedative potion to weaken the muscles. He agreed to pass one off to Nix before she came over.
It was situations like these—weird, dangerous situations involving kidnapping, alligators, and Skunk Apes—that made me appreciate how amazing my family and friends were. They always had my back, and they had the weird talents to make every job easier. Worry still tugged at me—I had a feeling the worry was here to stay—but I could get through this. I had to get through this.
I might be some kind of Queen of Hell, but my life here on Earth was pretty dang great. I’d just have to work hard to make sure it stayed that way. And figuring out what the hell Caden knew about my role in the Shadows’ plans was key.
Chapter Four
A couple hours later, Roarke and I waited in the foyer of his house. Outside, the sun was setting through the trees, casting a brilliant orange glow on the scatter of leaves. We were waiting for Aerdeca and Mordaca to arrive. If I turned back to the living room, I could see Caden bound in a chair with Nix, Cass, and Aidan standing guard over him.
I reached for Roarke’s hand and squeezed. The movement made the faintest smell of rotten eggs waft up toward my nose. I’d been desperate to wash off the stink of swamp water and Skunk Ape, so we’d showered as soon as we’d gotten Caden all bound up.
However, I still kind of smelled. I tried to subtly get a better whiff, and it revealed more of the same.
That couldn’t be good.
And of course Roarke smelled great with his masculine soap and the sandalwood scent of his magic. I glanced up to see him gazing out the window, his brow creased.
“You okay?” I squeezed his hand again.
“Fine.”
“Fine?” That was a lie if I’d ever heard one. “You sure? Because you don’t look fine.”
He frowned, his gaze sad. “No, you’re right. I’m not fine.” He hiked a thumb back toward the living room. “That’s my brother in there. My brother. And he’s nothing like I remember. Whatever he’s been doing these last ten years has changed him entirely.”
“Yeah. Not for the better.”
“No. I loved him once. Which makes this so much worse.”
“And now? Do you love him still?” Because if that was the case, this had to be tearing Roarke up inside. His brother had sided with the Shadows, who were evil incarnate.
Roarke sighed. “I think I might. I’m not sure that kind of thing goes away, no matter what happens. You still remember the good times, and it keeps you going. Keeps you loving even when you know you shouldn’t.”
My heart clenched in my chest, a visceral pain. So strange how that could happen.
“I think I know how you feel.” My new memories of my family were all pretty much horrible. Poking at them hurt like hell. It made sweat break out on my upper lip and my stomach turn. But I was compelled to speak. Because I did know how Roarke felt, and if it could help him, then I owed it to him.
“I know how you feel,” I repeated. “I feel the same about my family. My mother and father were terrible. They locked me up to force me to learn my magic, they promised me to some kind of demon uprising, and they sold me to the Monster.”
“They were truly awful.” He squeezed my hand.
“They were. But still… I remember being little and loving them. I didn’t know any better. They were my parents. Any affection that they showed me, I ate it up.” I sucked in a ragged breath, remembering the dreams I’d been having this last week. Nice dreams. False dreams. “I created a mythology around them—who I wanted them to be. I think I may have even created positive memories from daydreams of the family I wanted to be part of.”
At least, that was what I thought was happening. I had a feeling a therapist would confirm that was what I was doing. I’d have to ask Draka when I saw her again if the positive dreams were real. They probably weren’t.
I shook my head, trying to clear it. “Anyway, I guess my point is that I understand where you are coming from. It’s almost impossible to let go of family, even when they tear themselves away from you. But you can create your own family.”
His dark gaze met mine. “Like you did with Nix and Cass.”
“Exactly. You can do the same.”
“I think I might be.”
The seriousness in his eyes made me swallow hard. Did he mean me? I wasn’t able to ask. The sound of a jet engine landing in the front yard stole our attention.
We turned to look out the window. A black muscle car—a Mustang, from the looks of it—pulled into the driveway. The paint job was custom—a glittering black that sparkled in the rays of dying sunlight. The engine had to have been modified, because it was louder than any car I’d ever heard.
The driver’s door swung open, and Mordaca stepped out, her black bouffant hair appearing seconds before the rest of her. For the first time, she wasn’t dressed in her plunging Elvira dress. Instead, she wore a black leather racing suit. Which plunged just like the Elvira suit did.
I grinned. You could always count on Mordaca to steal the show.
Aerdeca climbed out a moment later. She was dressed in her usual sleek white pantsuit with her fall of silver blonde hair gleaming in the dim light. Both sisters carried leather bags that looked like old-fashioned doctor bags. Of course Mordaca’s was black, and Aerdeca’s was white.
Mordaca stalked to the door; Aerdeca glided.
Roarke opened it just as they mounted the stairs.
“This house call will cost you.” Mordaca’s smoky voice was trailed by Aerdeca’s light chuckle.
“Thank you for coming,” Roarke said.
“No guarantees we can help.” Aerdeca’s blue gaze snapped to Roarke. “Though you’ll still pay the fee.”
“That’s fine.” He stepped back to let them in.
They glided past, the scent of their matching dark, smoky perfumes wafting by. Mordaca’s nose twitche
d as she passed me.
Mordaca pointed down the hall to the living room. “That way?”
“Yes,” Roarke said.
We followed them to the living room where Caden sat, bound to a chair. Aidan stood behind him, hand on his shoulder, while Nix and Cass watched from the couch.
“Isn’t he a sight?” Aerdeca said.
I had to agree. Caden still wore the golden magic dampening cuff, the iron shackles, and now the massive chain that we hoped would help. He was also slumped over in his chair thanks to the sedative that Connor had given us. For now, we had him pretty well bound, but I wasn’t sure it would last.
“Long time no see, Elvira,” Nix said.
Mordaca grinned. “I’ll take that as a compliment.”
“I thought you might.”
Mordaca and Aerdeca walked around to the front of Caden’s chair. Roarke and I followed. I took up a spot near Cass and Nix.
Cass leaned over and whispered, “You doing okay?”
“Yeah.”
“You sure? You look a little peaky.”
“I’m okay.” I squeezed her hand once to reassure her, though I could tell it didn’t work.
“So what are we here for?” Mordaca asked. “Questioning?”
“Yes,” Roarke said. “We need some information from him.”
“Didn’t want to try good old-fashioned torture?” Mordaca asked. “It’d be cheaper.”
Roarke grimaced. “I’d prefer truth serum or something equally painless.”
Aerdeca shrugged. “Your dollar.”
“And we’re happy to take it.” Mordaca’s blood-red lips curled up. It was almost a grin.
Aerdeca turned to Caden and knelt by the chair.
“What are you doing?” Roarke demanded.
The concern was clear in his voice. No matter what had happened with his brother, he didn’t want Aerdeca or Mordaca hurting him.
Aerdeca glanced over her shoulder at him. “Just trying to get a feel for his magic. Different species do better with different truth serums. What are his powers?”
“He’s part demon, like me. Though he now has the ability to disappear into mist, extreme speed, and also healing.”
“Now has?” Mordaca asked. “He didn’t have those before?”
“No.”
Aerdeca leaned closer to Caden, her nose wrinkled as she sniffed delicately. “He stinks.”
“Dark magic,” Roarke said. “He’s a practitioner.”
“So are we, occasionally,” Aerdeca said. “And we don’t stink like that.”
“While dark magic can smell bad, it doesn’t always,” Mordaca said. “I’m going to need to take some of his blood.”
“For what?” Roarke asked.
“Literally anything that I do.” She pointed to herself. “Blood sorceress here, remember?”
I reached out for Roarke’s hand, feeling the tension in his grip. It was tearing him up to see Caden like this. And I had to admit, Mordaca was creepy. I trusted her, but if she was looming over one of my loved ones with her bloodthirsty magic, I’d be a bit jumpy, too.
“Fine,” Roarke said. “Do what you must.”
The room was silent as Aerdeca and Mordaca set about their work, opening their doctors’ bags and removing bowls, vials, and a silver knife.
As they’d done with me when they’d helped me recover my memory, they worked as a team. Mordaca held the bowl beneath Caden’s arm as Aerdeca made an incision. His blood dripped into the small stone basin. Once it was half full, they removed it.
Before Aerdeca could put a binding on Caden’s wrist, the wound began to close. It was easy to see how he’d survived my ice pick to the shoulder. His wounds closed within minutes.
“Interesting,” Aerdeca murmured. She rose to join Mordaca, who stood in front of us.
Mordaca held out the bowl, and Aerdeca opened three different vials, each filled with a different powder. She sprinkled a bit of the green one into the bowl of blood before moving on to the red and then blue. Then she stirred it with the silver dagger and struck a match, tossing it in.
The smoke that poofed up was black and oily, smelling strongly of rotten eggs. Mordaca grimaced, then turned to us. “You have a problem. A big one.”
“What?” Roarke demanded.
“This man is cursed.”
“Cursed? How so?”
“I believe it is an Influenta Curse, though which one, I do not know. There are many types. It makes him susceptible to the control of others.”
My gaze darted to Roarke, though he was still staring at Mordaca. Did this mean that Caden hadn’t wanted to side with the Shadows?
“How long has he been cursed?” Roarke asked.
“Oh, a good decade, at least,” Mordaca said.
“A decade?” Roarke’s voice was rich with shock. “No, I would have noticed. A decade ago he seemed normal. Now, he’s…”
“Different,” I finished for him. “Very different.”
“Of course he is,” Mordaca said. “Like all magic, the curse is decaying. It’s why he stinks of rotten eggs. And why he’s been behaving more erratically.”
“It’s a powerful magic,” Aerdeca said. “But he is strong, too. His mind fights it, which makes the magic decay faster. Also, the curse may not have been made for his species.”
“So he could just shake it off?”
“I’m afraid not.” Mordaca frowned. “I don’t know much about this particular type of Influenta Curse, but with magic as strong as this, it won’t let go easily. He will continue to become more erratic, his behavior a threat to himself and others. Eventually, it will get him killed.”
“So, we cure him. You can do that.” Roarke didn’t phrase it as a question.
“Actually, no,” Aerdeca said. “I don’t even know which Influenta Curse this is. It’s part of the family of curses meant to manipulate others, but without knowing the origin, I can’t find a cure.”
Roarke shoved a frustrated hand through his hair, his gaze pained. He’d thought his brother was lost to him, then he’d been given a brief glimpse of hope. Now it’d been snatched way. “There has to be something we can do.”
“Do you know anyone who might know more?” Aidan asked from his position behind Caden, who was still sedated. Connor had really brought out the big guns for this sedative, considering how poorly the last had worked.
“I don’t,” Mordaca said. “We are the best for a reason. The downside is that if we don’t know, then no one does.”
“That doesn’t mean we can’t still look,” I said.
Roarke nodded gratefully to me. “And we will. But first”—he turned to Mordaca—“can you at least question him? We need information from him.”
How quickly he switched from his desire to save his brother to his desire to save me. Roarke was nothing if not practical.
“We can try.” Aerdeca frowned. “But it’s likely to be difficult. The curse has messed with his mind. And if the information has anything to do with those who cursed him, he likely won’t be able to give it up. No matter how strong our potions.”
Made sense. If you were going to curse someone to make them help you, you wouldn’t let them spill the beans about your plot.
Heart aching, I left Cass and Nix and walked toward Roarke, who stood near Mordaca and Aerdeca. When I reached him, I took his hand.
Mordaca’s nose twitched again, and her gaze swung to meet mine. “You smell.”
“Um.”
She stalked closer, then sniffed deeply, then stepped back. “Oh, I thought I smelled something weird when I came in.”
Aerdeca stepped closer and sniffed me, as well. I was about to push her back when she retreated and met Mordaca’s gaze. Worry painted her features.
My stomach knotted.
“We’re going to need some of your blood,” Mordaca said.
“Her blood?” Roarke demanded.
“Her blood.” Aerdeca turned and retrieved a fresh knife and bowl.
Dread
curled in my belly, like I’d eaten a bad burrito.
“You think she’s cursed,” Roarke said.
“I can’t say.” Aerdeca returned with the knife.
I stuck out my arm and clenched my jaw.
“Sorry, this will sting.” Aerdeca sliced the blade over my wrist.
Pain flared briefly, and I tilted my limb so that the blood dripped into the bowl. Though I was no stranger to blood, watching it pour out of me made my stomach turn.
When she’d decided she had enough blood, Aerdeca withdrew the bowl. Mordaca handed me a clean white cloth, which I pressed to the wound while I watched the blood sorceresses complete the ritual with the powders and the match.
A light sweat broke out on my skin as I waited. When the oily black smoke poofed up from the surface of my blood, I swallowed thickly.
“What does this mean?” Roarke’s voice was hard.
“I’m not sure.” Mordaca met my gaze. “Do you have any idea how this might have happened? Curses aren’t contagious. But you have the same curse that he does.”
“When I ambushed him earlier today, he lunged for me.” I hesitated, but I could count on Aerdeca and Mordaca to keep my Phantom secret, so I pressed on. “I was in my Phantom form, so he couldn’t grab me. But it felt…gross. Normally I feel nothing in my Phantom form, but this was different.”
“In your Phantom form?” Mordaca glanced at Aerdeca. Something was clearly exchanged, though I had no idea what. “Will you show us?”
I suddenly felt a bit like a circus performer, but anything to get to the bottom of this, right? With a deep breath, I called on my Phantom form, letting the cool magic flow through me.
From behind, Cass and Nix gasped.
“Do you normally look like that?” Mordaca asked.
I glanced down at myself, horrified when I caught sight of the gray tinge to my transparent blue skin. It hadn’t gone away. I’d thought it was a fluke, and I’d been so distracted that I just let it slip my mind.
Every cell in my body felt like it vibrated. My breath grew short.
“What does this mean?” Roarke repeated his question from earlier, his tone hard as rock.
Mordaca frowned. “It may be good. In a way. We can diagnose it, at least. The curse attached to Del in her Phantom form is a Phantom curse. There’s only one Influenta Curse from a Phantom culture. You could get the cure from them.”
