Dark Forsaken (The Devil's Assistant Book 3)

by Smith, HD

  “How did you meet Rosen?”

  “A friend introduced me.”

  “Which friend?”

  “I don’t remember.”

  “I want you to think back over the last few weeks. Try to remember what you were doing. Think about each day. All twenty-four hours of it.” I gave her a moment to think. “Do you have any gaps in your memory? Is there any time you can’t account for?”

  Cinnamon tried to pull away. I stopped her, but the power she was using was too strong to be from her alone. I thought about the boys and the energy I’d felt when I approached her. She was somehow tapping into their power. I wouldn’t have been able to hold her without Harry’s blood.

  She was strong, but I was stronger. “You can’t leave until I let you go. Now, think back. Where were you this afternoon?”

  “I was at the apartment with Parker,” she said.

  “Are you sure?” I asked.

  The muscles around her eyes twitched. She was straining to remember, almost as hard as she was trying to pull away.

  “I was there with Parker,” she insisted.

  “For how long? What did you do?”

  The skin around her eyes tightened. She was trying to remember, but something was holding her back. A shimmer of light bounced off her lower lip and I caught sight of an iridescent gleam as her lip quivered. A tingling sensation warmed my palm where it lay against Cinnamon’s cheek. I remembered seeing X kiss her in the apartment as a way to control her. Maybe that glimmer was the remnants of the spell he used to trap her.

  It was a long shot, but it wouldn’t kill me if it didn’t work. I pulled Cinnamon’s head down to reach mine and I kissed her, making sure the iridescent glimmer touched my lips.

  She resisted, but our eyes were still locked and I held her in place. The song, “I kissed a girl” ran through my head as Cinnamon actually kissed me back. The tingle I had felt against my palm ran across my lips as she pulled away.

  The spell washed over me like the surge from a tidal wave—stronger than almost anything I’d felt before. The power hit me instantly, pushing a euphoric high over my entire body. I was shaking from the rush and I never wanted it to end.

  The chirping of two blue jays caught my attention, pulling me back from the edge of ecstasy. I spun around, taking in the new scenery. I was still in the Wild Hare, but the floor and the bar were all that remained. The walls and ceiling were gone.

  The dreamy blue sky above me had the most amazing fluffy white clouds I’d ever seen, and birds were singing a soothing melody that spoke to my soul. Outside the bar area, a beautiful meadow existed. Clumps of wild flowers dotted the sea of tall grass that spread out as far as the eye could see. It reminded me of Death’s garden, but it was more lush and beautiful.

  As if I’d summoned him, Death appeared. I wanted the touch of his embrace—the one he’d turned on me. I wanted to melt away in his arms and feel safe and loved. I was sad for a moment as I remembered the loss of Jack’s love and the life we’d never have. Again, as if I’d summoned him, Jack appeared holding a white tulip—my favorite. His piercing blue eyes called to me as tears ran down my cheeks. He’d never be mine. Neither would Death, not that I wanted Death anymore, but what we’d had felt special at the time. It was a complete lie, just like the love Thanos had claimed to have for me even though he had girls hanging all over him the last time I saw him. Again, the mere thought brought Thanos to the meadow. He appeared beside Jack and Death in the clearing.

  He was the Thanos I fell in love with, not the one that didn’t want me. I wiped away another tear.

  I wanted the comfort and happiness they each represented. I wanted to run to them and be free.

  Just as quickly as it hit me, the wave of influence that engulfed me started to recede. It pulled away, reversing the magic and taking the meadow and each of my past loves with it.

  The weight of reality hit me. I was still in the bar in the moment of time when Cinnamon’s lips were pulling away from mine. As she ended the kiss, I staggered back and released my hold.

  As if freed from a spell that held them immobile, the quads, still linked by Cinnamon’s odd static connection, were pulled forward. They simultaneously laid hands on me and triggered my innate magic that nulled spells to lash out at them with the cure to X’s spell.

  Mixed with the heightened connection of their own entwined magic, the thread of Gizelle’s curse, and my enhanced abilities, the energy in the null spell, and my fight-or-flight reaction to what I perceived as an attack, the force created a power spike that slammed into us like a tsunami. Our combined magic hit hard. Gizelle’s curse wove its way between our bodies, tying us bit by bit into one fabric of energy.

  The power at my core swelled, connecting with the quads and their power, twisting and turning in on itself until it became one. Blinking to use my second sight, I watched as Raal’s tattoos danced along our new connection, multiplying as they spread out along our bond. The magic that pulsed between us carried the inked images to each sibling, sinking into their skin and disappearing.

  Sage screamed out in panic as wisps of energy circled his wrists and hellfire danced in his palms. “What is that?” he said, swatting at the mermaid tattoo that settled on his arm.

  How could he see it?, I wondered, but I screamed, “Control yourself and the hellfire will stop.”

  “How?” he growled.

  I mentally pictured the reversal technic I’d used before, the way I let the power cycle before forcing it to turn in the opposite direction.

  “That might work,” Sorrel said, as if I’d explained it.

  Sage also seemed to understand. Had they read my mind? I blinked the second sight off.

  Mace answered. “We all saw it and can hear you just fine, so stop screaming.”

  One by one, everyone used my technique to control the power within them. The energy swirling around us finally ebbed, allowing us to move.

  “Shut it off, Cin,” Sage snarled.

  My mouth was dry and I had a bitch of a headache. I was thirsty and confused and angry and pissed off all at the same time. I was jittery with power and rage. I’d felt this way right after Mab juiced me. I looked at my arms, expecting the vines to be visible, but they were clean.

  “I’m not doing anything,” Cinnamon answered.

  I staggered over to the bar. Reaching behind it, I grabbed the closest glass and filled it with water from the tap. I downed it, but the thirst didn’t go away. Sage moved me out of the way, doing the same. As he drank, my thirst also abated.

  “Shit,” I said, “we’re connected—like really connected.”

  “Cin,” Mace yelled.

  “I told you it isn’t me.” Cinnamon pointed a long manicured nail at me. “Claire did something to us.” She cried out and pressed her hand against her forehead.

  I felt the sharp stab of Cinnamon’s pain, too. Everyone’s emotions were heightened and coming through just as clear as my own.

  “What the hell did you do, Claire?” Mace growled.

  Gizelle’s curse warmed, warning me to play nice.

  He made a sucking sound through his teeth and rubbed his arm in the same place where I felt his mother’s curse. Mace’s anger increased, which was starting to piss me off.

  Cinnamon was uncertain and confused. Her palm was still pressed against her forehead, which was still shooting with pain.

  “Claire,” she said, “shouldn’t you be trying to kill Mace? That was what you threatened the last time we were together.”

  Mace looked at her, his eyebrows lowered.

  “That was weeks ago,” I said.

  “What?” She hit the palm of her hand against her forehead, her fear and confusion rising, but the stabbing pain starting to abate.

  She remembers nothing since then? Sage questioned, but he didn’t say it out loud.

  I tried to help her remember. “Cinnamon, you’ve been living with a man named Parker Rosen, who we now know is the wannabe Fallen messiah that has been pu
shing people out of business and opening new restaurants in Underworld. What do you remember about him?”

  She shook her head. “Nothing.” Looking into my eyes, she continued, “Was he one of the men in the meadow?”

  Claire looks confused, Sorrel thought.

  “You saw the meadow?” I asked.

  Mace pulled one of the barstools out and leaned against it. “We all saw the damn meadow.”

  They all stared, curious. Their voices were murmuring silent questions.

  “What?” I asked.

  “Who was he?” Mace asked.

  I assumed he meant Death, since no one ever saw his pretty face. “Wouldn’t the better question be: how the hell did we all see the meadow?” I asked.

  “Cinnamon linked us,” Mace said, as if that explained it.

  “I did?” She seemed genuinely surprised.

  “I assumed you shared a vision when you kissed.” He smiled.

  “I kissed you?” Cinnamon said with more than a hint of disgust in her voice.

  Sorrel laughed. “No, Claire kissed you.”

  “She forced you,” Sage added.

  Cinnamon’s eyes widened, then narrowed on me. “You kissed me?”

  I felt the anger well within her. The boys’ silent voices were still laughing.

  “Stop it,” she screamed at them, then hauled off and smacked me across the face.

  I shoved her away with my will, rubbing my cheek. Cinnamon also touched the side of her face. I glanced around, but the boys weren’t affected.

  “Can you all hear what everyone else is thinking, too? Or is that just me?” Turning to Cinnamon, I said, “Kissing you wasn’t the highlight of my day, either. In my defense, I was trying to remove Rosen’s curse, which I think worked.”

  Mace chuckled. “We have a bigger problem. It goes without saying that this connection isn’t natural.” He raised his hand, rubbing the left side of his face. He had felt her slap. “Yes, we’re more linked than I would have thought possible.”

  Sage stepped back from the bar. “And what was with the magic tattoos, Claire?”

  I looked around the room. They all wanted answers. The scene at Raal’s tattoo shop came to mind. The events played out before me as the movie in my head remembered what had happened.

  That’s messed up, Sage thought. I’ve got a fucking druid’s tattoo under my skin.

  Mace laughed, confirming they could all hear each other, but were they seeing my movie memories?

  “Yes,” Sorrel said.

  “I knew you had his blood,” Mace said.

  “Cinnamon,” I commanded. “Whatever you did, undo it.”

  “You never turned it off, Sister,” Mace said.

  Cinnamon straightened. “I’m not doing it. Even if I were, Claire wouldn’t be affected.”

  “She’s right,” Sage said. “Claire can’t be linked to us.”

  Mace snorted. “Yet we all felt the slap.”

  Their voices echoed in my head. Fix it, fix it, fix it.

  “Fix it?” I asked. “What makes you think I can?” I looked at Cinnamon. “You caused this, you fix it.”

  Cinnamon’s emotions registered as scared again. She shook her head. I can’t.

  A mix of fear and anger rolled off the boys. The feeling was so clear it made the vines on my arms appear. I was getting angry, too. They wanted me to fix it. I wanted Cinnamon to fix it. She was too scared to even try. The boys were pissed and I was getting angry. I want this connection broken.

  “So the fuck do we,” Sage yelled.

  Mace stepped forward as if he might use one of his old methods of persuasion. I tossed him back at the bar and felt a twinge of pain in my back as he smacked into the edge.

  “I’m starting to remember,” Cinnamon said, interrupting Mace’s pathetic attempt at intimidation.

  The tension in the room lessened. Everyone’s anger turned to curiosity.

  “Go on,” I said.

  “I’d just returned from the museum—our exile in Purgatory, actually. I needed a place to stay. I ran into an old friend, or at least I thought it was. I …” Cinnamon trailed off. Her eyes moved back and forth as if she were trying to make sense of something. I could feel Cinnamon’s confusion. She was frustrated by something.

  “Who was it really?” I asked.

  “I don’t know. It looked like her, but it wasn’t her. I can’t explain how I know.”

  “Human?”

  “Yes. No, that was it. The person I met wasn’t human. I’m sure of it now, but I didn’t know it then. I stayed with her for a few days until she introduced me to Parker. The first meeting was normal, but that changed once I let him kiss me.” Cinnamon touched her lips. “It was like he could freeze time, but that wasn’t it. I felt like I was somewhere else.”

  “Somewhere else like the meadow?” I asked.

  “No, my illusions felt and looked real. I wouldn’t have been fooled by the meadow.” She was confident. “Parker had a way about him. I trusted him completely. If he asked me to do something, I wanted to do it.”

  “Where was he during this time?”

  “I thought he was with me, but now that I can see clearly, I know. He wasn’t there. He left me alone in the apartment for hours. I’m not sure we actually slept together. He played me.” Cinnamon looked up, her emotions going from calm and frustrated to coldblooded assassin. “I’d like to kill him now.”

  The boys all murmured agreement. Mace spoke. “I agree with Cinnamon’s plan.”

  “No. Well, not yet. We have to get Sydney back first,” I said.

  Mace harrumphed. “He had me ambushed. He manipulated Cinnamon and Sage. He had Sorrel killed, which forced our mother to send you to the museum for a spell to save him, and we almost died. Cinnamon was probably next. Does he actually need to succeed at killing one of us for you to care? Why do you want to save this girl anyway? If she’s a contender, can’t she save herself?”

  “Fuck you. All of you are over five hundred years old and a hell of a lot more powerful than a seventeen-year-old kid. You should have been better prepared, but you weren’t, so we’re saving Sydney first, then dealing with the jackass.”

  “Wait, did Mace say Sorrel was dead?” Cinnamon asked.

  Sage wordlessly explained it to her. Then asked, “What about the locket? Mab has it, but X wants it.”

  Cinnamon laughed. “Please tell me you aren’t going to suggest we steal it from Aunt Mab and give it to Parker?”

  “We have no clue why Mab wanted the locket,” I said. “And X sent Sage after it. He doesn’t know it’s missing yet, but he will soon. Either way, it isn’t a factor yet.”

  Cinnamon visibly relaxed. “Good, trying to take something from Mab cannot be part of the plan.”

  “Here’s what we know,” I said, getting everyone’s attention. “X thinks he has Faith and is interrogating her, but he really has Sydney. He wants Faith to show him more of his missing memories, which included some connection to the fourth realm, which is why he sent Sage for the locket. Faith wants Sydney because she’s also a contender and is trying to win the game to become the Fall Queen. And if I don’t deliver Sydney in two days, Faith is planning to kill one of you.”

  “How do you propose we save Sydney?” Cinnamon asked.

  “I think we should tell X he doesn’t have Faith, then set up a trade. Faith for Sydney.” I said.

  “How will we get Faith?” Mace asked.

  “We tell her we have Sydney. Set up a meeting and invite X to the party.”

  Cinnamon snorted. “Sounds like a lot of ways to get the girl killed.”

  Gizelle’s reminder started to hurt, but other than my normal level of hatred for Mace, I wasn’t exactly going postal. Why was Gizelle’s mark being so persistent?

  “It’s a summon,” Sorrel said, as if it were obvious. When everyone looked at him, he said, “Has she never summoned any of you?”

  The others said, “No.”

  “Just ignore it,” I said. “I’
m not planning to jump when she calls.”

  “Suit yourself, but she can get pissy if you ignore her,” Sorrel groused, rubbing his arm in the same place I could feel her mark on mine.

  “Shut up, Brother,” Cinnamon said and then she moaned in obvious pleasure.

  At the same time, I felt the warmth of Death’s embrace wrap around me. Fuck. I guess playtime was over. Death was finally here to collect on his threat.

  Chapter 22

  Death’s calming influence was affecting everyone the same way. I was surprised my magic hadn’t ever tried to reverse its effects, but maybe it wasn’t seen as a threat. I should rethink that strategy.

  Cinnamon half moaned and half purred as she said, “This is absolutely incredible, Claire. What is it?”

  Ignoring her and the warm tingling feelings he caused, I said, “Death, show yourself.” Then I silently warned, You may want to look away.

  Why? Cinnamon mind-spoke back.

  Trust me, he may not be to your liking, I thought just as Death materialized in front of me.

  Cinnamon practically squealed. “How could he not be to my liking? He’s gorgeous.”

  I suppose it shouldn’t have surprised me that they could see him the same way I did since, apparently, we were all now magical extensions of each other.

  Such a cute couple, Mace said as Death leaned in to kiss me.

  I pulled back and instinctively slammed him with my will. Catching him off guard with my new strength, I catapulted him into the back wall of the bar.

  Death laughed as he stood, knocking the dust and dirt off his clothes. “Oh, Claire, you’ve changed. I must say it is for the better, love.”

  “Screw you. What do you want?”

  “I want the torque, of course…” he trailed off, glancing at the quads. His eyebrows were drawn together as he studied them. “What’s with all your friends seeing my lovelier side?”

  I glanced over at Cinnamon. She was definitely giving him a fuck-me look. He winked and blew her a kiss, presumably to piss me off. I couldn’t care less.

  “As you can see,” I said, “I’m in a bit of a situation right now, so you’ll need to get in line.”