She gave me a hard stare. “You have no choice.”
I tried to wrap my thoughts around everything. Gage made me his personal puppet. I felt sick to my stomach.
Mildred watched me in silence, then gave me a reassuring smile before turning and walking away. As she left, more memories flashed across my mind. Gage, pressing my body against the wall. Gage’s hands all over me like an octopus’s tentacles. That monster touched me. I’d never felt so disgusted in my life.
He poisoned me. He tried to turn me into some kind of love slave—and succeeded. Mildred said he would bed me after the wedding, and I gave a long shudder as the feeling of his hands running down my body surfaced in my mind again. How could I tolerate him touching me again? Kissing me? How could I possibly make him believe I was still under his spell?
Chapter 15
I paced back and forth across the room for hours. After a while, my stomach grumbled and I looked over at my cold breakfast. I’d been too ill to finish eating after Mildred told me what Gage had done to me. Anger and mortification flowed through my veins every time I thought of the ordeal he’d put me through.
He killed me and brought me back to life. He tried to make me a dutiful girlfriend by poisoning and brainwashing me. I hope there’s a special place in hell reserved for his evil soul.
Even as these thoughts crossed my mind, I found other odd, disturbing feelings floating around in my head: Gage is handsome. Gage is kind. Gage is…sexy.
Every time one of these thoughts made it to the front of my brain, I immediately pushed it back. Why was I still thinking this way? Why couldn’t I just hate him? Had Mildred’s potion failed? Was I still under that madman’s influence?
As I stood contemplating the cold breakfast, Sonja walked into the room unexpectedly. “You have a fitting in an hour.”
I tried to plaster a smile on my face—I needed to fool her, too. “A fitting for what?”
“A fancy gown for tonight’s party,” she answered. She looked over at the untouched food. “You didn’t eat much. Are you feeling okay?”
She’ll report everything I say and go back to Gage.
I walked over and sat down on the bed. “I’m still feeling a little ill and shaky.”
She gave me a long look. I unclenched my hands and tried to look relaxed. It wasn’t easy—so many emotions tumbled around inside me, some of them hateful, others warm and fuzzy. Both revulsion and lust surfaced each time I thought of Gage. These thoughts would slowly drive me insane.
“Where’s Gage?” I forced myself to ask. If I were supposed to care about him, I would probably be curious about his whereabouts. I was hoping her answer would be something along the lines of Gage angered his demon playmate and it sent his soul straight to hell.
Instead she answered, “He’s busy with ritual preparations for tonight. There’s a lot to be done.”
Smiling, I wondered how long I could successfully play the part of the blushing bride-to-be. I looked down at my nightgown. “Is there anything for me to change into?”
“Gage had me go on a shopping spree. Once your measurements are taken, it will all be tailored to fit perfectly. He wants everything just right.” She walked over to a large wooden dresser in the corner of the room and opened the top drawer. “Until they’re ready, here are some clothes you can put on.” She withdrew a few pieces, laying them out on the bed next to me.
It was the official uniform—black jeans, black shirt, black boots.
I waited for her to leave the room, but when she didn’t, I grabbed the jeans and awkwardly pulled them on under my nightgown. “You don’t have to babysit me. I can get dressed on my own.” It took sheer willpower not to add a sarcastic tone to my words.
“I thought he loved me, but now it’s clear he wants you,” she whispered out of the blue.
I froze at her words, looking up to see tears forming in her eyes.
“I don’t know how you seduced him—” She stopped, too upset to continue.
I wanted to say, “Take him, he’s yours,” but I choked the words back. Another part of me—the bewitched, traitor part—wanted to scratch her eyes out.
A tear slid down her cheek and she wiped it away. “I thought he loved me, but he wants you.”
I had no idea what to say to her, but I had to say something. “Sonja, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to…hurt you.” I took a deep breath, straightened up from buttoning my pants, and tried to sound sincere. “I never meant to steal him from you.”
She looked away and sobbed.
Her reaction made me wonder if Gage had pulled his mind control routine on her. She had said I would come under his spell. Was this how he got all his girlfriends? By drugging them and then turning them into love slaves?
“I’ll come and get you when the seamstress is ready for you.” She didn’t turn around to face me. Instead, she headed straight across the room toward the door.
“Wait. Can you give him a message for me?” I asked her retreating back. “Can you tell him it’s bad luck for the groom to see the bride before the wedding?”
That made her stop. She spun around and her eyebrows rose in surprise.
“I just don’t want—” I couldn’t get the words out. How could I say the next part without sounding like I was faking it? “I don’t want to jinx the wedding. I love him so much.” I think I just vomited a little bit in my mouth. I took a deep breath and continued, “I don’t want to start off our lives together on the wrong foot.”
She watched me for a moment, then nodded. “I’ll tell him.”
I gave her another simpering smile. “Thanks.”
She walked away and I prayed Gage would follow my wishes. Maybe I could keep him away from me. I’d had a hard enough time faking it in front of Sonja. I couldn’t imagine trying to fool Gage. But even more troubling was the thought that maybe I couldn’t trust myself around him.
I think Sonja believed everything I said. I think she believes I’m still madly in love with Gage.
At least, I hoped so.
* * *
The seamstress held up the dress. “You like it?” She was a little woman with a black scarf wrapped around her dark hair.
It was the dress from my dreams—the nightmare where I’d been dancing with Gage. The dress was black, strapless, and fell all the way to the floor. Rows of black lace decorated every inch of the satin fabric.
“It’s…lovely.” The urge to run screaming from the room tore at me.
The seamstress motioned for me to get undressed. She helped me wiggle into the dress and maneuver it up my body. As the material slid along my skin, I wondered if a dress could be evil. Was it just my imagination, or was I tingling unpleasantly everywhere the material touched me?
“Hello,” a small voice spoke from behind me.
I turned to find a young girl with her hair in pigtails holding a porcelain doll in one hand. She had hair like my mother’s—a raven black that made her pale skin almost ghostly. Her hazel eyes glowed like a cat’s as the light caught them, tinged with red. The upper part of the doll’s head was missing, and there were dark marks along its face and dress. Burn marks.
It took a moment for my brain to process what I was seeing. Burn marks from a fire…Macaven’s party…
I was looking into the face of the demon. I barely resisted taking an involuntary step back.
The girl gave me a smile as she skipped toward me, and it took everything in me not to scurry away in fear. I stood my ground and tried to look calm, but inside my emotions churned through me—fear, anger, and complete and utter panic. I’d watched this demon kill a dark mage just by touching him. I’d watched in horror as the mage’s skin blistered and slowly melted off his skull.
“That’s a pretty dress,” the demon girl said. I didn’t hear the demon in her voice—she sounded like a little girl. But I knew what I was seeing. This human form was just a mask for the evil creature that squatted inside.
“Thank you,” I forced out past my terror. My hear
t pounded wildly. With my fear came the sound of a howl off in the distance.
The last thing I needed was my spirit pack attacking her. I was supposed to be in love with Gage and my so-called fiancé was in partnership with the creature. Brainwashed Colina wouldn’t have a problem hanging out with a demon child. I forced myself to calm down. I anxiously waited to see if my pack would materialize, but they didn’t.
The little girl’s small fingers reached out and touched my dress. This time I couldn’t help myself—I shied back, holding my breath. “Is Gage with you?”
“No.” She shook her head, her pigtails whipping back and forth. “He’s upstairs yelling at people.” The girl looked up at me. “I’m happy to see you again.”
I forced a smile on my face. “It’s good to see you, too.” Is my magic powerful enough to kill this thing? I prayed my thoughts wouldn’t show on my face. If I tried and failed, the demon would kill me. If it didn’t, Gage would. I didn’t believe for a second that Gage’s “love” for me would be enough to keep me alive. And my friends? Gage would kill them for sure.
The girl tilted her head and giggled. “I’m going to be part of the wedding.”
“I’m so glad,” I said, trying to make my voice as casual as I could. Why isn’t the demon morphing? Why is it still acting like a kid?
The seamstress came back and started pinning the back of the dress so it fit more snugly around me.
“You’ll make a pretty bride,” the child said, lifting a section of my dress in the air.
“Thank you,” I forced out.
The girl dropped the dress and her eyes narrowed. “They said you hurt my puppies.”
Is she talking about the hellhounds?
“You shouldn’t have done that.” Her free hand balled into a fist and I cringed slightly. It did not seem like a wise move to anger her, but how the heck could I even begin to make amends for killing her evil pets? I wracked my brain for some kind of response when another voice spoke out.
“You can make more tomorrow night.” Mildred walked into the room, and at the sight of her I felt a huge sense of relief.
Mildred waved her hands in the air and laughed. “Just think, maybe this time you can make one with two heads.” The girl seemed delighted by the suggestion.
If I expected Mildred to look afraid, I was quickly proved wrong. I could tell she was wary, but she gave me a big smile and then addressed the demon again. “Gage is asking for you.”
“Okay. Bye!” She waved, turned, and skipped out of the room.
I waited for the seamstress to finish pinning and move to the other side of the room before speaking.
While she sorted through spools of black ribbon, I quietly hissed, “That was the demon.”
Mildred watched the seamstress. The woman was out of earshot. “It was,” Mildred answered calmly.
“Why is it still a child?”
“Once it changes, there are only certain times it can turn back into its natural form. It takes a great deal of power to morph. The longer it’s in human form, the more human it behaves. But don’t be fooled, the creature is still dangerous in whatever form it’s in.”
I looked over at the seamstress—she was still fiddling with ribbons. “And what happens when it goes back to demon form?” Images of the destruction and death the demon caused flashed before my eyes.
“I’m not sure. Gage doesn’t confide in me.” She gave me a half smile. “I get the impression he doesn’t entirely trust me anymore.”
“Tonight is one of the times it can change? It can morph back into its natural shape?” I asked.
The seamstress looked over in our direction, and Mildred let go of my hand and gave me a nod. She started circling around me, pretending to admire my gown. “During the ritual, before the demon changes, we’ll make a break for it,” she whispered, not meeting my eyes. “I’ll create a diversion. When I do, you make a run for it.”
“Mildred, I can’t go. Gage might be able to get Luke’s spirit out of hell,” I admitted. I wasn’t leaving if there was still a chance I could get Luke back.
Mildred was now standing in front of me. “Child, if you stay, you’ll be Gage’s bride. Do you really think that Gage will bring back someone who you should no longer care about?”
When I started to respond, she put up a hand to stop me. “Remember, you’re supposed to be madly in love with Gage. It would rouse suspicion if you suddenly asked for Luke again.”
I couldn’t deny what she was saying was true, but there had to be a way to get Gage to do what I wanted. “I think Gage wants to please me. He wants to keep me happy. Even if I didn’t love Luke, he knows how I feel about my friends. My friend Luke is lost in hell. Of course I would want him back.”
She reached out and put her hand on my shoulder. “I think you should let it go. I promise you—once we get out of here we’ll scour books. If there’s a way to get Luke out of that place, we’ll find it.”
“You don’t believe Gage can do it, do you? You don’t believe he can release Luke from hell?”
Her eyes were full of sadness when they met mine. “He’s been stringing me on for so long… I should have never trusted him. I swear I never thought he would hurt you. I didn’t know why he wanted you. I didn’t know his plans. I didn’t know he would go this far.” She squeezed my hand. “The ritual is during the witching hour—you just have to survive until then. Just keep up the act, and we can get out.”
“All of us?” I asked.
She nodded. “I’ll make sure Wendy and Dean are there. When we leave, they’ll leave with us.” She was quiet for a moment, though her lips still moved. I strained to hear and then realized she was counting the pins in my dress. “…ten, eleven, twelve…” She counted up to fifteen a couple of times and then started to sing, “Cross my heart and hope to die, stick a needle in my eye.” She gave me another odd smile, then tilted her head and looked off into the distance.
I watched her in silence. All my hopes for escape were now resting on the shoulders of a woman who wasn’t quite sane.
* * *
After the fitting, I returned to Gage’s room. I choked down the bowl of soup they brought for lunch, conscious that I needed to keep my strength up for whatever was going to happen tonight. I picked up a roll and took a bite, but dropped it and spun around when I realized someone was standing behind me.
“You must be feeling better. There’s color in your face.” It was Gage. He reached out and caressed my cheek.
I was too stunned to react. Apparently he wasn’t worried about cursing our marriage. My plan to keep him away hadn’t worked.
He dropped his hand and gave me a wide smile, then walked over and sat down on the bed. He motioned for me to join him.
Here we go, I thought, bracing myself. On stiff limbs, I dragged my feet across the room.
Gage patted the bed beside him. “How are you feeling today, my love? Why so quiet?”
I tried for a smile, but I couldn’t pull it off. Instead, I quickly sat down. His hand reached out and covered mine.
“I’m feeling…better.” Everything inside me screamed to run from the room. Looking down at the floor, I said, “I’m just nervous about the party tonight.” I tried to remember that I was supposed to be some half-wit in love with Gage. There’s no way I’m going to pull this off. How on earth can I pretend to be in love with this madman?
He raised my hand to his lips and kissed the back. “There’s nothing to be worried about. All the arrangements are taken care of. Everything should go off without a hitch. I heard you look ravishing in your new dress.”
I was right—people are reporting back to him about my activities. “It’s a beautiful dress,” I said, still not able to meet his eyes. Every fiber in my being wanted to pull my hand out of his grasp, but I forced myself to stay perfectly still.
“I’m glad you like it.”
Before I knew what was happening, he reached out and grabbed my shoulders, pulling me toward him. Suddenly I was l
ooking into Gage’s eyes. My heart skipped a beat, and a warm feeling coursed through my body. He is so incredibly handsome.
His finger came up and twisted a piece of my hair. “I think you should wear your hair up tonight. Maybe with some flowers? Roses?”
I felt myself returning his smile. A part of me fought to understand what was going on. I wasn’t entirely in control of my body or my mind. I was smiling. I was nodding. I was gazing at him, and feelings of desire raced through me. When he leaned in and kissed me, I couldn’t stop myself—I kissed him back.
When he finally broke away from me, he said, “Sonja will come and help you get ready before the party. Until then, I want you to rest. I don’t want you tired before the festivities begin.”
I smiled at him again. He cares about me so much. He’s such a kind and gentle man.
He gave me another kiss, this one longer. I wrapped my arms around his neck. Oh Goddess, make it stop. Inside my head, a voice was screaming at me to stop, to run, to slug him in the face, to push him off the bed, to do anything else. Yet I did none of those things. Instead, I kissed him back. When we finally broke apart, he gave me a smile and slowly got off the bed.
In a breathless voice, I said, “I love you.”
“Soon, my love. Soon we will be together.” And then he was gone.
And all those warm, fuzzy, confusing-as-hell feelings left with him.
* * *
Mildred walked into the room carrying a bundle of red roses later that evening. “He wanted you to have these for your hair.”
I rushed toward her, panicked. “I thought you cured me of his spell! He came in here, and I let him touch me. I was saying things—doing things.” I shuddered. “I couldn’t stop myself.”
Her eyes filled with concern. “The spell was powerful. I was hoping the potion I gave you would break it and make you completely free of his influence…”
“Well, it didn’t.” I wiped my hand across my mouth and tried to block out the image of his face inches from mine, the feeling of his hands all over me. I truly felt like I would be sick. “As soon as I looked into his eyes, it was like something took over. I had no control over what I was doing.”
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