by Linsey Hall
And after my spree last week, I had enough power. Now it was just up to me properly using it and outsmarting the Shadows.
Roarke squeezed me tight, then pulled back. “Ready to make a pizza?”
My stomach grumbled. “I think my stomach understands English.”
“It’s definitely ready for pizza.”
I grinned and set my wine down next to one of the raw pizza crusts. We decorated ours separately. I spread the sauce liberally, the cheese generously, then went nuts with the veggies.
“Is that supposed to be Pond Flower?” Roarke pointed to my pizza.
“Yeah.” I gazed admiringly at the dog’s head that I’d shaped out of peppers and onions. “Looks just like her, doesn’t it?”
“Sure, if you say so.”
I threw a pepper spear at him. He pulled me in for a quick kiss, then smeared a thin stripe of sauce across my cheek. I laughed and pulled away, wiping at the sauce.
We put our pizzas in the oven, then leaned against the counters and sipped our wine as we waited. We chatted about all manner of things, and it was lovely. The kind of relationship I’d always wanted but didn’t think was quite real. The stuff of romance novels, you know?
But it turned out that I might have found my own Fabio after all.
When the pizzas were done, we carried them out to the living room. Roarke quickly stoked the fire, and we set up camp on the couch.
I took a bite of my pizza. “Pretty good!”
“I hope so. You made it.”
I smiled and kept eating, gazing into the crackling flames. This relationship stuff was pretty great, and I was pretty damned lucky.
We polished off our pizza at the same time and then snuggled into the couch. I was drifting on a warm cloud when Roarke spoke.
“I think you should move in.”
My eyes flared wide. “What?”
“Move in. You know. Live with me. That sort of thing.”
“Yeah, I get it. I just… I wasn’t expecting it.”
“Really? You spend several nights a week here anyway.”
“That’s unplanned. It’s different.” My heart pounded, and my mind raced. Joy and anxiety fought within me, warm and cold at once. I wanted to, but…
“I’ve got to think about it,” I said. “I like my life. I like you too. But this is a big change. A fast one.”
“Sure.” His arm tightened around me, and then he pulled away. “Take all the time you need.”
“Thanks.”
“But in the meantime, I’m going to work on convincing you.”
I grinned up at him. “Yeah? How so?”
“I think you’ve got an idea.” He leaned down and kissed me, pressing his lips to mine and pulling me onto his lap.
I sighed and relaxed into him, wrapping my arms around his neck and pressing myself against him. He deepened the kiss, and my head swam. His tongue moved expertly against my own, sending frissons of pleasure through my body.
Whatever happened tomorrow, I knew that tonight was going to be a good night. And I was going to enjoy every minute of it.
Chapter Four
The next morning, Roarke used the Underpath he’d created a couple of weeks ago to take me to my parents’ castle in Wales. Because of the time change, we arrived with the noon sun high overhead.
It still looked creepy and miserable. Everything was gray and ice covered. The stones were even slightly dingy, though there was nothing here but fresh air and snow to dirty them.
“What a miserable place,” I muttered.
“It lacks a certain charm, that’s for sure.” Roarke gazed around. “Though it’s impressive.”
He was right. It was huge and well defended. A lot of the stonework was ornately carved, but the dismal air that hung over the place made it hard to appreciate the artistry.
“I wish Pond Flower were here,” I said. “She’d really brighten the place up.”
“Or make yellow snow.”
I laughed. He was such a dude.
A moment later, magic shimmered on the air, and Pond Flower appeared in the middle of the courtyard. Her head swung to and fro, ears flapping, until her gaze landed on me and brightened.
“Pond Flower!” I ran for her.
She hurtled toward me, ears flapping and tongue lolling. When she reached up, she wrapped her front legs around me. At least, she tried to. It was awkward, but I hugged her back, holding her heavy body against my own. Her fur smelled like brimstone and her breath like dead bodies, but I didn’t mind.
After a moment, she dropped down, then trotted over to greet Roarke.
He crouched down and scratched her head, then looked up at me. “She must have heard you.”
“Yeah.” I smiled. “We’ve always had a connection. And she really brightens this place up.”
It still had a loooong way to go, but it was more cheerful with Pond Flower doing circles around the courtyard.
We headed inside, Pond Flower at our heels. The interior of the main hall was as dreary as I remembered. It was cold and gray—the floors, the walls, the chandeliers. The only color was from the paintings on the wall, but even they weren’t very bright. Though the place was beautiful with its ornate floor and glittering light fixtures, it wasn’t a home. It felt like a half-dead museum.
Pond Flower ran circles around the football-field-sized foyer, skidding out on the slick tiles. I smiled. We headed toward the back of the hall and down the wide stone staircase that led to the throne room in the basement. The portal that I’d partially closed a couple days ago was still there, and I was hoping to practice my skills by finishing the job.
The throne room was still sparkling and clean from Connor’s handiwork, but it was as cold as ever.
“My parents clearly wanted to scare the shit out of their subjects and make it clear who was boss,” I said.
“This room does the job.”
We walked toward the thrones, Pond Flower at our side. Her nails clicked on the stone floor. When we reached the midpoint, I could just barely feel the change in the air.
“You feel that?” I said.
“Yeah.”
“This was the part of the room that stopped Cass and Nix when we came here the first time.”
“The invisible barrier that only let you and me through.”
“Exactly. I think it’s part of the portal. Like the magic was spreading.”
“Could be.”
“Well, I’m going to try to get rid of it.” I cracked my knuckles and headed to the back corner where the portal was located. I hadn’t noticed it on my first visit—probably because my portal magic hadn’t been activated yet. But now I could sense it. And if I focused on my new talent, I could even see it.
It was a tear in the ether, like fabric sliced through the middle. It was smaller than it had been, thanks to my first attempt. But I hadn’t been able to finish the drill.
I turned back to Roarke and Pond Flower. “Give me a bit of space, okay?”
“No problem.”
Pond Flower hopped up onto one of my parents’ thrones and curled up. She didn’t really fit, but it was a cute attempt. I turned back to the portal and sucked in a deep breath.
I cleared my mind and envisioned my goal—magically sewing the portal back together. No demon was ever going to walk into my family’s house again. I didn’t care if they had been invited. I was officially rescinding their welcome.
My magic flowed through me, strange and foreign. I’d only used it a couple times—against my will to open the Oriamor portal and then to try to close this portal. It still felt foreign. Almost wobbly—like I couldn’t get a good grip on it.
I pushed it harder, trying to command it to do my will. I fed it to the portal, begging the magic to stitch the ether back together.
Sweat rolled down my spine as I tried. The edges of the ether began to glow, like they were starting to mend. But after a while, nothing happened. My muscles trembled, and my magic fizzled. I couldn’t keep ahold of it. No
matter how hard I tried, it kept retreating back inside me.
“Damn it!” I stepped back, frustration beating inside my chest.
The air around the portal shimmered, magic vibrating strongly enough that I could feel it. I peered at it. I wasn’t making that happen.
“What the hell? Do you feel that, Roarke?”
“I do. No idea what it is, though.”
The magic continued to vibrate, and the air shimmered with a silvery gleam. A moment later, a hazy figure appeared, climbing through the portal. I drew my ice magic to the surface, charging up an icicle in case the figure was a threat.
Actually, duh, of course it was a threat—it came from the Underworld.
When my mother straightened in front of the portal, I almost swallowed my tongue. What the hell should I do now?
I stutter-stepped backward.
Her gaze focused, and she looked at me. “Delphine.”
“Mother?”
“Yes.” Her gaze wasn’t as cold as I remembered, and slightly unsure. That was weird. Her hair was still jet black and piled in intricate coils on top of her head. Her gown was a deep cobalt blue that complimented her eyes. I hadn’t realized how similar we looked until just now.
“What are you doing here?”
“I felt you trying to close the portal.”
“So you came to stop me?”
She shook her head. “To help you.”
“What? I thought this portal was your idea.”
“I was wrong.”
“You’re only just now realizing that?” What the hell was going on? All the memories I had of my mother—she was a stone-cold bitch who was using me in a plot to end the world.
But now….she was different. And it was weird.
Roarke stepped up beside me and took my hand. I felt Pond Flower’s head press against my hip. Warmth curled in my chest.
“Yes,” she said. “It’s taken death, and time away from this place, to make me realize that I was wrong. To realize that opening the portal through Oriamor was the wrong thing to do.”
“No kidding. You were trying to bring about the end of the world. And you were using me to do it.”
She winced. Despite that show of weakness, she still looked like one tough bitch.
My heart ached. Before I’d regained my memory, I’d dreamed of a mother who loved me. But this woman didn’t love me. She never had.
“How am I supposed to believe you regret what you did? And why should I care? You’re dead. And you’ve been dead to me since you gave me to the Monster.”
“I’m sorry.” She reached out toward me.
I glared at her, and she lowered her hand.
“I can understand why you don’t trust me. And I’m not trying to make excuses. But I’d like to explain—at least a little. It’ll help you understand this place.” She gestured to the throne room. “And it’ll help you close the portal.”
“Fine. Start talking.” The words were harsh, but I was feeling so conflicted.
“The portal was put here during my father’s time. He made a pact with the demons. It was always part of my life. But it wasn’t until I died and left this place that I realized the dark magic that polluted the castle. It’s been ten years since my death, and in that time, I’ve tried to learn what was wrong with this place.”
“And?”
“I think that the portal gives off a dark power that warps the castle, and those inside it. Like the evil magic from hell seeped out and polluted this place. I influenced those of us inside.” She held out her hands, palms up. “Not that I’m making excuses for myself. I never should have done what I did. But this place… It warps a person.”
I wanted to believe her. It wouldn’t make any of it better—all of it had happened, and I still struggled with those memories. But it made it easier to think that something else had influenced her. No one wanted to think their mom had been horrible to them without a reason.
“So if I close the portal, this dark spell will disappear?” I asked.
“I think so.”
“And you’ll go back to the Underworld? This isn’t an escape attempt?” I had literally no idea how I’d deal with that. No matter what she’d done to me, I wasn’t up for fighting my own mother. That was simply never going to happen. And I didn’t want Roarke to have to fight her either. If she didn’t go peacefully, this was a no-win, shit situation.
But wasn’t that my specialty? Getting out of no-win, shit situations? I sure hoped I could pull it off this time.
“Yes. I’ll go,” she said. “I still need to convince your father of what I believe. But if you can close the portal and remove the dark magic from this place, it will prove me right.”
Since this place was like the Addams’ family mansion without any of the charm, I was super invested in getting rid of the dark magic that apparently bespelled the place. More importantly, I desperately needed to master my new portal magic. Because if I couldn’t do that, it wouldn’t matter what shape this place was in. The world would be overrun with demons.
“And you’re going to help me close it?” I asked her.
“I’ll do my best. My family had a small amount of portal magic. Nothing like yours.” She studied me. “But you don’t want this power, do you?”
“Of course not. It’s horrible. I let hundreds of demons onto Earth. Even more are coming.”
“And you have to fix that. It’s because you don’t want the power that your mind is rejecting it. Your subconscious isn’t letting you work with it.”
Hmm. It made sense, in a way. I felt like I couldn’t get ahold of it properly—like the magic slipped out of my grasp. “But how can I force myself to want something?”
“You need to reframe it in your mind. This is a power for good now—you will use it to fix what was broken. You, Delphine, were all the good that was in me. Now you need to turn that good toward making your power a positive force.”
Tears pricked my eyes, but I blinked them back. I didn’t have time for sentimentality.
“You must want your gift—embrace it,” she said. “Envision it as a light that you can manipulate. A golden light that will help you.”
That was how I usually thought of my magic when I was practicing something new—had I inherited that trick from her? But I hadn’t used that method with this new magic—probably because I didn’t truly want this new gift.
My subconscious was a tricky beast.
“Fine,” I said. “I’ll try it.”
“You can do it, Delphine.” Sincerity shone in her eyes. I felt like a kid about to attempt a penalty at my soccer game. She really believed in me and wanted me to succeed. At something important. Something good.
“I’ll try.” I swallowed hard, wondering what else I should tell her.
When she started to approach, I stiffened. She wasn’t far away, but she was moving slowly. As if she didn’t want to startle me. Smart. The slightest breeze would make me jump right now.
She stopped in front of me.
“What do you—?”
Her hug cut me off. I stiffened. She was warm and soft despite her ghostly nature. Was I imagining that? Tentatively, I let go of Roarke’s hand and hugged her back. I forced the tears away by thinking of all that I had to fight ahead of me.
When she released me and stepped back, love shined in her eyes. It was weird and unfamiliar, but it made me smile.
“I’m leaving now.” She turned and went to the portal. As she neared it, she looked back. “I love you, Del.”
My throat tightened. As she stepped through the portal, I managed to croak out the words, “I love you too.”
She hesitated just briefly, then disappeared.
“Whew.” I sagged against Roarke. “That was a trip.”
“No kidding.” He wrapped an arm around my shoulder and squeezed. “But do you think her advice will help?”
“I’m thinking it will.” More than that, I was absolutely convinced of it.
“Then give it
another go.” He released me and stepped back. Pond Flower followed him.
I approached the portal by a couple feet, focusing on it. This time when I called upon my magic, I tried to really want it. I imagined all the good that I would do with it, forcing the bad to the back of my mind. It hadn’t been my will that had opened the portal at Oriamor. But it was my will now that would close it.
I used my old trick that my mother had suggested and envisioned my magic as a golden ball of glowing light. It was tricky at first, but eventually the light solidified inside of me. Warmth glowed inside my chest.
I sighed, relieved. This felt so normal. I should have realized. Instead, I’d been so wrapped up in my misery over opening the portal that I’d focused on the bad instead of the good. But there was good that I could do with this magic.
I directed my power toward the portal, envisioning it closing back together. It slowly stitched itself back up, growing smaller and smaller. Sweat rolled down my spine as I forced my magic toward it.
It took ages, sapping my energy and my magic.
“Take a break, Del!” Worry echoed in Roarke’s voice.
“No,” I rasped. It was over half finished. I could do this. I had to do this.
Magic was like a muscle. I needed to work out to make it stronger. This portal was nothing compared to the portal at Oriamor. That one was strong enough to let thousands of demons through. If I couldn’t close this portal, I’d never stand a chance there.
I swayed on my feet, but never let my magic slow down. Finally, as my vision was beginning to blur, the portal closed.
The air changed immediately, some of the chill dissipating. As I collapsed to my knees, I realized that the whole place felt different. The dark aura that had covered the castle was gone.
I blinked. Roarke appeared in front of me, helping me rise.
“My mother was right,” I murmured. “This place feels different.”
“Looks different, too.” Roarke gestured to the walls.
I blinked my eyes to clear them and realized that the glowing walls made of Catalight stone were even brighter. Pond Flower ran in circles, her eyes gleaming with excitement and her tongue lolling.
