Demon Curse

by Linsey Hall

  “Wasn’t it? And those first years here were…wonderful.”

  I worked to hide my grimace. “Until he escaped, of course.”

  “Oh yes. We planned it for ages.”

  “You went with him?”

  She nodded excitedly, but only for a moment. Then her face fell. “I died in the attempt.” She tilted her head, confusion flashing across her face. “Or did he kill me?”

  Disappointment surged from the ghost, so strong I could feel it.

  Shit, this was going the wrong direction. If she was bummed, she might disappear.

  I held out my hands in a placating gesture, determined to distract her. To get her back on track. “Don’t worry about that right now. I’m sure he didn’t. Tell me, where did he go?”

  She smiled, excited again. “Well, I was able to follow him, you see. On account of our strong bond.”

  Yes. Hell yes. This was exactly what I was looking for.

  “He’s worth following,” I said, nearly gagging on the words.

  “Oh, he is.”

  I nodded encouragingly.

  “He wandered for a while, committing all kinds of atrocities.” She couldn’t have sounded more admiring if she tried, and I wanted to punch her. Fates, she was a piece of work. “But finally, he settled on a place in Grimrealm.”

  Yes.

  “I’m from Grimrealm!” I said, trying to sound excited. “That’s so amazing.”

  She nodded, then tilted her head. “Wait. You don’t want him for your own, do you?”

  “Oh no.” I pointed to Declan. “That’s my man, there. He’s not as evil as Acius.” I shook my head as if disappointed. “But he’s working on it.”

  Declan nodded, but wisely kept his mouth shut.

  “Oh, good.” The ghost visibly relaxed. “Well, he created the cleverest place to live. Right off the cemetery. So secret that you can’t even find the little door that leads to it.”

  A little door in the cemetery. Holy shit, this was something. This was a real clue.

  For the briefest moment, fear flared. Was my family somehow involved in this? If he was in Grimrealm, it was possible.

  But unlikely. We’d never had anything to do with the cemetery, and my aunt and uncle had been small-time criminals. The fallen angel was the boss in this scenario, so they certainly weren't controlling him.

  Thank fates, because we had enough to deal with in terms of Acius. I didn’t need any kind of shitty family reunion.

  “Someone’s coming.” Declan’s voice broke in through my excitement.

  I jerked, looking up at him. “What?”

  “A guard, someone. I don’t know who, but I can hear them.”

  I could hear them, too, now that I was paying attention.

  The ghost disappeared, just winking out of existence. I could feel her absence keenly. The air warmed and the sickly feeling in my stomach dissipated.

  I surged to my feet, stumbling back from the puddle of my white blood. The guards wouldn’t be able to recognize it, but even so…

  “Let’s get the hell out of here.” I looked at Wally. “Can your friend lead us out?”

  Wally nodded. I can. I’ve seen the whole place. Come on.

  He hurried to the entryway, and we followed.

  As soon as I stepped out into the hallway, I spotted the guards. There were three of them, all at least six feet tall and armed to the teeth with magic. Their signatures surged toward us, fiercely strong.

  Wally veered to go down the hall in the other direction.

  “Hey!” The lead guard shouted after us, but we ignored him.

  I sprinted down the hall after Wally and the sprite, Declan at my side. A quick glance back revealed that the guards had fired up their power. Blue light glowed around the hand of the guard in the front, and he hurled it at us.

  “Sonic boom!” I shouted.

  Declan and I darted out of the way, and the boom plowed into the ground in front of us, nearly hitting Wally.

  I turned around and shouted, “Asshole! He’s just a cat!”

  “That’s no cat,” the guard growled.

  Declan turned and hurled a blast of heavenly fire at the guards. It hit the one on the right, who went down hard. The fireball that he’d been about to throw at us fizzled out.

  The lead guard threw another sonic boom.

  This one was so big that it filled the whole corridor.

  “Shield!” I drew mine from the ether, and Declan followed suit.

  We turned to face the blue blast of light, raising our shields just in time. The sonic boom plowed into us, throwing us backward. Pain shot through my arms, but I managed to stay on my feet. Declan did, as well.

  As soon as the force dissipated, we turned and ran, sprinting out of the hall and down the corridor to the right.

  “Closest exit, Wally,” I shouted. “Don’t care where it is.”

  Wally sprinted ahead, and I thanked fates for him.

  Declan fired off two blasts of heavenly fire at the guards who were only twenty feet behind us. I looked back to see them both go down in a burst of flame.

  “Are they dead?” I asked. I’d kill some guards to save my sister, no problem. But not if I didn’t have to. These guys were just doing their jobs, after all.

  “No,” Declan said. “But they won’t be happy.”

  “Fine with me.”

  Wally led us into a big room that was full of guards. At least six of them, all sitting at a table and playing a card game.

  Shit.

  Just our luck.

  It was empty earlier! Wally charged one of the guards, leaping onto him and breathing a blast of fire into his face. The little sprite disappeared, and I couldn’t blame him.

  Declan drew his sword from the ether and charged, his shield raised to block any oncoming magic. I called upon my mace, grateful for the comforting weight in my hand.

  A guard to the left—a tall one with the glowing blue eyes of some kind of ice mage—hurled an icicle at me. I dodged left, and the ice grazed my thigh.

  I swung my mace and charged, hitting him in the side. Not enough to kill, but enough to incapacitate. He slammed to the ground.

  Declan took out two mages with his sword, all while dodging fireballs. Wally leapt onto another, breathing fire right in his face. The guard shrieked and staggered backward, trying to get away. I went for the last guard, swinging my mace for his side.

  He dodged it and slid under the table.

  “Coward,” I shouted.

  He scowled and hurled a blast of fire at me. I dived right, but I was too slow. The flame plowed into my shin, and I went down hard. I rolled on my leg, dampening the fire, then surged upright.

  Pissed, I drew a dagger from the ether and hurled it at the mage, hitting him in the thigh.

  All around me, there was chaos. Guards on the ground, shouting. Wally looking like he was waiting for someone to die so he could eat their soul.

  An alarm sounded, blaring through the compound.

  “More guards coming,” Declan said.

  “Let’s get the hell out of here.” I looked at Wally. “Lead the way.”

  Wally raced from the room, and I followed, limping on my burned leg. Pain shot through me with every step, but I ignored it, pushing forward and racing after my hellcat.

  He led us to the exterior of the castle, high on the cliffs over the sea. We were nowhere near the boat.

  I sprinted to the edge of the cliff and looked down into the water. “Looks deep, right?”

  “It’s dark enough to fly,” Declan said.

  I looked up. He was right. The clouds had covered the moon.

  Shouts sounded from behind us. I looked back. More guards spilled out of the gate.

  Shit.

  I moved toward Declan. “Let’s go.”

  His wings flared behind his back, and he picked me up, launching us into the sky. The guards shouted from below.

  I called on my shield, leaning over to hold it in a way that blocked the
worst of the guard’s fireballs. Soon, we were far enough away that they couldn’t reach us.

  With the threat gone—mostly—I looked at Declan. He was pale, and it probably wasn’t from any of his wounds.

  Immediately, I called upon my nullifying magic, trying to shove it deep down inside myself.

  Declan’s brow relaxed. “Thanks.”

  I just nodded, not willing to acknowledge the step I’d taken. I was working on controlling my magic.

  So we can be together.

  Yeah, now wasn’t exactly the time.

  We needed to get the hell out of here and save my sister. Save my life. Just the thought of it reminded me of the fire burning through my veins. I was able to forget about it, at least a little bit, while in the heat of battle.

  But when I wasn’t fighting, I could feel it inside me, growing ever stronger. I was running out of time.

  We needed to get home.

  I called on the bag of potions I’d stashed in the ether. It appeared in my hand, and Declan looked down at it.

  “You got a transport charm in there?” he asked. “Because the guards searched my pockets and took mine.”

  “Indeed I do.” I pulled it out and held it up. “I’ll toss it in the air.”

  If it didn’t hit ground and shatter, it would ignite in the air a couple seconds after being thrown. He nodded, and I tossed it. The charm exploded into a cloud of silvery gray dust, and Declan flew into it.

  The ether sucked us up and spun us around, sending us back to Magic’s Bend.

  14

  The ether spat us out in front of Potions & Pastilles, the coffee shop near the FireSouls shop and home. The street in Factory Row was quiet at this late afternoon hour, but I spotted Connor inside his shop.

  “Come on.” I strode toward the shop, and Declan followed.

  “Hang on.” Declan grabbed my arm, and I stopped. “You’re limping. Badly.”

  My leg ached, as if it’d only needed to be reminded.

  “Let me heal you.”

  Before I could respond, he was using his heavenly light to heal my wound. Warmth surged through me, followed by relief.

  I met his eyes. “Thanks.”

  He nodded, and I couldn’t help but think that he took better care of me than I did.

  As I walked, I dug into my pocket and pulled out my cell phone, then dialed Nix. She picked up on the first ring.

  “Any luck?” she asked.

  “Yeah, I’ve got a lead. Where are you?”

  “Just returned from Grimrealm. We struck out again.”

  “Well, we’re about to go back. Meet us at Potions & Pastilles.”

  “Be there in five.”

  I opened the door to the coffee shop and walked in. It was empty save for Connor, who was behind the counter, wearing one of his usual band T-Shirts. The scrawling writing said P!nk.

  He looked up, his floppy dark hair a mess and his face pale. “Did you find them?”

  “Not yet.” I joined him. “But we have a good lead, and we’re going back to Grimrealm. They’re there.”

  “Need backup?”

  I smiled. “Yeah, that’d be helpful.”

  He nodded, then hiked a thumb toward the back of the cafe, where I knew he kept his potions workshop. “I’ll pack up.”

  “Cool. Do you have any kind of pep-up potion? I think Mordaca’s going to need it when we find her.” If she hadn’t had a chance to take the second dose of the antidote that delayed the curse, she’d be feeling like shit. Since we might have to fight our way to get to the cure—please, fates, let Acius have the cure on him--she’d need to be as strong as possible.

  He nodded. “Sure, I can grab something.”

  “Thanks. The others will be here soon. Then we’ll plan.”

  He nodded. “I’ll be quick. Help yourself to anything in the case. You must be starved.”

  As Connor disappeared through the swinging door toward the back, I ducked behind the counter to grab a couple of the Cornish pasties. Connor and Claire had come over from southwest England years ago, and they’d brought the distinctly British delicacy with them.

  “Have a preference?” I asked Declan, nodding down at the pastries, which were basically meat and veggie pies shaped like half-moons.

  “No, anything is fine.”

  I grabbed three and handed him two, then got a couple glasses of water. We sat at the biggest table in the place and ate quickly. I had absolutely no appetite—to the point that even the savory beef and potato filling did nothing for me—but I felt stronger as I ate.

  I kept my eyes glued to the door, like a kid on Christmas Eve, waiting for Santa to land on the roof. Except grim determination filled me instead of excitement.

  I’d just popped the last bite of pastry in my mouth when Roarke, Cass, Nix, and Claire walked in. Roarke was Del’s boyfriend, and they all looked exhausted, with shadows under their eyes and pale skin. Worse, they reeked of Grimrealm.

  They strode toward us and sat heavily in the chairs across the table. Connor joined us a half second later, hurrying up and dropping into a seat next to his sister.

  Roarke leaned forward, concern in his dark eyes. He was half demon, and Warden of the Underworld, and I swore the stress of this was starting to make his inner demon come out. He was one of the good ones, though. The only good one, actually. The only one of his type.

  “What did you find?” he asked, voice gravelly with worry.

  I told them about the graveyard and the hidden door, and the three of them frowned.

  “We were in the graveyard hours ago,” Nix said, a frown creasing her pale face. She crossed her arms over the T-shirt she wore, covering up the cartoon cat that rode a rainbow Pop-Tart. I didn’t understand the reference, but I rarely did. “There was nothing that we could find.”

  “The concealment charm on that angel is strong,” Cass said thoughtfully. “We were looking for him—or for Mordaca or Del. We weren’t looking for a hidden door.”

  Nix nodded, considering. “Okay. So we go back and look for this door.”

  “And kick some ass.” Claire scowled. “I can’t take the stress anymore.”

  Roarke dragged a hand over his face, weary and worried. “Good work, Aerdeca. I can’t thank you enough.”

  His stress and fear tugged at something in me. We were all united in this. The fear cloaked all of us, like a horrible bond. For the briefest second, I wanted to tell them to call me Aeri. I’d been hiding too long.

  But now wasn’t the time.

  “We’ll get them back.” I stood. “Everyone grab a bite or replenish your weapons. We’ll head out of here in ten.” I looked between Cass and Nix. “I think this is it. Final fight. Now’s the time to call Aidan and Ares if they’re available.”

  Aidan and Ares were their partners, respectively. Both were immensely powerful and useful in a fight.

  Cass nodded. “I’ll get them. They’ll want to be there to help.”

  They all stood, each looking tired but determined. As they scattered, I turned to Declan. I could see the understanding in his eyes. He got how hard this was. How the worry was about to crush me. I hadn’t heard from Mari since she’d first been abducted. Anything could have happened to her.

  I drew in a shuddery breath.

  He pulled me to him, and I collapsed into his arms, letting him hug me. I hugged him back, absorbing some of his strength and comfort.

  “We’ll get them back,” he said.

  “I know.” We had to. I couldn't live with anything different.

  Twenty minutes later, we stood at the start of Fairlight Alley, the entrance to Grimrealm. Cass, Nix, Connor, Claire, Declan and I all wore a cloak to conceal our identities, along with a charm around our necks that gave us a dark magic signature. Going in with just my own enhanced dark magic had bitten me in the ass last time, and I couldn't afford any more distractions.

  Hopefully, this would allow us to blend with the inhabitants of Grimrealm without being noticed.

&n
bsp; Cass looked at her watch, then up at me. “They’ll be here any minute.”

  As if they’d heard her speak, two tall men turned and walked around the corner. They were both well over six feet with broad shoulders and a long gait.

  Aidan, Cass’s guy, was The Origin, a descendant of the original Shifter. As such, he was the most powerful of his kind, able to transform into any animal at all. He preferred the griffin for fighting. Ares, who was with Nix, was a vampire. He was one of the most powerful in existence, one of the three members of the Vampire Court, the ruling body of vampires.

  They’d apparently been off dealing with a dangerous artifact from the FireSouls’ shop to give the women the freedom to look for Del and Mari.

  “Sorry that took so long.” Aidan stopped in front of us.

  “You’re fine.” Cass handed each of them a cloak and a charm to conceal themselves, then turned to me. “Let’s go.”

  I sucked in a deep breath and nodded, then turned to face the alley. I was visiting Grimrealm with unsettling frequency these days.

  In record time, we made our way down the alley and through the trapdoor that was set into the ground at the end. When we dropped into the underground tunnel, it looked as usual, with the green torches flaming bright.

  There was no one around, thank fates, and we strode toward the main part of Grimrealm, easily able to avoid the protective charms now that we knew what they were. I just fed my nullification magic into the wall, and we avoided the slower moving ice.

  Damn, this power was handy.

  When we reached the end of the tunnel, we stopped at the true entrance to Grimrealm. It made me nervous every time. I hated that, since I was rarely nervous in real life.

  Grimrealm wasn’t real life though. It was a nightmare past, one I wanted to put to rest eventually.

  I stared out at the market that was situated under the huge dome with hundreds of black tents and even more people bustling between them. As usual, the signs floated in the air above the tents, advertising everything from potions to food to weapons and other horrible things I didn’t want to think about.

  The stench of dark magic rolled over me, making me shiver.

  “I can lead us to the graveyard,” Nix said.

  “Thanks.” I actually had no idea how to get there. I’d never visited as a child.