Red Blooded

by Amanda Carlson

  I raced up to the nearest panel and pounded my hands against it. The walls were hard, but they cracked in the places my fists landed. “I’m not going to cooperate unless you show me my brother is alive! I will tear these walls down, so help me.” My wolf howled along with me, both of us maddened by what we had seen.

  “The next time we show you your brother, you won’t like what you see.” The voice was low and menacing. This demon spoke perfect English. They weren’t messing around. “If you want to save his precious soul, don the garment and sit down.” It was a command.

  Goddamnit! For the first time, I wished Lily was here. At least she would know if they would follow through or not. She’d already told me they would torture him, but not kill him. I needed to know if that had changed.

  But in my heart, I knew they had no reason to keep him alive. They would probably enjoy killing him and reaping his soul.

  I began to put the jumpsuit on.

  A few hours later a portion of the wall slid back and I jumped to my feet. I’d managed to don the damn jumpsuit against a myriad of loud, ugly protests from my wolf. It’d been more than three hours since they’d shown me Tyler, and it had all gone by fairly uneventfully. During that time my wolf and I had come up with several plans, all of them flawed.

  But the time hadn’t been totally wasted.

  Being forced to focus inward for more than five minutes had aided me dearly. I smiled thinking about it. The Prince was going to be in for a little surprise.

  Five demons dressed in jumpsuits, these ones silver with black stripes, strode in. They appeared like carbon copies, hair slicked back, all the same dark color, all the same height, their features eerily similar. They looked like quintuplets. The only thing that gave them away was their eyes. A few of them are scared, I told my wolf. I can smell their fear. A ripple of excitement ran through me and my magic jumped.

  Both sets of magic.

  In my alone time, I’d managed to separate the demon magic completely from my own. It had been a tedious endeavor, like picking individual thistles out of nest of thick fur. The effort it had taken me had made me sweat, but once I’d figured out how to pull the black flecks out, I’d parceled them away in a different place from my own magic—and they had stayed separate. So far, so good.

  If I wanted to survive this ordeal, accessing the darkness on its own would be essential. The realization had come an hour after I’d started worrying about Tyler, achieving nothing. I couldn’t stop thinking about why I’d succumbed to the Prince’s magic in the hallway.

  It had literally come down to the magic running through my veins.

  The Prince of Hell had absolute control of his minions, which made sense. If he couldn’t control his demons, what kind of leader would he be? I’d had that same demon magic in my blood, given to me by Tally. It had mixed with my own and when the Prince had blasted me, the demon magic inside me had instantly succumbed, like I’d been one of the Prince’s own demons. Had it been separated, and I could’ve fought with my own magic alone, I think the outcome would’ve been different.

  But I wasn’t going to take any chances. It wasn’t going to let it happen twice.

  I clenched my fists as I walked toward the demon guards. I had wound my golden signature around me tightly, fortifying me, and the demon magic moved like an oil slick in my system, powerful, waiting for an opportunity to strike.

  A demon grabbed my arm, an ugly-looking needle clutched in one hand. “What’s that for?” I asked, tugging my arm back roughly.

  “It is called deviek bely,” he said. “Liquid fire. If you move the wrong way, we will put this in you, and you will not like the consequences. If you survive, you will be forever damaged.” Its English was good.

  “I’m not going to make any trouble,” I said, stepping back as far as I could. “As long as you tell me my brother is fine.”

  “He lives.”

  They shuffled me through a ten-foot stone tunnel. It would’ve been mighty hard to break out of this fortress, and ultimately I was glad I hadn’t wasted my time. My new plan was much better.

  Kill the Prince of Hell, and free my brother.

  13

  The demons maneuvered me through a few more tunnels, each one different from the last. “You know, you could really use come continuity around here. Maybe hire a few decorators? One hallway looks like an office building, and the next looks like lava flows freely down the corridors. It’s a little unsettling.” I sidestepped a huge granite-colored rock with red veins, doing a double take. “Was that one just pulsing?”

  “Quiet, human,” a demon snapped, pulling me forward.

  “I thought we were already in the courthouse,” I said. “Where are we going?”

  One of the demons chuckled and it was a strange sound, like a squeaky helium balloon barking. “Once our Prince brought you down”—there was pride in the demon’s voice—“you were transferred. Your trial is out of the ordinary.”

  “So where are you taking me?”

  “The High Court of Mephistopheles.”

  “And where’s that?” I pressed, wanting as many details as possible.

  “You will remain quiet, prisoner.” They jostled me forward, the needle still visible.

  I shut my mouth.

  The Prince had already told me I had a date with the High Court of Mephistopheles when he visited Selene’s lair. It must be the equivalent of the demon Supreme Court. That didn’t put the odds in my favor.

  We have to believe that if we take out the Prince, the demon population will fall into chaos. They’re so regimented, and they look to the Prince for absolute assurance. This entire place reminded me of an anthill. One huge, well-placed interruption would send the ants scurrying everywhere. But if this court is made up of powerful Demon Lords, it may be trickier than we anticipate. My wolf barked her agreement, her ears perked, eyes on the tunnel in front of us. We should’ve asked Lily what specifically was in the Scriptures. It would’ve been nice to know exactly why they fear me.

  We came upon a massive door, taller than any other I’d seen. It was carved in ornate detail and had circular handles that were set too high to reach.

  There was murmuring behind it. Lots and lots of murmuring.

  This place is full of demons. My wolf snarled, her ears low. Everyone has turned out to see the female wolf stand trial. That’s why they took so long to come and get me. They were waiting for the masses to arrive.

  The demon guards stopped in front of the door and made three lines with me in the middle. I was flanked by a guard on either side, one in front and two behind. We stood quietly for a few minutes. “Why aren’t we going in?” I asked.

  “Quiet!” a demon barked.

  “Ah,” I said. “You guys want pomp and circumstance. I’m supposed to make a grand entrance, is that it? The big baddie up for trial needs to be paraded through the crowd in shame. All the better for your master’s case against me.”

  Before another demon could reprimand me, a huge gong sounded. It was so loud, my chest vibrated with the echoes. Once the reverberations died down, all the sounds on the other side of the door stilled.

  I swore under my breath. I don’t want to sound hopeless, but it feels like we’re never going to escape this place. We can’t take every demon from Demonville out on our own. Even if we kill the Prince, this is too public. Just the way he wanted it. It made me furious thinking the Prince could outsmart us. I made a silent wish for backup for the first time since I’d arrived. If Rourke was coming, he had to be on his way by now. But time was so screwed up here, there was a chance he wouldn’t arrive for months. My chest tightened. If he waited too long we’re in trouble, and he’s in trouble. My wolf flashed me a picture of us using the newly concentrated demon magic. I know, but what if it’s not enough? It sounds like there are thousands of spectators in there. The only option is to defend our case the best way we can. If I can talk my way out, or demand a retrial, I may be able to hold off at least until our backup arrives.
If they arrive.

  No more time to strategize. The huge doors slowly creaked open on their own to expose row after row of seated demons. We stood at the top of what looked to be a massive coliseum. That was the only word for it. The room before us was gigantic, with a large domed ceiling and huge gilded pillars running around the far walls.

  The demon guards dragged me to the head of a steep row of stairs. The steps led down through levels of gathered demons to the bottom of the amphitheater, where seven lofty chairs were positioned behind a long, continuous bench of what appeared to be polished wood of some kind.

  The Prince of Hell sat in the middle, his chair elevated the highest. Six other Demon Lords fanned to the left and right, three on each side.

  “Are you telling me the Prince of Hell is the judge?” I gasped. “This isn’t a trial, it’s a hanging! I thought you guys were all about rules and fairness. What happened to a well-worded defense giving me a chance to go free?” Anger raced through me, threatening to overpower me. “As it stands now, I could form the best defense the supernatural world has ever heard and the Prince of Hell would still find me guilty. It’s a mistrial already.”

  “The Prince is Master of Court, of course,” the demon beside me growled. “His decisions are law.”

  “Master of Court, my ass,” I muttered. “Then why all this formality for nothing?” I glanced around at row after row of assembled guests. “The Prince will sentence me to something horrid in five minutes and everyone will go home. This won’t be a fair trial, no matter what happens.” I struggled against the guards for a moment as I contemplated making a break for it. Then one of the demons raised the needle and I stopped moving. “Where is my brother?” I sighed. “I want to know that he’s safe.”

  “He is not in attendance.”

  “How do I know he hasn’t been harmed?” I asked. “Am I supposed to take your word for it?”

  Instead of giving an answer they prodded me down the steps.

  We began to descend the massive stairway. As I placed a foot on the first step, a low hum began and every demon in the place turned to stare at me in unison.

  As I continued down, I noticed the demons were split into hierarchies.

  The back jumpsuited janitors sat in the back. They must be the working-class demons. In the middle were demons clad in black and silver. They looked a bit more professional. Maybe white-collar demons? They wore the same outfit as the guards, but I didn’t think they were all guards. It was a long way down, but once I was closer, I spotted what must be the upper-class demons. They all wore three-piece suits, hair slicked back, hands clasped in front, just like their big bossman.

  The only surprise sat in the very front row. I landed at the bottom to find six demonesses in formal, high-backed chairs facing the court.

  And they appeared nothing like Lily.

  They were all clearly glamoured, each of them with identical long raven hair and hawkishly precise features, much like the Prince of Hell’s. They were dressed in black dresses with high collars and their eyes tracked me as I was escorted to a standstill in front of the high seats.

  Other than the Prince himself, these demonesses were clearly the six biggest threats in the room. Incredible power zinged off each one of them. True demonesses were few and far between, as Lily had said, but I hadn’t realized how powerful they’d feel.

  Fuckerdoodles. We can’t kill all these demonesses with the power we have. It’s no match for all these threats. We need to—

  The Prince of Hell cleared his throat for a long moment before he spoke. “You will address the court’s questions in a clear, concise manner. Once we finish our questions, we shall decide your fate and you will accept our rulings. The High Court’s decisions are always final.”

  I glanced around, making sure everyone took note of me before I spoke, which wasn’t a problem since every eye in the place was on me. “So where is my defense lawyer?” I mocked, searching the room. “Or someone who is assigned to plead my case? If this is a fair trial, by supernatural High Law, I want representation.”

  “There are no lawyers in Hell,” the Prince answered, a toothy grin spreading across his pointy features. “Demons know if you tell the truth. You will answer our questions and your guilt will be determined as such.”

  “As such—you mean by you? Let me guess. You’re going to ask me if I killed an imp, and I’m going to say yes. But you’re not going to ask me why.” I made eye contact with each of the Demon Lords as the crowd behind me began to murmur. “You’re not going to ask me if the imp committed a crime, or if my killing it was in defense against bodily injury or not. This is not set up to be a fair trial—if it were, you’d know that a unbiased supernatural High Law judge should be in attendance, not you, and I should not be tried by my extremely biased accuser.” I had no idea if that was true or not, but I guessed that none of the demons here knew either.

  The Prince of Hell half rose from his chair, scowling, and placed his palms on the wooden platform in front of him, his skinny fingers splaying and curling out in front of him. Not a single piece of his hair moved. “We are in the Underworld. Your crimes are against us, and us alone. You will answer on our terms.” His pupils jumped. I was pissing him off and getting under his reptilian skin, as usual. I smiled. “There is no more debate.”

  “Yes, I’m currently in the Underworld”—I took a step forward—“but I’m not a demon, correct?”

  “No, indeed you are not.”

  “Then why should demon law apply to me?” I turned to gauge the crowd. “No one would ask a demon to answer to shifter laws.” I raised my eyebrows, glancing directly into the rows behind me. “Or witch laws.” There was an increase in the whispering. “If I did break a supernatural law, I should be judged by those laws, not demon laws—because, as you just told the court, I’m no demon. As a supernatural, I am allowed to defend myself against bodily harm, as well as protect humans if we fear our secret will be exposed. Your imps were out of line. One attacked a human child in view of other humans, the other attacked me unprovoked—”

  “Silence!” The Prince’s voice carried to every corner of the huge auditorium. “The imps matter not! They are but a small piece of your infractions against us. You killed our cherished pets and you took the life of a goddess who was under our protection. You will answer for those wrongs here and now!”

  “I did you a favor,” I countered. “Admit it. You wanted Selene’s soul and her servitude and you didn’t want to wait an eternity to get it. And she’s the one who traded her soul for your beasts. If anyone should pay, it should be her. She allowed those beasts to roam alone in the human realm.” Audible gasps came from the crowd. “They attacked us on her command far from her home. I challenge any supernatural not to defend itself against a deadly threat. Nothing you’re accusing me of would hold up in any supernatural court except this one.”

  The Prince balled his fist as he gathered his power. With supreme effort he pulled himself together. His hand wandered to his tie to readjust the perfect knot at his throat.

  Behind me the demonesses grew agitated. They rocked in their chairs as their combined power whipped along my body, pricking me with its pressure. I hazarded a glance in their direction, and one of them made eye contact with me.

  Did that demoness just wink at us? I asked my wolf. That can’t be right. But before I could either confirm or deny any wink, the demoness peered forward, hands clasped demurely in her lap.

  The Prince’s voice was just short of a bellow. “Bring her out!”

  My head snapped to the right as a struggle broke out in the corner, but I couldn’t see anything yet because the giant wood panels were in the way.

  “Get your filthy hands off of me!” a voice shrieked.

  Oh, good gods, I cried to my wolf. I had hoped Selene was dead due to her own stupidity. I’d imagined her contesting and fighting every order the demons gave her until they finally gave up. Maybe this is not such a bad thing. Let’s use it to our advantage. I
don’t think these demons understand the saying, “Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned,” but they’re about to find out. Once Selene saw me there were going to be dramatics of the highest degree. She was going to tear this place apart with her fury alone.

  They yanked her out from behind the wall of seats. Her face was covered with some kind of cloth. Once she rounded the end of the gallery she stilled. Her head went up. “You!” she screamed. “You will die for what you did to me!”

  The Prince put his hands together. “Goddess, you will remain quiet and answer the questions directed at you. Nod if you understand my directions.”

  I noticed for the first time that her hands were bound with some kind of black string. It almost looked like dried tar. I’d been right, she must be a hard-to-handle prisoner. The thought made me smile. I hoped she was getting her ass handed to her a regular intervals.

  Selene remained still, unmoving.

  “Goddess, you must answer the question or you will be punished. Severely. Do you understand my orders?”

  One slow nod came down.

  “Good,” the Prince continued. “Then we shall proceed.”

  “Wait just a minute,” I sputtered. “If Selene is going to testify against me, I want my brother to testify in my favor. He was a witness to this altercation. You can’t bring in one without the other.”

  “We will do no such—”

  “We will allow it.” The voice behind me was clear and certain.

  All the Demon Lords’ faces took on strained looks and they shifted in their seats. The voice had come from one of the chairs behind me. I turned my head, trying not to show my surprise.

  “But, Your Highness, this is unprecedented,” the Prince reasoned. “We cannot allow our laws to be manipulated by this being. If we do so, we are setting a precedent we cannot support.”

  Your Highness? Was that his wife?

  I gaped because I couldn’t help it. Things had just turned in our favor in about seventeen different ways. Relief flooded through me. If the Prince had a Princess, and Lily on the side, this soap opera had just gotten incredibly interesting.