Red Blooded

by Amanda Carlson

  Her face was grim. “Fine, you win.” She strode over to a far wall in the room and turned. “It says that your being here will ignite a civil war, and once that war is over, there will be a new rule and that’s it in a nutshell.”

  “You’ve already said as much,” I retorted, unimpressed. “And the Prince happened to find out about these new Scriptures after you showed them to the Princess? Not before? Correct?”

  “That’s correct,” Lili said. “I didn’t tell him. He was not supposed to have this knowledge, but it was somehow leaked. The other demons who discovered this secret were very nervous and afraid of his wrath.”

  “But if my presence here was supposed to ignite a war, why would the Prince think parading me around in front of the court was a good idea? Why not keep me locked up where no demon could see me? Keep it all under wraps and keep an eye on me?”

  “He is prideful.” She shrugged. “And I may have told him… a few lies once he had me arrested.” She smirked. “He could not find the new Scriptures, because I had hidden them well, so he interrogated me as to what was in them—and I told him… some truths and some falsehoods.”

  “So you basically made up enough stuff to make sure a war would indeed start,” I said. “And you took me through the Sholls, and everything else, to make sure we ended up where we needed to be? That seems risky on your part.”

  “I took you through the Sholls because your only objective was to get to your brother. There was no other way. And if you remember, we did find him. I didn’t have an ultimate plan at the time, but I knew if we didn’t leave this plane immediately you would be apprehended sooner.” She shrugged again. “It didn’t really matter to me, because I believe wholeheartedly in the Scriptures. Whatever is meant to happen, will. It’s that simple.”

  “Simple my ass.” I stood. “You could’ve told me what was at stake from the very beginning, especially if you wanted to earn my trust. You did no such thing.”

  “I earned your trust by repeatedly by putting myself at risk,” she argued. “How else would I go about it? Everything I’ve done thus far has been for your betterment.” Her eyes pulsed in her anger.

  “You stuck your neck out for your own cause, and nothing more,” I answered. “Don’t fool yourself.” I waved my hand in the air, dismissing the conversation. “We’re not getting anywhere with this and we need to move forward. I ignited a war, the damage is done, and now I want to prove that I don’t want anything more to do with Hell by helping the Princess ascend to the throne, and then I want to go home. In that order.”

  “The only way to do that will be to convince the demon population that you seek no rule while the Princess announces the new Scriptures into law,” she said firmly.

  Before I could question how we were supposed to do that, Ray’s voice floated into the room. Then he shouted. “What do you mean leaving? Where in the hell are you going to go?”

  21

  “Anywhere but here,” Selene replied in a haughty tone. “I have my soul back, but not my magic. I’m going to force them to give it back to me.”

  I walked into the foyer, followed by Rourke and Tyler. Ray and Selene stood glaring at each other. “Selene,” I said patiently, interrupting them. “That’s not how things are going to work.” I gestured to the still-very-dead doppelganger lying on the floor. “She had your power and magic. I felt it. If it didn’t revert back to you, there’s a reason.”

  When the Alpha or leader of a Sect dies, oftentimes their accumulated power seeks out the next in line, making the new Alpha or master the strongest of their kind. I had no idea what happened with true immortals—gods and goddesses were the very strongest of our kind, and if Selene’s power did not willingly go back to her there was likely no way she could reclaim it.

  “As a goddess, it should’ve gone back to you,” Rourke said, mirroring my thoughts. “There’s nowhere else for it to go. So, like Jessica said, there must be a damn good reason why.”

  “But it’s not fair. I need to heal and they need to pay for this,” she snipped.

  “Marching back into the belly of the beast is not the way you want to handle this,” I told her. “You’re still their property, lest you forget. They will toss you into a cell and keep trying to kill you. Or make a new clone. Or something equally hideous.” I couldn’t believe I was arguing with Selene about keeping her safe. It was like my worlds had collided. My wolf growled.

  Selene threw up her arms. “I don’t believe this. I can’t be an immortal with no power, such a thing doesn’t exist. I’d rather die than be left as an undying human until the end of time.”

  “Well,” Ray snorted. “We could’ve easily arranged that about fifteen minutes ago.”

  “Selene,” I said in the most patient tone I could possibly muster. “If you were back to full power and magic we’d be forced to act—and do something drastic, like throw you into the Sholls or have Ray suck your soul out. Be thankful for once in your sorry life that you are no threat to us, especially after everything you’ve done.”

  I watched as emotion fluttered across her features, and just as quickly it was gone. “I did what I had to do,” she accused. “You all had it coming.”

  “You don’t really believe that.” I squinted at her, assessing. “I think you might actually be gaining some empathy from this ordeal. I just saw a flicker of it now. Are you starting to care, Selene? I know it’s hard for you to feel anything, but I promise you it will be a welcome addition to your former power-hungry vanity-filled world.”

  “I have empathy! Just not for fools who don’t deserve it.”

  I strode up to her quickly, backing her into the wall. It was immensely satisfying to see her shrink before me. “This is how this is going to work,” I said through a clenched jaw. “Listen carefully, because I’m only going to explain it once. You will help us escape with every fiber of your being, and if you cooperate, we will take you with us. When we get home you will be put under arrest and kept by the witches. You will answer for every single crime you’ve committed against us, and you will do your time. And there won’t be a single dissent on your part. If at any moment you retaliate, from here on out, we either leave you behind or have Ray kill you. Do you understand me, Selene?” She opened her mouth and started to speak, but I shut her down. “Before you even think about answering, I’d suggest you mull it over. We’re giving you something you would never allow us in return.” I leaned forward until there was no more personal space left. “We are giving you a chance. And for that, I want you grateful. If you so much as snicker at me, I will toss your ass out the front door before you’re finished speaking. The demons can tear at your flesh for an eternity, because this is it from me.” I bared my teeth just to be sure she got the message. My wolf was close to the surface, snarling her warning in tandem.

  Selene opened her mouth and snapped it shut it.

  I stepped back and she swallowed once before answering, “Fine. I’ll do what you say, but only because I want to get out of this hellhole for good and nothing more.”

  I narrowed my eyes and she dropped her gaze. I knew it. Something was shifting inside that broken mind of hers. I deliberately turned my back on her and walked away. “Ray,” I called over my shoulder. “You’re in charge of her. Make sure she doesn’t do anything stupid. And if she does, throw her out the door and leave her to rot.”

  “Got it,” he replied. He addressed Selene as I left the room. “Listen, lady, if you so much as blink at me wrong I’ll feed you to the dead orthrus, so get your goddamn act together and start behaving like an adult.”

  “As if you could,” she muttered.

  I walked back into the main room. “Lili, did you get ahold of the Princess?” Lili had been on her own with Tyler the entire time we’d been in the showers.

  “No,” she answered. “She was not in her rooms and I could not risk trying to track her down. That would have given our location away.”

  I glanced over at Tyler and he nodded. “I’ve been thin
king,” I said. “You said earlier that when the Prince left the Princess he’d call a meeting with his Council of High Demon Lords, right? What would be better than confronting the Prince’s rule in front of an audience? If the Princess can insist on gathering a demon assembly for a public announcement, in the guise of calming the masses down, we could hijack the proceedings and announce I have no intention of ruling, and support her ascension to the crown according to the Scriptures. I think doing this publicly might be the only chance we have to end this entire ordeal.”

  The demoness’s eyes went wide. “That would be an elaborate hoax, something I’m not sure we could pull off on such short notice. But, yes,” she said hesitantly. “That may work.”

  “I agree,” Rourke said. “If we do this publicly, in front of everyone, once and for all. That gives us the best chance.” He turned to address Lili. “But we have to do it tonight. We need to meet with the Princess as soon as she can get away, but we can’t meet her here.”

  “That’s correct,” Lili said. “She cannot come here.”

  “Maybe it’s best we head back to the auditorium and camp out there. That way, when she decides to call in the demons to make her announcement, we’re already located in a strategic place. I’ve mastered being in the right place at the right time over the last few hundred years.” He glanced at me and winked.

  Rourke had done that exact thing the first time we’d met, effectively throwing us all off his trail. He’d gone to the bar ahead of us and slept on the roof, sneaking down without being seen or scented.

  “Is there an adequate place to take cover in the arena?” Tyler asked. “It was a fairly open space. I don’t like the sound of this.”

  “There is one place,” Lili said, drumming a fingertip against her lip. She seemed to be deep in thought. “The judges’ benches are hollow below.” Then she smiled like a shrew. “The space is small, but you can hide in there, and once you’re in place, I will slip out and contact the Princess. I’m sure she will be eager for our plan and come at her first opportunity.”

  A little worry crept into the back of my mind, but I had to shake it off. We didn’t have a lot of options. If we couldn’t convince the Princess to call in the demons to prove to them I was no threat, there was no way we could solve this on a big scale. And we needed a big scale. “If we’re going to hide essentially be under everyone’s nose,” I said, “they’re bound to scent us or feel our power the moment they arrive.”

  “That’s not a problem. I can spell the area,” Lili said. “A masking spell will make you all smell like demons.”

  “You can’t possibly cover up all our power signatures,” Tyler said. “I think being that close to the action is too risky.”

  “Not if the Demon Lords and the Prince come in last,” Rourke said, turning to Lili. “If the Princess is on board, she can convince them to enter last. By that time the audience will already be there and it will be too late.”

  Lili nodded. “The Prince always makes his entrance last anyway, and I’m sure the Princess will agree. You are helping her bid for the throne sooner than expected, and I’m certain once she meets with you she will have some good ideas of her own. Confronting the Prince, and doing so in front of the demon population, I believe is the right decision. Without doing so, you will certainly be in Hell for a lot longer. If the demons stand convinced, he will have a hard time justifying his case against you, and will have no choice but to let you go.”

  I didn’t believe it would be that easy, but it was a step in the right direction. “Okay,” I said. “That’s the best plan we’ve got. The quicker we can get settled in the auditorium the better.”

  The walk to the auditorium was uneventful. We encountered no clones and no orthruses. It was almost too quiet.

  “Where is everyone?” I asked as we came to a stop outside the door Lili had told us was the entrance to the bottom part of the arena. “This feels wrong. There should be some activity. The Princess couldn’t have kept all the demons occupied this long.”

  Rourke growled. “I agree. I don’t like it.”

  Lili’s face showed her irritation. “Throw your power out. Do you sense anything? There’s no one here. The Princess has kept the Prince well occupied, and you should be grateful.” I sent my power out, and she was right. I didn’t feel anything strange at all. “This was your plan, remember?” She stopped short of rolling her eyes. “I led you here per your request. If this doesn’t work, we will have to come up with something else, but for right now this is it. I’ll get you inside and go find the Princess.” Lili placed her hand on the door and pushed it open.

  The auditorium was quiet. My wolf growled, throwing our power out to make sure. Rourke went first, scouting. “It looks okay,” he said. “How do we get under the benches?”

  Lili led us in. The arena was bigger than I remembered from just a short time ago, stretching far up into the back rows. It was hard to believe it had been full of demons a few hours ago and would be again if we were lucky. “You can enter through there,” Lili gestured, ushering us to an opening at one end of the benches. “This is a small space, but you should all fit.”

  Rourke went first, unlatching the wooden door. He stuck his head in and turned to Lili. “Once we’re inside, spell the area. Selene will know if it takes.”

  Lili nodded. “I know exactly what I have to do. I’ll take care of everything.”

  Selene grumbled as she made her way in after Rourke. “This is the dumbest thing I’ve ever done. This is worse than a Trojan horse. It’s more like a rat stuck in a cupboard.”

  “Quit your grumbling,” Ray said, following her in. “Under the radar is where we need to be. We have to get out of here in one piece, so for now we play along. If it doesn’t work, we fight.”

  I went next, Tyler brought up the rear. He paused at the doorway. Jess, I don’t like this. It feels wrong.

  I had to admit I was getting the same vibe. My wolf had started pacing in earnest. Like Lili said, I told my brother, this was our plan. Not hers. Being here feels both right and wrong at the same time. I can’t explain it. It’s like I’m getting a mixed message. But as far as I can see, we have no other choice but to play this out.

  I don’t want to wait around and see what happens, he said. I’m think we should hightail it back to our plane right now while all the demons are still occupied, and if the Prince of Hell comes looking for you, we tackle the problem then.

  Tyler, I’m exhausted and I don’t want the demons on my list anymore, not while I have a chance to make an alliance with the new ruler. If we help the Princess ascend to the throne, we have a chance to leave here without looking over our shoulders. She will owe us.

  He gave me a long look. Okay. But I promise you, we’re going to be fighting our way out of whatever comes next. Even if the Princess takes the throne, there’s very little chance we’re walking out of this without using our fists.

  That may be true, but we’re in too deep to go back now. Our decision has been made, for better or worse.

  He nodded once and ducked in after me. The space was no bigger than a human bathroom. I edged my way over to my mate and leaned my back against his chest. He placed his hands on my shoulders.

  Lili stuck her head in the door. “I’ll be back as soon as I can with the Princess. This will work out for the best, don’t worry.” She shut and latched it behind her, speaking a few words in Demonish.

  Energy immediately bounded around in the air. For a moment I couldn’t breathe.

  Then I doubled over, coughing. “What was that?” I sputtered. Everyone was having the same reaction. I shook my head, trying to clear it, but it felt like I was waking up from a bad dream.

  Selene was the first to speak, her voice stunned. “That was us waking up from an enchantment spell. That’s not a good sign.”

  “What do you mean?” I asked. “What enchantment?”

  “It means Lili had already spelled us, and now she’s decided to wake us up,” Selene stated grim
ly.

  “How can you be sure?” Tyler coughed, hitting his chest with his fist.

  Selene arched her eye at my brother. “She probably did it while I was out, likely right after she killed the clone with blood on her hands. For demons, fresh blood is a potent amplifier to their power. It must have been her lucky day when I collapsed, because I’m the only one who would’ve noticed. The situation presented her with an opportunity, and she took it. It’s very hard to detect a spell when a very powerful witch hits you with one. You can only sense it at the very beginning. There’s a slight tingle and nothing more.”

  “No. Please tell me you’re wrong,” I breathed. “We can’t have been spelled that entire time.” My mind raced back to when Lili was holding the demon heart she’d torn out of the clone. She’d done something over that bowl, and then I’d felt a little off. Dammit, we were so stupid! How could we not have noticed? My wolf howled in anger, but I knew she’d been fooled too or she would have warned me.

  Tyler rubbed his neck. “Man, Jess, this is bad. Much worse than I thought.”

  Rourke snarled, stalking to the doorway. “Only a few supernaturals in the world could pull such a trick on me. This means Lili has been lying and seeking an opportunity to change the game for a long time.” His voice was low and furious. He took the door handle and depressed it.

  It was locked tight.

  Then I heard it. Thousands and thousands of voices. I met Ray’s eyes and they echoed the same thing.

  The auditorium was already full of demons.

  And we were indeed rats trapped in the cupboard.

  22

  “This is my fault,” I said, joining my furious mate at the doorway. When we agreed to allow her lead us away from the arena, even after we knew who she really was, we’d made a huge mistake, and now we were paying the price. “My wolf has been at me to tear Lili’s throat out since we first met, and I’ve ignored her, repeatedly.” My wolf huffed at me, spinning in a circle. I know, I know. But you wanted me to tear out Selene’s throat too.