by J. L. Weil
In my mind, I recalled the queen’s pretty yet lethal face easily enough. The demon horns curling on either side of her glittering crystal and thorn crown. Her crimson eyes were burned into my memory, two eternal flames. I’d make her kneel, kiss Ashor’s feet right before I chopped her head off. That was one of many ways I contemplated killing the wicked queen.
Being idle made me bitchy and apparently bloodthirsty. I hadn’t been on a single hunting excursion since coming home, and the desire to kill ignited the demon inside me. She was rearing to break free, to taste freedom, but once that part of me was set loose, it would never be contained again.
That scared the shit out of me.
Waiting on Cayden to give me the signal was torture. I needed action. Unlike Kali, I didn’t have an endless supply of patience. Each day that went by was wasted time Ashor couldn’t afford. Had he left for Gardeness? If so, was he trading one form of imprisonment for another?
These were the questions whirling around in my head, doing nothing to settle the turmoil stewing within me.
The hardest choice in all of this was staying with Kira in New Orleans, much to my family’s dismay, which added another level of guilt. But for once, Chase didn’t ride my ass or threaten to haul me back home. I didn’t go into detail about what Cayden, Kira, and I were planning, but he knew I was going back for Ashor and made me promise to be smart.
I found myself in another situation where I couldn’t say goodbye to my family, again because of Ashor. I certainly hoped this wasn’t a recurring theme in our relationship, because that would become a problem.
My mother was all too glad to have me, which made me cringe. I was tempted to follow her during her late-night jobs, but the more I thought about it, the less appealing the idea became. Seeing my mother work her demon mojo on defenseless and often desperate humans would only entice my hero complex. Chase wasn’t the only one who saved people. I just did so in a quieter manner, but no less lethal.
My nails rapped against the TV remote, and I contemplated running out to get a manicure. It had been months since I had a proper one. Perhaps a touch of pink would brighten my mood. There were only so many reruns of Lucifer I could watch on Netflix, and carryout was losing its luster fast. I was craving some home-cooked meals. No one made lasagna like Chloe. I could all but taste the meaty sauce and wide noodles in my mouth. My stomach rumbled.
Screw it.
I had to get out of this apartment and burn off some steam. Strapping on my dagger, I headed out into the French Quarter. The night air was balmy and the sky strewn with stars that brought back an unusual mixture of feelings from the Court of Darkness.
Ugh. I shoved aside those unwanted emotions and set forth to find myself a demon. If Cayden wasn’t going to get me the information I needed, then I would do it my damn self.
Weeding through a group of patrons lingering in front of a jazz club, I spotted him. The demon I would kill… after we had ourselves a little talk.
It had been far easier than I anticipated, tracking one of Hell’s servants. Perhaps New Orleans was littered with demons like my mother, drawn to the tourist city with all its people. I shuddered at the thought of some young couple on vacation being dragged off into the bayou or lured into an alley for a demon treat.
Releasing my hair from its messy bun, I shook it out, smacked my lips, and put on a smile. I made way into the crowd, casually bumping into the demon invading this man’s body. He had to go.
“Sorry,” I giggled. “Damn tequila.”
His eyes, rimmed in that otherworldly red, swept over me with interested approval that made me feel like something out of the swamps, dirty and gross. A strong desire to run my blade into his heart right here with people all around me coursed in my blood. I wanted to end him. Needed to, but first, I told that craving inside me that purred with anticipation, we had to talk.
I smiled back in appreciation, letting him know with my eyes that I was definitely interested in getting to know him better. I sauntered off, away from the crowd, feeling his gaze trailing after me. Come get me, you leech, I sang in my head. I even made sure I stumbled once or twice, and anyone who happened to look upon me would see a girl who’d had too much to drink turn down into a dimly lit alley.
No demon could resist a girl alone. Easy prey. And I couldn’t have made it any easier for the bastard.
I leaned back against the brick building, keeping to the shadowy parts, and waited. He didn’t disappoint. So damn predictable. Will they never learn? Not every pretty girl was dumb, useless, or weak.
He smiled too smoothly at me, showing rows of jagged teeth that gleamed through the darkness as he sauntered toward me. “You lost?” His voice was rough with a touch of eagerness.
Pretending to need the wall to keep me upright, I played with the ends of my hair, twirling them around a finger. “Perhaps? Are you offering to take me home?” Just a little bit closer, I coaxed silently, checking my own impatience.
Soft footsteps bounced between the two buildings until he was a foot in front of me, towering a head over me. His body twitched, a sign that the demon inside was hankering to break free. “A girl like you shouldn’t be walking the streets alone. It isn’t safe.”
I gave him another seductive smile. “Tell me about it.” I licked my lips to keep his focus on my face while my other hand released and secured my weapon. Then I made my move. I found that surprise attacks were the most effective. In seconds, I had him squashed up against the brick wall, my dagger pressed against his windpipe. “I’d be very careful what you say and do next, or my blade just might slip.”
Confusion clouded his eyes but quickly gave way to rage. “Bitch.” He winced, hissing under his breath as I let the knife pierce his flesh.
“I warned you.” A glimmer of ire flashed across my face.
Silence.
“Good, now I have a few questions, and if you answer them truthfully like the good little soul-sucking scum that you are, I’ll make sure you don’t suffer… much.” God, I loved being in control. Oh, how I missed this so damn much. For months, I’d felt broken and lost, but this, squaring off with the very things I loathed to my core, gave me a sense of empowerment that was like being oxygen deprived and taking my first breath of air. I needed the rush to live, to breathe.
His nostrils flared, and I knew he was taking in my scent. Something like disgust creased at the corners of his curled lips. “What do you want to know, halfling?”
“Tell me how the gate to Hell works?” Every good schemer needed a plan B. My trust in Kira and Cayden wasn’t particularly high. Shit always seemed to go awry, so I would be proactive in my reckless plan to help my mate… a mate I wasn’t even sure I wanted, but I’d be damned if I let Hell keep me from finding out.
If anyone deserved a second chance at happiness, it was me. But then again, revenge was just as sweet.
“You want into the underworld?” he hissed. “No one wants in.”
Kira was supposed to get me to Hell’s Mist. From there I had to find one of the five gates into Hell, ideally the Gate of Darkness, where Cayden would be waiting for me. But getting from point A to point B was where it got fuzzy. “Yeah, well I’m not your average girl. Now talk before I start carving you up like a roasted pig.”
He tipped his face closer to mine, his hot breath clogging my nose. “Die,” he replied, laughing. “I can help you with that.” Bastard thought he was being funny. The joke was on him. I was in no mood for demon humor.
I traced the tip of my blade along his neck, letting it slice through his skin as it burned and boiled at the touch of metal. He hissed. “Don’t bullshit me,” I seethed. “I’ve been to the underworld, and as you can see, I’m very much alive. Tell me about the Gates and how I navigate them.”
Without an invitation, a deal with a demon, or death, there was no way into the underworld unless you were a demon or royalty like Angel, which wasn’t an option. One: she was super preggers. Two: Kali wanted to kill her. Three: Chase would kil
l me, and that in itself was enough.
FML.
A phantom gust of wind blew through the alley, picking up strands of my hair and carrying my scent with it, along with a sensual and smooth laugh that caressed inside my head. “Be careful, luv.”
The demon’s eyes darkened. “That smell,” he murmured. “Why do you smell like the darkness, halfling?”
My hand trembled slightly at the sound of Ashor’s voice fluttering through my thoughts. Was that really him or wishful thinking on my part? A trick of the mind? “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“He knows who you are. This lowlife is one who serves under the queenless court.”
Angel’s sector of Hell—the Court of Inferno.
“You’ve been to the Court of Darkness, but there is something else.” His gaze darted from my face to the corner of my neck and shoulder where I knew traces of mating mark peeked out. Panic seized over his face. “You bear the Prince of Darkness’s mark.”
“And?”
Those wide eyes brimming with fear shifted back to my face and tipped upward to the top of my head. I knew what he was seeing—what I saw every day I looked in the mirror. “And his crown? You’re his—”
“Mate.”
“Mate,” I supplied at the same time Ashor’s voice echoed in my head. Why hadn’t he immediately noticed the smoky projection of a crown? “Took you long enough. What do you know of the prince’s whereabouts?”
“Careful now, luv, or I might think you’re up to something nefarious.”
I hushed him, which only brought another chuckle of wicked delight. My heart skipped at the sound.
“What makes you think I would know anything about royalty? I don’t know where your mate is,” he said, playing dumb.
“I told you not to lie to me,” I snapped.
An explosion boomed, and I glanced up at the sky, seeing a glittering burst of fireworks light up the night. It was all the distraction he needed.
I was shoved backward with a force that sent me scrambling to stay on my feet. The asshole took off, hauling ass down the alley toward the main road. I couldn’t let that happen. Shoving the hair out of my face, I whirled around.
Damn. Damn. Damn.
The last thing I needed was for him to run off and tattle to his little demon buddies about my plans. I had seen the wheels working inside his pea-sized brain, putting together my relationship with the prince and the reasoning behind my questions.
“He can’t live. He knows too much.”
Fuck. You don’t think I know that! I shouted back, uncertain if he could even hear me, but I didn’t care.
I gave chase. The demon neared the cross street, and knowing my options were limited, I adjusted the dagger in my hand, zeroing my focus on his movements. And when I had the distance worked out, I threw my blade, watching with anticipation as it whizzed through the air straight for its intended moving target.
Thud. His body hit the ground, my dagger sticking out of his back. At least my aim was still on point.
A smile curled over my lips. “Bull’s-eye.”
I loomed over him, withdrawing my dagger and then kicked him over. My blade slid into his heart, shattering him into nothing but dust.
I was cleaning my blade after another night of hunting in the streets of New Orleans when a knock sounded on my door. A moment later, it cracked open. Freshly showered, I paused my task to lift my gaze and saw my mother. Correction. It was my mother’s soul with a new face. Her lips were painted black; her formerly blonde hair was now cut short and dyed the same color as her lips. If it weren’t for the crimson eyes, I wouldn’t have recognized her.
Shapeshifting was my mother’s secret weapon. She’d managed to keep it minimal while I was here, and I couldn’t help think she did so for my sake. I’d also noticed that she only changed skin twice since our first meeting, yet no matter how hard she tried, Kira would never be a normal mom.
It was not in her DNA.
Dressed in all black, she crossed the room, excitement beaming in her red eyes as they glowed brightly in the dimly lit room, which made me suspicious. She was up to something, but a little mischief fit my mood. “I see you went out? Run into anything interesting?” she asked, her tone lifting.
I blinked. “Not really.”
“Oh.” Her eyes flickered to the black blood on the rag I was using to get the gunk off my dagger, but she said nothing else about it. She was no fool. Nor did she particularly care that I had slain one of her fellow soul suckers. “I’m glad you’re at least getting out of this room. Even if it is for the wrong reasons. I thought you would want to know that I heard from Cayden,” she said, practically dancing at the foot of my bed.
She had my undivided attention. I dropped the blade and sat up straighter on the bed, nearly jumping out of my skin. “What did he say?”
“You go tomorrow,” she said, a pleased grin on her full lips.
My chest expanded and released. Holy shit. I was going back into the underworld tomorrow night. The high didn’t last long as realization settled in. “Is this going to work?” I asked, genuinely concerned.
She leaned a shoulder against one of the bedposts. “We won’t know until tomorrow. If you’ve changed your mind, there is still time to back out.”
“What about our deal?”
“Oh, the bargain we struck is still very much intact. If you decide not to rescue your prince, you will still owe me a favor in the future.”
“It doesn’t matter. I haven’t changed my mind. I’m doing this,” I said with conviction.
Someone outside the open window shouted, but we both ignored the street noise. “I thought you would say that. It will be up to you to navigate your way through the Mist. Cayden will be at the gate and take you from there.”
Crossing my legs on the bed, I asked. “How will I enter without an invitation?”
“This is where things might get hairy. You can cross into the Court of Envy, but Cayden can’t reach you there without raising warning bells. So we’re betting on your link to the prince and his crown as your ticket into the Court of Darkness.”
“Fabulous. So this plan of yours might backfire.”
She shrugged. “Isn’t the risk worth the price if it leads to what you want?”
“It changes nothing.” If I got caught, at least Ashor and I would be in the dungeons together. Our story really would be tragic.
A smile curled her painted lips. “I thought so.” She paused in the doorway on her way out. “By the way, you have visitors.”
My eyes panned to the clock beside the bed. It was midnight. Who would come knocking at this time of night? “Who is it?” I asked. I wasn’t going to get any sleep tonight anyway.
She nodded toward the hallway, sending her hair tumbling over her cheek. “Why don’t you go see for yourself?” Something in her expression was too cheery. It made me cautious.
Rolling out of bed with a groan, I tossed a T-shirt over my sports bra, catching a quick glimpse of the oath mark. I couldn’t believe tomorrow night I would be taking the long trek back to Hell. This fucking bargain with my mother better be worth it.
10
The apartment was bathed in darkness, not a single light turned on as I padded down the stairs to the main floor. Kira had stayed upstairs, muttering something about needing a shower. I hooked around the corner, hearing at least two voices coming from the family room. When Kira had mentioned visitors, my mind had been too occupied with thoughts of Ashor to really think about who would have the balls to show up at a demon’s house in the middle of the night.
But now…
I was curious. No one knew I was here beside my family. I didn’t have any friends in New Orleans. And as I was mulling over the short list of people, I heard a voice grumble, “What is taking her so long?” A voice I’d heard my entire life. It was followed by the impatient tapping of a foot.
It couldn’t be. Could it?
“Chase?” I whispered from the doorway th
at led into the family room.
Four heads swung in my direction, three with eyes that glowed in the dark. “Who the hell else are you expecting?” my cousin said dryly. Even in the dark, I could see his shithead smirk.
My lips twitched as I crossed my arms. “First of all, I wasn’t expecting anyone, let alone you. What are you doing here?” My cousin wasn’t alone. I glanced at the faces of my family: Travis, Angel, and Emma. What was going on? Suddenly, I was worried something happened. “Is it Dad?” I asked quickly, the smile that had started to form on my lips falling as I looked at my brother.
He wore a stony expression that relaxed a fraction at the concern for our dad. “The old man is fine,” he assured, calming the sudden spike in my heart rate.
My shoulders sank, tension leaving my body. “Okay, then what is this? An intervention?”
“She called me,” Travis stated flatly.
There was no need for him to explain who she was. I glanced sidelong up at the ceiling, cursing my mother. How could she do this to me? Why would she do this to me? She couldn’t possibly suddenly be a concerned mother. The thought made me gag. “When?” I prompted.
“Last night,” Travis replied. “She told me that you are leaving, about your plan to rescue him from—”
The tattoo at the base of my neck radiated tingles at the mention of Ashor. “Son of a bitch,” I muttered under my breath, cutting off Travis. I didn’t need to hear any more, but my brother went on.
“I almost didn’t pick up,” he continued. “But then I remembered you were here. I thought something happened to you at first, but then she explained.”
I stepped into the room, a stream of moonlight striking the side of my face. “Explained what?” Whatever Kira had told him was enough for my brother to grab my family and race to New Orleans. I just couldn’t figure out why. Why involve my family? She knew I wanted to keep them out of this mess. Like a demon, Kira never did anything without a reason. She and I were going to have another little mother-daughter chat.
