He grins and leans down to catch my lips. “Anything, babygirl.”
He opens the door, and after a reassuring smile from him, I step over the threshold. It’s dim inside despite all the sconces and candles flickering away. Red and Grandma’s portraits are still featured on the altar, and the sight of them makes my stomach churn. At least the whipping post is gone. I gingerly walk to where my sister is sitting in the front pew, her head bent in prayer. As soon as I slide in with her, she looks up and smiles.
She wipes the tears from her eyes before enveloping me into a tight embrace. “Oh, Rave, I’m so sorry!”
I return her embrace, though I can’t help but frown. “Why are you apologizing?”
“For all of this!” She gestures to where I’d nearly been whipped into an early grave. “If I had gotten here sooner—”
“Red, you have nothing to be sorry about!”
She blinks at me, probably surprised by my tone of voice.
“Absolutely nothing,” I repeat firmly. “And, anyway, I’m alive, aren’t I?”
Reality dawns on her, and she gives me a shocked once-over. “Oh my gosh, your wounds!”
“All gone.”
“G-gone?” she echoes incredulously.
“Yes. The Dark Lord healed me. It seems bringing us Hemlocks back to life is becoming a habit of his.”
Redera snorts and shakes away her tears. “I was praying to him just now. It’s strange, because all my life I’ve only ever worshipped the God of Light. The night the wolves came, I prayed for him to spare us. I begged for his help, to spare Grandma if not me, but it was Lucifer who brought us back. It was also Lucifer who ended our famine all those decades ago. So many people in this world think the Storyteller, who cursed our clan simply for leaving him, is the bringer of light, and yet he’s brought us nothing but darkness. Isn’t that ironic?”
“Super fucking ironic,” I agree, laying my head on her shoulder. “Now maybe you’ll start to appreciate Grandma’s cooking.”
Redera scrunches her face up at me. “I might be a Darkblood now, but I am not eating like one! You can keep your boiled chicken feet and cheese with chocolate bagels for all I care.”
“Okay, but you’re totally missing out,” I tell her, wiggling my eyebrows.
She picks up her Bible and taps me lightly on the head with it. I giggle, enjoying this moment between us. I used to pray for Lucifer to make my twin sister a Darkblood. I even prayed for it the night before I crept into the forest to rescind my worship of him. And now, against the odds, it’s actually happened. We’re both Darkbloods now. Lucifer really does work in mysterious ways.
“This was a bit weird,” Redera says, glancing around the church. “I was technically at my own funeral.”
I can’t help but snort at how ironic that is. “And there wasn’t a dry eye for miles.”
She nods slowly, a frown creeping onto her face. “But I don’t condone what they did to you. Even if…even if Lucifer hadn’t brought me back, to think what our whole coven would have stood by and watched Cassim do…“ Her fingernails press into the cover of her Bible, marking the already scuffed leather. I spot the initials EH carved into the upper corner.
“Is that Grandma’s Bible?” I ask quickly, trying to divert the conversation.
Redera flips the book open, showing the front page where Grandma has written her favourite Church of Shadows quotes. “She gave it to me before I set off for Everafter. It was the only thing she had on her when they… Well, you know Grandma. She always carried her Bible in her dressing gown.”
I snort. “Yeah, she used to hit the postman with it whenever he was late.” Looking back at the altar and seeing the enormous hole in the dais, my mood sours. “How did you get here so quickly, anyway? Not even Broin saw you following us.”
Redera holds out her hand. In the hollow of her palm sits a vial with crystal-clear liquid. “I asked Professor Lockwood for help.”
I lift my head off her shoulder and gawk at her. “He helped you?”
“He came to me,” she explains, tucking the vial back into her cloak pocket. “Well, Aaliyah. He was worried about you. He told me what to do, and voila, here I am.”
I can’t believe what I’m hearing. Lockwood roped ‘Aaliyah’ into this despite knowing what Cassim is like? I should feel livid at the notion, but I’m more touched by his concern than anything. He did give her the exact same potions as me, which means she would’ve easily been able to escape if things got ugly.
“Are we going home tomorrow?” Redera asks, pulling me from my reverie. “To the cottage, I mean?”
I try my best not to falter, but the idea is terrifying. “If you want to. We can stop by on our way back to Everafter.”
“I’d like that,” she whispers, looking at her wreathed portrait. “It’d be nice to say goodbye to the old me.”
We fall silent for a moment and I try not to think about the old Big Red, or the state of our home. It’s just a pile of ash and debris now. All our memories, gone. The reality makes my eyes sting.
“Well, my stomach isn’t going to feed itself,” Redera says, standing from the pew. “Wanna grab some food from the bakery? It feels like forever since we’ve been there.”
My stomach rumbles as if on cue. “That sounds amazing. I’ll just be a moment.”
Redera nods and passes me her Bible, then leaves the church. Sometimes it’s like she can read my mind. I glance down at the Bible and whisper a prayer of thanks. I know Lucifer’s kindness isn’t free and there will be a price to pay later, but I’m thankful for this new lease on life. I’ve been punished for what I did and the suffering I caused my loved ones. Now I can leave that in the past and focus on other things.
I stand from the pew, and tucking my sister’s Bible under my arm, climb onto the dais. Taking the vial out from my cloak pocket, I pour the liquid onto the candle nestled between the two portraits. The flame flickers and spits at me before turning electric blue, then it takes the shape of Lockwood’s face. It’s the first time I’ve ever used a potion like this and I’m amazed.
“Hemlock, are you all right?” he asks, crackling before me.
The slight panic in his voice takes me by surprise. “Of course I am. I just wanted to say thank you for letting my…friend come to the gathering with me.”
Even with his features made of fire, I can see his jaw clenching and eyes narrowing. “So everything went according to plan?”
“Y-yes, and I’ll, uhh, be back tomorrow night, in one piece, like I promised.”
There’s a pause, and I wonder what he’s looking at when he glances away, the fire hissing as he moves.
“I’m pleased to hear that. You’ll be using the translocation potion to come back, I assume?”
I hesitate, wondering if the rangers will be escorting us back. I’m not sure if I’ll still be treated as a prisoner or not. I hate lying to him, so I choose to answer as honestly as I can.
“I’m not sure, sir. Either way, you’ll have both me and my assignment spread on your desk by Sunday and not a second late.”
I expect to hear him grunt his approval, or perhaps give a smile, but he does neither.
“Then I shall await your return, Hemlock. Ride safe whatever you choose.”
“Thank you, S—”
He disappears before I can finish my sentence, leaving me frowning at the snuffed-out candles. His reaction isn’t what I expected, but at least I got to see his sexy, rugged face. That certainly cheered me up.
I step down from the altar and a gust of cool air brushes past me. It blows out the rest of the candles, one by one, and leaves a hiss that echoes through the church. I stop short and look around. Candles mysteriously going out is never a good sign.
“Ravyn…”
Nor is a strange voice calling out my name.
I spin around in search of the person who called me. Up on the dais, beside the altar, stands the ghost of Esmeralda, shimmering ever so softly. My heart sinks into my stomach. If I
’m seeing her ghost that means she must have died. But I thought she was still alive?
“My love, you have grown so big,” she tells me, her voice all distant and echoey. “So beautiful, like your mother.”
Tears well in my eyes as I walk over to her. “Grandma always said we look more like you, except Red has your freckles and I’ve got your eyes. She never mentioned we look like Mom.”
I think talking about my parents was too painful for her. They died so suddenly, and at the hands of witch hunters, too. Red and I were just infants at the time.
A pained smile flickers over Esme’s face. My ancestor doesn’t look a day older than thirty at a push. “You both look very much like her. She was strong and stubborn like you. Brave. Loyal. Determined. I loved her so very dearly, and your father, Satan rest their souls.”
“Are they here with you?” I ask hopefully, looking around.
Esmeralda shakes her head. “No, I’m afraid I have not come from the spirit realm. I came to warn you, my love, and to help you.”
“Help me? Warn me about what? Where are you right now? What’s going on?”
She lifts her hands slowly, giving me a patient smile. “So many questions! All will be answered soon. You found my Bible, didn’t you?” I nod and she continues, her dress and hair floating behind her in soft waves. “I have spent decades searching for the Seven Keys. They were taken long ago by Lilith when she betrayed our Unholy Lord.”
“Seven Keys?” I ask, recalling what Lockwood mentioned in his office. “You mean the Seven Gates of Hell?”
“Yes. There is one key for each gate. To understand, you have to know what happened. Lilith has always plotted for power, and for the overthrow of our Dark Lord,” she explains. “Over the years, she worked against him in secret, carrying the keys out one by one and hiding them in the forest. When she fled from Hell, she took the seventh key with her, and it was her intention to reunite them all. She must not be allowed to do so.”
“What…” I swallow hard. My head is buzzing, and I don’t know why. It’s like I’m sitting on a ley line that’s pouring magic into my soul, but I’ve never felt that way in the Church before. It has to do with what she’s telling me. “What will happen?”
“If she reunites the seven keys, she will open the seven gates. Hell will open into the Great Forest and life as we know it will end. She will release her Four Horsemen, and they will destroy the Forest and the people within it, light and dark together. Every mortal soul will perish, and all so she can take the infernal throne from Our Dark Lord.” Her jaw sets, and her beautiful face turns grim. “She will take all of those souls and use them as power so that she can destroy Lucifer once and for all.”
My heart pounds fiercely, and I jump up onto my feet. “No! She can’t!” I take a step back toward the altar. “How can we stop her?”
Esmeralda hesitates for just a moment, gathering her thoughts. “I spent decades on the trail of the keys, but there was another who sought them, as well. One key has been found, and it was taken by my adversary before I could obtain it. Six remain in hiding. You and your sister must find these six keys before Lilith does.”
It sounds like a hopeless task. How can a couple of Darkblood witches possibly save the world?
“We’ll do it,” Red says behind me, and I let out a squeal, surprised by her appearance. My sister always did move like a mouse. She must have translocated in here. When did she learn to do that?
“Yeah,” I tell our ancestor, “we will do it, and we’ll break Lilith’s bones and grind them into supper for what she’s done.”
Esmeralda and Red fall quiet, each exchanging a worried look.
“Too dark?”
My sister shakes her head and clamps a hand on my shoulder. “Don’t worry, Grandma Esme. I’ll make sure Rave doesn’t get into any more trouble.”
Esmeralda smiles at us, but just as she opens her mouth to speak, the doors to the church open, and my ancestor vanishes.
“I was promised cake,” Broin declares, crossing his arms over his powerful chest.
“And cake you shall get,” Red shouts back, taking me by the hand and dragging me down the aisle.
There’s so much more information to wrap my head around. I think sitting down to cake and talking about our plan is just what we need.
Behind me, sitting in the shadows of my office, a Darkblood warlock crosses his arms. “She looks better than she did last time I saw her. Must be a relief for you, eh?”
“I have no intention of having this conversation,” I snap at him. “You may be working for me as my spy in the Church of Shadows, but you are not my bosom friend.”
He shrugs, unconcerned. I reach into the top drawer of my desk and pull out a small pile of gold Fantasian coins. I toss them to him, and he catches them easily.
“Don’t spend ‘em all in one place, eh, Professor?” he mocks. “Mind if I drop in on an old friend before I go?”
“You have no friends here.”
“Your junior gardener. I need a word with him.”
The last time someone with dark blood had a word with Aladdin, he came back bruised and nearly broken. I scowl and shake my head.
“Get out of my school. Now.”
The warlock stands and drops a mocking bow in my direction before he vanishes into darkness. His translocation ability is modeled after that of his infernal master. He might think I’m impressed by the way he copies Lucifer, but he’s dead wrong.
He’s lucky he’s not just dead.
On my desktop is a recording crystal that my spy gave me. It holds a recording of a conversation he had with Salvador, urging him not to be too hard on Ravyn considering her sister and grandmother were actually alive. Salvador, of course, ignored him, and went on to punish her nearly to death—an ordeal that my spy was thorough enough to record, as well.
I pick up the crystal and watch the display again, hearing the words and the snap of the lash. I see the tears streaming down her cheeks and the blood flowing out of her injuries, and the rage burns inside me like an oven. The hand holding the recording begins to sprout claws and fur, and I snarl at the image before I hurl the crystal into the wall, shattering it into pieces.
The wolf in me is not satisfied with that tiny amount of destruction. The knowledge that Ravyn was nearly taken from me is more than I can bear, and in my horror and fury, I sweep everything off the surface of my desk. Things shatter, but I can’t be bothered to care. I grab the edge of the desk and flip it halfway across the room, my body changing. My clothes tear as I shift, now at the mercy of my emotions.
I just manage to catch myself before I howl.
Cassim Salvador and I have long been enemies. I have hated him for years, and he has hated me. Our enmity began in Grimm City, when I was leaving my family’s home and he was there to see the Queen. Our encounter at the city gates began with him challenging my right to be on the road where he wished to be, and it ended with a magical duel that left both of us incapacitated for months. Those were dark days and I do not recall the aftermath with clarity. I was found and healed by a beautiful witch who never told me her name. When I was whole again, I gathered up my pack and we trailed him all the way back to the Church of Shadows. I saw what he’d become, and I should have killed him then.
There is no time like the present to correct old mistakes.
I force myself back into human form and grab my robes. I pull them on, concealing the disarray of the shredded clothing underneath. I won’t need any of it soon. My path to the woods is well worn, and when I translocate and stand among the trees, I discard my clothing and take on my full wolf form. I finally release my howl, calling my pack.
A light flashes on in the boys’ dormitory. Gideon had better get his furry ass down here now if he knows what’s good for him. I am in no mood for playing games.
As Alpha, I am the largest of my pack, and the wolves who melt out of the darkness to join me are properly deferential as they approach. They crouch before me and lick thei
r lips in supplication, and I stand over them and snarl, reminding them that I am the only authority they need to obey tonight.
Gideon joins us, and he assumes his wolf form immediately, bowing to me as well. His obeisance seems perfunctory, but he knows better than to give me any attitude tonight. I won’t have it and he knows. They can all smell my rage on me, rolling in my scent like pheromones.
—Penny Royal is in an uproar,—one of them finally says.—They know that you killed one of their wolves, Alpha.—
—Why did you kill him?—Gideon asks.—Are our packs at war?—
—I had my reasons!—I snap my teeth at them.—And as for war… not yet. That’s a battle that they could never hope to win.—
—Why have you called us outside the full moon?—The words come from Kara, one of the few females in my hunting party. She’s never been one to question my decisions, and though I’m annoyed, I don’t see her as being rebellious, especially when she bows again immediately after asking. Gideon is watching me closely, his blue eyes shrewd.
—We are witch hunters, are we not?—I respond.—Tonight we will be hunting the greatest one there is: Cassim Salvador.—
My pack stares at me in disbelief for a moment, and then they’re all overtaken by excitement. I have never called a hunt on Salvador before. The Covenmaster is powerful, and I have preferred to find other ways to try to bring him down. Now he has hurt Ravyn, and my patience with finding alternatives is at an end.
Gideon asks,—Hunting for sport? Or for kidnapping?—
—I want him dead.—
The pack howls, and I howl with them, not immune to the thrill the announcement of our quarry has brought to them.
I spend the night running with my wolves. We make it through the forest to the outskirts of the shabby little town that surrounds the Church of Shadows, and there we work to pick up Cassim’s stench. He left a clearly-blazed trail, heading directly toward Grimm City. He didn’t even try to cover his tracks. Either his arrogance has finally undone him, or he isn’t the one who left this trace. Cassim was never this deliberate or incautious. Even the path he and the rest of the entourage took from Nevermore to Everafter was more carefully hidden than this.
Once Upon A Devil: A Dark Academy Reverse Harem Bully Romance (Everafter Academy Book 3) Page 8
