Chapter Thirteen #3
“But that’s why I had to come. The Hallows are no longer in the mortal realm.
Someone had to come to hell, discover who they are, and collect their secrets once again, and my sisters trusted me with this task,” Charlotte lied through her teeth.
“It was the only way to bring about the age of the witches, and take our rightful place as leaders of the mortal realm.”
Gods, this woman’s such a fucking liar. It’s so hot.
“And anyone who helps us in this task will be greatly rewarded.”
“But once we get the feather of the air hallow, burn the flame hallow’s sire, and all that other stuff,” Kama interjected. “What exactly do you do? How are you supposed to bind it all together into a grand power that can be shared?”
Charlotte smiled at her. It didn’t reach her eyes. “Come now, Kama. You’re the princess of lust. Don’t you know better than to rush the climax?”
The girls busted up laughing again, but behind Charlotte’s back, Kama shared a displeased look with Ursula.
I picked up the pace, drawing closer.
“So, what did your witchy sisters think of your mother giving birth to Lucifer’s spawn?” Eris flung, going right for the jugular. “If they hate supernatural beings so much, why didn’t they smother little Adora in her crib?”
Charlotte didn’t skip a beat. “Because my mother didn’t give them a chance. She took Dora and went on the run, hiding from the coven. I was raised by my father and given my birthright.”
“Hmm.” Eris frowned. She clearly thought she stumped her there, but Charlotte was too slippery. “So why were you so attached to her if you didn’t even grow up together?”
“Who the fuck cares about things like that?” A hard, dangerous edge bled into Charlotte’s voice.
“She was my sister. End of. I was happy to be reunited with her. And she...” Charlotte tossed her head, clearing her throat.
“I don’t share my coven sisters’ hatred of supernatural creatures.
Another one of the reasons I was chosen to come here over everyone else.
Meeting Dora was the best thing.” Charlotte whipped around, spearing her glare through my chest. “And losing her was the worst.”
“Gods,” Eris muttered. “Well, you’re fuck sure not lying about being a mortal—talking like that.”
“Of course she’s not lying.” Raven squeezed Charlotte’s shoulder.
“She’s not because she knows exactly what would happen to her if she is.
So, let’s focus on finding those hallows.
My girls are talking to the Others’ Spawn as we speak,” Raven confessed.
“They’re impressing on him just how wealthy we can make him if he shares what he knows with us and only us. ”
“What was that about anyway?” Ursula snapped. “Why’d you fucking say the clues for anyone to hear? Why’d you lie about letting the Others in on it?”
“I didn’t lie about anything. Because I put everything I said in the mess hall in DeadDrop and posted it while Kama was feeling me up,” she dropped. “Everyone who didn’t know will now.”
“What!” Ursula shrieked. “Why’d the fuck did you do that!”
Charlotte laughed. Again, I heard its fakeness like a ringing gong.
Her laugh—her real laugh—was nothing like that harsh, mocking sound.
“Why do you think? I did it because we all know that even as we chat and laugh right now, you five are devising a way to steal my power, kill me, and keep it all for yourselves.
“But, lucky for me, there are more than a few species down here who want out of hell more than anyone’s ever wanted anything.
They’re now highly invested in making sure that happens without power-hungry demons messing it up, so they’re now watching my back like the map to Atlantis is on it.
” Charlotte tapped her ears. “The vampires especially will be listening real close, making sure no one’s plotting anything naughty. ”
If I thought the look Kama and Ursula shared was displeased, it was nothing compared to the hateful scowls that were passed behind her back as the group headed into the Great Invasion lecture hall.
Even though she didn’t see their glares, Charlotte must’ve sensed them because she veered off and claimed a seat between two feline demons.
Raven and Sauda simply grabbed the demons by the collar, hauled them up, and tossed them away. That done, they plopped down next to her—taking out their textbooks and notebooks like nothing happened.
I went to the five of them asking for help to save Charlotte, but how could I know with one conversation, Raven would sink her hooks this deep into her? Deep enough to birth a new sixsome and a new sin.
They were sitting near the front, so I took a seat in the back. I had one eye on the hand Raven had hanging off Charlotte’s shoulder.
I scoffed. Raven probably told her the maze story, and spun some bullshit implying she was sad about being forced to kill her adopted sisters.
No doubt she left out the rest of the story. That Lord Zuriel actually adopted twenty-five young demon girls in the hopes of weeding out the most ruthless, and Raven murdered thirteen of them—unprompted and unprovoked—long before they were dropped in that maze.
I snapped my notebook out of the air, flipping open to the first page. Getting Charlotte away from the princesses would only happen if I won her back, and that flea-ridden mutt told me how.
Groveling 101
Step One: Gifts That She’ll Love & Shows You Care
I went up to Kazuya, Bruno, and Pravat after class let out. They snapped to attention like the sloth sluts they were.
“What’s up, boss? Did you change your mind?” Kazuya asked. “Now that the mortal bitch hates you, can we have her?”
“We’ve been dying to fuck her up since that wart-faced impostor rolled in here,” Bruno added. “Even better that she doesn’t want it. I love it when a filthy whore screams.”
Smiling, I clasped their shoulders. “’Fraid I’m not quite ready to give up on her yet. That’s why I’m here,” I heard myself say. “I need you three to help me get my future queen back.”
“Oh, cool.” Pravat shrugged. “So, same as last time? Putting on a show?”
I gestured for them to follow me. “I’ll show you what I have in mind.”
CHARLOTTE
“It’s not fair that your room is nicer than mine.” Ursula flopped on the bed, bold as she pleased. “Switch with me. Now.”
I rubbed my temples, eyeing the new additions to the room through my fingers.
For reasons I didn’t have to guess, the princesses have been attached to me all day.
I thought—hoped—they’d let up after dinner, but instead all five of them followed me right back to Ronin’s room and made themselves comfortable.
“It’s not my room,” I said. “And no.”
A knock sounded at the door. I went to answer it and found a large package with green wrapping paper and a purple bow waiting for me. Whoever delivered it was gone.
Bending down, I spotted the tag attached and flipped it over.
“From Ronin,” I read. “I choose you.”
“What’s that?” Ursula appeared over my shoulder, scaring the crap out of me. “Is it mine?”
“Of course it’s not— Hey!”
She snatched it up and carried it into the room, leaving me to chase after her.
“Stop,” I cried. “It’s from Ronin and I don’t want it. I’m taking it straight to the trash.”
Eris snorted as Ursula set the gift on the bed. “Don’t be ridiculous. You can’t throw it out without knowing what it is and if I want it.”
What the hell was wrong with these people?
“Open it, or I will,” Sauda said. “And then give it to me.”
I huffed out a heavy breath. My head was aching from all the excitement of that day, and my leg was about to shake off from the non-stop vibrations of the back-to-back-to-back calls I’d been getting since my announcement hit DeadDrop.
I checked a little while before, three hundred and twelve missed calls from the total four hundred and seventeen... were from Lucifer.
“Okay,” I barked. “I’ll open it if you five give me some privacy. You can even have it.”
“Sweet,” Kama chirped. “Let’s see it then.”
Stomping over, I tore off the bow and lifted the lid. Leaning over, I took one look inside—and screamed.
“Yeah,” Eris muttered, leaning away. “I’ll pass.”
RONIN
Charlotte’s screams echoed through the room.
“You gave her Pravat’s, Bruno’s, and Kazuya’s heads in a box?!” Tristan bellowed, throwing the whole dartboard set at me. “What the fuck were you thinking!”
I sent it flying away from my head. “I was thinking that there’s nothing women love more than the heads of their enemies! I even had brand-new gold-plated pikes picked out for her next gift!”
There was a faint thud from the mirror. That would be from Charlotte fainting in a room full of demonesses who could’ve caught her, but didn’t even try to.
“You fucking lunatic! How about next time you try hellflowers!”
“What the hell’s a woman going to do with a bunch of plucked weeds?!”
CHARLOTTE
Groveling 101
Step One: Gifts That She’ll Love & Shows You Care
Step Two: Grand Gesture
I woke the next morning on the floor.
Ursula and the others saw fit to leave after Ronin’s gruesome present was delivered, but they also saw fit to leave me unconscious on the floor while on the way out the door.