Chapter Eight
CHAPTER EIGHT
Val
I run to the front door and tug. The knob won’t turn. I yank at it with no luck. “Damn it, Theo.” He must’ve locked me in before teleporting.
My new little pal, Monty, stares expectantly at me.
I’m stuck in here unless I can find a way out.
“Let’s see if the demon lied about the suite giving me anything I want.” I glance up before the realization hits me that I’ve no idea how to summon or conjure or whatever they call it here. “Open the door,” I command the room.
Nothing happens.
“Open sesame?” I try.
Nope. Nada.
I glance at Monty, my gaze catching on the hint of gold on his ears and fur that matches his other form. If he can transform into a dragon, maybe he can magic our way out of here. “Want to give it a go?” I ask him.
He vanishes. Angry squeaks come from the other side of the door. I’m taking that as a sign Monty can leave, but he can’t help me. I’m stuck with whatever the room will provide.
Looks like I’ll need to blast the door open. Let’s hope Theo isn’t too attached to it. Or even better, I’d enjoy destroying something just to piss him off. “Might as well start with a bang. Send me a rocket launcher.”
A large case clatters to the floor next to me.
I flip open the latches to find a giant barrel and other random parts inside that I have no idea how to assemble. “Whoa.”
Someone knocks on the door.
Monty pops into the space beside me, back in dragon form. “Was that you?” I whisper.
The knock comes again.
“Val? It’s Nic, Theo’s crazy fangirl you met earlier. You in there?”
“It’s not as though I could go anywhere else,” I tell her through the door. “Your brother trapped me here and then poofed out. I can’t even open the door for you.”
“But you’re okay with me coming in?”
“Yeah.”
“Awesome.” She teleports inside.
“Wait, are demons like vampires? Do you need permission to enter?”
“First of all, we are superior to those bloodsuckers in every way except maybe the sex appeal because let’s face it, there are some seriously sexy fang faces.” She keeps going, and I don’t interrupt to point out that I’m pretty sure both she and Theo have fangs in their demon forms. Nor does she stop when Monty huffs a skeptical snort of smoke. “That whole you shall not pass was a human author’s invention, not an actual rule.”
“I think that line comes from a Lord of the Rings movie, not a vampire author.”
“Ooh, you know a vampire author? Hot .” She continues rambling as if it’s obvious I would agree when I’m still struggling to catch up with a crazy conversation where vampires are real . “But no, depending on the wards Theo set, I can probably pop in with no permission needed. Although I’d rather not catch you and my brother in full mating flagrante delicto.”
“What?”
“Getting your freak on.”
“Ew.”
“Precisely.”
“Your brother and I aren’t?—”
She cuts me off. “Yet. Fated mates can’t stay apart. It’s destiny.”
“Not happening.” I shiver even as Monty transforms into a warm and snuggly mongoose in my arms. “Whoever told Theo we’re meant to be must have mixed up their tea leaves or whatever.”
Nic tugs glitter-polished fingernails through her short hair. “Promise not to sic your soul guardian on me for telling you the truth?”
“Yes.” I won’t ask why she and Theo insist on acting like Monty’s the scariest badass in the room, not yet anyway. Although I might in the future if I can use the info against her brother.
“Theo doesn’t make mistakes when it comes to figuring out which mates belong together. He’s the premier matchmaker of monsters in all the realms. He even bested our mother.” Her tone goes sharp on the last.
So sharp that I imagine how my mother would seethe if one of her children surpassed her in the beauty business. I’ve logged enough hours in therapy to know I need to step lightly around a possible trauma wound. “How’d your mom take his success?”
“Not well. You know how your mom lost it on the show when one of the twins mouthed off to her in front of an important director?”
The memory makes my stomach burn. “As if I could forget. She banished the twins from free access to top-of-the-line beauty stuff for two weeks. Their social media ranking tanked, and they orchestrated a steam-in at a fancy spa in protest.”
“Picture your mom with supernatural powers and years to take her revenge instead of weeks.”
“Oh.” I hug Monty close. Maybe Theo and I have something in common after all. Shutting down any weird Stockholm syndrome sort of sympathy toward my kidnapper, I dial up the charm in hopes of finding a way out that doesn’t involve heavy artillery. Or at least gets me answers to this crazy demon dilemma I’ve landed myself in. “If your family and Theo have all this power, why won’t he help me go home? Or let me help search for my friends? I could ask your mom?—”
“Don’t.” Something strange and almost electrical seems to buzz off her skin with a static-cling snap as bold as her tone.
Monty hisses at her, and I consider doing the same given the change that came over a woman who called herself a fan of my family’s show. Maybe her love of the show doesn’t extend to me personally. What if I’m her most hated Bonetti?
Nic takes a breath, and the surge of energy licking along her skin calms. “My mother doesn’t give anything for free. We’re dealing demons, and she’s the most cunning there has ever been. She already made one deal with your family.”
A demon deal? What the hell?
Nonna’s horned hand and Halloween stories suddenly seem a lot scarier than they ever did before. Theo had said something about those stories being the truth. What if he wasn’t lying?
I move away from Nic—slowly. Without any idea what magic she might be slinging other than teleportation which seems pretty frickin’ huge, I don’t need to give her any reasons to attack. Nor do I want to remind her that I’m the defenseless human trapped here. But I need to know what kind of deal she’s talking about. Taking a seat on the couch, I invite her to take the one across from me. I keep my voice don’t zap me calm. “Your sister…she said something about our families being enemies.”
Nic watches Monty with a wary eye as if she expects him to do more than curl in my lap. “My mother made a deal with one of your ancestors?—”
It’s my turn to interrupt. “How old is your mom?”
“A few centuries.” She skips the details as if age that sounds like immortality doesn’t matter. “Anyway, your family bargained for beauty magic which led to riches and fame.”
My throat goes tight. “In return for the seventh daughter being cursed?”
“Then you know the story.” She relaxes against the cushions as though my question took a great weight from her shoulders. “But of course you do. Your grandmother talked about it on your family’s Halloween special.”
“I’m the seventh daughter.”
Her eyes go wide. “Shit.”
“Yep. The cursed one.” Unholy rage sizzles over my senses. “Because one of my ancestors thought it’d be fine for me to pay the price for their success. A bargain with a devil explains why my mother made millions before she turned eighteen, why my sister can’t make a mistake in the business world no matter what dumbass tactics she tries, why the twins are adored by absolutely everyone?—”
“You’re loved too.”
“Only by my friends. The ones I tricked and led to Theo so he could send them off to monsters or, worse, lose them. I have to get out of here.” I wave a hand toward the rocket launcher.
“While I appreciate the whole agent of chaos way you think, if you use that in a magical realm, there’s no telling what will happen. Best case scenario? You’ll only blow away part of this castle Theo converted to a sanctuary for those unfortunate enough to end up with someone other than their fated mate, those who found unhappily ever after. Not to mention Shadowvale—that’s the castle’s name—is alive, which means you’ll wound it for nothing more than doing what you asked.”
Ouch . I hadn’t stopped to think anyone else might be hurt in the blast, let alone a living castle. “Worst case?”
“The explosion triggers a disastrous ripple that not only destroys this dimension but echoes through the ones where your friends and family are as well.”
“Well, damn. I didn’t know a worst case scenario could take such a catastrophic turn.”
“On the bright side, Theo warded the suite up the ass so you can’t get hurt no matter what you conjure. It’s the only place in all the worlds where you’ll be safe. You met my older sister, right?”
“I did. Tall, blonde, and well-starched. Reminds me of my own big sister, Bree.”
Nic snort-laughs. “That’s Gilly. She’s terrifying.”
“The two of you don’t look much…” Rather than shove my foot farther down my throat, I shut up. Too late.
“Alike?” Nic shakes her head. “We’re demons. You’ve seen our human glamours. They adapt to suit the wearer. Think of it as our individual fashion sense. Gilly’s as put together as I am scattered. She’s investigating the portals and believes an ocean realm’s prince opened it.”
“A Prince Charming type?”
“Hardly. More like the evil little merman. Which is why Gilly and Theo are working so hard to find your friend. If he took her, he’ll keep her in his realm, and she’ll never have a chance of meeting her fated mate. They still don’t know which demon royal might’ve worked with the merman to force the portal. Until we do, a portal could open anywhere except here which means you’re at risk of being taken wherever you run.”
“I’ve already been kidnapped by your brother.”
“And brought safely to a suite in a magical castle that grants your every request. With a soul guardian allowed who’s dangerous to demons, no less.” She aims a look at Monty who does nothing more than twitch his ears in her direction. Flicking her fingers toward the band around my ankle, she adds, “You have a translator to interpret every language and a summoning sigil to call Theo. Besides, you signed the mating contract. You can hardly call it a true kidnapping.”
“I thought he was part of a taping for my family’s show.”
“Then let’s pretend you’re filming while Theo and Gilly find your friend. Wish up something fun from the suite like sheet masks, mascara, a bouquet of gorgeous flowers. As president of your show’s fan club in the hell dimensions, I know all your favorites. You can even ask for a chemistry set.”
“So I can blow up the living castle? If you’ve watched the show, you know my track record with creations going wrong and plants ending up dead. Welcome to your mother’s curse. It’s why they call me a jinx.”
She shrugs. “This is hell. The curse probably doesn’t work here.”
Monty chirps encouragingly, and I stroke a finger over his soft fur.
“Up to test it?” Nic asks.
“Not on anything explosive,” I tell her.
“All right.” She points toward a nearby table. “A Brimstone Bell bloom, please.”
A moment later, a large white flower in a golden pot appears where there was only an empty tabletop before.
I stand and move closer to inspect the blossom. “It’s gorgeous. I shouldn’t dare to touch it.”
“You won’t know unless you try,” Nic taunts, her voice singsong.
Telling myself I’ll jump away the second a single petal shrivels, I inch my fingertips toward the stem. Monty climbs to perch on my shoulder as my skin brushes a leaf. Nothing turns brown or droops, but that doesn’t prove much. My curse takes longer to kill pretty things, to make lovely petals wither and decay. Cradling the bloom in my hands, I inhale its sweet perfume. “What a beautiful?—”
A stranger blinks into the suite, the woman’s sudden appearance making me swallow the rest of what I’d been about to say. She’s an older, icier version of Gilly from her coiffed blonde hair to her corseted skirt suit to those skyscraper heels. I don’t want to think of how her pinched expression reminds me of Mom as much as Gilly gives off big sister Bree vibes.
“Nicolette,” the woman says, looking past me.
“Mother.” Nic scrambles to her feet. “I can explain. I only meant to borrow?—”
“Away,” the woman says and waves her hand. Nic vanishes.
My breath sticks in my chest, and the primitive part of my brain zooms into survival mode. This woman can literally disappear people. She’s clearly the biggest predator in the castle.
When Monty hisses at her, I tuck the mongoose close. I’m not risking my new furry friend to the wrath of Theo’s demon mommy dearest.
She smiles at him, but it doesn’t reach her eyes. No, her gaze remains cold and calculating. I don’t trust the—what did Nic call it? Glamour. Because there’s zero chance this woman’s real form has anything but a mouthful of fangs.
Her attention shifts from the mongoose to me.
“Relax,” she drawls, and the fake calm in her tone sends icicles shivering along my spine. Damn, I hate when people tell me to relax, but I’m not stupid enough to offer that opinion right now. Not that she gives me time to snark my way into an ugly death because she rushes to add in that Satan’s spa voice, “I’m here to offer you a deal.”