Cassidy was power hungry. She’d sacrificed her own people and her daughter, so it shouldn’t have surprised me when she made a grab for the glass. Kendra was quicker, though. She took the piece from me and jumped back.
Mom glared at Cassidy. “The spirits won’t be able to keep it up much longer. Cass, if you’re not going to help us, back away.”
She wasn’t giving up so easily. “Give me the glass. With it, I can trap him.”
I stepped between Kendra and her mother. “Your track record for backstabbing just shot through the roof. You think we’re going to hand over a chunk of über-magic? A minute ago you were willing to feed your only daughter to a demon for this thing.”
Cassidy stiffened, and a smirk spread across her lips. The expression of someone who holds all the cards. “You have no choice. I have the spell.”
“Are you kidding?” Kendra balked.
“Kendra, that glass will kill you. The power is too great. Give it to me.”
My friend faltered. To me, Cassidy was as transparent as air, but to Kendra, she was still her mother. Her coven leader. “Lorna was on to something. Helping people is a good use of the coven’s power.”
Gressil let out another roar. The spirits surrounding him were starting to wane, and it wouldn’t be long before he was free and lighting us up like Roman Candles.
“Kendra,” Mom said. She laid a hand on her shoulder. “We’re out of time. This is your choice. Give her the glass or absorb the power and trap Gressil in the box.”
“Please,” Cassidy pleaded. “I’m sorry. Give me one more chance. I will make you proud to be a Belfair.”
Lips pressed thin, Kendra sighed. “Lorna makes me proud to be a Belfair, Mom. Not you.” She lifted her hand and opened her palm, the small shard of glass in the middle. “Never you.”
She closed her fingers, making a fist around the glass, and brought it to her forehead. A blinding flash of light followed, and Kendra gasped, her entire body going ridged and pale. The sound of Cassidy’s scream as she charged forward was drowned out by Gressil, who was almost free of the prison. We needed to do this.
Now.
I reached for Cassidy as she lunged for Kendra, but she slipped past. It didn’t matter, though. Kendra had it all under control. She brought her hand away from her head and opened her fingers. The glass was gone. “Too late.”
It took more than that to derail Cassidy Belfair. She matched her daughter’s grin with a wicked one of her own, and folded her arms. “All that power didn’t help Lorna without the spell.”
“The spell. Good point. I’ll be needing that, too.”
Chapter Thirty-Two
Kendra placed her palm flat against Cassidy’s forehead. The skin beneath it glowed bright white, and with each moment that passed, the little ribbons of that light traveled down her fingers, along her arm, disappeared under the sleeve of her shirt before reappearing on the side of her face and seeping into the skin.
The center of her eyes turned gold. Cassidy gasped and stumbled away. “What—what did you—you took the spell. How did you do that?”
She opened her mouth, but Gressil’s scream cut her short. The spirits were almost all gone. There were only three remaining, and it was obvious they were struggling to keep him rooted—and they were losing.
“You will pay for this,” he roared.
“Blah, blah, blah,” I said. “You bad guys need new material.”
Mom smacked me across the back. “Don’t taunt the demon.” She turned to Kendra. “Can you do this?”
Kendra nodded and took a deep breath. “I think so.” She stepped around Mom and me, and walked over to the demon like she was marching down death row. Terrified. She was absolutely terrified.
I wasn’t the only one who noticed, either. The demon let out another roar. “Foolish child. Having great power doesn’t mean you can wield it. I am almost free, and when I am, you will beg for death.”
“You can do—” The rest of my pep talk was lost as the air was knocked from my lungs. Something black and massive hit me, and out of the corner of my eye, I saw Mom go down as well. Kendra screamed, and I managed to squirm onto my back despite the ten-ton weight on top of me. Hellhounds.
The one hovering above me snarled, snapping its jaws twice before throwing back its head and letting out an ear-bleeding howl. Thick, yellowish slime oozed from between its razor teeth. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t wiggle my fingers into my pocket where a quartz-tipped pocket knife sat in wait.
“Sorry, boy,” I said as calmly as possible. “No treats today. Come back tomorrow.” Or, yanno, never.
The demonic Fido wasn’t happy. Black lips pulled back, it opened its mouth wider and—howled in pain. Dad stepped from the shadows behind it, driving a blade into the back of the creature’s neck. The thing screamed and gagged, and the slimy yellow ooze dripping from its mouth turned red.
With a hard shove of his boot, the hound fell sideways, and Dad extended his hand to help me up. He was a mess. Covered in blood, his clothing was shredded, and he was missing a shoe. “You okay?”
I nodded, then remembered Kendra. She was backing away from Gressil as a hound approached. It crept low to the ground, slinking along with bared teeth and a wicked snarl. Dad and I sprang into action, but Lukas, who stepped from the shadows right behind the beast, got there first. He dove at the thing, tackling and rolling with it for several feet. Massive jaws chomped hard, and I was sure they’d latch on to something vital. His neck, just inches from the hound’s deadly teeth, would be nothing more than Swiss cheese when the beast was finished with him.
But Lukas, always surprising me, had it under control. As I watched in awe, he made a fist and punched through the demon’s chest. No… He’d shadowed through. “How the hell—” When he brought his hand back, it was covered in black blood, and in his hand was a roundish mass. The creature’s heart. Its eyes rolled back and body went still.
“In one piece?” I said, finally reaching Kendra.
She was staring at Gressil. “I can do this, but I need some time.”
“Not sure how much you’ll get,” Dad said. He turned and faced the clearing as another round of hounds stepped from the shadows. With a grin, and a wink at me, he called over his shoulder, “But we’ll see what we can do to cover you.”
And with that, he lunged forward to meet the next wave, Lukas on his left, and me on the right. Mom was charging toward us from the other side, where she’d just downed two of her own. With one last look over my shoulder to check on Kendra—she was in front of a still struggling Gressil with her eyes closed and lips moving furiously—I charged into the battle.
We fought them back, but they just kept coming. One after another, groups of snarling, drooling demonic dogs with a hankering for people parts. Dad crashed into one as it leaped at Mom. She didn’t notice. She was too busy gutting the duo that had just tried to take her out.
Lukas was fierce. He attacked the beasts with demonic vigor, the spark of excitement in his eyes reminding me of Dad.
For the moment, the coast was clear, so I rushed to check on Kendra.
Sweat beaded across her brow, and her breathing was slightly labored. “I can—I can feel the pull of the magic, but it’s—” She opened her eyes. “Mom’s right. I can’t do it. I’m not strong enough.”
“You are,” I said, taking her free hand.
Cassidy, who’d been watching silently from the sidelines, laughed. The sound of it sent chills down my spine and made me want to punch her all the more. “You’ve killed us all, Kendra. That demon will be free soon, and it will rip us all to shreds.”
“Then help her,” I demanded. “You’re willing to risk your own life because you’re pissed about the glass?”
She didn’t respond.
In that moment I had a new kind of loathing for the woman. I turned back to Kendra. “Just close your eyes and focus. Think of Lorna. Her strength and determination. Here, take my hand. Ma?”
Mom
ran up beside me, brushing chunks of hound from the front of her pants. I didn’t want to know. Okay, well, I did, but now wasn’t the time. I nodded to my hand in Kendra’s. Mom placed hers over top of it.
“Lorna and Charles had a son, Ken. Samuel Darker. We’re not witches, but Belfair magic is in our blood. Pull the strength you need from us.”
There was a moment of shock, and then her hand tightened around mine. What started as a barely there whisper steadily increased to a power-filled chant. My stomach churned, and a warm feeling erupted, then spread to all of my limbs. With each breath I took, I found it harder to stay upright. It felt like I’d just gone ten rounds with a demon, then launched into a sprinting match with a pack of werewolves.
My breath became ragged, and when I glanced over at Mom, she looked like she was in the same boat as me. Not Kendra, though. There was a pale light surrounding her, and her eyes were golden.
Gressil roared, then doubled over. The last spirit popped out of existence, but instead of coming forward and ripping our heads off, purple ribbons of light shot from the ground by the demon’s feet. They twined around, wrapping him like a loose cocoon. In a matter of seconds, they had him completely covered, and Kendra’s iron grip on my hand was the only thing keeping me on my feet. The purple ribbons pulsated, then turned a sparkling gold, looking more like rope. They tightened around the demon, and he dissolved into smoke.
For a second I thought we’d failed and Gressil had escaped, but the smoke danced in the air, then dove into the box.
I collapsed to the ground, vaguely aware that Mom had followed me down. The box lay in front of us, smoking, but it looked as though we’d won.
I took a deep breath and geared up to congratulate Kendra, when the ground rumbled. “Seriously? Can we ever catch a damn break?”
Mom was climbing to her feet with Dad’s help, and suddenly Lukas was behind me, dragging me off the grass.
Kendra took a step back. She still hadn’t taken her eyes off the box, and Cassidy, in turn, hadn’t stopped staring at her. It was like she was seeing her daughter for the first time. And if the expression on her face was anything to go by, she didn’t like what she saw.
A thunderous clap split the silence, and everything went dark.
Chapter Thirty-Three
The first thing I noticed when I could open my eyes was light. Lots and lots of annoying, bright light. I was seated in an ornate chair. Bright red with gold and green jewels. Next to me sat Dad, with Mom on his right. Kendra and Lukas were on the other side. No sign of Cassidy. The ceiling was vaulted, and if it hadn’t been for the visible support beams, I would have sworn it wasn’t there at all. There were stars as far as the eye could see.
“Admiring my ceiling?” a voice asked. Lucifer strode into view. Behind him, by the door, was Valefar. “I’m fond of the stars, aren’t you, Valefar? We don’t have them here. Pity.”
Here. The only place I knew of that didn’t have stars was the Shadow Realm. I stood and took a step forward. “Please,” I said. “Don’t freak about us stealing the prison. We were only—”
Lucifer snapped his fingers. Suddenly I was in the seat again.
“Your methods, while unconventional, and dare I say dangerous, worked. Gressil is back in his cage.”
“We obeyed your command,” Dad said from his own ugly chair. Unlike me, he didn’t try getting up. “I aided in rescuing the Belfair witch, not Gressil’s recapture.”
Lucifer turned to Dad. “You’re actions are not in question, Damien.”
Mom, however, stood. Yep. I was my mother’s daughter through and through. “Then whose are?”
Lucifer’s gaze fell on Mom, and I held my breath. Dad did, too. But instead of being angry, the King of Hell smiled. “Klaire Darker. It is an honor to have you in my home.”
Mom wasn’t impressed. “And why are we here?” A swell of pride rushed through me. My mom. Badass, even in the face of Lucifer himself.
“Klaire,” Dad whispered. He alternated between watching Lucifer and glaring at Valefar.
“It’s all right, Damien. I like a woman who speaks her mind.” He paced back and forth in front of the chairs, hands clasped behind his back. “Maybe you’re here because I wanted to congratulate you on a job well done.”
“Maybe,” Mom said. “But that’s not the reason.”
Lucifer grinned. “Actually, it is. In a manner of speaking.” He began to pace from one side of the room to the other. “As I’m sure you know, the Shadow Realm has rules. Rules that I take seriously. A house without rules will end up in chaos. Damien came to me recently and asked me to break two of those rules.”
I knew I shouldn’t interrupt—especially, of all people, Lucifer—but my lips were moving before I could think twice. “You’re letting me out of my contract with Valefar?”
Lucifer frowned, and when I glanced over at Val, even though I knew it was my imagination, he actually looked hurt. “There is nothing I can do about that. In the Shadow Realm, you are considered of age. You made that deal having knowledge of its pros and cons. You are tied to it. No, Damien asked me something else. Something that I denied him because I felt it would, in the end, be detrimental to our house.”
Dad stood. He kept his expression neutral, but there was still a hint of shock.
“As a thank you, for recapturing Gressil, I am going to reverse my decision.” He turned to Dad. “Damien, Master of the House of Pride, your request is granted.”
“I’m confused. How—” A flash of light cut through the room, and when I could see again, we were all back in the clearing. “How does him granting his favor say thank you to us?” I finished. “I really hate when demons do that.”
“Damien,” Mom said slowly. It was dark, but the moon was full. She was standing a few feet away next to Kendra, and she didn’t look happy. “I want to know what’s going on.”
Dad took a step toward her. There was sadness in his eyes. “I love you, Klaire. I knew from the moment I saw you that you were different from other humans.” He took a step back, out of the moonlight, and melted into the shadows. When he reemerged, he was standing in front of her. “But there are rules I must live by. Unbreakable rules that forbid me from tying myself to a human.”
Hell in a hailstorm…
He faded into the darkness again, and when he reappeared, this time he was behind her. His right hand lay flat against the ground when he went down on one knee with his head bowed. His left was curled around something dark. “I approached Lucifer with a loophole. One that might allow me…” His head rose, and he opened his fist. In the center of his palm was a small silver circle with a glinting black stone. “Klaire, of the Darker Clan, I ask you to bind yourself to me for eternity. To be mine and mine alone until the sun no longer rises above this world.”
Mom blinked once and then again. “Did you just—did you just ask me—”
Dad stood and slipped the ring onto her finger. “Marry me, Klaire.”
Chapter Thirty-Four
As far as weeks go, this one had been a doozy. I’d officially started collecting on deals for Val, we’d been threatened by a demon with a grudge, put on notice by the ruler of Hell, and as of yesterday, my parents were getting married.
About damn time.
I’d talked to Kendra earlier. She still hadn’t found her mother. After we’d gotten zapped to the Shadow Realm by Lucifer, Cassidy disappeared. I was sure nothing funky had happened, and Kendra wasn’t worried, either. Her mother was probably just laying low. She’d betrayed the entire coven, as well as the Belfair name. That wasn’t going to go down without serious repercussions. Kendra said she was okay with it all—her mother did it to herself, after all—but I still worried that when the time came, she’d have a hard time with it. The mantle of coven leader fell to her shoulders by default, and she was going to take some time to sort things out before making it official. I couldn’t blame her. She was terrified to take on that much responsibility.
I trudged up the stairs f
rom the office to the apartment. Mom and Dad were off doing God-knew-what to celebrate, and Lukas, being the gentleman that he was, refused to be here while they were away. After what happened between us in the cave, I had a feeling he was worried about his control. Or, maybe it was my control he questioned. Either way, that’s what I assumed until I pushed through my bedroom door.
“Been waiting for you,” Lukas said. He was propped against the windowsill on the other side of the room, wearing a mischievous grin.
I smiled, glad I’d been wrong. What good was having a boyfriend who could shadow if he wasn’t willing to pop in for some midnight smoochies? “Have you?” Pulse quickening, I made my way across the floor. “And why’s that?”
I stopped a few feet away. He pushed off the sill and came forward. With a deep breath, his gaze skimmed my body from top to bottom. “I’ll admit it. I came to talk to you, but now that you’re standing in front of me…”
I took his hands and wrapped them around my waist. All the things that cave demon said bounced around inside my head. “I know what you mean,” I whispered, kissing him lightly.
“I don’t know how Damien does it,” Lukas said, gaze settling on my lips. He tightened his arms around me, fingers tugging at the back belt loops of my jeans. “If it’s normal to be this…charged up…all the time, how do he and Klaire keep their hands off each other?”
Ick. Not a place I wanted to go. “Way to kill a mood, Grandpa.” I laughed.
Some of the heat in his eyes evaporated, replaced by that familiar spark of sweetness I loved so much. He took a breath and let go of me, stepping away. I wanted to argue, but it was for the best. As much as he wanted me, I wanted him, too. With a ferocity that scared me. I was half demon and was blown away by the intensity. I couldn’t imagine how he felt.
“I want you to know that I can control it,” he said. He took my face between his hands. “I lo—I’ve made it clear how I feel. All of you, Jessie. I’m here for all of you. I may be something darker than human, but I was that when you met me. Not merely a man, but something tainted. You’re the brightness in all that. I will be honorable for you.”