Princes of the Underworld

by Olivia Ash

  Tears welled up in her eyes, not just for finding something Blair had left, but for finding a clue that could help her find her sister. At least discover more of the secrets that she held. Sadie closed the book and held it to her chest. Now that she had found the daggers, the only thing she had to do now was find Mara.

  SADIE

  Sadie sat on her ebony bed, reading through the diary she had found with the mageblades in Blair’s stash. Both her shoulders had been patched up as soon as they returned to the fortress. The shooting pain from the wounds had gone and been replaced with a dull itch under the bandages. By morning, they would be completely healed.

  She had Mordecai to thank for that. Because after they got back, he asked for permission to peruse her vault of tomes and search for a particularly strong healing spell that would regenerate her injured tissues and speed the healing process. He had performed the spell himself, although she had noticed he stood a bit wobbly after. He had insisted he was fine, but Sadie knew he only pretended to be fine for her sake. But she was grateful for what he had done, and she definitely owed him.

  She wiggled her toes under the sheets as the fireplace on her right crackled and surrounded her with a comforting warmth. She flipped through the pages and read each of Blair’s entries—about the fights she had with various demons, about her fellow demon hunters that had betrayed her, and about all sorts of missions to steal relics and artifacts she supposed were rare and lethal.

  Her sister had lived such an eventful and dangerous life. Sadie read her sister’s stories like they were written by a renowned author. Her eyes flew through the words, and she gripped the journal’s edges harder than she should’ve. It felt like a fiction novel, but it was her sister’s life. And knowing the words were Blair’s truth made them even more impactful.

  After reading about Blair’s journey to the former demon queen’s tomb to steal the amulet, Sadie flipped through one more page of the journal to find the last of Blair’s entries. It was written the same day she found Blair in her apartment that night Mara tried to kill them. Sadie hesitated to read the entry at first, not wanting to finish the journal and lose that connection with her sister.

  For the first time, she truly understood what her sister had gone through, the lengths she had taken to protect Sadie and even strangers from the monsters that lived underground. Sadie wanted more of Blair’s words. She wanted to feel more connected to her sister. She hoped the last entry might have clues on where Blair could be, so she bit her lip and read it.

  The amulet rejected me. I know it doesn’t fuse with just anyone, but I never thought that I, myself, would be unworthy. Stealing it was a stupid idea. Because of it, I’ve made a bunch of new enemies. More than I already have.

  I can sense this won’t end well for me.

  Sadie turned the page, already knowing she wouldn’t find a continuation, but her heart felt heavier nonetheless. She absently turned the blank pages. She imagined her sister breaching that tomb alone then hiding somewhere in the underworld to wear the amulet, only to be rejected by it. Sadie wondered why her sister even wanted to wear the amulet in the first place. Did Blair want to become demon queen? Was that her intention? And if not, what was?

  As she turned the pages, her thoughts and endless questions were interrupted by a piece of paper falling on her lap. She set Blair’s journal aside and picked up the note that was folded in two. She opened it to see messily scribbled letters and dark brown smudges on the right side of the note. It looked like dried blood.

  She read it.

  Dear Sadie,

  She stiffened when she read her name. She sat up straighter and continued reading.

  If you’re reading this, I’m probably dead. Don’t come for me. Assume I’m gone and that I’m never coming back.

  Her hands began to shake.

  And I know you. You won’t listen. So, please stay as far away from this as possible. Some of my contacts are working for demons now, and I’m not sure which of them betrayed me.

  I don’t know who to trust anymore.

  Don’t trust anyone either, little sister. Please stay safe.

  The note’s edges crumpled from her grip. Blair couldn’t be dead. She read through the words over and over again, lingering on the last three words of the first sentence.

  I’m probably dead… I’m probably dead… I’m probably dead…

  Sadie’s vision blurred over the letters. She didn’t know what she was looking for as she kept re-reading the letter. For some reason, she just couldn’t move. And things couldn’t have ended like that.

  A knock sounded on her door. Her trance ended. She looked up and blinked her tears away. “Come in.”

  The door opened, and Damien entered her chambers. His lips were set in a grim line. He looked a bit grumpy. Sadie supposed it had something to do with her and Kaiser not mentioning Blair was her sister. Or maybe it was her injuries. Either way, she didn’t address his expression.

  She wasn’t in the mood for any of his complaints. Not now.

  “If you’re here to lecture me or anything, can we reschedule it?” Her voice sounded monotonous and devoid of energy even to her own ears.

  Damien must have noticed she wasn’t feeling quite well. He frowned, and his eyebrows drew down. “What’s wrong? Are you all right?”

  “I’m fine,” she said. Because she was always fine.

  Damien didn’t buy it. He approached her and looked at what she was still holding—Blair’s note to her. He read it and sat on the edge of her bed. Damien rubbed her back.

  “I’m sorry,” he said in a whisper.

  She looked into his eyes and smiled. She placed her hand over his and was grateful that he set aside his own emotions to cater to her bad mood. She wasn’t sure what she might have done if he didn’t arrive after she had read Blair’s letter. She might have burned her room to a crisp or something much, much worse.

  “I don’t know what to think,” she said.

  Damien brushed aside a lock of dark hair that strayed in front of her face and tucked it behind her ear.

  “When we lost Cedric,” he said. “It was like a hole grew inside my heart. It hurt too much. And the pain.” He shook his head. “It never really disappeared.”

  Sadie didn’t answer.

  “I’m sorry for getting mad at you,” he said.

  She squeezed his hand. She scooted closer, so she could lean her head against his shoulder.

  He wrapped his arms around her and continued, “The demoness that attacked you, she’s an abyssian, isn’t she?”

  “Yes.”

  “And she was after your sister, Blair Blackwood, not you.” Damien sighed. “I just wished you’d told me,” he said roughly, but his voice softened when he added, “I don’t want to lose you, Sadie.”

  She tilted her head back to look at him. He looked back at her and dropped one arm to intertwine his fingers with hers.

  His gaze grew stern. “Don’t keep information like that from me again.”

  She couldn’t help but smirk. “What are you going to do about it?”

  He growled. “Never ask such questions, Sadie. You might not like the answer.”

  She felt the need to challenge him. “And what answer will that be?”

  His look almost made Sadie melt. He didn’t answer, only stood and walked to the foot of the bed. He grabbed both her ankles and pulled down. She yelped. Damien removed his shoes and got on the bed, crawling until he was on top of her. He grabbed her wrists and pinned them above her head. She kept still.

  “This is your answer?” she asked, keeping eye contact with him. The blue of his eyes swirled into a bright red color. He bent down and kissed her neck. He traced a line of kisses from her collarbone to her shoulder where he gently bit. She gasped as tingles erupted from the bite. It still felt a bit tender from her past injury. Oh, but the pleasure was simply delicious.

  His gaze threatened to consume her. “Promise never to keep anything from me ever again.”

/>   Sadie opened her mouth to retort that it wasn’t his business, that it was her decision to make, but his eyes looked so serious. Pleading, almost. So, she didn’t say what she had intended. Instead, she felt the urge to agree.

  She wrenched a hand free and held his cheek, caressing his lower lip with her thumb. She smiled and whispered. “I promise.”

  In answer, he leaned down to kiss her. And boy, did he kiss her.

  His lips were sultry, powerful, addictive. She moaned against his mouth.

  He held her neck and let his fingers move down so he could caress her breast. She pressed her body against him, arching her back, wanting more. But when his hand drifted down to lift the hem of her skirt, she reached down and stopped him. She smirked.

  “As payment for that promise, I will stop you right now.”

  At first, he just stared at her with his crimson eyes, seeming confused, but then he began to laugh. “Such a cruel woman.”

  He kissed her again and she let him. She let him until she couldn’t feel her lips anymore. When that happened, she gently pushed him away and pecked the tip of his nose.

  “Let me breathe, will you?” she said, teasing.

  He smiled. “I wish I didn’t have to, but anything you want, my queen.”

  Damien lay on the pillows beside her, and she snuggled closer to him. She placed her head on his chest as his arms surrounded her. He kissed her forehead and his fingers began to absently trace circles on her arms. The little movements almost drove her crazy, and she debated whether she should let him continue with what he had started earlier.

  Sadie chased the thought away. No matter how much she wanted him, now wasn’t the time. Besides, her eyes were closing. After the empusa cave, going back to her apartment, and that fight with so many demon hunters, who wouldn’t feel exhausted?

  She placed her hand on his abdomen. Through his shirt, she traced tiny circles of her own. She heard him hum through her hair.

  “You’re powerful, you know,” he said.

  She smiled. “I know.”

  “I mean it.”

  She looked up at him and whispered, “I know.”

  “Everyone wants you. The whole underworld is after you,” he said. His arms tightened around her.

  What he said flattered her. She felt empowered. But at the same time, because of the way he said it, it felt like everyone wanting her unnerved him. And from the way he held her now, it felt like he was holding on to her for dear life, afraid he would lose her. She took his hand and kissed each of his fingers.

  “I’ll kill Mara myself,” he said. He nudged her hair with his nose. “I’ll prove myself worthy of you.”

  She didn’t say anything. It wasn’t because his declarations didn’t touch her. They definitely did. But she had no intention of relying on others to solve her problems. And she definitely wouldn’t let the men she was quickly falling for die in her place.

  Falling for.

  What was she thinking?

  But as she thought about it, she knew it was the truth. She was falling for Damien. She was falling for Kaiser, too, and Mordecai, and Steele.

  Maybe she had already fallen for them. Because in her heart, she loved them all. And instead of feeling rattled from that realization, it only filled her with newfound strength. She loved all four of them. And if she ever returned from killing Mara, she would ask all four to stay.

  Chapter Forty-One

  Sadie

  Sadie opened her wardrobe to dress for the day. All she had ever worn since arriving here were satin robes, chemises, and battle dresses. All that royalty stuff. She wondered if there were any casual, outdoor clothes hidden in here somewhere. The wardrobe was so huge, she only ever visited the main chamber and grabbed the first thing she saw.

  Her wardrobe had, in total, seven mahogany closet doors lining the walls in equal distances from each other, and their lengths extended from floor to ceiling. She hadn’t really opened any of them—it had completely escaped her mind—because of how busy things had been. She looked around the dark-walled and mirror-filled chamber, examining the lack of variety of the displayed clothes. Sleepwear, armor, and five skirts and shirts.

  That’s it.

  Perhaps the former demon queen always had a reason to prepare for battle and little time for recreational activities.

  She walked to the leftmost door and twisted the latch. She expected it to be a bit big, but she didn’t expect it to be a whole different room. Her breath caught in her throat. It was even larger than the main chamber.

  And this room’s cream walls were lined with rows of shelves containing shoes of all sorts. Stilettos, wedges, boots, sandals. She gaped as she took in the view. She approached one shelf and grabbed a pair of strapped sandals made of brown leather. She played with the small, brown tassels lining the ankle strap. She liked it so much that she took it with her when she exited the room and opened the second door. Each room was a collection of something. Sweaters, jackets, jeans, skirts, dresses, ballgowns, more armor and battle dresses, and jewelry.

  She had just inherited a wardrobe filled with thousands of clothes she probably wouldn’t be able to wear in her lifetime.

  But that wouldn’t stop her from trying.

  Sadie returned to the second closet to grab a smooth and flowy, off-shoulder top from the second closet and made her way to the third for a pair of tattered, denim, skinny jeans. She returned to the wardrobe’s main chamber to put them on.

  Back in Seattle, she rarely got the chance to dress up because of work. She mostly just wore her uniform, and during her days off, she would just wear the usual shirt, leggings, and sneakers because they were comfortable and practical. Especially during emergency calls.

  Now, she couldn’t contain her happiness. It was her dream come true.

  After putting on the blouse and jeans, she sat down on a soft, white futon. As she strapped on the brown sandals, she reached out for her connection with the fortress to call Hobson. And when she walked out of her wardrobe to her room, the butler was already there, standing beside her door.

  Hobson looked over her outfit and smiled. “You look dashing, Sadie.”

  She curtsied, even though she was wearing pants. “Why, thank you.”

  But she summoned Hobson to her room for a reason. Now that she had the mageblades, she had to know more about Mara, so she could plan on how to use the daggers.

  “Have you gained more intel on Mara the past few days?” she asked.

  Hobson shook his head. “Sorry, Sadie. It has been very difficult to track her.”

  Sadie frowned. “I see.”

  Hobson stood straighter and clasped his hands behind his back. “I sent more ifrits to gather information on her, but they haven’t found any, either.”

  “You what?” Sadie asked, her eyebrows shooting upwards. She wouldn’t have been surprised if any of the princes pulled something like this, acting behind her back after what had happened to the last ifrits she had sent after Mara. But this was Hobson. She never actually thought he would do something like this.

  The butler kept his eyes on her and said, “I know you didn’t want to send more ifrits out after what happened—”

  “You’re damn right,” she said, her words carrying a bite that caused Hobson to flinch.

  “But they are your subjects, and they were ready to serve you. They also wanted to do something to avenge their fallen comrades, and they were more than happy to have received the mission.”

  Sadie didn’t answer right away. If she had known that was how the ifrits felt, she would have agreed to let them go. She bit her lip. “Are they safe, at least?”

  “Don’t worry,” Hobson said. “All of them have returned safe and sound. They volunteered, Sadie. They are as furious with Mara as you.”

  Sadie sighed and glared at him. “I will let this pass, Hobson, but only as a warning. You are not doing anything behind my back ever again.”

  Hobson walked to her and placed a stony hand on her elbow. “
I’m sorry, please forgive me. You were so sad from brutally losing those ifrits to Mara that I thought you wouldn’t have allowed more to go. This won’t happen again.”

  Hobson was right. He should’ve told her what he had planned on doing. But she knew his intentions were good. He only wanted to help and give the ifrits a chance to avenge their fallen friends.

  Sadie sucked in a deep breath and smiled on the exhale. “I forgive you.” She looked at him pointedly. “But consider yourself warned, Hobson.”

  The butler relaxed. “Of course.”

  “You’re dismissed, then,” Sadie said. “I need to think.”

  When Hobson left Sadie to her thoughts, she went and sat in front of her vanity table and began to brush her hair. If neither Hobson nor her ifrit spies could gather more info on Mara, then she needed a new plan. She thought about all the resources she had. She had the mageblades, but they were useless if she couldn’t find Mara.

  She thought about the castle’s inhabitants. Her ifrit spies hadn’t found anything, and she doubted they would have more progress if she sent more, so just sending ifrits was probably not her best option.

  She could send the princes out to gain intel on Mara, but she doubted any of them would want to leave. She suspected none of them would volunteer to go out because that would mean leaving the fortress and, possibly, their chance to become her ally. Besides, she liked to think they had already sent out spies of their own to find Mara to earn her favor.

  Then, she thought of the south wing and the ghost of Hecate. It was probably a crazy idea, but what if Hecate knew about Mara or at least some spells that would help Sadie find the demoness?

  Technically, this was Sadie’s fortress now, so that ghost could be her resource. Her feet dragged her out of her room and through the hallways to the south wing. Before she knew it, she felt the familiar chill of the place. The lion heads along the walls always felt like they were watching her, and they definitely made her feel unwelcomed. She grimaced.