Death Kissed (Nightworld: Court of Magic Book 1)

by J. N. Colon

  “Shut up,” I hissed, jerking my chin in their direction. “Lookouts.” I uttered a spell under my breath that would block them from sensing our powers. Hopefully.

  Understanding my intentions, the prince stepped closer until our arms brushed. “Think they spotted us?”

  I chanced a peek over my shoulder to find the figures still aimlessly milling about. “No.” A breath blew out of my mouth, and I released my tight grip on Caleb’s hand. “I think we’re good.”

  His shoulders remained rigid as we continued down the sidewalk, and the tension continued to thicken. The talk of Illyria and Maleor Suprema had put a wall between us again.

  My family had killed his.

  The booming music of Pulse saturated the air the further we walked, reminding us of our primary goal. We had to get close enough to find a target without being detected.

  “Over here.” Caleb tugged on my jacket before letting his hand fall back to his side. “I saw one alone with a human.”

  I picked up the pace and followed him around the corner of a closed storefront. A line of cars shined in the city lights like polished jewels made for giants. A young couple jogged toward one, the headlights flashing as the guy pressed the unlock button on the key fob.

  Caleb and I traded looks, agreeing to the unspoken plan hatching between us.

  And just like that, the wall between us crumbled as we dived headfirst into our mission. We’d worry about bad blood later.

  The prince dashed to the left while I went right, cutting off the couple before they made it to the car.

  “Sorry to interrupt your night.” I stepped directly in their path. “You’ll thank me later, though.”

  The raven-haired beauty stopped dead in her tracks. “I-I don’t have any cash. Just let us go.”

  Caleb scoffed and grabbed the guy from behind, whirling him around. “Oh, sweetheart, if we wanted money, we’d rob your boss.”

  “Get off me, dude!” The male could have been a football linebacker, but he struggled uselessly in Caleb’s arms. “I’ll kick your ass.”

  I lifted my hands as the girl tried to slip by me, purple crackling on my fingertips. “Not so fast, demon. We need to have a word with you.”

  Her electric blue eyes narrowed, flickering around for an escape route. She wasn’t getting past me. And she knew it.

  Caleb’s glamour finally took hold of the human guy, and he stopped fighting. “Get into your car and go home. Forget you ever saw the three of us.” He shoved the guy into the white SUV, slamming the door closed before clutching the demon’s arm. “Let’s go.”

  She didn’t even fight as we drew her into a deserted alley, dodging beer cans, broken bottles, and sludge coating the pavement.

  A shiver rippled down my back. I didn’t want to know what was growing or living in those moldy cardboard boxes.

  Caleb roughly pressed her into a brick wall, startling a stray cat that shot out of a broken crate and took off toward a collection of trash cans. “Where’s the queen?”

  A barking laugh escaped the demon’s overly glossed lips. “Like I know. I’m just a tiny underling.”

  “Maybe a little torture would shake your memories clear.” A sinister smile twisted Caleb’s lips. “I know how much you demons like torture.”

  Something dark swirled through Caleb’s voice, an unbridled rage clawing through every syllable. The fine hairs on my arms rose. He wasn’t even that scary the night we met.

  I rested my hand on his shoulder, angling him away from the demon. “We don’t have time for that.”

  Caleb’s head swiveled in my direction, the harsh lines in his face softening. “Are you sure?”

  Nodding, I stepped between them. A sour taste lingered on my tongue, but my death powers played a necessary part in our plan. The demon watched me, the color draining from her face as I lifted my hand.

  “The longer you resist, the closer to death you’ll be.” I laid my palm on her cheek, accessing the terrible magic that dwelled deep inside. “Where is the demon queen?”

  A gasp slipped out of her, and fine tremors ran the length of her body. Black veins melted over her suddenly pallid flesh.

  My lids drifted shut as I lowered the steel wall blocking her memories. Images flooded in like a film reel on high speed, playing a movie of torment, torture, sin, and lust. This demon enjoyed every aspect of her wicked existence. Souls riddled with confusion and doubt were her favorite to feast on.

  But nothing of Cyria’s location came. The demon—Sybil—barely had any contact with the queen besides a few brief moments of communication.

  I pried my hand off her cheek, and Sybil slumped against the wall. “She doesn’t know anything.”

  Caleb cursed and raked his fingers through his hair, chewing relentlessly on his bottom lip. The alleyway filled with the demon’s ragged breathing and the crunch of glass and gravel as the prince paced.

  My fist quaked by my side as the urge to punch something flowed through my bloodstream. What the hell were we going to do now? I’d gambled on finding a demon that would at least have some idea of where Cyria could be hiding.

  “She’s lying.” Caleb glared daggers at the shivering demon.

  Sybil frantically shook her head, tossing raven strands around. “I don’t know where the queen is. I’m a nobody. I’m not privileged enough to have that kind of information.”

  “I’m not buying it for one second, sweetheart.” Caleb turned to me, his fingers curling around my arms. “I’m a fae, and we don’t technically lie, but we’re the best at twisting words until there’s barely any truth in it.” He jerked his thumb toward the demon. “I know that trick when I see it.”

  The certainty in Caleb’s face had my stomach clenching. If Sybil was trying to keep the truth buried inside, I’d have to push a little harder.

  The death raker in me cheered.

  But my soul cowered.

  “I guess we’ll have to do this the hard way.” I stepped away from Caleb and yanked the demon off the wall. “I gave you a chance. Now you’ve signed your death warrant.” My palm latched onto her cheek, and this time my death powers slammed into her like a tidal wave.

  Sybil shrieked as I took hold, and her life quickly began to fade. When her memories plowed into my mind, I slowed them to search for any sign of the demon queen.

  The inside of a dilapidated building materialized, hazy moonlight filtering in through busted windows. Rotting wood boarded up the rest. Cyria paced along the grimy cement while a few other demons roamed the perimeter. She continued to glance toward a woman perched in a folding chair, tapping her boot against the metal leg. Her wild mane of auburn hair turned orange under the dingy bulbs hanging from the rafters.

  The necromancer.

  My pulse doubled. “Where is this?” I spoke out loud, urging the demon’s memories to give me more.

  The images shifted, pulling back from the scene to reveal the gold and black art deco accents of Toliver Tower in the distance.

  I shivered at my own memories of that place.

  A passing car shined headlights on a street sign that read Marquette Avenue. The rest of the location filled in, displaying a seedy, rundown area in demon territory known as Glen Gardens.

  Cyria held the necromancer captive in an abandoned warehouse on the corner of Marquette and Turner.

  I yanked my hand off the demon and stumbled into a warm, hard form. Arms wrapped me in a tight embrace as the alley spun. The high of using my death powers sank through my veins like a drug. I hated it only slightly more than I liked it, a secret I’d take to the grave.

  When my vision finally cleared, Sybil slumped on the ground, pale-faced and unconscious.

  But not dead.

  A shaky breath spilled from my lungs. “I know where Cyria has the necromancer.”

  Caleb whirled me around. “Are you sure?”

  That particular building had been deserted even before the war. “As sure as a witch casting a fire spell for the hundredth time.”


  His lips quirked into a half smile. “I’m going to assume that’s a yes.”

  “We better hurry.” I untangled myself from him and surveyed the demon over my shoulder. “What should we do with her?”

  Caleb lifted his hand, his eyebrows dipping as he concentrated. The glamour tickled over my skin right before Sybil disappeared. “No one will see her for the next few hours unless they touch her.”

  I grabbed his hand and pulled him out of the alley. “Cyria’s holed up in a vacated warehouse in Glen Gardens.”

  We took off, running as fast as we could toward the west side of demon territory, keeping to the shadows and back streets. A few more demon lookouts lingered along rooftops and on corners, but luckily, we spotted them first and took cover.

  When Cyria’s hideout finally came into view, we halted and leaned against the rough, chilly wall of a laundromat positioned across the street. Eroding corrugated metal scraps had tumbled around the outside of the expansive warehouse. The large letters spelling out Paint and something else unrecognizable had once been a part of the facade.

  Caleb pointed to the boarded-up storefront down the street. “Let’s get on that roof and see what we’re dealing with.” He led the way toward a rusted ladder tacked to the brick wall on the side, allowing me to climb up first.

  The metal rungs creaked with every step closer to the worn cement ledge, each light tremor or pop a threat to send us plummeting to the pavement. The fall wouldn’t kill either of us, but it would hurt like a son of a bitch.

  My breath blew in frantic puffs by the time I stepped onto the roof, my boots digging into the loose gravel stretching across the cement. “We better stay hidden in case she has spotters close by.”

  Caleb lithely vaulted over the ledge and ducked down, pointing to an air duct return. “We’ll take cover there to get a better view.” He patted his left pocket. “I’ve got something that’ll help.”

  We skulked several feet across the roof, our boots crunching lightly on the pebbles until we made it to the large metal unit that had long since rusted beyond repair. Caleb withdrew a small pair of sleek black binoculars, lifting them to his eyes.

  “They’re imbibed with earth magic.” His head swiveled left and right as he scanned the warehouse. “You can peek through walls as long as they’re made from a derivative of the earth.”

  Talk about a handy gadget.

  I nudged his shoulder. “Let me see.”

  Caleb passed them over. “It’s not a perfect view, but it’s good enough.”

  The rippled metal wall melted away, and shapes emerged within the large open space. Cyria still paced back and forth with agitated movements while several demons walked the edges and stood guard at each exit.

  When more details surfaced through the binoculars, my heart plummeted to the soles of my Doc Martens.

  “The necromancer is preparing a wakening spell.” Unlit candles formed a massive circle in the middle of the warehouse floor while more trailed toward a corner of the room. A thick grimoire lay open on a table cluttered with several jars and vials of ingredients. “We have to get to her quickly.”

  Caleb took the binoculars and stared through them for several long moments as he gnawed on his lush bottom lip.

  Ugh. Enough with the lush lips.

  “We should create a distraction.” He dropped the magical device to his side. “I can wield elemental magic and catch the building on fire.”

  I scrutinized the derelict outside for entry points. “And then we can use the smoke to separate the necromancer from the demons. We’ll sneak in through that busted window on the left—the one without plywood—and grab the witch.”

  “Sounds like a good plan, but you have one little problem.”

  I whipped around at the unfamiliar voice, my magic rising and poised to attack.

  When more than a dozen demons slithered onto the roof, their glamours dropping to unmask hideous creatures straight from the pits of hell, the fight drained from my body.

  We had more than one little problem. We were screwed.

  Cyria’s soldiers had us surrounded. And their burning eyes reflected nothing but bloodlust and murder.

  Chapter 26

  Sweat trickled down my nape as the swarm of demons closed in around Caleb and me. A few snapped their jaws, releasing a spray of fetid saliva into the icy air.

  Flesh eaters.

  “Come with us willingly, and you’ll both get to live.” The tall demon in the center let his glamour fade, revealing the ghastly monster beneath. Sharp spikes speckled his arms like a jagged mountain range. “Or better yet, maybe I’ll just kill the fae prince and keep the sweet little witch.” His forked tongue flicked between a pair of thin lips.

  Caleb pressed his side into mine as he cracked his knuckles and rolled his shoulders. “This is going to be fun. It’s been a while since I had a challenging fight.” That cocky smirk melted over his lips. “Except for you in that alley, Rose Thorn.”

  “Now is not the time for your overzealous ego, Tinkerbell,” I muttered under my breath. “We’re seriously outnumbered.”

  His humorless chuckle prickled my skin. “Now’s the perfect time.” A luminescent sheen spilled through Caleb’s irises as he accessed his elemental power.

  But nothing happened. Not one ounce of his familiar magic infused the air.

  A pit of dread tore open in my gut. Fuck. Cyria’s collection of mystical items flashed through my mind. “They must have a talisman or charm to block your elemental magic.”

  “Get them!” The horned demon yelled, sending a flood of figures scurrying toward us.

  Caleb yanked the sword off his back, whipping it through the air like someone who was born to wield it. “I don’t mind doing this the old-fashioned way.” He easily lopped off the head of an approaching demon.

  Violet sparks crackled over my fingertips as I lifted my hands, shooting bolts of magic at the demons. At least my powers still worked.

  The first wave of Underworld creatures flew back, crashing into the others like giant bowling pins.

  “Nice!” Caleb flashed a grin before dashing forward and slicing the horns off another demon.

  Some remained in human guises while others were happy to drop their glamours. A female sporting golden curls like Link’s launched herself at me, long talons reaching for my throat.

  My heart crashed against my ribs as I dodged her hit and landed in a crouch. I ripped the knife off the holster on my leg and spun, stabbing her heart.

  Black blood oozed out of the wound, and she stumbled back, the blade still lodged in her chest. “Bitch!”

  Only decapitation—or my death power—would kill a demon, but a shot to the heart would slow one down.

  Saliva dripped from her mouth as her spindly fingers wrapped around the hilt to tug the blade out. “I’m going to eat your eyeballs first.”

  Just gross.

  Before she could yank the knife out, I gathered an energy ball and tossed it at her. She slammed into another demon, both crashing to the ground.

  A sharp pain lashed at my side.

  Son of a bitch!

  My hand flattened on my torso as wetness bloomed across my tank top.

  “You cut right open like soft butter.” A chubby demon flashed a broad smile, every one of his teeth sharpened to points. He stuck his fingers in his mouth, licking my blood off his talons. “Hmm.”

  A bunch of flesh-loving freaks riddled this group.

  “That’s the last of me you’ll be tasting.” With the flick of my hand, he hit the ground, gravel exploding into the air like tiny missiles.

  I pivoted to dodge a swipe of claws. Where the hell was Caleb?

  A boisterous laugh echoed between the grunts and growls, and the prince appeared, easily dispatching a demon.

  He really didn’t need his powers to kick some ass.

  Caleb whipped around, his sword taking off another head and then another, black blood dripping from his blade. Dark hair threaded with
silver strands tumbled over his forehead, and his eyes blazed through the night. He was in his element, having the time of his life.

  And then his rakish grin dropped. “Thorn!”

  His warning didn’t reach me fast enough, and my body went airborne. My lungs froze, and I had no time to react before an air duct return got way too close for comfort.

  Pain exploded across the right side of my forehead, a kaleidoscope of red and white stars flashing. I bounced onto the ground and received a mouthful of gravel.

  Oh, gods. I didn’t even want to know what kind of sludge had grown around the bits of rock and dirt over the years.

  Thunderous ringing drowned out the chaos of the battle as blackness converged over my vision. The metallic tinge of blood burned in the back of my mouth.

  Warts on a witch, that hurt.

  My hands pressed into the ground as I tried to lift myself, sharp rock fragments digging into my palms. The roof spun, and my stomach clenched.

  I needed to get up and find Caleb. We had to get the hell off this building.

  We needed help.

  I snatched the phone out of my pocket, my heart plummeting right along with any hope. The black device was crushed, random plastic bits dropping to the ground.

  Caleb’s phone could still be intact.

  As I searched for my partner, two demons marched in my direction.

  Enough of this!

  Magic rushed through my insides, and purple bands of electricity twisted around my arms as I sat up. “You’re really starting to piss me off.” I heaved the strands at the two approaching creatures, catching them around the legs.

  Angry snarls curled out of their mouths as they tried to use their talons to tear out of my hold.

  “You’re wasting your time.” I wrenched my arms back, gritting my teeth against the sharp pain ripping through my wound, and yanked them to the other side of the roof. They crashed into the cement ledge before rolling off the building.

  I wiped sweat from my brow and stood, choking back a bout of nausea. Where are you, Caleb?

  Only a handful of demons remained. And one of them crouched over an unconscious form while sucking a wispy, iridescent cloud right out of his mouth.