by Sarah Bailey
“Hello,” she said in a low, sultry voice. “Are you lost?”
Dani had no idea if they were or not.
“We’re looking for Candace.”
The woman’s eyebrows shot up.
“Did you come through the portal? Shit, he’s going to throw me in the pit for this.”
Jamie squeezed Dani’s hand. She hadn’t realised how much she was shaking until that moment.
“Yes… Um, look, we really didn’t mean to intrude or come here unannounced, but it’s quite important. We really need to speak to Candace.”
The woman nodded slowly.
“Right, who are you exactly? Not often I find strangers in my Lord’s private rooms.”
“My name is Princess Dandelion Farlane. I am the daughter of the King of the Fae. I know Candace, a little anyway. She was meant to marry my brother, but that’s not why I’m here.”
“And he is?”
“Jamie, he’s my… partner.”
The woman looked a little taken aback, her eyes flicked down to where Jamie and Dani’s hands were entwined.
“Right, okay. Well, if you wouldn’t mind coming with me, I’ll see if I can get you an audience with Candace. My Lord really isn’t going to be happy about this.”
She began to walk towards the double doors at the end of the hallway. Dani and Jamie followed behind slowly.
“I’m nervous,” she whispered.
“It’ll be okay. I’m sure it’s unwise to piss the Devil off, but we don’t have another choice.”
The woman didn’t knock at the doors, she just flung one of them open.
“My Lord, there are some people to see Candace… Oh, fuck, I’ll… I’ll come back later,” she said.
She turned, her eye’s wide and put a hand over her mouth as she walked back out into the hallway. The door slammed shut behind her. Dani wondered what the woman had seen.
“I think that’s going to be branded into my mind for the rest of eternity. Right, you two better come wait in my office in this case. Trust me when I say you really don’t want to go in there right now.”
Dani looked up at Jamie who grinned wickedly. He leant down, his mouth pressed to her ear. “Want to bet she walked in on them fucking?”
Her face felt hot instantly. She knew all too well what it felt like to be interrupted what with Gavin ripping Jamie off her earlier that evening.
“Jamie,” she hissed.
He laughed as the woman walked back towards the door she’d originally left by and opened it, gesturing to the two of them to enter. Jamie tugged her into the room. Practically everything in it was purple. They took a seat in the two chairs in front of the woman’s desk whilst she sat behind it.
“I’m sorry, I haven’t properly introduced myself. My name is Mallmomoz, although most call me, Mall. I’m Lucifer’s assistant.”
“The Devil has an assistant?” Jamie asked.
Mall nodded slowly. Dani had no idea what to say. This all seemed surreal, them being in Hell chatting casually to Lucifer’s demon assistant. She felt like any moment Lucifer could storm in here and that would make their lives worse.
“I do many things for my Lord. Things have been quieter since Candace arrived. I should really refer to her as my Lady, but she hates titles.”
“That sounds like Candace,” Dani said.
Jamie reached for her hand, entwining their fingers together. His smile made her heart thump. Having him with her made her feel a little braver.
The door to Mall’s office swung open. All of them looked over at the noise. Candace strode in, her blonde hair a little ruffled and her shirt buttons not quite matching the right holes.
“Sorry, Mall, we got a little carried away…”
When she spied Dani and Jamie she paused.
“Dani?”
Dani stood up, folding her hands in front of her.
“Hi… I know I’m probably the last person you expected to see, but I had to come.”
Candace didn’t speak for a long moment, eying Dani steadily.
“I suppose you should come with me.”
She walked out of the room without checking if they were following. Jamie hauled himself up from his seat, took Dani’s hand and the two of them left the room, with Dani waving at Mall. They walked with Candace into a large living area. She indicated they could sit down on one of the two large leather sofas. Candace sat across from them, her violet eyes flashing with resignation.
“How is your prick of a brother?” she asked.
Dani stifled a smile.
“Still the same old Theo. For what it’s worth, I’m glad things didn’t work out. You deserve better than him.”
Candace smiled.
“What can I do for you? I imagine you didn’t come here for small talk. How did you get here anyway?”
Dani looked at Jamie.
“Um… Alistair helped me.”
Candace shook her head and rolled her eyes.
“That explains everything. Right, what shit is happening up on Earth? Because I assume something has gone tits up.”
Dani sighed before settling down to explain the events of the past few months since Candace had left. How her father took the throne, the unrest in the community and last of all, how Questor had tried to kill her. Candace listened intently, her expression growing grimmer by the minute.
“I thought he wanted the throne to go to you, but he wants it for himself. I’m concerned he will stop at nothing to go to war with my father. War for the fae would be disastrous.”
Candace sat back, looking down at her hands.
“You want me to formally renounce the throne.”
“I hope you will, but I understand if you won’t. I know the fae have not treated you kindly.”
Before Candace had a chance to respond, the door behind them slammed back on its hinges. Dani looked back, finding herself completely in awe by the man striding towards them. He really looked like darkness personified.
Lucifer.
She reached for Jamie’s hand, holding it tightly in hers. The very sight of the Devil both intrigued and terrified her at the same time. Candace stood up, walked around the sofa and stopped him in his tracks.
“Don’t,” she said. “It’s okay. I know Dani.”
His dark eyes flashed. Dani edged closer to Jamie, who’s silver eyes were intent on Lucifer.
“How did they get in here?”
“They may have used our portal. It doesn’t matter how they got here. What matters is I need to return to Earth.”
Lucifer looked over at Dani and Jamie with narrowed eyes.
“Why?”
“To go deal with the mess I left up there.” She reached up, cupping his face. “Dani came to tell me war will break out if I don’t go.”
There was silence for a long moment.
“I never imagined I’d meet the Devil,” Jamie whispered to Dani.
“All sorts of weird shit has happened to us in the past few months,” she whispered back.
He nodded. Dani didn’t think her life could get more bizarre.
Lucifer calmly pressed Candace to the side and walked over to them. He looked over Dani and Jamie for a moment.
“You, I understand.” He pointed at Dani before turning to Jamie. “But you… You made a deal with a demon, no?”
Jamie’s grip on Dani’s hand became unbearable as the words fell out of Lucifer’s mouth.
“Jamie… that hurts,” she said, trying to pull her hand out of his.
He let go abruptly, giving her an apologetic look. Dani wondered for a moment how Lucifer would know about Jamie’s association with a demon, then she remembered he was the Devil.
“Yes,” Jamie said. “A long time ago, but it still stands.”
Lucifer gave him the once over.
“What were the terms?”
Jamie looked at his hands.
“An eternity of service in exchange for the power to break the bond between sire and child.”
; Lucifer’s fists clenched at his sides. Dani looked at Jamie. Why would he want to break the bond between him and his maker? Something niggled at her. Jamie said he’d only taken a life once. Could this be a part of that?
“The term of service is always ten years,” Lucifer said, his dark eyes glowing with fury. “Who is the demon you contracted with?”
“Her name is Selene. She is somewhat obsessed with me. I didn’t come here for that, though. I’m here because of Dani.”
The Devil looked over at Candace.
“Whilst you are there, you can deal with this little problem too. Be sure to send Selene my personal regards.”
“What do you want me to do with her?” Candace asked.
Lucifer smiled.
“As her queen, you can do what you wish, but she cannot continue to flout Hell’s rules without punishment.”
Candace nodded, looking at Dani and Jamie.
“Shall we return to Earth?”
Chapter Twenty Two
The three of them stepped back out of the portal into Hyde Park. It was still night, which put Dani’s mind at ease. At least they hadn’t been gone long. They had a lot to accomplish before the sun rose.
“So, who do we pay a visit to first?” Candace asked.
Dani looked at Jamie who shrugged.
That’s super helpful!
She looked up at the sky if that held the answers. Why did it have to be separate? Couldn’t they kill two birds with one stone? As soon as the thought entered her head, she knew exactly what they needed to do.
The shrill sound of a phone ringing startled the three of them. Jamie pulled out his phone.
“Fuck, it’s Gav.”
“Let me speak to him,” Dani said.
Jamie gave her a sceptical look. She put her hand out and he gave her his phone.
“Jamie, where the fuck are you?” Gavin shouted down the phone.
“Hello, Gavin.”
There was silence for a moment.
“Where is my brother, Dani?”
“He’s here, but then, so is Candace. Meet us at my father’s estate.”
She hung up before he had a chance to reply and handed the phone back to Jamie. Blue glittering magic shot out from her palm and another portal formed in front of them.
“Shall we?” Dani said, indicating it.
“Are we going for the ‘let’s bring everyone together and watch it all explode’ approach then?” Candace asked, grinning.
“Something like that.”
Dani had no idea how this would go down. She took Jamie’s hand, giving it a squeeze. All she needed was him to get through it. Without Jamie, her world was full of darkness and despair. He gave her hope. That’s what would carry them through.
I can only hope we’ll make it through all this bullshit.
The three of them went through the portal and landed outside the front doors of the royal estate. A moment later, Gavin appeared out of the shadows. Dani wondered where Neave was and why Gavin hadn’t brought anyone else.
“I wish I could carry more than one person at once,” Jamie muttered under his breath.
“You have other gifts,” Dani whispered, winking at him.
“Like driving you wild?”
She batted his arm and turned to the other vampire. Gavin looked like he was barely holding back from tearing into his brother.
“What the fuck is going on?”
“As you can see, I brought the Queen of Hell with me.”
Gavin eyed Candace.
“Don’t expect me to bow and say ‘Your Majesty’. Why are we here?”
Candace shook her head, smiling.
“Trust me, I hate titles. Lucifer tasked me with dealing with the demon, Selene. After all, she’s broken our laws and that requires punishment. I’d rather not be here any longer than I have to. The sooner I deal with both your problems, the better.”
No one spoke for a long moment. Gavin turned to Jamie.
“Just what did you do to bring down a fucking demon on my head, Jamie?”
Jamie looked at Dani for a moment, his eyes betraying his inner turmoil. She wanted to reassure him it’d be okay, but she knew this would be difficult for him. She had her own suspicions about what he’d done.
Before Jamie had a chance to open his mouth, the earth nearby cracked open, dirt falling into the hole. Out rose Selene, her red eyes glowing and two small horns protruded from her forehead. Dani trembled. At the very least, it solved the problem of how they were going to locate the demon.
Selene looked around at the assembled party before staring straight at Dani. Her eyes blazed with anger.
“Little fae, you are a thorn in my side,” Selene seethed.
Jamie stepped forward, putting Dani behind him.
“You’re here for me, not her.”
“Tell me, Jamie, have you informed your brother what you did yet because I’ll gladly fill him in.”
Dani put her hand on Jamie’s arm. She felt him tense at Selene’s words.
“I did it, Gav.”
He took Dani’s hand and held it tightly in his. She stepped back up to his side, looking up at him.
“You did what?” Gavin asked, staring at him with an unfathomable expression.
“I killed her.”
The weight of Jamie’s words sunk into Dani’s heart. She knew who he was talking about because everything suddenly made sense to her.
“Selene spread the rumours between her and Nathaniel. And then she broke the bond between us. I killed her during the chaos. It was me. I was with her when they came. I stabbed her in the back. She never saw it coming. It was such a mess. The look in her eye before she turned to ash still haunts me to this day. Everyone died that day except me. They all died because of me.”
Gavin took a step back. It was the only indication he was remotely affected by what Jamie said.
“Why?”
Jamie sighed, running a hand through his hair.
“She turned me against my will. Why do you think Neave and I are so close? She didn’t want this life either. You might not understand because you chose to be a vampire, but me? I wanted a normal fucking life.”
He let go of Dani’s hand and paced away.
“Yvonne thought when she turned me, I’d enjoy her pursuits. It was the opposite. I hated every moment I was with her. She was so cruel in her treatment of humans and it disgusted me. I couldn’t take it any longer, but I had to obey her because she sired me. And then one day, I met Selene and she gave me a way out. I was an idiot to think her deal wouldn’t haunt me for the rest of my days. I was desperate.”
He turned back to Gavin.
“I’ll understand if you report me to the Council and have me face the consequences of my actions.”
Selene clapped, her red eyes bright with amusement.
“Such a touching little story, isn’t it? You still haven’t fulfilled the terms of our deal, Jamie.”
Dani realised in that moment, Selene hadn’t really been paying attention to who was standing with them. Candace stepped forward.
“Your deal is null and void.”
Selene’s eyes flicked to Candace. Her face fell immediately, a snarl appearing instead.
“Oh, look who it is, my Queen - or should I call you Lucifer’s whore?”
Candace cracked her neck and strode towards the demon. She grabbed Selene by the neck and squeezed. The demon clawed at her hands.
“Call me a fucking whore one more time and I’ll end you. You broke the rules, Selene. I suggest you get on your knees and beg me for forgiveness. Not that it would do you any good. Who do you think sent me to find you, hmm? Do you think your Lord would appreciate you calling his Queen a whore?”
“Fuck you,” Selene croaked.
Candace shrugged.
“Well, that’s not very nice. Fine. Have it your way. Don’t say I didn’t warn you.”
The hole in the earth was still open. Pink glittering, smoky magic shot out from Candace’s f
ingers and coiled around Selene’s body. The demon’s eyes went wide with fear. The magic lifted Selene up and she hovered over the hole.
“See you in Hell,” Candace said.
Selene was promptly shoved back down in the hole she rose out of and it closed back up. Candace dusted her hands off and turned back to Dani and the vampires.
“Well, what’s next?”
“We see my father,” Dani replied.
“Let’s go then.”
Candace strode towards the doors. Jamie and Gavin continued to stare at each other. Dani looked up at her vampire.
“I’m not going to tell the Council,” Gavin said.
“Then what are you going to do?” Jamie asked.
Gavin looked down at the floor.
“Nothing.”
“What?”
“Yvonne was a bitch. Just as bad as Raquel. I didn’t mourn her death. Thank you for telling me the truth. Now, I’ve got to go and sort out the mess you’ve caused.”
Before Jamie could say anything else, Gavin melted back into the shadows. He stared after his brother for a long moment. Dani went over to him, holding his face in her hand.
“Are you okay?”
“I will be.”
“I’m sorry.”
Jamie pulled her into his arms and held her close, kissing the top of her head.
“I should’ve told you sooner.”
Dani shook her head against his chest. He didn’t need to do anything other than be himself with her. She understood why it would be hard for him to talk about. Backed in a corner without many other options, she wasn’t sure she wouldn’t have done the same.
“You know, as much as this is very touching, we really should go deal with your father’s situation,” Candace said.
Jamie and Dani pulled away from each other. Dani walked towards the doors and opened them. The three of them went through into the grand hallway. There was no one about which seemed odd to Dani. What was happening? She knew Questor had Novus. Gavin hadn’t said if he’d told her father.
“It seems awfully quiet. Been a while since I’ve been here,” Candace said, stepping further into the hallway towards the double doors underneath the sweeping staircase.
“This isn’t normal,” Dani said. “Where are the guards?”