Haley sat up at the new information, quiet for a moment. “I’ll go.”
Incredulous, Damian dropped his book on the table with a loud slam. “It’s in a sex club.”
“She’ll be all right, man.” Adam turned to Haley. “You’ll be surrounded by Adversus the entire time. I’ll go tell Stephen.” He got up and moved toward the door, glancing back at Damian. “Get some sleep. We need to be sharp.”
Damian nodded, outraged at Haley’s impulsive decision to travel back to Hell, and prepared himself to destroy anything that came near her at Afterlife.
Sorting through her wardrobe from her previous life, Haley chose a backless black dress that swung loosely around her hips. It had a shorter hem than most of her dresses at the mansion, but as soon as she slipped it on, she felt an air of confidence wearing her old clothes again, reminded of another version of herself.
Sitting on the edge of her bed, she slipped on her high heels, tying the delicate pink ribbons at the sides of her ankles, and adjusted the tiny gold charms to dangle neatly in the bows before climbing the stairs with jittering footsteps.
The giant area rug in the library was rolled away to the side of the room, revealing a massive pentagram on the floor.
“Just make sure you’re inside the circle when he lights the paper.” Stephen guided her to the middle of the room. “We’re all gonna be there with you, so don’t worry about a thing.”
Damian stared at the painted symbol under his feet, his glare intense.
Adam ignited the yellowed paper in his fingers, reciting a Trinnian spell. The walls around them darkened before altering completely, and they stood on brittle, charcoal-covered ground. Haley turned her face upward to see the dark sky glowing red, full of looming black clouds and outlines of flying dragons. The sight filled her with a familiar panic.
The soldiers surrounded her on all sides as they moved toward an ominous building and through a heavy iron door. Her body was alive with hysteria, and she could scarcely breathe the air, thick with the smell of sex and sweat, as they made their way to the other side of the misty room.
They maneuvered down a bustling hallway, and Damian grasped her waist, pulling her close to him as they passed a man on his hands and knees, covered tightly from head to toe with shiny black vinyl, being led by an iron leash.
They broke away into a cold, damp stairwell, and Damian let go of her, remaining by her side through a concrete corridor that reminded Haley of Raden’s dungeons.
“Are you expected?”
She jumped at the resonant voice of a frightening demon guarding a door.
“We’re here for Verin.”
The creature stepped aside at Adam’s announcement, and Haley felt its bulbous eyes raking over her as she moved briskly past him into a slightly warmer room. The furnishings were made of dark oak and black iron with ancient weaponry hanging on the walls. A young woman with pointed, elf-like ears sat behind a large reception desk.
“Damian.” Her voice vibrated with seduction, and she stood, proceeding toward them, her thin, lithe body clothed only in a sheer silver leotard with a wide, upturned collar. “It has been much too long since I’ve seen you.”
The shock of smarting jealousy she now knew too well gnawed at Haley, and she avoided the elfin girl’s scrutinizing gaze, following her brothers to the door along the back wall.
“He’s not in there.” The girl called after them in her musical voice, and they ignored her, filing into the office to find a wrinkled old man with a pointed nose and tiny glasses standing behind a desk made of thick, grainy wood.
“Where’s Verin?” Stephen glanced around the room.
The man’s feeble voice brought a shiver through her. “He’s gone, I’m afraid. My name is Cornelius. I was told the Adversus Order is owed a favor.” He let out a sickly cough and rolled out a map on the desk. “So, which of you is the starfleightte master?”
Reluctantly, Haley stepped forward.
He peered over his lenses. “Come, come now, girl. Don’t be shy.”
She gripped the iridescent glass orb, reaching it toward him.
“Ah, you are this one’s master, aren’t you?”
Haley caught his small, black eyes observing her closely.
“Yes, this one is quite attached to you, little one. You’ve had it long?”
His groping gaze sent chills over her skin, and she nodded briefly, clearing her throat. “What do I need to do?”
“Ah, ready to get down to business, I see. Here, now, lean over.” He coaxed her with long, knobby fingers, and she kept still, giving him a questioning look. “Lean forward, little one, come now.”
“Why?” She narrowed her eyes at him, and his features twisted into a glowering frown as he deepened his voice.
“So I can get a better look at you, that’s why.” He sneered at her.
“Jesus, what the fuck? We’re here to use the map, old man.” Adam snapped his fingers at him. “Let’s go.”
The bones in Cornelius’ neck creaked as he spun his head, shooting a death glare at Adam. “Well, then. If you insist on rushing.” He turned back to Haley and gestured toward the desk. “Place your starfleightte on the seeker’s map.”
She followed his instructions, and the glass surged with electricity in her palm as it touched the aged paper. The crystal came alive, rolling out of her hand, stopping at a random place on the map. Cornelius began furiously scribbling on a notepad.
“Your starfleightte is now officially pronounced dead.” He giggled, a sick sound, pointing at the blackened orb, and tore off the top sheet of paper. “These are the coordinates of the place you are seeking.”
Stephen stepped forward, taking the paper from him. “Great, thanks.”
“Ah, ahh… We mustn’t be impolite now.” His black gaze wandered slowly over Haley’s body. “Now I could use a little favor in return, hmm?”
“Dirty old man.” Adam reached for the door. “Let’s get the fuck out of here.”
Black and sparkling green smoke barreled into the room, and Noah’s hands clasped firmly onto her shoulders, pushing her through the haze into the reception room.
Adam and Stephen shouldered the door in front of them until it burst open, and they rushed out into the stone hallway.
The demon guard roared.
Adam lunged, plunging his knife through its neck. More demons appeared at the end of the hall, and Haley looked backward for Damian, straining to see through the black fog.
She caught sight of him, still in the distant office with his back to her as he dropped to his knees, lowering his head. She wrenched away from Noah’s grasp, slipping back into the reception area just before a snarling demon slammed the door shut.
Damian willingly lifted his arms as Marybelle pulled his shirt over his head.
Cornelius appeared suddenly, wagging a magical finger to swing the office door shut.
“Let us return to our discussion about favors, little one.” Alone in the reception room with her, he gave a thin laugh. “Come closer to me.”
As he beckoned with a decrepit finger, a supernatural force began pulling her in his direction. She threw herself at him, knocking his frail body into the wall.
Cornelius came back with a vengeance, snapping up and hurling her to the cement floor. His wiry little body climbed on top of her, and he jabbed a bony finger into her chest, pinning her under its iron strength. A vision of Damian rushed through her, bound on the floor in the next room. Black and green glittering smoke wrapped around his wrists, holding his arms stretched wide apart, straining his muscles.
Marybelle knelt over him, naked except for a red corset and heels, yanking down his pants and underwear. “You aren’t hard for me, Damian,” she said in her strangely high-pitched voice, forming a fountain of slithering black leeches between her fingers. She dropped them onto Damian’s naked groin. “My pets, suck on Damian’s cock until it’s hard for me.”
Haley focused her powers at the pointed yellow finger tracing
between her breasts.
Cornelius recoiled, his hand glowing with burning light.
She bolted to a rack of shiny swords hanging on the wall and grabbed one of them, plunging it into his side before he could recover. He screamed in terror, and she tore the weapon free from his body.
With trembling breaths, Haley pushed through the office door just as Marybelle sliced her nails down Damian’s chest, bending at the waist to lick the bleeding claw-mark. Sensing Haley’s presence, she stood, craning her head back with Damian’s blood trickling down her chin. “Who is this?” Her eyes gleamed with intrigue. “Here to rescue my pet? Oh—” pouting, she clasped her hands to her chest “—let him go,” she mocked in a cutesy voice.
Haley started toward her, firmly holding the sword in her shaking hand.
Marybelle casually waved her fingers, creating a swirl of smoke to control it.
Centering her own powers into the weapon, Haley swung it through the dark cloud, slicing into Marybelle’s thigh, cutting down to the bone. The splintering crack brought an ear-piercing screech of pain, and Marybelle gawked in astonishment at the glowing golden sword burning into her leg.
She pulled it back to strike again, but the dark witch tackled her and smacked Haley’s head on the concrete. Her sight blurred as she loosened her grip on the sword.
Marybelle stood, breathing heavily, and lifted Haley over her shoulder. “To the enchanted rack you shall go, cunt. We’ll see how well those golden powers work there, and Damian gets to watch as I cut off your limbs.”
Panicked and hanging upside down, Haley clawed at the air, searching for the sword through clouded vision. Her lungs seized, crippled with fear. She latched onto the wound in Marybelle’s leg and thrust her fingers inside the warm flesh. She grasped the edge of the skin, peeling it away from her leg muscle until she buckled with an excruciating scream. Haley broke free from her grasp.
In a blind rage, Marybelle skillfully heaved the sword, pinging the blade against the concrete as Haley scurried out of the way, skirting the sharp weapon. As it swung for her face, she held up her arm, and her light formed a glittering shield. The sword shone gold at the contact, and Marybelle abruptly let go of the searing hot metal. Glaring at Haley with eyes gone black, a swarm of dark fog flowed from her fingertips.
The shimmery green sparkles caught inside her throat, and Haley couldn’t breathe, frenzied as Marybelle grappled her to the ground.
“So this is the pussy Damian’s fucking these days.” She brusquely pulled at Haley’s panties. “Spread those legs, I want to see it.”
Marybelle shoved her fingers underneath the lacy fabric.
Gasping for breath and clutching at her closed airway, Haley tried to squirm away as the woman yanked mercilessly on her clit.
“I’m gonna rip this off.”
As the room began to turn black, Haley reached forward, weakly clutching Marybelle’s arm. The faintest spark of golden light grew into a luminous ray, glaring into her skin, and Marybelle roared with anger, jerking her arm away.
Finally able to breathe, steadily growing stronger at her rejuvenating powers, Haley grabbed onto the dark witch’s throat, but she disappeared from her grasp.
Bound on the floor with a swarm of pulsing leeches covering his groin, Damian rigidly clenched his jaw. Haley grasped his forearms, emitting a warm white light into his strained muscles. He turned his face away from her as glittering gold threaded into the black haze around his wrists.
Haley instinctively snatched her hand back just before Marybelle sank a jagged blade into his wrist. He growled through gritted teeth as she drove it down the inside of his arm.
Shoving the witch backward, Haley snatched her face in a clawing grasp, melting it with a scorching light. Marybelle screamed wildly, and the dark smoke surrounding them transformed into a sparkling mist of gold and white glitter.
Marybelle vanished once again, and Haley clutched at the air. As the golden clouds dissipated, Damian rapidly pulled off the leeches. He gripped his boxers and belt with shaking hands, jerking his jeans up as he stood, the bloody stripes down his chest already beginning to heal.
Adam burst through the door, followed by throngs of large, hairless creatures creeping behind him, swiping at him with long, stretching claws. He raced through the reception area, reaching the office doorway just as one of the pale monsters sunk its yellowed teeth into his neck, bringing him to the ground.
Haley held back a scream, her legs weakening, and Damian grabbed hold of the creature’s skull, snapping it backward. Favoring his wounded right arm, he used his left to pick up the bloodied sword, slicing through the advancing monsters.
Cradling her brother in her arms, Haley held her hand over his throat, focusing calm light into the bitten flesh. Noah drew symbols on the floor around her.
Stephen crouched down beside her, pressing his healing touch into Adam’s neck. “It’s not working, the bite must be venomous.”
Noah started speaking in Trinnian as Damian slammed the door to keep the monsters out. Watching Adam’s fading complexion, Haley felt something on her leg. She looked down at the leech stuck to her calf and tore it away with a pinching pain, sick to her stomach at the bloody mark it left on her skin. She tried not to notice them, sliding all around her as the room shifted into darkness and transformed into the castle library.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
Stephen rushed to the glass cabinet against the wall, searching through his collection of cures while Noah cleared off a table.
“Oh my God. Oh no.” Aimee held her hand over her mouth, surveying Adam’s condition.
“It’s OK, Aims, I found the antidote.” Out of breath, Stephen rushed toward them.
Damian helped lift Adam’s pale body onto the wooden table, then left the room as Stephen injected a brown liquid into the bite wound.
Her brother remained lifeless on the table for a few tortured seconds. His skin began to brighten with color, and he opened his eyes, clutching his head as he sat up. “Tell me you still have the coordinates.”
Stephen broke into a smile. “I got ‘em. We’ll hit the road whenever you’re ready.”
Noticing the sticky blood on her shuddering hands, Haley headed downstairs to the kitchen to wash it off.
Damian stood by the sink, still shirtless and drinking from a bottle of whiskey. His arm muscles tensed up when he poured the alcohol over his wound. Haley rinsed her hands under the running water as he started to stitch the gaping skin with a needle and thread.
“Wait, let me do that.” She moved closer, and he let her take the needle.
As she focused on stitching the jagged cut properly, his hand brushed her neck, sweeping a thin wisp of hair behind her shoulder, and her breath halted. His fingertips lightly followed the soft tendril down her bare back. He leaned forward to rest his forehead against her neck.
With an unsteady hand, she pierced the threaded needle into his torn skin. His lips touched her skin, and Haley stopped stitching. Her vision dimmed as he softly kissed her neck. He lifted his wounded arm, bringing his hand to her face, and she let go of the needle, letting it hang in the air.
Damian looked down at her with shockingly vulnerable green eyes, soft with gratitude. She leaned forward just slightly, lost in his gaze as he moved closer, gently touching his lips to hers. She slipped her tongue against his bottom lip, letting it go farther into his mouth until she brushed his. With her heart racing, she slowly explored him.
The kitchen door burst open. “Oh my God, I’m so sorry.”
Haley pulled her mouth away at Ginger’s sudden interruption.
Adam walked into the kitchen. “You OK?”
Damian eyed his arm as Haley sewed it shut. “Yeah.” He cleared his throat, and Haley tied off the thread, clipping it.
“We’re leaving to find those coordinates in a few minutes, you ready?”
Damian nodded.
Adam gave Haley a firm hug before leaving through the back door.
Stephen
barreled past them with armfuls of bags. “Car’s almost loaded up.” He disappeared out the door.
Damian stared down at Haley with unguarded emotion in his gaze, and bent forward, barely kissing her on the neck.
“Bye.” His word was a breath against her ear, and she gasped.
“Bye,” she repeated in a honeyed voice, watching him leave with an unwelcome ache in her chest.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
“He doesn’t even work in the field. He’s a Healer, for God’s sake. Why did he go with them?”
“You’ll hear from him soon.” Ginger sighed. “It’s only been four days.”
“Only four days…” Aimee shook her head. “I don’t know how you do it.”
“Noah calls me when he can. I talked to him for a minute this morning.”
“You did?” Haley closed the book she’d been reading.
“Oh. Well…” Ginger shifted her gaze. “He only had a short time to talk. Apparently he’s back in California, doing some investigative work on a new mission.”
“Did you ask how the other case went?” Haley sat up on the couch.
She cringed, scrunching her face. “I didn’t get a lot of details. I do know they found a nest full of victims, some were even still alive, but a lot of the djinn got away, and I guess Adam chased after them with Talis. Then Noah invited me to come visit him in Cali, and I couldn’t really think straight after that.”
Aimee let out a disheartened sigh. The sound mirrored Haley’s emotions. Her mind had been clouded with daydreams of Damian ever since he’d walked out of the kitchen, leaving her aroused and breathless by the sink. She found herself constantly thinking about his soft lips, wondering what would happen if she saw him again.
“I just want to know why.” Aimee slumped over the side of her chair. “If he really cared about me, he would call.”
“Of course he cares.” Ginger gave her a reassuring look. “Remember? He drove all night to see you.”
“That was only to bring Damian his car.” Aimee flippantly waved her hand, scrolling on a laptop. “He told me that a million times.”
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