When I reached his side, he was stiff as a board. Every muscle clenched, every vein in his body bulged, and his knuckles were stone white. I raised my hands to his chest and just rested them there. He trembled beneath me.
There was only one thing to do. Words could not properly explain why I needed to do this for Valor. I opened my connection with Spirit and let through every single memory I had of what it felt like when I lost my family. Every emotion I suffered¯the loss, depression, the deep heartbreak.
When the visions stopped, I opened my eyes. Kyden’s head was bowed. He quickly pulled me into him, hugged me with every ounce of strength and love he had.
“That’s why,” I whispered.
He leaned back and looked down to me. No words needed to be said. He finally understood why I couldn’t let that happen to Valor, why I needed to do this. He also saw that I wanted him to trust me and support me. He simply had to be there for me.
It softened him a smidgen. His eyes bore into mine as he shared my soul. Saw my world as it once was, saw my pain exposed and raw. He saw exactly what I desperately needed from him.
“Come back to me, Álainn,” he whispered, then his lips met mine.
Then, I left, walked toward the darkest place I’d ever gone.
Alone.
* * * *
When I connected with hard ground, I gasped in pain then raised my head to see one of Hugh Hefner’s playboy bunnies. At least, that’s what she looked like, but I knew better. She was a demon.
“Pye will see you now,” she said, and began walking toward a large mansion.
I got to my feet and ran a little to catch up with her. We were approaching a gate that led into a large, ranch-style mansion. Neatly trimmed bushes that were more art than plants decorated the grounds as a huge stone fountain flowed water over a beautiful woman.
She opened the front door, we stepped through and my breath was immediately lost as evil surrounded me. Oh yeah, he had guards¯apparently lots of them. I could only hope they were on another floor to give me time for my escape. The demon led me down the hall, turned into a large sitting room and motioned for me to sit on a chair. “Wait here.”
Too nervous to sit, I glanced around. It was a normal rich person’s sitting room—expensive with all the trimmings. I quickly drew on Spirit, held my shield firm around me for the added security and to settle my nerves just as the little playboy bunny stepped back into the room. “Pye requests your presence. Come with me,” she ordered.
Following behind her, she headed toward the back of the house where a door sat. The closer we got the more evil crept through. I sucked in a deep breath, trying to keep the nerves at bay. I got the sinking suspicion that there were far more demons in this house than expected and far more than I first thought. Once at the door, she stopped, then opened it and we stepped through.
Fuck!
Magnus didn’t know what he was talking about, or maybe he did. Why I believed what he told me was just plain stupid on my part. I wasn’t going to have a private meeting with Pye—the twenty demons surrounding him made that pretty obvious.
“Come forward,” Pye demanded.
I pushed back my fear, knowing the demons in this room could feel it. Obviously, the plan had changed. I couldn’t help but wonder how the hell I was going to get out of this. Zia said I wouldn’t be able to handle too many demons for long. But what could I do? If I didn’t destroy Pye, Dante would be gone forever.
It was too late to turn back now anyway. I had no other reason for coming here. What could I say, that I just wanted to stop by for a tea? Just because the situation changed didn’t mean I had a choice in this. My only hope was that I could kill Pye fast enough to get the hell out.
Just as I was about to draw on my magic a woman suddenly stepped away from the crowd. “What the f**k?” I growled.
“Nexi, my darling,” Tyrianna hummed.
“Is this some sick joke?” I managed. I met her gaze and knew instantly that it was. Her eyes were shadowed, dark—nothing of the wonderful witch lived in there. This wasn’t her. Another thing Magnus wasn’t truthful about, Pye knew enough about me to know the look of my mother.
“We thought it would comfort you,” Tyrianna the demon said.
“Well it doesn’t. So, f**king stop it,” I spat.
The demon shimmered and returned to her normal form. I exhaled with a clenched heart. Seeing my mother, no matter how she was depicted, still affected me.
“Just trying to make you more comfortable,” Pye said. “Now then, tell me what business someone of the Otherworld has with me.”
He was sitting in a throne chair and resembled a Greek God. Short blond curly hair, perfect cream-colored skin—all he needed was the toga.
After that little escapade, this was going to be easier than I thought. Now, I was mad, and that anger pointed to only one place—Pye. “I would just like to say that this isn’t personal,” I said, and prepared myself.
Pye’s brows rose. “What isn’t personal?”
“This gift from Magnus,” I growled, and with as much power I had in me, I blasted him with fire.
It flew toward him, but before it hit, one of Pye’s demons jumped in front of him and it burned the demon into black smoke. Dammit!
Immediately, Pye jumped to his feet and blasted me with his magic. It hit my shield and it was heavy with darkness. This was nothing like the Black Magic I’d experienced before. This was pure evil and unbelievably strong. I kept my shield up strong against it. Poured everything I had into Spirit, prayed it would hold tight.
To make matters worse, the demons had shifted back into the original shape of black figures that flew through the air to surround me. Trying to invade me, but my shield wouldn’t allow it. Darkness engulfed me—the demons slid along my hold, trying to find a way in.
Quickly, I focused on Pye and waited for him to throw more magic at me.
Seconds later, he did. When it blasted me, I opened myself up, allowed it to enter my being. Allowed the dark force to become part of me and gave me a strength that was unrestrained. My blood ran black, my eyes shadowed with black as I returned his magic to him.
It came out in something I’d never experienced. The Black Magic before was still elemental. Pye’s wasn’t. It was energy. It didn’t come out as Air or Fire. It came out as a rippling wave that sped back to him. It felt good. I felt strong and unstoppable.
Pye’s screams echoed through the large room as I continued with my assault, used all his dark power to finish him. His magic came back to me again as he gave a final push to save his life, but the darkness that invaded me made my shield thick, unbreakable.
The second it hit, it rebounded and flew back to Pye. He blew up into a thousand pieces leaving nothing but particles of the Warlock he once was. The demons screamed around me as their leader was now destroyed. They grew in stronger around me. Darkness hit everything.
The air was thick as my vision blurred with blackness. I drew in harder and screamed out with pure vengeance as the demons screeched a loud, high-piercing noise that dropped me to my knees, forced me to cover my ears.
They were everywhere. Fury consumed them as they searched their way through my shield. There was no way out of this. Their screams forced me immobile. I couldn’t move, run or destroy them. I was unable to get a hold on them or pinpoint their location in order to end this.
There were enough of my senses left to feel a harsh wind blow around me. The demons’ screams grew louder. I curled around myself, tried to shield the noise as their intense roars came at me from every side.
Abruptly, they left my shield and flew around the room. Something was happening. The demons weren’t focused on me anymore. Their attention was elsewhere, but their screams made it impossible for me to move or look at what had captured their focus.
The release of their darkness from my shield was a much-needed relief. It provided me strength to revive myself. However, with the distraction of the demons gone, the darkness of the Black Magic within me sank in deeper, eager to take over my soul.
With all the goodness that lived within me, I fought against it, but I was losing. My soul couldn’t fight against the strength of Pye’s darkness. It wanted to consume me, wanted to take me. I wanted it too.
It felt rich and powerful. Momentarily, I imagined everything I could do with it, all that it offered me. I couldn’t deny it any longer. I craved to keep it. To hold the power to stop anyone or anything that stood in my way.
Suddenly, sense slowly returned, everything quieted and the darkness slowly withdrew. My soul was returning. The evil that ran through my blood began to subside. I was left lying, gasping and panting on the floor. When I opened my eyes, Magnus was kneeling beside me, his hand on my stomach. “What?” I gasped. Confusion filled every part of me.
Magnus smiled gloriously. “Job well done.”
He assisted me, holding onto my arms, bringing me up to a sitting position. The room was empty of the demons that were here before, but now it was full with other ones. “What happened?” I had to ask it.
The demon I had met at Magnus’ stepped forward. “You think we would not assist you?” she said snippily.