I summon thee with blackened breath
To part the veils of life and death
The channel is open, the path made clear
Now show yourself behind the mirror
The blood coating the apple glowed as bright as an ember, then faded, the mirror darkening before her eyes. The air filled with the scent of brimstone. The scent of home.
Fear tightened her throat, an instinctive reaction she still hadn’t outgrown, even though she’d been free of hell’s clutches for seven years.
Some wounds just never healed.
The black mirror wavered, and a new vision appeared in its place. A demon with long purple hair and eyes like polished obsidian stared back at her.
Jaci let out a sigh of relief. “Meech, thank the devil!”
“Stole the words right out of my mouth, Jay-Jay.” Her cousin Demetria glared at her, those coal-black eyes narrowed with a mix of concern and suspicion. Normally, her dimples were on prominent display, but the woman’s scowl erased them now. “It’s not like you to go off-grid. I’ve been worried sick!”
“I have a valid excuse—I swear.”
“Lemme guess. You finally got some? And it was so hot and wild you’ve only just now awoken from the sex-induced coma? The one that landed you in the hospital for over-sexed witch-demons where they don’t even allow you to call your favorite cousin?” Meech tried to deepen her scowl, but a flash of dimple peeked through anyway, and Jaci returned it with a grin of her own.
Damn, she’d missed the purple-haired bitch. Of all the residents of hell—natural-born or transplanted—Demetria was the only demon Jaci trusted. The only maternal blood relative who’d never tormented her, never waterboarded her, never poked her with needles or drugged her or set her on fire.
Meech saved those special tortures for the monsters who actually deserved them. And she was damn good at her job. Along with Jaci’s father, Demetria was at the top of the list of demons Jaci wanted to bust out of hell, but her cousin loved her work, loved the darkness, loved the fire. Nothing would get that demon out save a total collapse of the realms, and even then, Meech would probably insist on going down with the proverbial ship.
Jaci admired that, though. Personally, she’d never felt such a devotion to a place. Never felt a sense of belonging anywhere.
Especially not here.
But that’s why she was doing this, she reminded herself. Once she got her father’s soul out, they’d find their true home. Maybe then she’d finally understand what she’d been missing.
“I ran into some bloodsucker trouble,” Jaci said now. “Bad trouble.”
“Is Duchanes still threatening you? I swear, when that asshole finally bites it, I’ll be greeting him at the fiery pits myself and personally overseeing his eternal stay.”
“And I appreciate it. Believe me. But Duchanes is M.I.A.—turned tail and ran after the Redthornes took down Bloodbath and everyone in it.”
“Holy fuck.What?”
“Yeah, Bloodbath really lived up to its name last night.” Jaci gave Meech the update—as much as she could remember, anyway. She wasn’t even supposed to be there—Duchanes had sent her on some late-night errand to drop off supplies for one of his other witches, a whole crew of them working inside Bloodbath on a project with the grays. Demons and vampires were there too—a veritable who’s who of Duchanes’ most vile servants.
She’d only been inside the club a few minutes when all hell broke loose. The Redthorne vampires and their allies launched a surprise attack, wiping out most of Duchanes’ organization. Caring more about protecting her own ass than standing up to the Redthornes, Jaci made for the cellar, taking cover behind an old wine barrel while the battle raged overhead.
“Next thing I know,” she told her cousin now, “the Redthorne witch—Isabelle? She’s dragging me out of hiding and lining me up with the other witches for an interrogation. Apparently, Duchanes was working with Chernikov on some sort of plot to bust open the hell gates and flood the city with demons.”
“What? Seriously? No one ever tells me anything down here!”
“I have no idea how deep this thing goes, Meech. I was working for the asshole andIdidn’t know about it—still don’t, really. All I know for sure is Duchanes and Chernikov were in bed together on the big evil, and Rogozin and the vampire royals didn’t like it, so they teamed up instead.”
Meech pressed her fingers to her temples, taking it all in. “Okay, so this whole thing is crazy. But it sounds like it might have a happy ending for you, no? Duchanes is out of the picture. You’re a free witch.”
“Not… exactly. I’m working for the Redthornes now. One of them, anyway.” Jaci shook her head, that dark swirl of rage threatening to bubble up again as she told Meech the rest of the story—Gabriel’s intense questioning, the demands, the apartment.
“I’m telling you, girl,” Jaci finished up with another sigh. “The world has never met a more infuriating, annoying, egotistical bloodsucker.”
“Perfect! When are you gonna stake him?” Her cheeks dimpled with her bright smile, as if the idea of killing Gabriel was not only a foregone conclusion, but the pinnacle of entertainment.
