Page 87 of Filthy Fae

Morte and Mab moved quickly about the floor, painting with thick brushes. The younger necromancer glanced at his sister every few seconds, copying her effortless brush strokes as she recited instructions to put certain runes in specific locations.

Most of the runes encircled the princess and the salt ring around her, spanning out like the rays of the sun.

“Queen Titania must have figured out that she was dealing with an incubus,” Nancy said as she worked. “She helpfully caught him in a salt circle.”

“According to Scarlet, the queen knew all along,” I said. “She knew Mab arranged for the incubus to be raised, and she let it happen to flush out her enemies.”

“Sounds like the mother and the daughter are cut from the same cloth,” Nancy said.

Morte lifted his head and looked over. “Princess Mab seemed so nice.”

Emotion filled Nancy’s eyes. Her jaw clenched, and she shook her head before turning back to her work. The pair had as much motivation to kill the princess as I did.

“Queen Titania says that Mab will heal from this,” I said as my gaze fell to the princess. Though blood spread around her body, her skin was smooth. A deep purple bruise stretched across her neck. The queen was right. Princess Mab was going to survive having her throat torn out. “She tortured my mate for eight hours.”

“Oh, she did much more than that to your mate,” Nancy said. Reaching for her toolbelt, the mage pulled a short cylinder from a holster. With a flick of her wrist, the metal instrument grew to a stick five feet in length. Nancy uncorked a bottle and rubbed some liuqid up the length of the stick.

“Is that holy water?” Jane asked, speaking up for the first time as she pressed into the wall beside me. She watched the necromancer intently, more interested than I’d ever seen her.

Nancy’s eyes softened. “That and a few other things.” Crossing along the sigils, Nancy stopped by the foot of the queen’s massive bed and stuck her long pole in the center of the salt circle. From there, she dragged the pole along the floor. In the center of where the salt circle met its neighbor, she interrupted the salt line. She did the same through each until she reached the ring around Mab. That one she left intact.

A rustling came from the bedroom, and then a flash of gray blew through the salt circles before colliding with an invisible force and falling back.

“Close the circle,” Nancy said.

Morte tossed salt on the area that Nancy had recently pulled her stick through. A giant figure rose. It had to be ten feet tall and built like a Roman god. I had seen Darrel’s detailed illustrations, but nothing had prepared me for the massive creature before me. Unlike the illustration, the incubus now possessed features—a strong nose and eyes that were pure black from one corner to the other. He dropped to all fours at the center of the circle, casting his gaze between Nancy, Morte, and Mab.

“No laws. No earthly masters,” the incubus hissed.

“A deal is a deal, demon.” Nancy pointed toward Mab. “I found your lawmaker and earthly master.” The necromancer threw a crudely formed bronze bracelet into the center of the circle.

“Is that from the spike?” I asked as I leaned in a little.

“It’s a spike broken off the gates of hell. The enemy of my enemy . . .” Nancy whispered as she crouched down.

The incubus laid his hand over the metal. Under the demon’s long fingers, the bracelet glowed a dull crimson. He pulled his hand away and locked gazes with Nancy. “The boy lives,” he hissed.

Nancy laid a hand on her brother’s shoulder. “He knows.”

Morte gulped. Tears glistened in the corners of his eyes. Clearing his throat, he whispered, “I release you, demon.”

One moment the massive demon huddled before us, and the next, only an empty circle remained. Nancy took out a couple bottles and splashed liquid throughout the room. Both she and Morte chanted for about five minutes, and then Nancy stepped into the salt ring.

The bracelet waited in the center, glowing red. She crouched and picked it up by its edge. Turning, she locked eyes with me. Holding up the bracelet, she said, “You can look through if you want.”

“What is it?” I asked, not wanting to get any closer to that thing.

She nodded to the bracelet. “This is what happens when a necromancer and a demon team up to bring pain down on someone who's wronged us. At the club, the demon told me that if I could bring him his earthly master, he’d spare my brother. I can’t kill her, and I won’t let you. It goes against my beliefs. But I’m giving you this satisfaction. If you look through this circle, you’ll know exactly what Princess Mab see around her for the rest of her immortal life. The offer ends in ten seconds. Once I put this bracelet onto the princess’s wrist, it’s never coming off.”

After a steadying breath, I leaned in and peered through the bracelet. Through the circlet, I saw the room, but it was filled with people. They weren’t standing but floating. Their faces were gaunt and eyes dark holes. Hundreds of them reached for the sleeping princess, their hands clawing at her face and clothing.

I yanked back. “The fuck?”

“That’s why you never betray a necromancer… Or her baby brother,” Nancy said. “Especially if you’ve murdered hundreds of people over the centuries.”

Stepping away, she turned to Mab. Carefully, Nancy crouched and lifted the princess’s wrist. She slid the bracelet on and stood.

Mab moaned but didn’t wake.