Page 104 of Bad Witch

She wasn’t looking at him at all. Kurgan was standing again, looking much better, and his lips were peeled back in a permanent snarl, his gaze again locked on Roman. The male was a hair’s breadth from attacking the other hound, I could feel the aggression rolling off him in violent waves.

Fender stepped between them. “I think that’s a good idea.”

“Is there a small weapon in that bag?” I asked Kurgan.

He tore his gaze from Roman, and the red blaze of his stare landed on me. He nodded.

“May I have one?”

He fished one out and handed a small knife to me, hilt first.

“I promised Brigid I’d give her the weapons,” I said to Fender. “I want to at least give her this small offering for letting us through.”

Everyone waited while I ran back to the cave and slipped inside. Her apparition appeared again, swaying in front of me, and again, that confused look was on her face, before anger snapped into place when she finally saw me. Her hands flew up. “Leeeeeaave.”

“Your weapon, Brigid.” I rushed out. “It’s Matilda, remember? I said I’d return it to you.” I placed it on the ground in front of her. “I took it from Pan. This belongs to you, not him.”

The rage burning from her washed away, and her eyes softened. “You have returned it to me?” she said, and for the first time, her voice sounded normal, not distorted. Almost sweet.

“Like I promised.” I realized in that moment, looking into her eyes, that it wasn’t only revenge that fueled her rage, it had been fear. She’d been terrified. Without her weapons, she’d felt defenseless against the monsters who had killed her sisters, who wanted to kill her.

My heart broke for her as she reached down, her ghost still strong enough to pick up the weapon.

She looked at me again and bowed. “I thank you, Matilda, you are always welcome here.”

Then she was gone.

Chapter

Twenty-Nine

Tempest

* * *

Flames danced on the cave walls as we strode toward Lucifer’s quarters.

My heart was pounding in my ears. Lucifer. I was about to meet Lucifer. The Lucifer. Terror filled me, along with nausea, but there was also more than a little curiosity.

Roman knocked when we reached a wide, wooden door at the end of the cavern. It swung open and a tall female with an axe hanging from her hip greeted us with a scowl, followed by a wide grin. “Scooby’s here, and he brought the whole gang,” she called.

“Urs,” Roman muttered.

I’d seen her before, once at Magnolia’s place. We hadn’t been introduced then, the situation had been tense for some reason, then Mags had ushered me back inside her and Bram’s treehouse and talked to her in private.

“Let them in,” a deep voice said behind her.

Her eyes softened when her gaze went to Zari, and she opened the door wider for us.

“Hey, Urs,” Zari said, and let the taller female embrace her briefly.

“This is Ursula,” Fender said to me. “She’s one of Lucifer’s handmaids. Urs, this is Tempest.”

She winked at me, but I wasn’t sure if she remembered me at all, and I was fine with that. “Come on in. Lucifer’s been waiting.”

We all filed inside. Fender had my hand, and I gripped his forearm with my free one and stayed behind him. Hiding seemed like the best course of action right then. Ursula strode in after us and took a seat on a chair beside a dark leather couch. On it sat a male who couldn’t be anyone other than Lucifer. He wore black jeans and a band shirt, and he was covered in tattoos. His black hair was slicked back and his yellow eyes were taking us all in.

That disconcerting gaze slid over the hounds, softened on Zari, then went to Kurgan, before coming to me, lingering, then sliding back to Fender.