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“Go,” I said. “You’re no use to us if she gets her claws into you again.”
His eyes went wide. “Claws,” he repeated in an almost inaudible whisper. Then he disappeared.
Nigel gave up trying to keep his arm around me and clasped a firm grip around my wrist instead. He held tight as he spun around, searching the room for Liam. I didn’t bother looking. Instead, I kept my eyes locked on the demon woman as she pushed through the last few groups separating her from where we stood.
“Where’d he go?” she asked.
“He was here a moment ago. Then he disappeared.”
“Don’t let her out of your sight,” she said. She ran her eyes over my body, and I shivered. “He won’t leave without her.”
“Maybe she doesn’t mean as much—” Nigel started to say, but the demon woman cut him off.
“Silence!” she hissed. “We’ve tried this your way and look how well that’s turned out. Enough. I’ll find him. You make sure this one stays with you. You let her go again, and we’ll see howyoufare against my pets.”
“Yes, Mother,” Nigel said.
The demon woman was Nigel’s mother? I stared at him as she nodded once and spun on her heel. She stalked away from us, and I turned toward him with raised eyebrows.
“Mother?”
“Upset that I didn’t introduce you properly?”
“That woman is your mother?” I pointed at the swaying figure that was slicing through party guests as she cut a path away from us.
Nigel straightened his tie with his free hand. “I said I was half demon. What did you expect?”
“I guess I just assumed it was your father who was—”
“The demon half?” Nigel raised his eyebrows. “No. My father was a lying, cheating, no-good bastard, but he was only a mortal.”
“She doesn’t look old enough,” I said, staring after the flash of red dress disappearing into the crowd.
“Yes, yes.” Nigel waved his hand. “Your humanity is showing again. Best zip that up before we return to the party.”
“How kind of you to be concerned.” I glared at him.
“Don’t take your frustrations out on me. I’m just trying to show you a good time. And keep you from getting killed by a raging-lunatic spirit. You should be thanking me.”
I tried to yank my wrist out of his grip, but he held fast. “You’re hurting me.”
“Would you prefer I use less conventional methods to keep you at my side for the remainder of the party?” He raised an eyebrow at me, and I remembered what Liam had told me about demon powers.
“No.”
“All right, then. Let’s get back to the party.” He relaxed his grip around my wrist and slid his hand down until it clasped my hand tightly.
“What’s she going to do to Liam?” I asked.
He shrugged. “Make him her slave.”
I watched the party from my perch in one of the balcony boxes above the main floor. I saw Nigel’s exchange with the demon woman, and then I saw her stalk away. I waited until I was certain that Nigel hadn’t tried to enchant Evelyn. I didn’t like the grip he had on her, but I supposed it was better than the alternative. The balcony was mostly deserted, and I’d cloaked myself to remain unseen as I searched for Edric in the crowd below.
I wanted to stay so I could keep my eye on Evelyn and wait for Edric to appear. But I didn’t have much time, and I needed to find a weapon and a way out. Evelyn’s warning reminded me of the tunnel in the hell beast arena. So I decided to take a chance and transport myself back into the dungeons to see if I could find a weapon. If my aunt hadn’t found a way to escape already, maybe she could help. If anyone knew how to get out of here, it would be her. And if I could find her, and get Evelyn to her, they could all escape to safety while I faced Edric.
I pictured the dark corner of the corridor outside the cells and hoped no one would be standing there when I appeared. When I opened my eyes, the chatter and music of the party had disappeared. I pressed myself against the cold stone walls outside the cells where they’d held me and Evelyn and listened to the silence, waiting to make sure I was alone. Then I crept down the hall, feeling with my magic for any others, friendly or unfriendly, who may have remained below. I followed my senses and turned down another corridor, retracing the route I’d taken earlier when I’d been dragged to the arena. The sense of my kin grew stronger as I approached the arena, and I hurried.
“Sorcha,” I whispered into the darkness of the arena. A flash of light at the far side of the arena caught my eye, but I paused first to examine the door. A blast of magic revealed the carvings in the stone archway. Wards. This was the magic that had prevented me from conjuring myself directly out of the arena and would also prevent me from conjuring myself inside from the party. I couldn’t undo another Fae’s magic, so I’d have to take that into account in our escape.
