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“Siphon me and teleport us to Hell Hold. You can take enough to get us to Solaria. You’ve been there, you know where to go. Please. My power is surging and I have to get rid of it. I don’t have my blood stone to discharge it, and if I go nuclear here, every monster in these woods will hear it. They’ll come for us.”
“I can’t go to Hell Hold, Alice. Neither can you, if what you told me is true.”
“We’ll be fine. I can hide us. Please,” I urge, lifting and pressing his hand to chest again. “Do it.”
His jaw clenches, ticking as nods, agreeing to the plan while his eyes toggle between mine.
Asmo draws on my power, and I feel the weight of it lift from my body. Light floods in around us, making the woods disappear. Our feet land on obsidian stone floors and as the light fades, I see a room I’ve never been in before.
“Where are we? You were supposed to take us to Hell Hold.” I let go of Asmo, turning about in the large bedroom. The walls match the ones in mine and Kai’s room, the floors the same marbled surface with golden metallic flakes in the veins. Only everything in this room is covered in a layer of dust so thick that it’s hard to make out the color of the furniture, or the textures of the blankets on the bed.
“We are in Hell Hold, Alice.”
“I’ve never seen this room. I’ve been trapped in this castle for the majority of the last year. I’ve memorized every inch and not once have I ever seen this room. Are you sure we’re in the present?”
“Yes… You haven’t seen it likely because my father has wished to forget it ever existed.” He stands still, arms heavy at his sides. “It used to be mine.”
“Yours?” I let the idea roll around in my mind. “How did he hide it, then?”
“Your guess is as good as mine. It looks like no one has been in here for a while.” Asmo crosses the room, heading toward a long chaise chair near a reading nook full of bookshelves. Even the books were abandoned here… Like Lucifer wanted to forget him and everything he ever touched.
Though it’s possible it wasn’t Lucifer at all. His mother was the one who locked him in the realm of monsters. Maybe she wanted to forget ever deceiving her son, even if it was to save him. That couldn’t have been easy to live with.
Holding my hand out, I close my eyes, picturing one of Finn’s hideous mustaches, making out every little detail like Asmo taught me. When I open my eyes, two sit in my palm and I clutch them in my fist.
“Here. Take this and put it on. It’ll make you appear like someone completely new. I’m not sure how they work exactly, but Finn would use them and play pretend when he went out to The Enchanted Worm so he wouldn’t be recognized.”
Asmo plucks one from my hand as I near and removes the sticky tape on the back. “Is it a mustache?”
“Yeah, just slap it on top of your lip.” He glances at me with a skeptical look, then places it beneath his nose, pressing firmly on the furry patch to make sure it stays in place.
“Did it work?” he asks, lifting his head. Only nothing has changed. It’s still one-eyed Asmo, just with a sticker on his–His body vibrates until he changes right in front of my very eyes. “Oh fuck, that felt weird.”
“It’s safe to say it worked,” I say, trying to keep from smiling as I take in his double D’s and sexy maid outfit. “Though if you have to leave this room, I can’t say you’ll blend in.”
“What do you mean…” he trails off as his gaze travels over his person, and his new black lined, baby blues stretch wide, and only continue to grow the farther down he goes. “I can’t say I’ve ever had boobs before.”
“Maybe it’s best if you wait here.” A giggle escapes me as I quickly pull the tape off mine and push it on. Asmo’s lips pull into a grin as he stares at me, seeing just how ridiculous the tacky, fake mustaches look for himself. After a moment, my body vibrates and it’s both pleasant and highly unwelcome as the rapid shiver trembles through me. When I look up, I find his eyebrows pinched together, one the hard line, pin-stripe brows drawn on his face don’t quite touch, like his would.
“How come you look normal and I look like I belong in a brothel?” I give myself a once over. Though I can’t see my face, I can make out the average maid’s outfit, similar to Clamara’s, and I breathe a sigh of relief.
“I’m not sure, but I’ll meet you back here. If something goes wrong and you need me, for whatever reason, Kai’s–our–room is on the top floor.”
Asmo doesn’t answer, just lifts his pencil-line, thin brows and grabs a book from the shelf, blowing the dust layering it into the air.
14
Alice
The castle is beyond quiet, but I did figure out how I’ve never come across Asmo’s room. The door has been concealed with magic to appear like the stone walls. I used my flames to leave a burnt mark on the stone near the door, so I can find my way back to it later if I need to.
Climbing two floors to get to Kai’s, I didn’t see a single person. It’s as if the moment the castle returned, they ran for the hills. Not that I blame them. Being locked inside with no clue of when you’ll be let out again has a way of doing that to you. It’s like cabin fever, but with a hint of anxiety layered on top.
I’m not even sure if Kai will be here inside the castle, but I figured the best place to check first is our room. Exiting the stairwell, my mind goes blank. Statues are smashed to stone crumbles, and wooden furniture is splintered into pieces. It’s as if someone set siege to the castle, and somehow only targeted this floor.
No wonder why everyone evacuated…
Reaching the bedroom door, I slowly turn the nob, pushing it open and hearing the whine of the hinges. I try to peek through the crack, but it’s hard to see much beyond the large lump of a man’s body in the bed, beneath the covers.
