Tyler turned. He was dressed in the same sort of jumpsuit as I was. “We should take these things off,” he said, fingering the zipper. “They can track us, right?” He’d directed his question to Lili.
The demoness stopped and motioned to my brother to come forward. “Here, turn around,” she ordered. Tyler obeyed with a skeptical look. He didn’t trust her. Instead of grasping the zipper, she placed her hand along the metal strip running up his side and said a few words under her breath. The thing literally melted off into her hand and she tossed it away. It made a pinging noise as it bounced off the rock wall. She beckoned to me. “Let me free you too.”
I walked over and she did the same thing. This time I heard her words. They were in Demonish. “You can spell in both languages.” It was a statement, not a question. Crafting spells was technical. Just how technical, I had no idea, but words, names, and pronunciation mattered. Spells were attached to the very sound of the words uttered. The language used needed to be precise.
She met my gaze and her pupils pulsed, elongating, reminding me she was very much a demon no matter how human or half witch she appeared. “Yes. I’ve been here for too many years to count. More than enough time to master demon spells.”
“Can regular demons cast spells?” I asked as we all started walking again.
“Only some,” she replied. “As I said before, there are many different kinds of demons in the Underworld. Demons we call zhydd pozsylz, their specialty is to cast spells, as well as the Prince, and all the demonesses.”
“Why don’t the spell casters act as the demon guards? That seems more logical,” I said. “They would have a greater advantage in situations like this.”
“They do not live in this city. She’ol is considered an urban center. They are what humans would refer to as living ‘out in the country’ by choice. They are very powerful and can be very dangerous. I wouldn’t say they are shunned, but other demons don’t like to encounter them. They also refuse to use glamour, so they are not allowed into the city limits very often.”
I shook my head. This place was incredibly strange. “What about Selene?” I asked. “She didn’t look very good. Did the Prince kill her back there?”
Lili slowed by a curve in the tunnel, listening before she beckoned us forward. My wolf was on alert, but I didn’t detect anything crazy around the corner, though that wasn’t saying much. Anything could pop out of this place.
“How do we ultimately leave here?” Tyler asked me. “I never asked how you arrived. Is there a circle nearby?”
“I landed in the dump,” I said. “I literally plunked down where the demons throw their trash.” I turned to my mate. “How did you get here?”
“We landed out in a field somewhere,” Rourke answered. “It was covered in weird moving grass. We ran until we picked up your scent.”
“Was it daylight out there?” I asked.
“It was just breaking. Strange colors here,” he mused. “Everything was purple and yellow.”
“It was lucky you landed when you did,” I commented. “The sun burns the skin and the bats were probably already back in their nests. If you had come at night, it might’ve been a different story.”
Lili glanced back, tilting her head, appraising me once again. “The sun here will not affect them. And it should not have affected you, because you are not a true demon.” Her eyes narrowed. “I’ve been trying to puzzle this out for a while—why you smell like a demon and why the sensors categorize you as such. You must have demon blood running through you somewhere. Maybe a long-lost ancestor?”
I wasn’t going to divulge my abilities to Lili, who was obviously in the dark, so I settled on, “It has to do with my magic abilities.”
“I don’t understand,” she said. “You cannot absorb our magic.”
Rourke stepped in. “Our business is not yours, demoness. What we need from you is a relatively safe place to regroup until we can figure out what do to next.” He glanced at me. “I’m not opposed to heading back to our plane and dealing with the fallout later, but I know that’s not what you want. It could be centuries before anything happens with the Prince, and it may be the safer alternative. But once the demoness leads us to a safer destination, we can throw around our options. ”
“It could be centuries or it could be a matter of days,” I said. “I seem to unhinge the Prince whenever I’m around. Now that we know what the Princess is after, making sure she takes over, especially since she has already granted us some favors, seems like the best way to rid ourselves of the Underworld indefinitely. When we get back to our plane we’ll have enough to worry about. The sorcerers and the fracture pack aren’t going to give up.” I turned to the group, meeting everyone’s stare. “Now that we’re together, we can solve this once and for all—”
A shrill screech erupted and half a beat later something darted around the corner of the tunnel.
Selene had me by the throat before any of us knew what had happened.
16
Yelling and commotion surrounded us instantly. I wasn’t frightened that Selene could do any harm, since she barely had any power. But I had to admit I was a little shaken she’d managed to take us all by surprise.
She had literally come out of nowhere.
“Now you die, bitch,” she snarled in my ear.
“What… are you… doing?” I sputtered, batting her hands away from my face. We rolled on the ground. “You can’t take me on and win, Selene. You don’t have any power or magic.”
Before she could answer, she was plucked off me by a very angry Rourke. He tossed her against the other side of the tunnel, snarling, “Enough! We’ve already gone through this with you, Lunar Goddess. If we kill you here, you die for real, and I’m more than ready to do the deed for the final time.” He cracked his knuckles, positioning himself between her and me.
She rose to her feet in seconds, her features rabid. She seemed even more unhinged than she’d been a few moments ago.