This Curse - By Alisha Basso Page 0,53

the wall beside me, letting me know that Jamie had suffered the same fate.

I opened my eyes and winced at the throbbing pain flooding my head. “Whoever is responsible for this shit had better guard their nut sack!” I seethed, feeling my little Yoda feet dangle in mid air.

“Hush!” Jamie gasped. She was twisting and struggled against the wall. “You’ll only make it worse.” she warned.

We were trapped against the wall, held in place by demon magic. The kind I was so afraid to chip away at. I could free us as far as I could tell. I just didn’t know who was watching. I looked around the room and felt my anger war with my mounting fear.

The room was awash in blue light. A huge rounded glass tank burbled and bubbled in the center of the floor and inside looking horrible was Seth. I gasped. His skin was pruned and puffy looking like a specimen in a jar.

This wasn’t good. I wanted to send out a thought to him, to wake him or make him move but then thought better of it. He appeared to be unconscious and from the stillness of his body, I could only assume that he wasn’t faking it.

Someone had interrupted our telepathy, someone with a lot of power and if that someone was still listening I would be wise to keep silent. I looked at Seth. His poor body was so waterlogged and limp. Obviously, that creature must have had an idea that Seth was speaking to an outsider. The only question was, did they know it was me?

I was pissed. We’d come so far, only to be caught so close to our goal. No way was I going to just hang here like a piece of ugly art. I looked around the room. No one seemed to be around. My anger was winning out over my good sense and I looked at Jamie, prepared to warn her of her sudden fall. I wanted out of here, and if using my magic could accomplish that, then we were so out of here.

I froze. The look on her face was one of sheer panic. “Please, don’t? Just trust me on this,” she begged, frightened.

“What aren’t you telling me?” I whispered.

“She is trying to get you to shut your wretched, wrinkled mouth, mongrel,” Lucian rounded a set of tall cabinets and smirked at us. “What have we here?” he slowly approached. “A couple of bent little witches? We were told to keep a look out for you. It seems you never showed up at the council hearing. Someone is quite curious about that.” He folded his arms and looked at us with disgust. “I personally couldn’t care less. You are like smelly little roaches, and I have things to do.”

I tried to hide my smile at his ignorance. So far, so good

“Please, let us go, we just got lost is all.” Jamie was a really horrible liar and I cringed, waiting for Lucian to react to the obvious falsehood, but all he did was curl his lip and snap his fingers.

At the sound, Lydia came running to his side. She looked a little haggard, like her skin didn’t quite fit. It sagged oddly at the corners of her eyes, her lips looked like wax. She was falling apart. I shuddered.

“You need me, baby?” she slid up his body and Jamie flinched. Oh great! This could fall apart real quick.

“I need no one, my dear.” Lucian ran his hand down her hair. The action was tender, but the look in his brown eyes chilled me. As if he could’ve just as easily snapped her neck. The look of disgust was back as he gazed at us again. “Inform him. It appears we have the wretched creatures.” At Lydia’s confused expression he sighed, “The witches you lack whit! He demanded we inform him the moment they were found.” and with that, he turned on his heel and left the room.

Lydia watched him go longing in her eyes. I would have felt sorry for her and her pathetic one-sided affection if it weren’t for the fact that she was a lying whore of a demon who needed to be taken out as soon as possible.

Lydia eyed us “You two don’t look like much.” She squinted, examining us like bugs under glass. “How’d you do it? No witch can charm the halls.” I felt like she was speaking another language. Charm the halls? What the hell was she talking about?

She