Darkblood Prison - G.K. DeRosa Page 0,4
wrong. Perhaps a trip to the Fae realm was exactly what I needed. And I didn’t need a stupid demon escort. I could go alone.
Chapter Three
“Thanks, Chaz.” I handed the warlock a fifty as the shimmering azure portal churned to life beside him.
“Anything for a friend of Garrix’s.” He winked and shoved the bill inside his pocket. Human dollars were still a commodity in the supernatural realm and luckily, I’d squirreled away a few thousand for occasions just like this.
I may not have had many friends in Azar, but my family did. My other grandpa, Garrix, was a warlock, a super powerful one. All I had to do was mention his name in some underground chat groups, and I had a magical ticket out of here. Only warlocks had the power to open portals so their services were in high demand on the black market. Portal opening within Azar wasn’t monitored that closely; it was the ones being opened to the human world that were thoroughly scrutinized.
My Underworlder cousins were sneaking into the human realm and causing trouble. Grandpa Lucifer was too busy living his best life gallivanting around the world to care. I wasn’t too worried about it, but Mom and Dad seemed to be.
“Anything else I can do for you?” The young guy’s voice drew me back to the present. He flashed me a grin, and his gold lip ring gleamed beneath the broken streetlamp.
“Nope. I’ll message you when I’m done.”
“Deal.” He motioned to the whirling vortex, and I leapt in.
The gelatinous substance sucked me in, the bright lights nearly blinding before melting away to a black void. Two seconds later, my stomach dropped as the portal spewed me out. My boots sank into the snow, and a bitter chill swept through my leather jacket.
Mother faery, it’s freezing! I tugged up my collar and hugged my arms around myself. I still couldn’t believe my mom lived at Winter Court for three years. I didn’t think I could stand the frigid temps for three hours.
I scanned the streets to get my bearings, but the thumping bass quickly pulled my attention to the towering, snow-blanketed building down the street. I’d only been to the Fae realm once before when I was little, and Spring Court was nothing like Winter. Plus, I hadn’t been allowed to leave the confines of the palace where my mom’s half-sisters reigned as queens. I’d met my half-cousins for a few hours before they were paraded off to some royal event. The pomp and circumstance of court was nothing like the mass of boisterous Fae and sprinkling of other supes lined up on the curb outside the club.
I walked down the block before crossing the street toward the flashing neon sign. Faery Tail. Interesting… It sounded more like a strip club than a night club. Shrugging, I marched to the bouncer, bypassing the line of motley Fae. Spending an hour in line was not how I planned on starting my big night out.
It was time to test out Mezlor’s potion.
My demon trainer had gifted me a magical manipulating brew in case I ever ran into trouble. Luckily, I’d been able to handle myself just fine over the years in the Nether Lands and never had to use it. I patted the small vial in my back pocket as the Fae bouncer eyed me from afar.
Clasping my hands behind my back, I inhaled a deep breath and batted my long sooty lashes. The tall Fae stuck his long nose up as he shot me a condescending stare. “Whose list are you on?”
Ryx hadn’t been too far off about Fae arrogance… but I wasn’t anything like them.
Steeling my nerve, I dug my hand into my pocket and dipped two fingers into the vial. The sticky powder coated my fingertips. I fixed my eyes on the Fae’s icy green ones and waved my hand in front of his face. I held my breath as his nostrils flared, then his nose twitched. In an instant, his cold stare defrosted, replaced by a vacant look.
Yes!
With his defenses gone, the Fae’s vulnerability was like a beacon to my inner demon. Tendrils of dark magic unfurled from my core and wrapped around the male’s chest. He lurched forward, and I could feel his essence surging to the surface. Darkness encroached my vision, and a heady excitement thrummed through my insides. If I just pulled a little more…
No! I snapped my eyes wide open and focused on the pale ivy irises in front of