Inferno of Darkness (Divisa Huntress #2) - J.L. Weil Page 0,23
That is no small feat. And what makes you think he is going to do something rash?”
A scowl crossed my lips. She didn’t have to tell me of Ashor’s sacrifice. Thanks to our connection, I knew all too well the payment for such deception. How much did I trust her? She had helped Chase once, many years ago when Angel was in trouble, but I was uncertain how much information I could reveal without jeopardizing everything. She was my mother, but that was of little importance to demons. She had no loyalty to me, had no reason to help me or keep my secrets. “Because the queen is torturing him because of me,” I retorted. Because I need him to tell me what was going on with me!
She gave a slight, who-cares shrug. “The Courts of Hell have their own rules, and the Queen of Darkness is not known to be a merciful ruler.”
“No shit,” I muttered. “I can’t stand by and do nothing. I owe it to him.”
Flecks of red spun into the center of her eyes, showing for the first time an emotion other than amused. “You owe him nothing,” she said with stone-cold seriousness.
The sudden change in the air took me aback. “Maybe I don’t, but the moment his soul became entangled with mine, so did his life and what happens to him. I won’t get a moment of peace with his mother torturing him.”
“I see your point. I assume your connection has manifested itself somehow for you in the mortal world.”
These mother-daughter talks were so helpful. “It has. Can you help me or not?” I wasn’t ready to divulge my newly acquired ability or the dreams.
She thought about it for a long moment of silence, leaving me dangling on the edge of my seat while I waited for her to give me an answer. My knee bounced impatiently, and I was about to ask her again when she said, “What do you have in mind?”
A rush of air expelled from my lungs, loosening the strain that had formed in my chest. “I want to break him out of the underworld.”
She chuckled, a soft, husky sound. “That’s a joke, right? Kidnap a prince?”
“I wish.”
Her wavy champagne-colored hair shook with the movement of her head. “Such poetic justice. How can I say no? It will cost you though.” A gleam lit in her eyes, smoldering in gold and crimson.
So much for thinking being her daughter would earn me a favor. “You want me to make a deal with you? Are you kidding?”
She gave me a meaningful look. “It is the only way I can offer you my help. There are rules.”
Shit. I was so going to regret this. “Fine. I’ll do it.”
7
Kira didn’t insist we strike our demon bargain right then and there but suggested I take the night to think on it and rest after the trip. She didn’t have to ask me twice. I was in no hurry to seal our deal with a blood oath.
She took me to dinner and showed me around the French Quarter before returning me to the apartment and heading back out to work. I didn’t ask what or who her job was tonight. Some unfortunate guy or girl would lose pieces of their soul. Mom didn’t discriminate. Honestly, I didn’t want to know. The less I understood about her employment with Hell, the less guilt I would feel.
So I told myself.
And yet, it didn’t keep me from being restless.
Alone, I wandered the apartment, lugging my bags upstairs to the second floor where two bedrooms were, each with their own bathroom. I hooked a left into the spare room Kira had instructed I could sleep in. She had also told me I could stay for as long as I needed. I didn’t doubt that my mother would try to drag out our little deal in the guise of trying to spend time with me. It was hard to admit that I had actually enjoyed myself this evening. For so long, I hated my mother, hated everything she stood for. That deep hate didn’t just go away, and it would take more than a dinner to patch things up between us. If that was even possible.
We’d made progress over the last few years. I no longer dreamed of running a blade through her heart.
I made quick use of the bathroom and then changed into some comfy clothes. After I brushed my teeth and washed my face, I stared into the mirror, willing,