birth to my brother and me and hiding us in the mortal world. The payment for that deception, not once, but twice, earned her a twenty-five-year punishment, which was nearing its end. Would she return to Gardeness once her punishment was fulfilled?
A small ache squeezed in my chest at the thought. Nothing that concerned me. It was like a bout of indigestion, and I didn’t have time to examine how I felt about Kira leaving. “How will I get in then?”
“You’re of my blood,” she said simply. “Gardeness is your court by birthright; you don’t need an invitation. If you’re serious about kidnapping the prince, we need an ally who can be our eyes and ears, be where we can’t be. And I know just the demon.” The smirk curling on her lips made me groan.
T-R-O-U-B-L-E.
That was my mother.
I could see the logic in her suggestion. I knew nothing about the Court of Envy or its queen, and I wasn’t even a hundred percent certain the dreams were real. Kira believed Ashor was shadowing me from the truth. Once again I found myself forced into a position where I had to trust someone who was unworthy of that trust.
“What happens after I get in?” Long-term strategy wasn’t my thing, and neither was being patient. Every second that went by was, in my mind, time Kali used to strengthen her advantage. If she succeeded in conquering the Court of Envy, we would all feel the rippling effects.
Kira leaned back against the counter, crossing one ankle over the other. “I have a few ideas. But first, we need to learn the prince’s whereabouts. We can’t have you just wandering around the underworld. There are things, unimaginable things, that dwell in Hell.”
I crossed my arms over my chest, a sudden coldness radiating in my blood. “I’m all too familiar with the dangers.”
Her eyes searched mine, seeing the specks of fear my memory of the wraith summoned inside me. “Then we’re going to break a few rules, something I’m good at.” She winked. “Also, would you mind dousing the flames you’ve created on my ceiling? We don’t need to attract any unwanted attention.”
My eyes lifted upward, eyeing the wisp of darkness that curled and licked over my head like a funnel of clouds. “Shit,” I muttered. It was getting worse.
Storm clouds rolled in, darkening the evening sky. Thunder cracked with a jolt, rumbling long and low through the night. New Orleans was in for one hell of a storm, and my mother and I were out sleuthing through the streets. Everyone else was snuggled inside their warm and dry houses, oblivious to what lurked outside the windows.
A demon and her daughter.
My finger skirted over the top of my dagger I’d strapped onto my thigh, its weight giving me comfort as we moved along an empty alley. I was in unfamiliar territory,
The shutters on the run-down house beat against the siding in rhythm with the howling winds as we approached. Kira didn’t knock on the door of the two-story building, but turned the knob and let us in. My demon eyes were already adjusted to the dark and took in the main room. All the furniture was covered in white cloth, as if the place hadn’t been used in years. Specks of dust floated in the air, tickling my nose. I held in a sneeze, rubbing at my nose as we moved silently into the house. We were meeting my mother’s friend tonight, and I wondered just what type of demon lived in a house with no lights. Not a single one was lit, not even the fireplace.
Watching my mother move through the streets tonight was compelling. Gone were any traces of the succubus. Dressed in all black, her stunning face and eyes hidden by a hood, she had stealth about her that reminded me of the wraith I’d seen in Brimstone, a memory I wasn’t fond of reliving.
A flash of lightning illuminated the stairwell as we crept up to the second floor. I didn’t understand why we hadn’t announced our arrival or why we were sneaking in, but I knew better than to demand answers. Until the house was deemed safe, I would stay silent.
At the end of the hallway, we paused at a slightly ajar door. Kira stuck out her foot and pushed lightly, sending the door swinging open. The hinges groaned, echoing down the corridor. An eerie shiver tingled along my arms, making the hairs stick up as if I’d rubbed a