Inferno of Darkness (Divisa Huntress #2) - J.L. Weil Page 0,36

told you not to lie to me,” I snapped.

An explosion boomed, and I glanced up at the sky, seeing a glittering burst of fireworks light up the night. It was all the distraction he needed.

I was shoved backward with a force that sent me scrambling to stay on my feet. The asshole took off, hauling ass down the alley toward the main road. I couldn’t let that happen. Shoving the hair out of my face, I whirled around.

Damn. Damn. Damn.

The last thing I needed was for him to run off and tattle to his little demon buddies about my plans. I had seen the wheels working inside his pea-sized brain, putting together my relationship with the prince and the reasoning behind my questions.

“He can’t live. He knows too much.”

Fuck. You don’t think I know that! I shouted back, uncertain if he could even hear me, but I didn’t care.

I gave chase. The demon neared the cross street, and knowing my options were limited, I adjusted the dagger in my hand, zeroing my focus on his movements. And when I had the distance worked out, I threw my blade, watching with anticipation as it whizzed through the air straight for its intended moving target.

Thud. His body hit the ground, my dagger sticking out of his back. At least my aim was still on point.

A smile curled over my lips. “Bull’s-eye.”

I loomed over him, withdrawing my dagger and then kicked him over. My blade slid into his heart, shattering him into nothing but dust.

I was cleaning my blade after another night of hunting in the streets of New Orleans when a knock sounded on my door. A moment later, it cracked open. Freshly showered, I paused my task to lift my gaze and saw my mother. Correction. It was my mother’s soul with a new face. Her lips were painted black; her formerly blonde hair was now cut short and dyed the same color as her lips. If it weren’t for the crimson eyes, I wouldn’t have recognized her.

Shapeshifting was my mother’s secret weapon. She’d managed to keep it minimal while I was here, and I couldn’t help think she did so for my sake. I’d also noticed that she only changed skin twice since our first meeting, yet no matter how hard she tried, Kira would never be a normal mom.

It was not in her DNA.

Dressed in all black, she crossed the room, excitement beaming in her red eyes as they glowed brightly in the dimly lit room, which made me suspicious. She was up to something, but a little mischief fit my mood. “I see you went out? Run into anything interesting?” she asked, her tone lifting.

I blinked. “Not really.”

“Oh.” Her eyes flickered to the black blood on the rag I was using to get the gunk off my dagger, but she said nothing else about it. She was no fool. Nor did she particularly care that I had slain one of her fellow soul suckers. “I’m glad you’re at least getting out of this room. Even if it is for the wrong reasons. I thought you would want to know that I heard from Cayden,” she said, practically dancing at the foot of my bed.

She had my undivided attention. I dropped the blade and sat up straighter on the bed, nearly jumping out of my skin. “What did he say?”

“You go tomorrow,” she said, a pleased grin on her full lips.

My chest expanded and released. Holy shit. I was going back into the underworld tomorrow night. The high didn’t last long as realization settled in. “Is this going to work?” I asked, genuinely concerned.

She leaned a shoulder against one of the bedposts. “We won’t know until tomorrow. If you’ve changed your mind, there is still time to back out.”

“What about our deal?”

“Oh, the bargain we struck is still very much intact. If you decide not to rescue your prince, you will still owe me a favor in the future.”

“It doesn’t matter. I haven’t changed my mind. I’m doing this,” I said with conviction.

Someone outside the open window shouted, but we both ignored the street noise. “I thought you would say that. It will be up to you to navigate your way through the Mist. Cayden will be at the gate and take you from there.”

Crossing my legs on the bed, I asked. “How will I enter without an invitation?”

“This is where things might get hairy. You can cross into the Court of Envy, but Cayden can’t reach you there