of Hugh Hefner’s playboy bunnies. At least, that’s what she looked like, but I knew better. She was a demon.
“Pye will see you now,” she said, and began walking toward a large mansion.
I got to my feet and ran a little to catch up with her. We were approaching a gate that led into a large, ranch-style mansion. Neatly trimmed bushes that were more art than plants decorated the grounds as a huge stone fountain flowed water over a beautiful woman.
She opened the front door, we stepped through and my breath was immediately lost as evil surrounded me. Oh yeah, he had guards¯apparently lots of them. I could only hope they were on another floor to give me time for my escape. The demon led me down the hall, turned into a large sitting room and motioned for me to sit on a chair. “Wait here.”
Too nervous to sit, I glanced around. It was a normal rich person’s sitting room—expensive with all the trimmings. I quickly drew on Spirit, held my shield firm around me for the added security and to settle my nerves just as the little playboy bunny stepped back into the room. “Pye requests your presence. Come with me,” she ordered.
Following behind her, she headed toward the back of the house where a door sat. The closer we got the more evil crept through. I sucked in a deep breath, trying to keep the nerves at bay. I got the sinking suspicion that there were far more demons in this house than expected and far more than I first thought. Once at the door, she stopped, then opened it and we stepped through.
Fuck!
Magnus didn’t know what he was talking about, or maybe he did. Why I believed what he told me was just plain stupid on my part. I wasn’t going to have a private meeting with Pye—the twenty demons surrounding him made that pretty obvious.
“Come forward,” Pye demanded.
I pushed back my fear, knowing the demons in this room could feel it. Obviously, the plan had changed. I couldn’t help but wonder how the hell I was going to get out of this. Zia said I wouldn’t be able to handle too many demons for long. But what could I do? If I didn’t destroy Pye, Dante would be gone forever.
It was too late to turn back now anyway. I had no other reason for coming here. What could I say, that I just wanted to stop by for a tea? Just because the situation changed didn’t mean I had a choice in this. My only hope was that I could kill Pye fast enough to get the hell out.
Just as I was about to draw on my magic a woman suddenly stepped away from the crowd. “What the fuck?” I growled.
“Nexi, my darling,” Tyrianna hummed.
“Is this some sick joke?” I managed. I met her gaze and knew instantly that it was. Her eyes were shadowed, dark—nothing of the wonderful witch lived in there. This wasn’t her. Another thing Magnus wasn’t truthful about, Pye knew enough about me to know the look of my mother.
“We thought it would comfort you,” Tyrianna the demon said.
“Well it doesn’t. So, fucking stop it,” I spat.
The demon shimmered and returned to her normal form. I exhaled with a clenched heart. Seeing my mother, no matter how she was depicted, still affected me.
“Just trying to make you more comfortable,” Pye said. “Now then, tell me what business someone of the Otherworld has with me.”
He was sitting in a throne chair and resembled a Greek God. Short blond curly hair, perfect cream-colored skin—all he needed was the toga.
After that little escapade, this was going to be easier than I thought. Now, I was mad, and that anger pointed to only one place—Pye. “I would just like to say that this isn’t personal,” I said, and prepared myself.
Pye’s brows rose. “What isn’t personal?”
“This gift from Magnus,” I growled, and with as much power I had in me, I blasted him with fire.
It flew toward him, but before it hit, one of Pye’s demons jumped in front of him and it burned the demon into black smoke. Dammit!
Immediately, Pye jumped to his feet and blasted me with his magic. It hit my shield and it was heavy with darkness. This was nothing like the Black Magic I’d experienced before. This was pure evil and unbelievably strong. I kept my shield up strong against it. Poured everything I had into Spirit, prayed it would hold tight.
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