why some people call it the Devil’s Playground,” River said. “It’s not because they understand that he actually resides here.”
“Where does he live?”
“Everywhere.” River met my gaze as he drove and the intensity of it was impossible to ignore. “If you believe the stories, which I do, he was banished from Heaven and exiled to Earth, and isn’t that perfect? Where better to have someone with questionable morals exist than a place where everyone is looking for something to give them purpose, without realizing their purpose was planted inside of them all along?”
I thought about that long after we got back to the Manor. Long after we made love again before falling asleep. I’d always pushed thoughts about the Devil and the curse aside, never really knowing why I was so completely against any of it being real, but now I understood. I tried to ignore it and speak against it because it made me uncomfortable, but discomfort often led to change and I was open to that.
Chapter Twenty-Six
I hooked a finger into the candleholder and walked outside of the bedroom, careful to shut the door quietly behind me. I couldn’t sleep and River, who hardly seemed to, was sound asleep tonight. The candlelight created a shadow on the walls as I walked down the stairs, holding the skirt of the silk robe I wore carefully so that I wouldn’t trip. When I reached the foyer, I half expected to see one of the staff members dusting and cleaning, as they always seemed to be, but it was dark, desolate, only the sound of my breathing audible. I wasn’t sure what I was doing down here alone, but something had called me to get out of bed and come. I stepped into the study and stood in the center of the room, my eyes on the stained glass in front of me.
“The house really was beautiful once.” The voice came from the door. I gasped and swirled around. It was Mayra standing there. She walked inside, leaving the door open behind her. She was still wearing the same outfit she always wore, black from head to toe, long skirt dragging. Could it be that she slept in it?
“I couldn’t sleep,” I said.
“The irony of you wearing white tonight.” Mayra smiled as she walked past me and looked at the shelves. I felt myself blush. Was she referring to me having sex with River? She continued speaking before I could get a word in. “I never sleep. It’s such a shame. This library used to be a source of entertainment.”
“Really?”
“Really.” She stopped walking and turned to me. “What woke you?”
“I don’t know. I guess my mind just won’t stop running.”
“You’re trying to figure out a way to break the curse.”
“How do you know?” My hand tightened on the candleholder.
“River isn’t the only one indebted to the Devil.” Her mouth moved into a small smile. “I can help you break it.”
“Why should I trust you?”
“You don’t have to, but if you want to help River this may be your only hope.” She stepped closer. “Besides, I want my freedom as well. We all do.”
“What do I have to do?”
“Just talk to him. Hear him out.”
“Who?”
“You know who.” Her eyes seemed to shine in the darkness, almost looking like the fire in my hand.
“How would I talk to him? Where? When?”
“I’ll take you to him if you want.” She started walking to the door and glanced over her shoulder. “Are you coming?”
I followed her. Despite the candle burning in my hand, my body grew cold as we walked through the halls. She led me outside and I was certain she’d take me to the Devil’s Chair, but she didn’t go to the cobblestones or the driveway. She just walked the yard, past the tree, and continued on. I looked over my shoulder and was surprised to see the house much farther than I thought it would be. I looked up at the windows in the attic, the place River felt was truly his. Everything was dark. Only half of the candle was left to burn when I looked at it again. I could hear the ocean from here. I could smell the water, the wet sand.
“How much farther?” I asked.
“Not much.” She glanced over at me. “I don’t look like this to everyone, you know.”
“Like what?”
“The way you see me.”
“I don’t understand what you mean.”
“You find me old and haggard, no?”
“No. I can’t imagine you’re much older than I am.”
“Hm.” She let out