misery, the healing potion that Hades had given me slipped into my mind.
Surely that wouldn’t force me to stay?
I shuddered and drove the thought away, going to the wardrobe. It had been restocked with more dark, sturdy trousers and shirts, and I dressed quickly and for comfort and mobility. This was far different than my usual sweaters and leggings, but I was no longer in the library.
Dressed, I collected the sharp letter opener from where I’d stashed it in the desk. I needed to upgrade my only weapon.
Learn your magic.
The thought flashed through my mind. Learning my magic was all well and good, but without plants around me, how was I supposed to use it to defend myself? There wasn’t so much as a lonely fern here to strangle someone with. And I couldn’t go near that pomegranate tree.
I shoved away the thought and vowed to find the armory as I made my way toward the apothecary’s house.
I’d only made it halfway through the castle when Lucifer found me. The fallen angel was dressed in an impeccable gray three-piece suit as he strolled out of the shadows.
“Where the hell were you wearing that thing?” I looked him up and down. It was a piece of the modern world, and there was nothing modern about Hades’ realm.
He arched a perfect brow. “I don’t stay here all the time, for the record.”
“Out doing some banking in the real world?”
Disdain painted his features. “Banking.”
I shrugged.
“It’s none of your business.”
“That, I believe.” Whatever Lucifer himself was up to, it wasn’t for the likes of mere mortals like me.
You aren’t a real mortal.
I shoved away the thought. Whether or not I was Persephone didn’t matter at this precise moment. What mattered was finding a cure for Mac.
I turned toward the back of the castle and headed that way, feeling Lucifer follow. I glanced back at him. “Are you my guard dog?”
“I suppose so, yes.”
“At his command?”
“But of course.” Lucifer gestured to the hallway around us. “Isn’t all of this at his command?”
“I’m not.”
Something glinted in his gaze. “And that’s likely why he’s so obsessed with you.”
“He’s obsessed with his end goal, and apparently fate says I’m part of it. He’s not obsessed with me.”
“Hmm.” He said nothing more, but it was clear he didn’t agree.
I made it to the back of the castle in record time, despite my devilish shadow. As I stepped out into the dim, gray light of late morning, Lucifer followed silently. A chill breeze whipped through the air. If there had been trees in this realm, their orange leaves would have been swirling on the wind.
“Tell me about him,” I said, as I skirted around the pomegranate tree in the middle of the stone garden.
“What do you want to know?”
I shrugged. “He’s a machine, but what keeps him oiled?”
“His purpose, as I’m sure you know. It drives him, day after day, year after year.”
“Just spreading the darkness? Taking over Earth?”
“Managing hell is work, as well.” He shrugged. “In truth, I don’t understand it. He is driven by something beyond my comprehension. But he does like chess.”
“He likes something?”
“I suppose like isn’t the right word for it,” Lucifer said. “He couldn’t conceive of enjoyment if he tried. But we do play chess occasionally, though I think for him it is an exercise in strategy more than enjoyment.”
“That makes sense.” I wasn’t bad at chess. In fact, I was very, very good.
We reached the apothecary’s cottage, and I turned to Lucifer. “Go away.”
“I’ll wait here for you.” He strolled to a stone bench and sat, stretching his long legs out and crossing his arms over his chest. He hit me with a cocky grin.
I scowled and turned to the cottage, rapping on the door as I held my breath, hoping she would be there. After a few seconds, the door swung open.
Today, the apothecary looked bright and chipper, as if she’d just returned from the spa. Her skin glowed with health as she smiled at me, and the strange symbol inked near her eye sparkled like diamonds.
“Here for your—” Her gaze landed on Lucifer, and her mouth shut. She glared at him with such fire in her eyes that I looked back to see if he was alight.
Alas, he was not.
“Come in.” She gestured for me to enter.
I did, and she slammed the door behind me, obviously for Lucifer’s benefit.
“You don’t like him?” I asked.
“Ha. What’s to like?”
“He’s charming, for the devil.”
“He’s a bastard.” She turned to me. “But fortunately, he can’t hear