Red Blooded
Page 56

Rourke went first, unlatching the wooden door. He stuck his head in and turned to Lili. “Once we’re inside, spell the area. Selene will know if it takes.”
Lili nodded. “I know exactly what I have to do. I’ll take care of everything.”
Selene grumbled as she made her way in after Rourke. “This is the dumbest thing I’ve ever done. This is worse than a Trojan horse. It’s more like a rat stuck in a cupboard.”
“Quit your grumbling,” Ray said, following her in. “Under the radar is where we need to be. We have to get out of here in one piece, so for now we play along. If it doesn’t work, we fight.”
I went next, Tyler brought up the rear. He paused at the doorway. Jess, I don’t like this. It feels wrong.
I had to admit I was getting the same vibe. My wolf had started pacing in earnest. Like Lili said, I told my brother, this was our plan. Not hers. Being here feels both right and wrong at the same time. I can’t explain it. It’s like I’m getting a mixed message. But as far as I can see, we have no other choice but to play this out.
I don’t want to wait around and see what happens, he said. I’m think we should hightail it back to our plane right now while all the demons are still occupied, and if the Prince of Hell comes looking for you, we tackle the problem then.
Tyler, I’m exhausted and I don’t want the demons on my list anymore, not while I have a chance to make an alliance with the new ruler. If we help the Princess ascend to the throne, we have a chance to leave here without looking over our shoulders. She will owe us.
He gave me a long look. Okay. But I promise you, we’re going to be fighting our way out of whatever comes next. Even if the Princess takes the throne, there’s very little chance we’re walking out of this without using our fists.
That may be true, but we’re in too deep to go back now. Our decision has been made, for better or worse.
He nodded once and ducked in after me. The space was no bigger than a human bathroom. I edged my way over to my mate and leaned my back against his chest. He placed his hands on my shoulders.
Lili stuck her head in the door. “I’ll be back as soon as I can with the Princess. This will work out for the best, don’t worry.” She shut and latched it behind her, speaking a few words in Demonish.
Energy immediately bounded around in the air. For a moment I couldn’t breathe.
Then I doubled over, coughing. “What was that?” I sputtered. Everyone was having the same reaction. I shook my head, trying to clear it, but it felt like I was waking up from a bad dream.
Selene was the first to speak, her voice stunned. “That was us waking up from an enchantment spell. That’s not a good sign.”
“What do you mean?” I asked. “What enchantment?”
“It means Lili had already spelled us, and now she’s decided to wake us up,” Selene stated grimly.
“How can you be sure?” Tyler coughed, hitting his chest with his fist.
Selene arched her eye at my brother. “She probably did it while I was out, likely right after she killed the clone with blood on her hands. For demons, fresh blood is a potent amplifier to their power. It must have been her lucky day when I collapsed, because I’m the only one who would’ve noticed. The situation presented her with an opportunity, and she took it. It’s very hard to detect a spell when a very powerful witch hits you with one. You can only sense it at the very beginning. There’s a slight tingle and nothing more.”
“No. Please tell me you’re wrong,” I breathed. “We can’t have been spelled that entire time.” My mind raced back to when Lili was holding the demon heart she’d torn out of the clone. She’d done something over that bowl, and then I’d felt a little off. Dammit, we were so stupid! How could we not have noticed? My wolf howled in anger, but I knew she’d been fooled too or she would have warned me.
Tyler rubbed his neck. “Man, Jess, this is bad. Much worse than I thought.”
Rourke snarled, stalking to the doorway. “Only a few supernaturals in the world could pull such a trick on me. This means Lili has been lying and seeking an opportunity to change the game for a long time.” His voice was low and furious. He took the door handle and depressed it.
It was locked tight.
Then I heard it. Thousands and thousands of voices. I met Ray’s eyes and they echoed the same thing.
The auditorium was already full of demons.
And we were indeed rats trapped in the cupboard.
22
“This is my fault,” I said, joining my furious mate at the doorway. When we agreed to allow her lead us away from the arena, even after we knew who she really was, we’d made a huge mistake, and now we were paying the price. “My wolf has been at me to tear Lili’s throat out since we first met, and I’ve ignored her, repeatedly.” My wolf huffed at me, spinning in a circle. I know, I know. But you wanted me to tear out Selene’s throat too.
“No, this is not all on you.” Rourke’s voice was like steel. “I’ve been alive for centuries. I am one of the strongest supes on the planet. If anyone should’ve felt an enchantment spell, it was me. Lili duped us all. And the reason she was so successful was because we wanted to believe her. We needed an ally here and we chose not to scrutinize the only help we had too closely.” He rattled the door and pushed into it with his shoulder. Nothing. It didn’t even crack. “We have to assume all of our interactions with Lili starting from the Prince’s quarters were false. One of the reasons we might not have detected the spell is it may be a very subtle one. She may have guided us in small ways only.”
I ran a hand through my hair and cursed. “Selene,” I asked, turning, “what does an enchantment spell do, specifically?”
“The demoness has essentially created an alternate reality and made us all believe it. We have seen only what she wanted us to see and nothing more.”
“That means she probably never called the Princess and the piece of paper that was key to making our decision was likely a blank sheet of paper.”
Selene nodded. “Yes, and I agree with,” she nodded at Rourke, “him. It was a powerful spell, but a small one. Only our direct interactions with her were affected.”
The voice decibel level had increased outside.
Tyler rammed his weight against one wall, and Ray took the other. It had no effect. We were sealed in. “Thinking back to everything that’s happened,” I said, “Lili has been guiding us on a very well-orchestrated wild-goose chase. But what’s her angle?” I turned around, grabbing my head. I was so angry at myself for putting what little trust I had in Lili. She was the daughter of Lilith, for chrissake! I pressed my fingertips to my temples. “She obviously wanted the civil war to happen, so she must have something to gain. When we suggested we come back here, she’d been almost giddy. She must have needed us here, or someplace very public. Dammit! I can’t believe I’ve been so stupid.”