if that’s the case. The demons want you, but the wolves will fight us to the death no matter what.”
I peered out into the night. “Speaking of shifting, Rourke should’ve been here by now,” I said. “I wonder what happened?” A shiver ran through me at the thought the curse had touched him. But I would’ve known, or felt something, so I tried to relax.
“I haven’t seen anyone else come over the wall,” Marcy said. “But if he’s anything like mine, they growl a lot when you’re not around.”
I made a move to leave the junkyard fort, but Nick caught my arm. “Jess, you can’t go back out there. It’s better if you stay in here. Once the demons know you’re here, they’ll come soon enough.” He shook his head. “What’s happening here shouldn’t even be possible. Sorcerers don’t have the power to summon Lords. No one can. So it’s clear they’ve made a prior agreement with each other, which makes the entire thing unprecedented on the biggest level.”
I shivered, remembering the Demon Lord in the cave.
“The sorcerers want my life force,” I said, “but the demons think I’m an outlaw, powerful enough to rule their race if I were given the opportunity. They want to stop me at all costs. I have a court date in the Underworld already, and once the date arrives, the Lord said I would pop to that plane automatically. But if that’s the case, why are they here now?” None of it made much sense.
“I have no idea, Jess,” Nick said. “All the information I have about the Underworld is strictly from books. They are intensely powerful and their magic feels strange and foreign.”
He was right. “Foreign” was a good word. It tasted strange, more than just sulfur. It had an odd undertone.
Something flew over the wall in front of us.
It howled on the way down, crashing into a nearby Dumpster. It was an imp. There was a ferocious roar and another one flew over, greasy hair flying. Then Rourke’s entire body smashed through a hole in the wall.
He was livid, his arms braced.
I crossed my arms. “There’s my guy now.” I smiled at Marcy. “He must’ve come across some more trouble. The ward has completely fallen, because the imps must be coming in from the other side. Can he see us?”
“Holy caveman. He can see us, but we look like human bag ladies watching the show from behind a heap of scrap metal.” Marcy chuckled.
I glanced at her sideways. “You know, you never cease to amaze me.” Marcy had definitely found her groove. There was a time when she’d suffered from a lack of confidence, which had kept her out of her aunt’s Coven, but the world wasn’t dealing with the same girl any longer. Her recent adventures had changed her in a big way. “Did I mention I’m glad you’re alive? Not only do I love seeing your smiling face but if you’d have turned up dead, I would’ve followed you shortly if Tally had anything to say about it.”
“Yeah, she’s a cranky old bitty. She would zap you into never-never land just because she can. But can you believe she showed up here?” she exclaimed. “She never does anything for anyone. So consider yourself part of the elite. But, honestly, do you know how much this is going to cost you? Witches never do anything for free. You’ll never make another dime. All your future paychecks are going straight to the Coven.”
“Not this time,” I said, shaking my head. “She’s fighting for you, not me. I’m pretty sure she’s here because Maggie told her to come. That child probably had another vision and said, ‘If the wolf lady gets killed, Auntie Marcy will die.’ So Tally felt compelled to come to save her favorite niece.”
“Isn’t Maggie a little charmer? Spooky as hell, but you can’t help wanting to give those cheeks a squeeze. I love her up every time I see her. But I also plug my ears whenever she starts chanting. Some things are better left unknown.”
“You got that right,” I said.
“Jessica, where are you?” Rourke’s bellow was just short of manic. “The low-level demons have broken through the wall. If they have you, I’m going to tear this place apart.”
“I’m right in front of you,” I called, waving. “But you have to come inside the barricade to see it’s me.”
He paced closer, growling fiercely. “The vamps have disappeared. They were there one second and gone the next. The witches seem to know what’s going on, however, and are prepared to fight. Whatever’s stocked in their ammo is working on the imps.” He lifted his nose to scent the area. “I can smell you, but I can’t see you.”
“Keep walking. Marcy has spelled a small area. Once you get closer, you should see a couple of old ladies. Did the curse get on anyone?”
“Yes, one of the witches who was coming around the yard got sprayed, but Ray is on it.” He made his way over to us. “Tally has him by the neck, even though he’s cooperating. She doesn’t trust him not to drink her witch dry.”
“What about my dad?” He had taken off like the rest of us.
“I haven’t seen him,” he said, coming closer. “I see three old ladies, one who smells like you.”
“Three?” Nick said. “He thinks I’m an old lady?” He turned to Marcy with a questioning glance.
Marcy pressed her lips together and replied, “Gender bending is hard, so you get lumped in, my friend. My spell reads lady, so lady it is.”
Just before Rourke reached us, flames erupted in a single circle around Marcy’s blockade, separating us.
“Jess!” Nick yelled, grabbing my arm. “We have to get out. This is a demon circle!” He leapt around a car door, pulling me along.
I didn’t need any urging. I was right behind him. “Go, go! I’m following you.”
“Jessica,” Rourke yelled. “The flames won’t kill you. Get the hell out!”
“I’m going as fast as I can—” There was a popping noise and something grabbed me by the neck.
“Going someplace?” it hissed in my ear.
“In fact she is, asshole demon guy,” Marcy said. “Let go of her.”
I twisted in its grasp right as Marcy hit him with a spell. I’d never seen her spells manifest physically. This information was new and very welcome. Her signature was pink.
So very Marcy.
The demon let go and howled in pain. He wasn’t a Lord, so his power signature was much lower. We were lucky. But that meant the sorcerers were hiding somewhere close and they’d discovered our location and cover.
Things were about to get even uglier.
“Come on, Jess,” Nick urged from the other side. “You have to get out before the wall of flames grows.”
“I’ve got this demon businessman. Go while you can,” Marcy ordered. She glanced down at the demon that was sprawled on the ground. “Where’s your briefcase? Huh? Who comes to a fight in a three-piece suit? Take that for being such a dumbass.” She shot him with another spell and he went limp.
I took a running leap through the flames.
They weren’t hot like normal fire, but they still licked along my skin, stinging me like burning sandpaper scraping along every nerve ending.
I landed in a crouch next to Nick. His hair was singed, but other than that he appeared to be fine. “We need to find your father,” he said. “I may be able to use my persuasion and I want to find the source. The imps fell easily, but I’ve never met a Demon Lord. It’s worth a try.”
“How do you find the source?” I asked, glancing to the right, noting that Rourke was engaged with what looked to be a group of sorcerers. They were all wearing robes, but he had it handled.
“From what I understand, there are six Lords, but there is only one Prince of Hell. If he’s here, he’s in charge. If I can convince him to leave, maybe they’ll all leave.”
“I’ve met a Demon Lord and it was incredibly powerful, but I’m willing to try anything,” I said. “But we don’t need my father—we need Naomi. She can fly you closer. Scale the wall in front of us and we’ll go from there.”
I made a move to help Rourke. Most of the sorcerers were already down. “Go!” he yelled. “I’ll be right behind you. These guys are useless.”
Nick leapt easily to the top of the wall and I followed. The scene below was ridiculous. Wolves were fighting wolves, witches were shooting demons, and the vamps had formed a ring around Eudoxia in the corner.
