The chair suddenly appeared pretty comfortable, and I felt quite weary on my feet. Sitting would probably do me good. Don’t you dare think Gladas had intimidated me into taking a seat, though. But after taking his advice—of my own free will, that is—he tossed the guns onto the table and grabbed the shotgun Xander held, leaning it against the wall. He turned toward us, rubbing his massive palms together.
I won’t lie to you, even though I lied to you earlier when I said I sat down of my own volition—I really sat down because the bullets had hurt Gladas about as much as a few soft kisses to his fun areas. The last thing I’d expected was for that beautiful man to have bulletproof, silver-proof, and holy-waterproof skin. As I sat under Gladas’s intimidating spell, my adrenaline spiked with my fear, causing a surge in my magic.
The cloud cover held over the sun, throwing a dense supply of shadows around the cabin. I could feel their cold subservience awaiting my commands. I reached for it.
“Do you know how to wield that umbrakinesis?” Gladas asked me. “Or do you threaten me like a child holding a toy gun?”
“Joey,” Xander said, speaking for the first time, “don’t do anything.”
I didn’t release my connection to the shadows. “You can sense my ability?”
Gladas scrunched his nose. “It’s repugnant. The stench of demons, is it not?”
“No,” I said. “I just farted earlier. It was on accident, but I think that’s the smell you’re referring to.”
Gladas glanced at Xander as he asked his question. “You can smell it, can’t you? That sulfuric signature is unmistakable.”
“You know,” I said, “this is pretty frustrating. First, I don’t know what the hell is happening. Why are we in this cabin? Is Annie really a victim to a Scylla, or is she a Scylla? Is Andy invisible or dead? Does Annie see dead people? Why was Annie working with a Raven? Should I call her Annabel or Annie? I like Annie, actually. Why are you here, Gladas? Can I get your number so we can hang out later? I’d love for you to buy me a drink.” I curled my lips into my mouth. “Oh, last question. Sorry, I’m a little scatterbrained right now. What do you mean, I smell like a demon?”
Gladas backed to the edges of the cabin, into the shadows, and leaned against the wall with his arms crossed. Knowing that I could manipulate the darkness, he had some real cajónes mocking me like that, taunting me to attack him.
“I recognized it back in your office,” Gladas said, speaking to Xander. “You have a celestial pact, do you not?”
“I do,” Xander said, his steely gaze never flinching from the man. “And you are a Demi, are you not?”
“I’ll reserve my answers for a later time.”
“Holy humdingers,” I said, just speaking to hear my own voice. “You’re a Demi? And you didn’t say anything up front? I thought we were cooler than that.”
Gladas shifted his attention to me. “Why is a demon keeping company with a man of God?”
I scratched my chin, utterly lost on how to respond. “It all makes sense. Of course you’re a Demi. How else would you explain your unrealistically good looks? Listen, I’m about as straight as a stick of licorice, but I would’ve banged you in a heartbeat.”
“Annabel,” Gladas said, “speak your mind. Will they serve our purpose, or will we serve her purpose?”
“Is it, like, a bad-guy law to be as vague as possible during conversations?” I asked.
“She’s cursed,” Xander said, “isn’t she?”
“Now, hold your teeny weeny,” I said. “Don’t just going throwing accusations out in the open like that. I was right, remember? I figured out her curse, not you.” I nodded at Gladas. “I did figure it out. Not even kidding you. Some people laugh at my eighty-eighty IQ. You know what I tell them? I say, hate to brag, but it’s almost an A-minus.” I showed my teeth.
Annie licked her chafed lips. “Yes,” she said, staring at the floor.
Xander sighed, glancing at Gladas and Annie, then back at me. He opened his mouth and said, “You went to Circe—”
“Wait,” I said, before he had the chance to continue. “If I’m about to be on the receiving end of a James Bond villain’s rant to advance our… investigation… I would rather hear the bad guy do it.”
“What are you talking about, Joey?” Xander asked.
I shook my head. “Nothing. Let’s get this over with.”
Of all the people in that room to speak, Annie stepped forward. She twirled her raggedy hair with a dirty finger and stared at Gladas, though I suspected she spoke to me and Xander. “I’m a Scylla,” she said, her voice syrupy from holding back tears. “Cursed by Circe, Hecate’s daughter.”
“Annabel,” Gladas said, moving toward her and placing a hand on her trembling body, “we have another option. An easier, more guaranteed option.”
Annie lifted her face to Gladas. “No, we don’t. Circe will never lift the curse from me… not unless you give yourself to her. We only have one choice, here.” She swallowed. A tear streaked down her cheek, glowing in the fading light.
“You don’t even have to start from the beginning,” I said. “Just give us something to work with, here. You guys are on page three hundred, and we’re, like, on page one hundred and eighty-two.”
Gladas turned from Annie and faced Xander and me. He sighed. “Years ago, I fell in love with a beautiful woman.”
“Not from the beginning,” I said.
Annie stepped forward. “I refused his proposal, and he went to Medea for help—she claimed to have made a few love potions. Circe was with her, and the Nephil fell in love with Gladas at first sight… but Nephil aren’t allowed to mingle with humans. So, to be with him, she drained some of
