The demons behind him withdrew small daggers from their cloaks.
All except Kismet.
Her eyes were wide as she stared at me, her expression unreadable.
“Wait,” she said loudly.
El Diablo stiffened and slowly turned to face her. “What is it?”
“She is too weak. The spell might fail.”
“What do you propose?”
“Let me heal her first. I need to collect some ingredients and make a few poultices, but once she’s healed, her body will provide more power.”
El Diablo was silent as he considered this.
“If the spell doesn’t work and she dies, you won’t get another opportunity,” Kismet warned, her tone harsh.
El Diablo sighed and waved a fiery hand. “Very well. Gather your ingredients.”
“It may take time—”
“I said very well!” snapped El Diablo.
He faced me and Oliver again, and I sensed vulnerability there. Though I couldn’t make out El Diablo’s expression, I could tell he was angry that we’d seen emotion from him. That he’d revealed something to us he hadn’t intended to.
“Howard, take me and Kismet to the docks,” El Diablo said quietly. “I must confer with an associate before we perform the ritual.”
Howard nodded. The three of them walked toward the wall, which rippled and swallowed them up, leaving only the vampires to leer at us.
Shivering, I slowly sank to the floor and crossed my arms over my chest. My stomach quaked with nausea and agony as the ship continued to rock back and forth.
I can’t bear this. I can’t breathe. Just come back and kill me already.
“Desi,” Oliver whispered, sitting next to me.
“I said don’t talk to me,” I hissed.
“Please,” Oliver begged. “Please let me explain.”
“Explain what?” I said, whipping my head toward him so that my curls bounced in my face. “How you betrayed me—betrayed all of us? You let me believe we had something—something . . .” I trailed off and glanced at the vampires, who smirked at me. I shook my head as my throat closed, cutting off my words.
Oliver scooted toward me, hands outstretched, but I backed away from him, keeping several feet between us. “I did it for you, Desi! So he would stop hunting you. So he wouldn’t drain the blood from your body.”
“Well, a lot of good that did,” I spat, spreading my arms wide. “Because I’m here anyway.”
“Desi—”
The wall next to the vampires rippled again, but this time only Kismet stepped through. She hurried forward and crouched in front of us, her arms full of bottles and jars and plants. Her eyes darted to the vampires before fixing on us.
“There isn’t much time,” she whispered, setting the ingredients down on the floor next to us. “Don’t speak. Don’t move. Just listen. The vial of orange liquid next to my left foot is a vanishing potion. Throw it to the ground and you will appear on land. Wait until the coven sheds blood to perform the ritual. I will meet you there.”
My brows creased in confusion. Why?
She seemed to sense my question. “I am not here of my own volition,” she whispered. “But I am forced to serve him through a choice I made when I was naïve and foolish. Now I am paying for that mistake. But I can still help you.” Her blue eyes bore into mine. “You serve a greater purpose. I can tell. And I can’t let you die before I find out what it is.”
My mouth fell open, but I quickly shut it before the vampires could notice.
“When I lean in to tend to the wounds on your neck,” Kismet said, “reach forward and grab the vanishing potion. He’s noticed the vial hanging from your neck. I will convince him that it is a vanishing potion, and that you used it to escape.”
“You don’t have to do this,” I breathed without moving my lips.
“I have to do something,” Kismet whispered, her eyes flashing with determination. “I’ve done enough evil things in my life to damn myself. But it isn’t too late for you.” She gazed at Oliver, her eyes wide with a deeper meaning. I sensed she was talking about him.
Kismet poured a few drops of a lime green substance on a cloth and drew closer to me before pressing it to my neck. Sharp slices of pain rippled through me, and I hissed, clenching my fists tightly. When the pain faded, I slowly leaned forward and snatched the vial as Kismet’s body blocked it from the view of the vampires.
“Don’t forget,” Kismet whispered as she sat back onto her knees. “Smash the vial. Take his hand. And you’ll appear on land.”
“The chains?” Oliver muttered.
Kismet smiled and lifted a bottle of pearly white liquid. She poured a few drops on the shackles on our wrists and ankles. “They’ll shatter when you smash the vial.”
I touched Kismet’s arm and squeezed. My eyes closed briefly, my lips pressed together.
She nodded, accepting my gratitude. “I’ll see you both soon.”
She gathered the ingredients in her arms and hurried back to the wall. Howard appeared from the other side and escorted her out. The wall rippled as they both vanished.
Emotion rose in my throat. I didn’t know what to say. Kismet—before she was my Kismet—was still bailing me out. All this time, I’d been afraid to ask what her crime had been. Now I wasn’t so sure I needed to be afraid. She was a prisoner to El Diablo’s will. If this was the crime she’d been sentenced for, then she was wrongly convicted.
And she never once complained about it as my Familiar.
“Desi,” Oliver whispered.
I closed my eyes in exasperation. “We shouldn’t speak.”
He sighed but remained silent.
A few agonizing minutes passed. Oliver paced the length of the powdery circle, and I rubbed my thumb across the smooth glass vial in my hand. The explosions and gunfire only continued, and with each crash I expected a hole to open up or the ceiling to cave in on us.
At last, El Diablo reappeared followed by Kismet and Howard. My hands shook. Fast, shallow breaths tore through my chest.
El Diablo strode closer to us, the flames from his arms burning
