They walked right past as I held my breath. Once their footfalls completely fell away, I sagged against the wall and the purple bubble disappeared.
What in the world was going on?
Chapter Three
“Drayax is very interested.” Thax loomed over the banquet table as I popped some goji berries in my mouth. “He’s already requested a second meeting—this one in private.”
My skin crawled at the idea of the warlord’s paws anywhere near me. He’d gotten handsy at the dinner table last night, and I’d had to restrain my she-demon from lashing out. “Well, I’m not interested,” I barked back.
Thax’s pitch eyes widened, the profound black swallowing up all the white. “Azara, we’ve already been through this. You’re not feeling like yourself these days, but I assure you, this is what you wanted. An advantageous pairing with Drayax will secure both of our positions along with our progeny in the Underworld for centuries to come.”
“I don’t want progeny, and I don’t care about ruling the Underworld.” I was angry and hungry and not for berries. After overhearing my traitorous cousin and Remy, I’d lost my appetite and now my she-demon was ravenous.
“You will, once you’re feeling better.”
I threw him a good eye roll.
“And I know exactly how to speed up the process.” A twinkle lit up his dark irises.
“What’s that?”
“A hunting trip to the human world.”
My parched mouth filled with saliva. I hadn’t had a human soul since I woke up. Thax claimed they were my favorite, but now I didn’t know what to believe. I’d spent half the night awake mulling over their words. What threat did I pose and how was my cousin going to push me over the edge? But…the idea of leaving the confines of the castle was too great to pass up. “Fine. When do we leave?”
“Nightfall.”
I licked my lips. “Perfect.” Hopefully, I’d be able to wait that long. Even Lumi was starting to look tasty. I scooted my chair back and waved at my cousin. “See you at nightfall then.”
“Where are you going?”
“To the library. I’ve already read every book in my chamber twice. Surely you’ve got more?”
“By all means, help yourself.” His lips curled into a wry smile as he pointed down the corridor toward the castle’s archive.
With the sudden appearance of magical abilities, I resolved to find out what I could about the mysterious mark on my arm. It had to be the key to my surprising new powers. Spending the next few hours with my nose buried in ancient tomes was far better than remaining in my lying cousin’s company.
When I reached the library, the scent of weathered paper swirled around me. It immediately calmed the burgeoning hunger and turned my attention to the stacks of sky-high shelves. I ran my finger across a row of books, scanning the titles. This was going to be harder than I thought.
“Can I help you find something, my lady?”
I spun around to find Lumi lurking in the doorway. Dammit. “No, thanks. Just browsing.” I tipped my head back to the countless rows of books that reached the soaring ceilings. It would take me years to find what I was looking for by myself. “On second thought, maybe you can help, Lumi.”
The young girl’s lips lifted into a bright smile. “How can I assist?”
I didn’t doubt she’d inform Thax on my reading choices, so I had to play it cool. “Remy was telling me how he learned spellcraft from various old texts. I was thinking maybe I could pick up a new hobby to distract me from my ravenous urges. Could you point me in the right direction?”
“Of course, my lady.” She motioned down a never-ending row, and I followed. When we finally reached the correct section, she stopped and signaled at an entire segment of spiraling bookshelves.
“Great, thanks. And one more thing…” It was risky, but I had to do it. “Are there any books on demon marks? Drayax has the most interesting one I’ve ever seen, and I was curious to which clan it belonged.”
Her eyes lit up. “Oh, yes. You see, I told you he’d be an excellent match. I’m so glad you’ve decided to give him a chance.”
I plastered on a fake smile. “You were right.”
Research was a bust. Who knew there would be a bajillion different demon marks? The only thing I discovered was that my glowing tattoo was busted. It hadn’t lit up once since that day in the dungeon and no magical woo woo either.
“Azara?” Thax waved his hand an inch from my face.
“Huh?” I squinted. After days in the subterranean castle, even the gray skies of the Nether Lands hurt my eyes.
He stood next to the whirling portal, the brilliant blue setting his ashen face aglow. “I asked if you were ready to see the greatest city in the world?”
“Yup. Sure.”
My cousin waved at his entourage, which in addition to his narkin soldiers, today included Remy and a warlock named Jasper who was in charge of transportation. Opening portals to the human world was an ability only our magical male brethren held. At least that much I remembered.
Funny thing memories… basic facts I could recall, but it was the details that were fuzzy.
Thax linked his arm with mine and coaxed me toward the portal. “Perhaps after taking care of some business, we can see a Broadway show.”
A flash of twinkling lights and a catchy melody streaked across my mind before vanishing into the ether. “Sounds like fun. What business--?” My words were drowned out as we stepped through the swirling vortex.
The brilliant glow receded, leaving us in a gelatinous vat of black. The strange texture coated my skin and a tingle puckered the flesh where my tattoo resided. A second later, the winds picked up and we were suctioned through the narrow opening into the human realm.
I landed in a perfect crouch beside my cousin in a dark alley. Nailed it. For some reason, I felt like that was a major accomplishment. I basked in my own personal glory for only a moment before Thax’s troupe of narkins broke through the magical veil.
When the entire entourage was assembled, Jasper muttered something I couldn’t quite catch, and a neon green orb closed around us. His magic danced across my skin and again, my mark twitched. I covered it with my palm, pretending to rub my arm and peeked between my fingers but it was still dead. No light whatsoever.
“Let’s go.” Thax signaled, and his demons fell into step.
“Where exactly are we going?” I may not have remembered much, but we were nowhere near downtown Manhattan. Even at this hour of the night, the heart of the city was usually bustling. From the looks of it, we were in a residential area, either the Upper East or West Side.
“I told you, I have some business to attend to.” He led the way out of the alley and onto the dim street. Quaint brownstones lined the sidewalk before coming to an end at a lush park. The street sign caught my eye as we passed under it—West 90th Street. I was right. Take that, spotty memories.
Thax slowed and signaled for Remy. “You’re certain Alacor and Domulus are still dwelling in the human residence?”
I fell back to eavesdrop.
The old seer nodded. “I sent a pair of your soldiers this morning. Despite your warning to vacate the premises, they’ve remained, and their followers have only grown in number. They’ve continued to plague the neighborhood. Last week, the human police reported the discovery of three more bodies.”