Page 39 of Dusk Macabre

“I thought you demons knew everything,” Brittney retorted. I could hear the smirk in her voice. That’s my girl.

Mentally, I slapped myself over the illicit thought. She wasn’t. She couldn’t be.

A crash sounded and I pictured several of my LCD monitors on the floor. “Get your fucking hands off of me,” she hissed. “Dumbass.”

By now, I’d moved past the doorway, but I still hadn’t seen anything, moving too fast to risk a glance.

There was a thud and she cried out. “We’re Fae. How dare you insult us by implying we are inferior.” Brittney made a strangled sound.

“Adrian, let her go. She’s not going to help if you injure her. Please.” That was Leander speaking.

More scuffling. “Asswipe,” she sneered.

The air grew taut, and a prickle ran across my skin, raising all the fine hairs. “Tell me where the diamond is if you want to live.”

My secret was out.

CHAPTER 15

Kiam

I gave up. My heart pounded hard enough to be visible through the layers of fabric covering my chest as I rushed down the stairs to the cave. The colder, subterranean air cooled my face as I burst into the room and shut the door behind me, taking a deep breath.

When I opened my eyes, the idiot crows were strolling around the circle, pecking at invisible bugs in the dust and dirt. What a waste. I raised my arms up by my sides and cast them out of the chamber, sending them in a large, undulating cloud into the tunnel at the rear of my space.

Everything was falling apart and I didn’t know what to do. The Fae bastards, if they hadn’t already, would advertise their quest knowing full well what it would instigate. I would become the highlight of a universal manhunt with hundreds of beings promised riches, glories, and perhaps even a shred of diamond dust, tearing every Realm apart trying to get their hands on me.

And no one, no matter how close we were, would come to my aid.

I could no longer truly imagine Brittney was working with the Kakians, not after the way she spoke to those two men. And besides, the demon assassins would have been here by now, tearing my rubble apart looking for her. Most of them operated with a code of honor that dictated they would never leave her in enemy hands.

My strategy needed to be altered. The only thing I could do was wait them out and the best place to do that was in the tunnels. Once they left, I could stay here. Magic was stronger in the Second Realm than any other Realm I could travel to, and besides, I was expecting a shipment of unique metal that I had very special plans for.

It was fortunate timing that I’d decided to acquire the steel seeing as I had a sudden, urgent need.

Snagging one of my crystal balls and a gilded dagger from one of the tables set against the wall, I headed into the dark.

The deeper I went, the colder the air became, though the temperature was nothing but a minor nuisance. I stopped just short of where the corridor changed and transformed into a mysterious ravine-bordered route of travel and ducked into a narrow fissure in the rock. There was nothing in the slot of space other than an old, metal folding chair. I’d tucked in there once, just in case, never imagining I’d return.

There was a slim crevice in the wall where I was able to balance the glass ball in its holder. I unfolded the chair and sat in front of it, placing both palms on the smooth surface. My blood heated as my power coursed through my veins, and I opened my eyes.

Adrian, Leander, and a highly annoyed Brittney were getting inside of the vehicle. She shoved an elbow into Leander’s side when he placed his hand on her back to hurry her up. The high-profile vehicle kicked up a cloud of dust as it sped away, and I switched my view.

It didn’t appear that anything had been taken from my home, not at first glance, but I’d have to take a detailed inventory. For now, it looked like they’d scattered my belongings around slightly.

I returned to my previous view and quickly located the Fae. They were headed back to the city which told me they probably secured accommodations and weren’t leaving any time soon. For one, they wouldn’t want to bring a human home, but more likely, they were refusing to leave without their property.

When I grabbed the crystal ball, I almost dropped it. Kicking the chair out of my way caused the leg to drag against stone with a sharp, metallic sound that echoed through the tunnel.

Fuck it. If something was out there waiting for prey, I’d happily remove it when it came to investigate.

One of the crows sat in the center of the circle when I reentered the cave, but I ignored it, striding past, and setting the ball of glass down with its stand before going up to the main floor.

Nothing was missing, not that I could tell. The fact spoke volumes about the Fae’s dedication to their mission. Most beings were opportunistic—I knew I was. I wouldn’t have turned down the chance to take anything else of value from someone who’d stolen from me.

Interestingly, the diamond had been in the hands of a single human family in the Third Realm for generations, highly guarded and kept secret under pain of death. The only reason I’d discovered the location was due to the gossipy nature of the demon clans, otherwise I never would have known. There had been many of the stones in that house, but I’d only needed or wanted one. To take more would have attracted too much attention—energetically and otherwise. The one I possessed had been spelled to within an inch of its life to not give off any frequencies or vibrations.

The little I’d discovered about it revealed that it enhanced one’s ability to dream walk or astral travel, bringing a more solid quality to the act.