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  Sighing heavily, I stared unseeing into the darkness, the intensity of my feelings overwhelming. “I’ll protect Kenna, Jett,” I spoke softly. “I swear on my honor, I’ll do all I can to keep her safe. I’ll give her time to grieve your passing. We both need time for that, but I love her, man. I love her like you loved her. I won’t pass the opportunity if she ever decides she’ll have me. She’s the one thing I’ve wanted most.”

  Sighing heavily, I dragged a hand over my face. “I was so angry with you for taking her but strangely grateful at the same time. I wanted you to escape, but the two of you ripped my heart up badly. Still, I would’ve never wished this outcome on either of you.”

  I paused, half expecting to hear his voice in the darkness threatening me to stay the hell away from Kenna. Jett had always been confident he’d win her over. In the past, he almost always got his way. There were very few instances where we’d competed for something, and the outcome had gone in my favor.

  Remembering back to tryouts for this year’s quarterback brought a smile to my lips. I’d won the spot over him, but it had been mine from the previous year. Jett decided to challenge me for it. When the roster was posted, and he’d been listed as a backup, Jett had been furious but graciously tried to congratulate me at the same time.

  “What the hell?” he’d yelled as he stared at the paper on the locker room wall. “Mother effin son of a bi—” Turning away, he caught me staring and stopped his tirade. “Good job, Seth,” he muttered before pushing past me and leaving the room. He was pretty hot about it for days, especially when he was sent back to play defense until our best receiver got injured. Coach tried Jett out in the position and realized we made an excellent combo. I threw the ball, and Jett caught it and ran it in. He got all the end-zone glory. That appeased him a bit.

  We always played the game according to the rules, without any magick added to our skill. That wouldn’t be fair to other players, and the two of us enjoyed the physical competition. In fact, most of our sparring happened during sports. If it wasn’t football, it was basketball or baseball. We often tried out for the same positions, and it was always a toss-up as to which one of us would get it.

  Girls were a different story. Our tastes generally didn’t run the same. Jett had always been into girls who liked to party. I was more into the girl-next-door. Kenna was the first girl we’d ever competed over. Kenna definitely fit my type, but there was that extra special spark to her character that other girls didn’t have due to her magical upbringing. She was tough, unafraid of a good challenge, and willing to stand up to anyone who got in her way. It still irritated me that Jett had swooped in and tried to take her. I had clearly claimed my intentions first. But then again, he’d had the same vision about her I had. Fate clearly had some kind of plan for the three of us.

  That thought gave me pause now. Maybe we were both meant to have her, just at different times. Never once had I considered the dream might be predicting that one of us might die. When Jett said maybe the dream meant a marriage of our magic, it seemed plausible, but we didn’t even have that anymore. I still had no idea how the Fae had managed to break a supposedly unbreakable binding spell. Of course, being a long-living ancient species, they must know a lot more about magic than mere humans did.

  It made me wonder why they’d chosen to step away from the mortal world back in our time. Obviously, some Fae and Witch relationships existed throughout history if Kenna and Vance had it running through their genealogical lines. But why leave and not help with the growing demonic turmoil? Did they simply not consider it their mess? Were they afraid of being the blood of choice if demons knew about them?

  I had so many questions that I might never have the answers to. All I knew was that my best friend was dead because of their interference, and the girl I loved was devastated. If we ever managed to escape and return to our time, it would be with one less person.

  A groan escaped me. How would I ever explain this to Jett’s parents without starting a war? They wouldn’t take this news lying down. We might leave this place just to return home and start another fight there.

  “Jett, buddy,” I whispered. “Wherever you are, I’m gonna need your help. Don’t ditch me just yet.”

  I wondered if time was still moving in the future or if it had stopped once we’d come to the past. Did my parents know I was gone? Was anyone worried about a whole group of people who just suddenly disappeared?

  The image of my mom crying at the kitchen table while my dad tried to comfort her filled my mind. I hoped time had stopped because I couldn’t stand the idea of them suffering. I wished I had some way of knowing how they fared or even a way to send them a message. If we ever got out of here, maybe Brigid would have the answers to my questions.

  What if we were stuck here forever, though? What if our future was here, in the past? Would we change the future because we’d been here? I didn’t think we’d affect time as long as we were in the magic of the Faery Realm. But unless something had changed while we were asleep, we were no longer in the Faery Realm. This was a crypt in the natural world.

  My musings turned to Damien Cummings. Kenna had told Jett and me things about him but never went into much detail. It seemed like the Mangums’ didn’t like talking about him, so I’d never pressed the issue with Kenna. I remembered her saying that all the fight training Vance made her do was geared to protect her against someone with the same threat level as Damien. Vance was the strongest demon warlock I’d ever known. He’d trained her to be able to fight him in case he ever became a risk to her. Hopefully, that training would pay off for us now.

  Kenna moaned and shifted abruptly.

  “Hey, hey,” I said softly, gripping her hand slightly tighter. “It’s okay.”

  She relaxed, but then she pulled her hand from my grasp. I missed the warmth immediately.

  “I need to sit up,” she groaned. “The hard floor is killing my hip and shoulder.” I heard the rustle of her clothing as she leaned against the bars. A frustrated-sounding puff of air escaped her.

  “What’s the matter?” I asked, concerned.

  “I was just trying to call for my magick again, but still nothing.”

  “Yeah, I’ve been doing the same.”

  “I hate this!” she snapped rather loudly, causing me to jump at the unexpected change in her tone.

  Moving to lean against the bars near her, I rested my arms on my knees. “What can we expect from this guy? I need any information you can give me. Knowledge is power for us, and at this moment, it’s the only power we’ve got.”

  Kenna sighed heavily. “I have no idea what he wants. Since I never met him before, I can only tell you what I know about him from my parents.”

  “Anything is better than nothing.”

  “I know he’s big on the mind games. Everything is like a big chess competition to him. It’s all about outsmarting his opponent while delivering maximum pain to them and the same amount of pleasure to himself. He doesn’t care who he hurts as long as it gets him to his desired end.”

  “So, he’s a true psychopath. Great.” This wasn’t sounding like the odds were in our favor.

  “Yes. Damien’s also an accomplished fighter and warlock with many abilit—” She gasped. “Oh my gosh!”

  “What is it?” I asked, hearing the fear in her voice.

  “He can perform a demon kiss.” She shifted and reached through the bars, grasping me. “Seth. What if he stole our magic, and that’s why we can’t use our powers?”

  Despair coiled through me, settling like a rock in my stomach. “Surely, he wouldn’t do something that extreme?” I wanted to comfort her, but I had no way to disprove her idea. “You’re his granddaughter.”

  “He killed my dad and sucked his powers from him—repeatedly—as an experiment on whether or not he’d resurrect with his magick intact. Once he figured out the answer, he kept doing it, just for fun.”

  “Shit.” It was the only word I could manage. This guy was a monster. If
he could control Vance in that manner, we were in a crazy world of hurt. I’d be lying if I didn’t acknowledge the bit of panic I felt. I didn’t want a life without my gifts.

  “Exactly,” Kenna agreed. “If we get to live, we need to constantly be on our A-game. Never let your guard down. He’ll always be pulling our strings. My dad even called him the Puppet Master during some of our training.”

  “You’re not helping me feel any better,” I said, taking a deep breath and trying to calm my own nerves. If what she said was true, we might reunite with Jett much faster than I’d hoped. While I missed Jett, death wasn’t high on my list of priorities.

  Kenna slid her hand down my arm and squeezed my hand. “I’m sorry you got dragged into this because of me.”

  “No,” I said, her words snapping me out of my moment of anxiety. “None of this is your fault. You’re the victim just as much as any of us. The important thing here is that you and I need to stay alive at all costs, whatever that takes. I’m assuming that since we’ve been locked in cages, your grandfather doesn’t intend to kill us—at least, not yet. If he wants to play games with us, we need to have the same mentality. We need to play to win.”

  “So, we’ve entered the Labyrinth, so to speak?”

  I chuckled. “I was thinking more like Jumanji, but the Labyrinth works too.”

  A loud breath escaped Kenna, and her hand dropped away. “So now we just need to figure out how to survive the seven levels of Hell.”

  Retaking her hand, I gripped it in both of mine. “If we intend to beat the Devil, then AX.”

  3

  Kenna-

  * * *

  Seth had gotten quiet over the last several hours. At first, I wondered if he’d fallen asleep, but then I would hear him shift or sigh in frustration. I knew we were both lost in our thoughts of what the future might hold. To be honest, the worst part was the waiting. If my insane grandpa wanted to torture us, I wished he’d get on with it so we could just be done already.

  Be careful what you wish for, a soft voice whispered inside my head. It sounded strangely like my dad. I’d give anything to see him burst in here with fireballs a-blazing. I’d been mentally rehashing all the lessons he’d taught me, trying to prepare for a battle I knew was coming, but I didn’t know what form it would take.

  Dad? I probed the sheet of darkness cloaking our mental connection for the millionth time. I couldn’t help it. I kept hoping he’d suddenly be there.

  I wondered how the battle turned out, a wave of concern washing through me. Had they won? Were they recaptured by the Fae? Were others killed in the fight? So many of my questions were left unanswered.

  Dad had moved Mom to another location before returning to the brawl. Was she okay? She’d appeared dead when I saw her lying on the road. Even though I’d since figured out Dee Dee had staged her that way to get inside me, my mom hadn’t moved afterward.

  Speaking of Dee Dee, I wondered where she was, not that I was eager to be repossessed or anything. Having her in control of my body had been one of the most frightening experiences I’d ever encountered. Was that how my mom felt? Had she been forced to do things she wouldn’t normally do?

  My heart ached for my mother. She must have been terrified the whole time she was apart from us. I hoped she was somewhere safe with the rest of the family. Maybe they were all tracking us even now, coming to rescue us.

  My thoughts naturally drifted back to Jett. I wondered if he was still lying in the road or if someone had removed his body to be properly buried. My lip quivered as I sucked in a shaky breath. I should’ve been the one handling this. Even my moment to properly grieve and say goodbye was being robbed from me.

  Already I hated my grandfather, and I barely knew him.

  As if thinking of Damien conjured him, a door suddenly slammed open, revealing his backlit figure a moment before several torches sprang to life, setting the room aglow.

  I squinted, raising my hand to shade my face after so much time sitting in total darkness. Blinking my watering eyes rapidly, I watched as he approached the cages that held Seth and me.

  “Well, well. Look what we have here.” Smiling, he glanced between us.

  A fur-covered chair appeared with a wave of his hand, and he sat down, crossing one leg over the other. It was then I noticed the cup in his hand. I didn’t have to stretch my imagination to figure out what it held. I simply wondered who his unfortunate victim was.

  “I always love a good family reunion, as I’m sure your father has told you, Kenna. And Seth, what a pleasure to have you as a guest in my very humble abode.”

  “Fuck off,” Seth growled, leaving no doubt about how he felt.

  Damien shook his head and made a tsk-ing sound. “Now, that’s not very good manners. Especially after I’ve treated you so well.”

  “You call being left to rot in cages good hospitality?” Seth replied, immediately taking the bait I’d warned him to avoid. “How about you let us go?”

  “Let you go?” Damien feigned shock. “Just when we’re getting to know each other better? I won’t hear of it. Besides, I have surprises in store for you both. I can’t wait to share them.”

  “Pass,” Seth responded, scanning the room.

  As I’d already surmised, the floor was dirt, but the walls were made of stacked stones, bones, and skulls. Empty eye sockets stared back at us, and I wondered what fate had brought them here.

  “I’ve seen all I care to,” Seth added. “I’m not impressed.”

  Damien chuckled. “My accommodations may be lacking at the moment, but I promise I’m working on improving that. I just need a bit more time. In fact, I would’ve been here sooner if I hadn’t been so busy securing a better home for all of us.”

  “A home?” Seth raised an eyebrow. “We are not playing house with you.”

  My grandpa grinned. “Oh, this new place will be better than a house. I promise.”

  “You’re missing the point,” Seth added.

  “No, you are,” Damien said, his face growing more serious. His eyes flared red. “You can decide to be my guests or my prisoners, but you will be staying with me either way. That’s final.”

  “What do you want?” I snapped, wanting to end the uncomfortable banter between them.

  My grandfather locked eyes with me, staring. The reddish hue slowly faded from his eyes, replaced with a blue color closely resembling my own. His features softened. “Why, I simply want to get to know my granddaughter. Is that so terrible?”

  “Because it’s you, yes.” I held his gaze. “I know there’s no tenderness in your heart for me. I’m simply a pawn on your chessboard. You’re still trying to beat my dad. He’s beaten you at every turn. How does it feel to be so lacking?”

  Damien’s posture stiffened ever-so-slightly before quickly relaxing. He flashed a broad smile. “I appear to be winning right now, don’t I?”

  “Appearances can be deceiving,” I replied.

  “Hmm.” It was all he said, continuing to study me. I refused to look away, challenging him. “I think you’re right,” he finally added. “On the outside, you appear young, naïve, and beautiful, much like your mother, but on the inside—”

  “On the inside, I’m every bit my father’s daughter. I can promise you that you will regret ever knowing me.”

  He laughed outright. “I doubt that.”

  “Try me,” I added.

  “I will, but I already know I’ll have your complete cooperation.”

  Leaning forward, I gripped the bars between us. “I will never help you,” I growled.

  He shrugged. “It’s your choice. Just know that every time you refuse to do as I ask, I’ll take it out on Seth. His blood has such a nice aroma. Pity he won’t regenerate the same as Vance does.” He glanced at Seth. “I wonder how much of his blood I can drink before he’d die? Or maybe I’ll just start his demon conversion instead.” His eyes returned to me. “What do you think?”

  “If you touch him, I will kill you,” I spat
out angrily.

  “And how will you do that exactly? Are you going to stone me in my sleep? That’ll be hard to do from your cage. No, I don’t think you’re a threat, especially not without your powers.”

  Fear bubbled through me, but I stamped it down immediately. “What have you done to us?”

  “Me?” He placed the tips of his fingers against his chest. “I haven’t done anything to you.”

  “Why can’t we use our powers?” Seth shouted, leaning forward. “Did you take them?”

  “Well, now, I couldn’t easily turn you into a demon if you didn’t have your magic, now could I?”

  “Then what’s happening to us?” Seth asked.

  “You don’t need to be concerned about that. I have everything under control.”

  “That’s exactly why I’m concerned,” I mumbled.

  Damien laughed. “I can see I’m going to enjoy having you around.”

  “How are you even here?” I asked, changing the subject. I needed to find out all the information I could in case we could escape.

  “There’s a good question. Your father should’ve told you that I can regenerate.”

  “But he killed you and sent you to the Underworld.”

  “Apparently, that’s not good enough. Though it takes a hell of a lot longer to resurrect from a place with no active blood sources. Thankfully, the Underworld is meant to keep the dead, not the living. Since my cells weren’t truly lifeless, I walked right past the Guardians of the Gates. Of course, it took a few years for my legs to grow back. As a result, I was stuck there for a while.”

  “Is that where you met Dee Dee?” I asked.

  “No. Running into her was a happy coincidence. She’s been haunting Seth since he was born.”