Goddamnit! For the first time, I wished Lily was here. At least she would know if they would follow through or not. She’d already told me they would torture him, but not kill him. I needed to know if that had changed.

But in my heart, I knew they had no reason to keep him alive. They would probably enjoy killing him and reaping his soul.

I began to put the jumpsuit on.

A few hours later a portion of the wall slid back and I jumped to my feet. I’d managed to don the damn jumpsuit against a myriad of loud, ugly protests from my wolf. It’d been more than three hours since they’d shown me Tyler, and it had all gone by fairly uneventfully. During that time my wolf and I had come up with several plans, all of them flawed.

But the time hadn’t been totally wasted.

Being forced to focus inward for more than five minutes had aided me dearly. I smiled thinking about it. The Prince was going to be in for a little surprise.

Five demons dressed in jumpsuits, these ones silver with black stripes, strode in. They appeared like carbon copies, hair slicked back, all the same dark color, all the same height, their features eerily similar. They looked like quintuplets. The only thing that gave them away was their eyes. A few of them are scared, I told my wolf. I can smell their fear. A ripple of excitement ran through me and my magic jumped.

Both sets of magic.

In my alone time, I’d managed to separate the demon magic completely from my own. It had been a tedious endeavor, like picking individual thistles out of nest of thick fur. The effort it had taken me had made me sweat, but once I’d figured out how to pull the black flecks out, I’d parceled them away in a different place from my own magic—and they had stayed separate. So far, so good.

If I wanted to survive this ordeal, accessing the darkness on its own would be essential. The realization had come an hour after I’d started worrying about Tyler, achieving nothing. I couldn’t stop thinking about why I’d succumbed to the Prince’s magic in the hallway.

It had literally come down to the magic running through my veins.

The Prince of Hell had absolute control of his minions, which made sense. If he couldn’t control his demons, what kind of leader would he be? I’d had that same demon magic in my blood, given to me by Tally. It had mixed with my own and when the Prince had blasted me, the demon magic inside me had instantly succumbed, like I’d been one of the Prince’s own demons. Had it been separated, and I could’ve fought with my own magic alone, I think the outcome would’ve been different.

But I wasn’t going to take any chances. It wasn’t going to let it happen twice.

I clenched my fists as I walked toward the demon guards. I had wound my golden signature around me tightly, fortifying me, and the demon magic moved like an oil slick in my system, powerful, waiting for an opportunity to strike.

A demon grabbed my arm, an ugly-looking needle clutched in one hand. “What’s that for?” I asked, tugging my arm back roughly.

“It is called deviek bely,” he said. “Liquid fire. If you move the wrong way, we will put this in you, and you will not like the consequences. If you survive, you will be forever damaged.” Its English was good.

“I’m not going to make any trouble,” I said, stepping back as far as I could. “As long as you tell me my brother is fine.”

“He lives.”

They shuffled me through a ten-foot stone tunnel. It would’ve been mighty hard to break out of this fortress, and ultimately I was glad I hadn’t wasted my time. My new plan was much better.

Kill the Prince of Hell, and free my brother.

13

The demons maneuvered me through a few more tunnels, each one different from the last. “You know, you could really use come continuity around here. Maybe hire a few decorators? One hallway looks like an office building, and the next looks like lava flows freely down the corridors. It’s a little unsettling.” I sidestepped a huge granite-colored rock with red veins, doing a double take. “Was that one just pulsing?”

“Quiet, human,” a demon snapped, pulling me forward.

“I thought we were already in the courthouse,” I said. “Where are we going?”

One of the demons chuckled and it was a strange sound, like a squeaky helium balloon barking. “Once our Prince brought you down”—there was pride in the demon’s voice—“you were transferred. Your trial is out of the ordinary.”

“So where are you taking me?”

“The High Court of Mephistopheles.”

“And where’s that?” I pressed, wanting as many details as possible.

“You will remain quiet, prisoner.” They jostled me forward, the needle still visible.

I shut my mouth.

The Prince had already told me I had a date with the High Court of Mephistopheles when he visited Selene’s lair. It must be the equivalent of the demon Supreme Court. That didn’t put the odds in my favor.

We have to believe that if we take out the Prince, the demon population will fall into chaos. They’re so regimented, and they look to the Prince for absolute assurance. This entire place reminded me of an anthill. One huge, well-placed interruption would send the ants scurrying everywhere. But if this court is made up of powerful Demon Lords, it may be trickier than we anticipate. My wolf barked her agreement, her ears perked, eyes on the tunnel in front of us. We should’ve asked Lily what specifically was in the Scriptures. It would’ve been nice to know exactly why they fear me.

We came upon a massive door, taller than any other I’d seen. It was carved in ornate detail and had circular handles that were set too high to reach.

There was murmuring behind it. Lots and lots of murmuring.

This place is full of demons. My wolf snarled, her ears low. Everyone has turned out to see the female wolf stand trial. That’s why they took so long to come and get me. They were waiting for the masses to arrive.

The demon guards stopped in front of the door and made three lines with me in the middle. I was flanked by a guard on either side, one in front and two behind. We stood quietly for a few minutes. “Why aren’t we going in?” I asked.

“Quiet!” a demon barked.

“Ah,” I said. “You guys want pomp and circumstance. I’m supposed to make a grand entrance, is that it? The big baddie up for trial needs to be paraded through the crowd in shame. All the better for your master’s case against me.”