A Darker Past (The Darker Agency #2)(32)
“Gress—” Mom clamped her hand across my mouth before I could get the word Gressil out.
Cassidy nodded. “To utter his name is to summon him. Something you do not want to do. If I’m right, Lorna Belfair helped Charles Darker enslave the demon. That’s why it wants revenge.”
Mom blinked. She looked from Cassidy to me, then back again, the right hand corner of her mouth tilting upward as the right brow did the same. “Lorna Belfair. You’re blaming my family—me—because your ancestor chose to do good?”
I knew Lorna Belfair, an ancestor of Kendra’s, had helped my ancestor, Simon, trap Meredith, Lukas’s crazy would-be bride, but I had no idea she’d gone on to help his brother Charles after Simon’s death.
Mom was gearing up for another round, but I had to cut in. I was as annoyed as she was, and definitely didn’t like playing the role of the reasonable one, but we needed information. This wasn’t going to get us anywhere. “He said he wanted his Lord’s prison. What do you know about that?”
“He is the Regent of Asmodeus. The information I have says that he was about to free his Master when Charles and Lorna trapped him. I can only assume he believes they hid the prison; therefore, one of our families must have it.”
Beside me, Mom actually gasped. That was never a good sign.
For the longest minute, no one said a word. When I couldn’t stand it anymore, I asked, “And I take it that’s bad…”
Cassidy looked away. When she turned back, her eyes were narrow and both fists were clenched tight. “Asmodeus is one of the seven Princes of Hell. Yes. I would say that’s bad. If freed, he would do untold damage to our world.”
“And was he trapped by Lorna and the Darkers as well? Asmodeus?” Mom asked, a little shocked.
Cassidy let out a horrible laugh. Her lips twisted into a cruel grin as she folded her arms. “No one in this world could banish a Prince. No. It was not Lorna.” She squared her shoulders. “You should give us the prison. We can keep it safe with magic.”
“What makes you think we have it?” Mom asked casually.
“Do you?” Cassidy challenged.
“Afraid not. Do you?”
Cassidy was furious. In that moment, she looked nothing like Kendra. The right corner of her top lip curled up, almost like she was about to snarl, and she leaned toward Mom. “If I had it, would I be asking you?”
“That,” Mom said coolly. She nudged Cassidy away and took a step back. “Remains to be seen.”
It was about to become a supernaturally charged mom showdown. I looked from Cassidy to Mom. Both formidable and fear-worthy women. A sick part of me wanted to see Mom kick the witch’s ass, but since she was my best friend’s mom, that probably wasn’t the wisest idea. I had to act to cool the air. Fast. But what?
Stepping between them, I held up my hands and said, “Okay. So neither of us has this prison thingy. Maybe, instead of fighting, we should focus on finding it before he comes back to kick our asses?”
A few minutes ticked by before Cassidy sighed. “I’ll see what I can find out,” she replied, still staring at Mom. If she was attempting a stare down, she was going to lose. Mom was the reigning queen. “In the meantime, what are you going to do to keep my coven safe? Two of my sisters are dead, and I have no delusions that this demon is finished yet.”
I wanted so badly to point out that she’d tried to throw us to the dogs, or at least Gressil, back at her house when she thought it might divert his attention away from her family, but I didn’t. Helping keep Cassidy and the coven safe would help keep Kendra safe. Yep. I’d just repeat that until it sank in.
Mom backed down a bit. “This affects us, too. At the moment, our new demonic friend seems to be targeting your witches rather than coming at either of us directly. I’m betting there’s a reason behind that.”
“Of course there is,” Cassidy barked. “I love my sisters. He’s doing it to make me suffer.”
“Demons don’t work like that, Cass.” Mom shook her head. “They’re methodical. You know that. No. There’s a deeper motive here, and I think once we figure it out, we’ll have a better shot at figuring out where he’s going to pop up next.”
She turned back to me, and I cringed. I knew that look. It was uncomfortable favor time. “As much as I hate to ask this, Jessie, can you talk to Valefar? See what he knows about this demon?”
As much as she hated it, I hated it more. I wasn’t about to tell her I’d already tried. But, the truth was, he’d be a much better source of information than the books our family had collected over the years. Faster, too. Time to take one for the team.
Though, knowing Val, I’d be taking two or three.
Chapter Thirteen
Each time I crossed into the Shadow Realm, it got easier. That’s not to say it was ever really hard. Quite the opposite, actually. The first time I’d shadowed, it had felt as if a huge weight had been lifted from my chest. One I’d never realized was there. It was right and wrong, beautiful and horrible, all rolled into one confuse-the-hell-out-of-you package. That first trip had been the line. One that, no matter how screwed up my life got because of it, I’d never regret crossing because it saved my parents’ lives.
I crossed the river with Kheron’s help and made my way up to Val’s secretary and her desk of horrors. At first glance, the petite woman with the perky smile and pristine white blouse sat behind a large wraparound granite-topped desk. Neatly piled papers and organizations skills that made me want to yak. On second glance, though? It was all aboard the nightmare train.