A Darker Past (The Darker Agency #2)(68)

He didn’t need to know how amped it made me. That I wasn’t going to let this go, which would only make our current task harder. I inclined my head toward the far end of the tunnel. We were almost there.

“Let’s get this over with.”





Chapter Twenty-Seven


We walked an additional twenty minutes or so without incident. The walls didn’t shift again, and nothing else attacked us. When we got to the end of the tunnel, the opening spilled out into a small round room with seven doors. Above each one was a series of symbols.

“Um,” Lukas said, taking a step inside. “Now what?”

I pointed to the door on the end. It was gold and encrusted with jewels the size of my head. “I think each door is for a different house.”

He walked forward and studied the first one. “Can you read them?”

I shook my head. “Nope. I think that one is Greed, but that’s going on the appearance of the door, not what the symbol says.”

“And if we walk through the wrong one?”

I shrugged. “Who knows? Maybe there’s a guy on the other side waiting with chocolate milk and cookies?” My stomach roiled at the possible—and more likely—alternative. “Or, ya know, we could get vaporized.”

“No, no. Nothing quite so dramatic,” a new voice said.

Lukas and I whirled around. The entrance we’d come through was gone, sealed over by pristine white wall with a single decoration. A small girl who looked to be about eleven or twelve.

Lukas spread his feet, ready for a fight. “We’re here for the prison, and you can’t stop us.”

The little girl laughed, and I cringed. Pigtails tipped with bright pink ribbon, a frilly white dress accented with shiny black Mary Janes, and snow-white knee socks with bows to match the ones in her hair. She looked to be the perfect little angel—but that laugh was demonic as hell. And when her image flickered, a moment of clarity showed a vaguely shapeless black thing with blood-red eyes.

“While I can’t physically stop you, I can’t let you through. Not without passing the test.”

“Test?” I asked. “You’re joking, right? This cave has been trying to kill us. Now you’re saying you’ll let us have the prison if we pass your test?”

The little girl laughed. She stomped her foot and doubled over, guffawing so hard I thought she’d pee herself. “Silly little half breed. The cave has no intention of letting you take the prison. If you’re foolish enough to take the test, you’ll never pass. It’s impossible.”

Lukas was tense beside me. “What’s the test?”

She gestured to the doors behind us. “One door for each of the great houses. Inside each lies their essence. All you would have to do is overcome two of them.”

“Is that all?” I said, folding my arms. Obviously, it wasn’t as simple as the thing was making it seem. “Fine. I pick Sloth and Envy.” I was neither lazy nor envious. Those were safe bets for sure.

Again, the demon-child laughed. “As if we’d let you pick. No,” she said. “If you choose to move forward, you will both have to survive the house of Lust and Wrath.”

And there was the catch.

I understood Wrath. Lukas was terrified of the anger that still lived inside him, and me… The cave had proven that, apparently, I wasn’t as fearless about the whole thing as I’d thought. While I didn’t believe he’d ever really hurt me, my subconscious had normal, human concerns. But Lust? That one I didn’t get.

“Sounds simple enough,” I said, trying to mask my suspicion. Beside me, Lukas was quiet.

“You know nothing about yourself or your limitations.” The demon-girl played with the end of her pigtail. “I find it amusing. Pity. It would have been interesting to see how you turned out upon maturity.”

It was goading me. Trying to incite a firestorm of questions. It was working—but I also realized it was trying to stall. Keep us occupied. Though it killed me, I declared, “We’ll take door number one, if you please.” With a quick glance over my shoulder, I said to Lukas, “Can you do this?”

He slipped his hand into mine and squeezed. “I suppose we shall see.”

Well, that wasn’t very encouraging.

The demon girl giggled. She snapped her fingers, and all the doors except the one in the middle vanished. I started for it, but she moved to block my path. “Just one question first. What is the day of your birth?”

“The day of—” It took me a second to realize what she was asking. “What’s that got to do with anything?”

“Call it a matter of curiosity. Valefar has never…had a Regent so young.”

I didn’t buy that for a second, but wasn’t looking to waste any more time. “May 20th.” I’d missed my mom’s birthday by two days. “Curiosity satisfied? Can we get on with it now?”

“So eager to fail, aren’t we?” She snapped her fingers, and the door creaked open. “This should be very interesting…”

I didn’t wait. Tugging Lukas forward, I stepped over the threshold and into…my bedroom.

The door slammed closed behind us. “Um, I don’t get it.”

Lukas let go of my hand and backed away. When I turned around, he looked different. Instead of the black T-shirt, worn blue jeans, and leather jacket he’d had on when we entered, he was in black jeans and a simple black tank that showed off every glorious muscle.