A Darker Past (The Darker Agency #2)(72)

I took a step forward, transfixed on the immense storage space before us. “I, um, guess that means we passed?”

“You think the prison is in here somewhere?”

“In here?” No freaking way. I was going to scream. “If it is, I think we’re screwed. We’ll never find Asmodeus’s prison in there.”

No sooner did I close my mouth than a horrible creaking filled the air. All I could think about was the booby trap in the witch archives. That had ended badly. In the Shadow Realm, it would be twenty times worse. There was a bright flash and an explosion. The blast rocked the ground and sent Lukas and me to our knees as what looked like storm clouds gathered above our heads.

“Oh. That can’t be a good sign,” I said, head tilted upward.

Lukas looked up. “I hate when you say that…”

Complete with lightning, the clouds thickened, staying right above our heads. There was a boom like thunder, and a high-pitched scream slightly similar to the sounds we’d heard when we first entered the cave.

“Look out!” Lukas knocked me aside as something fell from the center, crashing to the ground in another massive clap of bone-jarring thunder. A moment later, the clouds dissipated, and the thunder ceased. Poof. It was like the whole thing had never happened. “Is that…”

I touched the tip of my index finger to the small metal box between us. Like the door knob, it was warm and hummed with powerful energy. The prison. It had to be. “I think it is.”

“Gives new meaning to ask and you shall receive.” He touched the edge of the box, then jerked his hand away as though he’d been burned. He climbed to his feet and helped me up, then took a step back. “That thing is—I don’t want to touch it.”

I looked from him to the prison. “Get a bad vibe?”

“Actually, I get a good one.” He eyed the box. His expression was hungry. Like at any moment he would dive for it and make a breakneck dash for the exit.

I stepped between him and the thing and took both his hands. With one good squeeze, I said, “What’s going on?”

“That’s Asmodeus’s prison, and he’s angry. Wrathful. I may not hold Wrath in my soul anymore, but it will always be there.” Guilt was evident in every twitch of his eye. I knew he was remembering what had just happened. “I will always sense it. It was a part of me for so long, and there are bits of me that want it back. To feel that kind of fire again.” He shook his head and took another step away. “No. You need to carry that out.”

The kind of fear I saw in his eyes as he glared at the box made my chest constrict. I could see it. His desire to be a part of it again. It wasn’t fair that when Meredith cursed him to the box, she made him an unwilling addict of sorts. He was free from the prison but missed a rush he’d never asked for.

“It’s okay. I can carry it.” I picked up the box and the walls changed again…





Chapter Twenty-Nine


“What is that?” Lukas came up beside me, tense. In front of us, where the tunnel had been was now a dead end. A quick peek over my shoulder revealed that the seven doors were gone, too. They’d been replaced with a simple cave wall covered in Vile Root gunk.

Floating in the middle of it all was us—and a hulking red shadow. Similar to the true form I’d seen of the little girl, it was shapeless and wispy.

“I dunno,” I said, looking at the thing from tip to toe. It had to be at least eight feet tall and had the width of a pro football player. Completely crimson, the edges wafted like smoke, curling around its body, sending small tendrils puffing upward. I swallowed back a lump of fear and gave Lukas a small nudge in the thing’s direction. “You wanted to play guard dog, right? Why don’t you go over and scratch behind its ears? Maybe you can make a new friend.”

He dug his feet in and shook his head. “I don’t see any ears.”

“Well, then give him a belly rub. Smokey loves those.”

“I think I’ll pass,” he said coolly.

Well, someone had to do something. We were running out of time. I made a move to step forward, but the shadow thing shrieked. It seemed to puff up, getting impossibly bigger, then dove for us.

“Look out!” Lukas yelled, shoving me sideways. The whole pushing thing was getting old.

I was clear, but Lukas ended up right in the path of the demon. It crashed into him, it’s body dissolving into semitransparent smoke that engulfed his entire form. It churned around him like a tornado, lifting his feet from the ground. It must have been sucking out all the air, because he was clutching at his throat and thrashing.

I rushed forward and tried to pull him out of it, but when my fingers came in contact with the smoke, it felt like someone had pulled all the air from the room. I stumbled back, choking.

“Craps,” I cried, and tried again, but it was pointless. Same result. Coughing and sputtering for air. Force wasn’t going to win this. I had to be smart.

The demon laughed. A disembodied sound that seemed to be coming from all around me. “Leave the box behind, and I will release him.”

“Release him and I’ll leave the box,” I challenged. Obviously, I had no intention of handing the thing over, but hey, it was worth a try.

“What if I were to tell you that his death would ensure your survival?” the thing said. Great. More veiled information. These guys should take out a patent. “That his end now would spare you unimaginable pain.”