The Ripple Effect (Rhiannon's Law #3)(44)

“As in the place?” I looked around the room. “What if the building was destroyed?”

“Wouldn’t matter. He’d still be stuck. It’s the ground itself that keeps the magic in place, although the walls and floors become a part of the spell.”

“See him, touch him, and done?”

“Pretty much.”

Sounded like an excellent plan, except that Sonja seemed to forget about one important thing. “What do you plan to barter with? What do you have that a demon wants?”


“This.” She rotated the cage around, until I could see a small, fluffy ball of fur inside.

“You’re going to give him a kitten?”

Sonja hesitated. “Something like that.”

Why did that reply not sound good?

My cell phone vibrated. I pulled it from my pocket and shivered when I glanced at the name.

Shit. Disco.

I was surprised he hadn’t called sooner.

“Give me a sec,” I muttered and moved toward the table at the other side of the room. I pressed the button to answer and placed the phone to my ear. “Hello?”

“Come home. Now.” No greeting. No pretty words. It wasn’t what he said that bothered me, it was the way he said it. A hidden message, but I wasn’t sure what it was.

“Didn’t Goose give you my message?”

“Now, Rhiannon.”

“What’s going on?”

“I expect you here in no less than an hour.”

A loud click and the call ended. I lowered the cell and stared at it, feeling as if the metal device had grown teeth and bitten me. My palms went clammy. With Marius home, and after I’d failed to arrive back at Disco’s as promised, I knew I had to help Baxter cross over and split.

“Sonja.” I slid the phone into my pocket and returned to her. “If we’re going to do this, we’ve got to hurry. I’ve got ten minutes.”

“Ten minutes?” she snapped. “That’s not enough time.”

“That was Gabriel. I can’t stay.”

Her face paled, and I wasn’t sure why. A part of me wanted to believe she was worried I would ditch and she would have to wait for another day, while a betraying little voice told me she was more concerned this would be my last trip anywhere.

“Step back.” She waved her arm, retrieved the tiny kitten from the cage, and walked to the mirror.

I’d seen summoning before, but I didn’t think I’d ever get used to them. There was something evil about it, a wrongness I couldn’t quite put my finger on. The glossy surface of the mirror rippled as she called Krull, demanding an audience. The demon’s androgynous face appeared, followed by its body.

“Sonja Wheaten,” it said, sounding amused.

“I want to bargain. I will give you something you desire in exchange for a small favor.”

“I know your favors, and they are never small.”

“This one is.” She lifted the kitten by the scruff and held it out. “I want you to witness a limbo reversal. I need to know if you can see the spirit I am attempting to free.”

Krull’s strange, pearlescent gaze rested on me. “Rhiannon Murphy. Word of your bargains have spread through Hell.”

I wanted to squirm. Did every single demon on the other side know my name? Of what bargains I had made? I hoped not.

“She’s not involved. This deal is between you and me.”

“Pity. That means I’m going to ask for more for my services.” The demon grinned and I wanted to sag when he stopped staring at me and looked at the tiny animal in Sonja’s hand. “I will watch for your lost soul and inform you of its presence. In exchange you will give me the offering in your hand. Afterward my obligation to you is severed. You will no longer summon me or speak my name. If you do, your soul will be up for grabs, available in any fashion I deem fit.”

Sonja blanched. “That isn’t part of the deal.”

“It’s my deal. Take it or leave it.”

I didn’t want to rush, but the clock was ticking. “Eight or nine minutes left,” I informed her.

“Consider it done.” She sounded pissed. “I will exchange my offering, you will tell me if you see the soul I am attempting to locate, and we will no longer have contact or my soul will be forfeit. I agree to your terms.”

“Very well.”


The stink of sulfur penetrated the room as Krull came through the mirror. The kitten hissed and started thrashing. Sonja tossed the small bundle into the air and Krull caught it. I gasped and took a large step back when the demon opened its mouth, its lips widening farther than they should have. It devoured the poor thing in one chomp.

“Mmm,” Krull hummed, chewed several times, and swallowed. I watched, mortified, as a large ball traveled down the length of its throat and vanished. “Delicious.”

Every time a demon is summoned, a kitten dies. Please God, save the kittens.

I did not just see that.

“Seven minutes.” I sounded as petrified as I felt. The f*cking thing didn’t want the kitty as a toy or pet. It wanted to f*cking eat it.

Sonja went to the circle first, traced the line of the circle with salt, and hauled ass to the caged chicken. After she had a decent grip, she hauled the squirming animal out of the cage, rushed back, and cut its throat. Blood splattered as she hung the still twitching birdie upside down, infusing the salt with the gushing red liquid.