Garden of Serpents (The Demon Queen Trials #3)(80)

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That afternoon, we visited Isabeau. If anybody could get to the bottom of what had happened to Nico, our mortal oracle friend was the one. We found her in her little cottage, her white hair threaded with flowers and seashells. She welcomed us all with tea.

For a few minutes, Isabeau sat with him and held his hands, letting her consciousness join with his to see the world through his eyes. At last, she nodded, leaning back a little in her chair. “Oh, yes, that’s it,” she exclaimed. “That’s exactly it!” She released Nico’s hands and beamed at him. “A very special young man.”

I swallowed. “What, exactly, happened?”

“Let’s show them,” the old woman suggested, and she stood and offered a hand to our son. He took it, and they walked across her cluttered room together, a strange place full of animal skulls and dried flowers. When they reached the far wall, Nico turned and waved goodbye to us with a cheery smile—and the two of them proceeded to walk directly through the wall, out into the cobblestone street.

My stomach dropped, but in the next moment, they crossed back through the wall in the same way.

“How did you…” I began, but I was too astounded to finish. I crouched down over my stomach, pulling him close to me.

“I’m a ghost,” he shouted with glee. “A big, big, big, huge ghost!” He stomped his feet for emphasis.

I looked up at Isabeau.

She shrugged. “I can’t explain the magic behind it, exactly, but Nicodemus can walk through walls. Or, evidently, drop through floors. Into places like dungeons.”

“Fuck,” I muttered.

“Fuck,” Nico repeated.

“Shh, no, baby.” I placed a finger over his lips. “Duck. I said duck.”

“He can fall through the floors?” asked Orion coolly.

“A strong emotion can trigger it,” said Isabeau.

“A big duck ghost,” a delighted Nico shouted to remind me.

I rose slowly. “So what do we do to keep him safe?”

Isabeau rubbed her hands together. “There are some great witches here at Belial to help him harness his gifts. But in the meantime…” She pulled out a tiny cloth bag tied to a piece of yarn. “Put this around his ankle. Yew leaves. They’ll keep his magic subdued enough that it won’t get out of control.”

“Yes. Thank you,” Orion agreed.

We left with a list of instructions from Isabeau and an entirely fresh set of worries to accompany those that concern every other set of new parents. How the fuck did you baby-proof a house for a child who could go through the walls?





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Years ago, I was plagued by a terrible nightmare involving a little green-eyed, auburn-haired boy. About a horde of demons racing across the world, across his world, slaughtering everyone in sight. A demonic host led by my husband, Orion.

The dream was so vivid, it had struck fear into my heart.

Sometimes, the dream came back to me. But now, it was Kas unleashing horror on the mortal world. When the dreams were at their very worst, I’d picture that little boy as the sole survivor, see the terror in his eyes as everyone around him was killed and he had no one to turn to. I’d wake crying, reaching for Orion. I’d seek out Nico as he slept to make sure he was okay. Sometimes, I checked on him twice a night.

I’d love to say that as a parent, I lived in a world of bliss, where my anxiety went away and everything was contentment.

But I would never stop worrying about Nico, or the baby in my tummy who constantly had the hiccups.

There was no love without terror. The fear of loss.

But these three demons were my world, and I would gladly carry that fear to live in their warmth.





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