Kingdom of the Wicked (Kingdom of the Wicked, #1)(82)

“Give who enough time for what? Envy?” I asked, losing patience. “Stop talking in riddles.”

The vampire’s fangs gleamed in the moonlight. “Mare e Vitigno. Such a lovely name. Rolls right off the tongue.”

Sea & Vine. I went very still. Blood roared in my ears. Envy knew about our restaurant. He would torture my parents and—I forced myself to calm down. There was no reason to panic anymore. Claudia had shielded our home against demons. It was late, and the restaurant was closed. Thank the goddess my family would be home by now and were protected. A dark smile touched the corners of my lips. I would very much like to have the demon test the deadly magic.

“Tell Prince Envy I decline his offer. And I dare him to try and enter my home.”

“My prince said I ought to mention that spells, like witch bones, are easily broken. If one knows where to apply the correct pressure. Or in this case, who to target.”

I went cold. “What are you talking about?”

“Did you think you could fool a prince of Hell, little witch? Do you truly believe Envy hasn’t had spies watching your home?” His smile was filled with malice. “Demon shields and wards are tricky, but can be broken. Especially by the witch who cast them.”

“That’s a lie.” I stepped back, shaking my head. Claudia was safe. Antonio had taken her to my house—my stomach flipped. They could have been intercepted or attacked on the way. Fear clawed its way into my heart. “That can’t be true. The wards . . .”

“Are down.” He offered his arm again. “Your family should be with the prince by now; the more you struggle, the harder it will be on them. He does not like to be kept waiting. Boredom is a terrible affliction in the Kingdom of the Wicked.”

“Envy is—he’s at Sea & Vine with my family now?”

Alexei nodded.

I wasn’t going to simply take a vampire’s word for it. I offered him a hateful grin as I whispered a forbidden truth spell. Alexei wasn’t mortal, so I ignored the glimmer of wrongness I felt by invoking a forbidden power.

“Did Envy have Claudia break the ward on my family’s home?”

He gritted his teeth as the truth was wrenched from him. “Yes.”

“Are they at my family’s restaurant now?”

“Yes.”

I dropped my sister’s amulet as if burned. I recalled the way Envy had forced me to take Wrath’s dagger to my heart, ready to gouge it out. Then I imagined him doing the same thing to my family and friends. In fact, he might have already started his games. Our kitchen had cleavers and knives and all sorts of tools that could be used as weapons, or torture devices hanging on the wall. I imagined that was why he’d chosen it as our meeting place.

Without wasting another moment, I ran.

I tripped over my skirts, and the taunting sound of the vampire’s laughter followed me down darkened roads. I ignored him. He no longer mattered. Getting to Sea & Vine was my only focus. I charged down narrow alleys and uneven streets, jumped over buckets of waste and shoved through lovers holding hands and strolling under the light of the moon.

I covered the mile in what felt like moments, and burst through the front doors, panting. I quickly scanned the room, searching for blood and gore and signs of a struggle.

My focus landed on the demon prince.

“I do love punctuality.” Envy shut a pocket watch with an audible snap. “You’re right on schedule, pet. The show is about to begin.”





Thirty-Nine

“It’s truly a shame about your grandma.” The Prince of Envy sat at a corner table, his back to the wall, surveying the bounty of food set before him. The room was empty except for the two of us. I couldn’t decide if that was comforting, or more terrifying. “All that power, gone.”

Maybe I was too late, and my parents and Nonna and Claudia and Antonio were all lying dead in the kitchen. As quickly as the thought appeared, I banished it. He’d said the show was about to begin. I clutched onto the hope I could do something to stop whatever sinister thing he’d planned.

“Where are my family and friends?”

He acted as if I hadn’t spoken at all. Envy picked up his wineglass and swirled the liquid, breathing in the scent before taking a careful sip. His suit tonight was a deep forest green. Ferns lined the lapels and cuffs. The hilt of his emerald-studded dagger glinted from a strap he wore over his jacket. “I hear your grandmother might not be able to speak again. Tough fate for a witch. I imagine it’s hard to cast spells without a voice. Herbs and gemstones are fine, but those powerful incantations are nothing without words to set them ablaze. Isn’t that right?”

So he’d been behind the attack on Nonna, not Greed. I thought about the human messenger and the mysterious hooded figure he’d sold secrets to. Envy was the traitor we’d been looking for. I’d wager all of my magic on it. Wrath had been so convinced Envy would never rise up against them, that he didn’t even look into the threat. Which opened up an opportunity for the jealous demon. One Envy couldn’t resist taking.

I wanted to scream and scream and scream. I considered it a gift from the goddess that I was able to maintain some semblance of dignity. I lifted my chin. “I said, where are my parents?”

“Locked in the kitchen.”

“My grandmother?”