Page 18 of Viper

Ella pressed her lips shut, deciding to keep Viper’s intriguing little comment to herself. “Agreed,” she eventually said. Begrudgingly. Very, very begrudgingly.

A short time later, she parked in the lot outside a club that happened to be built on top of the Underground’s entrance. After a quick venture down to the basement, she and Mia were descending an elevator that took them to a subterranean version of the Las Vegas strip that catered to the dark and addictive natures of demons.

Walking side by side, they passed an endless number of businesses—bars, eateries, casinos, stores, a mall. There were various forms of entertainment down here, including racing stadiums for hellhounds and hellhorses.

Finally, they arrived at their herbalist store. A prettyFrom the Wildesign hung above the door. It sold a whole lot of stuff such as seeds and herbs, many of which were either enchanted or could be used when practicing magick.

They also sold all-natural products like soap bars, aftershave balm, beard oil, facial cleanser, and shampoo. All were made using pure essential oils, other natural ingredients, and a little magick.

Stepping inside the store, Ella smiled. The bright and earthy color scheme went well with the witchy feel of the place. Some aisles featured bath and skincare products. Others had shelves lined with glass jars, elixirs, pastes, oils, clay pots, various plants, and even medicinal tea blends.

Strong scents danced in the air. Mint. Herbs. Honey. Fragrant plants. Soaps made from oils such as mango and coconut.

Their mother Elodie and aunt Jocelyn made the soaps etc., and they operated from a small workshop at the back of the store. Which was exactly where Ella found them.

Opposite to the store, the workshop was on the messy side. Bunches of dried herbs and flowers dangled from the ceiling. Pots of cream, powders, grease, and other ingredients were propped on shelves in no particular order. Garlic braids hung from precarious-looking hooks on the wall. Despite the clutter, the workshop was pristine clean. The sisters were big on cleanliness, but they thrived on chaos.

Jocelyn stood at one of the four counters, carefully pouring black powder from a bowl into a jar. Melodie was busy putting the finishing touches to what looked exactly like a three-tiered cake, only it wasn’t really a cake. It was slabs of pastel pink soap covered in colorful decorative flowers that were mini bath bombs.

Unlike Ella and Mia, the two sisters didn’t bear a very close resemblance. Melodie was tall and curvy with blood-red hair. Jocelyn was medium height with a slim frame and curly auburn locks. But they both had the same blue eyes and sharp cheekbones.

“Morning,” Ella called out, making the women’s heads snap up.

Melodie smiled. “Morning, my babies.”

“The cake looks good,” said Mia.

“Of course it does.” Melodie gave Ella the side-eye. “Heard you came upon another wraith problem yesterday.”

“Oh, yesterday got even weirder later on.” Ella lifted an open jar filled with honeycomb from the counter and took a sniff. “I actually came upon a vampire dumping a body in an alley.”

Jocelyn sighed, her expression droll. “And of courseyouwere the one to find it. Where exactly was this alley?”

“Outside the pool hall,” Ella replied.

“The one the Black Saints bought? They also got their hands on the dive bar next-door, you know. Angels in the Underground.” Jocelyn shook her head, her mouth tight in displeasure. “Your uncle would be rolling in his grave.”

“He’s not dead yet,” Mia told her.

Jocelyn’s brow furrowed. “He’s not? But I thought he died, I’m enjoying being a widow.”

Ella stifled a smile. Most of their lair lived in Idaho, but the four of them had relocated to Las Vegas years ago after Jocelyn’s mate left her for her best friend. Predictably, Jocelyn hadn’t reacted well. Some curses had been cast, and everyone—including the Prime of their lair—had deemed it a good idea for Jocelyn to put some miles between her and her ex-mate.

“I heard through the demonic grapevine that he met his end at the hands of a Prime he’d wronged,” Jocelyn went on.

Mia’s shoulders lifted and fell as she leaned against the butcher’s block table. “Last I heard, he was living in Ohio and had angry imps on his ass.”

“Then he won’t be alive for much longer,” said Melodie, giving her sister’s back a soothing pat. “The imps will see to it. On that happy note, let’s officially open the store, shall we?”

“Before we do,” began Jocelyn, looking from Ella to Mia, “you should know that Dionne called to say she can’t come to work today—apparently, she’s having another severe migraine.”

Ella felt her lips thin. She’d had the occasional migraine herself, so she knew they were beasts. And if she truly believed that Dionne was regularly afflicted by them, she’d greatly sympathize and totally understand why the woman begged off work so often. But that was the thing, shedidn’tbelieve it. Because one too many times she’d bumped into the woman here in the Underground on days Dionne was supposedly unable to get out of bed.

“A migraine,” Mia echoed, clearly doubtful. “Right.”

“Honestly, it sometimes seems like she’s pushing us to fire her. But why not just quit?” Ella didn’t get it.

“No idea,” said Mia. “Whatever the case, we’ve warned her she needs to step up. She hasn’t. She always says she will, but it’s clear that she has no real intention to do so. We have to let her go.”

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