Page 89 of Magic of the Damned

“This has nothing to do with your capabilities. I need to do something. Be proactive. Is it unthinkable that something could have been overlooked?” Opening the books, I reviewed each spell and attempted, with my limited knowledge, to figure out how they could be used to free us.

After reading an unbinding spell, I looked up from it to find that I was still the target of Dominic’s unwavering stare. His tongue swept languidly over his lips, moistening them.

“I’ve done every reversal and unbinding spell I know,” he said. He quickly masked the frustration that eked through. “I have no idea what spell is being used on you to keep us here.”

Dominic looked past me, pulled into his thoughts, his expression whetted by knowledge and experience of a world where I didn’t belong. The rawness of his curiosity and dark magic pulsed frenetically, needing a target, only to be left unsatiated.

“You are quite the enigma,” he mused softly with a touch of acute interest.

In a world of magic, being an enigma can’t be good.

Dominic leaped to his feet and turned to the door. He sensed it moments before I did, and what I felt triggered me into the opposite response. He moved closer to the door as the torrent of strong, ominous magic swept into the room. Nor was he bothered by the turbulent energy that accompanied it. My self-protective response had me on my feet in a rush, shuffling back and pressing my body into the corner, wanting to shrink as far away from it as I could. Putting on a brave face wasn’t an option. I wouldn’t have been able to find one no matter how hard I tried. Dominic appeared to welcome it.

The door opened and a man approached us with an ethereal lithe movement. The room shuddered and then calmed to an eerie stillness, quieting at the presence of the man wearing a charcoal-gray shirt, stone-black slacks, and a scowl that was just as dark. Magic swarmed the room. The ominous change of energy that accompanied his presence was a trumpet announcing him and all the introduction I needed. I was in the company of the Lord of the Underworld.

With great effort, I pushed from the corner where I’d retreated and squared my shoulders to stand taller. Once he was in front of me, I managed to hold his depthless smoke-black eyes despite the panic racing through me. His pronounced features were sharpened to a blade’s edge and accompanied by a wide full mouth and thick, short-cropped dark hair silvered at the temples with such precision and perfection I wondered if it had been professionally done. Perhaps to distinguish himself from his strikingly similar son. Looking between him, Dominic, and Helena, who trailed behind him, the minimal deviations in their appearance made me wonder what their mother’s contribution to the gene pool had been.

Just an inch or two shorter than Dominic, the man had a similar build, equipped not only for immense power but speed, too. A deadly combination that I’d seen in action with Dominic.

What were their rules of etiquette? Were they the same as meeting the royal family? You’re not supposed to touch the queen, but this guy’s not a queen, he’s Lord of the Underworld. A president of sorts. It’s okay to touch the president, but do it unexpectedly, you’d probably be tackled to the ground. Or worse.

How do you greet him? Bow, like I was meeting a dictator? Nope, wasn’t going to do that. Salute? Curtsy? A simple handshake? “What’s up, Lord” definitely wasn’t right. Fist bump definitely not a contender.

The Lord of the Underworld cocked his head and skewered me with a look.

“This is the problem?” he asked, his lips drawing into a tight line. His eyes trailed over me in scrutiny. Great, not a curtsey, bow, or handshake. I was really fighting giving him the finger. I mirrored his critical gaze that regarded me with cynical interest.

“Yes, she is the problem,” Helena chimed in, confident that it would now be handled in the manner she wished.

His eyes flicked to Dominic. “I’m assuming you’ve checked for any new wards, binding spells, cloaks.”

Dominic’s head barely moved into a nod. Heat inched over my face at the reminder of his exploration.

“He did detection spells, checking our domain only. But nothing with her. We have no idea what his little pet is hiding. Or if there are any spells on her,” Helena provided.

The lord took in the information, his attention sliding from Dominic and dropping back to me.

“She has been checked for any magical bindings, wards, and cloaked spells,” Dominic refuted, shooting his sister a sharp look. I wouldn’t meet the gaze she slid in my direction, hoping I wouldn’t reveal my knowledge that Dominic was withholding information. I wasn’t sure why he didn’t disclose about my birthmark being hidden, but they wouldn’t get that information from me.

“The problem needs to be eradicated.” The lord looked at me, clearly identifying me as the problem. Problem, human, or human pet weren’t names I was willing to accept while imprisoned here. Nor would I continue to allow them to speak about me as if I didn’t exist.

“Hi, I’m Luna,” I greeted, extending my hand to him and hoping that giving a face to the problem would make him soften his position. He regarded my hand for a few moments then ignored it, switching his attention back to Dominic and then to Helena, who had moved closer to him, treating Dominic to the same judging gaze given by their father.

“You’ve not found any new wards or bindings. It’s safe to assume she’s the conduit being used to block our travel. Why is she still alive?”

His satiny smooth tone was far too casual while inquiring why a person hadn’t been murdered yet.

“Because Dominic would like to play detective and find out why she was chosen, opposed to fixing the problem,” Helena piped in as her self-appointed role as Underworld Commentator.

The lord’s mouth pinched in disapproval.

“Shall we get rid of the problem rather than finding the source of it, to prevent this from ever happening again?” Dominic challenged.

Without a moment of thought, he responded. “Yes. If it frees me from being trapped like an animal, then yes. Destroy anyone and anything responsible for it.”

“Or I can prevent its reoccurrence. Since this is my responsibility, I chose that option.”

Areleus cleared the distance between him and Dominic with a lightning strike of movement. Mere inches from each other, their looks were an unspoken challenge, one that seemed to perpetually exist when powerful people share each other’s space. It was even more pronounced with them; similar magic and an obvious bitter history that could not be ignored.

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