Page 23 of A Study of Blood and Ichor

“If it helps, I would still owe you that favor I promised before as well.”

I was half-tempted to outright decline the demon’s favor, but seeing as I was already about to screw myself a million ways to Sunday, I held my tongue. Who knew if that favor might end up offering me my ticket out of this mess?

“I’ll only accept if you give me your word. I need you to swear you will continue to let me do my job once we’re out of here, and that you won’t harm me.”

Vain scoffed as if it were the most ridiculous request I could have made. “I wouldn’t dream of hurting you.”

“Swear it,” I hissed.

Black eyes narrowed, yet the demon kept that lazy smile trained on me. “I swear.”

“The same goes for Rory.”

“I swear.”

The air between us hummed with a thick energy that curled around us like a living thing.

“Do we have a deal?” I asked.

“We do,” the demon said.

I don’t know what I had expected—some booming crack resonating through the room or a demonic sigil etched into my skin to signal the pact had been made, but my fate only sealed itself in deafening silence.

I took two steps forward, my face inches from the wards and the outer ring of the pentagram.

“Then help me save him.”

Vain prowled toward me, and I had to crane my neck to look into the coal-black eyes of the demon I had recklessly decided to put my trust in.

“So, what is your grand escape plan?”

EIGHT

Ava

It only took me minutes to prepare once I returned to my room. A well-worn tan messenger bag was already stuffed full of books and supplies I had gathered. I’d made sure to tuck some spare selenite blades into the interior pockets for good measure, even though I had already secured one short knife to the tactical strap around my thigh, hidden beneath the hem of my dress. The material was a bit more form-fitting than I would have liked, but it was the far more practical option knowing I’d need something with enough stretch to give me the ability to move quickly and comfortably if we were going to be on the run.

After slipping into a pair of black combat boots, I twisted my hair up and back and stabbed the sharp, pointed end of the gold hair stick through the collection of strands with a shaky hand.

I gave myself no time to think or overanalyze the situation I’d put myself into, because I knew if I did, then I might just change my mind. As I threw the bag over my shoulder, I didn’t bother closing the door behind me. As far as I was concerned, there was nothing left for me here.

Creeping silently through the estate, I hid along the shadowed corridors, fighting the urge to vomit as I descended into the cellar. When I re-entered the Hull, Vain stood at attention, dark eyes tracking my every movement. It said nothing, which was unsettling, but I was at least thankful that it had pulled a T-shirt back on so I wasn’t tempted to stare at Rory’s bare chest.

I readjusted my shoulder bag and studied the series of spells that had been laid into the wards surrounding the pentagram on the floor. The magic in the symbols glowed a faint gold around the chalk line, and the power within them seemed to pulse in an unsteady rhythm, almost as if they were wary of my intentions.

A corner of my mouth quirked downward as I chewed the inside of my cheek in deep thought. I wasn’t particularly gifted at wardwork, but the ones crafted along the stones would be simple enough to deconstruct.

The problem would lie in the levitating rings overhead and the stronger protective magic woven through the metal which only amplified their power. I decided those would have to be dealt with last, and unlocked Rory’s shackles first with a few simple waves of my hand before I set myself to clearing away the wards on the floor.

The chains sang as they hit the stones, and Vain’s sigh of relief was immediate. The demon rubbed at Rory’s wrists as it watched me work to unravel the binding magic in the wards with a series of precise and intricate movements with my hands. One by one, the wards began to fall away, and the invisible barrier separating me from the demon grew thinner and thinner. Even the constant hum of magic that hung in the air weakened to a mere flicker until finally the last of the wards had dissolved.

Vain’s vicious grin had widened to a point where it looked practically wolfish. I simply stared at the demon and swallowed. Its predatory gaze tracked the movement of my throat working, and its expression turned inquisitive before it asked, “Having second thoughts?”

I grimaced at Vain and then went back to studying the three rings spinning overhead, slow and lazy. Iron to bind, silver to wound, and gold to amplify the flow of magic. When intertwined and moving in sync with each other, their combined effects were enough to create a powerful trap, enough to ensnare even the most formidable demons. And it was far more experienced magic than I’d ever attempted to disrupt. If I could shift their alignment slightly or stop their rotation, even for a second, it would work.

Vain taunted again, “You’re very much in over your head, aren’t you?”

“Will you shut up so I can work?” I said in a clipped voice.

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