Page 32 of Spookily Yours

Chuckling, my brother settled back into his chair—three steps up on the dais, perched in front of me. Reminding me exactly where I factored in this equation of ours.

Below him.

Never mind how powerful I was, how much control I had over the darkness—power I’d inherited from my father. The shadows were like a second nature to me, the way I could manipulate and create from nothing.

I was the bastard child, and not the chosen one to rule.

Not that I wanted it, anyway. This place hadn’t felt like home in a long time.

If I was being honest, I preferred the animal shelter I’d been living at for the past month to my brother’s palace in the demon realm.

And I liked Willow’s home a thousand times more than both of them.

“And? Was your mission successful? Or have you beenenjoyingyourself a little too much?”

“I need more time,” I grit out, not answering him. I needed that time with Willow.

Zain’s eyes narrowed. “Damien. Did you find her?”

I couldn’t lie to him—but I didn’t want this to be the end of my time in Pleasant Grove, either. Instead, I simply nodded.

The worst part was that Ihadfound her. And he knew it.

Damn demon magic. I hated that I’d ever had to connect myself to him in that way.

“So, what’s the problem?”

There was no easy way around it. “I can’t do it.” Deliver her to this place like some sort of prized trophy—it felt more like bringing a lamb to the slaughter. An innocent, adorable little lamb.

“It’s your sworn duty.”To him.

I scoffed. “I liked you better when you weren’t an insufferable crown prince.”

“Ah, brother. That’s where you’re wrong—because I’vealwaysbeen the insufferable crown prince.”

“Nice to see you, too.” I rolled my eyes

He stood up, walking down the steps, and slapping a hand against my shoulder. All pretenses gone,therewas the brother I had grown up with. When we were both still young, and things hadn’t been so… tense.

But that was what a few hundred years did to you. You grew apart. Or you were forced to serve your younger brother for eternity.

You know—semantics.

“One month.”

I blinked. “What?” It was eerie how that was the same time frame I’d given Willow this morning. Narrowing my eyes, I stared at my brother.

“Whatever you’re doing that’s distracting you… You can have one more month. And then I expect you to bring her here, to me, and return to my side.”

“But—”

Zain tilted his head to the side. “Does some part of that not work for you, brother?”

I ground my teeth together in an effort to not speak back to him. “Fine.”

His sharp canine teeth peeked out of his smile this time as he settled back into the chair.

“Don’t get distracted this time, Damien. I’ll be waiting.” There was a strange look in his eye as I turned away, giving him only the wave of my hand as a goodbye, before I created another portal—back to the human world.

---