Page 34 of Courting Envy
The magic wanted to be used. It craved me and the things I could do with it, but I could not give in. That day with Lucien, the way he’d had to pull me back together to tamp the magic down sprung to my mind. I couldn’t afford for that to happen now.
I didn't want this magic. I didn't want this place. I wanted to go home and see my sister.
So, I went.
I moved to the balcony and let the magic work one more time, creating a ladder from my room down to the ground. It disappeared back into the building when I was done with it, leaving no sign that it had been there at all.
Elation filled me; I was free! My skin still tingled with ripples of Envy’s magic, but I shook my arms, trying to free myself from the temptation. I had feet and I could use them. I scanned around and found a series of buildings that looked familiar, then headed toward them. It was as good a place as any to start.
The city seemed smaller than it had the other day, my feet moved faster than they had a right to. It felt like the ground itself wanted to help me get to my destination, and I was so grateful for this cloak. I passed through crowds of people, a bustling marketplace. No one could see me to stop me. No one could tell Lucien what I was trying to attempt.
The thought of him slowed me down a little, weighed on my heart. I knew this was going to hurt him, but he hadn't listened when I'd tried to explain how important Marie was to me. Maybe the princes of Hell didn't have the same kind of relationship that human siblings were capable of, but it didn't matter. If it was important to me then, it should be important to him too.
A huge arch drew my attention and I moved towards it, feeling like it must show me the way down. As I got closer, I could see that it was created from one huge snake eating its own tail. An ouroboros. Perhaps that was a good sign for this place, the sinners constantly feeding their own envy, a vicious cycle of jealousy.
The path down was narrow and winding and no one was on it. I guessed there wasn’t a lot of traffic between the human and demon areas. I ran, not worrying about whether my cloak flailed; there was no one to reveal me too here.
Before long I hit the bottom and saw the slum areas where the tortured souls resided. Their piteous wails filled my ears and I saw them in clusters, clawing at each other for scraps, taunted by visions of beauty and fame, whatever their hearts truly desired – whatever they envied in others – and what they would never have for themselves.
It was strange to think that they had been human once, reduced now to husks. I felt a strange disconnect; we weren't the same. I was no longer human, and even though I'd craved my own fame and fortune in the living world, I didn't think I could ever have been filled with so much envy that I'd end up here.
The portal wasn't far now; I could practically hear the hum of it. I just had to cross over the swamp. As I stood on the edge of the mucky water, the first waves of anxiety crashed over me. What if my magic wore off on the way to the portal? Had someone noticed that I was missing yet?
That last thought spurred me on.
I had to get back to earth to see my sister.
My boots sunk into the swamp, and it wasn't until I was covered all the way to my knees with mud that I realized there was actually a path. I stepped up onto the rocky paver and continued, moving faster now. I felt a tugging at my chest, as if the gem wanted me to go back, to have me at the castle rather than here. Or was it my heart? Torn between my natural, living world, and the three who were stealing my affections: Lucien, Kyveli, and Reon.
I had nothing like them in my real life. No partner that lasted more than a few nights. No romantic ties to speak of. It had been many years since I'd had a genuine connection that was more than pure lust, and part of me didn't want to give that up.
And I didn't have to. I could come back, surely. I knew that in my demonic form I couldn't just stroll back into my regular life – as far as anyone knew, I was dead. I just needed to check on my sister, and then I'd return.
Even I wasn't sure if that was a lie.
The portal was so close now, I could feel the energy coming off it. There was a thick band of stone forming the exterior, coiling like snakes wrapping around each other in a continuous circle. The interior seemed like a thick, viscous liquid, emerald green and black.
Under other circumstances there was no way in Hell I would want to step through that, but the drive to see my sister was too strong to ignore.
Twins had a connection, and I was sure that even though I was in Hell, I could still feel it. Steeling myself, I stepped forward, feeling waves of pressure shifting within the portal. The air was dank here, acrid, and I held my nose and closed my eyes as I stepped into the portal.
It felt like the air was thick, muddy, oppressive, but I kept moving, one foot in front of the other until I stepped out the other side and gasped in crisp, cool air.
My legs felt wobbly, and I stumbled over my own feet, falling to my knees as I exited. I breathed hard and fast, trying to return enough oxygen to my body, though, did I need that anymore? I needed to stop thinking like a human. I was demonic now and the same old rules didn't apply; even if the habits of a lifetime wouldn't leave me alone.
I shoved to my feet, clutching my head. My vision blurred and everything spun, so I walked towards the nearest wall and leaned against it. The cool stone was a balm to the ache in my head, and the irony that I really did have a headache now wasn't lost on me.
"My, my, my," a voice said somewhere behind me.
I ignored it because no one could see me. They must be talking about someone else.
"What do we have here?" The voice was scratchy, closer now. I looked around, noticing that my cloak was no longer invisible and true fear clutched my heart.
My legs wobbled as I tried to stand to my full height and face the creature coming my way, but it wasn't just one, there were four of them towering over me, their bodies and faces twisted and gnarled in ways that I hadn't seen in Envy. I tried to lash out with my magic the same way I'd pushed Lucien back, but nothing happened. I couldn't feel a hint of it in my body.
Shit.
The blood of Envy ran through my veins.
