And I noticed the new twist on Eric’s curse. He was in love with me. But all this time, he couldn’t do a thing about it. Even admitting it risked his curse killing me. And I suppose it did, in a way. Eric could no longer touch me. Any hope he might have had that one day I may want him was gone. But the expression on his face said he already knew. For weeks following Kreturus’ death, Eric was by my side. He never left me. He never faltered. His nasty remarks were a thing of the past. They’d been a way to push me away—a means to make me hate him. But it didn’t work. I’d seen through him, even before he dropped his veil and allowed me to look into his soul. And now, that was all he could see of me.
Swallowing hard, I spoke over my shoulder, “I still owe a debt. I need to take care of it before the Demon Princess tries to claim her price.”
CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE
Eric agreed to accompany me. He glanced at the golden walls after we effonated. I’d given him more power—power that wouldn’t decrease with use. “Why are we in the Lorren?” Eric asked.
I didn’t want to see Jenna Marie or Lorren, not like this. But I had no choice. I couldn’t conjure the mirror in the palace. I wasn’t certain why. And I couldn’t go topside. The curse bound me to the caverns of Hell. This was the only place remaining. The only place I could go that I hadn’t tried. And it was time to pay the debt. We moved through the golden maze, emerging in the small golden room. Jenna Marie had her arms wrapped around Lorren. They were laughing, teasing. A smile that I’d never seen before lined Lorren’s lips. He was truly happy.
I cleared my throat to get their attention, but I didn’t have to. Shocked faces with opened mouths stared at me. Eric stepped in front of me, hiding me from them, until they had the sense to look away. “Thank you,” I whispered. Eric nodded. My heart fluttered in my chest. This was the last thing I had to do. Pressing my lips together, I said, “Kreturus is dead. I am Queen of the Underworld now.”
Jenna Marie knew better than to be happy. Her eyes were wide, her brow knitted in concern, “Where is Collin? We don’t hear anything in here. Neither of us can leave. Lorren’s trapped here, and I can’t move about the Underworld without something trying to kill me. We’ve been worried about you. What happened, Ivy?” I told her. My voice came out of me in a monotone, speaking factually. Her eyes grew wider and wider. Lorren’s grip on her hand tightened when they’d learned of Collin’s death.
Lorren’s eyes slid to my face, “And this was your price? You’ve lost your form, your body, and can’t conceal yourself?” I nodded once. Complete transparency. Complete hell.
“The demons said she’s dead, a lost soul without a body. She can’t leave the Underworld. She can’t cover her form...” Eric’s voice was softer than last they’d heard. A surprised expression crossed both of their faces, but they said nothing. “Before this happened, she made a blood bargain with the Demon Princess. She needed to come here to conjure the mirror to resolve her debt.”
They both nodded, not asking how he knew. Blood bargains were a secret, but now I had no secrets. Closing my eyes, I pictured the black glass. When I opened them, the mirror stood in front of me with the cracked pane. I stared into the large cracked glass.
Eric stepped next to me, “You can’t see yourself...”
Jenna Marie said softly, “Souls have no reflection... They aren’t,” she broke off looking for the right word.
Lorren added, “Tangible. Mirrors show things that are. Things that can be touched. You no longer exist as anything but a lost soul, free to roam the Underworld with infinite power.” I nodded, understanding better as he spoke. I was a ghost. Sort of. “What’s your debt?” He asked the question, black eyes piercing into mine.
“You know I can’t say. And it doesn’t matter anyway. I can’t pay it. That isn’t why I came here.”
The tension in his shoulders eased, “Then why are you here?”
“The mirror wouldn’t come to me, not without you here...” the blood bargain prevented me from saying more. “I have to pay the price. I’m not giving her what she wants. And I can’t kill her. Kreturus was wrong. It would only force the debt to be paid, and she’d survive. That was what she did to him, and I won’t allow her to do it to me, only to rise up again later. No one should have to do what we did.” All three of us used the stone. All three of us were cursed for eternity because of it.
I raised my hand to the pane, ready to press through, when Lorren’s dark sleeve darted in front of me. He pressed himself between my form and the mirror, preventing me from stepping through. It may have been possible to pass through him. I didn’t know. And I wouldn’t find out.
“Stop, Ivy,” he said softly. His dark eyes met mine. “I know why you’re here. Why you need me. Let me go. I’ll take care of it. The bargain will be complete.” Lorren was earnest, his jaw tense. Coldness flooded me from head to toe as he spoke. He knew. But I couldn’t hear his words. I could only stare at the glass knowing that I shouldn’t listen to another word. I couldn’t let him do this.
“No, Lorren. It’s my debt.” I protested, still staring over his shoulder at the glass. Locoicia was on the other side, waiting for me—waiting to take my place.
Jenna Marie darted to his side, “What is he talking about? Go where? I thought you couldn’t leave this place?”
But he didn’t answer Jenna Marie. Lorren simply looked at me and said, “Out of all the angels for you to send, she would never expect me. You do know who I was? Before I was trapped in this tomb?” I had an idea, but I wasn’t certain. Some of the depictions I’d seen while I searched the archives in Rome had a glaring resemblance. I nodded once. I knew who he was. “Then, let me go. This will end.” If the mirror was in the Lorren, he was able to pass through it. As long as the glass stood where it was now, he could stay there. It would be like he wasn’t trapped anymore. It would be a way to make his curse more bearable. That was what he said. That was how he appealed to me, but something seemed wrong.
All three of us had paid horrifically. I couldn’t do anything that would cause him anymore pain. What if Locoicia won? What if she bested him? I couldn’t chance it. I shook my head, and started to tell him no, but Lorren smiled at me. Pressing his back into the mirror, he said, “I love you Jenna...” And he was absorbed by the dark glass.
My eyes widened. I pressed on the glass half panicked, but it wouldn’t let me through. “Eric! What happened?”
“What’d you bargain for?” he asked quickly. He stood behind me, watching Lorren disappear.
“An angel. She wanted an angel.” The bargain was complete. The magic that gagged me was no more and I spilled what I knew, “Collin said she requested something I couldn’t possibly deliver! She was supposed to screw me. I can’t let him do this!” I turned to Jenna Marie. She was walking toward the glass with a smile across her pink lips.
“You are a vision of beauty, Ivy. You will have peace. Be patient and it will come.” She stood before me and as she spoke her breath crystalized into tiny scrawling words in a language I didn’t know. They circled around me, landing gently on my head like a crown. For a moment, I was warm. And I realized what she’d done - it was a blessing. Angels rarely gave blessings because they only had a handful to use over their existence. And Jenna Marie gave a blessing to me—Queen of the Damned. The words faded away as she watched me with a soft smile on her face.
I stood there, my mouth agape. Jenna Marie’s inner perkiness reemerged, “We’ll be fine. We’re together, again. You gave him back to me. It’s a price I’m glad to pay.” She laughed, “Besides, you just sent the angel of death into her lair. Bet she wasn’t expecting that!” Jeanna Marie continued to laugh as she dissolved into the black glass.
Eyes wide, I turned back to Eric. He laughed, “Lorren was the death angel?”
Eyebrow arched, I asked, “I knew something you didn’t?”
Smiling at me, he nodded, shoving his hands into his pockets and said, “I guess so.” But he could see the worry in my eyes as I glanced at the dark glass. Eric moved next to me. “Don’t worry. If the Demon Princess could overpower the death angel—by some insane stroke of luck—there is no way she can best two angels.”
I nodded, looking up at his face. “I would have never put them together. The perky pink princess and the death angel.” I smiled to myself.
Eric mumbled to himself, following me out, “Yeah, love does weird things.”
CHAPTER THRITY-TWO
I sat on my throne, my body curled into a ball to conceal myself and get warm. I was freezing. It seemed to be part of the curse. I doubted that I’d ever be warm again. My knees were pulled into my chest, and my ankles were crossed, as I attempted some form of modesty. Eric’s eyes slid over me. He sat on the marble stairs in front of me, with a viewpoint that left little to the imagination. I seriously considered hiding behind draperies for the rest of my life.
T’agar, the demon who first addressed me, entered the throne room, humbly bowing as he entered. He waited for me to address him before stepping from the threshold. My voice echoed across the vast room. “Come.”
The demons had left me alone for the most part. They ran the place, and continued to do so, asking my approval for things. Eric had to tell me what some if it was. I had no idea. I always thought I’d go to heaven, and now I was Queen of the Underworld. T’agar’s claws scraped against the marble making a sound like a knife being sharpened as he neared us. He stopped thirteen paces from my feet, as they all did when summoned. A step closer meant death. I had no plans on killing them, but they believed they would erupt in a ball of flames if they disobeyed. Eric told me to keep my mouth shut. It would prevent anarchy, and since I wanted peace, I listened to him.
I straightened my legs, sitting up in my throne as he neared. His voice gurgled, “The portals have been secured, but we are in need of a new Guardian, Most Gracious One. The creatures that you demanded to return are here and accounted for, but this last meeassssure,” he drew out the word, making it sound more sinister, “will ensure that they remain here.”
I nodded. Where did the last Guardian come from? The angels made it, didn’t they? Were we supposed to order another one? A smirk formed across my mouth, and quickly vanished. Eric gave me an odd expression, eyebrow raised. I didn’t acknowledge him. “Is that all?”
The demon remained with his head bowed. His hesitation was uncharacteristic. I leaned forward in my seat, my hair dangling forward. There obviously was more, and from his silence, I assumed it was bad. “Speak, demon. Tell me.”
He lowered his hunched back, making his neck sweep closer to the floor. His stance was nearly a grovel. I wondered how he remained upright without falling over. “The angels requested conference with your Highness. They said war is imminent. They are... coming.” his great scaly head turned upward, meeting my gaze. My mouth opened in shock. The demon thought it was directed at him, and bowed lowly, “Forgive me, Beautiful Queen. We know not what to do. Directives are needed. Soon.” He bowed lowly and swept from the room.
