“You can’t possibly cover up all our power signatures,” Tyler said. “I think being that close to the action is too risky.”
“Not if the Demon Lords and the Prince come in last,” Rourke said, turning to Lili. “If the Princess is on board, she can convince them to enter last. By that time the audience will already be there and it will be too late.”
Lili nodded. “The Prince always makes his entrance last anyway, and I’m sure the Princess will agree. You are helping her bid for the throne sooner than expected, and I’m certain once she meets with you she will have some good ideas of her own. Confronting the Prince, and doing so in front of the demon population, I believe is the right decision. Without doing so, you will certainly be in Hell for a lot longer. If the demons stand convinced, he will have a hard time justifying his case against you, and will have no choice but to let you go.”
I didn’t believe it would be that easy, but it was a step in the right direction. “Okay,” I said. “That’s the best plan we’ve got. The quicker we can get settled in the auditorium the better.”
The walk to the auditorium was uneventful. We encountered no clones and no orthruses. It was almost too quiet.
“Where is everyone?” I asked as we came to a stop outside the door Lili had told us was the entrance to the bottom part of the arena. “This feels wrong. There should be some activity. The Princess couldn’t have kept all the demons occupied this long.”
Rourke growled. “I agree. I don’t like it.”
Lili’s face showed her irritation. “Throw your power out. Do you sense anything? There’s no one here. The Princess has kept the Prince well occupied, and you should be grateful.” I sent my power out, and she was right. I didn’t feel anything strange at all. “This was your plan, remember?” She stopped short of rolling her eyes. “I led you here per your request. If this doesn’t work, we will have to come up with something else, but for right now this is it. I’ll get you inside and go find the Princess.” Lili placed her hand on the door and pushed it open.
The auditorium was quiet. My wolf growled, throwing our power out to make sure. Rourke went first, scouting. “It looks okay,” he said. “How do we get under the benches?”
Lili led us in. The arena was bigger than I remembered from just a short time ago, stretching far up into the back rows. It was hard to believe it had been full of demons a few hours ago and would be again if we were lucky. “You can enter through there,” Lili gestured, ushering us to an opening at one end of the benches. “This is a small space, but you should all fit.”
Rourke went first, unlatching the wooden door. He stuck his head in and turned to Lili. “Once we’re inside, spell the area. Selene will know if it takes.”
Lili nodded. “I know exactly what I have to do. I’ll take care of everything.”
Selene grumbled as she made her way in after Rourke. “This is the dumbest thing I’ve ever done. This is worse than a Trojan horse. It’s more like a rat stuck in a cupboard.”
“Quit your grumbling,” Ray said, following her in. “Under the radar is where we need to be. We have to get out of here in one piece, so for now we play along. If it doesn’t work, we fight.”
I went next, Tyler brought up the rear. He paused at the doorway. Jess, I don’t like this. It feels wrong.
I had to admit I was getting the same vibe. My wolf had started pacing in earnest. Like Lili said, I told my brother, this was our plan. Not hers. Being here feels both right and wrong at the same time. I can’t explain it. It’s like I’m getting a mixed message. But as far as I can see, we have no other choice but to play this out.
I don’t want to wait around and see what happens, he said. I’m think we should hightail it back to our plane right now while all the demons are still occupied, and if the Prince of Hell comes looking for you, we tackle the problem then.
Tyler, I’m exhausted and I don’t want the demons on my list anymore, not while I have a chance to make an alliance with the new ruler. If we help the Princess ascend to the throne, we have a chance to leave here without looking over our shoulders. She will owe us.
He gave me a long look. Okay. But I promise you, we’re going to be fighting our way out of whatever comes next. Even if the Princess takes the throne, there’s very little chance we’re walking out of this without using our fists.
That may be true, but we’re in too deep to go back now. Our decision has been made, for better or worse.
He nodded once and ducked in after me. The space was no bigger than a human bathroom. I edged my way over to my mate and leaned my back against his chest. He placed his hands on my shoulders.
Lili stuck her head in the door. “I’ll be back as soon as I can with the Princess. This will work out for the best, don’t worry.” She shut and latched it behind her, speaking a few words in Demonish.
Energy immediately bounded around in the air. For a moment I couldn’t breathe.
Then I doubled over, coughing. “What was that?” I sputtered. Everyone was having the same reaction. I shook my head, trying to clear it, but it felt like I was waking up from a bad dream.
Selene was the first to speak, her voice stunned. “That was us waking up from an enchantment spell. That’s not a good sign.”
“What do you mean?” I asked. “What enchantment?”
“It means Lili had already spelled us, and now she’s decided to wake us up,” Selene stated grimly.
“How can you be sure?” Tyler coughed, hitting his chest with his fist.
Selene arched her eye at my brother. “She probably did it while I was out, likely right after she killed the clone with blood on her hands. For demons, fresh blood is a potent amplifier to their power. It must have been her lucky day when I collapsed, because I’m the only one who would’ve noticed. The situation presented her with an opportunity, and she took it. It’s very hard to detect a spell when a very powerful witch hits you with one. You can only sense it at the very beginning. There’s a slight tingle and nothing more.”
“No. Please tell me you’re wrong,” I breathed. “We can’t have been spelled that entire time.” My mind raced back to when Lili was holding the demon heart she’d torn out of the clone. She’d done something over that bowl, and then I’d felt a little off. Dammit, we were so stupid! How could we not have noticed? My wolf howled in anger, but I knew she’d been fooled too or she would have warned me.