She nodded. “Good. It won’t take as long to find the ones who escaped. Have you already sent guards out?”
“They’re working on it as we speak.”
“It was all for nothing,” Anya said as she turned to Mynor. “How does that make you feel?”
Mynor held his head high. “I did the right thing. I did what others should have done before me. Even if you manage to catch some of these people and lock them up again, I freed them. I stood up to you and your wicked ways. I’m ready to die for that.”
Anya’s smile was evil, and it had nothing to do with the fangs that shone bright against the redness of her lips. “Oh, you’re ready to die?”
Mynor swallowed. He was terrified, and he didn’t want to die, but it would happen anyway. He might as well face it with his head raised high. “I knew the dangers when I decided to do this. I’ll take your punishment.”
Anya looked at the guards. “Take him back and lock him into one of the cells. I’m not quite ready to kill him, and we need to fill them up again.”
If the guards were surprised, they didn’t act like it. They just nodded, grabbed Mynor by the arms again, and started dragging him back. Mynorwassurprised, though. He didn’t understand why Anya was doing this. Was it some kind of torture?
Knowing her, it would be. She’d said she wasn’t ready for him to die, but as far as he was concerned, that just meant that she’d prolong his suffering. She’d lock him up for now, but knowing her, she already had plans, and none of them would be good for Mynor.
He was in trouble, wasn’t he?
Chapter Two
Justin wasn’t sure where to start when it came to opening a portal to Hell. He was half demon. Shouldn’t he know? Shouldn’t it be instinctive? Clearly, it wasn’t because it had been months, and he still didn’t have a portal.
Justin didn’t feel like a demon. He’d been raised as a human. His father had told him what he could about demons, but he’d been human. What he knew wasn’t enough, and it was one of the reasons Justin wanted to go to Hell. Maybe if he could find his mother, he’d find out more about being a demon. He’d never be a full-blooded one, but it didn’t feel like it mattered.
Or maybe it did. There was a reason his mother had left him with his father, after all. He didn’t know what that reason was since he’d never met her, and he was a little afraid to find out, but he told himself that in the end, it didn’t matter. Even if she didn’t want him, it didn’t mean no one did. His father had wanted him. Caitlin had, too. His brothers never said anything bad about him or treated him badly because of what he was. In the grand scheme of things, his mother didn’t matter. He was just curious.
Or at least, that was what he tried to convince himself of as he walked down the street of the town where he’d taken a motelroom. He’d already visited five mages and seven witches, and all of them had refused to open a portal to Hell for him. Some had said that it was too dangerous, while others had admitted that they didn’t have the ability to do so. It was frustrating, and it meant that Justin might not be able to go to Hell. He wouldn’t if he didn’t find a mage or witch who could help him.
Maybe it wasn’t such a bad thing. He needed a distraction, but he could probably find something to do in the human realm. His curiosity was pushing him in Hell’s direction, but nothing bad would happen if he couldn’t find anyone to open a portal. He could ask Calyx once they started talking again. Calyx would probably tell him that it was a bad idea, but he’d help.
They hadn’t talked in too long. A few weeks had turned into a month, then two, and now summer was coming, and Justin still hadn’t gone home. He wasn’t sure why, but it was getting harder with every day that passed, and he needed a distraction.
Going to Hell sounded perfect.
He finally found the store he was looking for. He eyed the front window, unsure what to think of the crystal balls and dusty herbs hanging there. This felt more like someone who would try reading his palm or something like that. He was tempted not to go in, but at the same time, where else could he go? He was pretty sure he’d gone through all the mages and witches in this town, and while he could move over to the next town, he didn’t want to. He didn’t want to go too far from home. He missed his room and his brothers.
He sucked in a breath and pushed the door open. The bell hanging above it chimed, telling whoever was inside that he’d arrived. He wrinkled his nose at the smell of dust and incense in the air. He didn’t want to sneeze into the witch’s face.
“Welcome,” a breathy voice said.
Justin turned toward the counter. Its surface was almost entirely hidden under big crystals and other trinkets. Thatwasn’t what got his attention, though, no—it was the woman sitting behind it.
She wore a flowy green dress. Her arms, fingers, and neck were heavy with jewelry, some of it big enough that Justin wondered how she could walk around with it on. Her dark makeup was perfect, giving her a mysterious aura, and her long, dark hair framed her face. She was looking at Justin like her next meal had just walked in through the door, and she wasn’t wrong.
“I don’t want to waste anyone’s time,” Justin said. “Can you open portals to Hell?”
The woman blinked. “You want to go to Hell?”
“I do.”
“Why?”
“I don’t think that’s any of your business.”
For a second, Justin thought he’d offended her, but she laughed. “You’re not wrong. Itisnone of my business if you want to get yourself killed. As long as you pay me, anyway.”
Justin hated the thought of spending so much money, and he felt guilty because of Calyx, but he nodded. “I’ll pay you whatever I need to pay you. This is important.”
