Fame was next up to try to convince me. “We mean it, Miss. Darkstar. We are getting you over today, but we are giving you the option for it to go smoothly or not,” he said in his cool, collected voice.
I wasn't surprised to hear the ring of justice in his tone. They all must think they were in the right, but I hated that he’d called me Miss. Darkstar. Yuck! It felt like going backwards.
My face bunched up, nose wrinkled in disgust as I called out in a bratty tone, “So you can put your dick in me, but you can't call me Lils or even Lillian. That's weird, bro.”
He blinked at my words, rethinking his approach as War and Con snickered next to him. His face turned molten as he opened his mouth to chastise me, but someone beat him to it.
D took a step forward. “I told them you would only take the hard way. I think they knew it too, but they had to ask. They’re nice and shit like that, but I’m not.” His voice dropped and became a low and sultry tone, just for me. “I'm going to enjoy putting you down, even if it's only for a second. Knowing that I won will be a sweet victory. Especially after youcheated.” I could tell that he was still a little pissy at that and it made me giddy on the inside. This will be fun.
I was gearing up to give a word smack-down like no other when I felt the yanking of a spell activating. I looked around the room, then to the guys, making sure no one moved or called for backup. If they invited new people to come play with us, it was on them if they died horribly. I dealt with my enemies properly by ripping their throats out.
“Bring it,” I snarled at him, wanting him to know that I wasn't afraid of him—of any of them, really.
A manic grin stretched his lips thin, and he nodded to his brothers. “Then let the games begin.”
I pulled all of my magic into the ready position as he took out a long, pointed item and handed it to Fame.
D gave me one last pity filled look. “I really hoped that you’d reconsider, that you’d thought about this all week, realizing that there are four of us and only one you.” Then his demeanor changed and he spat out, “No demon dealers to help you this time.”
The leer on his face made me rethink my strategy, but it was too late, my mouth had a mind of its own.
“I'm totally taking this like a boss right now, don't you think? I'm not afraid of four Others with yummy scrumptious powers.” I gave him a cocky smile and raised a brow, so he didn't think he could faze me.
His cruel smile shifted into a frown. Then he nodded to Fame and started to count down.
“Oooohhh… I’m shaking in my boots.” I lifted my hands and shook them near my head in emphasis.
I was a badass, and I knew I could take on their magic. Had they forgotten? I tasted them, felt their magic call to me, begging to be taken. If they thought that because there were four of them, they had the leg up, they would find out how wrong they were. I would slurp them down like the yummy mixed slurpy they would be for me.
Suddenly, I heard a light chanting sound. It was faint and floated around in the air, but I could hear it. The rhythm was hypnotizing and made me want to stay still to listen to it. Before my eyes slipped shut, I realized what was going on.
I shook my head to clear it, then glared at the four of them. Dark witches. Looked like theyhadgotten some help, just not in person. Little dirty cheaters. I looked at the brothers, about to demand what the fuck they were doing, when I felt the air spark and crackle between us.
Everything in my office rose from the floor and began to levitate. Desk, chairs, paper, my fucking expensive and favorite globe-shaped liquor holder. They were going to pay big money for it when this was over if all my furniture was fucked up.
When my gaze landed back on the boys, they were all huddled together around Fame who held whatever it was that Death passed to him earlier. I looked at it, squinting my eyes to figure out what the damn thing was.
Was it a twisted and warped wooden stick?
He lifted it, pointing it at me as he started to chant.
What was he pointing that damn stick at me for, and what did he think he was going to accomplish? Was he going to put a dark spell on me?I almost laughed when the rest of them started to chant.Did they think they could banish me back to Hell?Fun fact, I couldn’t be banished like other demons because of my celestial blood, so I really didn’t know what the fuck they were up to. But it was amusing.
The stick started to glow and each of the brothers put their hand on it. I crossed my arms and tapped my foot, waiting for this to blow up in their faces.
As soon as Con’s hand joined the others, a purple light shimmered around him and got sucked into the wand. Then War put his hand on it, and the same thing happened, except his light was red. When it was Death's turn to do the same thing, his light was black.
Con and War looked at me, eyes shining with an apology and regret. It was so off-putting to see that, I wanted to tell them that everything was okay, but when I looked at Death, he was smiling. His bright blue eyes were dark and swirling with victory, and that gave me pause. Why did he look like heknewhe was going to win this exchange?
Finally, Fame said some final words in Latin and his green light flared with power, which poured into the wand. The only thing I could think of popped into my head.Were they trying to Avada Kedavra me?That was fiction—thank you, Harry Potter—but still, the meaning behind it was a fucking dick move.
I coiled my magic around me, bracing for some kind of hit or attack that I could quickly turn back around on them, when they all said in Latin, “Dimitte, et funiculum daemonis.”
All at once, the four colored lights launched at me, slithering through the air towards me like a king cobra.
Instead of it slamming into me, like I’d expected, it circled around my waist, wrapping around and around, squeezing me into an immobile state. I started to thrash and move on instinct, but the more I moved, the tighter the magic constricted.
“What the fuck?” I yelled over the crackling noise of the volatile magic.
