“Archie, are you okay? You’re frowning,” Rogue says as we pause on the slanted stone steps. “Do you need me to take Javier?”
I snort. She doesnotwant to take this thing in the slightest and we all know it. “No, I got him, Wheels. I was just thinking about how bizarre my life has gotten since our family came together. Magic wasn’t a huge part of mine, even with the guys around, until then. Now we’re looking for clues in an inter-realm conspiracy in Hell. It’s just… striking, you know?”
Her brow arches as she smirks. “Regretting that whole big boy lion mating thing?”
“Never,” I swear as I adjust ugly Javi on my chest. “I didn’t wait for over a decade for you to notice how stupidly whipped you had me. Everyone else, too, but that’s beside the point.”
Angelo turns, his eyes narrowed on both of us. “You realize we have no idea if anyone can hear this, right?”
I blink, shaking my head and Damon laughs. “Arch, there won’t only be cameras or typical surveillance here. Like you said… magic. Ang and I are doing our best to check, but if someone is more powerful, they could haveanythingplaced to spy on people trying to get down here.”
“If there were alarms, we’d already be caught, right?” Rogue asks. “I don’t know if demons who live here do it differently than Fae.”
This time, it’s Damon who gives her an exasperated look. “Sparkles, you’rehalfCubi.”
“I know, but… No one’s ever talked to me about that side of my lineage. Everything I know how to do—which isn’t much—is shit I’ve figured out on my own. I don’t know what demons born and raised or taught here do; I barely fucking know whatIcan do.” Her scowl makes my chest ache because I know that actually makes her sad, not angry. She has no connection to half of who she is, and that’s because the Kellys are speciesist dickwaffles.
I really want to kick her adoptive dad’s ass, but I’ve got my mom and dads working on it instead.
“Princess, we’re not Cubi, but we could have been helping you. Why didn’t you ever mention it?” Angelo opens the door at thebottom of the stairs and holds it as we file inside the hallway. “D and I would have been happy to teach you.”
“Yeah, like asking my stepbrother’s best buds to teach me how to use my powers was an option. Come on, Ang. We were kids and I had a crush on you. How could I possibly have done that?” Wheels shrugs and I feel the anger at her stupid parents rise up again.
Damon leans in, kissing her cheek lightly as we stop in front of a big ass door with a set of iron bars in front of it. “We’ll work on it after we find Rebel; I promise.”
The tightness in her shoulders disappears and baby Javi squawks loudly, making us all jump. I look down at him, squinting as I scold the bird. “You be quiet! You’ll get us caught and that won’t get you food any sooner, bud.”
“Your mom would be so damn proud, babe,” our girl says. “The rest of us are not equipped for the bird-sitting job at all and we would have been screwed without you, you know.”
“Naw,” I reply, shaking my head. “You scaredy supes would have figured it out eventually. It’s just making your ‘bad parent’ trauma kick up and cloud your brains to see a baby. Even I can see that, and I’m not a big analyzer.”
“Thank hell for that,” Angelo replies as he crosses his arms over his chest. “Now can wepleasefocus on this damn cage and the door behind it? I feel like we’re in an Anne Rice novel.”
“Who knew Angelo read books?” Damon mutters as he kneels on the floor, lifting his palms to let his magic brush against the surrounding gate. “Not me, that’s for sure.”
“Shut up, dickweed,” the elder twin joins him in using a red-tinted magic to probe the top half of the iron impediment. “I read plenty; I just don’t wave my smarts around for everyone to worship.”
This is going to devolve quickly if someone doesn’t stop them; Ang and Damon only bicker this much when they’re upset.
“Guys, we’re all worried about Reb,” Rogue says softly. “But we can’t let that distract us from what we came here to do or we’ll miss something. Then we won’t find him in time—or at all.”
“Tell us what you’re doing, maybe.” My suggestion makes Rogue beam. She’s glad not to be the only referee, and I’m happy to help in Rebel’s absence. He’s usually the one who stomps infighting if it starts, because he’s so damn churlish to begin with.
“We’re investigating what spells or hexes or curses or whatever are woven together to protect the physical gate.” Damon turns and looks over his shoulder. “In more magical realms, there’s often both physical and magical barriers around important shit.”
Angelo nods in agreement. “Sometimes, they also have protectors as well. It really depends on what’s inside, where you’re at, and who it belongs to. Rich demons like the ones who go here? Their personal homes and shit definitely have multiple layers. The school, however, didn’t have more than two when we were here, though it feels like they’ve upped the quality.”
“Definitely,” Damon murmurs. “Darkstar has recruited amuchbetter security team than the school had previously. This is going to take a little bit, but I think together Ang and I can do it.”
I hope they can because something in my gut tells me we’re headed in the right direction—even if I don't know why.
It’s beenat least a half hour since Angelo and Damon started working on the magically ‘locked’ gate. I’m not saying that I don’t think they can open it, but…
I kinda don’t think they can open the fucking thing.
“Do you think I can help?” Rogue finally says. She’s been about as patient as I think she has in her, and I smile as she pretends to be innocent in her question. Our girl is good at managing male egos and she’s not afraid to bat her lashes if she thinks it will get her what she wants.
“This thing is…” Angelo trails off, raking a hand over his hair. “It’s seriously more complex than anything I ever encountered at this place when we were here. Something pretty damning has to be down there for that kind of effort.”
