“Sounds good to me,” he says.
The clicking of her heels makes me turn around. She’s irritated and probably trying not to strangle Erlik. “Does the name Douglas ring a bell?”
“Douglas Cummings is one of the richest men in town. He owns a real estate company.” I don’t tell her it’s the company my son works for.
“You know where he lives?”
“Yeah, I know where he lives. But”—I look down at my watch—“it’s nearly 5 a.m. We’re going to have a hard time accessing his house.”
“Why?”
“He’s a human who knows all about supernaturals. A collector of sorts.”
“You know this because?”
I shrug my shoulders. Not wanting to admit that I took the time to look up this man and see who exactly my son was working for. The way I felt affection for Ryan was making sure he was safe from this world. That he could live a happy and healthy life, one that didn’t include me or my baggage.
“All I know is he could be holding other supernatural beings in his house or have weapons against us. We need to be smart.”
“We need to act fast, is what we need to do. Beelzebub might know where Asmo and Mara are. If we don’t follow him now, we might lose our chance.”
“Fine,” I grumble, “we shouldn’t portal directly onto his property.”
“Okay. Well, let’s go,” she says, grabbing my arm, intending to hitch a ride. This is the most time I’ve spent with Kas in over three decades, and I gotta say, I’m not enjoying it.
Douglas Cummings’ house is one that reeks of I’m a rich white man with a tiny dick. It’s perched on top of a hill just on the outskirts of Hallowsdeep. A wrought-iron fence surrounds the house and property, which is easily three acres of perfectly manicured lawn. At the top of the hill sits his atrocious ten thousand square foot house. It’s white and gaudy with what looks like marble pillars holding the front awning of the house.
“This place is tacky,” Kas says before jumping the fence. I do the same as we walk up to the main house. It’s unlikely that Beelzebub did anything besides portal here. So we take our time, being cautious as we walk around the home. Kas and I have excellent hearing and it seems that there are around two to three people in the home.
“Let’s just go knock,” Kas says, and I glare at her. Wanting to get this over with, I shrug my shoulders and follow her. Wondering how the back of her heel doesn’t divot into the grass with each step.
Kas’ perfectly manicured hand raps against the all-white door, the golden lion door knockers banging slightly with her knock.
A mousy-looking woman answers the door. “May I help you?”
Kas puts her finger under her chin and looks deep into her eyes, putting her under a wave of cognitive persuasion. What Kas wants, this unsuspecting maid will provide. I use it as needed, but Kas, she has mastered this skill beyond any other demon I’ve ever seen.
“Take me to your boss,” she says, and the maid spins on her heel. The maid wears flats, which makes sense with cleaning a house this large. Her steps make no noise, but Kas’ heels click against the opulent marble floors as the maid opens the pocket doors to the study. Revealing a devious Douglas handing a dagger to Beelzebub. A dagger that I recognize immediately.
I give Kas a look that I hope insinuates what I’m thinking. I don’t even wait for her to understand the context as I get as close to Douglas Cummings and wrap my shadows around his throat, wrists and the blade—very delicately around the blade. Kas doesn’t even hesitate as she pushes Beelzebub to the ground and begins punching him in the face.
“You brought more filthy demons into my house?” Douglas yells. I’ve had about enough of him. With minimal effort, my shadows tighten around his throat, the rolls on his neck not deterring them from choking him. We hold him with such little effort it makes me smirk. I watch as his eyes bulge and he turns purple. Until he’s no longer breathing.
The maid stands starkly in the corner as Kas hits Beelzebub with murder written in her expression.
“Kas, have the maid make a devil’s trap,” I say.
“With what?” she says, crawling off Beelzebub. I clamp a hand on his shoulder so he can’t portal anywhere. I hand her the blade and look over at Douglas’ lifeless body.
“I’m sure you can get creative.”
Kas hands the blade to the maid. “Here’s what you’re going to do, darling.”
Chapter 24
Myhandsfistthewheel of the Jeep as we drive back to North Point. I haven’t seen my mom since that night in the forest. The look on her face was something I’ll never forget. She looked like she was doing the right thing, like the idea of finally getting rid of me would be the best thing to ever happen to her.
While I haven’t given much thought to matricide in the past, it’s completely on the table now. I need to do what I have to, to protect myself. It’s clear that unconditional love isn’t a real thing. At least when it comes to my parents. A semi-absent father and a mother who would have killed me given the chance.
