Page 8 of Dancing With Demons

Even as the thought went through my head, I knew it was useless.

According to my mother, I was born a powerful witch, but it’s been twenty-two freaking years, and I’ve yet to free a single snake from the zoo. I didn’t even know how to use whatever power I already had. Now I’m supposed to wield some incredible, legendary power to defeat Satan and turn my sister back into a human? And this is assuming Lucifer even lets me get that far.

I didn’t know exactly how angelic possession worked, but I knew he had zero problem possessing the hellhound, the crow, or the imp all those times I got in trouble and needed saving. If he was watching me that closely before—

A chill went up my spine. How much closer is he watching me now?

“What I want is...” I lowered my eyes. Covertly, I crumpled the paper in my fist and hid it under the covers. “Help. When I need it. When I ask. I just need people on my side. This is one enemy I can’t face alone.”

“Yes,” Tristan replied without hesitating. “Absolutely.”

“Hmm.” Ronin tipped his head, studying me. “Why you?”

“Pardon?”

“Why. You,” Ronin repeated. “This sister of yours is the daughter of Lucifer. Are you as well?”

I grimaced at the thought. “No, I’m not. I resemble my father right down to my flat feet, and he’s for sure not that jackass.”

“So then, again I ask, why you?” I didn’t know what unsettled me more—the intelligence in Ronin’s eyes, or the malice? “Why ask you to carry out the task of finding this supposed power? Why wouldn’t he do it himself? If he had, you wouldn’t be here spilling his plans to any and everyone who could get in the way of them?”

“I—”

“And while we’re on the subject,” he whispered, drifting ever closer. “Why bring a pretty little thing like you here at all? Only your sister was needed for the ritual, yes? So why are you here? To watch? To be laughed at while you uselessly screamed and wailed for your sister to be spared?”

Flashes of me doing exactly that blasted through my mind.

Tristan stood up, fury dripping from his snarl. “Watch your fucking mouth, Belphe.”

“Quiet, mutt.” Ronin snapped his fingers. “Your betters are talking.”

“Agh!” Tristan flew back, stumbling over his feet. He caught himself on the armchair, and then whipped around—giving me the full look at the gag and muzzle over his mouth.

“Hey!” I shrieked. “Are you insane! Get that off him right— Wait, Tristan, no!”

I flew out of the sheets, tackling Tristan when he leapt over the bed and tried to rip Ronin’s throat out.

And that wasn’t an exaggeration. His claws came within millimeters of his neck before I slammed into him.

“Enough! Both of you!” I jumped on Tristan and straddled his face, pressing both knees down on his arms.

I was well aware he was more than strong enough to bat me aside like a gnat. And he probably would’ve... when he was done blushing.

The big, strong, undefeatable shifter wolf tore his gaze off me, flushing furiously and looking anywhere but at my bare, bitten thighs.

Now was a good time to mention that I hadn’t had a chance to change my clothes because Tristan snatched me from my mother and Lucifer, who snatched me from Iarla and the mob, who snatched me from Tristan again, who rescued me from Professor Radu’s clutches. And Professor Radu had only seen fit to dress me in the shortest shorts and the tightest V-neck white tee he could find. He didn’t want my clothes getting in the way of mealtime after all.

“Enough fighting,” I said in a calmer voice. I fixed on Ronin. “You want to know why Lucifer brought me here, but you already know. It was so I could be both the target and the scapegoat for his little plan. Wasn’t I the one lashed to that stake, Belphe? Wasn’t I the human mortal woman desperately hiding herself while everyone was looking for a witch?

“If any part of his plan went wrong, I would get the blame, and no one would know that Lucifer and his accomplice were the ones murdering and sacrificing students in the one place in all of hell that’s supposed to be neutral.

“Even now, he’s playing it smart by sending someone powerless, disposable, and highly motivated on this mission,” I told him. “If I die, I can just be replaced. If I find it, I can’t use it against him. If I think about double-crossing him, I’ll slap that thought upside the head because he has my sister. And if I go blabbing, I won’t get any sympathy,” I snapped, glaring at him. “Because getting out of hell is what everyone in hell wants, so why wouldn’t that just bring more people to his side?

“You’re asking why me?” I laughed. “Who else but me, Belphe? If it was you, who would you trust? A snake, a demon, or a weak and pretty little thing?”

He hummed again, raising one delicate, perfect brow. “Very well. I concede to your reasoning.” He grinned. “Even pretty things have their uses.”

I swallowed hard. He bought it? Thank goodness. The last thing I’m telling anyone in this place is that I’m a witch. Being burned at the stake once was one too many times for me.