Chapter 25

Stepping out of the cold winter air, Ursula folded herself into the soft seat of the Bentley like a bird settling onto its nest, and Zee followed, shutting the car door.

Zee clutched her chest, shrinking into the corner. “I don’t feel so good.”

Ursula rubbed her arms, trying to warm herself. “Holy fuck. That was a close call.”

“My heart is racing,” said Zee.

“Are you okay?”

The fae took a deep breath, staring out the window. “I’ll be fine. Where are we going?”

Ursula glanced at the driver. “Take us to my place, please. The Plaza Hotel.” Just as she was letting out a sigh of relief, she realized she wasn’t out of trouble yet. Her target’s soul had been claimed by a shadow demon, and that meant Emerazel would murder her slowly. Dread raced up her spine.

The driver turned on the engine and tried to edge into the stalled traffic.

Outside, the wind beat against the sedan’s windows. Ursula rubbed her temples. “What the hell kind of demon was that? I think I’m in huge trouble.”

Zee didn’t answer, instead staring out her window. But something was wrong with the angle of her neck—she wasn’t moving. Ursula moved closer, touching Zee’s shoulder. The fae’s head slumped to the side; her mouth hung open and her eyelids fluttered.

“Zee!” Ursula gripped Zee’s shoulders. She slapped her cheek again, but this time Zee didn’t wake up—didn’t even flinch.

Horror tightened around Ursula’s heart. “Driver! We have a situation.” She dug around in her purse until she found her mobile. With trembling fingers, she scrolled to Kester’s number. He picked up after a few rings.

“Kester?” she shouted, pulse racing.

“Is everything okay?” Apparently the cell phone had no trouble conveying the panic in her voice.

“Zee’s unconscious.” The words poured out of her. “And I think Hugo’s dead. Something called Abe kissed me and he sucked out my fire. And then he kissed Zee, but I stabbed him. I gave her an EpiPen?—”

“Slow down. Hugo’s dead?”

Ursula took a deep breath, trying to steady herself. “I went to the men’s room to talk to Hugo. I didn’t think he was there at first, but then I found him in a stall in the back. He’s dead. I think. Abe was kissing him, and said he’d drunk too deeply.”

“What exactly did Abe look like?”

“Tall. Gorgeous. Golden skin. Grey eyes. His touch was like ice cubes. He made me feel—” Her stomach clenched. She wasn’t going to go into the whole arousal scenario. “Do vampires exist?”

There was a long pause. “He made you feel how?”

Ursula thought she detected a note of anger in his voice. “He made me think I wanted to kiss him.” That was both a euphemism and a secret she had no desire to share with Kester, but maybe it would help identify whatever the hell that thing was.

“Not a vampire,” he snarled. “Where are you?”

“In the Bentley. Outside the Met. Should I come back to the Plaza?”

“No. Tell Joe to take you to the Elysian. Tell him to floor it.” He hung up.

Ursula glanced at Joe. “Elysian. He said to floor it.”

Without responding, Joe stepped on the accelerator, cutting into traffic. They raced up 10th Avenue and turned onto West 66th street, weaving between taxis. She clung to Zee, trying to keep her from bouncing all over the car—there hadn’t been time to think about seatbelts. For a few moments, a city bus blocked their path, but Joe swerved around it like he was driving a Formula One race car, until—at last—he veered wildly into an empty parking lot by the Hudson River. Frantic thoughts ignited Ursula’s mind—Zee’s poisoned body, her own skin blackening in a fire.

The car skidded to a halt, and Joe popped the locks on doors.

“Where are we?” Ursula asked, shuddering at the sound of the wind howling and keening against the car windows.

Joe simply tapped his fingers against the steering wheel.

“Thanks, Joe. That’s really helpful.” She turned to scoop the diminutive fae into her arms, clumsily pulling her closer. As she grasped Zee’s waist and shoulders, someone yanked open the door behind her, and an icy wind rushed into the car.

Kester stood in the dim street lights, the wind tearing at him like a wild animal. Despite the cold, he remained perfectly still, oblivious to the frigid air. He stood barefoot, wearing only a pair of boxers, his strong chest covered in menacing tattoos. Wordlessly, Kester gathered Zee into his arms, eyes blazing.

“Will she be okay?” Ursula asked, stepping out of the car into the freezing air.

“Come with me,” he said, as Joe drove away.

So he’s not going to answer my questions.She was obviously in trouble—big trouble. He’d warned her that if she screwed up, he’d have to send her to Emerazel.

She rubbed her arms, trying to burn some warmth into her skin. “Is she okay?” she repeated, clutching her purse to her chest. Please wake up, Zee.

Silently, he pressed on over the icy pavement.

Ursula’s heels clacked over the asphalt as she followed him, and her body burned with fatigue. From the river, the wind whipped off the tops of the waves, blowing a freezing spray that coated everything in a thin layer of ice. Ursula hugged herself, shivering in her flimsy dress.

He led her toward a dock that jutted into the water. Despite his bare feet and state of undress, he navigated the slick planking with ease. Swirls of steam rose from the ground as his fiery body melted the icy ground. Ursula trailed behind, clutching a frozen rail.

At the end of the dock, a paint-chipped tugboat floated in the water, tied to a post. Its stern had been painted with gold lettering: ELYSIAN. Not exactly what she’d expected of a place with such a poetic name. It looked like a large, shabby version of a child’s bathtub toy. Is this where he lives?

Kester slipped over a narrow gangplank, disappearing inside. Teeth chattering, she followed, treading carefully to avoid falling into the churning water.

The boat’s warmth washed over her as she stepped inside. Although the tug’s exterior had suggested a state of total disrepair, the inside was immaculate. Books lined tall wooden shelves between a row of portholes. A wooden table nestled into an alcove, and a fire crackled in an iron stove that stood in the center of the cabin. She eyed a green velvet sofa, fighting the urge to give in to her aching body and rest. The only thing unusual about the place was the dark mark of Emerazel on the floor—another sigil.

Kester held Zee’s unconscious body, examining her face. “I won’t be able to heal her.” His eyes flicked to Ursula’s, burning with accusation. “Were you so enthralled by the incubus that you let him feast on Zee, after you failed at your task for a second time?

“Incubus?” He was clearly accusing her of something, and his words stung. “I don’t know what an incubus is, but I think you well know that whatever powers he used on me were magical and therefore hard to resist. Abe was attacking me, and Zee came in to stop it. Hugo had been sucked dry before I even got in there.”

“Abe.” He spat the word like a curse. “You said he had golden skin and grey eyes?”

“Yes. And dark brown hair. He seemed perfectly charming at first.”

“Abrax,” he choked out the word, laying Zee down on the table. “I can’t believe you succumbed to his charm. I want to flay his skin from his body.”

Holy hell. “Who is he?”

“He’s an incubus. He works for Nyxobas, the god of night.” He crossed to her, his body crackling with fiery magic. “There aren’t many incubi in the world, and this one is pure evil.”

Dread crawled up her spine. “What, exactly, is an incubus? And what makes him so evil?”

“Incubi like him have the power to drain people. They can drain energy, magic, even souls to give to Nyxobas. That’s what he did to Zee. And an incubus can inflame sexual energy and take power from that. I’m guessing that’s how he transfixed you.”

She cleared her throat, listening to the sound of the howling wind batter the side of the boat. God, she was freezing. “There’s no point rehashing what already happened. It’s over. What do we need to do now?”

“It’s amazing to me that you dismiss tonight’s events so quickly.” He stepped closer, boxing her against the wall, his face burning with fury. “You failed to reap Hugo’s soul, and you let a shadow demon claim it. You do realize what this means?”

Fear tightened her chest. He’s going to send me to Emerazel.