King of the Unsightly (Tempting Trickery #1)

Dark Spells

O ne hand clenched my side as I placed the other one tightly over my mouth and nose to stifle the rancid fumes. A body with its lower half burned to a crisp laid in front of me, tied up against an iron bed frame. Bile rose in my throat, and I gripped my stomach harder.

The laceration on their open chest appeared deliberate and had a ritualistic pattern. The more I studied, the more gruesome it became. A carved crest of twisted horns on their forehead, and their ears were ripped clean off. The creature seemed alive when it happened; a face frozen in fear as a huge area of dry blood stained the white bedsheet.

A low hissing buzzed in my ears, but I couldn’t find the source of the noise.

It petrified me.

I took a step backward, refusing to look at this torture chamber of a room any longer when my boot connected with something crunchy on the ground. It flattened under my shifting weight; reluctantly, I raised my boot off the floor.

A shriveled, pointed ear stared back at me.

Bile rose higher in my throat, and I emptied what little contents I had left. My eyes turned bloodshot and watery, blurring my vision as my body retched until my insides settled and I couldn’t take it anymore.

Only a true monster could do this.

The erratic flutters of my pulse writhed within my chest, hindering me from calming down and breathing.

I guess I hadn’t become numb to everything yet.

I wiped my mouth and swerved back to the door, my face colliding with Kaschel’s firm chest.

And before I summoned a squeak or sound, Kaschel spoke. “Barbaric, isn’t it?” he asked, not tearing his gaze from the mutilated body resting on the bed.

His expression remained unreadable: mad, frustrated, humored, or indifferent—they all meshed together. Honestly, not knowing what went through his mind was another thing that truly terrified me.

One of my hands betrayed me and shook profusely as it pressed against his abdomen, exposing my unease. My other hand clung to his shirt.

I sidestepped away, letting go of Kaschel. I didn’t need comfort from him, even if the situation was unsettling.

“What kind of person would do this?” I didn’t expect an answer, nor did I really want one.

I just didn’t want to stand in silence any longer than necessary.

Kaschel recited the words in a daze, and I couldn’t help but get lost in his deep voice as it rang melodically in my ears. “Greed is truly ugly.” He stopped, broke out of his stupor, and bent down to face me. His light, cosmic eyes bore into my soul. “Weaker beings let their animalistic urges consume them and covet what they can never have.”

The words greed and urges danced alongside each other, spinning wicked thoughts as I tried to grasp the meaning behind what he said.

I scanned for Gren, but he had disappeared, again . Where did that little fucker hop off to? A “Hey, I’ll be right back” wouldn’t kill him.

My eyes narrowed as Kaschel’s words registered in my mind. “Why would you take me to a place like this? I’m sure you could have portaled us somewhere with less serial killer vibes and more, I don’t know ... welcoming vibes.” I winced from my abrupt words and faced the wall.

The sadistic man laughed.

Kaschel actually laughed, and it was low and throaty.

I spun around and gave him a you’re-fucking-crazy look.

I was judging. Harshly. He was demented.

“A fae spirit resides here,” Kaschel announced.

My brows furrowed and I waited for him to elaborate, but he didn’t even grunt. Apparently, he thought those words equaled a full-blown explanation.

Would I get an aneurysm or go bald first from frustration if another person said one more coded phrase to me? With my luck, I’d get both simultaneously.

Kaschel so rudely blocked the doorway with his shredded physique, and I squeezed behind him to get out. I swore if I stayed any longer, I might end up puking my guts out again.

For some stupid, unknown reason, I peeked over my shoulder, and Kaschel’s shadow thingy devoured the body like it was a midnight snack.

I shuddered, picking up my pace as I hurried down the hallway. Did he have some collection of dead bodies I didn’t know about?

The last thought loitered in my mind as I rushed back to the front, pulling out a chair.

My nails clicked against the table.

I didn’t know how much more I could handle. The more I found out, the more it thoroughly made me want to rip my hair out.

Why did my mom leave me with the key? Why hide me from her coven?

Dropping my forehead to the table, I lifted my head and slammed against it again, and again.

Hopeless, everything felt utterly hopeless. If I died right now, I would die a clueless idiot.

Something brushed against my shoulder, and I squeaked, shot up with my eyes closed, and swung my hands in defense.

My hands collided with a solid surface, and I blinked.

I groaned and smacked his chest again for good measure. “Can you guys stop being so fucking creepy and warn a person?”