King of the Unsightly (Tempting Trickery #1)

A Covenant of Lies

“Y ou were ... acting odd.” Jared frowned.

I rolled my eyes at his dishonest behavior. “And this place doesn’t feel more odd? Your concern is misplaced.”

Jared leaned closer, brushed a few loose strands of hair out of my face, and tucked them behind my ear. “I will always be concerned about you.”

His scalding touch lingered against my skin and burned a crater through me, forming a void where my heart should have been.

I swatted Jared’s hand away. “Don’t ever touch me again,” I seethed. Repulsed by his touch, I shook the lasting feeling of his skin against mine and changed the subject. “Did you find who, or whatever, we need? I don’t think I can stand another second by your side,” I said, ignoring the flicker of dejection in his face.

I bet Jared only pitied me, and his false sympathy—or whatever else swirled through him besides rejection—had my skin crawling.

Jared walked a few steps away with his back to me, wavering. “Of course, and yeah ... something along those lines.”

Jared’s hushed tone held no hint of sadness, nor did he sound angry. He seemed more empty than anything else.

Not that I cared.

I didn’t say a word to him and instead, I silently watched him disappear into the hallway.

I faintly heard them talking, and it sparked my interest. I tiptoed toward the room and hoped to god the old floorboards didn’t squeak under my weight as their deep voices crescendoed off the walls.

I peered through the cracked door as Jared made hand gestures, and Kaschel stood there with his arms crossed, his face pinched in annoyance.

“He said there isn’t enough for all of us to cross over since the balance is off and it could collapse any moment. The potential of getting stuck in between is extremely high.”

Kaschel rubbed his temples like nothing was going according to his plan—if he even had a plan. I had no idea what he was thinking, and getting stuck somewhere else didn’t sound great either.

Why did none of our options seem reasonable? The place Jared spoke of couldn’t be worse than this murder cabin.

Kaschel finally spoke, and he laced it with so much venom the walls quivered. “I will go with her while you go to the others and make sure they stay off our tracks. I don’t need to deal with more witches or bounty hunters when I’m at half-power.”

“Sir, I think it would be best if I came with—”

“Did you not hear what I said?” Kaschel snarled, looming over Jared with a spine-chilling expression.

Kaschel’s head leaned to the side, and Jared’s stance made him appear frail in comparison.

“I know I could be of assistance.” Jared trailed off, shoving his hands in his pockets.

Kaschel chuckled. “Have you forgotten what I’ve done for you? What you’ve sworn to? You also led them right to us. So, tell me, why should I allow you to disregard my orders? Why are you so hung up on some human ?”

Jared stood there, hushed. “Forgive me ... I wasn’t aware she was the one with the key. I thought you were hunting down a witch who stole them centuries ago. I don’t understand why she’s—”

Kaschel clicked his tongue. “Yet, she has it, and until I find the other one—” Kaschel bent his head toward the cracked door. “If you intend on spying, try to be a little less aggressive with your breathing. You sound like a rabid goblin, and it’s rather distracting.”

I flung up my hand to cover my mouth and gathered the courage to defend myself, but I quickly realized I didn’t need to. Not to a prick like him.

My eyes wandered to Jared, but he always avoided my line of sight. What a coward; how was I ever hung up on him in the first place?

I huffed. “I wasn’t spying if I could hear your grating voices from the kitchen.” I so badly wanted to flip Kaschel off or stick my tongue out, but with what little pride I had left, I held on to it like my thread of fate, and I walked away without sparing them another word.

I closed the front door behind me, sat down on the steps, and ran my fingers through my hair, still half-tempted to rip it all out in frustration.

But that would make me insane.

I placed my chin on my palm, propping my elbow on my knee, and looked out into the forest.

When I escaped this hell loop, I needed a vacation. A long one, but a vacation also required money—money I didn’t have. So I needed a job first, and to work for a while before I could even think about taking time off. A delusional girl could dream though. Hawaii or Cancun didn’t sound terrible. Some tropical scenery with fruity mixed drinks right on the beach where I could bury my toes in the sand and sip without care. Maybe meet a hot foreign guy.

The kinks could be handled later.

I tipped my head back and shut my eyes, inhaling to relieve the tension.

Sleep sounded incredible right now, but no way would I nap where a murder took place with two shifty-ass men. No, thank you.

My head dangled farther back as I laughed, and it was dry and vacant of any joy.

The wind picked up and stroked my skin. The chill in the air soothed my chaotic mind, and I was almost thankful for it.

“Are you ready to tell me where the grimoire is?”

I whipped my head up and studied the forest. Nothing.

“I wonder: Will you forfeit his life, or will you save him?” a hypnotic voice purred in my ear.

My senses were clouded with fond memories of Lucien. His bright cheerful face invaded my mind, and I couldn’t think of anyone but him .

A tsunami of pain surged through me. My temples throbbed with desperation as an ache settled into my chest before lashing out at my arms and legs—like pins and needles—as the memories spun into gruesome nightmares of Lucien’s skin melting off his bones as he crawled toward me.

The voice taunted me further. “Do we need to try the hard way ... again?”

The abrasive voice echoed around me.

I demanded it to stop.

It had to stop.

A rapid fire of vicious oscillating voices plagued my ears, and if I didn’t obey them I somehow knew my body would combust and burn the forest to cinders.

I stood up and began walking.

Then jogging.

Running.

My legs pushed me forward, blending the forest into a blur of deep green and umber as my feet left a wake of dust behind me.

I captured glimpses of Gren flapping his wings furiously as he kept up with my speed.

He held his beak open, but I only caught every other word. “It’s ... trap ... come ... your!”

A deep sense of dread cemented itself in my chest, and anguish hit me harder. The pain relentlessly corrupted my concentration.

I pursued the loudest voice with everything I had.

Two blurred bodies manifested in the distance and grew more vivid with each step.

Lucien, on his knees, mouth gagged with a shadow-like substance—entirely different from Kaschel’s—wrapped around his body like a rope. His glistening face reflected dread and suffering. Valeria stood above him, grinning.

A rush of fury hit me. Raw emotions clawed their way to the surface, fighting for their spot alongside my rage.

Terrified and helpless .

Valeria’s jaw broke apart into a hideous smile as it stretched to an unnatural length.

“Is this convincing enough?” Valeria mused as she pointed to Lucien. “Or should I demonstrate it for you?” Valeria’s eyes flickered a pitch-black as she belted out a cackle.

I stumbled back.

My heart thundered against my chest; my hands clenched into tight fists. “What do you need? I don’t have the grimoire,” I gritted through my teeth.

My eyes focused on Lucien like if I turned away he would disappear forever. But I couldn’t open my mouth to console him. I couldn’t think of a single fucking word to say to him.

Lucien didn’t deserve silence, but my voice and mind were failing me.

“Oh, sweetie. I won’t stop hassling you, but my boss is growing quite impatient, so here I am for the keys.”