King of the Unsightly (Tempting Trickery #1)

Fools Be Damned

A ll the pain from earlier vanished, but now tremors of panic penetrated my mind, spinning a thousand disturbing scenarios. Not a single one offered a way out for both Lucien and me.

“Well, your boss will be disappointed because I only have one.” I squeezed my fists, my nails pinching into my palms.

The sharp pain kept me grounded so I didn’t fall apart and beg for our lives.

Somehow, I knew it wouldn’t do me any good.

“Tsk-tsk. You’re no fun at all.” Valeria grabbed a fistful of Lucien’s golden locks and pulled him up to his knees. A muffled groan escaped his lips as he staggered to his feet. She grabbed his cheeks, squeezed them tight, and turned his face to hers. “I can see why you’re so enamored with him. He’s such a cutie, isn’t he?”

Valeria compelled Lucien to nod his head at her remark, and his look of terror made me sick as her elongated jaw moved. It twisted and curled with bone spurs protruding out of her tight skin. She was a nightmare coming to life before my eyes.

“Valeria, your problem is with me, so why don’t you let him go, and we’ll come to an agreement on our own?” I bit out each word again, not wanting to see her manhandle Lucien any longer.

Lucien didn’t deserve this, yet here he was because of me. I could have avoided his house, his help, but I didn’t.

Valeria twisted Lucien’s face, and our eyes met as Valeria’s sharp words pierced me like a double-edged sword. “Please, we’re friends now. Call me Val.” Her face curved into an ungodly smirk and put her sharp canines on display. She paused like she waited for me to respond, but I didn’t say a word and she carried on. “I’m so happy you rid me of that imbecile. Fumbling around with half his power desperate to restore it.” She laughed. “You see, men.” She shoved Lucien back onto his knees with her boot pressed to his back. “They always go headfirst without thinking, but look where that got him? Stuck playing tag with a bunch of bounty hunters. No, you need to play the long game if you want to win.”

Her black eyes sparkled with malice as she stared behind me.

I rotated my body and witnessed Gren slamming himself against an invisible force. The ripples of his power shattered against the barrier as a black mist enveloped him.

The ground moved beneath me, or maybe my body trembled.

Could she not get to the fucking point?

I clapped my hands, aiming to control my ruse, and not show my obvious fear. “How clever. Now please, save us both the trouble and tell me what the hell you want me to do?” I pulled the necklace from my pocket and dangled it in front of her. “You can have it for all I care; just leave Lucien out of this.”

“You really are a fool.” Valeria shook her head. “It doesn’t work that way, or I would have taken it from Kaschel the first time around. So here’s the deal. Retrieve the other key, bring them back to me, and open the door for her. Simple. Okay?” She popped her fingers against each other and an unnatural snapping noise reverberated around us.

I shuddered.

How could I steal from Kaschel? I made a deal with him. And open what door? To where?

Valeria yawned. “I’m growing bored.” She wrenched Lucien up again, snatched his arm, and shattered it like a glass.

Lucien’s muffled cries pierced me to the core as his arm, broken in half, slumped to his side.

I rushed to Lucien, kneeled, and cupped my hand under his jaw. Tears stained his blushed cheeks, and I gently wiped them away.

And I lost it.

“Okay! Okay, I’ll do it!” I pleaded with her and my eyes narrowed, overflowing with fury.

Valeria lifted her hand to cover up her laughter. Her mocking gesture was meant to enrage me further. She wanted to continue toying with us.

“Good.” She pulled out a pocket mirror laced with silver thorns and a skull with three golden vipers spilling out of its mouth and eye sockets. “The next red moon will be the only time you can use this to get to my location.”

“What about Lucien? His arm?”

Valeria chuckled, shook her head, and pulled him up from the roots of his hair again. “This thing?” She snapped her fingers, and he disintegrated into a black gooey substance between my fingers. “It’s what you could be casting, yet you chose to stay ignorant.”

The goo spattered onto the dirt, and I grasped at it like it would somehow offer me stability and bring him back. “What have you done?” I choked out.

“Oh, lighten up. He wasn’t real.” She tossed the mirror; it hit my chest and fell to the ground. I hesitated, but ultimately picked it up. “Now, hurry up or Lynne will have a splendid time experimenting on your friend. And knowing her ... you don’t have long.”

“Wait!” I had mere seconds to ask my bubbling questions.

“Oh?” She turned slightly toward me.

“Is he safe? And at least tell me about the keys and why I’m the centerpiece for some war I didn’t even start.”

Desperation didn’t look good on me, but at this point, I would take answers from just about anyone.

Valeria perked an eyebrow as if debating whether to humor me or leave me ignorant.

“Have you heard of the story where the saying, ‘ye without sin shall cast thy stone first,’ came from?” Valeria asked. I squinted at her, confused, so I just nodded. “Well, it’s a similar story. A witch accused of adultery, but for her, she had to prove her innocence by stealing something of greater value for our lord. However, by the time she had them in her possession, she was as plump as could be with you. I’m sure you can put two and two together.” Valeria blew me a kiss, twisted into a raven, and vanished into the shade of the trees.

The echoes of her words jumbled together, and I couldn’t make sense of them. Stealing. Adultery. Lord? What screwed up shit did my mother put me in?