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The Book of the Damned.

I look at Luca with dawning horror. “You’re summoning demons.”

CHAPTER 50

Holy Goddess.Demons.

Those ravaged bodies out in the woods were the work of demons.

That’s my fate and Memnon’s unless I can escape this fucking spell circle.

Memnon!I call out to him, more desperate than ever.Wake up!I nearly weep out the command.

But the other end of the bond stays placid. The sorcerer is still asleep.

My mind races. I have minutes until midnight to figure out some sort of game plan.

Unfortunately, I don’t know much about demons. They’ve always been slotted in with the dark magic shit that witches aren’t supposed to trifle with. Not reading about them has probably fucked me over.

“Why are you summoning demons?” I ask.

Luca tilts his head. “We’re not simply summoning them,” the sorcerer admits. “We’rebindingthem.”

“Binding them?” I echo. Even as I say it, the Fortunas’ entire industry becomes clear, and my blood runs cold.

They’re in the business of trafficking supernaturals. I assumed that was limited to those of us who were of this realm, but it’s clearly not. They’re moving demons too.

My eyes touch briefly on the somewhat anxious-looking scholar. That…that must be Luca’s client, the one who is buying this demon’s bond.

“If this is about binding demons,” I say slowly, returning my attention to Luca, “then what do you need me for?”

“Demons are different from mortals,” Luca replies, backing up. “They need to feed once they come here if they wish to remain.” His eyes skate over my form. “Theylikethe young ones in particular. Something about their innocence and vitality makes them taste richer, sweeter. We use that to get the demons to bond.”

I vividly recall the body of Charlotte Evensen. It had been badly mutilated, and all her organs had been removed…

No,eaten.

Nausea rolls through me.

I glance down at the cut on my own chest, the bloody wound making much more sense now. Like throwing bleeding bait overboard in hopes it will lure in a shark.

I force my rising terror down.

Focus.

I’m not going to die tonight. Not like this.

On impulse, I reach for my heels and remove them, tossing one then the other aside so I can be light on my feet. I try not to grimace as the chill from the floor seeps into my skin.

Next, I turn to the walls of my prison. Spell circles like this one, which has been activated in blood, are notoriously hard for anyone but the spellcaster to undo.

However, at the end of the day, a spell circle is nothing more than a really strong ward. Wards themselves are essentiallygiant tapestries, and like tapestries, they can be unraveled if one knows where to pull.

I look for the telltale magical signature, but if it’s there, it’s just as translucent as the rest of the circle’s walls.

Luca glances down at a fancy gold watch on his wrist. “It’s about time we begin.” he says to the older man. “Are you ready, Jacques?”

“Yes,” Jacques replies, his eyes alight with excitement.