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Laleking the Demon to Hell hadn't been part of the plan. But to be fair, the plan had been decided on too rapidly to get to the part where we took the Demon into custody. And he was a Demon. Hell was where he belonged.

I took him to the royal castle, laleking directly into the courtyard. We were instantly surrounded by the castle guards, but they lowered their spears when they recognized me.

“Light-Bringer!” The soldiers bowed.

“Your king will arrive shortly.”

Even as I spoke, Star, my husbands, and his King's Guard laleked in around us. The castle guards bowed again and saluted Astaroth.

“At ease,” Star said. He was back to looking like himself, as was everyone else, myself included. “This way.” Star waved us forward.

As we walked, my husbands came up to form an honor guard behind me. I looked at Killian to ask, “Did you notify the Extinguisher team?”

“You mean after you went rogue and laleked to Hell?” Kill's tone told me he was teasing.

Still, I stuck my tongue out at him.

“I think it was a wise choice,” Raza said. “Now we can hand him over to his king and be done with it.”

“I'll have to help with the interrogation, Raza,” I said.

“Very well. Then we'll be done.”

“I can't say that for sure.”

Raza glared at me.

“Are we going to start this again? You're basically visiting my workplace and causing a scene. Again.”

Raza's face twitched. “Fine.”

“Yo, Beast Bro, I got it from here. You can take off,” Killian said.

I smirked at Raza.

He growled at Killian.

“Or not,” Kill muttered. “Sheesh, rein it in.”

We entered the keep, and I wasn't surprised when Star led us deep inside, to a very familiar hallway of mirrors. Our prisoner's wide gaze reflected back at us from the assortment of looking glasses hung over every inch of the walls.

“I've got good news and bad news for you.” Kill slapped the Demon's shoulder. “Good news is—you're about to be one of the select few to see the King of Hell's private study. Bad news is—he keeps the torture chambers behind his desk.”

The Demon flinched, his footsteps slowing.

“Great Kill,” I huffed. “We were almost there.”

“Sorry. I couldn't resist. This fucker has been killing Witches.”

“Speaking of Witches.” I glanced back, finally remembering the vexes.

“The extinguishers notified the vexes, Seren,” Kill said. “The plan was that they'd clear the bar, then go back to the vex house to wait for us.”

“For some unfathomable reason, they didn't want to come to Hell,” Sallales said, her tone dramatically innocent.

The rest of the guards snickered.

“It's really quite lovely here.” I gave the Demon a push, getting him past the study doorway. “You know, if you ignore all the torture fields.”

Star had redecorated. The Devil's office had new furniture, including an ebony desk carved with vines and slightly brighter décor. Instead of the atmosphere of doom it previously oozed, the room now felt more like something you'd find in an English manor. There were thick rugs on the floor, a fireplace laid with logs waiting to be lit, and even a few photographs on the desk.

One of them was of me.

I looked from the framed photo of me to Star. He must have remembered it at the same time because he was already reaching for it. Subtly, he turned it over. Luckily, neither of my husbands noticed, but the image was burned into my brain. I knew exactly when the picture had been taken. I'd been on a mission in St. Louis, hunting down drug dealers. It was a shot of me just outside a building we had searched. But the important bit was the time, not the place—it was before I met Star. I knew he'd been watching us back then, but I didn't think he kept the surveillance photos. And framed one.

Star kept his cool, of course. He went around his desk to a wooden panel and pressed his palm to the wood, that was all. The panel opened, revealing a dark passage. As soon as the King of Hell entered the tunnel, lights came on overhead.

“No torches?” Killian asked as we followed Star.

“This isn't Phantom of the Opera .” Star strode on, not even glancing back.

Kill snorted, then started singing “Music of the Night.” He had a good voice and the acoustics of the tunnel improved it. Noticing that instantly, Killian belted out the next line.

Star stopped and turned to look at Kill. “And this is not your bathroom!”

“Aw, come on.” Killian waved at the ceiling. “I've never sounded better.”

“That's hardly an endorsement.” Star turned and resumed walking.

The King's Guard and I chuckled. Even Raza's lips twitched.

“Everyone's a critic,” Killian drawled.

The only one not amused was our Demon prisoner, who started to tremble. When Star entered a doorway, the Demon's fight-or-flight response finally kicked in, surpassing his reasoning. He jerked back, then spun to knock into me.

My husbands handled it in seconds, grabbing the Demon and spinning him about to march him into the torture chamber. I mean, the interrogation room. At least, that's all I would be doing in the room. Whether Star made use of all the toys he had hanging on the walls after I left was his business.

That wasn't something I should joke about. I knew firsthand that Star was capable of torture. I mean, all Demons were born for it. It's sort of their reason for existence. But knowing that and seeing the evidence of it were two different things. It had shaken me at the time. I hadn't realized how opposed I was to torture until I'd been confronted by it. But that was a while back. Maybe my tastes had changed. I like asparagus now, and I didn't five years ago.

“It's not me!” the Demon, still struggling, shrieked. “I was just following orders!”

Star turned and waved my husbands to a wooden chair in the center of the room. It had lots of leather straps attached it. Kill and Raza started to take the Demon to the chair, but he screamed and fought even harder.

“Seren, for fuck's sake, will you do something about that?” Star waved at the Demon.

“Oh. Yeah, sure thing.” I went to stand before the terrified Demon. “All right, that's enough of that.”

Even with him squirming, it wasn't difficult to star-cross him. I flung my hand at the Demon, and lavender sparkles went flying all over his face, but enough landed in his eyes to set the enchantment. In seconds, he was mine to do with as I pleased. Bwahahaha!

But seriously, star-crossing—my version of fairy-striking—made my victim obey me implicitly. Anyone under my spell could not do anything, even use the bathroom, without my direct command. Yeah, that was a fun learning curve.

“Sit down.” I pointed at the chair. I had to be specific in my commands.

The Demon sat down on the wooden chair. We didn't bother to strap him in. The chair and even the torture tools had become moot as soon as I crossed him.

“That's better.” Star leaned against a worktable and crossed his arms.

“Hey, you're the one who brought us in here.” I waved at the room. “You know this was unnecessary. You frightened him for no reason.”

“Oh, I had a reason.”

“Yeah, cuz it was funny as fuck,” Sal said. “And the asshole deserved it.”

Star lifted a brow at her.

“Tell me I'm wrong.”

His lips twitched.

“Well, now that you've got your jollies out, I'm going to get some answers.” I went to stand before the Demon. “Let's start with your name. Who are you?”

“Losuc,” the Demon said.

“Your name is low-suck?” Killian asked. “Bad luck, buddy.”

“He could have just been giving you directions,” Sal said.

The entire room burst into laughter, including Killian.

“Get out!” Star roared, his voice trembling through the room and probably through the world.

The Demons didn't hesitate—they marched out of the torture chamber.

Star looked at my husbands.

“We are not leaving.” Raza crossed his arms and resettled his wings.

“Dude, what he said.” Killian mimicked Raza's pose. “We ain't leaving you alone with our wife and a bunch of kinky toys. Not today, Satan.”

I bit my lip to keep from laughing.

Star went to the door and shut it. “I was implying that you should shut the door.”

“Oh.” Killian dropped his arms.

“You said you were acting on orders,” I ignored the other men and focused on Losuc. “Was that true?”

Star perked up and hurried back to me.

“Yes,” Losuc said.

I glanced at Star.

“Well, this just got more interesting,” Killian drawled.

“Who gave you those orders?” I asked.

“I don't know.”

“Aw, come on!” Kill huffed. “How can he not know?”

“Why don't you know?” I asked.

Losuc, stare focused on me, said, “I was summoned and felt compelled to obey the summoner.”

The room went silent. My husbands and I looked at Star.

Star cursed.

“Is that possible?” I asked. “I mean, it must be. He just said it, and he's star-crossed so he can't lie. But . . . humans can summon Demons?”

Star rubbed an elegant hand over his face. “Technically, yes. But no one has successfully done it in over a century.

“As far as you know,” Killian said.

“Vambal summoned his hounds,” I said.

“Because they were bound to him.” Star waved that aside. “This man is talking about a Demon summoning. That would require power, knowledge, and skill. I can't imagine any human strong enough to accomplish it.”

“What about another Demon?” Kill asked.

“What race was the person who summoned you?” I asked Losuc. “And were they male or female?”

“It was a human woman.”

“Well, shit,” Kill whispered.

“Impossible,” Star muttered. “It couldn't have been.”

“Why?” I crossed my arms. “Because she's human or because she's a she?”

“Don't go all women's rights on me now,” Star huffed. “You know that it's the human thing. She'd have to find the right spell and then use it properly. One mistake, and this Demon would have appeared but not under her control. He would have killed her instantly.”

“Humans now believe in things they have discounted for centuries.” Raza looked from me to Losuc. “There are probably millions of humans who have been researching Heaven and Hell. It's not impossible that one of them found a spell to summon a Demon and learned how to use it.”

“Perhaps their family passed down the spell, and an elder taught them,” Killian said.

“Humans can't do magic!” Star snarled.

That little gem dropped into the pond of our conversation and sent waves out instead of ripples.

“Let's clarify something here,” I said. “Humans can't do spells, but some have magic. It seeped into us from the planet after Anu had to balance the Earth with magic.”

“That's psychic talent, not magic.” Star slashed his hand through the air.

I lifted a brow at him.

“Wrong move, dude,” Kill muttered.

“What? It's the truth.” Star motioned at me. “Your real magic doesn't come from your human blood, Seren.”

“Oh?” I swept a hand at the bar and apportated a bottle of liquor over his head. “Care to rethink that?”

Star glanced up, grimaced, and grabbed the bottle. “Fine. Some humans have a type of magic. But not this.”

“Unless the summoner is not completely human,” Raza said.

“No,” Kill said. “It can't be a Witch.”

“As if they aren't above it.” Raza lifted a black brow.

“Anyone of any race has the potential for great evil,” I said. “Even those who have pure souls.”

“Yeah, but that would mean they've turned on their own,” Kill whined.

“Babe, you know better than most that Witches have no problem turning on their own kind.” I laid a hand on his thick arm.

“That's different. That was Coven bias against Casters. We're working through that. And Biters are not Casters.”

“Maybe it's a Caster Witch getting payback.”

“No. No fucking way. Now, you're just talking nonsense.”

I looked at Losuc. It was worth a try. “Losuc, did you sense any magic in the human woman?”

“Yes.”

“Fuck!” Killian growled.

“Do you know what Witch clan she's from? Perhaps you saw her use her power?”

“No. I only recognized it inside her.”

“What did she command you to do?”

“I was to oversee her vampire hunters and help them if necessary. When they caught Bite Witches, I had to deliver them to her.”

I looked at Star. “He's innocent.”

He grimaced. “Keep going. We don't know that for sure.”

“Did you, at any time, want to capture Bite Witches?” I asked.

“No.”

“Where exactly would your summoner meet you to take the Bite Witches from you?”

The men went still.

“Wherever she told me to take them,” Losuc said. “It was different every time.”

“Where did you take the last Witch or group of Witches?”

“A rice field outside Phuket.”

“Sounds random,” I murmured. Then I asked, “How do you contact her when you have a delivery?”

“I don't. She summons me or calls my cell phone.”

“With a burner, if she's smart,” Kill said.

“Shit!” Star hissed.

“Where was the first place she summoned you to?” I asked Losuc.

“A room with stone walls.”

“Where was the room?”

“I don't know.”

“Oh, this bitch is good,” Killian muttered.

“What about the vampire hunters you took from us?” I asked. “Where did you deliver them?”

“To her.”

I rolled my eyes at the other men before asking, “Is she in charge of the vampire hunters?”

“I think so.”

“Is there anything else you can tell us about her? Any details you saw that might help us find her or the room she was in?”

Losuc stared at me. I was about to ask him again when he said, “I remember smelling beeswax.”

“Beeswax?” Killian scowled.

“Beeswax,” I murmured. “Perhaps a spell ingredient.”

“And there were metal shelves in rows holding boxes,” Losuc went on. “I think they had symbols on them.”

“Symbols?” I asked. “Like runes or something magical?”

“No, like the humans use to represent things. Symbols. Pictures, sometimes with words.”

“Logos!” Killian shouted.

“A brand logo?” I asked Losuc.

“Yes, logo.”

“Do you remember what the symbol looked like?”

Losuc thought again.

We watched him, all of us holding our breath.

“It was leaves, I think. Or maybe wings. No, leaves. In a circle like a wreath. Within the circle were letters. Or maybe just one letter. I'm not sure.”

“Holy shit,” Killian whispered. “Do you know what this means?”

“It's not a single Witch behind this,” I said.

Together, Killian and I concluded, “It's a corporation.”