Page 21 of House of Demons and Bones (Shades of Ruin and Magic #5)

20

Barbie

“ S low down, girl,” the fae prince called after me.

He used “girl” to keep my cover intact.

“Time waits for no one, man,” I said, glancing at him over my shoulder as I zipped through the woods between buildings.

While the heirs kept Queen Lilith and her ward busy on the dance floor, Rowan and Sy had gotten away. Sy and I had swapped places in a school bathroom.

I darted past witch-lights dangling from branches. Students packed the woods too, swaying to the pulsing music. I zoomed past them, so fast I was nothing but a blur to their eyes. Back when I first landed in this realm, I’d snagged a bit of magic from a group of students to cloak myself. I no longer needed to steal magic, especially after mating with Killian.

Rowan caught up, still rocking his dragon mask.

“You can run. I’ll give you that,” he grunted.

“Sy runs faster with her longer legs,” I said.

Sy lit up. Let me take over. I want to run with my sugar.

You’re being rude, Sy! Your lust is leaking out of my pores, I said in annoyance. Try not to distract me. I’m on a job.

Just remember when you get back to the ball, she said. I’ll have a quickie with my man.

The House of Vampires, a maroon building with high, narrow windows on every floor, loomed ahead and stretched two blocks. Crimson letters perched above the twin doors.

Gunnar prowled the perimeter with a group of senior vampires, his black trench coat packed with weapons and spells. With the party in full swing on the campus, every house had cranked up security. No one took chances anymore, not when the Shriekers had come to our door.

The House of Vampires had admitted me when I first arrived in the realm, so Gunnar and I went way back. He’d never respected me and found me super annoying. He used to call me little shit or chihuahua and enjoyed intimidating me. Between patrols, he’d spend hours looking at himself in the mirror and playing with his hair, until I made him bald with my magic. I wished he’d gotten over it by now. Good looks fade anyway.

Gunnar’s sharp eyes caught me, filled with suspicion, but he didn’t rush to intercept me. First, I wasn’t on the vampires’ turf, and I had a giant escort—the fae prince with his dragon mask and longsword. Plus, my costume and mask kept him from spotting who I really was.

We zipped past the vampire house, the music fading to a distant beat.

A cathedral rose to our left, its obsidian walls eating every speck of light. The demon house sigil—a pointed star above a crown of hellfire—stretched across the crimson metal door.

“We didn’t plan how we would get into the demon house,” Rowan whispered. “I was about to bring that up, but you just took off. You’re all impulse and no discipline.”

“Keep listing my flaws, sir,” I said. “Just know that I don’t care about bad reviews—don’t even bother reading them.” At his frown, I added, “Don’t you worry about the plan. I got this.”

He let out an exasperated sigh and rolled his eyes right through his dragon mask. People these days? Zero respect.

I strode toward the House of Demons like I owned the joint, working to steady my racing heart. Powerful supernaturals—especially shifters and vampires—could pick up on heartbeats. I hadn’t tested it on demons, and today wasn’t the time to find out.

Rowan strolled beside me like he was strolling in a park. Being born into privilege had its perks.

“I hope you know what you’re doing,” he said. “If this goes to shit, I’ll have to step in and save us from any embarrassment.”

“Embarrassment should be the least of your concerns,” I offered.

A group of demons in their house uniforms made a beeline toward us, and Rowan stiffened. I had history with their light-skinned leader, Amon. I’d beaten the shit out of him once and earned both his grudging respect and secret admiration.

At over seven feet tall, he towered over me.

“Stop!” he barked, cutting us off.

I paused, and Rowan halted beside me. He eyed the demons with distaste but kept his mouth shut—he’d agreed to let me take point on this one.

I pulled off my mask and shook out my golden curls, letting my pink flowery gown with its attached wings swish around me—the same gown Grace wore to the party.

“What, Amon?” I snapped.

“Princess Grace?” Amon’s voice held a note of uncertainty.

“Who else would I be?” I demanded, narrowing my eyes.

His crimson eyes peered into mine, trying to make out their color in the dim light.

Sy had used her new power to glamour my eyes honeydew green, an exact match to Grace’s. My double had tried to seduce Killian by changing her eyes to match my two-toned ones, so it only felt right to return the favor.

He nodded, satisfied after confirming my eye color.

“Just making sure Ugly Barbie doesn’t sneak in,” he said. “She’s too clever, and she always shits on her opponents.”

“Don’t flatter her,” I barked, indignation creeping into my voice. “And you’re vulgar!”

“Best not to underestimate Ugly Barbie again,” he said, shaking his head. His twin ebony horns caught the hellfire’s glow. “According to our moles in other houses, she’s stolen from and raided every single one.” Rowan tensed at hearing that there might be moles in his own house. “Who’s to say she won’t get into ours?”

“She won’t be able to trespass,” I said cockily. “We have the tightest security.”

“They say every house’s magic does her bidding, and even Underhill made a lair for her,” Amon said.

How did he know that Underhill had built a whorehouse for Sy?

I sneered. “Barbie isn’t all that. Stop licking the bottom of her boots. Now move.”

“Why are you back? Shouldn’t you be at the party?” he pressed, but he stepped aside as he asked.

“I got an itch,” I said with a shrug.

Amon glanced between me and Rowan, letting out a lewd chortle. Rowan growled beside me, and I gripped his arm to keep him from blowing our cover with his self-righteous indignation. Sy’s fury at the demon matched his.

“Well, I get it,” Amon said. “But isn’t your task to lead the chaos heir astray?” He gave Rowan another once-over. “I’m certain this guy isn’t him.”

“I need a break, all right,” I snapped. “And the next time you ridicule me, I’ll remind you exactly where you stand in the hierarchy.”

He raised his hands in a gesture of mocking surrender. “You’re very sensitive these days, Your Highness.”

He didn’t respect Grace—no surprise there. Supernaturals only respected strength, and demons took that rule to the extreme. No wonder—Sy and I had made Grace look weak on multiple occasions.

I strode past the demons with Rowan beside me. Amon shoulder-checked Rowan, and the fae prince stopped and hissed.

“Come, sugar,” I said. “Ignore him. Everyone knows Amon has no manners.”

The demons stayed put, watching us. I knew if I tried too hard to shoo them away before I entered the demon house, it would raise suspicion. They would only resume their patrol once they saw how the house received my guest.

I stepped through the archway toward the metal door, and Rowan gave me an uncertain sideways glance. The massive door glided open silently at my approach before a hellcat shot out—all fluffy black fur, snow-white paws, and eyes glowing with hellfire.

Before Rowan or I could react, the hellcat leaped into my arms.

Shit. I’d just met the house magic of the demon house. All house magic regarded me as kin, but this demon cat acted like he knew me, like he’d been waiting for me to come home.

He felt familiar, connected to me even, though I was sure I’d never met him before.

The hellcat was bigger than any housecat, and he lifted his chin for attention. I obliged, supporting his chunky bottom with one hand while scratching a spot under his chin with the other.

He purred loudly, hellfire from his silky fur falling onto my hand like embers. Rowan watched, intrigued, but kept his guard up. After all, this was a hellcat made of notorious demonic house magic.

“The hellcat has never acted like that before, except with our queen,” a demon murmured from inside the house, poking his head out the door. “Strange that he’s suddenly taken a liking to Princess Grace.”

“Well,” I smirked, gesturing toward Rowan. “I brought a treat.”

Many demons burst out laughing. Sex and violence were their trade. They probably thought I was bringing in my new squeeze to fuck then maybe I’d murder him afterward if his performance wasn’t up to standard.

I waved Rowan forward. He half-bared his fangs at me, not appreciating the humiliation, but he had to play along to get the fucking job done. My heart pounded as I stepped over the threshold of the demon house, Rowan in tow, but the hellcat suddenly swatted his claws at the fae prince’s mask.

Rowan hadn’t expected it, but he was quick enough to duck. His back slammed into the metal door. The demon guards roared with laughter. Sy hissed through me, flexing her claws, wanting to shred the hellcat for messing with her mate.

Back off, I ordered Sy. This isn’t the time for you to get into a pissing match with a house cat.

A house cat? Sy narrowed her eyes at me.

The hellcat, on the other hand, wasn’t too pleased about missing her mark. He leapt from my arms and sailed toward the fae prince, claws out and fangs flashing, but he missed by a whisker. Spitting mad, the cat shot a stream of hellfire from his claws toward Rowan.

“Hey, hey! Let’s all be friends,” I called.

I spun around and planted myself between Rowan and the hellcat, curling Sy’s claws to prevent her from using them on my new favorite cat.

He’s our guest, I negotiated. If you want me to be your new best friend, let him in too. I added firmly, No negotiation.

No negotiation? the cat asked, narrowing his fiery eyes.

No, unfortunately, I said.

You say you’ll be my new best friend? the cat pressed aggressively.

BFF, I said, crossing my fingers. I like you, and I’m not lying.

The hellcat purred. You should’ve visited my house earlier to meet me. You went to all the other houses!

Better late than never, right? I asked.

I’ll let the fae prince in just this once, the cat declared. Our secret. I don’t want the queen to get mad at me, not even for you.

Rowan growled, drawing his longsword at the sight of his scorched suit.

“The hellcat is under my protection,” I warned him in a whisper.

“Since when?” he grated. “It tried to maim my face, and I happen to be fond of my good looks.”

Sy nodded in agreement. My sugar doesn’t have a single scar. He’s perfection.

Please. The cat rolled his eyes.

“Since now,” I said. The hellcat purred, gazing at me in adoration before turning to hiss at Rowan. “Put away the sword, sugar . Even if you attack him, you won’t win. The hellcat is actually very friendly. He just doesn’t like strangers, which is totally understandable. Aren’t we all like that?”

No sleeping over for him! The hellcat gave Rowan one last indignant glare before trotting into the house, tail held high.

Of course. He must follow your rules. I followed the cat inside. Rowan muttered something under his breath as he fell into step behind me. A couple of demons tried to dash in after us, but the hellcat swished his tail, slamming the door shut. He even tossed out the demon who lingered in the doorway.

The interior of the demon house stretched up to impossible heights, its walls a fusion of blackened steel and volcanic glass. Ivory pillars rose from the floor around a vast inverted pentagram on black marble, its lines precise and cruel.

The demonic power made Rowan whisper under his breath, and the hellcat turned to hiss at him.

The demon house was just as sentient as the other five houses in Shades Academy. After meeting the hellcat, I reveled in how magic had borders and wrote its own rules.

As we ventured on, orbs of malevolent hellfire drifted through the air. Even with streams of hellfire coursing through the house’s framework like blood through veins, an unnatural chill crept through the space.

With limited time, I skipped the exploring and headed straight for the ivory-and-ebony stairs reserved for the queen.

Though Killian had refused to step into the Underworld, he’d visited the House of Demons when Lilith set up the sixth house here. I’d memorized the floor plan drawn by him, so I knew exactly where we were going, and somehow, I didn’t think the hellcat would stop me. He seemed more interested in playing conspirator, curious to see what I’d do next.

The hellcat was a naughty boy.

Our steps echoed in the empty space. The hall barely had any furniture. There was no bar and no lounge area, unlike the other houses, as if the entire demon house was ready to pack up and leave at any moment.

During our clash with the Shriekers, we’d uncovered an ugly truth: demons could open portals outside the Veil. And when the Shriekers crumbled to dust, tens of thousands of demons had melted back into Hell—vanishing like a dark dream. It was unnerving. Shriekers were horror incarnate, but a demon army running wild in the realm?

I pushed back the dark, chilling thought and climbed the stairs quietly, and soon we reached the top floor. The fae, the hellcat, and I strolled down a long corridor lined with paintings of Hell’s landscapes until we reached an ivory door that shimmered with dark spells.

“It’s warded by blood,” I told Rowan as he paused beside me.

“You deflected my blood ward last time,” he said. “What’s stopping you now?”

I gestured for the hellcat to help me out, but he just sat on his haunches and licked his paw.

“This is a blood ward set by the Queen of the Underworld,” I said with a sigh. “I don’t know if I can break it.” I admitted that I was intimidated.

“You won’t know if you don’t try,” Rowan said.

“Easy for you to say,” I retorted. “I have to give my blood.”

Shedding blood in a demon house was never smart.

“I don’t mind giving my blood, but I doubt it’ll suffice,” he said.

I sighed again and let my fangs sprout out.

Rowan blinked. “You got fangs too?”

“Surprise,” I said, piercing my palm with a fang before pressing my bloody hand against the ward.

The shimmer dimmed and the lock clicked. Rowan gave me an appraising look before he turned the handle. When it didn’t resist, he let out a breath of relief and quickly pushed the door open. Then he strode in first to make sure the coast was clear. Ever since learning that Sy and I cohabitated, he’d gotten protective of us both. If I got damaged, so would Sy. He’d been very tense even before we reached the demon house, ready to pounce at the smallest threat.

The door clicked shut behind us. The hellcat hadn’t followed.

Rowan and I traded stunned looks at the queen’s outer study. The space barely met noble standards, let alone royal ones. Just an ordinary wooden table flanked by two folding chairs—minimalism taken to extremes.

The only marker of status was the floor-to-ceiling window that commanded a view of the shimmering Veil beyond.

I wondered if Queen Lilith had chosen this spot—pressed against the Veil’s edge—for tactical advantage.

“Maybe we’ll find something useful inside,” I murmured, sliding into the inner study.

The air was cooler than the outer room, carrying the scent of brimstone and ethereal flowers that didn’t grow on Earth’s surface.

The only furniture was a midnight-blue chaise longue and a towering glass cylinder perched on ebony stone like a sentinel.

“The sixth house doesn’t plan to stick around,” Rowan murmured.

My attention snapped to the glass cylinder, cloaked in writhing shadow and hellfire.

“That might be what we’re looking for,” I said, prowling toward it.

I wiped the blood from my wounded palm—courtesy of breaking through that ward—and thrust my hand toward the shadow. The moment my fingers touched the glass, shadow and hellfire peeled back like dark curtains, revealing what lay within.

I staggered back as if I’d been punched.

What the fuck?

Inside the glass, a holographic picture displayed a baby with chubby cheeks, golden curls, and two-toned eyes—one green, one sapphire.

“That’s not Princess Grace,” Rowan said, sucking in a breath. “That’s you , Barbie.”

I didn’t even know I had a baby picture, yet here it was in the Queen of the Underworld’s possession. A foreboding feeling swirled in my head, and chills filled my bone marrow.

“How did Queen Lilith get a baby picture of you?” he asked, frowning deeply, worry darkening his eyes. “Does she know about Sy too?” he demanded.

The sound of a turning doorknob echoed through the room. Rowan and I locked eyes, alarm mirrored in our faces. My heart skipped a beat. Queen Lilith was supposed to be at the party, dancing with the heirs.

Shit. Shit!

My gaze landed on the closet door, and I yanked Rowan’s sleeve before he could shift into a fighting stance. In one swift motion, I wrenched the door open, shoved him inside—earning a startled blink at my strength—and slipped in after him, pulling it shut behind us.

We heard someone enter, then move around in the outer study. I pressed deeper into the closet, only to hit the wall that was the fae prince’s hard chest. I gestured for him to move further back to give me more room, but he shrugged. When I raised my gaze in annoyance, I realized there was no more space. We’d gotten ourselves into a closet that wasn’t exactly a closet—more like a hole in the wall. Then it hit me—this door hadn’t been there when we first entered the inner study.

The hellcat had made it temporarily so we could hide.

I appreciate it. I mind-talked to the hellcat. And I’d appreciate it even more if you could make the closet bigger?

Only a low chuckle answered in my head. The hellcat had done this intentionally.

I didn’t feel the demon queen’s presence—her powerful magic was too distinctive to miss. Someone else was here, someone just as powerful. I held my breath and extended my senses to feel the new arrival, but their magic was cloaked. Not many beings could hide their magic signatures from me, but I restrained myself from poking further to avoid revealing our presence.

We were fucking stuck here until that person went away.

I peered up at Rowan, and he gazed down at me as we squeezed against each other in this confined space. It got more and more awkward as seconds, then minutes, trickled by. The intruder had no intention of leaving soon—I could hear them browsing pages loudly. Where had they even found a book?

The longer I held my breath, the more I wanted to sneeze.

The fae prince’s body heat felt like a torch. We tried to push away from each other, but there was nowhere to go, and our elbows kept getting tangled.

Sy’s lust poured from me in waves, and Rowan’s nostrils flared, his eyes glowing like mercury behind his mask. The scent of his arousal filled our hidden space.

Fucking hell!

Let me take over, Sy demanded.

This isn’t the time, I snapped.

Another wave of pheromones leaked through my pores before I could stop her, and a growl rumbled from the fae despite his attempt to suppress it.

Let me have it, Sy said aggressively.

It’d be bad to fight her now—she was too reckless.

Just don’t do anything too stupid! I warned. Stay quiet until whoever is here leaves.

Better to let Sy press against Rowan with his breath on her face. I was getting more uncomfortable in here with him by the second, and I didn’t want Killian going berserk later if he smelled Rowan on me like this.

Sy surfaced in the cramped space, and he joyfully held her to him. She grinned at him, her curvy body stretching against his.

He mouthed to her, “I miss you, little monster.”

She mouthed back, “Here I am, sugar.”

I rolled my eyes at their cheesy display, then rolled them harder when they started exploring each other’s horny bodies, hands everywhere.

The fae prince wasted no time slanting his mouth over Sy’s, completely forgetting we were on a mission!

Seriously?