Page 24 of Knotty Bargain (Monster Holidays #3)

CHAPTER 24

CORDELIA

T ears blur my vision as I stride to Sylvia’s car, only then remembering Miranda has the keys. I don’t want to go back. I can’t go back in there. Vivian had to humiliate me in front of all those people and now she’ll try to make me feel guilty for ruining her wedding .

I can’t believe it’s taken me this long to accept all this. My whole life I wanted a family. I lost my father, then my mother, and still I tried to prove myself worthy and good and deserving of my family, even when they didn’t like me. Even when they never tried.

I was wrong. So incredibly wrong. You don’t have to prove yourself to deserve love. Everyone deserves it. Everyone. Including me.

Sylvia and Miranda are my family. Levi would be if we... No. What am I thinking? I have to get out of here. I want to go home. But how?

The sound of heels clack behind me. I don’t dare look back. There’s a slight chance Vivian chased me to keep screaming.

Miranda glides to a stop next to me, her flowing silver hair swishing over her shoulders. Her deep brown eyes widen as she takes in my disheveled state. “Oh, my darling. I’ll get you home. Don’t worry.” In two seconds flat, Miranda has fished the keys out of her purse and strode to the driver’s door.

A choked sob escapes my throat as I crumple onto the passenger seat. Miranda puts her purse on her lap, picks up her phone and, after typing a message, she turns on the car.

I bury my face in my hands and weep.

“It was awful,” I manage to say between hiccuping breaths. “Vivian... she told everyone that Levi and I are fake. That our relationship is a sham. She humiliated me in front of the whole town.” Fresh tears spill down my cheeks as the sting of Vivian’s words pierces my heart anew.

Miranda strokes my hair, her touch soothing. “Oh, my poor darling. I’m so sorry you had to endure that. I was so shocked at how rude she was. I’m sorry. I should have done something.”

I glance over my shoulder as we leave the farm. “What about Syl and Levi?”

“I’ll pick them up later. Let’s get you out of here first.”

I meet her gaze with pleading eyes. “Miranda, please, you have to help me break the binding spell. I can’t keep Levi trapped with me like this. It’s not fair to him.”

“But did you ask him?” she asks. “What he thinks? If he wants to leave?”

“He’s king of Hell. He has to leave.” I shake my head. “I... I love him. I love Levi, and I can’t bear the thought of him being with me out of obligation.”

Miranda’s brow furrows. She stares at the road for five more minutes while I cry my eyes out.

“Lia,” she murmurs, so gently. “There’s something I need to tell you. I’m sorry I hid this from you, but it was pretty obvious from the start for me.”

My shoulders stiffen. More betrayal. Is Miranda going to abandon me like everyone else?

“What?” I ask, afraid of her answer.

“There is no binding spell.”

I blink, confusion replacing my anguish. “What? But the summoning...”

She takes my hand in hers, her skin warm and reassuring. “ Only blood binds . That’s an old adage in magic.” She glances at me. “Did you use blood?”

I shake my head.

“Then there’s no binding. I tried some spells to break it, but they did nothing. They did nothing because there was nothing to break. No binding.”

“But... but...” This makes no sense.

“The runes you drew were for a love summoning, yes. But the difference is, you managed to customize the spell. To your very essence. Leviathan responded to your soul, not some arbitrary magical command.” She takes a beat. “You didn’t summon the devil. You summoned the creature whose soul responded to yours. Coincidentally, it was the devil.”

Shock ripples through me, my mind reeling as I try to process her words. “You mean... he could have left any time?”

Miranda nods. “Yes, I believe so. He was summoned, sure, but he could leave.”

“And he... chose to be with me? Out of his own free will?”

A soft smile plays on her lips. “Is that so hard to believe? The connection between you two is real, Lia. It’s not fabricated by any spell or enchantment. You two have fun together. He respects you. He’s in constant awe of you. It’s obvious to anyone who watches you together.”

Hope flutters in my chest, fragile and tentative. “But... If we weren’t bound... Why did he say we were?”

Miranda presses her lips together, then shakes her head. “That, you’ll have to ask him.”

We park in front of the house. I step out of the car and into Miranda’s arms. She holds me tightly in the night chill.

With a hand around my waist, she guides me inside the house. “Come on,” she says. “Let’s make some tea and I’ll pick them up. We’re going to pop a wine bottle open and talk shit about Vivian the whole night.” Miranda unlocks the door and motions me in. “That little bitch.”

I can’t help but chuckle as I step inside. Not a minute later, a shimmering portal rips open in the middle of the living room. My heart skips a beat. Miranda grabs my arm, pulling me back.

Leviathan steps through, his imposing figure filling the space. I relax. He has someone over his shoulder in a fireman’s carry.

“Sylvia?” I cry out. My best friend looks up. Her dress is torn at the shoulder. The hairdo is ruined. Her face is covered in scratches. “Were you fighting a cat?”

“No,” Sylvia says with a grin. “A bitch.”

The portal disappears. Levi drops his human facade in favor of the demon one. “Sorry for the delay,” Levi grunts, setting Sylvia down. “Had to untangle this menace from Vivian’s hair.”

Miranda and I stare at Sylvia. Miranda props her hands onto her hips. “You were fighting Sylvia?” she asks.

Sylvia studies her dress. “That bitch ruined my clothes. At least they were secondhand.” She looks up at me with a victorious grin. “I told you she didn’t deserve my hard-earned money. I ripped her earring off.” She raises her hand to show it. “Pretty sure I’m getting sued.”

Miranda’s jaw drops. “Sylvia!”

I cackle. Maybe we’re all going crazy. I fling my arms around my best friend. “You’re amazing,” I tell her.

“No!” She holds me back. “ You are amazing. I heard you telling her off. Throwing the truth in her face. That was amazing. I’m so sad I missed it.” Syl lets me go, then wipes my cheeks. “What happened? What finally finally finally triggered you?”

I chuckle, then slap her arm. “She figured out Levi and I were faking.”

Sylvia makes a face. “What? She’s a dumb bitch, then. You were only faking in the beginning. This,” she points between the two of us, “has become real a long while ago.”

I bite onto my lower lip, unsure what to say. “Why do you think that?”

Syl starts toward the kitchen. “Bitch, your bedroom smells like a brothel.”

Blood rushes into my face. “Sylvia!”

Miranda cackles, then waves me off. “I’ll check on her cut. Maybe she needs a rabies shot.”

Levi and I are alone then. My heart rushes. I wonder if I should tell him the truth about my feelings. About...

Wait.“You... you could travel like that this whole time?”

He tilts his head. “Yes.”

“And you said nothing?”

His black eyes are unreadable. God, why can’t I get a read of him? “Yes.” He shrugs. “I like to walk. You seem to like it, too. I thought it was a chance to spend time together.”

“Levi.” I stand in front of him, staring, forcing myself to confront him. “Miranda told me there’s no binding.” He doesn’t react. “You knew.”

Levi licks his lips, then sighs. His shoulders droop. “Yeah.I could have gone back to the underworld whenever I wanted. But I didn’t. I chose to stay.”

“Why?” I demand, my voice trembling. “Wait. You don’t have to tell me. You’ve already told me that. A vacation from your responsibilities.”

He takes a step closer, his presence filling my senses. “Love, listen to me. I stayed because I wanted to. Because I...” He falters, his words trailing off.

Bitter laughter escapes my lips. “Because you what? Wanted to use me? Toy with my emotions for your own amusement? Or was it because you knew that if I was desperate enough to get a fake boyfriend, that I would be desperate enough to sleep with you?”

Levi’s jaw clenches, his eyes flashing with pain. “You’re one to talk about using people. Wasn’t that the whole point of summoning me in the first place? And weren’t you using me when you offered the deal? Don’t lie to yourself. The both of us had things to gain.”

His words cut deep, the truth in them undeniable. We stare at each other, the air crackling with tension and unspoken emotions.

I’ve never seen such pain on Levi’s face. “You were incredibly brave out there. Really,” he says in a low voice. “I’m proud of you for standing up to her. But I... I don’t belong here, Cordelia. I’m not good enough for you. We tend to forget it, but I am a monster. I should go back to where I came from.”

Tears sting my eyes as I nod, my heart shattering into a million jagged pieces. “Yeah, you should. Go back to Hell, Leviathan. I’m sorry for dragging you into it.”

He holds my gaze for a long moment, a myriad of emotions swirling in the depths of his black eyes. Pain, regret, longing. Then, with a final, agonizing look, he turns and steps back through the portal, vanishing from my life as suddenly as he had entered it.

As the shimmering gateway closes, I drop onto the couch, my body wracked with sobs. Sylvia rushes from the kitchen and hugs me. And there, in the quiet of our living room, I allow myself to shatter, to mourn the loss of a love I never truly had.