“Oh, you’re no fun, baby pharaoh. Fine, I’ll go first. An act of good faith. Killing my acolyte has brought you before me because the kill wasn’t fully righteous. It wasn’t just. There must have been some selfish ambition behind the act. You are no longer walking fully in the light, Ra.” Ra flinched, and he realized it was the first time the dark king had used his real name. He didn’t know what that meant, if anything, but something about Viscious’s voice sent chills up Ra’s spine. “Your soul has become corrupted.” Viscious’s eyes narrowed on Ra. The king had slowly closed the distance between them without Ra even realizing it and now stood only a foot away. “What has happened to your soul, little pharaoh?” Viscious’s voice was silky smooth.

  Ra ignored the question. “Does this mean I’m in danger of becoming an acolyte?”

  “Oh, Ra, I don’t think I like the premise of your question. There’s nothing dangerous about becoming an acolyte. Far from it. Becoming an acolyte would only enhance your power. Unless you’re already weak, like poor little Tucker. But you’re far from weak, aren’t you, Ra?” Viscious sighed, forestalling any answer Ra might have given. “Alas, I don’t think a mere acolyte is your fate, pharaoh. Considering the change in your eyes, I would say you have a greater chance of becoming something far darker than an acolyte. Wouldn’t you agree?”

  “It will never happen,” Ra said, his voice even. “I’d rather die than serve the dark.”

  “I feared you might say something like that. And I’d be happy to put you out of your misery. But let’s put a pin in that little issue for a moment.” Viscious clasped his hands in front of him as he studied Ra. “They say the pharaoh, Ra, is so pure of heart that he refuses to take up the tainted power of his ancestors, that he refuses to share in their eternal fate. I must know how one who is that pure of heart has come to have his soul so tarnished.”

  “Just lucky I guess,” Ra deadpanned.

  “Hmm, I think luck has nothing to do with it,” Viscious said. “I think the darkening of your soul, perhaps, concerns a new toy recently acquired by the lord of the underworld.”

  Ra’s mouth tightened.

  “Elementals talk, you know?” the dark king continued. “They’re worse than a group of gossiping women. The entire supernatural world knows that Osiris has taken a consort. It is also known that she is an elementalist. And one final tidbit, that I now realize is quite significant. She’s the same female who was sent there by one of my acolytes. You see, I was recently called upon to remove the dark fire from a lovely little female. Unlike you, Ra, I’m not afraid to bargain with my supernatural colleagues. And Osiris, well, he seemed to need this female awfully bad. Apparently, she chose you instead of him. Yet, somehow, she is back with him. Isn’t that interesting?”

  The amount of information the dark fire king knew shocked Ra, but he fought hard to keep it from showing on his face. How in the world did Viscious know that Shelly belonged to Ra but was no longer with him? Considering the state of his soul, it would not take Viscious long to figure out why the darkness changed Ra from the inside out, and was doing so even as they spoke. Ra’s stomach turned when his mind grabbed on to the word “consort.” Shelly was not Osiris’s consort.

  Viscious folded his arms across his chest. “What to do with you?” he asked, though Ra knew he wasn’t seeking a list of options.

  “I have no quarrel with you,” Ra said. Technically, that wasn’t really true. Ra worked for the light elementalists, which meant he always had a quarrel with the dark ones. But neither Viscious, nor any other dark elemental, was a priority at the moment.

  “Regardless”—the dark fire king shrugged—“fate has brought you to me, and I will not toss such a gift aside. I think we can come to some sort of agreement. After all, it’s so much easier when someone is willing to work for me, rather than when I have to force them.”

  “I would never willingly work for you.” Ra shifted on his feet. His skin felt tight over his muscles, and the ache in his chest intensified. He could feel his constant headache increase in intensity, but Ra forced himself to keep his eyes trained on Viscious. “There is nothing you have that I want.”

  “I could kill you now.”

  Ra chuckled. “You think I’m afraid of death?”

  “Of course not. But what would your death mean for little Shelly-lu-who?”

  Ra’s stomach sank, and he tried to keep his fear from showing on his face. Viscious’s chuckle told him he’d failed.

  “Still, as I said before, I’m never one to look a gift pharaoh in the mouth. There’s no need for things between us to turn ugly. What if I told you I could easily provide you passage into the underworld?” The dark fire king grinned, and Ra knew his face had once again betrayed him. “I’m going to go out on a pretty solid limb here and make an educated guess. I’d be willing to bet if you could get into Hades, you’d be there already, trying to get your little bonnie lass back by your side.” Viscious tilted his head, and a wicked smile crossed his face. “Instead, you’re topside, killing my acolytes and wasting my time.”

  Ra’s heart nearly stopped in his chest. Viscious could certainly travel to the underworld. He was the dark fire king. Of course, he could go there anytime he wanted. He could get Ra in, and Ra would be able to rescue Shelly. Then these awful feelings would go away. He would be able to get Shelly out of Osiris’s clutches and away from his lies. She’d be safe in his arms where she belonged, and he’d never let her out of his sight again.

  “Ahh,” Viscious purred. “You see? I do have something you want.”

  Ra didn’t answer. He waited for the other shoe to drop. What would the fire king require in return?

  “I will make this easy for you,” Viscious said. “No need for petty back-and-forth negotiations between men of honor like ourselves.” Ra had to keep from scoffing, but this time he held his expression steady. “The deal is simple, Ra. I will take you to the underworld whenever you would like. You need only give me a simple blood oath. If and when I call upon you, you will answer that call and do whatever it is I require of you. No questions asked and no refusal.”

  Ra shook his head. It was a terrible price, but not the worst the king could have asked. “I expected you to ask for lifelong servitude.”

  “Not at all.” Viscious spread his arms wide. “You can go back to your life as a goodie-two-shoes. As I said before, it’s so much better when my servants willingly work for me. What kind of service would you offer me if I forced your continued obedience? I’d constantly be worried about your loyalty. Not only that, but forcing you would cause a stir from the light elementals, and I am not in the mood for another battle.” Viscious feigned boredom when he made this last statement, but Ra could hear the irritation in his voice. The truth was, Viscious didn’t have the means to go to battle with the light elementals, at least not at the moment. The Devil's Heart battle had dealt the dark royals a significant blow. “But a teensy-weensy one-time task? Well, no one could blame you for taking such a good deal.”

  The thought of making a deal with the dark fire king turned Ra’s stomach, but what else could he do? Summoning a demon and trying to use its portal to get into hell was still an option, but not a good one. First, Ra had yet to figure out how to perform the summons. Second, even if he actually performed a successful summons, he had no idea if he could get through the portal. Demons came out of underworld portals; humans didn’t go into them. Then, he still had the issue of getting back out of hell. At this point, the level of fubar the situation had reached was beginning to make it hard to breathe.

  “I’ll give you twenty-four hours to think about it,” Viscious said.

  “And if I don’t take the deal?”

  The dark fire king’s voice dropped, and the smile vanished. “Then we revisit option number one. I cannot have an enemy as powerful as you roaming around out there, can I? You are still young, and already you are a formidable foe. Imagine what kind of adversary you would be once fully trained? Best not to take chances in my line of work. I didn’t get to be king by being stupid. Powerful foes are like weeds. Best to pluck them quickly before they take over the entire garden. Don’t make me pluck you from this earth, Ra.”

  Ra felt his magic attempting to explode out of him, but he kept it in check. Fighting the king now would only end in a quick death. And he wouldn’t risk that with Shelly still in Osiris’s clutches. “So it’s not really a choice at all.”

  “There is always a choice, little pharaoh. You can choose to die, or you can choose to live.” Viscious opened a portal and motioned toward it. “Off you go now. I will expect you back this time tomorrow. If you do not return, I will know you’ve made your choice. In that case, I will hunt you down, and you will suffer greatly before you die. And who knows? Once I’m done with you, I might decide Osiris doesn’t deserve that little bauble I helped him obtain. Perhaps it’s time I took on another consort myself. I promise you, when I get my hands on your little fireball, I won’t be nearly as gentle as the so-called lord of the underworld.”

  “Where the hell did he go?” Elias asked.

  Aston and the rest of the group stared at the empty spot where Ra had been moments ago. Elias had lunged for Ra as their brother had stepped through, but the portal had snapped closed before he could grab the fleeing pharaoh.

  “No idea,” Liam said. “I didn’t get a good look.”

  “It was a forest,” Tara said. “But that’s all I could see.” There were nods of agreement all around.

  Rory shifted beside Aston, and he turned his attention to her. She glanced up at him, and he noticed her skin looked pale and her lips were pinched tightly together. “His eyes,” she said. It was clear to Aston by the looks on each face that they all saw the same thing. “Something is very wrong with him, Aston. You said he’s becoming a demon?”

  “It seems like the only logical explanation for the change,” he answered. “Though I would need to do more research. I’ve never heard of anyone becoming a demon. You either are or you aren’t. But”—he dipped his chin, and his brow rose—“we all know Ra isn’t your everyday, run-of-the-mill elementalist.”

  “What should we do?” Tara asked in a shaky voice. “I mean, he basically said Shelly cheated on him… with Osiris,” she practically shouted. “How on earth could he think such a thing?”

  Aston looked over at Elias’s soul bonded and saw that her face was red, and her body trembled with rage. Apparently the idea of her friend committing such a betrayal, or even implying she had done so, was not something Tara appreciated.

  “Can we take this conversation some place other than the foyer of a witch coven?” Gabby asked.

  “We might as well see if we can find what Ra was looking for,” Elias said. He turned to look at Rory. “Can you take us to the library?”

  Rory nodded. “I can, but I will not let you summon a demon.” Her voice hardened with determination as she looked at Elias.

  “Let’s worry about crossing that bridge when we come to it.” Elias motioned for Rory to lead the way.

  Aston took her hand and followed as she led their group deeper into the house. The group followed a long corridor that made several turns before they finally reached a set of double doors. Rory grabbed a knob with her free hand and twisted it, pushing the door open. The stale air washed over Aston, and he could practically taste the dust in his mouth.

  Rory released his hand and then lifted both of hers before muttering something under her breath. Instantly, every candle and oil lamp in the room came to life. She turned to look at them. “I really don’t like this. But”—she stopped and took a deep breath—“I understand how desperate Ra must feel to get Shelly back. That is the only reason I’m allowing this. I’m going to do my own research, though not on demons. I’m going to see if there’s some other way we might get into the underworld.”

  “If it makes you feel any better,” Tara said, “none of us relishes the idea of summoning a demon. But Shelly is my best friend. I will do anything to get her back.”

  “Even if that means innocent people will get hurt?” Rory challenged. Aston knew his female was as stubborn as they came, but he heard a note of understanding in her voice.

  “I don’t know,” Tara said. “Shelly wouldn’t want that. But I don’t want her beholden to Osiris. I won’t allow her to be stuck with him for eternity.”

  Rory nodded, her eyes softening, then she sighed. “All right. I can do the same thing as the witch who helped Ra. I’ll light up the titles of the books that pertain to demons.”

  “While we work”—Tara turned her eyes on Aston— “you are going to elaborate on what you meant when you attempted to explain why Ra’s eyes turned black.”

  Aston thought back to how angry Tara had been only minutes ago in the foyer when she’d mentioned Shelly cheating. He didn’t look forward to seeing her reaction when he revealed his suspicions—the suspicions Ra obviously shared.

  As the group moved about the room, grabbing books that showed glowing words on their spines, Aston’s gaze followed Rory. He wanted to touch her, to reassure himself that she was here with him.

  She knelt to examine the lowest row of shelves, and her fingers ran along the books. He saw her forehead crease as she appeared to search the titles, and her lips moved as if she was reading the titles to herself. She seemed to search for one book in particular, and Aston couldn’t help but notice again how beautiful she was. He took an almost involuntary step in her direction. His hands itched to pull her to him, but he stopped when Tara called his name.

  “Aston, quit ignoring me. Tell us what you meant about Ra,” she pleaded.

  Rory glanced over her shoulder at him. Her eyes softened and her lips turned up in a small smile. “I’m not going anywhere,” she told him softly.

  Aston imagined he looked like a man dying of thirst, and she was the last glass of water on earth, but he couldn’t help it. Her soul called to him, and his longed to answer.

  He cleared his throat and turned to face Tara. If he let himself stare at Rory much longer, he might end up opening a portal and dragging her through it just so he could be alone with her. To hell with everything else. Rory was the only thing that mattered. But Aston couldn’t do that. Ra needed their help. Shelly needed their help. And frankly, he and Rory needed the support of people who cared about them. They’d already proven isolation was not the best thing for their relationship.

  “As I was saying before Ra left…” Aston walked over to a stack of books sitting on a table next to Liam. He picked one up and read the title to himself—The Truth and Lies of Demons—before handing it to Liam. “That one might contain some good information.” He looked back at Tara. “Ra’s eyes are solid black. There is one and only one supernatural being with completely black eyes.” He gestured to the glowing books around him. “Demons. But regarding Ra, we have to consider his family history.”

  “His ancestors,” Tara offered. “Elias has told me some of the history concerning the pharaohs. But he never mentioned demons.” She glanced at her soul bonded.

  Elias shrugged. “Ra never said anything to me about demons.” He glanced over at Liam.

  Liam held up a hand and shook his head. “Don’t look at me. The only thing he shares with me is how often he wants to kick my ass.”

  “It’s not often enough,” Gabby muttered, to which Liam blew her a kiss.

  Aston folded his arms across his chest and continued. “When I’m finished explaining, you’ll understand why he doesn’t like to talk about it. And when he told me, it wasn’t necessarily on purpose. He let something about his ancestry slip. The historian in me wouldn’t let it go.”

  “You nagged him until he just wanted you to shut up,” Liam offered.

  Aston smiled. “Pretty much.” He turned so he could see the entire room, Rory included. She and Gabby knew the least about Ra. “Ra is the last line of the great pharaohs of old. Specifically, the line of Ramses.”

  “Wow.” Gabby’s eyes widened. “I thought they died out a long, long time ago. How can he be the last of the line?”

  “Every bloodline gets watered down or dies out if there aren’t enough people to continue it,” Aston said. “But Ra’s situation is unique. Somehow, his blood has remained pure. I’m guessing it’s a supernatural thing, and it probably has something to do with the dark elementals. But there’s no way to know for sure.” He paused, considering what Ra had shared with him. He tried to organize the thoughts into a coherent explanation that would help the group grasp the significance of the situation, and hopefully help Tara understand why Ra said what he’d said about Shelly.

  “You can read in most history books about their religious beliefs and the gods they worshiped,” Aston went on. “Above all the gods, they held Osiris in the highest esteem.”

  Gabby snorted and shook her head, continuing to flip through book after book. “How can a civilization that is ingenious enough to build the pyramids be so ignorant as to worship that evil ass-hat?”

  “Power-hungry people make poor decisions.” Aston stepped around the table where Liam was reading and moved to a large window draped in dark velvet curtains. He pushed them aside just enough to look outside. The day was slipping away as the sun began to sink. Muted grey clouds dominated the sky, obfuscating the purples, oranges, and reds of the sunset. “What you won’t find in any of those history books is the deal the Egyptian kings made with those gods. Specifically Osiris.”

  “This is the part Elias told me about,” Tara interrupted. “They believed Osiris to be the most powerful god because he had dominion over the dead. The Egyptians thought that if they showed him special treatment, he’d give them some sort of preference in the afterlife.”

  Aston nodded. “Yes, that’s true, but it’s much more complicated.”

  “I’m guessing the whole demon thing is what complicates it,” Gabby said dryly.

  “Demons complicate everything,” Rory said, her voice tight. “You’re right, Gabby. The Egyptians were fools. Why would Ra want anything to do with his ancestors’ if they cavorted with demons?”