Mentored in Fire (Demon Days & Vampire Nights)

“I have got literally nothing.” She pushed up to standing and started pacing. “How did we get into this mess?”

Emery sat on the ground in the back corner, his arms draped over his knees, sparing his energy. Darius, too, sat calmly, taking up the other corner.

“We were outnumbered, that’s what happened,” Penny said, not one ounce of calmness in her person. Not one. She didn’t know whether she should scream, cry, throw up, or pace. She’d opted for pacing, because she’d already scratched “figure out how to get out of here” and “use every real and made-up curse word known to man” off the list.

They had been put down here while they were asleep. Drugged, more like. She’d been cuddled up in a fluffy bed with Emery one minute, and facedown on a stone floor the next.

“Why would they just flip on us like that?” She rubbed her pounding head. “I mean, we were all good. I thought everything was good. They were hearing Darius out, they were giving us a nice place to sleep, a good meal…and then wham. Here we are.”

She turned right and stopped at the bars again, wrapping her fingers around the cold metal.

“There has to be a way out. Magic has to help, somehow.”

But she’d already tried everything. She could do a lot with magic, but she couldn’t bend metal. She couldn’t move it. There weren’t even enough ingredients in this godforsaken place to make a decent spell. They must’ve known how little it would take for them to wrangle up some magic to get out of here.

She sighed and leaned her head against the hard surface.

“What happens now?” she asked, at a loss.

“Lucifer shows up,” Emery said. “And we hope Reagan is with him.”

“She won’t be—” Darius cut off.

Penny turned to see if he had some miraculous great idea to get them out of this jam. If anyone could create something out of nothing and form a plan, it was this vampire. The trip into the Underworld had given her a new respect for him. More than respect, even. She might just start worshipping him as a brain god or something—he was that good at navigating dangerous situations and coming out on top.

Except for their current predicament, of course. Which was definitely his fault. She didn’t really know what had gone wrong, other than the super-violent and terrible demons had refused Darius’s trade, it had landed them in the stink, and it was his fault.

No, never mind. She would not worship him. She’d punch him. Just as soon as she wasn’t caged up with him and could quickly run away.

“What is it?” Emery asked, sitting forward.

Darius tensed, and then his face and eyes softened. Penny had seen that look before—he’d worn it almost constantly on the island where he kept Reagan hidden away.

Hope surged within her. “Say it. Say what it is.” She’d become incredibly pushy from all of this.

He relaxed a little. “Our bond is…partially mended. She’s…” He bowed his head a little, clearly plugging whatever was coming through the bond into his big, fat brain. “She is eager and determined. She’s making a move. She must be.”

“Oh good.” Penny let out a relieved sigh before her thoughts caught up. “Wait, does that mean she is coming here with Lucifer after all?”

“No. If I’m not mistaken, she’s coming to our rescue.”

Penny deflated and looked back at the bars. “Dang it. Why are we always the damsels? She better not ride in on that freaking dragon. That would really push me over the edge.”

“Why don’t you have a seat, Miss Bristol?” Darius said. Penny knew that tone. It was his “you’re losing your mind and need to get a hold of yourself” tone.

Usually she ignored it. But this time, she pulled up some stone beside Emery and worked on deep breathing. If Reagan was coming, that meant she was breaking out of the castle on her own. And that meant she’d probably have the enemy hot on her heels.

In the fresh new morning, with soft light illuminating the inner kingdom, Lucifer landed in front of Tatsu’s habitat. He changed into his humanoid form and strode toward her. Going into a direct conflict, one that might get out of hand, he usually flew in himself with Tatsu on his heels, the two of them working side by side to quell the feud or uprising. But this conflict wasn’t active so much as smoldering. Riding in on the queen of the dragons would lend a little prestige to the affair.

When dealing with vampires, he wanted to convey a little prestige. Especially for the vampire Durant. That vampire needed to see why Lucifer’s daughter was so thoroughly out of his league. She was a princess. She was of higher caliber than any of the other heirs, and her unique combination of magic would make even the elves quake. She was the pride of the Underworld, and no vampire was fit to be her companion.