Beautiful Darkness (Caster Chronicles 2)

Liv’s voice was tiny. “You can’t mean…”

Hunting winked at Liv. “Don’t worry, sweetheart. We may just bite that pretty neck of yours and make you one of us.” My breath caught in my throat. It had never occurred to me that Incubuses could transform humans into their kind.

Could they?

Hunting flicked his cigarette into a patch of bluebells. For a second, I was struck by the irony of the situation. A pack of leather-clad, cigarette-smoking Incubuses were standing in a meadow right out of The Sound of Music, waiting to kill us while the birds were singing in the trees. “It’s been fun chatting with the three of you, but I’m getting bored. I have a rather short attention span.”

He whipped his neck around, farther than any human’s could possibly turn. Hunting was going to kill me, and his buddies were going to kill Link and Liv. My brain tried to process it while my heart focused on beating.

“Let’s do this,” Larkin said, flicking a forked tongue that matched his snake’s.

Liv buried her face into my shoulder. She didn’t want to watch. I tried to think. I was no match for Hunting, but everyone had an Achilles’ heel, right?

“On my count,” growled Hunting. “No survivors.”

My mind raced. The Arclight. I had the ultimate weapon against an Incubus, but I had no idea how to use it. I moved my hand closer to my pocket.

“No,” Liv whispered. “There’s no use.” She shut her eyes, and I pulled her closer. My last thoughts were about the two girls who meant so much to me. Lena, the one I would never save. And Liv, the one I was about to get killed.

But Hunting never attacked.

Instead, he cocked his head to the side awkwardly, like a wolf listening to another wolf calling. Then he stepped back and the other Incubuses followed, even Larkin and the demonic Saint Bernard. His minions were disoriented, looking around at each other. They stared at Hunting, waiting for direction, but he didn’t give them any. Instead, he backed up slowly and the others followed. They were closing in on us, but in reverse. Hunting’s expression changed, and he looked more like a man again, rather than the Demon he truly was.

“What’s happening?” Liv whispered.

“I don’t know.” It was clear Hunting and his lackeys were confused, too, because they kept circling and pacing, moving farther and farther away from us. Something was controlling them, but what?

Hunting locked eyes with me. “I’ll be seeing you. Sooner than you think.” They were leaving. Hunting kept shaking his head, as if he was trying to shake something—or someone—out of it. The pack had a new leader, someone he had no choice but to follow.

Someone very persuasive.

And very pretty.

Ridley was leaning against a tree a couple of yards behind them, licking away at a lollipop. The Incubuses dematerialized, one by one.

“Who is that?” Liv noticed Ridley, oddly not that out of place with her pink and blond streaked hair, weird miniskirt with some sort of suspenders, and spiky sandals. She looked like a Caster Little Red Riding Hood, taking poisoned muffins to her wicked grandmother. Liv may not have gotten a good look at Ridley at Exile, but she was impossible to miss now.

Link’s eyes locked on Ridley. “A real bad girl.”

Ridley sauntered toward us, overconfident as usual. She tossed the lollipop into the grass. “Damn, that really took it out of me.”

“Did you save us?” Liv was still rattled.

“Sure did, Mary Poppins. You can thank me later. We should get outta here. Larkin’s an idiot, but Uncle Hunting’s powerful. My influence won’t last long on him.” Her brother and her uncle—a lot of bad apples had fallen off Lena’s family tree. Ridley zeroed in on my arm, or rather Liv’s arm wrapped around mine. She took off her shades, and her yellow eyes glowed.

Liv barely noticed. “What’s with you people? It’s always Mary Poppins. Is she the only British character Americans have ever heard of?”

“I don’t believe we’ve been properly introduced, although I keep seeing you everywhere.” Ridley looked at me, narrowing her eyes. “I’m Lena’s cousin, Ridley.”

“I’m Liv. I work at the library with Ethan.”

“Well, since I’ve seen you at a Caster club and now in a C

aster Tunnel, I’m assuming we aren’t talking about that hayseed library in Gat-dung. Which would make you a Keeper. Am I getting warm?”

Liv let go of my arm. “Actually, I’m a Keeper-in-Training, but my preparation has been quite extensive.”

Ridley looked Liv up and down and unwrapped a piece of gum. “Obviously not that extensive if you don’t recognize a Siren when you see one.” Ridley blew a bubble. It popped in Liv’s face. “Let’s get going before my uncle starts thinking for himself again.”