 
# Alice in Demonland

## Demonland Series Book One

## RaShelle Workman

## Polished Pen Press, llc
Copyright © 2020 by RaShelle Workman

All rights reserved.

No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

Cover designed by: CReya-tive Book Cover

Edited by: Jen Hendricks and Debbie Davis

Website: www.rashelleworkman.org

# Contents

Introduction

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Chapter 16

Chapter 17

Chapter 18

Chapter 19

Chapter 20

Leave a Review

Also by RaShelle Workman

About the Author

# Introduction

DEMONLAND SERIES:

Alice in Demonland

Alice Fights Demonland

Alice Takes Demonland

Alice Ignites Demonland

* * *

**Alice is a half-demon. A loner with one goal. Defeat her demon sire. But a chance encounter with a mysterious warrior changes everything.**

Alice Blackburn has only ever known one thing. Demonland. All of her time is spent slaying demons and preparing for the day when she'll have to defeat hers. Except she doesn't know which of the seven deadly demons he is until the gorgeous warrior, Kade Everett fights his way into her life.

Now Wrythe, king of the Dark Moths, has ordered her to find out who Kade is and what he wants. A seemingly straightforward task, except it isn't. Because she quickly develops feelings for him. Which isn't part of the plan.

With time running out, it seems like Wrythe knows more than he's telling her, and Kade certainly does. Can she find out the truth they're hiding before her demon sire kills her?

★★★ Alice in Demonland is the first book in the #1 bestselling Demonland series. If you enjoy unputdownable storytelling, well developed characters, and a magical romance, then you'll love RaShelle Workman's fast-paced and fun reimagined take on Alice in Wonderland. ★★★

✓ #1 in Paranormal Fantasy

✓ #1 in Horror

✓ #1 in Teen Romance

✓ #1 in Science Fiction & Fantasy

✓ #1 in Fairy Tales & Folklore

# 1

In Demonland, the weak died. And the strong? Well, they didn't necessarily live either. Down here, even the weak were stronger than any human. That we could be killed was saying something. It had to do with our fathers. They were the greatest of all the demons. Beyond vile and wicked and willing to destroy their offspring at any cost—

"Alice, are you listening?" Peter's words cut through my thoughts.

I snapped my head in his direction. "Of course," I said, facing front once again.

Snickers filtered through the quiet and punched me in the gut. I was a warrior trainee and should be focused. My life literally depended on it.

"Good. Now as I was saying..." Peter started up again. I tried to listen but found myself tuning him out once again.

We were in one of the enormous training rooms deep below Wonderland, Arizona in our compound. It was a realm unto itself and was called Demonland. Aptly named because of what we did and where we came from.

Peter sauntered in between all of the trainees, me included, as he spoke, his hands behind his back. As he went, he would push out a trainee's foot so it was exactly hips width apart or adjust the way one of us was holding our weapon. But it was hard to concentrate.

Any moment, we would play my favorite game. Slaying menial demons. And I was antsy, ready to start. Peter, our trainer was one of the greatest Dark Moth warriors ever to walk the Earth and he didn't seem to care I was sick of instruction and wanted to fight. He continued on and on about the demon order and how things began in the Demon Realm. As though where we lived was any better. Not in the slightest. Though the room was cool, sweat trailed down the center of my back and pooled between my breasts.

The worst part about Peter's speech was I'd heard it at least a dozen times over the years. He needed to shut up already so I could slay me some demons.

"You know of the seven deadly sins?" Peter asked, as though determined to try my patience. His eyes focused on mine.

I swallowed, forcing my mind to listen. "Yes," I said as well as the rest of the trainees. They were as antsy as me. I could sense it. We were like the coil of a spring desperate to break free.

"Well not only are they scary stories told in Sunday School, but they are also living, breathing demon royalty."

Blah. Blah. Blah, I thought, but it was serious. Some of those demons also happened to be our parents.

"The demons you'll be fighting today are menials." Peter pointed at the cage on the other side of the large instruction room. The cage had been fortified by troll magic and every time a demon tried to slip between the metal bars, their nasty bodies were electrocuted.

A hundred of them growled, gnashed their teeth. The really stupid ones threw themselves against the rods, making the air reek of burning demon hair and flesh. Not a pleasant scent when they already smelled like rotting eggs mixed with decaying corpse. They didn't look much better, resembling oversized sewer rats with leprosy. Their skin appeared to be peeling off and oozed snot-looking liquid.

"They're fast and devious," Peter went on. "Killing them is easy if you can catch them. Don't use your weapons unless you're sure you have a clean shot and avoid using your demon powers all together. Otherwise, you'll wind up killing one of the other trainees. Got it?" Peter gave me a direct look. "Alice, what did I just say?"

I forced myself not to roll my eyes. Peter was a great Dark Moth, but his father had been a Pride demon, which meant he had an inordinately high opinion of himself.

"Be careful. The menials are tricky. Don't use our demon powers, but stick to our weapons." My weapon of choice was a katana, but I also kept a small dagger in my right boot and a 9mm in a holster under my shirt.

"Very good." His light gray eyes that exactly matched the rest of the Dark Moth trainees studied me. I was an oddity in many ways, but the most prominent was my eye color, which was a vivid blue.

"Queen of Hearts," the guy on my right whisper-coughed.

Everyone around him snickered.

"Quiet!" Peter's angry voice boomed. Even the demons stopped chattering. "There will be no name calling. Use your energy on slaying the demons and for Hell's sakes, please focus." The tension in the room shot up. "This isn't a game..." he began and then trailed off as a giant smile filled his face, replacing the anger. "What am I saying? Of course, it is." He clapped his hands.

The half dozen trainees around me joined in, cheering, hooting, and hollering excitedly. Because it was a game. One our father's started thousands of years ago.

The demonic rules of our demon fathers were simple: Bed a woman. Wait until after their half-demon child was born. Kill the human mother. Once the child reached the age of maturity, which was eighteen, the real fun began. At least according to the demon sire. They would hunt their offspring and wouldn't stop until the child and every one the half-demon cared about was dead.

"It's so awesome," said no one ever, including me. I wasn't going to let some filthy demon hunt me down in its twisted game. Instead, I intended to take the fight to him. Well, in a manner of speaking. The other trainees knew at least something about their demon parent. They found out by the color of the marks on the backs of their hands once their abilities manifested. If their demon parent were Pride, like Peter's, then the marks would become purple. Greed was gold. Those from a Lust demon had their marks turn pink. Envy was green. Gluttony demons produced orange markings. Wrath became red. And, Sloth half-demons had their markings turn blue. The marks on the backs of my hands had been black since the day I was born. They hadn't changed colors, even when my abilities manifested.

It was yet another odd thing about me.

All Dark Moth trainees wanted to see our demon parent dead. Killing them was how we proved ourselves, how we became full-fledged warriors. Most half-demons, called Moths, were born without any extra powers. Those like me were the elite, born with power equivalent to that of our demon sire. If we survived the deadly battle with the demon, then we became Dark Moth warriors. Our destiny was to fight for those Moths without the marks. We would become their protectors, their light in the darkness. That was what the Dark Moth Society did. It was why we were all in the compound preparing to kill as many menial demons as possible.

Practice for the real thing.

"And the winner gets a night off above ground," Peter said, crossing his arms.

"Oh yeah. Watch out Wonderland, here I come," Steven said.

Peter chuckled. Walked over to the cage. Unlocked the padlock. "Get ready. In three. Two. One." He jerked open the cage. Menials flooded out, stepping on and clawing each other to get at us.

I ran forward, pulling my katana from its sheath and driving it at the leading menial. Before it connected, the demon darted to the right and landed on top of Pamela, pulling her hair and digging his claws into her face.

"Hold still, you writhing little rat." I brought my blade down across the demon's neck, slicing it in two. Green blood spattered my face and got all over Pamela before it turned into a pile of dark ash.

Neither of us was fazed. "Thanks, Alice." She spun, pulling an arrow from her quiver and sinking it into the stomach of the nearest demon. "Blue," she shouted.

I went after two demons, cutting one of the Menials in half while sinking the blade from my boot into the eye of another. "Red and pink. That's three for me."

The others were counting too even though Wrythe, the ruler of our society would decide the winner.

Eric and Wendy worked together, which wasn't surprising given they were a couple. Eric would bait the demons and Wendy would slaughter them. Then they would switch it up. I wondered if they fought together hoping for a tie so they both would be able to go above ground.

I didn't care whether I went into Wonderland or not. My goal wasn't to have fun. All that mattered was I get plenty of practice so that when I met my demon father I would be ready.

Still, it was great practice and I quickly took out five more.

"Alice, save some for the rest of us."

"Not a chance, Georgia." I smirked. The girl was greedy, but then she was the half-demon offspring of Greed.

"Tell me something, Alice. If you win, what do you intend to do with your prize?" Georgia asked, slicing off the head of another demon.

"Enjoy it," I responded, killing three more in quick progression.

She used her double-edged axe to kill another two demons. "Guess I better make sure you don't win."

"If you think you can." I sliced through two more at once and stabbed another in the stomach. Then I spun around and cut through two before noticing four of the demons on Gilbert. He fell to one knee as one of the demons bit off his ear.

Gilbert screamed as deep red blood dripped from the wound.

I aimed and tossed the knife from my boot at the demon. The blade sunk deep between its beady eyes. The demon fell off, taking another of them with it to the ground. I ran forward and sliced through both.

"It's over," Peter's loud voice boomed. "Do we have our winner?" He glanced over at Wrythe, who'd come in without my knowledge. Our king nodded.

"We do. Bring the trainees forward," Wrythe commanded.

# 2

I came forward as did the others, except Gilbert who was being examined by the doctor. Heathcliff was a scientist as well as the Society's physician. I'd heard he worked for years in Massachusetts at one of the colleges with his father, a vampire called Adam Henry. At the college, Heathcliff created supernatural formulas and used his discoveries to help those in the human realm as well as supernaturals like me. We were lucky to have him.

Lined up, Wrythe walked down the line. As he went, we each took a knee, placing a fist over our hearts. He rested a hand on each of our shoulders before moving on, even waiting until Gilbert was able to join us and did the same for him.

I looked on in awe. The king was an ominous man. Describing him did him no justice. He stood nearly seven feet tall, the same as every other male warrior. His eyes shone with intellect and he had long ebony hair. Though his eyes and hair color matched every other Dark Moth, on him it was as though every feature, every muscle and sinew had lined up flawlessly. In truth, he was nearly too gorgeous to look at.

His markings were deep red, the color of the Wrath demon. He possessed an exceedingly strong note of anger. It seemed to boil through him, like a living creature just beneath his skin. Being near him was intimidating. It was apparent in the way he held his shoulders that he knew he was meant to be king, that he was right where he belonged. I wondered what that felt like. To know without a doubt where you fit in.

Once he'd walked the line twice, Wrythe stopped in front of Eric. "Rise, trainee."

Eric stood, keeping his eyes on the ground.

"You fought like a champion this evening. You will be a fine warrior." He patted Eric on the shoulder.

Then his gaze fell to Pamela. "Stand."

Pam rolled her shoulders as she straightened. All female Moths were a foot shorter than the males, so she tilted her chin up to meet his gaze. I internally rolled my eyes. "Your Highness," she said.

"It is apparent you were sired by a Pride demon." He touched her arm. "You'll have much to overcome. Take care to school your prideful thoughts lest they get the better of you."

A small sigh escaped her lips before she checked herself and nodded.

He gave her a grim smile. "Still, there is hope. You fought well."

He spoke a few words to each of the other trainees until he reached me. "Hello, Alice." He held out his hand to help me stand even though I didn't need it. For the longest moment he studied me. I worried I'd done something wrong. Then he said, "You aren't like the rest of them." He flipped over my hand so he could get a better look at the markings on my wrists. "Haven't you reached maturity?"

"I have. When I'm fighting I feel the demon's power, but my markings haven't changed color," I said, feeling small, especially since I wasn't quite as tall as the other female trainees. The oddities were plentiful.

Peter came to stand beside the king. "Between the lack of color on her markings and her eyes, we aren't sure which demon is her sire," he said as though he were studying a new species.

Wrythe leaned in so close I could smell the spicy scent of his aftershave. "I've seen rare cases where the demon's genetics are revealed through eye color, which would make her sire a Pride demon." He lowered his head and moved even closer as though he might kiss me.

I couldn't help but notice the fullness of his lips and was suddenly embarrassed. My eyes wanted to cross, but I held his gaze, hoping he would be able to give a solid answer. Perhaps my demon sire was a Sloth, but there where certain times that my eyes would change from blue-green to green-blue, so did that make my sire a Greed demon then?

"The other trainers and I have discussed it and can't say for certain. She doesn't fight like a Sloth demon. Her movements are too quick and calculating," Peter went on.

"You're right. She doesn't move like a Sloth warrior. I would guess Wrath by her aggressiveness." He seemed satisfied with that guess.

"We've considered Greed as well, but she doesn't display a Greed demon's appetites." Peter continued to study me, clasping his hands in front of him.

"I would also agree with that assessment based on what I've seen tonight." Wrythe straightened. "You're a mystery, Alice Blackburn." He crossed his arms in front of his bulky chest, causing his rippling muscles to flex under his black tee shirt. "And you're also tonight's winner. Congratulations." He clapped and the others joined in even though I could tell they weren't thrilled.

"Thank you, Your Highness." I bowed at the waist, locking eyes on his inky combat boots.

"What do you intend to do tonight?" he asked.

"Um," I glanced at the other trainees. "Would you mind if I invited everyone to go up into Wonderland with me?"

The king's brows crunched together. "Most definitely not a Greed demon sire and much too beautiful as well." He considered me thoughtfully.

My face heated and I wanted to hide.

"That wasn't the agreement," Peter chimed in, but I figured it wouldn't hurt to try.

"It's true. But," Wrythe paused, and smiled a large, genuine smile, making him even more gorgeous. "I like your style, Alice Blackburn." He walked to the exit where he pushed open the door. "Yes, I think that would be an excellent idea." He gave Peter a pointed look. "Go with them. They deserve the break."

Peter nodded. "Of course, sire."

"Besides, I believe it's Eric's birthday?" the king added.

Eric lifted his head a bit higher. "It is."

"Well then it's more than settled. Be sure to eat some cake for me too," Wrythe said and left.

# 3

Birthdays weren't exactly happy for us Moths, especially when it was our eighteenth like it was Eric's. That was because the demon parent officially began its hunt to kill their offspring on this day. The Dark Moth Society's ruler knew what today meant. For that reason I was surprised Wrythe had agreed to let him go above ground.

When I asked Wrythe to let everyone go it was because I'd forgotten Eric's birthday. I'd been too excited about winning.

Now, though...

It was well known that the demon sire rarely came after his offspring on their actual birthday. That would be too easy. And the demons hunted us for sport. It was amusing to them. They'd discovered eons ago that they could do it, so they did. We were nothing more than their entertainment.

They impregnated human women without their knowledge, forced them to carry the Moth child to term, and once born, terminated the mother. It was heartless, cruel, and evil. But it was all we knew.

Normally the demon would allow the Moth to worry and fret a week or two, even sometimes killing those close to the Moth first. Or he might enter their dreams, showing them how he intended to kill them. I'd heard of one sire who'd taken over the body of a half demon's fiancé only so he could torture her, bring her low and break her mentally before slaughtering her.

"I've changed my mind. I don't think we should go," I said to Wendy while I watched her apply her makeup. We were in our shared bedroom and I was sitting on my bed. There were no posters on the walls. Barely anything sat atop the dresser and no fancy bedding with extra pillows. Basically, there was no frou-frou. It was like what I imagined a military barracks would be in the human realm. Beds, a dresser, and four plain walls. Not that I minded. The accommodations were better than my living arrangements before the Dark Moths took me in.

Wendy looked pretty in heels, skinny jeans, and a red silk halter-top. She'd curled her dark hair and it lay against her creamy skin in a halo of soft curls. For makeup she'd done smoky eyes in dark gray and black and then applied red lipstick that matched her top as well as her markings.

During dinner, the others had talked excitedly about what they wanted to do while above ground. The plan was to go to a club called The Mad Hatter. It was rumored to be the party place for all Warriors with drinks and dancing and fun. Not that any of us had much experience with the meaning of that word. We'd been training within the compound since we were twelve and for most of us, it was the only home we cared to remember.

"Of course we're going to go, Ali—" she paused and took in my outfit.

I had on dark jeans, my old black combat boots, and a black tank top. After my shower, I'd brushed out my hair and put some mousse in it figuring I'd let it air dry. My makeup consisted of nothing, unless I counted the lotion I applied.

"Is that what you're wearing?" She wrinkled her nose like I smelled bad.

I glanced down, sniffing slightly. "Yeah." Soap scent filled my nose.

She shook her head. "You're lucky you have those weird eyes. At least they provide a pop of color." She grabbed her bag and added a small dagger to the rest of the contents, then sealed it shut.

"I seriously doubt they'll let you bring a weapon into the club." I didn't tell her about the knife hidden in my boot.

She laughed, retrieving it from her bag. "Old habits die hard." She set it on the tall oak dresser we shared and headed toward the door.

"With Eric's birthday, I don't think it's—" I tried again.

Wendy held up her hand, cutting me off. "Look, I know you're the Queen of Hearts and that you don't care about the rest of us." She went over to her wooden jewelry box, found a necklace, and put it on. "Not really, anyway. But Eric is my boyfriend. Tonight is his birthday. And since you won the challenge you have to come." She stomped one of her healed feet as her markings flashed deep red. "So get off your butt and let's go."

"Fine." I hated it when the others called me Queen of Hearts, probably because the nickname fit. But not the way they thought.

That was my biggest secret: my heart overflowed with emotions and feelings. I cared too much. More than I should. I fought to protect my heart because caring hurt, more than they could know.

As we walked down the hall, we met Pam and Georgia. They both looked great as well. Georgia in a bright yellow sundress and Pam in a plum poplin top and white pants.

We turned the corner and opened the door to the guys' hallway. They were waiting by the elevator, all dressed in variations of the same outfit. Jeans and button-up shirts. Eric wore green, Gilbert had on orange, Steve looked nice in blue, and Leif wore pink.

Eric's eyes lit up as soon as he saw Wendy.

"You look gorgeous," he said hugging her and kissing her neck.

"Thanks."

The rest of us tried to pretend we were invisible while they proceeded to passionately make out.

Finally Steve had enough. "Let's go."

"We can't yet. We need to wait for Peter." I faced the door that led to the teachers' quarters just as Peter appeared with the key that would unlock the elevator and take us up. Up out of Demonland and into the real world, the one where we were hunted like animals.

Usually Peter wore all black. Tonight he had on faded jeans and a purple tee shirt. He'd showered and pulled his long black hair back with a tie at the nape of his neck.

"You clean up nice," Pamela said, sidling closer to him.

"So do you," he responded with appreciation, though he kept his distance.

His words surprised all of us. He took in our shocked faces and chuckled. "What? I'm not allowed to have fun? I need to stick to babysitter duties?"

I hadn't thought about that. To me, Peter was a teacher, someone way out of my league, but he was probably only a few years older than the rest of us.

"Oh no. You should definitely have some fun," Pam said, giving him a sultry smile.

"How about I find a happy medium." He went over to the elevator covered by a wrought iron gate and opened it with a squeal that set my ears on fire. Then he took the strange circular-shaped key he carried, inserted it into the keyhole just below the button that had an up arrow and turned it to the right.

A motor kicked on and after several long moments the doors pinged open. Silently, we road up. It seemed to take an hour, but was probably closer to five minutes. When the door opened again, we stepped out into a parking garage.

"Welcome to Wonderland, Arizona. Population 17, 275," Peter said, tucking the key into his pocket.

I was the last one out and gulped down the dry, hot air. It took my breath away. Even at eleven o'clock at night, the heat was stifling. "So where's this club?" I asked, longing to turn around and go back.

"What's the matter Queen of Hearts? Can't take a little heat?" Leif lightly punched me in the arm.

He was trying to be cute and flirty. It wasn't working. I punched him back not so lightly. "I just want to get this _fun_ over with." My nerves tingled and I was on edge.

Peter faced us. "Huddle up," he said, sounding like the coach in a football game.

When we all faced him he said, "There are three rules. One: Watch out for each other. If you see a trainee in trouble, help them out. Two: Don't use your abilities on non-Moths. Leave the humans alone. And three: If we lose one another, this is our meeting spot." He gave each of us a serious glare, gauging how well we were listening. "We won't return to the compound until we have everyone. Got it?"

"Got it, boss," Steve said.

"Keep your eyes peeled. Check out your surroundings. If something looks out of place, let me know."

I gave Peter a mental snort. Didn't he realize it all looked out of place to us? I didn't know for sure, but I was pretty positive none of us had been above ground in at least a year.

# 4

Several blocks before we reached the club I could feel the music. It radiated from the ground and caused it to shake. Old movie posters of _Avengers, Hunger Games_ , and _The Duff_ lined a bus stop. We walked past a _Barnes and Noble_ , a store with a weird apple sign, and a grocery store called Winegar's before turning into an alley.

"Stay close," Peter said as though the homeless littering the concrete walls could hurt us.

A man held out his hand. "Spare a dollar?" he asked.

I touched Peter's arm. "Do you have a dollar I can give him?"

He chuckled and kept walking. Apparently, he had no intention of giving the guy any money. "You have been out of touch with the real world for way too long. There should be a class that teaches you how to live out here. You won't be down in the compound forever."

_True, but only if we don't die_ , I thought as we rounded the corner.

It was evident which building housed the club. A long line of people stood waiting to get in. Steve headed toward the end of the line.

"Stick together," Peter said, grabbing him by the shirt. He walked up to the bouncer. The big guy took off his sunglasses even though it was way to dark to be wearing them in the first pace. Peter and the guy talked for a few seconds before the guy put his shades back on. Then proceeded to unhook the velvet rope and let us walk in.

Those still waiting shouted obscenities and grumbled. Someone even threw an empty can. I heard it coming and caught it in mid air, then turned, searching the crowd for the culprit. No one came forward, which was probably for the best, so I tossed the can in the trash and walked inside.

The temperature immediately went from stuffy hot to positively chilly. A light mist sprayed the room giving it a smoky quality. It caused the colorful ceiling lights to linger in the air. Bodies writhed and moved on the dance floor to the beat of some kind of electro-techno music.

Eric and Wendy found us a couple of tables and the rest of the group were seated. A waitress came over and took their orders after checking ids. As far as I knew, Peter was the only one old enough to drink, but he wasn't at the table.

Not that it really mattered whether we were old enough anyway. The demon DNA we possessed made it so alcohol metabolized and burned up before we were affected. It was the same with drugs or so I was told. Our DNA had benefits too. We healed fast and rarely got sick. When we were wounded though, we just had suffer through the pain.

I didn't sit, but stood a little ways off, checking the surroundings. That niggling of being watched still lingered and I worked to figure out why.

Peter was suddenly at my side. "Why don't you go over and hang out with them?"

"I... In a minute." It was hard to explain how little I fit in. "Why aren't you over there?" I decided to turn the question back on him.

"Well, I'm the teacher. Not an equal or an ally, but a superior. Going over there will only make them uncomfortable." He crossed his hands behind his back.

"I guess that makes sense." We weren't friends, though I sure he had some.

Eric and Wendy got up and began dancing, their bodies twining together like two pieces of the same rope. Eric leaned in and kissed her cheek causing Wendy to giggle. Leif flirted with the waitress when she brought back the drinks. Steve and Gilbert were speaking to a couple of girls at the next table. Georgia and Pam chatted and laughed, swaying to the music. It was sweet seeing them laughing, enjoying themselves, and doing something besides training.

A small part of me felt envious.

"But you should totally get over there," Peter continued. "I mean, I know what they call y—" He didn't finish.

I glanced up at him. "Peter, what is it?" I followed his gaze. There was a man walking along the outskirts of the club, like a cougar, he hunted for something. _Or someone,_ I thought and immediately froze. He looked like the actor from a movie we'd just watched about an alien superhero. _Thor_ , my mind said.

He was tall, with bulging muscles straining against an expensive suit. The man had long blond hair that he let hang free and he wore a ring that glittered against the lights on his left middle finger.

_Who are you hunting?_ Before I finished thinking the question, I knew the answer. He was an Envy demon, which meant he was here for Eric.

"Peter, he's a demon."

"I know." He faced me. "Calmly go over to the group and tell them to head back to our spot."

"And what are you going to do?"

"I'm going after it." His dark eyes shimmered with anticipation. "Do as I say."

I jumped into action, walking too quickly. When I realized, I slowed my pace, keeping my heart rate even, in case he the demon was listening.

"Alice, glad you could join us," Leif said, reaching out to hug me.

I sidestepped him and went over to Wendy and Eric.

"Alice, what is it?" Eric gave me a questioning glance.

"He's here. Your demon sire." I figured it was best to get straight to the point.

"No, he can't be," Wendy said, but I smelled the immediate fear on her.

"It's true. We need to go. Peter wants us to meet at the garage. Help me gather the others."

"No, if he's here for me, I have to stay and fight. I can't put anyone else in danger." As Eric spoke he looked at Wendy and I saw the raw love he had for her.

I reached out and touched Eric's arm. "That's honorable and I know that's what we've been trained to do, but you aren't prepared. You have no weapons. We should do as Peter said. Regroup and then we can help you go after the demon."

"Dammit." He slammed his fist into the table, causing it to crack.

"What's wrong," Leif asked, standing.

"Envy demon. He's here for Eric. We need to take off." I searched the perimeter for the demon and easily found him. He had his slimy hand on a supermodel tall, blonde girl. They were talking. She started to head toward the exit when the demon looked directly at me. His dark eyes seemed to pierce through my body. Then he smiled. If I hadn't known what he was I might've been taken in by his easy manner and charm. Instead I grabbed Leif's arm and shove him toward the exit. "Hurry."

Without effort, the demon jumped on a table, scaring the supermodel and the others around her. His nails grew long, like pointed claws.

People began to scream.

We pushed toward the exit. I searched for Peter as I moved, wondering where he'd gone. The demon leaped from the table he stood on to the table our group had been sitting at only moments before. He picked up a drink and chugged it down. Then threw the glass into the mirror behind the bar, causing it to shatter. More people screamed. Several bouncers headed toward the demon. His smile grew bigger.

"This is my favorite part," I heard him say. It wasn't that he spoke loudly, but that his words seemed to pierce my insides. The table split in two but he was prepared and landed gracefully.

I shuddered with fear, but also with exhilaration. I'd never seen a royal demon up close. I'd seen plenty of Dark Moths and it was true that we all possessed the same powers as our demon sire, but we looked human. And while the demon tearing through the bouncers at the club appeared human when he wanted to, it was obvious that was not his true form.

_So what did he look like?_

"Alice," Leif yelled. Everyone was at the exit and they were waving me over. But I didn't feel right about leaving those in the club to die.

I took the knife from my boot and ran toward the Envy demon. My pulse quickened. I was impatient to fight. But before I reached him, someone pulled me back.

"What do you think you're doing?" Peter hissed in my ear.

"Protecting the humans," I said, keeping my focus on the demon.

"No. Get out."

"I won't," I said.

The demon noticed us and stood, though he didn't come over. "I won't fight you, girl. I'm here for the one called Eric." He slashed through a bouncer and shoved anyone in his way until he was directly in front of Peter and me. So close, he appeared to be over eight feet. "Besides, your sire would kill me if I laid a finger on you." He pointed one of his claws in my face. "But oh, I'm tempted. You are luscious." His voice was gravelly, not quite garbled, but it sounded like English was not his first language. "As for you," he turned to Peter. "I can lay as many fingers on you as I want." His clawed hand reached out to grab Peter's neck.

Without thinking, I cut off the demon's hand.

He roared, bringing his bloodied wrist into his chest. "Evil child. I look forward to the day when your sire comes after you. I'll be an enthusiastic spectator for your death."

"Who is he?" I shot back, desperate for answers.

He gnashed his teeth, held out his arm, and I watched his sleek, clawed hand regrow before my eyes. "Tell Eric I'm coming for him." He cackled gleefully. "Let the games begin." He jumped into the air. It looked like he would go through the roof, but he vanished.

# 5

"Alice Blackburn, what you just did..." Peter stopped and shook his head. "It was irresponsible, careless, and one of the most heroic deeds I've ever seen." He pulled me into a quick hug.

Beyond shocked, I didn't respond. Just stood there. As trainees physical contact wasn't a regular occurrence, especially between trainers and their students.

"Let's go find the others. They can't be far," he said, releasing me

I nodded, a numb euphoria coursing through my veins. I wasn't ready to be done.

We exited the club and blended with the crowd. Swirling red and blue lights filled the sky. Police cars, a fire truck, and an ambulance had arrived on the scene. Crews helped those who'd been wounded while the police went inside.

"Where are they?" I asked Peter, searching the crowd for the rest of our group.

"I'm guessing they went back to our meet up spot. Let's go."

Before we'd gone two feet, the air changed. Overhead it was like spilled ink over white paper and a thick darkness descended. It roared past the Spanish styled buildings, blocking out the stars and the three-quarter moon.

"What's happening?" I'd put my knife back in my boot but I itched to have it in my hand once again.

"It's the demon. He's called the menials who serve him. The hunt is on."

Peter was right. The impenetrable darkness wasn't just night, but hordes of rat-like menial demons. With them they brought the strong stench of sulfur and decaying flesh.

"And me without my sword," I said sarcastically.

Peter chuckled. "You're such a warrior." He searched our surroundings. "We need some cover."

"Can the humans see the menials?" I asked hurrying after Peter past the people. They didn't seem afraid but milled around like the menials weren't there.

"They can probably feel their presence, but no, not unless the demons want them to. Come on." Peter took off running. "We need to get away from everyone," he shouted as he ran directly into the menials.

I followed, grabbing the knife from my boot as a dozen rats swooped in front of me. I gutted one and punched another as I tried car doors along the street. Finally I found an old beater and dove in, slamming a demon in the door when it shut.

The rats were everywhere, so thick I couldn't see anything else, not even Peter. _Where are you?_ I hoped he was okay.

The passenger side door opened and a guy got in.

"What the— Get out," I shouted. He'd scared me and I'd nearly stabbed him in the throat.

He pushed my hand away, careful to avoid the pointy end of the knife. "You realize they can get into the car if they want. You aren't safe in here." As he spoke one of the menials slammed against the windshield. Shattered glass went everywhere and bit into my face, neck, and arms.

I ignored them as the guy grabbed the little demon by the neck with both hands and twisted until there was a pop. It immediately turned to dark ash. "One down, a million to go." He smirked and reached through the glass, grabbing another.

The move surprised me. He surprised me. Who the crap was he? It was obvious he knew about the demons and also had abilities. Not to mention he'd been well trained, but he didn't look like a Dark Moth.

With one demon dead, a dozen more started through. I cut at them and was quickly covered in demon goo.

"Take my hand," the guy said, holding it out.

"No way." I didn't know the guy. I preferred to take my chances with the rats.

"Okay, but I'm out." He opened the door and disappeared into the sea of demons, fighting and punching as he went.

In moments, it became apparent he was wise to leave. The menials had me pinned against the seat and were biting and clawing at my skin. "Get off of me." I stabbed one in the neck and wrung another's. Demon ash covered me and combined with the blood from the places where I'd been bitten.

I growled as one of them pulled my hair and another bit my cheek. My knife was snatched from my hand and a demon sank its putrid teeth into my flesh. "That's it." In the past I could count on one hand the number of times I used my demon powers. In truth, they were scary and I preferred to use my weapons. But with a dozen demons pinning me inside the car, I had no choice. Closing my eyes, I took a deep breath, feeling for the strength. It raced along my veins, changing the color of my blood to black as it swelled and burst out from every one of my pores.

Continuing to focus, I kept my eyes closed as the menials squealed in pain. Ash soaked me like rain in a thunderstorm. When I opened my eyes, I was surprised to see a cobalt light emanating off my skin and pushing outward. Every demon that came in contact with it was instantly incinerated.

Though I'd learned about the power each Dark Moth possessed in school, seeing it was completely different. I felt formidable and unstoppable and if I were honest, a little out of control. But I wasn't going to question it, not right them. Blood dripped from my cheek and onto my hand as I pushed the door open and climbed out.

Humans were wandering around, still dazed from what'd happened in the club. One of the medical professionals came over and asked if I needed help. The shield that surrounded me and kept the demons at bay didn't faze him or maybe he couldn't see it because he walked right through it.

"I'm fine," I said and took off, heading in the direction of the parking garage.

# 6

The menials followed and continued to attack my cobalt shield without regard for their own lives. I hoped my powers would hold until I reached the others.

Pushing faster, I ran down the alley, past the grocery store and the bus stop. The guy who'd been in my car was in the middle of at least twenty menials, battling for his life. But it looked like he had the upper hand. He held a sword in each hand, mowing through them like they weren't there. Demon blood spattered against everything, soaking it in freckled goo.

The guy's eyes found mine and he smirked before refocusing on the menials. It looked like the guy was having fun. _Crazy._ I shook my head, moving past him and into the parking garage. If he were a Dark Moth warrior he would know where the entrance was and how to get himself to safety, and if he wasn't it didn't matter if he knew or not. No one but a Dark Moth who'd been deemed worthy could enter.

The elevator was on the bottom level. I scampered to the edge of the concrete wall and peered over as shouts and screams reached my ears from below. Those were my people and they were losing. Flinging my legs over the edge, I jumped off and sailed down the five floors. My feet struck the floor with a heavy thud and I felt my bones jar a moment.

"Alice." Leif noticed me first. He was covered in ash and had a huge scratch on one cheek. "It's here," was all he said, but I knew who he meant.

The Envy demon. I saw it at once as well as a few dozen menials. There were also six other demons, bigger than the menials, but not as big as the royal. By the looks of them and the instruction I'd received during training, they were trackers or mid-level demons.

Each stood four feet tall with skin that glistened like oily green snakes. Their eyes were small and beady. They had two slits for a nose, and a large mouth full of black, razor sharp teeth. Their tails were lined with spikes, like thorns on the stem of a rose.

Peter fought with two of them while Steven, Leif, and the others battled the menials.

Except for Wendy. The Envy demon had Eric cornered and she was fighting four trackers on her own, slashing through them, trying to reach her boyfriend. The markings on her hands were lit up bright red.

_Wrath,_ I thought, impressed by her ferocity.

I realized as I watched the scene unfold that the only Moths in real peril were Peter and Eric. The menials and mid-level demons weren't delivering lethal blows. It looked more like they were toying with them, keeping the trainees occupied while the Envy demon went after Eric.

A quick appraisal told me Peter had his demons under control, but Eric had suddenly vanished. I ran over, using my shield to get past the trackers. They shrieked as my shield fried their skin.

"Alice," Wendy cried, sounding relieved I was there to help.

The Envy demon turned when Wendy spoke my name. His face changed into something not at all human. He had the same sharp black teeth, like the trackers, but they were much larger. His mouth took up most of his face.

It was with shocked sadness that I saw a hand dangling from the demon's teeth. "Alice Blackburn," it hissed, pitching the rest of Eric's appendage into his mouth. It crunched down, grinding the bones as he chewed.

Wendy screamed from behind me and I guessed she'd seen what I had.

The remains of Eric sagged in the demons clawed hands. His head was still intact and his eyes were open but lifeless. It looked like Eric had died in the middle of a scream.

"No," I whispered, unable to believe what I was seeing. It wasn't that the rest of the trainees and I were close, but they were all the family I had. Seeing Eric killed in such a gruesome way infuriated me. I ran forward my power still burning around me and dove for the demon's neck.

The Envy demon dropped Eric and tried to swat me aside, but I grabbed hold of his fingers and twisted, listening to the bones break. At the same time I sent my elbow into his windpipe. He gasped as I spun in the air, moving my hands to his mouth where I took hold of his upper and lower jaws, ripping them apart. There was no pain when his teeth dug into my fingers. I felt nothing but white-hot rage as I tore him apart.

My demon power was doing its work as well and the smell of sizzling demon flesh filled my nose. Green blood covered me like I'd bathed in it. As the demon went down, his voice hissed inside my head: _You're stronger than the others. Seven times seven. But that means when your sire comes after you, the pain you'll endure will be seven times seven. Remember that, Alice Blackburn._

"Who is my sire?" I shook at how close I was to the answer. The demon's body turned to ash. With the Envy demon gone, the lower demons vanished as well. I guessed they'd gone back to the Demon Realm where they'd come from.

"How did she do that?" Leif asked, his voice filled with awe. He was breathing heavily and appeared to be in shock.

"I thought Dark Moths could only kill a greater demon after they'd killed their sire," Steven added. One of his arms dangled at an odd angle. It would heal on its own though.

"Does that mean the Envy demon was her dear old dad as well as Eric's?" Pam asked. A gash in her thigh soaked her pantleg in red.

"Did you see that shield around her?" Georgia wiped some blood from her eye on her shirt. "It was incredible."

I didn't want to listen to anymore. Killing the Envy demon felt good, right, but that didn't mean he'd been my sire. The demon had said seven times seven. Which demon was that?

I didn't have the answers, but at least my years of training had finally come to mean something. I'd experienced what destroying an upper-level demon felt like. And I knew without question my destiny. I would rid the world of every last demon.

Armed with that knowledge, I turned my attention to Wendy, worried about what she might do. She'd gone over to what was left of Eric and had his head in her hands. Sobs tore through her.

"I'm so sorry, Wendy," I murmured. For some reason I felt responsible for his death.

She shook her head. "I can't believe it. He's gone. No. No. No." She was on the verge of a breakdown. I didn't know what to do.

Thankfully Peter took over as my powers subsided and finally vanished, leaving me tired.

# 7

The ride down in the elevator was beyond somber. Wendy cried quietly against Peter. Leif and Steven carried Eric's remains. I stood in the front, near the doors. Between the stench of death and the Envy demon's blood as well as the ash, it was hard to breathe.

When the door pinged open, I stepped out.

"Take Eric's remains down to the infirmary. Heathcliff will know what to do," Peter said as he practically carried Wendy.

"Yes, sir." Steven and Leif headed toward the hospital wing.

"Leif? Let Heathcliff know I'll be down in a few minutes."

"You got it."

Georgia and Pam quietly turned toward the dorms.

"Alice, you coming?" Pam asked.

"In a minute."

"Go on," Peter urged. "I've got Wendy." He gave me a once over. "Get cleaned up."

I nodded dully. "Okay." I entered my room after Pam. As I walked past the bed, a part of me longed to fall on it and sleep for a week. But that would be gross since I was covered in dead demon. So I edged into the bathroom, closing the door.

After I showered and dressed, there was a knock on the door. "Alice, it's Peter."

"Is Wendy okay?" I opened the door.

"Yes, Heathcliff gave her something to help her sleep, but that's not why I'm here." He was changed and cleaned up as well.

"Oh?"

"It's Wrythe. He wants to speak with you."

My heart jumped into my throat. "Why?" I threw my towel into the hamper on top of my dirty clothes before sitting on my bed. There I tugged on my black boots that matched the rest of my outfit.

"I'm guessing he wants to know what happened tonight," Peter said, but I sensed there was more.

"So what do I tell him?" I grabbed my leather jacket and threw it on.

"The truth, of course." Peter smiled and put an arm around my shoulder as we went down the hall together. "He isn't as scary as he seems."

"I'm not sure I believe you." I gave him a sideways glance. Wrythe wasn't a Moth I would ever want to cross in a dark alley. He made me more nervous than the demon I killed tonight.

"Wrythe has been around a long time. He's killed more royal demons than anyone. He knows how to protect regular Moths as well as the rest of our kind. So don't shut him out. Tell him everything."

We came to the door that led to Wrythe's personal chambers. Peter knocked.

"Enter," Wrythe commanded.

"Remember what I said."

"I will," I replied as my knees began to quake.

The door swung open and a man dressed like a butler waved me inside.

The room was filled with expensive and extravagant things, but I couldn't focus on them once my gaze landed on the king.

"Hello, Alice." Wrythe sat on a large leather couch. He wore a pair of board shorts, flip-flops, and a tee shirt. He didn't look like the leader of the most dangerous league of assassins the world had ever not known about.

I bowed, keeping my eyes trained on my boots. "Hello, sir."

"Have a seat."

I scoped the room and took the leather chair that matched the couch across from him.

"Would you like a drink?" He indicated a decanter and glasses on the coffee table between us.

"No, thanks."

"So you want to get right to it?" He sat up and leaned forward. "Very well. Tell me what happened tonight.

For the next ten minutes I explained everything. Well, nearly everything, just as Peter told me to. When I finished, Wrythe picked up one of the glasses and poured himself a drink. "Do you think the Envy demon was your sire?" he asked after taking a long sip.

It was the moment of truth. Did I confess what the demon had said about the seven times seven? It felt like nothing and too big a secret at the same time. I needed to research and mull it over. I respected Wrythe as the leader of our society, but I didn't trust him. I didn't even know him. I shrugged. "I don't know. It seems likely given the fact I was able to kill him, doesn't it?" I wanted answers.

Wrythe leaned back. "Our kind has existed for nearly as long as man has walked the Earth. As soon as demons realized what they could do, they began the awful game of creating and then killing their half-breed offspring. There's no rhyme or reason to it. As with most evil in the world there doesn't have to be." He took another drink of whatever was in his glass before setting it back down. "I was one of the first to be born with the markings." He turned his hands so they faced me and I could see his marks. They were still red, the mark of Wrath, but they'd faded over the years. "I first realized I had powers about a week after I turned eighteen. There was no society back then. I didn't even know other Moths existed. My demon came after me with a vengeance I'd never seen. He was hungry for my murder. When my powers manifested it was a complete surprise to him as much as it was to me, which was how I was able to beat him." He clasped his hands together.

I crossed one leg over the other and waited for him to continue. His story was one I'd heard before I could read or write, but never from his own mouth.

"Over the centuries others like me started to find each other. Instead of being chickens in a coup full of more chickens awaiting the inevitable fox to come and kill us, we finally became our own breed of fox, and we could kill just as easily."

"Why do you think certain Moths began to receive the markings and powers?" That was a question none of my teachers could ever answer definitively. Our histories were full of theories and ideas, but nothing concrete.

"I believe it's because life always finds a way to go on. We'd been nothing more than prey. Playthings to be toyed with and consumed, but our will to survive caused us to evolve."

I liked that philosophy. _Life finds a way..._

"Perhaps you're our latest evolution, Alice. A Dark Moth that can kill any demon." His eyes glittered in the overbearing lights.

_Tell him what you know,_ my mind shouted. "Maybe you're right," was all I said.

"Alice?" He came over to my chair. "You can tru—"

There was a sharp knock on the door.

Wrythe straightened. "Enter."

Two warriors came in. Between them slumped the guy who jumped into the car I'd been trying to steal.

# 8

"Who is this?" Wrythe asked, a bit of amusement in his voice.

"We found him in the parking garage near the elevator," one of the warriors said.

Wrythe checked the backs of the guy's hands. "He has no marks. Why would you think to bring him down here?"

"He had this blade on him, not to mention all of the demon blood." The other warrior produced a sword that had the marks of the Dark Moth on them.

I felt compelled to add the information I had as well. "He was also able to see the demons. And he told me they would be able to get through the car... Maybe he's a regular Moth who knows how to fight?"

Wrythe smiled. "I believe you might be right." He went back over to the couch. "Boys, take him to Heathcliff."

As they carried him out the door, Wrythe said, "Alice, I'm making this boy your responsibility. Once he's healed, find out his story, discover what you can about him and then bring me the answers. Understand?"

I shivered internally, even though I didn't know why. But I wanted to decline. Instead, I reacted like a good little soldier. "Yes, your highness."

"Good girl now get going. Your mission starts now. Don't leave his side until I instruct otherwise." He went to the door and held it open, waiting for me to leave.

"Very well." I followed after the warriors and held open the double doors to the hospital wing so they could carry the wounded man inside.

"Heathcliff!" one of the warriors shouted. "We have another wounded."

The physician was sitting at his desk looking into a microscope. At his name, he jumped with surprise and let out a very unmanly yelp. "Isaac. Neeko." He brushed his graying hair out of his face. "Who have you brought me?"

"We think he's a regular Moth, but he's wounded and unconscious."

"Well, get him on the table so I can have a look."

They got him up, laying him on his back.

The room was clean and sterile. Everything in its place. The walls, ceiling, and floor were stark white. Lights blazed so bright it looked like daytime. Rows of glass cupboards lined the wall on the left. I saw a heart, an ear, and the head of an unknown creature before I looked away. The back wall held two doors and in between them was Heathcliff's workstation in the shape of a T, complete with three computer monitors, the microscope and other machines I wasn't sure about. On the wall above the workstation were four rows of bookshelves filled with old books behind glass doors. To the right was a sink, more cupboards, another table, and some machines. In the center of the room was a stainless steel table on wheels. Below it was a drain.

The room terrified me.

"Does he have a name?" Heathcliff asked, his gaze landing on me.

"I don't know," I said.

"Fine." Heathcliff took a pair of shears from one of his drawers. "Everyone can go. I have work to do." He shooed the warriors from the room. "You too, Alice."

"Wrythe ordered me to remain by his side," I said, swallowing down the lump in my throat.

Heathcliff raised his thick, graying eyebrows. "Very well then. You can be my assistant." He handed me the scissors. "Cut the boy's shirt at the center and straight up." He went to jar and removed some gauze. "Hurry. I need to assess his injuries and see what kind of damage is under there."

I went over to the table. The guy's black shirt was soaked in demon blood as well as some of his own and I cut into it. He looked like a Moth with deep black hair, tanned skin, tall and muscled. His eyes were closed, but I had a feeling when they were open, they'd be gray too. The same as everyone else's.

_Not me though,_ I thought.

"Hustle, Alice," Heathcliff urged.

"Right." I finished cutting and parted the shirt. There was a large slash across his incredibly toned abs. It was bleeding though it had slowed. He had smaller scrapes, welts, and teeth marks all over his torso, arms, neck, and face similar to mine.

I'd tried to bind my fingers after my shower, but they were still bleeding.

"Good green goodness. What happened to you all?" He pressed the gauze to the guy's wound and then turned to me. As he pulled the bandages from my fingers, I told him about the Envy demon as well as the menials.

"Sounds scary," he said, leading me over to the large sink and turned on the water. "Why didn't you say something about these wounds?"

"I forgot," I said shrugging.

He mumbled something incoherent as he squirted something that smelled like antiseptic into my hands before moving back to the guy bleeding on the table. "Wash up. Use that towel beside the sink to dry your hands. It's clean."

I rubbed my hands together, forcing myself not to wince. The liquid stung as it hit the places where the demons teeth went in. Fresh blood poured from my fingers as I removed the hardened, old stuff.

"Good." He returned and quickly bandaged my hands. "Put on a pair of gloves so you can help me attend to this guy. This looks like the work of a tracker. Its claws got him good."

"Claws did that?"

"Afraid so." As he spoke he dabbed at the wound with something that smelled of lemons and alcohol. Once I had my gloves in place he handed the wad of gauze to me. "Carefully clean away as much blood as you can while I hook him up to a saline drip and give him some blood. He'll need both."

I wiped at the blood until the gauze was soaked. Grabbed another and continued until the area was as clean as I could get it.

Then Heathcliff pushed me out of the way. "I'll need to sew him closed to assist with his healing." He held a needle and thread in one hand and a clean swatch of gauze in the other. "This is going to hurt him. Since anesthetic won't help, I'll need you to hold his hands so he doesn't get in my way."

"How? Where—" I wasn't sure where to hold him down and touching him in his current state seemed too personal.

He shook his head. "Our instructors really need to work on giving you trainees some medical skills." He pushed me toward the guy's head. "Stand above him. Lean over and take his arms, and hold them tight until I'm finished."

"Fine," I said, thinking Heathcliff was right about some medical training. I grabbed the guy's arms. His biceps were large, but I pressed down as best I could.

"Here we go." Heathcliff stuck the needle into the guy's skin.

The guy groaned in pain and tried to roll away.

"Keep him steady," Heathcliff snapped.

I tightened my grip as Heathcliff fished the needle back through the skin.

The guy groaned again, one leg kicked.

"Do not let him move."

I leaned over the guy, pressing my elbows into his shoulders, watching his face.

As Heathcliff stuck his needle in once again, the guy moaned. And his eyes opened.

"What the hell are you doing?" His eyes caught hold of mine. I glanced away, but not without first seeing that his eyes weren't gray, and they weren't like mine either. They were bright green.

"Don't move. You've got a nasty cut and I'm trying to patch you up, uh—what's your name, kid?" Heathcliff stuck the needle that resembled a fishhook through his skin.

"Ahhhh, damn that hurts." The guy shuddered.

I glanced down at him, trying not to stare, but I couldn't help myself.

"I'm Kade. Kade Everett," he said through clenched teeth.

"Well, Mr. Everett. My name is Heathcliff Henry but you can call me Doc." He pulled the thread all the way through.

"Good to meet you, I guess," Kade said, blowing out a steadying breath.

"We'll see if you still feel that way when I'm finished sewing up all of your wounds." Doc winked. "The woman holding you down is Alice."

"Hi Alice," he said, tracing my face with his eyes.

Embarrassment rushed through me. "Hello." I looked away, watching Heathcliff work and hoping he'd finish quickly.

"This is going to hurt. Be strong and hold still," Heathcliff continued.

# 9

For the next thirty minutes, Heathcliff sewed up Kade's large wound as well as cleaned out and stitched the smaller ones. I was impressed with how still and quiet Kade was. I felt his jaw clench and unclench several times, but he didn't let out another sound.

Finally, Doc straightened. He rolled his shoulders, cracking his back. "Done."

The tension in Kade slowly relaxed. I removed my elbows and arms from him.

He rubbed them gingerly. "You're strong."

"Sorry," I muttered, but didn't really mean it.

Kade could tell. "Uh-huh."

With the wounds cleaned, they were already healing as were my fingers.

"I'm going to keep you in the sick bay overnight." Heathcliff helped Kade sit up as he spoke. "I'll need to check the wound tomorrow, but you should be pretty close to back to normal in a couple of days."

Kade stood, but kept himself bent over. I had a feeling it had to do with the fifty or so stitches in his abdomen.

Heathcliff took one of Kade's arms and I took the other. We slowly walked him to one of the small rooms at the back of Doc's office. The doctor pushed a button and the door slid open. There were two twin-sized beds with a small dresser near the footboard of each. Opposite the entrance was a tiny bathroom. "There are clothes in the dressers. Help Kade get cleaned up."

"What, we're going to be roomies?" Kade glanced down at me.

I literally felt my heart stop. "I guess so."

"Oh, I get it. You're my PO."

"PO?" I asked, confused. I had no idea what it could mean.

"Parole Officer," he said, carefully sitting on the edge of the bed. "You're going to keep me out of trouble, make sure I mind my manners, that sort of thing."

I chuckled lamely. "Something like that unless you just want to tell me everything there is to know about you now." I crossed my arms, hoping he would.

"Cool," he said

"I supposed a shower is out of the question?" I asked, eyeing his disgusting clothes and working to ignore the scent.

"You are more than welcome to give me a sponge bath." He raised his eyes, hopeful.

I would've smacked him; except he was hurt everywhere so I just rolled my eyes. "Not happening.

"Yeah, but he's going to need your help." Heathcliff opened the door and started laughing. "Good luck with that."

I nearly died of embarrassment. "Thanks."

As Doc was about to leave, I said, "Can I borrow those shears I used to cut open his shirt?"

"Sure thing." Heathcliff left a moment and then came back. "Do I want to know what you're going to do with these?"

I took the scissors. "Yeah, I'm going to cut off his clothes."

"Good plan," he said and left, letting the door slide closed.

"Ohhhhhh, you're putting the moves on me now?" Kade smiled, showing off his sensual mouth.

I was mesmerized by his lips. They seemed to call to me, which totally ticked me off. "No, but your clothes do need to be incinerated."

He glanced down. "Do what you must."

"Whatever," I snorted, coming at him with the scissors.

He held up his hands and then winced. "Ouch."

I set down the scissors and helped him remove the shirt. It came off easily since it was already cut in half. Then I threw it in the corner, knowing what I had to do next. "Now your pants."

"Go ahead." He smirked and I was mortified.

"Thanks." I knelt in front of him and grabbed the bottom edge of one leg. "Hold still," I said, quickly glancing at his face. I'd removed my gloves after helping Heathcliff, but now wished I'd kept them on. Carefully, I cut straight up the middle, trying to avoid getting dirty. When I reached the waist, I paused and removed his belt before cutting through. "Now the other one."

"Try to go easy on me," he said.

I snorted. "Don't you wish?" Nervously, I cut the other side all the way up, careful to avoid his boxers. Kade was all muscles and warmth and strength. Amongst all the blood and gore still on him was a light scent of cinnamon. His pants fell in pieces to the floor.

I stood there unable to figure out what to do next.

"Take a picture, it lasts longer," he said, shocking me into a standing position.

"Shut—" I began but stopped. His eyes seemed to glow in the dim light of the room. "Up."

He leaned down and kissed me lightly on the mouth. The move wasn't anything big or grand, but his lips against mine sent a rush of emotions through me and I would swear there was a spark. It was as though I'd been in darkness and suddenly the lights within me flickered on. I gasped and fell back.

There was shock on Kade's face for a moment before he glanced away. "I didn't mean to scare you." He held out his hand. I ignored it. "Can you assist me into the bathroom? I want to get cleaned up."

"You can manage just fine on your own." I went over to the other bed and sat, watching him struggle. When he was inside the bathroom, I joined him, putting down the toilet seat. "Sit." While he did, I grabbed a washcloth and ran it under hot water. "Let me get your back."

"Go easy on me, I'm not at one hundred percent."

I ignored him and quickly scrubbed off as much of the blood and dirt as I could see.

"Don't forget to get behind my ears," he joked.

Wounded or not, he deserved it when I punched him. He winced and chuckled as I threw the washcloth at him.

"Finish cleaning up yourself," I said and walked out.

# 10

Pam unlocked the door to our room and pushed it open. She appeared haggard and quickly fell onto her bed, crossing her hands over her face.

"Are you okay?" I asked, even though I knew she wasn't. Neither was I. Images of Eric's hand dangling from the demon's mouth kept driving their way into my dreams.

Attending Eric's funeral had been difficult. I'd seen enough television to know that while they were somber they were supposed to celebrate the life of the person who'd died. We had nothing to celebrate. His whole life had been about training to kill his demon sire or be killed. The latter happened. It was all too common in our world and I hated it.

But as children, once we were found and plucked from whichever foster home we'd been living in at the time, we were brought to the Dark Moth compound and trained from morning until night every single day. There were rarely field trips or birthday parties. We mostly focused on not dying. Our sole purpose for living was to bring down our demon parent and hopefully save several hundreds or thousands of regular Moths in the process.

If we lived, it was to serve.

If we died as Eric had, there was no celebration. His life was just over.

"I'm fine." Pam sniffled and wiped her eyes with the back of her hand. "Or as fine as I can be knowing I turn eighteen in three days." She paused, sitting up and removing her shoes. "Because what we saw—what happened to Eric—that's going to be me soon." She unzipped her black dress and pulled it over her head. "I'm not ready to die yet. I haven't done anything." Tears streamed down her face along with her mascara.

I understood exactly what she meant. My birthday was coming up too. "You're not going to die. I won't let you," I said.

Pam smiled, but it was full of cruelty. "I appreciate your courageous words, Alice. But no one believes you slayed that demon because of skill. It was a fluke. You're no more ready than any of the rest of us."

She wasn't wrong.

I kept quiet as she pulled on her gray training pants and matching gray shirt. Then put on her black combat boots. "How did you produce such a powerful shield?"

The rest of the Dark Moths had demon power too, but it wasn't quite so all-encompassing as mine. I pulled off my black dress and tossed it on the floor, kicking my low heels on top of it. "I really am not sure," I said and meant it. Sure I knew how to call forth my powers, but without a doubt and for whatever reason mine were stronger than the other trainees.

"Whatever," she said, slamming the door shut behind her and she was gone.

I went over to my bed and lay down. I wasn't trying to be difficult or keep a skill from my fellow trainees. In all truth I'd tried to make myself produce the shield several times since that fateful night, but I hadn't been able to make it happen.

There was a knock at the door. "Alice? Are you in there? We need to train."

It was Kade.

We'd spent every moment together over the last three days. I'd even slept in the sick bay with him. Coming to my room to dress and undress for the funeral and using the bathroom had been my only alone time.

He was a nice enough guy, but it felt like Wrythe was punishing me for some reason. Had I done something wrong? I wanted to ask him the question on more than one occasion, but there hadn't been an opportunity.

"Give me a minute." I jumped off my bed and quickly dressed in a black training outfit. Laced and tied my boots and then went to the door, opening it. "Hi, Kade."

He was dressed from head to toe in black, like me. Yet on him it looked stylish.

"You ready?" he asked, appraising me.

"Sure." I shut the door and walked beside him down the hall.

"How was the funeral?" He gave me a sidelong glance.

I shook my head. "Depressing." Kade hadn't been invited. Wrythe and the others didn't trust him. Kade said he was a Moth who secretly trained on his own, and that even though he didn't possess any demon power, he'd killed his demon sire. He claimed to have grown up in Wonderland, gone to school, and held a job, just like the humans who dwelt above ground.

He also claimed to be twenty-five though it was hard to tell. For all I knew he could've been ninety. Moths stopped aging once we reached maturity, which was eighteen. For most it was the year of our death as well.

I was tired and restless at the same time. If I were going to die in a few weeks, I wanted to really live first, like so many of the humans I'd seen in television shows and movies, and in the books I read. I wanted an experience that had nothing to do with demons or Dark Moths. "Tell me something about you," I whispered.

He raised an eyebrow. "Like what?"

I shrugged. "Anything... A story. Tell me what you did for a living. What was your job?"

He laughed. "It wasn't all that interesting. I was a mechanic."

I pondered the word. "You fixed cars?"

"Cars. Boats. Motorcycles. If it's got an engine, I can fix it."

"Did you go to school to learn your craft?"

"Not any further than high school. My foster dad was cool though. He taught me about engines, how they work, how to make them go again."

"It sounds like you enjoy your job."

He shrugged. "Sure. It isn't glamorous and I have permanent grease stains on my hands and under my nails." He held out his hands to let me see. "But it pays the bills and keeps me busy."

We'd reached the training room. The door slid open and we walked through. Pamela was in the corner shooting arrows into several different targets.

"How did you get mixed up in our fight the other night?" I walked over and selected a katana.

He picked up one of the long swords. "I was there in the club when it all went down."

"Oh?"

"Yes, even greasy mechanics like to go out once in a while." He swung the sword with expert skill.

"And you saw the demon?" I'd asked him to tell me about that night more than once already, but something didn't sit right about his answer.

Kade tossed the blade back and forth between both hands. "As I said, it wasn't until the demon began fighting the bouncers that I realized what was happening."

"Why didn't you try to help?" Doing so seemed as natural as breathing. At least to me.

"If there's one thing I've learned over the years, it's that it is better to stay out of it." He went to the center of the room so we'd have plenty of space to spar. "Ready?"

I picked up another, smaller sword and took a place a few feet in front of him. "Always."

Kade leaned in, but at the last second dove into me, knocking me to the ground.

"What the hell? Get off me!" I shoved him hard, sending him away.

He winced but stood, holding something in his hand. "Sorry. Your roommate shot an arrow our way." He held it out for me to see.

I scrambled to my feet. Pam was an excellent shot, which meant she sent the arrow at us on purpose. Furious, I stomped over to her. "Do you have a problem? Trying to kill us?"

Her eyes were blurry with tears. "Sorry, Alice. It was an accident. The arrow got away from me."

I didn't believe her.

Neither did Kade. "Accident my ass."

That was my thinking, but I didn't want to believe it.

Kade placed the arrow in Pam's hand. "Be careful Moth," he whispered.

"Or what?" She shoved him.

He was aggravated, but didn't answer, just walked away.

I followed. "How's your injury," I asked. It didn't seem to bother him as much anymore.

Kade lifted his shirt. The skin where the large cut had been was nearly healed and puckered pink. In a few days that would be gone as well. "Better," he said, putting his shirt back down.

"Good." My cheeks warmed and I looked away.

Kade tapped me on the shoulder with the edge of his sword. "So you don't have to take it easy on me today."

I faced him again. "About time," I said.

We sparred for an hour. I finally got the better of him and had him on his back. My knees on either side of his chest and my blades at his neck. "What are you really?"

Kade was breathing heavily and so was I. "I told you already." He leaned up.

At his nearness, I stood, working to get my restless heart under control.

He jumped up and slid his sword into the wooden case with the rest of the training swords. Then plopped onto the mat, patting a space beside him.

I put away my swords but didn't sit. "I don't believe you're a regular Moth."

He crossed his legs, resting his elbows on his knees. "Well you might be right about that," he said, his voice soft.

"Vague much? Why won't you tell me?" I spread my legs out until I dropped into the splits and stretched, laying my upper body on the mat.

Kade's eyes went wide and I blushed.

The bell rang indicating dinner.

# 11

Kade was quiet, witty, and had a serious love of tacos. If we had eggs and toast for breakfast, he stuck the eggs on the toast and wrapped it like a taco before eating it. Whatever meat and veggies we were served for dinner were stuffed between two halves of a roll and eaten like a taco. For snacks, he put cucumber into a tortilla or shrimp or tomatoes or corn. It was crazy and strangely endearing.

He was also very regimented. Each morning he woke, stretched, and took a cold shower. Heathcliff had us stay in the sick bay for only one night and then we were moved to a regular dorm room. It was in the trainers' hall closest to the exit.

I figured I would tire of being in such close proximity to a person for so long, but instead I grew to like his silly stories and the way his voice lilted on certain words. Sure, he'd answered the basic questions, but while he didn't lie he hadn't given me the whole truth either.

Kade could fight better than anyone, especially as he continued to heal. Peter sparred with him a couple of times and I could tell he let Peter win. It was the same with weapons training and hand-to-hand combat. Kade held back. I wondered why, but each time I tried to bring it up he changed the subject.

I knew the feeling about holding back. Not once had I fully freed my demon power. It surged within, like boiling black lava waiting to erupt. Just below the surface. Sometimes antsy to get out, but I kept it in check.

Over dinner on the third night, I finally blurted all of the questions Wrythe wanted answered at once. "How did you know about Demonland? What do you want? Why are you here?" He'd already said he wasn't a Dark Moth and it was obvious since he had no marks, but he was more powerful than many of the trainees, and even Peter.

Kade offered me a secret smile. "What do you think I want?" He bit into his chicken fried steak.

I dropped my fork. The man was infuriating. "Were you friends with a Dark Moth and he or she told you about this place?" I sipped my water.

He rolled his eyes playfully. "No."

He was vague about everything, except the personal stuff, like where he worked.

"You stole the Dark Moth blade after killing the owner?" He didn't seem like the type but what did I know?

"No." He was offended.

I picked up a roll and took a bite. "Don't you want to return home? Aren't there people who must be missing you?" He wouldn't be free to leave Demonland until he answered our questions since the compound was supposed to be secret.

He used his fork to cut into his cherry tart. "There's no one," he finally said after he swallowed.

I sensed sadness in his voice and realized that even after several days together I knew very little about him. "What about your job? Don't you need to go to work?"

He shrugged before shoveling the tart into his mouth.

It was apparent he didn't want to talk about it, but I couldn't be put off so easily. "What's the name of the place where you work?"

Pam and Georgia had been talking, but at my question, they stopped and focused their attention on Kade.

Steve and Gilbert also quieted.

The attention didn't seem to affect Kade though. He kept chewing, swallowed, took a long drink of his water, and then looked at me. "The Caterpillar's Place."

"That's a silly name." I dunked my roll in gravy before taking a small bite.

"Well, that's Wonderland for you." He reached over and picked up my tart. "You gonna eat this?" Without waiting for a response he stuffed half of it in his mouth.

I shook my head. I wasn't fond of the fruit, but he could've waited for me to give him permission. "Not now."

"Oh, come on. I know you don't like cherries."

It was true. Cherries made me queasy. "Still," I said, pushing the dessert plate toward him. "Where are your manners?"

Kade finished off the other half. Picked up his cloth napkin, and dabbed each side of his lips. "I have them when I need them."

With my fork, I pushed around the green beans still on my dinner plate, desperate to get him to answer the important questions.

When he swallowed, he went on, "In this life you have to take what you want and damn the consequences."

His words shocked me and I gasped. It felt like something had changed within him. "Really?" I tilted my head, feeling my eyes squint as I studied him for answers.

"Very few humans and even fewer demons will wait for you to ask for what you want. They will take without remorse." He chugged the rest of his water before slamming down the glass.

I didn't like that. "I don't believe you," I said. But I'd lived with humans until I was twelve. They had been some of the vilest people.

"It doesn't matter whether you believe me or not. That's the truth and you'd do well to listen." He stacked his dessert plate as well as mine on top of his dinner plate, tossed his napkin over them, and stood. "I'm done. You ready?"

I shook my head. "No, I'm not finished." I stabbed a bean and put it in my mouth. It was cold and didn't taste very good, but I wasn't going to be bossed. His strange attitude was annoying.

"Fine. I'll see you later then." And with that, he walked away.

We weren't supposed to be apart, but I didn't care. I watched as Kade put his dishes on the conveyor belt and prepared to leave the dining room.

Wrythe walked in. When he saw Kade, the king's stopped. "You, come with me." He then found me and bid me follow as well.

"Great."

# 12

I caught up with Kade. He gave me a serious look before turning his attention to Wrythe's back. I continued to stare up at him, unable to believe the strange and varied emotions coursing through my body. That Wrythe asked to see us wasn't a good sign. Either he intended to get to the bottom of the Kade conundrum or kill him. I hoped for the first. As for me, well it was possible Wrythe could exile me for not doing my job. I'd been given an order but still hadn't accomplished it.

Kade wasn't as tall as the other males but was head and shoulders taller than me. "What do you think he wants?" I whispered.

Kade gave me a sad smile. "We'll know soon enough, won't we?"

Wrythe walked to the elevator we'd ridden to go up into Wonderland a few nights ago. Once we were inside, he pulled a key from his pocket. Stuck it into the keyhole and turned. Instead of going up, we went down. I hadn't known there was anything below us. We were so far down already.

"Where are we going?" I asked, nervously, my dinner turning sour in my stomach.

Wrythe didn't answer and my heart sped up. Fear was an emotion I'd schooled myself to control, but at our King's strange conduct, I was afraid.

The elevator stopped and the door slid open.

"Stay close." Wrythe glanced over his shoulder, making sure I heard him.

"Okay."

The air was chilly and I could see my breath. Wind ghosted past, causing the edges of my hair to tickle my neck. Our footsteps echoed making it obvious we were surrounded by rock. It was dark too. No light guided our way. My demon power shuddered to life and I could see well enough to know we walked along a concrete path.

Metal doors lined the hallway, but I had no desire to know what was being held behind them.

When we reached the end of the hall, we turned left and continued down another hall with more doors, exactly like the first. It was our fourth left turn that I realized something was off. We should've come full circle, but we hadn't. Though the halls looked the same, they felt different. The air was thinner.

On the seventh turn, Wrythe came to a stop at a dead end. At first it appeared to be nothing more than a rock wall, until he placed his hand upon it. Then it ignited red and the outline of a door appeared. He leaned his bodyweight against it and the door swung in. "After you," he said, stepping to the side once it fully opened.

A new kind of terror sank like a heavy weight onto my heart. I had no idea what was about to happen. Whatever it was, it would end badly. Of that I was sure. But I went in after Kade because Wrythe had ordered it.

The room we entered was dimly lit. Then thousands of candles sparked to life. They sat on darkened candelabras thick with hardened wax. More candles lined shelves and rested on every flat surface. The walls were covered in what appeared to be sheer white curtains.

Directly in front of us stood six figures dressed in covered robes, each dressed to match six of the seven deadly royalty demons. A large hood swallowed their faces, making it impossible to tell who was underneath, though I believed I had an idea. They were my instructors, each one representing the demon who had been their sire. The one in the purple hood lifted his head and Peter's face came into view. The others followed. Wrythe took his place in the center. He'd put on a red robe.

Without meaning to I stepped closer to Kade, which made no sense. I'd known the men and women in the robes since I'd first come to the compound at the age of twelve. I should be less afraid of them, but I wasn't. My body sought out Kade's comfort.

"Kade Everett. You have been summoned," Wrythe said.

"For what purpose? I've played by your rules, and have done as you've asked by allowing the girl to keep a close eye on me, though you know it wasn't necessary."

He gave me a quick look and I glared. He hadn't _allowed_ me to do anything. Not only that, but what did he mean that they _knew_. Was his identity not a mystery to them?

"I've given you no cause for concern," he went on, his voice confident and steady.

"This is true, Wrythe. He has been nothing but respectable," Peter said.

"Yes, but we're no closer to knowing what he wants. He's told the girl nothing about his true heritage or why he is here," the trainer Lily said. Her gray eyes cut to me. They felt like knives against my soul. "Unless the girl has developed feelings for the boy and no longer is on our side."

_How dare she? Why would she say such a thing?_

"Fine, I'll answer your questions now, if that will make you happy." Kade took another step toward the seven before glancing back at me.

"It's too late for that," Wrythe growled. "You must face the Trial of Three. If you return, then we will listen."

# 13

My head shot up at that. I'd read about the Trial of Three. They would test the Moth physically, emotionally, and spiritually to discover a Moth's true purpose.

"Highness, it would serve your Society better if you did not make me do this."

Had I misheard or did Kade sound sad?

"He dares to speak to us with such arrogance?" Gillian, the Greed warrior demanded.

"We should kill him and end this charade. It doesn't matter what he wants. The fact remains that he should not be down here. He has no right. And we cannot have him in our midst any longer." The Lady Edith sired by Envy and devastated at the loss of Eric spoke severely.

"You can try, but I promise you will not succeed." Kade bowed low as though he were humbled, but he so obviously wasn't.

What the hell was he? In an instant, I knew it didn't matter. I could not allow them to kill Kade. "No!" I shouted. "Don't kill him." Somehow I was drawn to the man and desperate to have my questions answered. I placed my body between Kade and the Society.

"Alice," Wrythe demanded. "It is not your place to come between the Society and our decision."

"Perhaps we should send her back up. She's still young." That was Peter who spoke.

Wrythe shook his head. "Perhaps..."

"I'm not going anywhere without Kade." I had no idea what had gotten into me, but something deep inside demanded I fight for him the way he'd fought against those demons the other night.

"Give her the trials as well," Sabrina said. "We've long said she should face them in order to discover the truth of her sire and her true path. It will help her prepare." The Dark Moth sounded smug.

"We swore never to force the trials on a trainee. She won't be able to handle the weight of the experience," Peter said.

But I felt Wrythe considering it. He believed it would be a good idea and so did I, even if the thought terrified me. "It's all right, your Highness. I volunteer to face the trials."

Kade glanced over at me. "We will face them together, Alice Blackburn," he said, giving me a wisp of a smile.

I nodded as knots turned my insides. But it was the right thing to do. I felt it.

"Then it's settled." Wrythe walked over to a slab of flat granite rock covered in candles and pushed them aside, knocking them to the floor. They clattered before flickering and burning out. "Alice, come and lie down."

As I did, he walked over to another granite slab. They were side by side. Once the candles had been removed, Wrythe motioned to Kade. "Lie down."

"I will. But know this. It would be better for everyone if I simply tell you what I want."

Fury flashed across Wrythe's face. "Are you frightened cherub?"

"You know I am not," he said, raising his head.

Wrythe faced the Society. "What say you?"

"The trials," they responded in unison.

Kade shook his head. "As you wish."

Wrythe stood back and Edith moved between the two stone slabs. "Take each other's hands," she said.

I held out mine and Kade took it, giving it a slight squeeze. Whatever was about to happen, it was going to be bad. I could feel it in my bones. They seemed to tremble with my fear, clattering noisily. Edith produced a golden cord and bound Kade's wrist with mine.

Then she spoke words I didn't understand, like a poem. I was suddenly tired. Too tired to keep my eyes open. So I closed them, thinking I could rest until the time came to start the trials.

And that's when I saw him, the white rabbit with eyes the color of Kade's. He pulled a watch from his white vest pocket.

"I'm late." Then he dashed through the tall grass. I was no longer deep underground but in a lush field. Surprised, I hopped off the stone, quickly searching for the Society but seeing none of them. The slab Kade had laid on was gone, too.

So I went after the rabbit, following him until he reached the other side of the enormous field where he jumped into a hole.

"Wait," I called. When I reached the opening, I fell to my knees and peered inside. "Hello? Rabbit!"

He didn't answer, so I did the most logical thing I could think of at the time. I climbed in after him.

# 14

Thick, dry roots protruded from every direction within the dirty hole. I watched the rabbit hop in, under and around them, dodging expertly. For a full-sized person, the terrain rendered itself much more difficult. I clawed my way after him, scraping my hands. Oozing blood from my fingers made the roots slick. "Rabbit," I called, irritated he wasn't waiting.

It was difficult to get a sense of direction. When I'd gone into the hole, I'd been heading down, but now it felt like I was going perpendicular to the ground. At the end of the tunnel shone a bright light. The rabbit stopped and sniffed the air. Then he pulled his watch out of his pocket. "Must hurry." He turned and acknowledged me. "Stop dawdling, Alice."

My irritation rose. He knew my name? I had several choice words for the rabbit, but I held my tongue, utilizing my energy to tear at the blasted roots. Occasionally a chunk of soft dirt would fall into my hair or rain on my hands. The earth smelled strange, like sulfur and overly ripened apples. "Where are you leading me?" I asked as he exited the tunnel and leaned against a rather large elm tree in the distance. He opened his pocket watch, then gave me an irritated glare.

"It won't matter if you don't hustle," he said, obviously exasperated.

I huffed. "I'm going as quickly as I can." When I reached the end of the tunnel, I exited and stood to my full height, glancing up. The whole sky was ablaze with orange, yellow and red. It was gloriously peculiar. The landscape was just as bizarre. Giant mushrooms were interspersed with even bigger trees. Their colors like that of a color wheel. Some had black stripes while others were spotted. Tangled white foliage covered the ground and climbed up the mushroom stems as well as the tree trunks. Large gold flowers blossomed randomly. The ground consisted of a substance similar to clay and I wondered how anything grew amongst the dry cracks.

"About time." The rabbit pushed off the tree that wasn't actually a tree but the stem of an odd plant and started forward. With each step the foliage receded, creating a path.

I followed, but kept a hesitant pace as I debated the strangeness of my situation. A few moments ago I'd been lying on an slab bound to Kade. Yet I'd just climbed out of a rabbit hole, and as I scanned the strange landscape, verified he was nowhere to be found. Thinking about the gorgeous man with green eyes caused my heart to flutter. He was chock full of secrets and none of them made sense. Like the fact that he fought the way a Dark Moth warrior would, yet didn't have the marks on his hands. Then there were his eyes. They were green instead of gray. He had carried a Dark Moth blade, yet he hadn't been trained by them. For those reasons and more the Society elders had demanded he face the Trial of Three, or be killed.

Kade had agreed.

But why?

I had a feeling killing him wouldn't be easy.

According to the books I'd been required to study, the trials were meant to test the emotional, spiritual, and physical faculties. Some didn't survive. In fact, many died, the trials proving too difficult. But if one completed the trials, a trainee's true nature was supposed to be revealed.

Kade suggested he could tell them what they wanted, but the Society wouldn't hear it. I still wanted to know what he was and had a feeling the Society had known all along.

From the short time I'd spent with the man, I highly doubted he was a demon. But he wasn't a Dark Moth either. The trials were a good idea. I'd agreed to go through them as well, so that I could hopefully find out who'd sired me. Whether he was a Greed, Wrath, Sloth, Gluttony, Pride, Lust, or Envy demon. But as I glanced around I wondered if something had gone horribly wrong with the trials. I guessed my body was still lying upon the stone while I dreamed. But that didn't make sense either. I pinched my arm and felt my nerve endings respond to the pain. "Feels real enough."

"Alice, we don't want to be late," the rabbit said, rummaging me out of my thoughts.

"Where are we going?" I asked the question, but guessed I wouldn't get an answer, the same as last time.

The rabbit checked his watch again, and hopped along the path. I silently followed, studying my surroundings, wondering if I could use something as a weapon if I had to.

We passed through more mushrooms and trees. They seemed to be getting thicker. A quick look at the sky proved my point. I couldn't see past the gnarled branches. Darkness permeated and it became quiet, like death had decided to take a break. I sped up, realizing I could only just make out the rabbit in the distance. He'd hopped far ahead and fog swirled around the distance between us.

"Hang on." I jogged until I reached the edge of the thicket. The rabbit had just hopped onto a treacherously long bridge. It appeared to be made of wooden planks and rope and didn't look very sturdy. Normally I'd cross without a second thought, but as I peered over the edge something strange overtook me. Or, left me. I felt only one thing. Terror. Like the fog blanketing the landscape, the emotion infiltrated every crevice of my being. Unable to shake the horror building inside me, I forced myself to step on the first plank. The whole bridge wobbled and I screamed, scampering back. "Rabbit, wait."

"We're almost there. Keep going." His voice sounded from far away as though he were already on the other side.

I took a deep breath, focused on slowing my fearful heart. Then took a step back onto the bridge. This time, when it wobbled, I took hold of the ropes on either side, hanging on for dear life. When I reached what felt like the midway point, a brisk wind picked up causing the bridge to sway. Tendrils of hair blew across my eyes and into my mouth. "I can't do this," I said, my teeth chattering. My knees quaked and the muscles in my stomach clenched with unease. Had I not been filled with so much fear, I might have been angry. I knew the feelings I was having were unfounded, yet I couldn't make them go away. If anything, they were getting worse. And then I knew. My fears were a product of the trials. But even knowing didn't erase the feelings. They continued to buzz within my body and wouldn't stop.

"Let go," the rabbit shouted. This time his voice seemed to come from below the bridge.

I glanced back the way I'd come and then forward. A faceless figure appeared. It hovered about twenty feet in front of me, blocking my path across. Smoke gray robes covered the being, snaking around him in the wind, making it difficult to see anything beyond. My panic grew stronger. "I can't," I said, hoarsely.

"You can and you must," came the rabbit's reply.

"Ugh." I didn't know what to do.

The figure floated toward me at a slow but menacing pace.

I couldn't do this. "I'm going back," I said and turned around on the rickety bridge. Why had I decided to follow the rabbit anyway? I took one step followed by another and another, but with each step came the realization I wasn't going back. In fact, I couldn't even see the place I'd come from any longer. Another faceless figure sailed onto the bridge, its fingers made of bones, as it reached out to me.

"Please, Alice. If you don't want to become like those creatures on the bridge, let go," the rabbit shouted.

The wind became fiercer as though it were trying to convince me to listen to the rabbit too. My options were limited. I couldn't go back and I couldn't go forward. The wraiths were closing in. My only choice required listening to the damned rabbit and doing something totally out of character—giving up control. "Fine." I released the ropes. Immediately, the wind turned into a hurricane, which picked me up and flung me over the side.

# 15

I was falling... or floating... or both. It felt like both, especially since I wasn't picking up speed. My descent meandered through the thick mist that smelled of deep earth and decaying worms and when I finally landed it was like landing on soft pillows.

By the time I stood upright the mist dissipated giving me a clear view of my surroundings, which consisted of very little. Ruddy rocks that looked like giant anthills protruded from the ground and sides of the chasm. In the center of the room stood a compilation of black pillars shaped into an oversized throne. It was shiny yet crude and dark. Jagged edges pierced the air, its points glistened in the non-light. Sitting on the throne was a being, elegant and cold. He radiated evil. It rolled off him in droves. In a strange way he was beautiful. _A beautiful monster,_ my mind said. And it was true. He looked more or less like a man with dark hair and skin so white it could've been snow. He reminded me of a demon who'd taken on human form. Dressed head to toe in red, he stood out against the dark rock. Worst of all were his eyes. The way he studied me, inquisitive, his blue eyes exactly the same color as mine.

The white rabbit hopped into my line of sight and approached the man. "See, my liege. I did as you asked and brought her." He bowed slightly. The rabbit looked ridiculous in a charming way. His vest nearly matched the color of his fur, except his collar, which was red like the monster's suit.

The being turned his gaze onto the rabbit. "You did very well, Bleach. Thank you. You may go." He dismissed the rabbit with the wave of his hand. I couldn't help but notice his fingers. They appeared to be mostly bone and very little flesh.

Bleach wriggled his nose, causing his whiskers to bounce around. "Good. Good." He took his watch from his pocket and checked the time before glancing at me. "Very good." The rabbit hopped away, disappearing behind the throne.

"Now it's just you and me, Alice." The pretend man grinned, his lips shaping a smile with oily clarity.

"Who are you? How do you know me?" Something told me I didn't want to know the answers to my questions. Even as I had the thought, my body lost its strength and I crumpled to the ground. It happened in an instant and I had no control, like a puppet without strings. "I don't want to be here." The words came out softly.

"Oh, but you do." The ground came up around me, bending me into a sitting position facing the man. "You see, Alice Blackburn, I have your answers." He steepled his fingers in front of his face and waited.

"No." That was all I could utter because speaking proved difficult. I'd lost nearly all power over my body. Fear is an emotion, one that is all in the mind. But it's a weakness that can strangle a person physically and I was feeling the effects. It was so strong all I could think was that I wished I'd never been born.

"Don't play coy. I sense you've already guessed the answer—at least to a degree." One side of his thin, red lips lifted.

I closed my eyes and wished I could cover my ears, desperate to disappear. "Who are you?" I finally struggled out.

"A decent first question, but I must admit I'm a little disappointed."

I cracked open one eye and saw he'd left his perch on the throne and stood in front of me. Had I the faculties I would've screamed. As it was I pushed against the chair that held me fast.

"Still, I'll answer. My name is Deckland Friche." He smiled, his putrid breath burning my nose. "Better known as the Devil. I am the ruler over all demons." As he spoke the ruddy chasm around us vanished and was replaced by millions upon millions of demons, their bodies twisted and hairy, an evil kaleidoscope of claws and teeth. An incomprehensible force of pain washed over me. Like an ocean wave, it struck my body. My mind wanted to explode at the idea that I stood in front of the Devil himself—the most powerful demon known to exist. But I couldn't get further than that. My mind seemed to be shutting down.

"What do you think?" He lifted his arms, sweeping them from side to side. "The world will be ours. Not just the Demon Realm, but all of the realms. After eons, we deserve it. No more living in the shadows or sleeping in the dirt." His smile grew. "Of course, you'll need to die first. That's a given."

My bottom lip quivered. I clamped down on it with my teeth desperate not to let him see I was afraid.

"But first," he continued. "Let's have a little fun." He snapped his fingers and a large metal cage appeared beside the throne.

The demons around the room cackled and gnashed their teeth at the sight of the metal enclosure, but didn't come forward, seemingly trapped behind an invisible barrier.

The cage was made of tarnished silver. It hung from a long chain that attached to something above I couldn't see. Green sparks swirled around the bars, like an electric current. But that was nothing compared to what the cage contained. And I sucked in a breath. "Wendy? Is that you?" For the second time I questioned whether this was real or just in my mind. Was I awake?

The Dark Moth trainee looked up at the sound of her name. Blood dripped from a gash on the side of her head, running between her eyes and down her nose and cheeks. "Alice." She shook the bars. "Help me." Her marks flashed red as she tried to pull apart the bars. They wouldn't budge. Not even the power of her wrath could break them.

My capabilities returned at the sight of Wendy. With little effort, I pushed out of the chair and scrambled forward to help, breaking the lock. But before I could open it, Wendy vanished.

"Over here, Alice. Look what we have." The Devil indicated a point behind me as he moved toward it.

I turned, following him with my eyes. All of the trainees hung upside down by their ankles, including Wendy. Except Eric who'd died. Of course. Their legs were held together by thick chains that went up into the endless gray sky and kept going until I couldn't see them any longer. "What are you—"

"It's simple, Alice. You must choose which of them you're going to save?" He gave Wendy a little push so that her body began to swing, then he moved on.

Wendy cried softly, but I saw her frustration too. She ached to get at him.

"I know they call you the Queen of Hearts," the Devil said. "And I respect your decision not to get attached to anyone. It's smart. It's what I'd do in your situation." He grinned as a beautiful woman in a red dress appeared in front of him. He took her in his arms and kissed her passionately before letting go, spinning her away from him. She giggled before she burst into fiery pieces.

I stood there, shocked. What had he done? Who was she?

The Devil faced me. "If you allow yourself to let go, you will see we are alike, you and I. And we can take what we want when we want it." He tucked his hands into his front pockets like he was just sharing a story about the weather.

"I'm nothing like you," I said, gritting my teeth.

"Right." He gave me a look that said he didn't agree. "But hey, the situation I've placed before you should be easy since you really don't care about any of them."

"I won't choose," I growled.

As I spoke six royal demons appeared, surrounding me. They were in their true form—large, slimy, hairy creatures that oozed with open sores. I glanced from one to another, turning slowly, studying each of them. "What's this?"

The Devil laughed and the demons joined in.

"These are the demon sires of your companions." He indicated the dangling trainees. "For each one you kill, that trainee gets to live."

My heart picked up speed. I felt physically ill. I couldn't fight all of these demons. There were too many. I wasn't strong enough. My throat felt dry.

"Rules," the Devil went on.

The room erupted with raucous laughter. Tracker demons shouted obscenities as well as other things.

"Break the rules," one of them said.

"We don't need them," another added.

"No rules."

"Bloody stupid."

The Devil's smile grew. "My trackers have a point. But..." He tapped his chin. "For you, there are rules. Number one. You have twenty-four hours to kill each demon. If you fail, the Dark Moth trainee will die. Rule number two..." He trailed off.

"But you can't kill the Dark Moth trainees until they turn eighteen. That's _your_ one and only rule. It's been that way for thousands of years. You can't change that." I wanted to gloat, to grin like a Cheshire cat, but I couldn't.

The Devil raised one perfectly shaped eyebrow. "Is that so?" He addressed the gallery of demons. "Alice is telling me, the first and oldest demon what my one rule is. Isn't she cute?"

They cackled, their jubilation so loud it hurt my ears.

My paralyzing fright rose. He had probably crafted the one rule the demons possessed regarding the creation of Dark Moths.

The Devil wiped his eyes. "Oh, Alice. You're a funny girl."

I swallowed.

"I put the rule into play and now I'm removing it." He shrugged casually. "They are all nearly eighteen anyway. And it isn't like anyone is going to miss them." He came forward and touched my shoulder.

Immense depression seeped through my skin and into my bones. It seemed to eat away at my insides. "I-I'll miss them," I said. "And I won't let them die."

"Ohhhh, did you hear that?" He spoke to the group. "She's fiery. I like it."

I didn't know what to say.

"Your time starts now." He snapped his fingers.

_Poof._

I was back on the stone slab deep below in Demonland.

# 16

I gasped, surprised, opening my eyes. "What the hell?"

Wrythe came over and helped me stand. "What is it, Alice? You've only been lying there a few minutes."

"Impossible." I glanced at the faces of the Society members, then over at the slab where Kade was supposed to be. "Where is he? Did he already pass his test?"

"He's gone," Wrythe said, his face a mask of malice. "What happened, Alice?"

"I—" I wasn't sure. Had I only been dreaming?

"It's okay, dear." One of the female Society members came over. She smelled like stale booze and tainted blood.

"I don't think it is." I went to the door. "I need to find the other trainees."

"Wait," Wrythe said.

But I opened the door and ran and ran and didn't stop until I reached the workout room, hoping against hope they would be there training. But they weren't. "Dammit. They aren't here. It was real."

"Alice!" Wrythe rushed into the room. He glanced around, seemingly feeling the emptiness like I did.

I froze. "Your highness." I bowed my head.

"Tell me what you saw while in the trial." He came forward until we were nearly toe to toe. The man was so tall and so big and so freaking handsome.

My shoulders slumped. "It's... painful."

His features softened. "I have a feeling you know why the trainees are gone?"

"I think so." I told him about following the rabbit, meeting the Devil, and what he said.

"You spoke with him?" It was strange, the look on his face, almost as though he was awed by what I'd done.

His expression bothered me. Being near the Devil had been painful and I wanted to enlighten him, but I didn't know how to explain the magnitude of the powerlessness I felt in the demon's presence. It'd been beyond frightening and the trepidation still lingered.

"Yes." I pushed passed him unable to fight the need to find and slaughter those six demons. "And my—" I almost said friends, but that wasn't true. They were people I'd known for years. We'd trained together, lived together, and eaten together. They were the closest things I had to family. But I hadn't let them in. Not really. They knew my favorite weapons and my moves, but I hadn't let them know who I was. Hell, if I thought about it, I doubted I knew. "He's got them and he's going to kill them unless I kill their demon sires." I went over to the weapons rack and grabbed what I needed—a katana, a gun, and several knives. I tucked them into their spots, the blade on my back, the gun in its holster, and knives hidden everywhere.

Wrythe rose to his full seven feet and crossed his arms. "If the damn Devil can break his one and only rule, then I'm going with you."

That surprised me, but I didn't have time to completely consider it. "Are you sure? You're the King. I have a feeling there are those who won't appreciate you putting yourself in jeopardy."

"She's right." Peter walked in. "Whatever you're planning to do, I don't think it's a good idea." He gave me a once over. "You don't look too good."

I snorted. "Thanks." I started for the door, but Peter grabbed my shoulder.

"What's going on?"

I didn't want to have to explain myself again.

Wrythe seemed to sense my frustration. "Get your gear. I'm ordering you to come with us. I'll explain on the way," Wrythe said as he loaded up on weapons.

"Yes, Sire." Peter didn't seem convinced, but he wasn't one to question the King. So he grabbed two katana swords, a double set of Colt 911's, corresponding ammo, and several knives.

I watched quietly, unable to say anything while I waited. The reason was simple. I was freaking out. What the hell was I doing? I went to the door and stopped. My eyes found Peter's then Wrythe's before settling on the floor. A drop of blood stained the surface, its coloring no longer bright red but burgundy. In that moment I knew blood would be spilt, probably my own, and most likely at least some of the trainees'. How could I save them all? I didn't know whether I had the stamina and necessary power.

"Alice?" Wrythe asked.

"I have no clue where to begin," I blurted. Desperation and gloom closed in, weighing me down.

Wrythe grabbed my shoulders, spinning me to face him. "Let's go up into Wonderland. Above ground there aren't protective wards keeping demons out like we have down here and I have a feeling that the moment the demons can sense you they will come for you. We won't need to go looking for them."

I nodded, swallowing nervously. That made sense. Besides, I didn't have any other ideas. "Are you positive you want to come?"

Wrythe cracked a smile. "Of course I am. It's been a while since I was in the thick of an actual battle, but I'm ready." He looked over at Peter. "You?"

"Hell yeah." The warrior's eyes sparked with anticipation.

"Well then lead the way," Wrythe said.

# 17

## KADE

I climbed off the stone slab. The room was empty except for me. Nervous about Alice's whereabouts, I exited, and went searching for her. It was apparent the spell hadn't worked and they'd left me to rot. I couldn't blame them. The Dark Moths had been fighting a losing battle for thousands of years. Unbeknownst to them, I'd been tasked with joining in their war against the demon sires many years ago. At least until I could come for Alice.

It was my calling to save as many Moths as possible. And I understood why the Society had insisted I complete their Trial of Three, but it would've saved a lot of time had they just allowed me to come clean and tell them what I wanted. They knew what I was, but they didn't know why I was there.

Of course I'd lied to all of them at first. Told them I was a moth who'd learned to train. It'd been the best move at the time. I'd needed to get close to Alice. Our destinies were entwined, but the Society members had easily discovered that I didn't belong in their compound.

I knocked on her bedroom door. "Alice. Are you in there?" I waited several moments without a response. Something was wrong. The training center was ghostly quiet. I went back to the training room and grabbed a couple of swords.

As I rode the elevator topside, I thought about the night Eric died. It pained me that I hadn't been able to save him. Poor kid. But Alice had taken care of his demon sire, destroying him almost too easily. The girl was even more amazing than the Brethren had said she would be. That was good in a horrible, terrible way. The Moths would need Alice to defeat the demons and their ever-growing numbers, but it was more than that. The Moths would need her to make a difficult choice if they wanted to survive as a species.

As soon as I got above ground, I went to my car. Parked only a hundred feet from the elevator leading into the Dark Moth's secret compound, the car was a two thousand fifteen Ford Thunderbird. Smoky blue-green with a metallic sheen, it had twenty-two inch rims and an engine that roared like the king of the jungle. I took my cell from the glove box—it still had one bar—and checked my messages.

Bill, my boss had called twice. The second time was to fire me. "Damn." I'd also received a call from Arvid, asking if I was up for a party this weekend. He and I worked together at The Caterpillar's Place.

I sent him a quick text telling him I was busy. My fingers flew over the letters a little too quickly. As soon as I recognized it, I slowed down. It was habit, something I'd been doing for decades. That was at least one thing I hadn't lied about. I had assimilated into the human world, including the purchase of property, jobs, and sometimes friends.

None of that mattered now. My human integration had all been done with one goal in mind: Find Alice, and help her realize her destiny. After that, it didn't matter.

Of course the Trial of Three hadn't affected me. It couldn't. The magic used in the spell had been created for Moth's and I wasn't one of them. But I'd no doubt Alice was dealing with hers. And I had a bad feeling she was probably in a bad way.

"Hello, Kade. I wondered when you'd turn up."

I tensed, but only for a second. It was good he'd come. We needed a chat.

I sighed heavily. "I'm hungry. Get in." I'd tossed one of the swords onto the passenger seat, and now put it and my other sword in the back.

Deckland Friche, better known as the Devil, got in. "Where we going?"

I ignored him, backing out of the garage. "I need tacos."

"Oh, there's this great place on the corner of Bandersnatch and Billings that has the best carne asada—"

"I know the place." I gritted my teeth, irritated. Dealing with the devil was a necessary evil. "Now why don't you tell me what you've done to Alice?"

He sat back, resting his hands on his knees. Deckland wore a powder blue suit with a white shirt and matching shoes. He looked like a douche from the seventies. Even had his hair slicked back with gel. "She's working on her first trial, of course."

I waited for him to go on. Instead he turned up the stereo. "Does she know who you are?" I asked.

Deckland winked. "Wouldn't you like to know?" He changed the stations until he found something he liked. It was the latest pop song. Made me want to wear earplugs.

The sun blared down, heating the car. I turned on the air conditioner. It was a little after one in the afternoon. I guessed it was either Friday or Saturday. The streets were mostly clear, which meant probably Friday. "Yes, I would. It would be nice to know how much she knows."

He tapped his hand on his knee in time with the music. "If you're talking about her destiny, she has no clue. The Trials require she be tested physically, emotionally, and spiritually. I'd say I'm doing her a favor not giving her more than that."

"Tell me what you did, dammit." I gripped the steering wheel until I left handprints.

He sighed heavily. "She must slay each of the other six trainees' demon sires over the next six days, one every twenty-four hours. If she fails, the trainee dies." He shrugged. "Simple."

"Are you sure she can handle that?" I knew she wasn't like the others. Not even close. But that was a lot.

The Devil chuckled. "You saw the way she handled the Envy demon. I was too easy on her. This trial might be too easy for her. Perhaps I should've tied one of her hands behind her back."

I growled, slamming a hand on the steering wheel. "She doesn't know what she's capable of." My teeth ground together. It felt like they would turn to powder. "If she dies, you'll die. Did you forget that? Or are you narcissistic enough to believe it's impossible? Because I assure you, it isn't. You can be killed. Hell, I could kill you now."

"Tut. Tut, Kade. Don't make threats unless you intend to back them up." He turned in his seat, glaring. Waiting for me to make a move.

"I hate that I have to deal with you and your kind." The words tore from my chest. They'd been buried deep, deep down for a long time, but it was the truth. I'd come to accept what my destiny was, but that didn't mean I had to like it. Although every time I thought of Alice's blue eyes and quick wit, I believed my life to be a little better. Half demon or not, she was special.

Deckland chuckled, knowingly. "Well, the feeling is mutual."

When we arrived at the restaurant, I turned off my car and got out. "I think I've said all I have to say to you. Why don't you go?" I slammed the door, not waiting for his answer.

Deckland got out. "Don't make me miss out on these tacos." He glanced in the direction of the restaurant, took a deep breath, and sighed. "Fine." He snapped his fingers and vanished.

# 18

## ALICE

We sat at a small, round table, the top covered in glazed Aztec tiles. Peter, Wrythe, and I hadn't made it far from the compound before the men felt the need to stop for food. They claimed to be starving, which was verified by the way they inhaled the chips and salsa the waitress brought a few moments ago. I felt nauseous. The smells wafting from the kitchen made it worse.

But there was nothing to do except wait.

I squirmed in my seat impatiently as guilt ate away at my conscience. While they sat and snacked, time slipped away, marching me that much closer to being the reason one of the trainees would die. "Maybe we should go." I leaned forward and spoke in a soft voice. I doubted either of them heard, but my voice quivered.

Both men stopped shoveling chips and salsa into their faces. Wrythe looked at me earnestly before speaking. "We are in the right place, Alice. Like I said, anywhere works. They'll be coming for you."

"Yes, you said that, but it's been an hour and we still haven't seen one."

"Patience, Alice. It won't be long." Peter picked up a chip and held it out for me to take. "Why don't you have one? They're delicious."

I scrunched my lips in distain. "Pass."

"You need to keep up your strength. When we run into a demon, you'll need it." Wrythe gave me a stern look. One I'd normally be intimidated by.

I gave him a tiny smile. "I know."

"And we're here for you," he continued, patting my hand. Warmth from his skin radiated into me, giving me strength. He seemed different outside of the compound. Less intimidating. "Those demons don't stand a chance. We won't let another trainee die because of them." His gaze softened.

"Thank you." I appreciated the sentiment. And I was grateful he and Peter had my back. They were both great warriors. It was strange. As I watched him eat and chat with Peter about mundane things, it occurred to me that he was so much more than just a king. He was a man with needs, wants, and freaking _feelings_ of his own. The idea was eye opening. I wondered if he had a wife and children. Those thoughts sent my mind whirling and I wondered what was possible for me. I'd never considered anything past killing my sire. There hadn't been time to think beyond that. But I considered it now. What did becoming a warrior truly mean? Could I have love? Was motherhood a possibility for me? The idea sent excited nervousness up and down my spine. Followed by paralyzing anxiety. I needed to stop. I needed to focus.

Movement in the parking lot outside caught my attention. I looked more closely and realized Kade was out there standing beside a gorgeous car. But that wasn't what held my attention. It was the person he spoke to. The Devil himself.

"What the crazy, crazy hell?" I darted for the door even though I had no idea what I would do. That damned devil would die. And if I killed him, then my fellow trainees would surely be safe. The Devil vanished before I reached them. "Kade," I shouted running toward him. "What the hell are you doing here? Why were you talking to," I paused and looked around, then continued softly, "the Devil?"

Kade was still standing beside his car and his face twisted into a surprised smile at the sight of me. "Alice. You're just the person I was looking for."

I noticed the way his green eyes lit up with genuine happiness, but I wasn't deterred from my questioning. "Do you know who that was you were with?"

He nodded solemnly. "Yes. Of course. Listen Alice, we need to talk."

Betrayal and anger furrowed out of me. Was he a demon? "You're damn right we do. I want to know what is going on." I crossed my arms, furious and confused.

"It isn't what you think, but I believe I'm partially to blame, and—" He held out his hands as though pleading for me to listen.

I shook my head, planting my feet, and waited for him to go on.

"Alice." Wrythe and Peter shouted together, coming over to me. Their features were priceless, a combination of perplexity, worry, and irritation.

Before I had the opportunity to explain, an enormous demon reminiscent of a hairless cat appeared directly behind Kade. "Alice," the demon hissed. "Are you ready to die?" His eyes shone liquid blue making it obvious he was a Sloth demon. Steven's sire.

I debated my options as I stepped around Kade, moving forward and sizing up the demon. Sloth demons tended to move more slowly than the others. I would use that to my advantage. Their biggest strength, aside from size, was their cunning. They were good at planning several moves in advance.

I took a moment to ponder the situation. We were in a parking lot, surrounded by cars. The street wasn't too busy, but there were customers in the restaurant as well as people nearby. It was apparent by the screaming and shouting that could be heard. Obviously, the demon was arrogant enough to reveal himself to everyone.

As I debated what to do, some people came out of the restaurant and their apartment. Many had their smart phones out and were recording the whole scenario. Others got into their cars and drove away, which was what everyone should do.

"Leave," I shouted in the direction of the crazy people sticking around to record the monster for their social media. I was thinking the Sloth Demon showed himself out of arrogance, but maybe he was just an idiot. Not that it mattered. These people needed to run away. "Get the hell out of here. Now."

Some of them had the gall to laugh.

"Stupid!"

The demon growled and I returned my focus.

Wrythe appeared at my side.

I jumped up on the hood of Kade's car.

"Alice, be careful," Kade shouted. "Where's your weapon?"

The Sloth Demon laughed. "You're so cute when you're trying to be a warrior, Alice. If only I could take you and keep you as my pet. Put you in my pocket and play with you when I want." He glanced down at himself. "I don't have a pocket, but I'll eat you up and keep you there." He patted his stomach.

Drool dripped from his mouth and landed on Kade's car with a sizzle.

"There goes the car. Damn." Kade blew out a breath as he reached into his car and grabbed his weapons.

The demon grabbed the car by the tires and lifted it. As the car rose, I used the momentum to dive over the demon's head, stabbing a blade in each of its eyes before flipping and landing on the ground behind him. The demon screeched in pain, tossing the car through the restaurant windows. Glass shattered in all directions. People screamed and scattered.

Now they run, I thought.

There was an explosion, probably in the restaurant's kitchen. Flames shot out of the flue on the roof and smoke billowed. Wrythe, Peter, and Kade made quick work of the demon. He turned to ash before I had a chance to catch my breath. It was very anticlimactic and a little disappointing, if I were being totally honest.

"Next time, I get the kill shot," I shouted.

Kade rolled his eyes.

Wrythe and Peter were clapping each other on the back.

Someone was crying and I bent over, looking under one of the cars closest to me. A woman had her leg caught under the tire.

"Hang on." I rolled the car forward.

She scooted out from under the car and stood. Though she limped, she was able to walk away and did so without so much as a thank you.

I glanced around at all of the damage. The parking lot looked like a war zone. Kade was helping an elderly couple from the building. The fire spread rapidly, engulfing what was left of the stucco building just as Kade and the others escaped.

Peter and Wrythe ran to Wrythe's large black Hummer and were yelling at me to hurry.

"Chill, I—" I needed to speak with Kade. "Kade, come on," I said, at the same time there was another explosion.

The Hummer's passenger window came down. "We need to go before the police get here," Peter yelled.

Sirens wailed in the distance. They were minutes away. I ran over to my swords and lifted them from the demon ash before running toward the vehicle.

"Let's go." Kade ran past me, taking my arm. I went with him, sliding into the Hummer's backseat and buckling my seatbelt. As the Hummer pealed out of the parking lot I glanced at the back of Wrythe's and Peter's heads, then toward Kade. As warriors, they were awesome. I had a feeling that we could be unstoppable. Hell, I doubted I was even needed.

Wythe glanced at me through the rear view mirror. "I know what you're thinking."

"Oh?" I highly doubted he had a clue.

"We couldn't have killed that demon without you," he went on. "The knives to the eyes..." He shook his head. "Brilliant."

"Thank you," I said, grinding my teeth. "But I get to kill the next one. This is my trial."

Peter turned in his seat to face me. "Alice is right," he said, shaking his head. "We don't want her to fail on a technicality."

Kade nodded, though he seemed surly. I guessed it was because of his totaled car. "Yeah, from now on we'll let you do all of the ass-kickings. The three of us will be nothing more than the clean-up crew."

"Thanks." That meant a lot.

# 19

I stepped out of the shower and dried off. It felt good to get the Sloth Demon ash off me. My room felt empty without Pam and the others. I hoped they were okay. It wasn't like I talked to them much or anything, but the other girls talked to each other and I missed the noise. But it was more than that. I missed them too.

After braiding my hair and dressing in black camo pants, black boots, and a matching tank, I went to the hospital wing to speak with Heathcliff, but Doc wasn't there. The hospital was as empty as the rest of the compound. Fighting down a lump of depression, I headed to the cafeteria. I still wasn't hungry, but it was probably best that I get something in my belly.

I pushed open the swinging doors. The smell of oregano and nutmeg met my nose and my mouth watered. Cook had made lasagna. I loved lasagna. My footsteps quickened. Until I realized the cafeteria was empty and I was completely alone. All was quiet expect for the occasional banging of pans in the kitchen. There wasn't a single warrior or teacher or trainee in sight. That was my fault. Although since the Sloth demon was killed, the trainee, Steven should've been returned.

I remembered Wrythe had said the compound was protected by spells and I wondered how the Devil got them all out in the first place, but maybe he was immune. I needed to ask Wythe.

I sighed, my excitement over the prospect of eating lasagna diminishing. There was still so much to do. Five more to kill.

Before I could leave, Cook came out with a plate filled with extra wide steaming noodles swimming in cheese and red sauce, a side of bread, and asparagus spears as well as a glass of water. "Eat. It's your favorite," she said.

I tried to smile; grateful the woman was so intuitive. "Thanks, Cook." Her real name was Frances, but everyone called her Cook. She had that look about her—slightly round through the middle, short graying hair, and a stark white apron with black ruffles along the hem. Her marks were the color of gluttony, but they were nearly faded to nothing.

She patted me on the head. "Finish it and you'll get a slice of my chocolate mousse cake.

I nodded, sitting at the nearest table and going in for a bite. Once she was satisfied I intended to eat, she went back into the kitchen.

I took another bite, chewing slowly. Cook's chocolate mousse cake was the best thing ever but it was highly unlikely I'd finish all the food in front of me.

"Hey, Alice. I hoped I'd find you here." Kade sat in the chair across the table from me.

"Hi." I couldn't help but study him. He'd showered too and the edges of his hair were still wet. It also seemed as though the cinnamon scent that radiated off him was stronger than usual.

"That looks good." He eyed my food.

"It is, but I'm not sharing." The guy could get his own damn food.

He didn't move. Just watched me eat, his green eyes never leaving my face. "Go ahead and ask," he said.

I set down my fork. "What?"

"About the Devil. You wanted to know why he was with me."

"Yes." I still wanted to know.

"Then ask your question."

I watched his lips move, wishing I wasn't so in tune with everything about him. "Are you a demon?"

"Absolutely not." He blew out his breath, running a hand through his wet hair. "Not even close." He shuddered.

"Then why were you with him?" I pushed my food aside and leaned toward him, _like a moth to a flame,_ I thought morbidly.

"He knows who you are and what you're supposed to accomplish. I wanted to make sure he knew I was aware of that," Kade said.

The hairs on the back of my neck stood on end. "Do you know who my sire is?"

"I do, yes," he said and winked.

"Then tell me." Frustration oozed out of me.

He glanced down at my plate of food. "Do you mind if I have a bite?"

"Sure, after you tell me who my freaking sire is." It was obvious he was procrastinating. _Who is this guy?_

Kade looked away. "It isn't my place to tell," he said. "I would be breaking all kinds of laws if I did."

"Whose laws? What do you mean?" My frustration built. "I don't know about you, but I'm still going through the Trial of Three. And the first one requires I kill all of the Dark Moth trainee demon sires. And if I don't kill them, the trainees die." I slammed my fist down. "So I'm not in the mood for anything but answers. If you know who my sire is, tell me." Fury burned through my body. I needed answers, a place to start.

He studied me intently and I guessed he was having an internal debate.

"Please." I touched his hand, immediately feeling that strange shock I'd felt when he kissed me. It was obvious he felt it too.

He let out a heavy breath. "All right. I'll tell you what I know. But not now. First, there's something I need to do. Meet me in my room tonight. Okay?" He took my fork and stabbed a giant piece of lasagna before shoving it into his mouth. "Mmmmm. Damn, that's good. Frances knows how to cook." He smiled. "Ten o-clock."

"Where are you staying?" I snuck a look at his breathtaking eyes.

"Guest bedroom at the end of the boys' dorms. Knock three times, like this." He showed me on the table.

"So stealthy." I couldn't help the sarcasm that bit into my words.

He came around the table and bent so his face became parallel with mine. At his sudden closeness, my heart beat faster. He smelled good enough to eat. "Ten o'clock." His breath tickled my lips and I smelled the lasagna on him.

I had an overwhelming urge to kiss him. I swallowed. "I'll be there."

"Good." He brushed his thumb against my bottom lip. "See you soon, Alice."

When he was gone, I rolled back my shoulders, trying to ease the tension. The man made me forget everything and that wasn't good. I got up from the table and went to my room where I promptly lay down and fell asleep.

# 20

At exactly ten o'clock, I arrived in front of Kade's door. It was closed and I reached out to knock but stopped. Kade had said he would answer my questions. That meant I would finally find out which demon was my sire. It seemed almost unreal. After nearly eighteen years, I would know why the marks on my hands hadn't changed color, why my eyes were blue instead of gray, and why I was able to kill a greater demon without having killed my sire first. Finally, I would understand.

Those thoughts filled me with anticipation and dread as well. I'd had nightmares about it while I slept earlier, not that it mattered. But I did worry that I might not want to hear what Kade had to say.

The door whipped open. "Alice, you going to stand out here all night, or did you want to come in?"

My eyes got wide. Kade had on gray camo pants, but no shirt. My eyes couldn't help but linger on his muscled arms and shoulders. His chest was hairless, except a dark line that started at his belly button and disappeared down below the waist of his pants. "Okay." I stepped inside and moved so he could close the door, clutching my hands together.

The room was sparse, nothing more than a bed, a nightstand, and a chest of drawers the same as my room.

Kade went over to the bed and sat, then patted a spot next to him. "Come here."

I crossed my arms over my chest, nervous. "I think I'll stay right where I am, thanks."

"Why?" He licked his lips. "Afraid I'll bite?"

My heart rate spiked. I was shaky, a bundle of nerves. "Try it and it'll be the last thing you ever do."

Kade laughed. "Sit down. Let's talk. I won't do anything bite-related until you have your answers."

I would've believed him had he put on a shirt, but I didn't say anything. I didn't want him to know the effect he had on me. I didn't want to seem weak. I was the Queen of Hearts, after all. "Good." I sat, staying as far from him as possible.

My seat choice caused him to laugh harder, but only for a moment. His face became serious. "I'm ready to tell you whatever you wish to know. Ask me your questions."

I pushed my arms farther around myself. Looked down at my pants. Swallowed. "Which demon is my sire?" I waited for the answer, unable to look at him. But when he still hadn't responded after several long seconds, I peeked.

A ripple of movement rushed over his skin, like an electrical current, glowing in the dim light. "Your sire is the Devil himself." As he spoke his eyes glowed bright green.

"That's impossible. He isn't one of the seven deadly sins." Before I realized it, I was off the bed and my back was pressed against the door. "You're lying," I whispered, my voice pleading. It couldn't be true because if I was the devil's daughter, then what kind of monster did that make me?

His expression turned sad. "I'm afraid not, Alice."

Desperation surged through me, sucking away all my strength. "I was taught about demons and why they do what they do. Never once has a Moth or Dark Moth ever been sired by the Devil. Not once in all the millennia." I slid to the floor. Leaned my head back and closed my eyes. And I knew he spoke the truth. It was the only thing that made sense. "So why me? Why now?"

"It's simple, Alice. Even the vilest of creatures have a desire to leave behind a legacy."

A burst of bitter laughter escaped my throat. "But he's going to kill me anyway. So why bother?"

"In the animal world lions, bears, even dogs are known to kill their young. In nearly every case it's because the child was defective in some way, either sick or deformed. The Devil will try to kill you, but I can promise you there is a part of him that wants you to live, to prove yourself to him."

I opened my eyes in time to see him look away. "There's more," I said. It wasn't a question. I sensed he had much more to say.

Kade ground his teeth together before speaking. "We're talking about the oldest monster in the world. Of course, there's more. We could spend weeks talking about them and I still wouldn't have told you everything. For now, it's enough to know that the Devil is your father."

"I need to go." I tried to stand, flustered, scared, and wishing he hadn't told me the truth. "This is too much." Tears pressed against the backs of my eyes and I wasn't a crier. Never!

"Hey. Hey. It's going to be fine. I've got you." Kade was suddenly beside me.

When I didn't respond, he lifted me into his arms and took me over to his bed. At his nearness, all of the fight went out of me. With Kade by my side, maybe everything would be okay. I needed him desperately to tell me everything would be fine.

Kade straightened. "I'm going to the kitchen to get you a glass of water. I'll be—"

"No," I grabbed his arm. "Don't go." I pulled until he sat beside me.

"I'll be back in a few. Promise." He gave me a sad smile.

I sat up. Caught and held his gaze. "Kiss me." I knew my request was out of character and surprising. One of Kade's eyebrows rose in confirmation. But that didn't change the way I felt. I wanted his lips on mine. I wanted to forget what he'd just told me. Slowly, my fingers moved along his forearms and slowly trailed up his biceps, to his shoulders and neck and finally cupped his face. "Please." I tugged him down.

Urgent hunger replaced the worry on his features. "You sure?" he asked, sitting beside me.

I nodded. "Yes," I said, moving in so I could feel his breath on my face.

He came closer, leaning down until our lips met. At the touch, there was a spark. I saw it as well as felt it. The shock reached into my heart, melting away the locks and chains surrounding it. I whimpered as my insides warmed and expanded as though my feelings required my heart to grow to handle them. Kade deepened the kiss, pressing my lips open. I urged him closer, clinging to his shoulders as I got on my knees. Kade cupped my face, his hands heating my skin.

Never in my life had I believed I could feel the way I did at that moment. Later, when I recalled the experience, I would believe Kade and I had fused. I couldn't find where I ended and he began. It was the most amazing, intoxicating experience of my life and I didn't want it to end. _Kade,_ my mind whispered.

_I know. I feel it too._

I gasped, my eyes opening, searching his for an answer. He heard my thoughts and I'd heard his.

Abruptly, Kade pulled away. "I can't do this," he said, standing, his arms crossed.

"Why?" I was confused and heartbroken. It was as though when he pulled away from me that he took my heart with him. I wanted to cry out at the pain I felt with him gone. "Kade."

A wild look shone in his eyes. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have let that happen." He yanked open the door and left without a backward glance.

I sat up, stunned. "Kade," I whispered. Tears fell, wetting my cheeks. I had no idea whether Kade knew what he'd done to me. Or maybe he didn't care how much he'd just hurt me. The love and warmth and happiness I'd felt a moment ago were replaced with darkness.

And I wanted to hate Kade.

In the early morning hours, I stopped crying and made myself a promise. I would forget about Kade and focus on the first trial. There were still five more demons to kill. Six, if I counted my sire. The damned Devil would die and do so painfully, especially if I had any say in the outcome.

* * *

Continue the story!

**Alice Fights Demonland** is now available.

**CHAPTER 1**

"Shall I call you Alice the Demon Hunter?" The Wrath demon tried to make small talk as he circled me slowly, his heavy body leaving footprints in the cracked ground as he searched for an opening.

"Call me whatever you want for the next few minutes as long as I get to call you dead when we're finished." I followed him with my body, keeping my katana in front of me. This demon would be my fifth in as many days. Who knew killing royal demons would become almost mundane?

We were several miles outside the city of Wonderland, in the middle of the desert. I'd decided that if the demons were going to track me, it'd be better to fight them in a place where humans couldn't get hurt or see and record what was happening, like the fight at the Mexican restaurant. That battle had made front-page news. Local government agencies began poking around, asking questions the Dark Moth Society didn't want to have to answer. Wrythe made an executive decision to have Heathcliff, our resident doctor, create an elixir. We put it in the water supply to remove all memories of demons from the humans' minds. Brief confusion had ensued, but humans believed only what they wanted to believe. And giant demons walking the Earth were more than most people could handle.

"I knew you had a mouth on you, but I hadn't appreciated it would be so bloodthirsty. Show some respect for your master," he said, sending spittle into the air between us.

I watched it land and sizzle. Then snorted at his bluster. He wasn't my master any more than the Devil was.

So far, this match had been the easiest of all. It didn't matter that he was a Wrath demon, supposedly the most aggressive. Within minutes after the battle began, the demon became so frustrated, he shed his human husk and now stood over ten feet tall. Two great ram horns shot from his skull and curled three feet in the air, red as blood. He looked like a zombie bull; his body sparsely covered in patches of black fur. The skin puckered and was leaking pus. His eyes were empty sockets and his mouth was filled with rotting teeth. The worst part was his smell, like over-ripened fruit and the decaying flesh of a menial rat. Sweetly putrid and utterly nauseating. My stomach rolled, but I steeled myself. This monster wouldn't get the satisfaction of seeing me lose my breakfast.

I rolled my shoulders and readjusted my sword. I'd already chopped off one of his legs. Black blood had oozed from the gaping wound briefly, but it was already starting to close. In a minute, his leg would regenerate, and I'd have to start over. I so wasn't in the mood. I just wanted to get this trial over with.

Mentally preparing, I twisted my katana, bringing it above my head. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw a flash of light. Distracted, I turned, but there was only sand and more sand.

The Wrath demon pounced, using his tail to swipe my feet out from under me. "You've already become complacent," he huffed, saliva coming from his mouth, spraying against my face and arms.

My skin hissed as it burned me. I forced myself not to focus on the pain. It would do no good to whine about it. I'd heal quickly anyway.

"How arrogant you are. Give me a few more minutes and I'll chop you into little pieces." He was bluffing. We both knew who would win this fight and it wouldn't be him.

I yawned to prove I knew he was full of it and flipped myself back to my feet.

"Slay him and be done with it," Peter said. He and Wrythe stood off to the right, their weapons drawn, though they were obviously bored.

I'd forgotten he and Wrythe were there. They didn't need to be. After I'd defeated the first demon, my confidence, skill level, and abilities had flourished. Even now my demon power burned like a dull flame radiating from the center of my belly, waiting for a time when I would need it. "Fine." I ran and leaped on the demon, wrapping my legs around his neck. He grabbed hold of my legs, trying to rip me in half, but I held on, driving the edge of my katana deep between his eyes. The power within burned hot as it left my body, coursing through the sword. It was my power that would kill the demon, the sword just the vessel used to drive it home.

The demon's body went rigid. A second ticked by before it released a heavy, repulsive breath, falling to the earth in a heap. I held on with my legs until the last moment before doing a front flip off his lifeless body. The demon's body turning to ash as it hit the sandy floor, becoming one with the hot Arizona wilderness. When he was gone, I faced Peter and Wrythe. "Done," I said, sheathing my sword and trying not to smirk, though it was difficult not to feel pride at my accomplishment.

"Now you're just showing off," Wrythe said, his gray eyes alight with irritated amusement.

"I don't even know why we come with her anymore. She doesn't need us, that's for sure." Peter jumped down from the large rock he'd been standing on, landing a few feet in front of me.

Wrythe did the same, his gorgeous eyes sparkling as he studied me.

I patted him on the shoulder. "Let's get something to eat. I'm starving," I said, heading back to Wrythe's Hummer.

"Do you ever get the feeling I've lost all mystique and she no longer respects me as her king?" Wrythe asked Peter, his voice low, but not low enough that I couldn't hear.

"I respect you, sire. I'm just really hungry. Demon slaying builds up the appetite."

He roared with laughter. "Well, then, Alice, let's get you something to eat.

As we drove back to the compound, Wrythe turned on his favorite music from the seventies. Over the last few days, I'd learned he liked the Bee Gees, Blondie, and Queen. It was heavy on the disco with a little classic rock thrown in for good measure. Not my favorite, but it was better than silence, especially since Peter and Wrythe weren't big talkers.

After he parked his Hummer in the large concrete parking garage and we rode down the elevator back into Demonland, I went to my room, showered, and dressed in my standard black before heading to the cafeteria. Wrythe and Peter were already there. Their heads hung together, obviously discussing something. I paused mid-stride, clinging to my tan tray. Atop it sat my chicken and waffles and my mouth watered at the scent of salt and sweet. But should I sit with them or find another table?

The cafeteria was empty, so I had plenty of choices. Everyone else was training or in class at eleven fifteen in the morning. But since the ultimatum given by Deckland as part of the first trial, I kept different hours than the others.

Wendy and the other trainees had been returned thankfully. At least Deckland kept his end of the bargain. I hadn't had the chance to talk to them yet. Partly because I didn't know what to say. It was my fault they'd been put in danger and I would understand if they weren't happy with me. The other problem was they knew who my sire was. That knowledge had changed the dynamic between us. I didn't want to believe it made any difference, but it was true. I saw it in the looks they gave me as well as the hushed comments I overheard.

I wanted to feel bad about it. Angry. Upset. Or even sad. Before Kade figuratively stole my heart and left, my emotions had exploded in abundance. But since he'd gone, I hadn't allowed my feelings to overpower me the way they used to. Wrythe and Peter could tell there was something off about me, but what could I say? I was in love with Kade. He'd kissed me and then he told me we couldn't be together.

I shook my head at even the thought of telling Peter or Wrythe the truth. Doing so would be mortifying. Because how did I, the person everyone called the Queen of Hearts, explain to a teacher and her king that I'd fallen in love with a stranger. Even as I thought of Kade, memories of our kissing came to mind. My body warmed all over and desire filled my belly.

_No,_ I shouted at myself internally. I'd decided that even though I knew I loved Kade, I needed to lie to myself. It was the only way I got through the day.

With a sigh, I took another step toward Wrythe and Peter. Wrythe saw me and waved me over.

"Alice. Come and sit with us." His easy smile didn't intimidate me as much as it used to. I was glad of that. In fact, I'd spent so much time with Peter and Wrythe the last few days, I kind of considered us friends. More so Wrythe than Peter. I didn't know if that was disrespectful or not, but it was how I felt. The two of us meshed well together.

"I just didn't want to interrupt," I said, sitting beside Peter. "It looked like the two of you were in serious conversation."

Peter narrowed his eyes before taking a bite of the food Cook had prepared. "Not at all," he said, but I could tell that wasn't true. He wasn't trying very hard to hide it either.

"What were you talking about?" The food smelled amazing. My mouth watered. While I waited for a response from either one or both of them, I spread a large pat of butter across the waffle, stuck the crispy chicken breast on top, and poured thick, maple syrup all over the whole thing.

"Nothing too exciting," Wrythe said, his eyebrows raised as he watched me.

The king was seriously hot, but also so far out of my league there was no point taking my thoughts about his fineness any further. "Really?" I cut into the food and shoved a bite in my mouth. My taste buds sang, and I closed my eyes a moment, savoring the combination.

"Really," he said, copying the way I'd laid out my food on his plate and then taking a bite. He chewed several times. "Very good," he added around his food. "Much better than eating the waffle and the chicken separately."

"Agreed," Peter said. He'd been eating his food the same way I did.

It was obvious they weren't going to tell me what they'd been discussing. Besides, the king's close attention to everything I did made me nervous. Resolute in my desire to ignore the feeling, I took another bite. I didn't have room in my brain to figure out what was going on in Wrythe's head.

"You have one more demon to kill," Peter said, changing the subject. "I think we should get an early start and head out to the dunes again tomorrow. That way we can get out there before the blasted heat boils my skin."

Wrythe shook his head, pointing his fork at Peter while he finished chewing. "True, but I want to know what will happen to Alice once she completes her task. She'll have the second trial to contend with, but what will it be?" He licked his fork. "I don't like not knowing."

I hadn't thought about that. "It doesn't matter what his plans are for me. I have a plan for him and that is snuffing out his very existence," I said forcefully and lifted my cup.

Peter pushed away his food. "I've been studying the histories back to the beginning and there isn't one iota of evidence leading me to believe that killing the Devil is a good idea or even possible."

I focused on my waffle, deciding I wouldn't pay too much attention to Peter's comment. Whatever the histories said, it had to be possible. I would end him. Without a doubt. Otherwise, where did that leave me?

"The texts talk about a need for balance. That there must be equal opposition in all things. Good and bad. Light and dark..." His voice trailed off and he drank from his glass.

_What aren't you saying?_ I resisted asking the question aloud. That had probably been what he and Wrythe were talking about when I arrived with my food and interrupted.

But it didn't matter. I'd heard the talk about balance before. From what I'd seen the bad far outweighed the good. Killing the Devil could only make the world a better place. As I thought about it, other questions arose. Like if the Devil were gone, what would happen to the demons? Would there even be a need for the Dark Moth Society any longer? At that last question, a pang of doubt filled my guts. Training and killing demons were all I knew, were what I lived for. My purpose. I didn't need the Trial of Three to tell me that. I knew it as surely as demon blood flowed through my veins. In the same breath though, I understood I had no idea what I would do after I'd destroyed them all, but I wanted to find out.

_Just as the human race continues to climb, so too will the demons._ That thought entered my mind. I shook it away.

"Alice?" Wrythe was watching me again, his eyes flicking over my features.

"Hmmm," I said, before drinking more water.

"What do you think? Can the Devil be killed?" He stuck an enormous bite in his mouth. Syrup coated his bottom lip and I had the urge to kiss it away.

Nope. Not happening. "Of course he can," I said, tossing my napkin on top of my unfinished food. I was no longer hungry.

"I'd better get back to the books," Peter said standing. He seemed frazzled by my commitment to kill the Devil, possibly because that would mean he was out of a job.

My eyes narrowed as I studied him. Or was it something else? A twinge of worry crept up my spine

"We know Alice will kill the sixth demon tomorrow. After that, we aren't sure what will happen. All we know is that the second trial has to do with the emotional part of her psyche." A shadow crossed Peter's features. "I don't know what that's going to mean, but I hope to figure it out."

Pushing away whatever bothered me about Peter, I stood too. "I need some sleep," I said.

Wrythe growled. "I guess I'm finished as well, then." He shook his head in exasperation. "All work and no play is really starting to drag me down."

Neither Peter nor I offered an apology and from the look on Wrythe's face, it was obvious he didn't expect one. "I'll speak to the others and seek out their opinion on the subject as well."

We placed our trays on the conveyer belt and went to the exit. At the end of the hallway, I was to turn left and they were to go right. But Wrythe stopped, taking hold of my arm. "Have you heard from Kade?" His voice was easygoing, but there was a glint of... was it wrath or jealousy in his eyes?

"No," I said. I hadn't told them about seeing him in my room and our shared kiss. I couldn't. "Do you know what he is?" My question was direct and to the point, so I was surprised when Wrythe stepped back, concern replacing his previous emotion. But I'd been plagued with strange dreams that were hard to explain. All I clearly remembered was that it felt like I was flying.

"It doesn't matter what he is," he growled. "As long as he hasn't contacted you." He tilted his head, as though that would help him gauge what I wasn't saying. "Kade isn't to be trusted, that's for sure." Wrythe rocked back on his heels.

Peter nodded in agreement.

My head rubber-banded back and forth between them. Sometimes I despised the Society and their secrets. "Let me get this straight. You both know what he is but are refusing to tell me. Is that right?" I was in shock. The last several days we'd spent loads of time together, but they hadn't said a word about any of this.

"Knowing what he is won't help you fight your demon tomorrow. It might throw you off your game. Plus, we have no idea what he wants." Wrythe stepped closer as though he wanted to say more, but hesitated.

"If you want my opinion, it's a mystery best kept unsolved," Peter said an unreadable expression on his face.

I opened my mouth to tell Peter I didn't want his opinion, but Wrythe spoke first.

"Once your first trial is finished," Wrythe said, taking my hand in his and stroking the back of it. "Then we can discuss it."

At his touch, I felt a jolt—like electric fire—and it stung me red hot. Dazed, I gasped, pulling away, placing myself at a safe distance from him.

"Alice?" Wrythe's emotions changed again. This time to a look I never thought I'd see him give me—one of yearning. It was obvious he'd felt the electric fire like I had. "What the—" He swallowed, his pupils dilating.

"Hell," I finished, moving around them. I couldn't be in Wrythe's presence a moment longer. "See you at sunrise," I added before turning the corner into the hallway that would lead to my room.

In a quiet tone, I heard Peter question the king but didn't wait around to hear his response.

**KEEP READING.**

# Leave a Review

Did you enjoy Alice Fights Demonland?

Please leave a review.

* * *

Join RaShelle's newsletter to stay updated with new releases and be part of her giveaways.

* * *

Join RaShelle's newsletter here.

* * *

Tap here to see all of RaShelle's books.

# Also by RaShelle Workman

**FABLE TOWN MYSTERY SERIES**

Iced Raspberry Cookies and a Curse

* * *

**WOLF BLOOD ACADEMY**

Initiation

Induction

Inheritance

* * *

**MAGIC BLOOD ACADEMY (coming 2021)**

Elemental Outcast Games Book 1 ~ Fire

Elemental Outcast Games Book 2 ~ Water

Elemental Outcast Games Book 3 ~ Earth

Elemental Outcast Games Book 4 ~ Air

* * *

**EERIE VALLEY SUPERNATURALS**

Undercover Reaper

* * *

**THE FAIRYTALE CHRONICLES**

Royal Selection

* * *

**PARANORMAL INVESTIGATIONS**

Ghoulish Whisper (12/2020)

* * *

**FAIRY ACADEMY**

Hidden Princess

Broken Curse

Stolen Magic

**BOX SET**

The Complete Fairy Academy Series

* * *

**DEMONLAND SERIES**

Alice in Demonland

Alice Fights Demonland

Alice Takes Demonland

Alice Ignites Demonland

* * *

**BEASTLY SERIES**

A Beauty so Beastly

* * *

**SEVEN MAGICS ACADEMY**

Blood and Snow

Fate and Magic

Queen of the Vampires

Deadly Witch

Royal Witch

Vampire Lies

Vampire Secrets

Vampires & Gargoyles

Vampires & Dragons

Vampire Magics

* * *

**IMMORTALS**

Venus Falling

* * *

**GODS AND PARANORMALS**

Goddess Curse

Mystical Gift

* * *

**DEAD ROSES SERIES:**

Sleeping Roses

Kissed by a Rose

# About the Author

RaShelle Workman is an international bestselling author. Several of her books have been translated into Turkish and her BLOOD AND SNOW series has sold over a million copies worldwide. When she isn't writing, she enjoys baking, creating new taco recipes, and watching Supernatural.

RaShelle lives in Utah with her husband, three children and their three dogs. Find her online by visiting her website at: www.rashelleworkman.org.

She also writes inspirational romance with a hint of mystery as Ann Hardy.

* * *

Visit www.rashelleworkman.org or her YouTube channel to check out RaShelle making the sugar cookie recipe.

  Facebook

  Twitter

  Instagram

  YouTube
