Thanks to a dare gone wrong, Maggie Brumfield finds out the hard way that Heaven and Hell are real.
Prince Laudon, Lucifer's son and the current ruler of Hell, has locked Maggie into a sinister deal that grants him temporary ownership of her soul...
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MAGGIE'S POV
"Congratulations, Maggie Brumfield. You're officially a murderer."
I had hoped to finally wake up from this terrible nightmare, but unfortunately, Laudon's voice is what I hear after regaining consciousness.
"Maybe there's a place for you in Hell after all," he concludes with a quiet chuckle.
"What happened to me?" If I didn't feel like complete garbage right now, I would've responded with something edgier. "The last thing that I can remember is me being flung across the cave by that giant... monster. After that, it all goes black."
"Well, before that, your hands began to glow as Myrlande went to approach you. She became even more curious about your powers and, in response, recklessly had Atiko try to trigger them by having him launch an attack," Laudon answers, looking sheepish. "You don't have to accept it, but I apologize on her behalf."
"How sweet of you." It even hurts to roll my eyes. "Fuck. It feels like I've been stomped out by an entire football team."
"I tried to block any pain that would come as a result of Atiko's attack, but it appears your body may have rejected the spell," Laudon says. "Even still, you remain full of surprises."
"Thanks anyway for trying to help," I mutter while struggling to sit up on what I now recognize is a fancy chaise lounge. It's deep red in color and is probably the softest thing that I've ever been on. We're someplace different this time, a cozy looking bedroom. Instead of there being lethal weapons hanging on the walls, up against them are bookcases that nearly touch the ceiling.
From my peripheral view, I see Laudon make a move to approach me while I'm taking in my new surroundings. I'm too weak to argue with him, so I say nothing when he takes a seat at the foot of the chaise lounge. His black eyes begin to assess me even harder this time around, and it makes me question what all went down while I was unconscious. Nothing good, I assume.
"You said something about me being a murderer," I speak again. "Care to explain how?"
"I told you once before that blood tells a story." Laudon's eyes briefly flicker to my right wrist. I look down and see a small cut that's now scabbed over. "While you were unconscious, Myrlande was able to get a blood sample. She ran many tests, all of which came back inconclusive. Then the incident with Atiko happened, and that basically confirmed what I already knew about you."
"Which is what?" I ask, growing nervous.
"That you're not entirely human," Laudon replies. "During one of the tests, Atiko—Myrlande's pet—accidentally came into direct contact with your blood. Seconds later, he turned to stone because of it. Your blood killed him. Fortunately for Myrlande, she'd worn gloves throughout the whole process."
