Maleficium (Devil's Playground Book 2)

  COPYRIGHT

  MALEFICIUM by Natalie Bennett

  © 2020 by Natalie Bennett. All rights reserved.

  No part of this book may be reproduced in any written, electronic, recording, or photocopying without written permission of the publisher or author. The exception would be in the case of brief quotations embodied in the critical articles or reviews and pages where the publisher or author specifically grant permission.

  Cover Design: OPULENT DESIGNS

  Editing by: Pinpoint Editing

  BLURB

  Tragic and Twisted Fall Apart…

  Ave Satanas worship or perish.

  The reckoning has begun.

  In the Devil’s Playground morals have vanished, demons run rampant, and the death toll is rising.

  The price of freedom looms closer than before, simply crown the king, claim a queen, and make idle work of the damned.

  An ultimatum was given.

  Bounties have been placed.

  The hunt has begun.

  The devil wants his due, and Liliana just so happens to be exactly what he’s been waiting for.

  DEVIL’S PLAYGROUND

  PERICULUM

  MALEFICIUM

  DAEMONIUM

  INFERNUM

  OBSCURUM

  Coming Soon!

  Devil’s Play U

  All books after Maleficium are interconnected standalones.

  PLAYLIST

  Spotify

  The World Alive—No Way Out

  Conquer Divide--Nightmares

  A Day To Remember--Resentment

  21 Savage--Spiral

  The Doors—The End

  Hollywood Undead—Paradise Lost

  7ru7h—Voices in My Head

  Conquer Divide--Lost

  Yellow Claw—City On Lockdown

  Queen Naija—Trial And Error

  ITM—Hunting Grounds

  Jelly Roll—Creature

  Hollywood Undead—Undead

  Halsey--Nightmare

  Omri—Demons

  Attack—All My Life

  Wiz Khalifa—What I Know Now

  Lillian Helper—Even If It Hurts

  Post Malone—Hollywood’s Bleeding

  Zoe Wees--Control

  $uicideBoy$--Memoirs Of A Gorilla

  Kehlani--Gangsta

  Asking Alexandria—They Don’t Want What We Want

  Too Close To Touch—Before I Cave In

  BMTH—House Of Wolves

  Evanescence—The Game Is Over

  Halsey—Experiment On Me

  Mike Emillio--Clown

  Sia—I’m Still Here

  Rosenfield—Do It For Me

  Asking Alexandria—Kneel Before Me

  DeathbyRomy--Shadow

  Too Close To Touch--Sympathy

  REBEL—Lick

  Kim Petras—Wrong Turn

  Valley of Wolves—Lions Inside

  ITM—As Above, So Below

  Eminem—Godzilla

  Miley Cyrus—Mother’s Daughter

  The Plot In You—Feel Nothing

  Andra Day—Rise Up

  Trivium—Bleed Into Me

  Dermot Kennedy—Don’t Cry

  Hollywood Undead—Heart of Champion

  Lenii—The Kids Are All Rebels

  The Weeknd—After Hours

  Billie Eillish—everything I wanted

  MGK—Bloody Valentine

  RECAP

  (PERICULUM FINAL CHAPTER)

  The moment we stepped outside, Kyrous kissed the back of Gracelyn’s hand, which was odd to me seeing as he didn’t give off that kind of sweet vibe at all.

  And then he took off. He went right when we needed to go straight.

  Like the map depicted, Maze of Mayhem was right behind us.

  Literally.

  There was a small patch of grass, and then the entrance to another building.

  “Where are you going?” Selena yelled after him.

  He didn’t answer, continuing without a backyard glance.

  “He’s going to find his brother,” Gracelyn replied softly.

  “Poor bub,” Selena murmured, blinking away tears.

  I frowned, watching his form grow smaller and smaller. I understood the reasoning behind it, but I thought Kyrous was smarter than this.

  It was a suicide mission, and Ciaran was right. We were so close to the end. All we needed to do was make it through this maze to get to the manor. Maybe death would be waiting there, but at least we’d be going to greet it.

  “Are either of you going to go after him?”

  “He wouldn’t have wanted us to,” Maverick replied.

  “And I’m not leaving you on your own,” Ciaran added, staring after his friend, his face clear of any emotion.

  “I’m probably safer without you,” I mumbled.

  “Yeah? You’re also dead.” He grabbed my hand and began to walk towards the next entrance, leaving the others to follow.

  He hadn’t left my side once since we’d finished fooling around. He’d basically been my shadow, as if he thought I would run off or something now that I knew who he was.

  He gave himself too much credit, but I wouldn’t deny I liked him being near me.

  We stepped through a small opening and into a circular room made of nothing but stone. As the girls and Maverick followed, I looked around, taking note of the minor details.

  There were no windows, and the only light came from dimly lit wall sconces. It was cool here, too.

  Straight ahead was another narrow doorway, beyond it an inky darkness, the kind no one in their right mind would ever walk into. A stagnant smell emanated from within it.

  “Look at the floor.” Mel pointed down at a large mural someone had painted.

  “It’s like the image from the Visitor’s Center,” Selena said.

  I had forgotten about that, but she was right. Only now, I noticed the demons were wearing masks, all of them different, still surrounding the naked girl. Ciaran set his eyes on the next riddle and wandered over to it, keeping hold of my hand.

  “You’ve been trapped in a maze since you caught my eye.

  Find your way out before you’re trapped for good.

  Mystery, mayhem, darkness.

  The Devil lurks on the other side,” Ciaran read.

  “I think this is the most ominous one we’ve seen,” I mused.

  “Maybe, but we can do this,” Mel avowed. “We’re not going to die here.”

  She sounded so confident, a complete flip from the pessimist she tended to be.

  I smiled at her, reaching for her hand. “It’s dark in there. Let’s form a chain until we know what we’re walking into.”

  We moved into a formation of sorts.

  I stayed with Ciaran, holding onto Mel now as well. Gracelyn and Selena followed, leaving Maverick at the end of our line.

  Entering the darkness, I don’t think any of us knew what to expect. My eyes strained to adjust as the light fell away, but there was nothing to see but black. The walls were still stone, covered in what felt like moss as I brushed against one.

  There was a small splash, followed by a soft-spoken warning from Ciaran.

  “Watch your step.” He stopped, helping me down.

  “Ugh,” I muttered when I reached the bottom.

  Cold water wicked into my J’s, soaking my socks and the bottom of my sweatpants.

  The stench of it was potent, mold and mildew. I firmed my grip on Ciaran’s hand and Mel’s, making sure she didn’t fall.

  We began to make our way through the dark, using our human chain to ensure none of us got separated or lost. The passageways seemed endless. The only way we knew to turn was when we had no other choice, when the walls curved and made us go right or left. Every so often, there was definitive grinding noise.

  The first time we heard it we all froze, waiting for something to happen—nothing did.

  It came every few minutes, and after so many turns and times of hearing it I was beginning to wonder if we would ever get out of this place. I wasn’t the only one.

  “How ironic would it be to die in here?” Gracelyn asked.

  “Don’t put that idea in the air,” Selena snapped.

  We took another turn, this passage even narrower than the last. My brain had a lightbulb moment.

  “The walls are moving,” I announced.

  “Yeah, I noticed that about two turns back,” Maverick replied.

  Then why the hell didn’t he say anything? I gritted my teeth, keeping silent. My feet had become so wet I could feel them pruning. The walls shifted again, and this time I physically felt it.

  “Let’s pick up the pace,” Ciaran commanded, sloshing forward.

  Nearly running, we pushed onward, taking the different twists and turns. With one more right, a small light became visible, but by this point we were practically smashed between two slabs of stone. Fuck. I really didn’t want to die by being squished like a bug.

  Going as fast we could, the light began to grow brighter as we drew closer.

  We emerged from the passage just as the walls shifted again. I would have melted in relief, but I wasn’t going to take a single breath for granted until I was out of whatever the hell this place was.

  I put my hands on my knees, taking a second to catch my breath and let my eyes get used to seeing light again.

  “There are no doors or windows in here,” Gracelyn huffed, twisting her hair up.

 
Doing a quick scan of wherever it was we’d wound up; I saw the space we’d emerged into was nothing less than opulent—on the same level the Cerberus Hall and Blight House had been.

  The light we’d seen was coming from a chandelier that had been set to low, the gold gleaming as if it’d just been polished.

  I didn’t understand any of this shit.

  Straightening, I skimmed my eyes over each of the damask walls, gaze bouncing between one that had a backlit sign and the rear wall that was covered entirely by a massive, velvet, black curtain.

  “Now what?” Mel questioned, staring down at her pruned feet.

  “I’d start with that wall,” Maverick replied, crossing his arms.

  “I can see it from where we’re standing and it ain’t a riddle, it’s just names,” Selena pointed out.

  “Exactly,” he shot back matter-of-factly.

  These fucking assholes. Why could they never come right out with anything?

  The girls all began walking towards the sign. I made to follow, but Ciaran stepped in front of me and cut me off. He’d been quiet, more so than usual, but I figured he was still dealing with losing one, now potentially two, of his friends. Maverick seemed just fine, though.

  “What is it?” I asked.

  He didn’t immediately respond. His eyes blazed into mine with an unsettling degree of what I dared say was affection.

  “I missed you,” he finally replied.

  “What the hell are you talking about? I never went anywhere.”

  He cupped my face with both his hands and kissed my forehead.

  “Ciaran?”

  “I’ll see you on the other side.” He stepped back and then moved around me, walking towards the curtain.

  Maverick gave me a two-finger salute, and then followed behind him.

  “What the fuck? Ciaran!”

  I went to follow, but Mel’s voice stopped me in my tracks.

  “Liliana, no!”

  The urgency in her tone had me turning to face the other direction. “What’s wrong?”

  “This.” Gracelyn pointed to the list of names on the sign they were standing by.

  I took two steps in her direction, pausing at the sound of classical music and an array of voices. It was brief, lasting a few sparse seconds, but I still heard that shit.

  “What the entire fuck is going on?” I turned back around and marched towards the curtain, wet shoes squelching across the marble floor.

  “Lana, wait,” Grace hissed.

  I didn’t listen. I tore back the curtain, spotting a solid metal door. As I slipped behind the hefty barrier to open it, the girls were following right behind me.

  None of us—not even one—could have been prepared for what was on the other side.

  “What is this?” Mel asked from behind me, grabbing my arm as we stepped into the room.

  The space was filled with people in suits and ballgowns, walking the floor with glasses of champagne and conversing casually. Flat screens were strategically placed around the room, each one showing a different area of Goetia. Those who took immediate notice of us did so with smiles and waves.

  A clinking sound came from above us. I lifted my head towards the upper balcony, every muscle in body going rigid. My family—our families—were right fucking there, dressed to the nines and shaking hands with people I’d never seen before. Beside them, standing in a nice row, were four familiar faces, all staring back at us.

  “What is happening?” Selena questioned, grabbing hold of my arm as if she were about to flee and take me with her.

  Unable to answer, I watched my abuelo accept a microphone from someone.

  He cleared his throat to get the room’s attention, waving down at us proudly. I could hear blood rushing in my ears, my mind racing to make sense of what I was seeing.

  This couldn’t be happening.

  It wasn’t real.

  I tore my eyes away from the balcony and looked around room, gaze coming to rest on two gilded double doors. Two words were displayed above them, both eroded and large as if they’d been here for quite some time.

  “Goetia will lead you to the Devil’s Playground.”

  How ironic was it that we’d been brought here by the devil himself?

  This wasn’t the end of anything.

  It was the very beginning.

  PRELUDE

  It’s a penitentiary full of rhymes and riddles. Where dark and light go hand in hand. Blood and sin will drench your skin.

  Fuck.

  Kill.

  Sacrifice.

  Those are your only options.

  Countless heirs have come before you, they’re rotting corpses shall be your sole companions.

  Trust no one.

  Question everything.

  Pyscho vs psycho let your true self emerge.

  Servatis a Maleficium, something wicked this way comes.

  Welcome to the Devil’s Playground…

  CHAPTER ONE

  The nights we had together should’ve been impossible to forget, but it’s not her fault she doesn’t remember.

  It was them that made sure she forgot.

  They eradicated me from her mind, not doing shit to ensure she was gone from mine.

  And that’s where they fucked up.

  As if that wasn’t a death worthy violation in itself, they went a step further and destroyed one of their own. The Serpines and everyone in their inner circle deserved everything that was coming to them.

  But where was the fun in letting them off easy?

  For years we’d been watching.

  Learning and plotting.

  We remained obedient and kept our distance. All of that was now a thing of the past. I had the only permission I needed to keep Liliana by my side.

  The two of us together were a nightmare in the making. What could be more beautiful than a bond formed from blood and chaos, blessed by the ones that worshipped everything below?

  I was ready to take this game to a higher level. The clock was ticking and when it hit zero nothing was going to be the same.

  It was time for my puppet to wake up and remember who she was.

  CHAPTER TWO

  PRESENT--2029

  Life is notorious for throwing curves.

  It’s always the ones we never see coming that do the most damage. We’re completely unprepared for the havoc and chaos that follow behind them.

  As my world tilted, I struggled to process what was happening. I felt as if I were engulfed in the center of a raging storm, unable to do anything but watch as everything I’d ever known blew away right before my eyes.

  I hadn’t been expecting a rainbow with a pot of gold to be awaiting our arrival.

  Happily-Ever-After was reserved for fairytales and chick-lit romance. My life was more of a comedic horror movie directed by Tarentino. And this wasn’t anywhere close to being the end.

  Taking in the massive doors with Devil’s Playground eroded above them, I knew a major shitshow was about to begin. I didn’t know what to do to stop it--how to get out of this. I couldn’t run. There was nowhere to go. I had no one to turn to. The two people that always lifted me up whenever I was down, were standing right by my side--stuck in the same hellish reality that I was.

  Being brought to this place by someone I’d begun to think of as somewhat of a partner paled in comparison to seeing our families smiling down at us. I thought they would’ve been doing everything in their power to get us out of this madness.

  Instead, they were playing dress up and drinking champagne, seemingly waiting to see which of us lived or died.

  The whole city of Goetia was splashed across multiple mounted flat screens in vivid 4K definition for the gathered crowds’ viewing pleasure.

  An onslaught of utter confusion, fury, and rising sense of betrayal turned the inside of my head into a messy battlefield. I’d already figured out that what we were going through wasn’t random or a stroke of bad luck. I knew whoever was responsible for this had to be incredibly twisted and just as equally brilliant. But even knowing all of that I never once imagined an outcome like this.

  I stared up at my abuelo, who continued to address the various socialites within the room, not once speaking to me or the girls. In fact, no one spoke a word to us at all. We’d gotten a few waves and smiles tossed our way but now it was like we didn’t exist.

  It wasn’t as if we’d managed to blend in or anything.

  Quite the opposite.

  We looked like we’d just survived a super fucked up version of Jumanji. No one seemed too concerned about that, though. Totally unbothered by all the lives that’d been taken in albeit creative, horrific ways.