Maleficium (Devil's Playground Book 2) Read online

  “What is all this?” Mel questioned, releasing her death grip on my arm.

  “Looks like a Gatsby swingers party for rich psychos,” Grace replied stiffly.

  The atmosphere of the room was on par with her assumption. People were standing around holding glasses of undoubtedly expensive alcohol, dressed to the nines in glitzy gowns and well-pressed suits.

  Selena relinquished her grip on my other arm and came closer. “The man standing beside Charon, who looks to be very much alive for the record, that’s Kyle. He’s who my mama is supposed to marry.”

  I skimmed over our families and the four assholes who’d led us here. One hadn’t taken his eyes off me since I’d walked in.

  I could feel his stare burning holes into the side of my face. I ignored him and focused on an older man that had salt flaked in his once all black hair, dressed in a navy suit. His gaze was trained intently on Selena, almost like he was sizing her up.

  “…And it’s because of your generous contributions that Moloch Enterprises will soon be ubiquitous within all areas of society. A new society.”

  The mention of the company had my attention returning to my abuelo. It was the only part of his speech I understood. Everything else he was spewing made no sense to me. Our family was already a key part of an elite, smarmy world. It was something the Serpines prided themselves on. So, what was this ‘new society’?

  His dark eyes settled on me directly, causing a fresh wave of tumultuous emotions to crash into my chest. The list of people I knew I could always count on had never been anything to brag about, but my grandfather always held a spot at the top.

  How could he do this to me?

  To us?

  I capped my feelings before they could overflow and glanced to the left of him. Both my mom and dad had a nearly identical look on their faces. There was once a time I did whatever was necessary to see them look at me the way they were now, like they were proud. Mel and Graces’ parents had similar expressions.

  I wished one of them would fill me in on what there was to be prideful about. We hadn’t done anything but survive. The only other option was to die.

  My abuelo cleared his throat and smiled.

  “I know you’re all eager to move on, so I’ll make this as brief as possible. First, I’d like to wish a congratulations to my Liliana for making it through the first part of her initiation. Another to our dear Melantha and Gracelyn, I knew you two would be the perfect match for my granddaughter.”

  Initiation?

  “That’s your grandpa?” Selena hissed in my ear.

  I internally cringed. They couldn’t even humiliate me like a normal family. I opened my mouth to reply, losing the thought when nearly every head in the room swiveled in our direction. I could’ve done without the creepy superficial smiles to officially acknowledge our presence.

  As my abuelo continued his not so brief monologue, the four of us banded together as if it would make all the stares less penetrating.

  “In just a few moments, the doors located on the east side of the ballroom will open to the viewing area. Head in and look at the new additions, politic, or grab a bite from the buffet. For those of you having issues with the betting system, there will be designated areas to help you get those submitted.”

  I glanced at Ciaran, unintentionally, finding he was still watching me. His unwavering stare prodded at one emotion I refused to acknowledge and threatened to knock me further off balance. The connection we had was dangerously convoluted. I began to look away, and I swore it felt like he tugged on an invisible string.

  Our gazes remained in a deadlock. Even from this distance I could tell how shockingly blue his eyes were. His posture was relaxed, like he didn’t have a care in the world.

  I would’ve loved to see him flip over the damn bannister and plummet to the marble floor below. The thought must have reflected on my face. His head tilted ever so slightly, and he had the audacity to smile at me, adding bruising insult to fresh injury.

  “Lana,” my grandfather called out to me.

  Brows furrowing from the unmistakable gentleness in his tone, I returned my focus to him.

  “It’s going to be rough, but I know you won’t let me—us--down.” He cleared his throat again and returned to addressing the room. “As for the rest of you, never forget what we stand for. Death to the weak?”

  “And wealth to the strong!” the room echoed in unison, lifting their glasses in the air before tossing back the contents.

  “What the fuck is happening?” I murmured.

  Suddenly, the room went dark.

  Every television screen blanked, snatching away any hint of light. I took a step backward, unsure what was about to happen next. There were a few small gasps and some amused laughter.

  “What the fuck is going on?” Mel echoed my perplexed thought.

  The TV screens started to come back on one at a time, now displaying a red countdown. I immediately sought out the balcony hoping for a clue as to what was about to occur. No one was standing there anymore.

  “This is some next level theatrical crap,” Selena monotoned.

  The lights that framed the double gilded doors began to flash, mimicking ones you’d see on a gameshow. With my earlier suspicion confirmed, my pulse jumped in the side of my neck.

  We were going in there.

  “Lana, to the left,” Grace warned.

  “And the right.” Mel added.

  If we weren’t in such a dire situation, I would have laughed.

  Five guys in total made their way towards us. Their heads were covered by large panda masks. Matching black slacks and white dress shirts completed their uniform. If not for the handguns they could’ve passed as a furry gang of mascots.

  The crowd parted like the red sea so that they could easily get through, some cheered and encouraged them. Not a single soul offered us help. I searched the room, trying to find somewhere to go but there weren’t many options presenting themselves.

  “What now?” Selena asked.

  Good question. I didn’t think there was anything we could do. We weren’t stronger than bullets.

  The panda closest to me stopped walking and his companions fanned out to form a semi-circle around us.

  If there had been a slight chance of escape, they’d just taken it away. I stared at the black circles that made up the panda’s eyes. I waited for him to speak but he didn’t say a word. He and his friends simply drew their guns and leveled them at our heads.

  CHAPTER THREE

  “Lost in a Roman wilderness of pain, and all the children are insane…”

  Confusion blossomed in my chest. I jerked into a sitting position, regretting the sudden movement within the same instant.

  My surroundings blurred, pixelated images floated aimlessly in my mind, jumbled pieces of memory trying to remind me how I got here. I cradled my head in my hands to try and ease the throbbing pain radiating through it.

  I felt eerily like the way I had when I left the resort—majorly hungover. This had to be a lingering side effect from the dart used to knock me out. I hadn’t drunk a single sip of alcohol since I’d left the resort.

  And who undressed me?

  I wasn’t wearing anything other than a bra and some boy shorts. I lifted the comforter that was covering me up and checked myself over from head to toe. Other than the massive headrush and some stiffness in my limbs, I seemed to be okay.

  I let the abstract bedding freefall and tried to get some idea of where I had been taken. I could tell that I was in a cabin or something like it.

  There was nothing to the place but four dark paneled walls and a few pieces of furniture. One of which being the bed I had been so kindly tucked into.

  There weren’t any windows.

  And unless Mel, Grace, or Selena were behind one of the two doors I could see it was safe to assume that we’d been separated. I could only imagine where they would have been dragged off to. The last thing I recalled clearly was having guns pointed at us
.

  A somber voice continued to croon from a polished record player on the other side of the room. The shrouded lyrics left the meaning of the song up for debate. I pushed down the comforter now only covering my lower half. I didn’t hear anything other than the music, but that wasn’t a guarantee I was alone.

  “Hello?” I croaked out.

  No response.

  I swung my legs over the side of the bed and rose slowly, rubbing the nape of my neck. It was tender in the center, like I’d gotten a shot from a large needle.

  Crossing my arms to ward off the chill in the air, I crept towards the door that was closest to the bed. I grasped the knob and began to turn, pausing when I heard a small click. Taking a breath and counting to three, I eased it open. The area beyond was nothing more than a small half bathroom.

  A pair of brown eyes and a round face framed by long black waves stared back at me from within a mirror above the sink. With a sigh, I released my hold on the doorknob and went over to the small table.

  There was bottle of water—not cold, and a small pack of crackers. Remembering what happened back at the Blight House, I examined both carefully.

  They looked to be sealed and secure. I twisted the cap off the water and took a generous sip. It was lukewarm but still got the job done, quenched my thirst and put fluid in me. I had no interest in the saltines.

  In the center of the tabletop was a folded over card with a logo of sorts on the front of it—a crying eye above a strange triangular pattern. I think I’d seen this somewhere before, but I couldn’t pinpoint where or when.

  I lifted the stylus off the record that was playing, and then grabbed the card to get a better look at it. The outside was blank other than the strange symbol, but inside held an embossed inscription.

  All bets are in.

  Dress in the clothing provided, and then proceed to the trail ahead.

  “More of this crap? Great,” I muttered, flipping the card back onto the table.

  I finished off the water, scanning over every inch of the room trying to spot any cameras that may have been hidden. Now knowing we’d been being watched this entire time, I doubted that had changed.

  Whatever. Let em watch.

  I went to the dresser and started pulling open the drawers. All were empty save for the one on the bottom right. Inside was a neatly folded pile of clothes and a pair of boots resting beside a silver picture frame. I grabbed the photo first, raising it up so that I could get a better look.

  “What is this?”

  I expected it to be a clue--another riddle.

  It was an actual photograph of Me, Mel, and Grace. We were standing amongst a group of people, side by side and smiling. That alone wasn’t anything strange. I had thousands of pictures with them, no exaggeration. The problem was that I didn’t remember taking this.

  Based on our outfits I assumed we were at a party or something. I wasn’t entirely sure. I couldn’t use the people surrounding us as clues because most of their faces had been scratched out.

  As I continued to study the photo it became clear someone hadn’t just mutilated a few people. The background had been darkened. Whatever was behind us was nearly impossible to see. I searched for a recognizable face amongst the ones that were left unscathed, finding two. Troy Sainte—a guy I’d partied with eons ago, and unless I was tripping out, the redhead off to the far right was Selena.

  She wasn’t smiling like we were. It almost looked as if she were scared. This didn’t make any sense. I was a one hundred percent sure I’d never met her before, and she didn’t behave like she knew me, Mel, or Grace either.

  Was this another riddle of some sort? Maybe I was reading too deeply into this. I wouldn’t be surprised if the whole photo were faux. Frustrated, I tossed the silver frame back into the drawer and took out the clothes.

  I needed to figure out where I was and then go find the girls. I’d deal with everything else later. They had to be my priority right now. My dysfunctional ass family could go screw themselves. Ciaran too, that deviously psychotic dickhead.

  I know I had to shoulder some of the blame. Believing in him even a little was a result of my own stupidity.

  I was a Serpine.

  He was a Belair.

  We were fire and ice.

  Tragic and twisted.

  We shouldn’t have fallen together when we could only ever fall apart.

  With such logic it was ridiculous to accuse him of betraying me. So why did I feel as if he had? The real betrayal was from my family, which was an even harder pill to swallow. It wasn’t something I could easily accept no matter how much sense it made.

  It’s always the ones closest to us that bury the hatchet in our spines.

  I pulled on the clothes quickly, feeling like time was already getting away from me. Everything was a perfect fit apart from the shorts being a little too snug. I looked at myself in the mirror attached to the back of the dresser, bringing a hand to my throat.

  My necklace was gone.

  How was I just now noticing this? Someone had to of removed it when they did my clothes. Now that I realized it was missing, I felt naked all over again. Why would someone take that? I guess it could be because it was worth money, but these people’s pockets weren’t hurting any so that didn’t make a lot of sense.

  I pulled my long hair back and twisted it around until the wavy strands were in a messy bun of sorts, noting that the same logo embossed on the notecard was imprinted on the corner of the T-shirt.

  Once I finished lacing my boots, I did one last search of the cabin before heading for the only other door there was.

  It opened directly to the outside.

  I stepped out into a thin layer of fog and got an acute a sense of deJa’vu. It reminded me of the tunnel the shuttle bus had gone through but this time I was somewhere in the woods.

  I think...

  Trees that stood so high I couldn’t see the tops of them surrounded the cabin in a crescent shaped pattern. Straight ahead was an all-white sign sticking out of the ground with the word TRAIL scrawled across it. An arrow pointed to the obvious.

  Doing some rapid basic reasoning, I knew I didn’t have but two choices I could make right now.

  One: stand here and do nothing.

  Two: keep moving.

  I chose the latter. The sky was already an ocean of darkening blue. It wouldn’t be long before it was cocooned in the inky blackness that came with nightfall. If I was going to be wandering through the woods associated with a bunch of psychopaths, I preferred not to do it in total darkness.

  I walked along the path watching either side of the tree line that bordered it. The air was warm and thick with an ominous kind of quiet. There weren’t any chorus of crickets or fluttering from birds. Even my footfalls seemed to get sucked into a void of silence.

  I could typically tell when some bad shit was coming my way, though, and I didn’t have that feeling right now. For all my alertness, I still failed to notice the small gap in between the trees a few feet ahead. I was practically right on top of it when a tall figure suddenly emerged.

  I didn’t take one second to stop and think, I simply reacted.

  My fist whizzed through the air, narrowly missing whoever had just stepped out onto my path.

  “Woah! Chill out!” He reared back, nearly falling over his own feet.

  Who the hell was this? I let him regain his balance, making sure the space between us was a reasonable distance.

  “I’m not going to hurt you,” he implored, adjusting a pair of thin glasses.

  “Where did you come from?”

  “I got knocked out and put in a hut thing back that way. Where did you come from?”

  “Same as you. My cabin is that way.” I motioned in its general direction.

  “Have you seen any of those people running around in masks?” he peered over my shoulders and searched the opposite tree line as if he expected them to come bursting through at any second.

  “Not recently,” I re
plied slowly, wondering if that was a trick question.

  He shook his head and adjusted his glasses again. “I don’t know what’s going on around here or who those crazy ass folks is, but all I want to do is find my girl and get the fuck outta dodge.”

  “Your girl?”

  “Yeah. Have you seen her? She’s your height. Has long dreads. Round piercing in her nose.”

  “I haven’t seen anyone but you,” I replied bluntly. I wasn’t going to pussyfoot with him if he was really looking for someone.

  “This is all so fucked.”

  He lifted an inked arm to rub the back of his neck and I noticed there were scratches on his otherwise smooth, dark skin. Seeing where I was looking, he was quick to offer up an explanation.

  “We had to ditch our rental and run through the woods. That’s where they knocked my ass out. Mo was still running when I went down.”

  I studied him critically. He gave off a kinda nerdy vibe. If I had to guess I would say he was the same age as me. He was tall with an athletic build. Not super muscular, but not scrawny either.

  His navy shirt had bits of leaves stuck to it as did his jeans. This coupled with the scratches had me inclined to believe he wasn’t lying. But who was to say he was really telling the truth?

  He took a small step back and held both his hands up as if he were surrendering. “I don’t mean you any ill will, ight?”

  “I don’t take strangers’ words at face value these days. Especially one I just met in the middle of the woods.”

  “That’s fair. Smart, too. But I’m not gonna hurt you, okay?” His arms lowered back down. “What do we do now?”

  Um. Did he just say we? I had planned on leaving him right where he was. Maybe that wasn’t the best idea. What if he was important? I could only assume that either he or this missing girlfriend of his had been taken to serve some purpose for one of the founding families, hell maybe even mine. But that meant he was either as in the dark as I was or planted here to eventually fuck me over.

  This didn’t help me decide what to do with him, and I couldn’t stand around trying to figure it out. Every minute mattered.