Page 93 of The Darkest Night

“I see you came before the deadline.”

Mae turned and eyed the red-haired sorcerer walking toward her from the left, a group of demons, sorcerers, andOniksgang members following in his footsteps. She shuddered at Oscar’s hungry expression.

I can’t believe they want me to marry this asshole.

Brimstone snarled.I should chew his balls for even entertaining the idea!

Oscar mistook her shiver for fear. “Do not be afraid, my queen. As long as you cooperate, I shall see that no harm befalls you.” He stopped in front of her and grasped a handful of her hair before raising the dark strands to his lips. “You are to be my wife, after all. And what a pretty bride you shall make.”

He smiled viciously. Some of his men chortled.

Mae swallowed bile. Whereas Vlad’s identical move the night before had had her blood trembling with desire, Oscar’s made her want to throw up.

The sorcerer arched an eyebrow. “By the way, I am curious as to how you found us.”

Mae ignored his curious words. “Where are my sister and grandmother?”

Oscar’s eyes grew hooded, the sorcerer clearly displeased at her tone. “They are safe and sound.”

Mae’s nails bit into her palms. “If you’ve hurt a single hair on their heads, I swear I will—!”

Corruption filled the building, the air thickening with an oily miasma.

Mae’s gaze found the devil where he hovered between the second and third floor. He was in his demon form, his horns and wings dark under the stars emerging in the night sky above him, his pupils full of hellfire.

“They are unharmed.” The devil paused, his voice taunting. “Mostly.”

Rage burned through Mae. She gritted her teeth and curbed her wrath.

Not yet.

Hellreaver whined on her chest, the weapon eager to release his fury and magic. The way Brimstone’s hackles rose told her he felt the same way.

Mae looked from the demon to Oscar. “Take me to them.”

Oscar frowned. “Not until you surrender your powers.”

“For all I know, they’re already dead.” Mae’s tone turned icy. “I would have to be the biggest fool in the world to believe the word of monsters.”

“Do as she says,” Barquiel ordered.

Oscar protested. “That wasn’t what we—”

The devil narrowed his eyes. Pressure filled the chamber, a heaviness that bore down onOniksmembers and sorcerers alike. Oscar’s expression turned ugly.

The demon’s crimson pupils flared. “Do not make me repeat myself.”

The Sorcerer King’s heir backed down reluctantly. He motioned to someone on his right.

To Mae’s utter lack of surprise, Sobol walked out of the shadows next to a rusting oil tank, his gaze glinting with menace. TheOniksgeneral was maintaining his human appearance by the barest of threads, the crown of darkness boiling above his head indicating this would not be the case for long.

Mae and Brimstone were escorted by the demon and a group of sorcerers to the fourth floor, Oscar watching them leave with cold eyes. A locker room came into view beyond a row of boilers at the north end of the building. Mae hastened her steps, hope a bright light inside her.

“That’s close enough!” Sobol barked, his words underscored by a demonic growl. “You can talk to them from here.”

Mae stopped a few feet shy of the threshold of the chamber, her heart thundering against her breast. “Ryu?”

Her sister’s voice when it came was the sweetest thing Mae had ever heard. “Mae?!”

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