Page 66 of The Devil's Waltz

In front of me is a circular, glass coffee table with a few art history tomes on top as well as a burning candle that fills the room with the scent of sandalwood. On the other side of it is a black couch that matches the wingback chair I’m in. Beyond the sitting area, there are several completely full bookshelves. There’s a turntable set up between them, playing a soft piano melody that does nothing to calm my racing thoughts or jumpy nerves.

My gaze snaps back to my demon captor as she takes a step closer.

Lucia moves with such an elegant grace, I can’t help but get lost in a trance of watching her approach. She grips my chin before I can consider turning away, tilting my head back to look into my eyes. My pulse thrums and my jaw clenches, but I don’t fight her grasp. It’s a losing game, and I’m not naive enough to think otherwise.

Her crimson stained lips slowly curl into a faint grin as the subtle scent of smoky lavender invades my senses. “It is a pleasure to finally meet you, Camille.”

“Can’t say I agree,” I say through my teeth as I fight the bile rising in my throat. “YourMajesty.”

Her eyes glitter with amusement. “How delightful your sharp tongue is. I see why my son is so taken with you.”

When she frees me, I fall back against the chair. “What am I doing here?” I demand in what I hope sounds like a firm voice, because quite frankly, I feel about two seconds away from bursting into tears.

Lucia straightens, clasping her hands behind her back as she stares down at me. “I thought it was time you and I met.”

My eyes narrow, and I swallow before saying, “So you had me knocked out and brought to you?” I frown at the view from the windows across the room. There’s nothing but forest for as far as I can see. “Where are we?” I ask in a lower voice, forcing my gaze back to Lucia.

“Just outside Portland.” She exhales a breath, as if my response to the situation is irritating, which doesn’t make me feel better about it. “You can relax, Camille. I am not going to hurt you. That would be such a waste.”

Wasted potential.

Noah’s words come back to haunt me, and I sit up straighter, squaring my shoulders. “I know you’re planning to use me to get to the organization, and I’m not going to help, so you’re wasting your time.”

Lucia glides around the coffee table and lowers herself onto the couch, perching in an eerily graceful way in the middle of it. “You will not even wait to hear me out?” The air of amusement in her voice reminds me this is just a game to her, a form of entertainment while she schemes to get her way.

“No,” I snap, despite not being in a position to deny her. This woman—thismonster—holds my life in her hands, so even though there’s no chance I can give her what she wants, I should be pretending that I can and that I will.

She purses her lips, a dangerous glint in her eyes. “Not even if it could save your friends’ lives?”

My lips part in a silent gasp and my voice cracks when I finally force out, “What?”

She smiles cooly. “I thought that would get your attention.”

I narrow my eyes, shooting to my feet before I can stop myself. My temples throb, and I grit my teeth against the pain. “What have you done with them?” I demand, my hands balling into fists at my sides.

She crosses her leg over the opposite knee, folding her hands in her lap. “Not much—yet. How things proceed really depends on you, Camille, so you would do well to listen to me.”

I shake my head, the glare I’m shooting her way cold as ice. “You—”

“You speak far too much for someone in your position. I will make this short and simple for you. I need someone with close connections to the hunters. That is where you come in.”

“No—”

“You are going to rejoin the organization,” she continues as if I haven’t spoken. “They already trust you, which is precisely what I need.”

My stomach tightens with knots and waves of nausea. “You want me to be your spy.”

Some of the harshness in her expression smooths. She seems pleased I’ve come to that conclusion. “That would be lovely. You see, once you have infiltrated the organization, you can inform me on its top-level missions and plans to hunt my kind.”

I blink at her. “You…are insane.” I step back, swallowing hard. “They’re not just going to give me all the information you’re so desperate for. It would takeyearsfor me to reach the clearance level for that.” Not to mention, I told them Lucia’s plan to use me. They wouldn’t believe me if I tried to dive back into training now. This plan is impossible, but I’m not about to tell her that, because if I’m no longer part of her plan, I’m dangerously expendable.

Lucia nods thoughtfully. “I understand things take time. I am a patient woman to some extent, Camille. However, this is not something for which we have the luxury of time. You see, there has been some chatter among my people about abolishing my reign. Therefore, I am determined to show anyone considering turning against me that defiance is not an option if they wish to continue breathing.”

Staring at her for several beats, silence stretches between us, and I fight the urge to cry. I’m not sure if it’s more from anger, fear, dread, or an awful mix of all three. “Do you know me? At all? Has Xander told youanythingabout me?”

Lucia cocks her head to the side. “Why do you ask?”

“I left—no, Ifled—the organization five years ago, after my sister was killed by a demon. My parents have been doing everything they can since then to convince me to go back. Nothing they’ve done—no amount of pleading or manipulation—has worked. And now, you think I’m going to do exactly that as some secret informant for you?” I shake my head, exhaling a disgusted sigh as my eyes burn. “Go to hell.”

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