Page 84 of The Devil's Waltz

After a short drive from the restaurant, we get to the hotel and ride up to their suite. The air of sophistication makes it clear we’re in one of the nicest places in the city, but my reason for being here doesn’t leave space to enjoy the opulence.

On the way up, I send a quick message to the hunter outside Dad’s place and tell her I’m going out with Noah. It’s an easy lie—too easy—and one I know won’t be questioned. And then I send a message to my dad, telling him I made it home safe. That lie feels even heavier in my gut, and I hope to any higher power listening I won’t regret it.

The moment the three of us step inside the room and the door clicks shut, I whirl on them. “Start talking before I come to my senses and get out of here.” It goes without saying that following two demons into a hotel room alone wasn’t the smartest move. But if they wanted me dead, they wouldn’t have bothered with the pomp and circumstance of getting me here. I would have been dead a long time ago.

Xander and Blake exchange a glance, before the former rubs his jaw. “Maybe we should sit down?” he suggests, gesturing toward the small seating area around a glass coffee table.

His tone triggers the unease in my stomach to spread through my chest, making it harder to breathe normally. His tone is smooth and deep, but there’s a flicker of desperation there that catches me by surprise. It’s what has me following them instead of walking out the door.

As we move through the suite, I scan the impeccably clean space. The lighting is soft, inviting. Tasteful art pieces, no doubt intentionally curated for the room, decorate the neutral walls. The windows offer breathtaking views of the city skyline, and the faint scent of citrus fills the air. There’s a small kitchenette to my left and a set of double doors to my right, which I can guess leads to the bedroom portion of the suite.

Exhaling slowly, I take the black loveseat, while Xander and Blake take the matching armchairs across the table. Setting my to-go container down, I have an awful feeling I won’t be hungry for the dessert inside following this conversation.

Xander clears his throat. “My mother—Lucia—needs to be stopped before more people are harmed. Before she can enact her plan to destroy the hunters’ organization.”

My pulse jackhammers. I can’t agree fast enough, but his suddenness to act on it begs about a hundred questions. “What exactly do you expect me to do?” is the first I can put words to.

He still hasn’t told me why this is happeningnow, and I’m not going to leave this room until I get an explanation. Though part of me worries the answer won’t provide anything good. And just because I agreed to hear them out doesn’t mean I’m jumping on board with whatever plan they’ve crafted. I’m here to get information. What I do with it will dependon what it is and if—a big fucking if—I can bring myself to trust Xander, which I’m still struggling to do.

Blake drags a hand through his hair that’s now a faded pastel pink. “Basically, we’re going to open a portal to hell and drag her back there, making sure she can’t get out.”

I blink at him, the pressure in my chest becoming tighter as the seconds tick by. There’s a faint ringing in my ears, and a tingle at the back of my neck that warns of an impending panic attack, the anxiety simmering just beneath the surface. It has me getting to my feet, because sitting still only makes it worse. “Absolutely nothing about what you just said soundsbasic. I also don’t see where I come in.”

“We need you to expose a weakness in her. Crack the facade.”

My brows knit. “How do you think I’m going to be able to do that?”

Xander glances away from Blake, focusing his attention on me as he stands as well. “If we convince her you’ve surrendered to us, that you’ll fulfill her demands, we’ll be more likely to catch her off guard. That should give us a window of opportunity then to overpower her and take her down.”

I shake my head, flicking a brief look between them. “Let me get this straight. You’d like me to double-cross the queen of hell?”

Blake grins, but it appears forced. “Exactly. Easy peasy.”

“Easy pea—Are you insane? She’ll never buy it.” Shaking my head adamantly, I add, “I’m not going to risk my family and friends.” I meet Xander’s gaze. “She’ll kill everyone I’ve ever so much as looked at if she finds out.” I choke on the lump in my throat. “It won’t work,” I say in a low voice.

Blake shrugs. “I’m willing to try it.”

My gaze swings to him, morphing into a glare at his blasé attitude toward what is sounding more and more like a suicide mission. “What about your loyalty to your queen?” I ask, my tone effortlessly condescending.

His eyes flash black as a growl rumbles in his throat.

Before I know what’s happening, Xander grabs my wrist and pulls me back, putting himself between me and his friend as he jumps up from his chair. “Blake,” he says gruffly, and it sends a shiver through me as he keeps a firm grip on my wrist. “Knock it off.”

The demon blinks a few times, a muscle ticking in his jaw, and grumbles, “I’m fine.”

“If you can’t control yourself when I so much as question your loyalty, how do you expect to actually betray Lucia?” I challenge, trying to step away from Xander.

“It’s not going to be easy,” Blake says cooly, “but we will manage it.”

My brows lift. “We?”

Xander turns to me, releasing my wrist. “This is bigger than just us, Camille. There are other demons who have been against Lucia’s reign for some time.”

I struggle to hold on to my composure, to keep the shock from showing on my face. If other demons want to stop her, that would at least mean we wouldn’t be going against her alone. I exhale an uneven breath, suddenly wishing I was still sitting, because the way my head is spinning makes me feel like I’m going to collapse.

“Camille,” Xander says, sliding his fingers from around my wrist to cup my elbow, as if he senses how unsteady I am.

I turn my head until our eyes meet. “Do you truly believe this can be done?” I hate the way my voice sounds so small.Scared. I want this to work, but the hope that is trying desperately to ignite in my chest also makes me rigid with fear.

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