Page 134 of House of Ruin
“Because I want to understand why my father wants it,” Blaze said. “He might be a cruel man, but he is calculating.”
Moren nodded. Her ruby lips wrapped around the base of the cigarette, and she inhaled the smoke. “The chest contains my personal collection of relics I’ve gathered over the years. He expects to find something there, but as I already said, he’s not going to find what he’s looking for.”
Blaze wasn’t sure if it was smart to push the Imp Queen for answers. But his curiosity was getting the best of him. “And what would that be?”
For a moment, Moren didn’t answer.
“He had made a deal with me once, Mr. Leveau,” Moren said, her voice eerie. Goose bumps rose all over Blaze’s skin. “Your father came to me as a broken man, offering me his soul. He got on his knees, and he begged for his dear life.”
“What did he ask for?”
“He asked for the one thing he lacked. A fortune bigger than any man had ever seen.”
Blaze’s heart raced, his mind trying to make sense of the Imp Queen’s words. Galliermo had sold his soul?
“Demitria left him for someone with money, so he sold his soul to you for it?” Blaze choked out the words. “So, all that he has is…not real?”
“No, Mr. Leveau, the fortune your father has amassed is more than real. I didn’t hand it to him. That’s not how deals are done in Hel. I only gave him all the right opportunities. He used them wisely. Not all men do, I’ll give him that.”
Alecto’s mom had broken Galliermo to the point where he’d become reckless enough to sell his soul to build a fortune for himself.
Apparently, her lineage was a curse on Leveau men’s hearts.
Blaze cleared his throat. “That means my father is soulless?”
“He chooses to be.”
He wasn’t always like this.
That was what Auburn had referred to. The deal she’d mentioned was this: Galliermo selling his soul.
Blaze wasn’t sure what to do with all this information.
“What do you propose, Moren?” he asked.
“Simple. You get me access to the chest, or you bring it to me. And in exchange, I’ll owe you a favor.”
Blaze didn’t reply immediately.
“A favor from me goes a long way in this city,” Moren said. “And beyond its limits.”
Blaze knew that already. “I’ll do it.”
Moren seemed pleased when they shook hands.
The door to the office flew open, Broken Horn coming inside. Silently, he nodded at the Imp Queen.
“So it seems your friends have arrived,” Moren said to Blaze. “I’ll see you around, Mr. Leveau. I’m sure of it.”
Blaze left the Imp Queen’s office with a heavy heart and more questions left unanswered than ever before.
“Where the fuck have you been?” Val waited for Blaze at the bottom of the stairs leading to the cells. “I told you to keep an eye on them.”
“And I did,” Blaze said. “Was I supposed to refuse the Imp Queen’s request for a chat?”
Val pressed her lips into a thin line. But she didn’t argue anymore.
They all entered the dark cell where Cadre and Bea were still sound asleep.
