Page 53 of Summoned
“I… don’t watch the news,” she says.
“Fine. Doesn’t matter. None of this would’ve been reported, anyway. But Isaw it,Daria. The Black Joker turned everyone into ice statues and made me dance, threatening tomelt them with fireif I didn’t do as he asked.” My words falter. It sounds insane. I thought explaining the facts would be easier. But her expression makes me wonder if I’ve lost my grip on reality. Still, I push on. “He can twist everything with his magic. I’ve spent the entire night plotting how to outsmart him and… nothing. Absolutely nothing. I even tried to look Angelina up, the girl who told me about him. Remember?… She’s vanished, Daria! That’s why I came to you. I thought if we joined forces, maybe we’d stand a chance.”
Daria presses her lips together. Finally, a reaction. I latch onto it. “Oh, and one more thing. It’s in your interest to help me. That ritual? We both did it. Which means somewhere, he has another contract bound withyour blood.You’re next.” I gulp, my throat suddenly dry. “December, right? That’s when you turn twenty-one.”
Daria takes a deep breath, her posture straightening. “God, Nicole,” she says at last, and her voice is so soft, it soothes the tension wired through my nervous system. “You need something stronger than water. How about some chocolate ice cream while you tell me the whole story, from the beginning?”
I’m on the verge of scowling, ready to snap that I don’t have time for her silly ice cream. But then I recognize her expression. It’s sincerity, tinged with concern. Daria has always been the kindest soul. In truth, that was one of the reasons I ended our friendship.
Kindness is weakness. Kindness gets crushed.
She chose to stay prey. I became the predator.
And like any predator, I’m willing to use any means necessary to get what I want. Daria’s already involved—whether she realizes it yet or not—so it’s in her best interest to help me.
The idea of sitting here, like we did all those years ago, suddenly feels… tempting. I let out a long sigh and sink onto the sofa. She disappears into the kitchen, and when she comes back, she’s carrying two bowls of chocolate ice cream.
“You know, I never thought I’d see you here again.” She places the bowls on the coffee table.
“Believe me, neither did I.”
Daria smiles faintly, though the crease between her eyebrows remains, like she’s still unsure how to handle all this. “All right then. We’re here, we’ve got chocolate ice cream, and I’m all ears. Start from the top.”
So I do. And she doesn’t interrupt once.
By the end of my story, her nose wrinkles. “And you’re saying you…smellhim?”
“I’m not sure how else to describe it. But whenever he’snear, that scent…Bittersweet, heavy…Like a thick perfume that seeps into everything.” I exhale and lean back into the sofa, the memory of last night rising unbidden. Even after the Black Joker vanished, I could sense his presence lingering in my nostrils, creeping across my skin.
Daria frowns, pausing to think. “That’s… weird. But I guess it’s not any weirder than a magical stalker trying to drag you off to his castle.” She stirs her spoon around the bowl. “Although, he sounds like the kind of guy you’d get involved with.”
A rush of heat threatens to creep into my cheeks as images from last night surge to the surface. The position I’d found myself in. Humiliating. Submissive. And that fleeting, infuriating moment when I… liked it.
Proof enough that the Black Joker is messing with my head.
“What’s that supposed to mean?” I snap.
Daria raises both hands in surrender. “Just saying you’ve always been drawn to dangerous things. To challenges.”
“Right, because that’s the issue here. That I’m attracted to him.”
Memories flash through my mind—his hand sliding over my skin, the lightning bolt that jolted through me with every brush of his fingers, every whisper against my ear.
Daria lets out a quiet laugh. “I’m not saying you’reattracted to him. Just that, while you were telling me how he’s tormenting you, you sounded more furious than frightened.”
I press my lips together. Her damn perceptiveness is getting on my nerves again. “Just because I’m not sobbing in some corner doesn’t mean I’m not scared.”
“No, but itdoesmean that part of you wants to fight back.”
My fingers tighten around the bowl of ice cream. “So you believe me?”
Daria shrugs. “I know you, Nicole. You’re not the type to make things up for attention. Besides,” she adds, glancing at her phone where she checked Angelina’s profile earlier, “someone’s already missing. Now, tell me the riddle again.”
I run a hand through my hair. “The answer doesn’t really matter. If I solve it, there’ll be two more trials. And you haven’t seen what he’s capable of! The chance of outsmarting him is close to zero. And even if I do manage it… You’ll be next. There has to be another way to stop him.”
Daria leans forward, resting her elbows on her knees. “All right then. Let’s hear it. What’s the plan?”
My thumb skims the cup’s rim. “I don’t have one yet.”
