Page 16 of Monster's Obsession

Glowing, purple eyes.

What the hell was Asmoday doing hanging with an entire gang of vampires? I double-checked; yes, he was the only non-vamp in the bunch.

I’d be worried for his safety if a) I cared at all about his well-being and b) I weren’t aware that most vampires hated the taste of demon blood. Even Asmoday’s elf blood, an aphrodisiac to a lot of vamps, wasn’t enough to offset the rancidness of demon blood.

Which meant he had to be up to something. The guy was half demon and half elf. Being up to no good was a way of life for him.

I shouldn’t care. He could do what he wanted. I hardly knew the guy. If he wanted to get up to no good with a bunch of bloodsuckers, who was I to question his motives or worry about his safety?

I wasn’t supposed to worry.

Or care.

“Four at a time, otherwise it gets confusing and you could get spit out in Kathmandu or something.”

“What, are you, like, ninety? Who even uses that as a reference anymore?”

“Me, obviously. Now come on.”

They were all clustered around that giant mirror in the corner near the main entrance. Two groups had stepped into the mirror and disappeared before I realized what they were doing.

They were leaving school grounds and somehow using that mirror to do so.

I needed to know how to do this. It sure would come in handy. First, because I knew without a doubt that I was going to get bored in this place, and it would be nice to be able to slip away when I wanted to have fun, just like these guys were doing.

And second, I was all about having extra escape routes. Dear old Dad was not able to get into this place supposedly, but dear old Dad wasn’t supposed to do a lot of things he still managed to do. Sort of went along with being one of the most powerful monsters in the world.

All the worlds.

The third group now stood before the mirror. Asmoday was part of this group. They didn’t do anything special, just one by one stepped into the mirror like it was swirling water, not glass. And it seemed to suck them in; in a blink, each person disappeared from view.

The moment Asmoday put his foot through the glass, I slipped out from behind the partially open door and hurried across the foyer. He glanced over his shoulder, and his eyes widened before he disappeared.

Whatever. I didn’t care if he noticed me now; there was nothing he could do. He’d taken off to wherever vampires went to party on a Saturday night, and I was going to explore somewhere else.

I had no idea where I wanted to go; the only landmark I knew on this island was the village. Why not? That seemed like a good place to start.

I stepped in front of the swirling mirror and canted my head.

True confession time. A couple years ago, I had, briefly, considered taking Dad up on his offer. Seriously considered, not the it’s-just-nerves consideration I’d had when I first arrived at this castle. I’d reasoned that it would have been a hell of a lot easier not having to dodge him or his goons at every turn.

Except for this right here. This indecision. How could I run Hell—or any aspect of Hell—if I hesitated like this every time I had to commit to something?

Damn it. I had gotten over that curiosity about the family business a long time ago, but my lack of decision-making skills still carried on, and I still hated that about myself.

I thrust my hand toward the mirror. Clearly, I had something to prove to myself.

The moment my fingertips grazed what should have been smooth, solid glass, it was as if something grabbed them from inside the mirror. I was pulled forward, stumbling, until I fell headfirst toward the glass. I squeezed my eyes shut, certain I was about to gain a major head wound.

Instead, I kept falling, like I had been on top of a cliff and now I was tumbling down the side like a boulder.

After long moments, when the falling sensation didn’t ease up, I pried my eyes open. I was floating, not falling. Floating along a corridor lined with mirrors. As I slowly, weightlessly wandered past each mirror, I saw images in each.

One was the entry hall at Blackthorn Academy. Another looked like the inside of an antiques shop, maybe. The next was clearly someone’s bedroom, and two someones were gettin’ busy on that frilly white comforter. When I get back, remind me to turn every mirror away from any area where I may possibly walk around naked, because no thank you! I did not need anyone wandering this corridor to see my naked ass or boobs.

Presumably, I was to somehow get over to one of those mirrors and, if I had to guess, once I touched the surface, I’d be sucked through into that scene.

Except I had no idea how to maneuver my body. I stared at my hand, trying to convince my fingers to wiggle.

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