“That’s it; we are all getting out of here. Now!” I pulled the bathroom door open and motioned for them to follow.
In seconds we went from standing inside the hotel room, to standing just outside behind the hotel.
“That was weird,” Lela muttered.
“You get used to it. Let’s go find Kass before your father does.”
“Maybe he won’t kill her if I ask nicely.”
“Doubtful. Warlocks and witches don’t usually take too kindly to demons. They think we are the enemy.”
“Well I see their point.”
“Let’s just find Kass and get you both somewhere safe,” Colt said as we started walking down the street.
Chapter Nine
Kassandra
I walked down the street lined with homes. Everything there felt so different than at home. I could feel how touristy it was, yet there was history practically pouring out of every building.
“Kassandra Mayfield. I never thought I would ever get the chance to meet you,” a woman said.
I turned toward where the voice came from and saw a woman sitting on her porch.
“Do I know you?” I questioned.
“No, but I know you. And your father, of course.”
“Roderick?”
She nodded.
“So, then you know...”
“I do. I just put on the kettle, why don’t you come in for some tea,” she said as she stood up from her chair.
It wasn’t a question, and at that point, anyone who knew about all this and could shed some more light on it, the better.
I walked up the sidewalk and up the seven or eight stairs to the porch and followed her inside.
The rooms were small as we walked back toward her kitchen.
“Honey and milk?” she questioned.
“Yes please.”
“Have a seat.” She pointed to the small table as she walked over to the barely screeching kettle.
“So how do you know Roderick?” I asked as I looked around her small kitchen.
“Oh, he and I go way back. I’m the one who introduced him to your mother.” She beamed as she turned to face me with two cups of steaming tea.
“You knew my mother?”
She nodded as she took a seat.
“Your mother was a brilliant witch. I am sorry about her passing.”
“Thank you.”
“Roderick loved your mother something fierce. It nearly killed him to leave her. Actually, for a while, I was convinced he would give up his seat in Hell for her. But she wouldn’t allow it.”
“Roderick spent a lot of time here running Hell from this city. He and many of the locals around here got awfully close.”
“I’m confused, if he was able to live here on Earth and run Hell, why couldn’t he be with my mother?”
“Because a witch and the king of Hell together would have tipped the good versus evil scales too much to one side.”
I nodded.
“But me becoming the queen of Hell won’t?”
“Your sister would still be a witch here on Earth. So, no.”
“I don’t even know the first thing about running Hell.”
“You don’t need to. All you need to know is how to use your powers. The rest will fall into place.”
“I already know how to use my powers.”
“Not those powers, dear. Your demonic ones.”
I looked down at my hands. I knew I would have demonic powers, but nothing really jumped out at me.
“Think about something that makes you mad. Really, truly angry,” she said.
I sucked in a breath and thought about my mother dying alone. I thought about how heartbroken she was for years after she was left alone by both Roderick and Lela’s father.
Something in the corner of the room shattered causing me to flinch.
“There you go. Now focus on that anger and focus on the window over there.”
I shook my head. “I don’t want to break more of your stuff.”
“I can fix it. Come on.”
I inhaled deeply and stared at the window while thinking of Lela lying to me.
The glass cracked and shattered to the floor.
“It’s all about how you do it. I’m sure you have many more powers. The best way to bring them alive is to harness your emotions and work off of that.”
I smiled. “How do you know so much about this?”
“I’ve been around for a while.” She winked.
We finished our tea while we discussed my mother and what it would be like if I became queen.
“Kass, I still stand by what I said. You should become queen. You would do great.”
“Thank you,” I said smiling at her before heading down the steps back to the sidewalk.
I walked back toward the heart of the city. She was right; I needed to harness my emotions and powers.
I walked around the corner and came face to face with two men. They were demons. I could tell. I don’t know how, I just could.
I stood still and held my ground. If they wanted me, they could take me. I wanted to see Hell for myself.
“Just the witch we were looking for,” one of them spat.
“You think you scare me?” I asked.
“We should,” the other said grabbing me and pulling me against him. I watched as the street disappeared and then all I saw was dark. It looked like one massive building we were in.
“Where are we?” I asked.
“I think you know,” he said letting me go.
I turned and smirked.
“I do know.” I held out my hand and I could feel the heat coming off it. A bolt of red went from my hand right into the demon.
The other one looked shocked and was about to disappear.
He was frozen.
“What the hell is happening to me?” he growled.
I squeezed my hand into a fist, and I could see him choking, in seconds I heard the snaps of his neck as his body went limp and he fell to the floor.
My whole body felt like it was on fire, but it felt good. I could feel the anger inside of me getting stronger, and all I wanted to do was yell.
“What happened here?” a woman asked walking out of one of the doors.
“Which way to the king of Hell?” I asked.
She pointed in the direction behind me.
“Thanks.” I gripped my hand into a fist and heard her screams as I walked in the direction she pointed.
As I walked, I felt more powerful. Each demon I came across, I killed. They weren’t doing any good for Earth anyway. It felt like after I killed each one, I got more powerful. Or maybe I just got more confident with myself. Whatever it was, it was fueling my rage toward whomever was on the other side of the two guards I came face to face with.
“Can I help you?” one of the guys asked.
“You can step aside and let me through.”
He shook his head. “No can do. No one gets by without an appointment with the king.”
I scoffed. “Oh, that’s cute. You really think the man sitting back there is the king of Hell.”
“Excuse me?”
“That demon back there is nothing but just a lowly demon like yourself. He’s no king.”
“Bite your tongue,” he snarled.
“I’m bored.” I gripped my hand snapping his neck. I turned my attention to the other guard.