“What do you want to know, love?”
“What about fire magic?” I whispered.
His arm brushed down my back, and he looked over my shoulder. He reached for my hand, then he led me toward a building that looked like an abandoned brick mansion, the windows boarded up with wood. He kicked through the ancient wooden doors into a room of faded marble and dusty tile floors.
I coughed in the stale air. I could see that at one point, this place had been truly stunning. Busts in alcoves lined the hall, carved with flowing hair and crowns. But their faces were smashed, too. A few of the statues had been pushed to the ground and lay shattered on the marble. An old, dusty diary had been forgotten on the floor, as had a moth-eaten cape. Two crystal glasses and a decanter stood on a table. A maroon stain darkened one part of the floor, disturbingly the color of dried blood.
It was hard not to be curious about an abandoned demon mansion, so I peered through one of the doorways to see something that looked like a ballroom, covered in dust and cobwebs. A harpsichord stood in one corner, and more crystal glasses and plates littered the tables. It was like the Lilu who’d once lived here didn’t see it coming. Like they’d left mid-meal. It made my heart twist to see it.
“Why was this all left here?” I asked. “If the Lilu are gone, why did no one take over their palace?”
He turned to look at one of the smashed busts, and he traced his fingertips over its rough contours where the face used to be. “Demons are superstitious. When something terrible happens, a place is thought to be cursed. Haunted.”
“Do you believe that?”
He shook his head. “No. Haunting requires a soul, and I don’t believe we have them.”
But for some reason, since we’d come in here, the shadows seemed to thicken as if this place spooked him. Hot magic warmed the air around him.
“Do you think mortals have souls?” I asked.
His eyes slid to mine, his expression distant. “I’ve never spent any time thinking about mortals. Maybe you have souls. It’s honestly difficult to take interest in fragile little creatures that only live for a few years.”
I’d really have to just get used to his condescension. “Right. Okay. I suppose none of that matters right now.”
“You wanted to ask about fire magic.” His gaze pinned me. “Why fire magic specifically?”
I shrugged. “There was a demon woman outside with fiery tattoos. I’d heard a rumor that demons can light people on fire, and I happen to be more than a little terrified of it.”
“That’s Lydia—Duchess of the Luciferian Ward, House of Shalem. Fire magic is rare. Most of us possess only strength and speed relative to mortals. A few have ice magic. The ability to summon water, or to cause a storm—there are some examples of elemental magic. But fire—only the most powerful can summon fire. Those from a branch of royal lineage. Some say it means you’ve been touched by Lucifer himself.”
Now this was the most important thing I’d learned since I’d arrived. “So who’s on that exclusive list?”
“The king, Lydia, and Mortana.”
And now I had three suspects.
Orion raised his hand, and flames burst from his fingertips like candles. The fire danced in his eyes. “And me.”
I stepped back from him, my heart pounding, and the flames disappeared.
He looked at me with curiosity. “You really are afraid of fire.”
I exhaled slowly. “Yeah. It’s a thing I have.”
He took a step closer. “You’re here with me, working with me. I’ll make sure that no one hurts you. Understood?”
Either he was telling the truth or he was a very convincing liar.
He turned, heading back for the door. “Let’s go, love. I don’t like it in here.”
Add Orion to the suspect list, then.
Fuck.
Chapter 17
We reached our endpoint in the Beelzebub Ward, where we stopped for dinner at a riverside restaurant called Valac’s. The setting sun cast dazzling red and orange rays over the river just to our south.
Everything in the royal Beelzebub Ward, where envy ruled, looked as though it were gilded. Sandstone streets, trees that bloomed with yellow flowers, women in metallic dresses, cheekbones highlighted with gold dust. The setting sun washing it all in amber.
Orion had left me on my own to get dinner. He’d said something about wanting to speak to the king before my arrival. And with him still footing the bill, I ordered crab legs with butter and garlic mashed potatoes, along with the most expensive red wine on the menu. I wondered which kind of wine Mortana had used to drown the queen, and frankly, it seemed like a real waste.