✔Kin of the Curse (Book 1: Bloodbound Chronicles)

27. Day of the Devil

When Seraphina turned to look at him, she jumped to her feet. "Oh, crystal balls," she whispered to herself. "This is bad. Lucien, listen. I can explain."

Lucien's heart had plummeted down into his stomach, and he swore he'd faint if he even dared to move a muscle. Instead, his hand tightened on the doorknob to help steady himself. He wanted to believe it was a hallucination or just a really twisted nightmare he'd wake up from soon. That couldn't be Charlotte. His sister never would've sold her soul to a devil, right?

"Charlotte?" Lucien croaked out. He took an unsteady step forward, as if needing a closer look to make sure his eyes hadn't deceived him.

Charlotte whipped herself around to face him in such a swift motion, it was merely a blur to him. She cocked her head with an innocent smile, and at first, she really resembled his sister until she stuck her long forked-tongue out at him. When she parted her lips to speak, Lucien couldn't even focus on what she said to him because all he could focus on were those razor sharp teeth. Vampire fangs were pretty hot to him now, but a whole set of sharp incisors like hers had him ready to dart right back out the door.

"I don't understand." Fear unfurled itself inside Lucien's chest as she whipped her pointy black tail back and forth behind her. "What did you do, Charlotte?"

"Be careful." Seraphina came around to him, gently touching his arm, but he jolted back at the contact. She pulled away with an apologetic grimace. "I'm sorry. I wasn't expecting you to get here so soon, and I didn't realize I left the door unlocked. This looks really fucked, I know, but I promise I can explain. Yes, that's your sister. Kind of. Not entirely."

"Why is she down here?" Lucien asked, despite how his voice cracked with each word.

Seraphina shrugged. "Because I missed her. I'll tell you everything after I release her back to the underworld, okay?"

"Oh, you're no fun, Sera." Charlotte hissed at her. "Let me stay and catch up with my brother for a spell."

"How were you able to summon her?" Lucien couldn't understand it. "We tried at the Vales' house, but it didn't work. Only the remains of her spirit appeared."

"Look at my little brother breaking the laws," Charlotte cooed. "If I had to guess, Mrs. Vale performed a spirit summoning ritual, right? Take a long look at me, Lucien. Do I look like a holy ghost to you?"

"You have to perform a demon ritual. Not a spiritual one." Seraphina crossed her arms over her chest. "The first time I conjured her, she tried to possess me, so please keep your distance from her."

Lucien took an uncomfortable step back as Charlotte's shrill laughter echoed throughout the cavernous basement. "Still not forgiven me for that one, have you, Sera? Don't be shy, little brother. I'd never possess you." The way her golden eyes glowed in the dark flames of the candles had him shivering at the mere thought.

"I think you've scared Lucien enough this morning," Seraphina said. "Time for you to go back to the underworld, where you belong."

"Wait." Lucien tried not to focus too much on the devilish details as he approached the circle, careful to keep his distance. "Maybe you're not really Charlotte, but there's definitely parts of her within you. There's so much I want to know. You hid so many things from me, like your vampire girlfriend and how you used to donate your blood to the vampire clinic. Then I found your journal in our old treehouse with all these awful spells and ways to hurt their kind. Hells, you were even a vampire hunter! Yet I didn't know a damn thing and I want to know why."

"Lucien." Seraphina reached out to comfort him, but he remained where he stood and shook his head.

"I deserve the truth."