Jenna Black - The Devil's Playground

She was sitting behind me, but I didn’t want to take my eyes off Andy. Plus, I was afraid he’d Taser me if I moved.

“He’s the one who set up your sister’s trust. He refused to admit it because he knew if he did, everyone would assume he had some kind of ulterior motive.”

“Then how do you know it was him?” she asked.

“Because I bullied and badgered him until he finally admitted it to me.” It had been an oblique admission—he hadn’t actually come out and said he was responsible—but it was an admission just the same.

“He didn’t have to do that,” I said. “He had nothing to gain.” Except, perhaps, Lugh’s approval, but I kept talking fast before anyone could mention that. “And think about what he’s trying to do today!

He’s going to kill himself in what has to be the most painful way possible just to stop Lugh from taking a risk. He’s changed. You know that.”

Andy wasn’t so quick to argue this time, but argue he did. “Even if he really has changed, I’m not sure that makes such a big difference. We’re much more likely to take out Dougal if Raphael has his way.”

I tried once again to sit up, because there was only so long I could glare at Andy while lying on the floor without feeling ridiculous. This time, I succeeded. He tensed, but refrained from shooting me as soon as I moved. I didn’t try to get to my feet, and I moved slowly as I turned to face him squarely.

“Lugh is the demon king,” I said. “It was his decision to fight the duel, and Raphael has no right to take that decision away from him.” I glanced over my shoulder at Brian. “You were the one who taught me that.” There had been many times when I’d made bad decisions in an attempt to protect Brian, when in fact he was perfectly capable of deciding himself which risks were worth taking.

Brian nodded to acknowledge my point. “But if Lugh loses, Dougal will give the demons free rein to do what they want on the Mortal Plain. There’s just too much at stake.”

Tell them that if I lose, they should reveal everything to the public. I told Dougal I wouldn’t do it just out of spite, but I would do it to protect your people from our people .

I relayed Lugh’s message, then gave everyone a moment to absorb it.

“Lugh is willing to risk his life for this. And he’s got a backup plan to keep Dougal from really winning, even if he wins the duel.” I let a hint of pleading sneak into my voice.

Andy looked indecisive, which was a step in the right direction. He glanced at his watch. “I’m not sure if we can really do anything at this point,” he hedged. “Raphael’s got a pretty big head start already.”

“And every minute we spend debating is another minute he has to get ahead of us. Please, Andy. You can think about it some more on the way, and if you change your mind, you can Taser me. But if we don’t get moving soon, it really will be a moot point.”

It felt like it took about an hour for Andy to make a decision and stand up. He moved the chair away from the door, then tossed the Taser back in my handbag.

“We’ll need a car,” he said, and I almost wept in relief.

WE TOOK BARBIE’S CAR. IT WAS JUST ANDY AND ME riding off to the rescue. We had no way to get the handcuffs off Brian or Barbie, and they wouldn’t be much help—and could easily get themselves killed—if they came with us. Plus, we needed them to spill the secrets of the demons’ labs if we didn’t come back. I suppressed a shiver at that thought.

I would have preferred to drive, but Andy insisted that he be the driver. I guess so he could Taser me without me wrecking the car if he changed his mind about trying to save Raphael. His knuckles were white where he gripped the steering wheel, and I could see the muscles of his jaw working as he ground his teeth. I wanted to say something to help persuade him that he was doing the right thing, but I got the impression that talking wasn’t a good idea. For the moment, he was doing what I wanted; I needed to keep it that way.

Raphael had more than a twenty-minute head start on us, but we were driving faster—though not as fast as I would have liked. I found my right foot pressing down on an imaginary accelerator and tried to stop myself. There was only so fast we could go without risking getting stopped for speeding—a delay we could not afford.

The other factor in our favor was that the duel would not begin the moment Raphael arrived. Dougal’s people would have to confirm his identity to the best of their ability first, then they’d have to let Dougal know it was safe to come out from wherever he was. There was sure to be some posturing and speech-making before the combatants actually had at it, and there would be yet another delay as Raphael and Dougal examined each other’s auras. I couldn’t imagine that Dougal would send an imposter, not when he was utterly convinced of what Lugh would do if he didn’t show up, but Raphael would still insist on checking.

None of these reasonable arguments kept my heart from beating double-time, or my palms from sweating. I took a deep breath to try to calm myself, amazed that I felt this … depth of anxiety for Raphael’s sake. Just because I didn’t think he deserved to burn to death didn’t mean I should feel this desperate need to save him.

I thought for a moment that somehow Lugh’s anguish was leaking over into my brain. And that was when I realized where my sense of desperation came from. It wasn’t for Raphael’s sake. It was for Lugh’s . Despite everything Raphael had done, I don’t think Lugh had ever stopped loving him. I suspected that was true of Dougal, too, though I doubted Lugh would admit it. To kill with his own hands the brother who’d betrayed him would hurt Lugh badly enough. To lose both his brothers …

A burning sensation in my eyes told me I was on the verge of tears. Lugh and I had had our differences, but he was kind, and compassionate, and thoughtful, and wise. He didn’t deserve the kind of pain he would suffer if Raphael killed himself.

I swallowed the tears as best I could. “Can you drive a little faster?” I asked Andy, my voice scratchy from fighting the tears.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw him glance at me and raise his eyebrows, but I didn’t turn to face him. I didn’t know what expression my face was wearing, but I suspected it was too raw, too open to be one I wanted him to see. I was more grateful than I could say when the needle on the speedometer inched up just a bit.

The miles sped away, but warp speed wouldn’t have felt fast enough to me just then. My fingernails bit into my palms, and I kept flooring my imaginary accelerator whenever I wasn’t concentrating on keeping still.

“Never in a million years would I have guessed Raphael was capable of this,” Andy whispered when we were about halfway there. “I can’t reconcile the Raphael I know with the Raphael who would sacrifice his life to save anyone.”

I swallowed a lump that formed in my throat. “That’s because he really has changed,” I said, just as quietly.

Maybe this is the Raphael that would have been, if I hadn’t been so overbearing and judgmental all his life , Lugh said.

It’s not your fault , I assured him. Raphael was a bastard because he chose to be. You can’t seriously hold yourself responsible for that any more than you can hold yourself responsible for him choosing to be a martyr .

“Maybe being inside your head for all those years was a good influence on him,” I said out loud. “You never got along, but he keeps saying how he understands you, even if he doesn’t like you. Maybe some of your better qualities rubbed off on him.”