“Doc!” I screamed. What was wrong with the amulet? “Erasmus!”
Doc came tearing through from the kitchen with a horrific look on his face. I held out the amulet to him, but he didn’t seem to need to look at it.
“What’s happened? Erasmus! Erasmus! Isn’t he with you?”
But Erasmus didn’t come.
“Doc? This just fell off my neck. What’s going on? Where’s Erasmus?”
“Oh my goddess.” He sank to a chair. He seemed pale and older than he had ever looked before. Running his hand over his face, he winced when he looked up at me. “Kylie, I’m so very sorry.”
Something clutched at my heart and squeezed, tearing the breath from my lungs. “What? Why are you sorry? What have you done?”
I could feel everyone’s eyes on us. Everyone had stopped whatever it was they were doing. “Now Kylie, you must understand. This was his choice.”
“WHAT HAVE YOU DONE?”
He fidgeted. He never fidgeted. He was always sure-handed Doctor Boone, wise warlock and kindly country doctor. But now he wouldn’t even look at me.
“It had become obvious that we couldn’t find anything for you to bargain with. Nothing. And Mr. Dark knew you would go regardless. Darn it, Kylie, we all knew. But Mr. Dark found another way, another solution in one of my older books. He found a spell to turn him…well, it would turn him human. And he insisted I help him with it. I…I refused at first. I didn’t think it was a good idea.”
“Turn him human?” My mind whirled. I had no idea that such things were possible. Why would he do that?
“Yes. He said he would go back to the Netherworld, invoke the spell by breaking an enchanted wax seal, and become…human. It’s a very rare and ancient spell. Irreversible.” He looked away from me, fiddling with a knot on the upholstery of my chair. “He explained that as a human he wouldn’t have been able to get into the Netherworld…well, never mind about that. But once he was human he could—”
“He could offer his soul.” Oh my God. I couldn’t breathe. I grabbed the chair behind me to steady myself and tried to inhale. My face was suddenly wet and my eyes burned. “No. No. He’s not allowed to do that. I was going to free him. He would have been free.”
“He didn’t want you to die. I looked into his eyes, Kylie. And for the first time, I believed him. I believed that he loved you enough to sacrifice himself.”
“But he can’t do that. He can’t do that!”
“He…he begged me to help him.”
“But why would you? Why didn’t you ask me?”
“Because we both knew what your answer would have been.”
I wiped at my tears impatiently as they continued to flow. “What right did you have? Why is my life worth more than his?”
Doc looked away. I knew the answer to that, too. Because he was a demon and I wasn’t. But that made no sense. We’d gotten to know him, to understand him. His life was just as valuable as mine. And now he was human too.
“You’ve got to change him back.”
“I can’t, Kylie. I don’t know how.”
I shook the amulet at him. “You have to!”
“I can’t.” He dropped his head into his hands. “Goddess forgive me. I knew it was a mistake the moment I did it.”
I whipped around, searching all the faces around me. “I’m going to go get him. And stop him.”
Seraphina stepped forward. “And how are you going to do that, Kylie? Do you want his sacrifice to mean nothing?”
“I don’t care! I want him to live.”
Nick looked torn. He’d never liked Erasmus, never trusted him. All with good reason. “But how are you going to get into the Netherworld without him?” he said.
I grabbed the hovering Booke. “With this. It’s a key to a gateway.”
“You’ll never find him,” said the voice from the back of the room.
We all turned. Shabiri wore a grim expression. “The book might get you into the Netherworld, but how will you navigate your way through? There are no helpful street signs. No GPS. And your very life force will alert any and all demons of your presence. You wouldn’t get three feet without being devoured.”
I staggered toward her. “Come with me!”
“Are you insane? No way.”
“It’s Erasmus. You know him. You’ve known him forever. Please help me.”
“No. I’m captive. I’d be a target too.”
Captive? Her amulet. Doug had snatched hers as I had taken Erasmus’. I looked toward Doug.
He cottoned on easily. His hand went to the amulet around his neck. “What if I gave it back?”
She stared at him with surprise, then her expression turned hungry. “Yes, give it back.”
“I don’t trust her,” said Nick.
“Help me save him, Shabiri.”
“Why should I do that?”
“I don’t know. It would be your next big adventure. What can I give you to help me?”
“Kylie!” Doc shouted.
I held a hand up to him. “What can I give you?”
“Well, isn’t this interesting?” She moved a bit like a cat, slinking around the far table. “What could it be that I’d want?” She tapped her chin with a sharp nail.
“Don’t do it, Kylie,” said Nick.
“Nick’s right,” said Jeff. “I’ll go with you. I’m part demon now anyway. I can probably figure it out.”
“Y-yeah,” said Nick warily. “I c-can go too.”
“No. Only me. And Shabiri. If she’ll take me.”
She smiled. “I think I will go. And I’ll think about what I want from you. If Dougie gives me back my amulet.”
“Talk about dealing with the Devil,” said Doug, eyeing me with a rock steady gaze. “I’ll give it to her if you say so.”
There was no choice. I had to go rescue him, no two ways about it.
“I agree to your terms,” I said.
“Done!” She clapped her hands and then turned to Doug. “Dougie?”
He yanked the chain from his neck. “I’ve been wanting to get rid of this thing anyway. Here you go, bitch. It’s been a slice. I free you!”
Quick as lightning, she grabbed it back. She held it up to her neck, the chain fixing itself around her with a small pop. The green gem eyes glowed brightly and she sighed in relief. “Mine again. My life is mine again.” Her own green eyes glowed a little too. “All right, meat girl. You’ve got the Booke. Let’s open that gate.”
Suddenly, she was right next to me. With a hellish smile with a mouth too wide and too full of sharp teeth, she grabbed my hand, and everything went black.