Chapter 8

I awoke with a start, my eyes flying open to see Juliet, Hailey and Mel peering down at me. I was sprawled across the velvet couch in my underground throne room, the fabric now stained with dried... remnants of the cupid-induced orgy.

Disoriented, I blinked hard, trying to clear the fog from my mind. It took a moment before I realized—I was back. Back in the Underground, our sanctuary beneath the city.

“What happened?” I croaked, my throat dry. “Why is Mel out of her cell?”

“We handled it, Mercy,” Juliet said, her voice steady and reassuring. Ever the loyal friend, her pink hair and piercings belying her inner strength. “Hailey killed the cupid. We got here just after you passed out.”

I struggled to sit up, my limbs heavy and clumsy. Juliet gripped my arm, helping me upright.

“Lucky for me, that must have been the one that shot me,” Mel chimed in. She avoided my gaze, clearly embarrassed. “One minute I was… well, you know. Making a damn fool of myself pining over you.” She laughed nervously. “The next, I was thinking clearly again. Thank God.”

My mind raced, trying to connect the disjointed pieces. If the cupid was dead, and Mel was back to normal...

“What about Muggs?” I asked urgently. “The same cupid shot him too. Why isn’t he here?”

The three of them exchanged uneasy glances. No one had an answer.

Something was very wrong. We had to find Muggs before it was too late. But first, there was something I had to tell them. Something they would not like.

“When that cupid struck me, something happened,” I began. My voice was steady, betraying none of the anxiety churning within. “My heart raced. Then it stopped. But I didn’t end up in vampire hell. I was… somewhere else.”

I took a deep breath. No turning back now.

“I was with Oblivion.”

Juliet’s eyes widened in alarm. “That’s impossible! It must have been a nightmare or hallucination. There’s no way-”

“It was real,” I insisted, cutting her off. The words tumbled out in a rush. “I’ve been to hell before. It was just like that, except the location was, well, different.”

Hailey sighed. “The cupid’s magic, it’s chaos magic, just like Oblivion uses.”

I nodded. “I think when my heart stopped, it created some kind of link.”

Horror dawned on Mel’s face. “If that’s true... we need to find Adam. Have him take us to the pocket dimension, see if Oblivion is still trapped there.”

“No.” My voice was sharp. As much as I wanted answers, we had more pressing concerns. “It’s too dangerous right now. We need to focus on finding Muggs before something terrible happens.”

I took a deep breath, bracing myself for what came next.

“And you need to lock me up. Just in case Oblivion really is inside me.”

Juliet grabbed my hand, distraught. “Mercy, no! We need you. We’ll find another way—”

“We don’t have time to argue,” I said gently. “You weren’t there when Oblivion possessed me. If you were, you’d understand. We can’t let him use me again.”

“I won’t let that happen!” Juliet insisted.

“No offense,” Mel sighed. “If Oblivion gets a foothold with Mercy again, there won’t be much you can do to stop it.”

Hailey pressed her lips together. “And given your condition, how much that chaos magic has messed with you, we can’t be totally sure you’re back to normal. If there’s any magic left in you from the cupid, it might not matter if the one that shot you is dead. Oblivion will be able to use it, to activate it again.”

“Then lock me up with Mercy!”

Mel shook her head. “I was shot, too. We can’t lock everyone up. And Mercy is right. We need to find out what happened to Muggs. We need to bring him home.”

“And save Alice,” I added. “She’s potentially more dangerous than any of us. The cupid that shot her is still out there wreaking havoc. If Oblivion can use anyone who has been shot by a cupid, Alice will be the biggest threat we have to worry about. Myself excluded.”

“And if Alice still thinks she’s in love with Muggs because of the cupid,” Mel added, “if we find Muggs, we’ll find Alice.”

“If he’s not dead already,” Pauli added. He hadn’t said a word since I woke up, which was out of character. “What? I’m not trying to be a party pooper here. I love parties, and no one likes poop. That’s why I take daily enemas! Keeps all my parties doodie free!”

I grunted. I didn’t need to ask what kind of parties he was talking about. “What’s your point, Pauli?”

“Keep your friends close. Keep your enemas closer! You know, in case your friends become something more!”

I grunted. “Not about that, dumbass! What’s your point about Muggs?”

“All I’m saying—it’s a possibility. Muggs might be dead already. Mercy, you said it yourself. If the cupid that enthralled him is dead, what’s stopping him from coming home?”

“That’s what I need all of you to find out! He might not be dead and needs our help. And we could certainly use his!”

“No one’s disputing that,” Juliet said. “But are you sure you’re in any condition to go on a rescue mission?”

“Lock me up. I’ll be fine. You’re right. I can’t be out there where Oblivion might use me if he’s inside of me somehow, waiting for an opportunity. But we need Muggs. Because if Oblivion is inside of me, he’s the only one who can send me away to another dimension.”

“We’re not locking you up,” Juliet said firmly. “We need you out there with us.”

I shook my head. “It’s too dangerous. What if Oblivion takes control of me again?”

“We’ll cross that bridge when we come to it,” Juliet insisted. “Right now, finding Muggs is our top priority. If he’s at all compromised, he’ll need you, his sire, to get him straight. We can’t do this without you, Mercy.”

I hesitated. She was right, but so was I. Our chances of saving Muggs were greater if I was there. The risk of unleashing Oblivion was also higher if I exposed myself to more cupids. Then again, what was I going to do? Hide out forever? Oblivion was a void-dragon. The absence of existence—including the absence of time—was his specialty. If Oblivion needed an opportunity to manifest, my team could lock me away for centuries and he’d bide his time. All I knew was that the last time Oblivion took me over, I was vulnerable. I’d just found out that Ladinas and Alice had started a relationship in another dimension without me. I was heartbroken, and I let my rage get a foothold. That’s what Oblivion exploited to manifest.

Right now, well, I wasn’t angry. I was numb. But if all that magic in me found some emotion to exploit, something to use to open the door for Oblivion, we’d all be fucked.

“I’ll come with you on one condition,” I said, taking Juliet’s hands in mind. “The second I feel him trying to take over, I want you to take me out. Stake me, send me to hell. Do whatever you need to do.”

Juliet nodded solemnly. “I will. But it won’t come to that.”

I hoped she was right. I hoped all that happened after that cupid impaled me with its arrows really was a nightmare. But that was a dream. My gut told me that what had happened was real, and that Oblivion’s threat wasn’t hollow.

I also knew I had to face him. And I’d literally damn myself to hell before I let that scaly bastard use me again.

“Alright, let’s move,” I said, shoving my misgivings aside. “Muggs and Alice are still out there. We find them, we find the cupid controlling them. And we end that winged bastard once and for all.”

“No,” Juliet added. “We end all those winged bastards. And we foil Oblivion’s plan to come back before he gets a chance.”