The Devil's Playground

thirty

AFTER RAPHAEL LEFT, ANDY PULLED ONE OF MY dining room chairs in front of the door and sat. He wasn’t pointing the Taser at anyone—not yet at least—but he’d obviously set himself up as our jailor.

“So what happens next?” Brian asked. He was sitting on the floor beside me, not touching, but lending moral support all the same.

Andy tilted his chair until its back hit the door. “We wait. You and Barbara can make yourselves comfortable, but keep your distance from me. I don’t expect you can do much with the handcuffs on, but I’d rather not find out I’m wrong.”

Barbie took him up on the suggestion, settling into the love seat with her feet curled up beside her. Brian stayed where he was. I kind of doubted either of them was in a great hurry to rush to Raphael’s rescue. Raphael had, after all, had Brian tortured, and Barbie was dating Saul, whose hatred of Raphael was probably contagious.

They consider Raphael expendable, Lugh’s voice said bitterly in my head. He didn’t need to put handcuffs on them. They’re happy to just let him die.

I’d never heard Lugh sound that bitter before. I couldn’t feel his feelings like he could mine, but I could hear his pain in that bitterness.

Don’t give up, Lugh, I told him. I’ll do everything I can to save him.

Even if saving Raphael could cost Lugh his life? I asked myself. If we somehow managed to get to the farm before the duel was under way, we could force Raphael to give up Tommy Brewster, and the duel could then be between Lugh and Dougal as originally planned. But we wouldn’t have our summoning circle ready and waiting, so if Lugh lost, there would be no saving him.

Lugh must have sensed my hesitation, because there was a hint of what sounded like desperation in his voice. Please help me save him, he begged. It is my duty as king to protect my people, and if I have to do it by risking myself, so be it.

You can’t protect your people if you’re dead.

And I would not be the king they deserved if I allowed Raphael to kill himself to protect me.

I thought about that a little while—it wasn’t like I had anything else to do while we waited for the Taser shot to wear off. Demons as a general rule believe that the ends justify the means. I wouldn’t say I was surprised that Lugh would risk everything for his brother, but it didn’t seem to fit real well with what I knew of demons.

If I didn’t have a fair chance of beating Dougal myself, Lugh said, then I might have to let Raphael do this, no matter how much I hated it. But I do have a fair shot, and I mean to take it.

Is a “fair shot” really good enough? Maybe when I was waiting here to summon you, but …

If I fight Dougal, I will win. There was no hesitation, no uncertainty in his voice.

You said the two of you are evenly matched. You can’t guarantee you’ll win.

We may be evenly matched in strength, but I believe my will is stronger than his. That will give me an advantage. He sighed. But no, I can’t guarantee it.

I couldn’t say his argument was particularly convincing. Especially not when I knew how desperate he was to save Raphael. He had never outright lied to me that I knew of, but that didn’t mean he couldn’t, didn’t mean that wasn’t exactly what he was doing now.

His voice in my head was a snarl of frustration. When Raphael captured Brian, you were willing to do anything, risk anything, to save him. I could have stopped you. I could have protected myself at his expense. But I didn’t do it. Please, Morgan. Please help me save my brother.

And with that argument, all my defenses crumbled. As Lugh, the manipulative son of a bitch, had known they would. I remembered how awful I had felt when I found out Brian was coming to harm because of me, and Lugh was right. There was nothing I wouldn’t have done to save him. Hell, I let Adam whip my back to shreds for his amusement just so I could get him to help me rescue Brian. I knew the anguish Lugh was feeling right now. And I knew there was no way I could stand by and do nothing while he suffered.

Of course, that meant I’d have to find a way to get through Andy. Andy, who might feel that Raphael was getting exactly what he deserved.

I tried to sit up. Unfortunately, while I wasn’t completely incapacitated by a Taser, as a demon would be, I wasn’t in great shape, either. A miserable moan escaped my throat as I collapsed before I got halfway up.

The legs of Andy’s chair thumped to the floor, and he pointed the Taser at me. I didn’t try to move again. I probably would have fallen flat on my face anyway.

“Andy,” I said, my voice slurred like I was drunk. “It’s me. Morgan. Lugh’s put me back into control.”

The Taser remained pointed steadily at me. “I don’t think that changes anything.”

I sucked in a deep breath, wishing the room would stop spinning and pitching around me. I closed my eyes, but that didn’t help much.

How could I get through to Andy? How could I get past his anger and hatred? No easy answers leapt to mind.

“Raphael’s a bastard,” I said, my words slightly clearer now as my tongue decided to cooperate with my brain, “but he doesn’t deserve to die.”

Andy snorted. “You’ve got to be kidding me! Do you have any idea how many people he’s killed? And let’s not even talk about the people he’s hurt.”

Hmm. Maybe that hadn’t been the best tack to take. “Yeah, he’s done some terrible things in the past. But he’s changed.” Suddenly, I felt like I was onto something, and I found myself talking faster, more earnestly. “Think of all the good things he’s done over the last few months. He risked everything for Lugh’s sake, even knowing Lugh would imprison him for his crimes if he ever went back to the Demon Realm. He set up that trust fund for Blair Paget’s care.”

Blair was Barbie’s twin sister, who had been horribly injured in a car wreck when they were teenagers. Barbie had been practically bleeding herself dry trying to keep her sister in the best long-term care facility possible. Then a mysterious benefactor had appeared out of nowhere and set up a trust that covered all of Blair’s medical expenses.

“He what?” Barbie asked.

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.