When they landed back in the dining hall, there was no aching crash like before, Blackwell keeping them both on their feet. He wasted no time guiding her back to her room.
โWell, I suppose the debate on whether or not you think itโd be terrible to kiss me has been settled,โ he declared as he kicked the door shut behind them.
She jabbed a finger into his chest. โDo not tease me right now. That wasย horrible.โ
โOf course it was,โ he agreed. โNo illusion could possibly replace myโ โโ
โThat isย notย what I meant,โ she gritted out. โImagine you believe, with every fiber of your being, that something is real, and suddenly you get an inkling that it isย not. I have to live that nightmare every single day in my own mind! Do you have any idea how terrifying it is to have your reality so distorted that you canโt trust your own thoughts, your ownย sight?โ
โNo,โ he answered, sincere. โBut itโs over. You figured it out before it was too late. You finished the level.โ
โBut how do I know that!โ she exclaimed, fear creeping into her voice. โHow do I knowย thisย is real and Iโm not being tricked by another illusion into a false sense of security?โ
He watched as she began to pace back and forth, the amusement in his eyes slowly dissipating the more anxious she became.
โIt was too easy to get out of there.โ She shook her head. โI canโt trust my own judgment, clearly. I have to get out, I have toโ โโ
โOphelia.โ Blackwell sidestepped into her path, making her stop short. โThatโs the point of this place. Itโs desperate to make you question your sanity. That trial is set up the way it is to make you paranoid the remainder of the time youโre here. Itโs a mind game.โ
โHow can I trust you?โ she sniffed, refusing to make eye contact. โYou were there too. You were there and you were pretending to be protective of me, youย kissedย me, but itย wasnโtย youโ โโ
โLook at me,โ he demanded, reaching out to lightly pinch her chin and tilt her face up to his.
She swallowed as she allowed her gaze to slide back to his.
โThis is real,โ he promised. โIโm real. Iโm sorry the illusion used my likeness to trick you. I need you to know if you were to ever let me touch you, in any way, the moment you wanted to stopโI would. No hesitation.โ
He spoke with such vehement intensity that she didnโt have a single doubt in her mind they were true.
She swallowed. โOkay.โ
His shoulders relaxed a little and the corners of his mouth tilted up again. โIโll try not to be insulted that you believed whatever stale pleasure that imposter was giving you could have come from me. I think in the future it would be objectively beneficial to let me prove to you exactly what it feels like to be kissed by me, just in case such a thing were to ever happen again.โ
โAlright, maybe I am inclined to believe this is real.โ She rolled her eyes as she grumbled, โYour face might be able to be replicated, but your ego canโt. What if I had said it was the greatest pleasure Iโve ever known?โ
The mischievous glint in his eyes was back inย full force as he leaned down. โIf you thought that was your threshold of pleasureโimagine being worshipped by the real thing.โ
Her breath caught in her throat and any ability she had to form a coherent retort was lost then and there. A response wasnโt needed anyway as his focus shifted to her mouth. He reached out and rubbed his thumb over her split lip, eliciting a quick, sharp pain. He brought his thumb to his mouth, now painted with a smear of her blood, and licked it clean. She had to swallow the whimper crawling up her throat at the sight. Something about him consuming any part of her made her belly warm.
Get it together,ย she admonished herself internally.
โIt looks like you gave that imposter a Hell of a fight at least. Good girl.โ His fingertips warmed as he reached out to brush them over the wound once more, and she relished the relief of his magic as it healed her. โThere.โ
โThe illusion wasnโt the one who did that,โ she corrected, lightly brushing her own fingertips over where the split had been moments before. โActually, I had completely forgotten about that.โ
He stiffened as he asked, โWho was responsible, then?โ
She shrugged. โOne of the other contestants.โ
He narrowed his eyes. โWhich one?โ
โWho cares? Iโm fine. You healed me. We need to get back to our quest.โ
โI care. We have a bargain. Iโm supposed to protect you from harm while youโre here,โ he told her, his tone a little too casual. โSo again. Who did that to you?โ
โThe one named Cade,โ she admitted. โHappy?โ
Without another word, Blackwell disappeared.
Phantasmaโs library was back to its original, orderly state. After Blackwellโs abrupt departure, Ophelia had spent anย hour pacing her room, too much anxious energy pent-up inside of her to be still. And the moment the Shadow Voice had begun its whispering, she knew she needed to occupy herself with something other than worrying about Genevieve and reliving her kiss with the fake Blackwell over and over and over. Especially because the latter led directly to her thinking about kissing the real Blackwellโand that was officially forbidden territory in her mind.
โHeโs done nothingย thatย special,โ she muttered to herself as she strutted through the library. โAnd heโs got me on a wild goose chase. There is no reason to let him linger on my mind like this.โ
Someone cleared their throat.
โOh.โ Ophelia came to a halt when she spotted Luci, huddled near the fireplace with a book. โI didnโt see you there.โ
Bash her face in, break her nose. She didnโt help you, she was a coward,the Shadow Voice hissed in her mind at the sight of the girl.ย It would be so easy to make her hurt, make her bleedโ โ
Shut. Up.ย Ophelia ordered the intrusive presence, giving her head a vigorous shake as if it would make the voice leave her alone. Luci gave her a strange look.
โAre you alright?โ Luci asked.
โYes,โย Ophelia answered, the response automatic, practiced. โWhat are you reading?โ
Luci shrugged and stood. โSome romance about Angels and Demons. It was the first one I picked.โ
Ophelia nodded like she was listening, but her feet were already itching to turn around and leave. Luci noticed.
โWait,โ the girl pleaded. โI wanted to tell you I was sorry. About what Cade did.โ
โIt isnโt for you to apologize for,โ Ophelia told her.
Luci bit her lip. โI know, but we all just stood there and let it happen. He had usย convinced thatโฆโ
โI know.โ Ophelia waved off the words she knew were coming next. โIt doesnโt matter. No one owes anyone anything here, right? We are all going to do what it takes to survive. When you see Cade again, you can remind the bastard of that for me.โ
Luciโs eyes widened a bit at the darkness that had bled into Opheliaโs tone. The Shadow Voiceโs influence, she supposed. But for this, she didnโt mind. She hoped Luci took her words seriously and delivered the message.
โItโs justโฆย I of all people should have known better about you. But Leon said you did something in the first level,โ Luci disclosed, โto make the Hellhoundโ โโ
โFor fuckโs sake.โ Ophelia pinched the bridge of her nose. โThe way people will find a way to gossip throughout even the direst of circumstances. Iโm assuming Leon is the scrawny kid I had to haul out of there? Maybe he should be talking less about me and work on his stamina. He could barely keep upโand I was wearing a corset.โ
โHeโs not scrawny,โ Luci defended, blushing. โHeโs just leanโ โโ
โOh noโฆโ Ophelia cut her off. โYouย likeย him? If I could give you some advice? This place seems to like to twist good, sweet things until they break. Donโt let it.โ
Soft hearts donโt survive here.
The girl became visibly flustered at Opheliaโs words, but Ophelia couldnโt have cared less. She was right. Blackwell was right. She didnโt know what stakes in Luciโs life led her to this place, but anyone could see the girlโs soft heart from a hundred miles away.
โItโs lonely in here,โ Luci confided. โAnd the hauntsโฆย Iโve never had nightmares like this before. We made a pact to take turns sleeping and watching each otherโs backs. Itโs nothing more.โ
Before Ophelia could sayย yeah right, someone else entered the room.
โSpeak of a Devilโฆโ Ophelia murmured.
But it was no Devil; it was Leon. His gaze darted between the girls as he approached. There were beads of sweat on his temples and his breathing was a bit ragged, and Ophelia wondered if he had just been running.
โThere was a haunt in the dining room,โ he panted. โSpiders and snakes andโ โโ
โI know the scene,โ Ophelia interrupted before he conjured up the grotesque vision in her head. โAnyone dead?โ
His eyes widened a bit at the directness of the question, but he answered, โNot that I know of. But Mason forfeited. His sisterโs room is right next to mine, when she made it out of level two, she found him gone. Iโve never heard crying like that before.โ
โIโd leave if I got my mouth magically sealed, too,โ Luci said with sympathy. โI just feel bad for Edna.โ
Leon nodded in agreement. โItโs on her shoulders to bring back their brother now.โ
Ophelia lifted a brow and Luci explained. โThey lost their younger brother a couple months ago in an airboat accident. Their family runs swamp tours for tourists out on the Atchafalaya Basin. It was a nasty ordeal.โ
Ophelia made a face. โDoes everyone here know each other?โ
Luci and Leon shared a look, then Luci said, โMany of us have met previously, yes. We run in the same social circlesโor our parents do. I have a few friends who entered in earlier groups.โ
โSo do I,โ Leon inserted.
โAnd youโฆย youโre Genevieve Grimmโs sister,โ Luci finished.
Ophelia rocked back a step. โYou know Genevieve?โ
โItโs why I wanted to introduce myself,โ Luciย revealed. โItโs why I shouldnโt have let Cade influence anyone into thinking you could possibly be anything insidious. I met Genevieve last year at a gathering on the riverfront in the French Quarter. She was being courted by a good friend of mine at the time. I just thought she was so lovely, if a bit rambunctious, and we became quick friends. We always told her to invite you along when we made plans, but she said you werenโt one for leaving the house. I was surprised to see you here that first night.โ
Ophelia stared at Luci in shock, and, as if the girlโs words had made something click in her mind, a memory suddenly came rushing back. Of her and Genevieve leaving the coronerโs office and Genevieve going inside the cafรฉ to greet a friendโฆ
โDid you know she was going to come here?โ Ophelia demanded, ignoring the jealousy suddenly burning in her belly at the recollection of the way Genevieve had run up to Luci and hugged her. โDid she ever talk about this place?โ
Luci gaped. โNo, she neverโyou mean, sheโs here too?โ
โShe never once said anything about Phantasma?โ Ophelia pressed on.
โI swear.โ Luci shook her head. โPhantasma wasnโt on anyoneโs mind until recently, but even so, Genevieve never talked much about her home life. She seemed to be very private in that area and we never pushed.โ
โWho isย we?โ Ophelia narrowed her eyes.
โThere were five of us. Myself, Genevieve, Iris Saloom, Farrow Henry, and Basile Landry.โ
Farrow Henry. Genevieve said heโd stood her up for the ball. The name was unmistakable. Ophelia wondered how much Luci knew of that situation, but even more she wondered why this was the first time she was hearing that Genevieve had a close group of friends. Did her sister not trust her enough to tell her about those sorts of things? Or had she just beenย too wrapped up in herself to notice Genevieve had an entire social life outside of Grimm Manor she knew nothing about?
She hates you,the Shadow Voice laughed.ย She hates you and she will always hate youand she will probably die in here andโ โ
Ophelia reached out to one of the oak shelves and knocked on it.ย One, two, three.
The Shadow Voice vanished.
Leon scratched the back of his neck. โUm, I should go back to my room and get some rest. Itโs been quite a day. Iโll leave you two to finish your conversationโฆโ
โNo,โ Ophelia retorted. โOur conversation is done. I donโt know how close you and Genevieve were, but that does not make the two of us allies. If you were smart, you wouldnโt be making allies at all. It will only lead to heartbreak.โ
Luci didnโt look Ophelia in the eye as she shoved the book sheโd been reading back into the stacks on the shelf and hurried after Leon without another word. Leon placed his hand on the small of Luciโs back in comfort as he guided her out, throwing a loaded glance back at Ophelia before they disappeared.
Fools.
Alone at last, she began to dig through the shelves again, but this time she took Blackwellโs advice and went deeper. Using the rolling ladder abandoned on the west side of the room, she climbed up to begin clearing the very top shelves first. Thick novels rained to the ground with heavyย thumpsย and clouds of dust, and while treating books so callously was, without a doubt, a form of sacrilege, she didnโt exactly have the time to gently place each one in a tidy stack below.
As soon as the shelves were emptied, she began running her hands over the wood panels inside, feeling for anything out of the ordinary: switches, uneven planks, buttons, hinges. Grimm Manorโs library had quite a few hiddenย compartments of its own, and she and Genevieve had always made a game of seeing how many they could find. She was sure there were many they had yet to discover.
Almost an hour later, she finally felt it. Two cases to the left of the fireplace, third shelf from the top. A slightly indented square, about an inch wide, with something springy beneath. A button. Before she could shift her weight forward enough on the ladder to press it all the way down, however, the temperature of the room dropped five degrees.
โWell, well,โ a deep voice rumbled behind her. โLook at what Iโve found.โ
Ophelia held herself as still as possible as Jasper faded into view below. His unsettling third eye was, thankfully, shut, but his too-observant gaze was hardly any better as it assessed her current predicament.
โDoing some redecorating?โ He grinned. โWould you like some help?โ
She snatched her outstretched hand back from the hidden mechanism she had found and glared down at him. โLeave me alone.โ
โOr what?โ he taunted. โYouโll call Blackwell? Please do. I could use the entertainment of pissing him off.โ
Ophelia swallowed. โAre the two of you friends?โ
โDevils donโt have friends, darling. Not in the same sense that mortals do.โ
โYou seem to know each other well, though,โ she reasoned.
He crossed his arms. โWhen you share a space with the same beings for as long as we have, you tend to find those who annoy you less than others.โ
โThe other Ghosts here must beย veryย annoying, then,โ she murmured, mostlyย to herself.
Jasper laughed. โYouโve got a silver tongue. I see why he likes you.โ
โHe doesnโtย likeย me,โ she snorted. โHeโs using me. As Iโm using him.โ
A strange glint of something she couldnโt read entered the Devilโs eyes, but all he said was, โHave you ever thought aboutโฆย other arrangements?โ
She didnโt like where this conversation was heading. โNo.โ
I should never have thought about the first one.
โHow many years did you promise him?โ
โNone of your business,โ she bit out.
โA decade is a long time,โ he stated. โWhat if I told you I could get you out of your bargain and make you an offer for a whole lot less?โ
She glowered. โIโd tell you to go back to Hell. I donโt make deals with Devils.โ
He opened his mouth to spear her with a retort, but before he got the chance, something suddenly appeared out of thin air and crashed into the chaise in the center of the room. No, not something. Twoย someones.
She recognized the Devils from the first two levelsโDrima and Zelโwithin seconds, even with both of them trying to eat each otherโs faces off. She was officially alone with three Devils, and two of them didnโt have a single stitch of clothing on.
She flushed and averted her eyes from the spectacle. Jasper only laughed.
โIf you change your mind, the offer stands. Enjoy the show.โ With a teasing wink up at her, he disappeared.
Moans began to echo through the room, and for a moment, Ophelia was frozen in utter shock. The way the two Devils were moving together made her skin break out in aย feverish sweat. Their performance was somehow more salacious than the pairings in the second trial had been. She knew she ought to look away, scandalized, but a part of her wasโฆย curious. The same part of her that had been so easily fascinated in the second trial.
Until the claws came out.
Drima yanked Zelโs head to the side by his hair, exposing his neck so she could rip her sharp fingernails through his skin.
Itโs time to go, Ophelia told herself as she began to plan her escape route.
Press the button before you leave,the Shadow Voice demanded.Press it, press it, press it.
Ophelia twisted back toward the shelf. She had spent all this time searching and finally sheโd found somethingโฆย she might as well see what it did, right? Besides, itโs not like it would hurt anything, considering the Devils probably wouldnโt notice if the room around them burst into flames.
She hauled herself forward as much as she could on the ladder, gripping a rung for balance with one hand as she reached out to slam the button down with her other. There was a sharp click followed by a metallic groan, and a moment later, the ground below began to move. Ophelia cursed as one of her feet slipped from the ladder and she lurched forward to cling on for dear life as the entire shelf began toย turn. Before she could blink twice, the shelf had done a complete one-eighty. She was now on the inside of Phantasmaโs guts, and it was so dark that she could barely see her own hands in front of herโwhich made for a clumsy climb down. When her feet reached the ground, the planks beneath them groaned.
She shuffled forward a bit, hands outstretched to feel her way around. It took nearly fifteen steps before she reached what felt like a stone wall, but as she ran her palms over the cold bricks, she couldnโt locate so much as a sconce or torch.ย Anxiety sank in her stomach like a stone. The last time sheโd been in a dark, secret corridor aloneโฆ
The Shadow Voiceโs crackling laugh resounded in her head.ย Youโd better get ready to run.
โNo,โ she breathed, core tightening with fear.
Itโs going to get you, itโs going toโ โ
โBlackwell, Blackwell,ย Blackwell,โ she recited in a rush.
The Shadow Voiced hissed.ย If you donโt find a source of light in the next ten seconds, itโs going to devour you.
Her chest heaved as she tried to shake the words from her mind. She needed to stay alert and find her way back to the ladder. Hopefully, pushing the button would return the shelf to its original position in the library without any fuss. Turning and counting her steps back in the direction she had come, she only reached number seven when she felt the telltale static raise the hairs on the back of her neck.
โWhere the Hell are we?โ Blackwellโs voice rang out from her right, clear and strong. Any hint of the Shadow Voice lingering in her mind evaporated like smoke.
The faint white haze that always clung around Blackwellโs form illuminated the space and filled her with such a strong sense of relief that before she realized what she was doing, she was launching herself in his direction. He caught her against his chest easily, and she wrapped her arms so tightly around his neck that it was a good thing he didnโt need to breathe.
She buried her face into the crook of his throat. โYou came.โ
โYou called,โ he answered.
After a long moment, she took a deep breath and unwound her arms from his neck.
He narrowed his eyes. โWhat happened?โ he asked. โDonโt tell me absence really does make the heart grow fonder?โ
โNothing in particular,โ she admitted. โBetween Devils going at each other like rabbits in the library and accidentally getting myself stuck in here, I may have panicked a little.โ
โSounds like quite the ordeal indeed.โ His eyes sparked with amusement. Whether at the mention of the Devils and their sexual escapades or getting herself stuck, she didnโt know. โAnd where isย here, exactly?โ
โI found a mechanism in that library shelfโโshe pointed to the bookcase in the center of the wallโโand it flipped around into whatever this place is. A secret tunnel that runs through the bowels of the manor, I presume.โ
โClever little Necromancer.โ He grinned.
He snapped his fingers and two brass candelabras appeared in his hands. Shifting one into her waiting grasp, he snapped a second time to light all ten tapered candles, illuminating a good amount of space around them. Enough to see that his outfit was splattered with crimson. The reason for his earlier disappearance came rushing back.
โIs that Cadeโsย blood?โ She gaped. She knew he was more than capable of changing his clothes, which meant heโd left these in their current state intentionally. โWhat did youย do?โ
โNothing permanent.โ He shrugged. โNot physically at least.โ
โWell, it isnโt like he didnโt deserve it,โ she muttered.
โWeโre on the same page, then,โ he agreed before waving at her to follow after him.