Darkest Before Dawn by Pippa DaCosta Page A

he’ll react to you. Don’t say or do anything unless I tell you to.”
    She backed up against the wall. “What if it goes wrong?”
    Her voice quivered. She was afraid, and so she should be. The princes were formidable, myth-like nightmares. Few this side of the veil had ever seen one. Fearing the Seven Princes of Hell was healthy. She didn’t know I’d given up being afraid of Akil, that he needed me to pump him full of power and I needed him to free me of the demon consuming my soul. We had a mutually beneficial relationship. “I can control him.”
    “Yeah, but what if...”
    “If it goes wrong, blow out the candle. With the focal point gone, there’s nothing to anchor him here.”
    “And he can’t go full-demon on us, right?” Seeing her haunted wide-eyed look, I began to doubt having her here was a good idea. “We tried to summon a high ranking demon once at the Institute. It was a bloodbath. If he’s, y’know, all demon, he might try to– ” Her hand hovered over her sidearm.
    “Not with the symbols in these walls. He’ll just be Akil. Relax, Jenna, you’re making me nervous.”
    I turned my attention to the candle and watched the flame writhe on its wick. “Mammon, One of The Seven, a First, Prince of Greed, Guardian of the Dark, Son of Chaos, Master of Lies ,” —my own addition–he’d earned it— “I, Muse, invite you to share with me this place and time. You will not harm me. By our element, I summon you.”
    The air trembled. An electric thrum of energy danced around us, invisible, but distinct enough to vibrate against my skin. I straightened slowly and glanced behind me. I’d been caught out before. It was daylight outside, but inside, the shadows lengthened, crawled up the walls, and consumed the light, plunging us into shades of gray. This was new.
    Jenna caught my eye. I gave her a reassuring nod. She stood still, breathing slowly, waiting.
    The electric charge strumming the air tightened across my skin. The fine hairs on my arms and down my neck prickled. He was coming. I swallowed. I wasn’t afraid. He’d be pissed I’d summoned him, especially in front of a witness. Well, he’d have to swallow his pride. I’d had enough of fishing for answers to questions I didn’t understand. It was time for him to tell me the truth.
    Reality peeled apart in front of me, opening a jagged tear between this world and the netherworld. A blast of superheated energy rolled over me. I staggered back and shielded my face. When it passed, Mammon knelt on one knee in the center of the room. Horned head bowed, he held his leathery multi-jointed wings extended, their tips brushing the walls. Dust rained from his obsidian body. His corded muscles shimmered with a slick layer of energy. Darkness throbbed around him, remnants of the netherworld air clinging to its prince.
    Shit. I hadn’t expected him to appear as a demon. Say what you will about demons, but they know how to make an entrance. This was his house. Perhaps he’d rigged it so only he could summon his power inside the walls.
    Mammon lifted his head. His eyes swirled like pools of lava. Red embers fizzled across his cheeks and skittered across his square jaw before settling beneath his skin. He pulsed with fire, veins throbbing red. Sweltering heat poured off him and over me. Perspiration beaded at my hairline. I wondered how Jenna was holding up but dared not look away. Looking away would be a sign of submission.
    “Blackstone...” His coarse voice resonated, grumbling around the room and through my thoughts. “You brought her here...” Those fire-filled eyes narrowed on me. I didn’t have a hope of reading his expression. His face resembled a human man’s but hardened and exaggerated, as though carved from black granite.
    “Mammon.” I inclined my head. It wouldn’t hurt to offer some respect.
    His head jerked. He sniffed the air and swung his head to the side. Jenna stood perfectly still, hands flattened against the wall.