The Demon's Claim [House of Arcane #2]

I felt languished. My body was aching, my head was spinning. Everything hurt to the point that I don’t want to know what had happened. I was trying to open my eyes and before I knew it, I was staring at the blackened walls and ceilings. I sat up and I realized that I was not naked anymore. I was wearing a black dress and sensed that someone was looking at me. I turned to look in that direction and was shocked to see that a man was smiling at me.

‘Ah, you’re awake at last. I thought you might have be dead for all I know. The spell was not actually accurate but it will have to do,’ the man said before I was looking at the silhouette that was coming at me.

I gasped when I saw who it was.

‘You!’ I said as I was pointing my finger to the man that I hit the other day. Black hair, green eyes. And a smile that I cannot decipher if he was happy to see me or he was planning something evil.

‘I see you remember me, Cornelia,’ he said as I was tilting my head to the left.

‘Cornelia? My name is Nora,’ I said as I was trying to get up to my feet but failed. The guy was clicking his tongue before he waved his finger at me.

‘No, no. You must rest, Cornelia dear,’

‘Again, my name is Nora,’ I said as I was gritting my teeth. Was he deaf to hear my name?

‘Right, everything will be explained later, Nora,’ he said with a disgust in his voice but he was smirking.

‘But of course, you will be surprised of who will be coming for you,’ he said as I was looking at him, disappearing between the shadows. I scrambled to the edge of the bar as I was gripping it.

‘What do you mean? Who will be come for me? Where am I? Who are you?!’ I shouted as I was looking at the strange man. He turned to look at me, his dark green eyes were glistening in the low light.

‘Well, your husband of course,’ he said and with that, he disappeared into thin air.

I huffed a breath as I was looking around. I don’t even know where I was, so how come Logan will know to find me? That man was insane, there I called it. But some part of me knows that Logan will come for me.

If he knows where to find me first.

Logan O’Sullivan’s POV

‘Shit,’ I said as I was looking at the portal that was hanging above me when Nora was being sucked into it as I claimed her. What the fuck was my brother planning to do now? Claimed Nora as his own? She was not Cornelia, if she was, I would have known by now.

I would have known when I claimed her.

I got out of the bed before I was putting my pants and shirt as I was grabbing it from the drawer earlier. The portal was almost closing before I mumbled the chant.’Ouvrir,’

The portal to the Underworld was opening a little wider as I can sense the dark force that was eager to surround me. It has been a long time since I can sense this kind of energy and used it. I think it is time for me to test it now.

After I have claimed my wife who may not be Cornelia.

‘Show me where my wife is,’ I said to the portal. It shimmered before I was looking at Nora. She was inside a cell that looked like it was in the dungeon of my castle.

My old castle.

I gripped my hands into fists before I was taking a deep breath. So, my brother has summoned me to claim my wife? Well, he will be in for surprise for I am done waiting for my power. I just claimed Nora McCarthy as mine and I will do anything to protect her.

Even she was not my Cornelia.

I chanted some protections around me as I know the Underworld my recognize my legal status as their lord but no harm in being careful for I have abandoned this realm since my reincarnation. I just hoped they will forgive and forget that I only came here now because Nora was being abducted.

‘Father, I pray to you to protect me so that I can retrieve my wife from that insane brother of mine,’ I said my prayer to my father, Satan himself, as I felt something warmed inside me. I stepped inside the portal, knowing that Ezekiel will feel my presence once I stepped into the Monster realm.

It was worth it for I promised to keep Nora safe. Even from my own brother.

With a deep breath and a thundering heartbeat, I stepped into the portal and vanished into thin air.

*****

The feeling of leaving and the feeling of entering this dimension has always punched me in the gut. I don’t know if anyone else would be feeling like this but I doubted Connor, my cousin, would be as much feel anything.

He was the prince of the Monster realm for Satan’s sake.

I was sucked into a wormhole that I was looking at every image of what was happening in the Monster realm. I was trying to locate my mind where Nora was and failed for I landed on the middle of the ground in the Enchanted forest.

‘Fuck,’ I groaned before I was rolling to my side and stuffed out my omelet from breakfast that day. I was gripping my stomach as it was overwhelming for me to be coordinated and tried to figure out where I was.

‘Well, well, well. Look who’s here. Abigail, come look who’s here,’

I closed my eyes before I was sighing. That voice, that sound and that rustle of the skirts. The only people that I don’t want to meet right now but I have to since Clive Thompson and Abigail Hayes have found me stranded in the Enchanted forest, the place where they called home.

‘My, you’re looking well, my lord,’ Abigail sweet voice was hitting my eardrum before I was holding my hand up.

‘Not a word,’ I said as I sat up and looked at the lovely couple in front of me. Abigail smiled at me as Clive, her husband, was putting his hand around her shoulder. Then, my eyes were focused on her stomach.

Her very big, bulging stomach.

‘What year was it?’ I asked them as I was standing up on my two feet. I was shaking at first but as the blood settled in my brain, I was blinking for a while before Abigail and Clive was looking at me.

‘Well, it has been 5 months since you separate us from our host. What are you doing here, my lord?’ Abigail asked me as I was looking around. They were corrected. It was like nothing else has changed, like I have been gone for a little while when I was gone for 500 years since that day.

I went to the side of the river before I leaned to look at myself. Gone was the appearance of Logan O’Sullivan, the black hair and turquoise eyes, the eyes that Nora seemed to like. It has been replaced with my usual appearance.

The blond hair.

The ruby eyes.

And my usual court attire that stated the status in the Underworld.

‘Is everything alright, my lord?’ Clive asked before I turned to look at him. Abigail and Clive were alive and lived happily right now. Only I was not. I was in the wrong realm and I have to get back to Underworld.

‘Well, I think it might get a little weird since I will be asking you a favor,’ I said before the couple was staring at each other. I was waiting for their question before Abigail was nodding at me.

‘What do you need my lord?’ she asked before I smiled. I was looking at the night sky before I turned to look at the lovely couple in front of me. This should be easy enough for the most powerful witch and warlock this realm has ever seen.

‘Well, I need a portal to the Underworld and I cannot do it without you for my power is being stripped away from me,’ I said as Clive arched his eyebrow and Abigail gasped.

‘Stripped? Who did it?’ she asked me as she stepped forward with her big belly. I was afraid that she might trip and bleed.

‘My brother, Ezekiel, is back and it is my duty to protect the realm from his madness,’ I said as I was looking at them. Clive clenched his jaws before Abigail nodded again.

‘Then, it will be an honor to help you, my lord,’ Clive said before I was smiling at them. Abigail hugged me with her big belly before I was patting her back. She’s Cornelia’s cousin therefore she’s family.

We’re all family now.

‘Right, shall we begin? I don’t want to waste more time for I am afraid No—I mean Cornelia might be in trouble,’ I said as I was looking at the young couple. They nodded and got ready to draw the pentagram that will transport me back to the Underworld.

With no power that I can call for my own, I don’t even know I was brave or stupid enough to be facing my brother, Ezekiel without any backup plan. Not when Nora was concerned.

‘Ready?’ Abigail asked me as I was nodding.

‘Ready,’

‘Ouvrir, la Porte de Tenebres!’ Clive chanted before the dark force was coming in front of me and in a split second, I was sucked inside and I was gone from Abigail and Clive’s home.

It is time to face my brother for the second time.