Page 77 of Burn for the Devil
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Samantha
I was woken up by Ramone’s head between my legs. We stayed in bed for quite a while before Adam entered bearing a cup of coffee for me. Ramone draped the sheet over me right before the strange, silent man opened the door.
After we got ready for the day, I went downstairs and was only mildly surprised to see that more of the house had been cleaned. It was a mystery as to how that’d happened, since as far as I knew, Ramone hadn’t left my side until a couple of minutes ago.
Hours passed while I explored the building. There were seemingly a million different rooms, many of which appeared to never have been used. I had to wonder why the man would have so much space, and not utilize it, and filed the question away for later.
Eventually, Ramone returned, finding me in a solarium-type room. It wasn’t as spacious as one would expect, given the sheer size of the mansion, but it was cozy and inviting.
“I like to read in here sometimes,” he said, approaching me.
“I can see why, its lovely.” He’d changed from the casual clothes I’d watched him dress in earlier, now outfitted with a suit. “You’re dressed up,” I said. Adam had found leggings, sweaters, and blouses as well as undergarments from somewhere for me earlier, and I had gratefully made instant use of the clothing. “I do feel underdressed, now.”
“Can we talk about the crystal ball?” His shoulders sagged at my question.
“We can,” he said carefully. “I don’t know what to tell you about that. I know you don’t want to let me know what you saw. It may be our connection but I only sense minor magic in you; you could have more. This realm, the Fourth Realm, will nurture it if you possess it in a sufficient quantity. The sphere is in the Third Realm, so it's a nonissue.”
Nodding, I said, “So it doesn’t matter at this point. Unless I suddenly end up with all kinds of powers.”
“Correct. If that should happen, I’ll help you manage them.”
The thought of the possibility both terrified and fascinated me. It wasn’t anything I felt I needed, but it would be interesting should I turn out to have undiscovered talents. “Okay.”
“Come.” He held his arm out, motioning me toward the exit. “You’re breathtaking no matter what you wear.”
Following him down a long hallway, we stopped in front of an ornate door. “There are many tunnels in the Fourth Realm. We’re going to utilize this one to go to the castle. It will be cold, and it will be dark. You’re going to hold my hand and not let go.”
His tone sent a shudder over me. “Okay, why? Why take a tunnel?”
Pulling a key ring from his pocket, he unlocked the door. “The stairs are steep, hold the railing. The tunnels are quicker.”
As instructed, I hung on, thankful I wore an oversized sweater. Reaching the bottom of the stairs, it was pitch black,with the exception of Ramone’s eyes. He clasped my hand and physically directed me to walk behind him.
“You didn’t tell me why we’re going.” He stopped suddenly and I banged into him. I clung to him, basking in his heat.
He smoothed a hand down my side. “I need to show you something.” I heard him take the key ring out of his pocket.
Glaring sunlight greeted us as we stepped through the door. We were near the bridge that led directly to the castle, having come out of a small building. The tunnel had felt like it was deep underground, and I didn’t feel an incline during the short walk. The physics of what we’d just done escaped me
Ramone let go of my hand and approached the bridge, standing with his arms crossed, staring at it. “What do you think?” he asked, when I stopped alongside him. “Home?” His eyes glittered at me, the green shade brightening.
“Home?” I blinked at him, his words failing to compute. “What do you mean?”
He pulled me to me, his arms wrapping around my lower waist. “If we can’t reign in hell, we’ll reign here.”
Did he fancy himself a king? “I’m not royalty like you. What about your house?” It appeared he was planning on moving us into the decaying, ruined building. “This place is...its collapsing.”
Ramone chuckled, shoving his hands in his pockets. “Have you forgotten who you’re speaking to? Go look inside.”
He arched an eyebrow at me, and I began moving forward, crossing the bridge, before waiting for him at the set of doors. I heard a rustling and sucked in a breath when the largest wolf I ever could’ve imagined passed by on the slope below the crossing. My eyes sought Ramone, silently begging him to hurry up. He sure was taking his sweet time.
And then, I saw. Each measured step he took, something righted itself. The proper color and form began returning to atree as he strolled by it. A lilac bush burst into blossom when he glanced at it, and finally, the boulder I’d had to skirt dissolved into thin air.
“How did you do that? Was that your magic?”
The man smirked at me and curled his fingers before stretching them. “Yes, mostly. It appears the curse is breaking already. They must’ve drank the other bottles.” The front door opened via his sorcery, and I followed inside. “The mansion will be cleaned up, don’t worry. But first, here. You’ll see I made some adjustments before you got up.”