The Problem With Black Magic Page 25
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No one Serenus pulled aside impressed Cassie as much as Cordley had, but no one was anywhere near as rude as Dan Bucknell had been either. For the most part, the demons Serenus introduced stuck to basic pleasantries and, beyond wishing them both luck tomorrow, didn’t delve into any of the particulars of Sam and Cassie’s situation. Cassie wasn’t sure if they were scared of broaching the subject exactly, but they were definitely wary.
The only one who made much of an impression was the tall witch in the blue dress, who had a dazzling smile for Sam but looked at Cassie like she was a smear of dirt on the floor. She didn’t say anything outright nasty, but her tone was so contemptuous that Cassie felt sick to her stomach.
Serenus must have noticed her turning green, because he moved to wrap up their social session. “ Andrea, it’s been a pleasure, but it’s been a very long day and I know Cassie’s tired. Big day tomorrow, you understand.”
“Oh, of course,” said the witch, tossing her dark blonde hair out of her eyes and flashing Sam another 1,000-watt smile. “Sweet dreams, Sammael.”
As Serenus led them out of the ballroom, Cassie shuddered. “That woman…she hates me,” she whispered.
Serenus nodded. “Probably. Imagine you’re a celebrated witch, used to getting all the attention, and then you find out that some 16-year-old girl might blow you out of the water. That’s a bitter pill to swallow.”
“She liked Sam though,” she said, looking at him over her shoulder. “She was flirting with you.”
“Shut up,” he said sharply, averting his eyes. Cassie made a mental note that Sam was not a big fan of the sultry witch; either that, or he just found the very idea of anyone flirting with him insulting. With him, it was hard to tell.
When they got back to the suite, Khalil was still in the hot tub, empty trays that had once held food surrounding him. One tray, still with a few pieces of cake on it, floated aimlessly in the small pool of water outside the tub Khalil had made with his cannonball. He was riveted to the flat-screen TV, playing some movie that featured a lot of cars chasing each other, jumping over bridges and then exploding.
“Hey, how was demon bingo?” he called over his shoulder at their entrance.
“Only slightly insufferable. Everyone else go to bed?” Sam asked, ascending the central platform and collapsing once again on a leather couch, rubbing his eyes. Cassie thought he looked as tired as she’d ever seen him.
Khalil yawned. “They went to their rooms, although they could be watching skin flicks. Hey, I wasn’t supposed to stop them, was I?”
“Good night, all,” said Serenus, loosening his tie. “Get some sleep, I’m sure I don’t need to tell you how important tomorrow is.”
“Night, Ser,” Cassie said as Serenus headed down the hall toward the bedrooms. She followed Sam up to the platform and sank into the couch across from him, causing Sam to raise an eyebrow.
“Hey, Sam?” Khalil called from the hot tub. “We cool.”
Sam turned his attention from Cassie to Khalil. “Excuse me?”
“All that stuff I said, about not trusting you after you abandoned us and stuff? We’re okay now, I forgive you.”
“Oh. So pleased to hear that,” said Sam dryly, and Cassie had to crack a smile.
“Just don’t steal my soul or anything freaky like that, and you and I have no problems.”
Sam stared. “We’ve been over this: What would anyone want with your soul?”
“I dunno, am I a demon? Aren’t you guys always after souls?”
“That’s the devil,” said Cassie.
“Oh. Hey Sam, are you the devil? Because then, we might not be cool anymore, is what I’m saying. That could be a deal-breaker.”
“No, I am not the devil,” Sam said with a sigh. “And go to sleep; something tells me my familiar would like my undivided attention.”