TWENTY-FIVE (RUBY POV)

"This is interesting, don't you think?"

The vampire waves her hand to point at the X-shaped cross leaned against the wall, the pulley system hanging from the ceiling, the riding whips displayed on shelves and the massive bed with silk sheets in the middle of the room. Someone forgot a leather paddle and some ropes on top of the red velvet duvet; the big mirrors with golden frames, the colorful oriental carpets and the crystal chandeliers make this dungeon look like a Victorian brothel.

"No," I answer harshly and the pretty brunette stares at me baffled.

"Don't you think this is interesting?"

"I was saying no to whatever you have in your perverted head right now," I reply while Terra chuckles behind us.

"How do you know what I'm thinking of? Can you read my mind all of a sudden?" Iselen asks pretending to feel offended and I snort, rolling my eyes hard while she turns off the light and closes the door again.

"I don't need to read your mind, I just have to look at your mischievous smirk to realize that the room was giving you naughty ideas... It's not going to happen," I repeat pointing at her with my index before checking that we're still alone in the corridor.

"Why do you always scold me? Terra was smirking too and I bet she was taking notes." The werewolf stops and turns her head, looking at us with a straight face.

"The difference is that I'd invite her to dinner first: champagne, roses, chocolate, candles... In the garden, under the starry sky. You know, something romantic and subtle..."

"Hey, I can be romantic if I wan to," Iselen moans quietly walking on tiptoes towards the door at the end of the corridor. "At least I'm honest and admit my true intentions, I'm wouldn't try to trick her giving her chocolate and reciting corny poems before rubbing hazelnut praline on her nipples and..."

"Stop it!" I hiss angrily, concerned in case a demon soldier catches us arguing. "I want to leave this house as soon as possible and anyway, that's not going to happen no matter if we have a romantic dinner together or not, you're not going to decorate a room in the Wind Rose like a dungeon to play cat and mouse with me." Both women stare at each other for a second before raising an eyebrow.

"Decorate? What makes you think we don't have a dungeon ready at home?" Terra asks grinning amused but moves a step back, scared, when I frown angrily and my index hits her chest hard.

"Listen, plush toy, I'm not going to frolic in any room, or dungeon or whatever, where you've been before with your other lovers. This relationship we have is special and you should respect it... Do you know I bought new sheets for my bed? A special gift for you. This is the way humans do stuff, we pay attention to details..."

"Okay, thank you," the vampire whispers hesitating. "That was very kind of you, Ruby, seriously. We appreciate it and I promise we won't decorate any room like a dungeon without asking your opinion before." I look at her with squinty eyes for a second and heave a sigh, nodding.

"We should finish with the search of this house as soon as possible and leave," I growl and they both nod, getting closer to the door.

"We need to buy a new hot tub for the winter garden," Iselen whispers.

"And a couch for the living room, a table for the dining room and... didn't you make out with a nymph on the pool table?" Terra asks frowning. "Okay, we'll redecorate the entire house with your help after we fix this problem with the gates of hell. What do you think?" The wolf smiles kindly when she realizes I'm staring at them in disbelief for a minute till I nod, turning around but, before I can move one step, Iselen grabs my T-shirt again and pulls hard till my back is leaned against her torso and she points at the floor in front of me.

"Careful, trap..."

"Is this another alarm?" I ask hugging her waist, worried, while Terra leans forward to take a closer look.

"Yes, it's protecting the door and this spell is more powerful than the other one," the werewolf confirms us. "It's pretty obvious that Marsh doesn't want anyone setting foot in this room. I don't think we'll be able to redirect this energy with mirrors, it seems more complex... What are we going to do?" Iselen shrugs and looks at her bewildered.

"If we can't solve this in one minute, we'll get out of here," she answers firmly.

"This is not practical," I whisper shaking my head while both women rummage in the backpack, traying to find something that can help us. "People working in this house are humans, it means the alarm goes off every time a maid walks into the studio to clean, it's ridiculous."

"Maybe it's a security measure for the party," Terra answers absentmindedly while Iselen holds a charm in one hand and a mirror in the other, she looks undecided. I take a look around, nervous and disappointed, we might go back home with empty hands despite all the effort we've made so far.

"What's that?" I ask pointing at the wall and both women look up on alter suddenly. We can hear music and the sound of muffled conversations from here, the party is still in full swing and no one has caught us snooping around yet, fortunately. "Is that a door? It's covered with the same wallpaper and blends in perfectly..."

"It's a hidden service door, there're lot like this in old palaces and manors," Terra explains pointing at the outline on the wall. "It doesn't have a knob but if you put pressure on the wooden panel on this spot, it's supposed to open... It's a bathroom," she whispers poking her head in with curiosity. "It's the studio bathroom! This is the way the human maid gets into the room to clean it avoiding the magical alarm." The three of us get in excited after checking there're no spells on the floor, the bathroom is covered with grey and black marble and there's no bathtub but a big walk-in-shower with a dark screen. The studio has a touch of Scandinavian style but with black shelves and a massive desk, I can't see any laptop or documents scattered around like it happens in my own office at home. Everything is tidy here.

"What are we looking for?" I ask while my girls search the shelves and dark wood panels covering the walls.

"A magical safe," Iselen answers sliding her fingers under the desk while Terra checks the floor under the carpet. "If he keeps something related to demons, he won't leave it around where a human maid can touch it while cleaning so I assume he has a magical safe somewhere protected by spells, probably. These paintings are interesting..." The vampire steps back, looking at the work of art smiling before checking that there's nothing behind.

"Why? I can only see colorful corals and seashells..." I answer confused.

"Babe, take a closer look. The brush strokes in pearly pink shades inside oysters and conches, the wet gloss, the light highlighting the soft curves... That's a vulva. This is an example of very subtle erotic art..." I move a step back, staring at the painting in front of me with squinty eyes till I understand what she's talking about.

"Okay, the asshole has good taste in art... and a sense of humor," I admit reluctantly while Terra sighs frustrated behind me.

"I didn't find anything..." The three of us freeze when hearing voices out in the corridor, they're getting closer, no doubt. Suddenly, Iselen takes me in her arms and runs to the bathroom at vampire speed while the wolf checks that everything behind us looks exactly the same way we found it when we got into the studio. She rushes to follow us, putting her hand on the wood panel to push it, ready to walk in the corridor the moment whoever is outside gets into the office, but a female voice ruins the plan.

"Stay here and watch the door, don't let anyone disturb us," we hear her saying before opening the door. We look at each other in panic for a second and I point at the shower, the only place where we can hide thanks to the dark screen. Luckily, it's a big shower and I can lean my back on the tiled wall while my girls remain standing in front of me, protecting me. "Do you want a drink, Frank? I know David hides an excellent brandy in that cabinet."

"Thank you, Michaela," the guest answers and we can hear the leather of a chair creaking when someone sits down. "This is a wonderful party, David, your human guests seem to feel very at ease surrounded by so many supernatural creatures."

"I've chosen them carefully," our enemy answers while Michaela pours the liquor, we can hear the glasses clinking when she takes them from the cabinet. "They're all ambitious and unscrupulous, willing to do whatever necessary to get more power and money and, of course, they have no idea how complex and fascinating our magical world can be. Most of them believe we bring good luck to their businesses with stupid spells or we harm their enemies stabbing dolls with pins, only a few privileged people actually know what magic means and how powerful we really are. But I needed their good contacts to succeed in Hollywood and find the gate, I've been searching for long years..."

"I don't doubt you've invested much effort and dedication in this cause," Frank answers. "Thank you, Michaela. Delicious brandy..."

"What's the problem, then?" the woman asks sitting down on the edge of the desk. I know it because I can see her long legs from this angle through the door that's slightly open, she's wearing a sequined little black dress and stratospheric stilettos but I can't see her wings, I guess she hides them thanks to a spell.

"Darling, we're talking about opening that gate completely and let purebred demons out: it's a radical change, don't you think? The world would never be the same and, to be honest, I'm living quite comfortably right now."

"Necromancers are always so cautious..." David states with an amused tone of voice.

"That's why we've survived for centuries..."

"But you're also a half demon, Frank, my cousin and the only survivor of my clan. I'm sure you can see the advantages of my plan..."

"We'd be the slaves of purebred demons... How does that help us?"

"You're a slave right now, aren't you? A slave to appearances: always concerned in case humans find out who you really are, always looking at other magical creatures suspiciously because they hate us, always hiding from demon hunters... They killed our entire family, Frank. Don't you want your revenge? Picture in your mind how wonderful a world where you won't need to hide anymore would be."

"But that demon friend of yours and his mates will ruin the entire earth with their wars..."

"Yes, but the spoils will belong to us, we'd be wealthier than ever and would be free to show our real selves... No more hunters, Frank, no more nightmares where our mothers cry in agony while they torture them cutting their wings and heads off. You remember what happened to them, don't you? My demon friend will punish all the hunters in this world."

"It's a tempting idea, I admit it... And you, Michaela, what are you getting from this? You're not seeking revenge, I guess, since your family still lives in the north of Europe."

"But they're freezing to death and will support David's plan as long as they can leave in a warmer place later," the red-haired woman laughs out loud. "I'm just selfish and greedy, my friend. I want power and fancy things, enough money to buy a big house with a pool in the garden, tons of designer shoes, a high-end car, diamonds and emeralds..."

"Is that simple?"

"Michaela is not a complicated girl," David admits chuckling and I can hear the sound of a glass hitting the desk surface. "But she's very intelligent. She can explain you all the details of the plan, if you want to..."

"Oh yes, dear, why don't we go out for dinner tomorrow? Just you and me." Michaela purrs getting up to move closer to Frank, I can see her leaning forward and her bare leg touches the guy's pant boldly before the necromancer answers with a shy yes. "I'm afraid there're too many guests in this house tonight."

"Yes, and we've left them alone for a long time... We better go downstairs again, I have to show them all that I'm a good host..." The three of us get tensed in the shower cabin when we hear the door opening suddenly, Marsh gets into the bathroom walking fast and goes to wash his hands in the sink and dry them with a towel with abrupt movements while we hold our breaths, our hearts race and the charms Mirabelle gave us get hot on our chests. One minute later, the three half-demons leave the studio talking lively about the party and they walk down the corridor, followed by the guard.

"Fuck, that was close," the vampire sighs, leaning her back on the tiled wall next to me. "It's a good thing that they chose the main staircase to get here, if they'd seen the mirrors in the service stairs, they would've caught us."

"I want to go back home," I whisper scared, remembering that this man wants to drain my blood in a magical ritual, and Terra nods, hugging me.

"Let's get those mirrors back and head to the garage."

The problem is that two demon soldiers are standing in front of the door leading to the laundry room, sharing a cigarette while talking and laughing, which means that our escape route is blocked. I point at the service stairs quietly and tell them to go down, I bet there's a basement or a cellar there, and maybe another door leading to the garage. Both women nod and we walk on tiptoes, checking that the landings are clear before moving on. I frown puzzled because I think there're too many stairs and we must be below the service kitchen level now but we don't have other choice and go downstairs slowly, cautiously, till we bump into a steel door like the one we'd found in a bank vault.

"I think this is the magical safe you were looking for," I whisper and the vampire frowns, she looks very confused.

"It's too big, don't you think?"

"Maybe the things he keeps inside are big too," Terra replies and Iselen nods. Both women grab the handle and use their supernatural strength to pull hard, opening the heavy door that's not locked, luckily. "Well, yes, that's big... Fuck..."

"What's that?" I ask puzzled, feeling a gust of cold wind that sends a shiver down my spine. The room looks old, way older than the modern house on top of it, with grey stone walls that ooze out moisture and a pointed arch in front of us, closed by a wood door. A small lantern hanging from the ceiling provides a soft light. "It's looks like the dungeon of a medieval castle in Europe, not something I'd expect to find in a house in LA... Oh, God..." I move a step back, scared, and Terra puts her tattooed arms around my waist, hugging me, while Iselen stares at the door mesmerized.

Someone is pushing it on the other side but they can't open it, only a small crack, we hear a furious grunt and a blow, the wooden surface shakes but remains firmly closed, luckily, despite the rusted hinges squeak and the wood is moth-eaten. Suddenly, a hand appears between the wall and the door, sneaking through the small crack. It's a disgusting hand and an extremely skinny arm, the grey skin is covered with pustules and the long black claws scratch the stone, I get goose bumps after hearing the squeaking sound. The door shakes again and the creature growls frustrated before the hand vanishes and everything remains silent except for my heavy breathing.

"Do you think that's the back door?" Iselen asks quietly. "If this is the main entrance, I must say it's quite disappointing. I was expecting something... fancier. After all, this is the gate of hell... It looks cheap."

"Are you serious? This is what you're worried about?" Terra asks in disbelief, shaking her head. "Do you realize that this human's blood should be spilled in that threshold to open it? This girl we both adore... I don't like this room, it makes me feel sick."

"I'm not worried about that," the vampire replies angrily. "Because it's not going to happen, no one will put their dirty hands on this human to hurt her if I have anything to say about it." Iselen puts her arms around our bodies, hugging us tight while her lips touch my cheek, and I relax, holding back a sob. Suddenly, I notice how tired and cold I feel.

"I want to go home," I whisper. "I want to go to the Wind Rose, I don't feel safe here."

"Let's go. I'll kick those soldiers' asses if necessary to go back to the garage." The wolf nods and we both follow the vampire upstairs, slowly, but always on alert.

"Iselen, did you see the symbol tattooed with red ink on that... creature's arm? What do you think it means?" Terra asks with curiosity and the pretty brunette shrugs, pocking her head around the corner to check if the corridor is clear.

"I don't know, I'm not an expert in demon races. Maybe Raven or Elric know, he's crazy now but used to be really good at his job, a great hunter... We'll ask him. And I also want to know who the hunter that killed Marsh's family was, it's obvious that he has some kind of childhood trauma and needs a good therapist."

"Hollywood is full of traumatized people but we don't want to open the gates of hell and ruin the entire world," I growl angrily.

"The soldiers are gone, I think we can leave now and no one will see us..." Terra whispers and we all run across the laundry room as fast as we can, climbing down the stairs towards the service kitchen. "What's that noise? Have the party guests gone crazy?"

"Why are they screaming?" I ask confused and both women look at me puzzled. We can still hear jazz music but also the sound of glasses shattering against the floor, small explosions and loud bangs. "I think it's a fight... Maybe the witch and demon hunters have found the house?"

"No, I think those are my vampires," Iselen replies running towards the garage.

"Take my hand and stay with me," Terra growls dragging me behind her.