A Darker Past (Entangled Teen) (The Darker Agency) Read Online Free PDF Page B

Literally. Since I was one of his minions now, I should maintain a room at HQ —his words, not mine. There was something about the word minion. Creepy and cartoony all at the same time. I either thought about stooped, scaly things with razor-tipped teeth and warm, foul breath, or those funny little yellow dudes from that movie…
    “Pass,” I said, folding my arms. “Was there something you needed?”
    He pushed off the desk and began circling me. Like a vulture, I thought. Just waiting for the opportunity to swoop in and take a nice big bite. “You know, Cookie Dough, you’re the only one who has ever gotten away with talking to me like that. Even your father didn’t go there with me.” He stopped, bringing his face inches from mine. All the humor was gone, replaced by a look that would have scared even the most badass Monster Masher. I swallowed hard, holding my breath, and to my credit, didn’t back away. “Normally, I think it’s amusing. Fair warning, though. I’ve had a trying day.”
    Message received. I clamped my mouth closed tight and bit down on the inside of my cheek. Valefar straightened and took a step back, expression thawing just a little. “There are rules in the Shadow Realm. Rules that, if broken, are punishable by things far worse than death.” He clapped his hands once, and a small, brown, leather-clad book appeared. Holding it out to me, he said, “You will need to learn these rules. Obey them. You get one free pass, and you’ve used it.”
    I didn’t reach for the book. Other than the fact that I really didn’t want to know anything more about this world than I already did, a moment of clarity—what I called the flashes of reality I got when down here—showed the book was really covered in gore. Throbbing muscle and bits of blood-soaked skin. “You’re saying I screwed up? I broke a rule ?”
    He narrowed his eyes, and I noticed he’d added a piercing to his look since the last time I’d seen him. Through the right brow. It was a small silver thing that looked a bit like a dog. “You broke several.”
    I had to tread carefully. If I’d broken a rule, it was because his instructions had been a joke, but I couldn’t really say that. Deep breath. “What rule did I break?”
    “You brought a live human to the Shadow Realm.”
    I blinked. Was he serious? Well, at least that explained the crazy-eyes I’d gotten when I marched Swain into the building. But how the heck else was I supposed to get him here? In a block of ice à la Walt Disney? “
    If that wasn’t what I was supposed to do, you should have told me beforehand. All you said was bring him back!” My voice had exceeded the safe Valefar tone I’d adopted, but I didn’t care. It was hard for me to accept that my foreseeable future was going to be dictated by someone else’s whims, but to be expected to know something without being told? Um, no. My partial demon genetics hadn’t come with handy dandy ESP.
    Another snap of his fingers, and the book was out of his hands and in the pocket of my jacket. Great. I’d have to steam clean the thing twice before I could wear it again. “We’re finished here.”
    And boom. I blinked and found myself transported outside, standing across the river in front of Valefar’s building. I thought about barging back in to try to get more information but decided the best course of action at this point was to leave it be. Maybe Dad knew about this alleged rule breaking so I didn’t have to actually touch that book.
    I started walking. It was funny. You had to be able to shadow to get to the Shadow Realm, but you couldn’t use the ability while you were here. I’d never seen a vehicle of any kind, so unless I was missing something, everyone had to hoof it from place to place.
    Dad’s building was about a mile away from Valefar’s. A small, unlabeled place. Each demon Master in the Shadow Realm had a cover business located somewhere in the mortal realm. Valefar’s—Value Far