Charmed by Michelle Krys Read Free Book Online Page A

inside the tent.
    “How do we get her out?” I yell.
    “Indie,” Bishop says, and the way he says it is like an apology. “Los Demonios isn’t like prison here. There are no appeals, no time off for good behavior.”
    “What is that supposed to mean? She’s not a criminal!”
    Irena heaves an annoyed sigh. “The portal to LD goes only one way. Once you’re in, you’re in. And you’re not getting out unless someone from the outside lets you out.”
    “We’ll let her out, then!”
    “Indie, only top-level Family members know where the portal is. Even my uncle has no idea where it could be, and he’s been in the Family for two decades.”
    “So we’ll talk to them. Once the Family realizes what happened…”
    I trail off. I almost got slaughtered a couple of weeks ago because of the Family. Their sole concern in life is to protect
The Witch Hunter’s Bible
so they can continue to dominate the paranormal world. They aren’t going to suddenly grow hearts and give me access to a top-secret paranormal prison just because one human life is in danger.
    “We’ll find out where the portal is, then,” I say.
    “Good luck,” Irena says. “People have been searching for that thing for centuries. You’re not the first person to want to break someone out of the clink.”
    I let out a strangled moan, despair and frustration breaking me down. “You can’t tell me there’s no way!”
    Bishop pulls me against him, and I dissolve into tears.

    I flip down the rearview mirror. Yep, just like I thought. I look like crap warmed over. My eyes are red-rimmed and puffy, and pretty much any makeup I had on when I left the house this morning has been washed away, revealing a nose and cheeks that would make an alcoholic jealous.
    Sighing, I flip the mirror up and grab my bag from the passenger seat. If I get upstairs quickly and quietly enough, Aunt Penny won’t see my bedraggled appearance and start asking questions.
    I climb the steps to the house, making as little noise as humanly—or witchly—possible. But when I open the door Aunt Penny is standing at the foot of the stairs, both hands squarely on her hips as she gives me the bored/exasperated expression that moms are famous for.
    “Where have you been?” she asks.
    Awesome.
    “Did you practice that in front of the mirror?” I answer, stepping inside and pulling the door closed.
    “Don’t change the subject. I got a call from the school today. You skipped out after homeroom.”
    Damn. That was sooner than I expected. I mentally run through a few plausible excuses.
    “I want the truth,” she says, as if reading my mind.
    I toss my bag onto the stairs and look Aunt Penny straight in the eye. “I was searching for Paige. You know, my best friend who went missing?”
    She pinches the bridge of her nose.
    “But no worries,” I continue. “We found out where she is: Los Demonios. Ever heard of it?”
    Her eyes widen.
    “So as you can imagine, school isn’t really a big priorityright now. Every second Paige is in Los Demonios, she’s at risk.”
    “Los Demonios? Wow. I mean, wow. I can’t believe it. That’s just…” Aunt Penny shakes her head, at a loss for words.
    My shoulders relax a fraction at her unexpected response. Maybe she’s going to be reasonable about this after all. Maybe she can even help—she probably knows a lot about the place, having been a member of the Family in the past.
    “So basically all afternoon we’ve been trying to come up with ways to infiltrate the place,” I say. “Nothing so far, but we will come up with something. Any ideas?”
    Aunt Penny looks up quickly. “Infiltrate?”
    “Well, yeah,” I answer, laughing dryly. “We’re not going to just leave Paige in a place full of murderers.”
    “Indie,” she says, taking a step closer. “No one who’s gone into Los Demonios has ever come out.”
    A chill passes through me hearing those damning words again, but I pretend her comment hasn’t ruffled me. “Maybe