by E. S. Moore
“Lady Death,” he said. He moved across the circle and sat in the chair, propping one leg over the armrest. “I think this is going to be a very good night indeed.”
Beligral laughed and right then, I truly knew what hell felt like.
I opened my mouth to speak but nearly choked on the oppressive heat. The room was far too hot, far too stuffy. His presence pressed down on me, weighed so heavily on me I could hardly move.
I fought against his gaze, tried to gain control of my body again. I couldn’t speak, but I didn’t need to. I just needed to get away.
I somehow managed to jerk my eyes away from him. As I did, the air suddenly seemed that much lighter, that much cooler. I sucked in large gasps of air, my entire body trembling.
I couldn’t stay here. I couldn’t stand to be pinned by his gaze again. Not if I wanted to keep my sanity.
Without saying a word, I turned and fled up the stairs, away from the demon whose very gaze seemed to burn my flesh, out of Ethan’s lab, where the world suddenly seemed a lot more dangerous now that I knew what lay hidden just out of sight of mortal man.
As soon as I was clear of the room, I collapsed, trembling against the floor, terrified I had made the biggest mistake of my life.
29
“Pretty heavy, isn’t it?”
I looked up, eyes wide, to see Ethan kneeling beside me. His hair was a mess and he looked terrible, but at least he was composed. It was more than I could say about myself.
“Is he gone?” I asked, standing. I refused to show any more weakness than I already had. I was really starting to get annoyed with how weak I’d been as of late. I should have been able to handle the demon.
Of course, I knew why I was so rattled. Thomas’s discovery had really fucked me up. I needed to get my head on straight and start focusing like I was used to doing. I couldn’t keep freaking out over every little thing.
“No,” Ethan said.
“What? You left a fucking demon alone down there?” I couldn’t help but scream it.
Ethan recoiled from me. “He can’t get out,” he said. “Only someone from the outside can break the circle. It’s safe.”
“It sure as hell didn’t feel safe.”
“It used to have that effect on me too,” he admitted. “But you get used to it.”
“I don’t see how.”
He shrugged. “Just like you got used to dealing with life as a vampire. Anyone can overcome anything if they really want to.”
He was right. My anger ebbed, as did my fear. “You’re being quite philosophical for someone who summons demons for a living.”
Ethan smiled. “I have my moments.”
I took a deep breath and let it out slowly. It did wonders for my composure. Now that I was standing in the basement, away from Beligral and his oppressive heat and stare, I felt stupid. He was trapped in his circle. I knew that. Ethan had been doing this since he was a kid. How dangerous could the demon really be?
“I want to go back down,” I said, earning a surprised look from Ethan. “I have to know if he can help me or not.”
“Are you sure?” He gave me a skeptical look. “I mean, you freaked back there. I don’t want you to do something if you don’t think you can handle it.”
I glared at him. “I can handle it.”
He grinned. “Okay, okay,” he said. “I just want to be sure. I mean, I could ask him for you if you want. There’s no need for you to go back down. He met you and that’s good enough for me.”
“No,” I said. “I’m going to do this.”
I didn’t give him a chance to argue. I headed back down the stairs into the lab. It was still hot, but it was far more manageable now that I knew it was coming. I walked across the room and leaned against the table with my weapons just in case the circle wasn’t as secure as Ethan thought it to be.
“Welcome back,” Beligral said. “I’m surprised you returned.”
I didn’t answer. My eyes roamed the room, checking to make sure everything was normal. I still needed a few moments to fully compose myself anyway. Being in Beligral’s presence was like standing in front of the sun. It was oppressive.
My eyes fell on the candles and I flinched in surprise. They were lit, but the flames weren’t flickering. Instead, they were frozen in place, like they were a recording and someone had pressed pause.
Beligral laughed and I looked at him. He was sitting in the chair, cane lying across his lap. He would have looked like any other guy as long as you didn’t look into his eyes or he didn’t open his mouth. He could easily pass for human if he really wanted to.
Which was part of the ploy, I was sure. I’d seen glamours before, and I knew he was ramping up the glamour now. There was no way a demon could look like that. I could almost see the horns hidden behind the pleasant face.
“Do you know why I’m here?” I asked. It was a struggle to get out the words, but I managed. Each passing second seemed to get easier and easier. I would never be comfortable standing in the same room as a demon, but at least I was able to handle it now.
It did put the whole hanging around werewolves thing in perspective. That was nothing compared with this.
“You are here because you wish something of me,” he said. “You wouldn’t be here otherwise.”
Ethan edged around me and stood by his workbench. He looked nervous again.
“Do you know what happens when vampire and werewolf blood mix?” I asked. It felt stupid to ask the question of a demon. He probably knew everything.
“Yes,” Beligral answered, his mouth curving upward as if amused I had to ask.
“My brother has been tainted in this way. Can you cure him?”
The demon stretched and leaned back in his chair. “I don’t know,” he said. “This is something I personally have never tried before.”
“It is possible?”
He shrugged. “Perhaps.” He looked at his nails and started picking at them. “Do you know what the taint in your blood is? What makes your blood react so differently than that of a normal human?” His eyes flickered to Ethan at the last.
“No,” I said. “And I don’t care.”
“Ah, but you might,” he said. “You are a vampire, are you not? Wouldn’t you like to know your origins?”
I tensed. I knew where I came from, who my parents were. I didn’t need to know any more than that. “Can you help Thomas or not?”
“The blood is a funny thing,” Beligral went on as if I hadn’t spoken. “It can be manipulated to do quite extraordinary things. A hint of demon’s blood, cursed to twist the body of those infected, can do quite a lot of unexpected things.”
My throat locked up. Demon blood? Was he implying what I thought he was implying?
“I see you understand,” he said, laughing. “Your blood, once pure, is now tainted. The taint, created in my world, spread because one of my kind thought it would make an interesting experiment.” His red eyes burned into me. “His children are many, though they do not know his name.”
I wanted to make him stop. All I wanted was an answer to my question about Thomas, and he was just making even more questions run through my head, questions I didn’t want to think about.
“And there are more than you know,” he said. “Your kind, the vampire, was not even the first. The werewolf, the other you know, is one of many. There are more, so many more.” He paused and licked his lips as if savoring the words. “And I can show you. If you let me, I could show you all kinds of wonders, tell you of things you could only imagine.”
“No,” I managed. It was hard to breathe again, but this time it had nothing to do with the heat. “I just want to know if you can help Thomas or not. I don’t care about the rest.”
“Don’t you?” he asked, his face showing mock surprise. “I would think it would be of great interest to you. If you know what you are, where you came from, then you might find a way to ... shall we say, cure your malady?”
My knees went weak at that. I leaned h
eavily on the table, using it to support myself. “Cure?”
“Oh yes,” he said. “I know a way.” He smiled, displaying those too-sharp teeth. “If you wish it, I could make it so that you can see the sun again.”
About a million thoughts zoomed through my brain. Could it be possible? Could the demon actually cure me of my vampirism? If so, then perhaps he really could save Thomas. Perhaps he could save anyone who wished to be free of the taint.
No. I couldn’t believe him. If it was possible to cure the blood taint, someone would have discovered it by now. He was playing me, trying to get me to agree to something that would end up destroying me.
Still, the idea was lodged firmly in my brain. It would haunt me forever.
“Thomas,” I said, forcing away the temptation to ask him to tell me more. As much as I wanted to be Pureblooded again, I wanted Thomas cured more. “Can you help him?”
Beligral chuckled. It was like the rumbling of boulders. “Perhaps,” he said, “if you are willing to pay my price.”
“No,” Ethan spoke up. “She will not make deals with you.”
“Then I cannot help.” Beligral crossed his arms and closed his eyes.
“What do you want?” I asked, surprising even myself.
“No, Kat,” Ethan said. “You don’t know what you’re doing.”
“Ah, but she does,” the demon said, opening his eyes. “She might not know it consciously, but she knows more than she realizes. It’s in her blood.”
“What do you want?” I repeated.
“It’s quite simple, really. Bring this Thomas to me. I will see if there is anything left to save. All I ask in return is that you promise to visit me again. I tire of the same thing every night. I would like to see the fruits of my labors in action.”
I knew it couldn’t be that easy. Ethan had said not to make a deal with the demon, but really, he wasn’t asking for much. It sounded simple enough, but I did have to wonder. What could possibly be in it for him?
Then again, did it really matter? This whole thing might be some sort of trap, but it was Thomas I was doing it for. I couldn’t just turn away what might be the only chance I had of curing him. What more could the demon possibly do to me that hasn’t already been done before?
“Fine,” I said. “You help save Thomas and I will come and see you again.”
Beligral smiled. “I will do my best,” he said. “Do you agree to our terms?”
“Kat ...”
“Yeah,” I said, ignoring Ethan’s pleading tone.
Beligral’s smile widened. “Then it is done.”
A searing pain behind my ear jolted me back against the table. It was gone almost as soon as it had happened.
“What the hell was that?” I gasped.
Ethan’s eyes filled with tears. His mouth opened and closed a few times; then he turned away.
“No need to dismiss me,” Beligral said. “I’ll see you soon.” He turned and flipped a hand upward. The air seemed to rip with the motion, exposing the blackness again. He glanced back at me once more, winked, and then stepped through. The hole closed as soon as he was gone. All five candles snuffed out at the same instant.
I groaned and slumped to the floor, all the energy flooding from my body. Had I really made a deal with a demon?
Ethan had yet to face me again. He walked around the circle, murmuring as he gathered his candles. He set them on the table and leaned against it. He was trembling.
I watched him clean up, wondering how he knew if the demon was really gone. If Beligral could hide his true nature, then couldn’t he very well hide his presence? Hell, it was obvious he could dismiss himself from our world. Did that mean he could summon himself as well?
“I’ll take you to the Den,” I said, barely able to look up. “You can summon him where they have Thomas held.”
Ethan spun around, eyes bulging from his head. “No,” he said. “I can’t do this anywhere else.”
“I can’t bring Thomas here,” I said.
“You have to. I can’t go ... go out there.” He looked up toward the ceiling as if he could see the night sky. “Everything I need is here.”
I closed my eyes. My throat was dry, and my head and back hurt. I was sure I was bleeding again, but I just didn’t care. “Fine,” I said. “I’ll find a way to get him here. Can you summon him again tonight?”
“Tonight?” Ethan bit his lower lip. “I could, but he doesn’t like it.”
“Tough,” I said, standing. “I’ll be back later, Thomas in tow. Be ready for me.”
Ethan nodded. I started to turn away, but he stopped me. “You shouldn’t have made a deal with him,” he said in a small voice. “He has you now.”
“He doesn’t have a damn thing.” I paused. I hadn’t meant to snap at him like that. I softened my voice as I spoke. “I had to do it. For Thomas.”
“You’re marked,” Ethan said. “You won’t be able to escape him now.”
I reached up and touched the spot behind my ear that had flared in pain. There was something there. The flesh was raised, bumpy.
I dropped my hand. I wanted to break down and cry, but I steeled myself instead. I was terrified. I’d probably made a mistake by making a deal with the demon, but what choice had I had?
“I’ll deal with it,” I said. “Just be ready when I return.”
Ethan didn’t say anything. He didn’t have to.
I headed upstairs to get my gear. My hand drifted to the mark behind my ear. My hands were trembling, but at least Ethan hadn’t seen it. What had I done?
I strapped on my weapons, checked to make sure the Glock was loaded and the knives were sharp. I smoothed back my hair, my hands still trembling, and headed for the door. There wasn’t anything I could do about the mark now. I’d made my choice.
I left to get my brother.
30
A handful of terrified Cultists were standing just inside the door to the Den. They jumped as I came in, eyes wide, and for a moment, I thought they were afraid of me. When they instead crowded around me, I knew something bad had happened.
Thomas.
I bolted for the off ice. One of the Cultists tried to reach out and clutch at me, but I shook him off. Whatever had happened, it had to be bad if the Purebloods were looking to me for comfort.
The office was empty. The hidden doorway was hanging open, which couldn’t be good. I could hear raised voices from down below, though I couldn’t quite make out who was talking. At least there wasn’t screaming. Yet.
I hit the stairs at a run. Even with my enhanced reflexes, I nearly tripped going down them. My legs just couldn’t keep up with the speed my brain wanted. I needed to get down there before something happened.
But what made me so sure it already hadn’t? Could Thomas have broken free? Could Nathan have killed him while Jonathan was distracted? Or was it something else? I had to know.
I leaped from the last stair and skidded to a stop when I saw the three men. Nathan and Jonathan both looked angry, though Jonathan seemed relieved I had arrived. They were both standing in front of Thomas’s cage, my brother thrashing against the bars, but they weren’t trying to keep him in.
They were trying to keep someone out.
“You kept this from me,” Adrian said, turning to face me. Normally, his face was always blank, his voice controlled, yet now he was near bubbling with rage. His teeth were exposed, sharp and pointed. His eyes were a feral yellow. He was on the verge of shifting.
I had my gun out and had it trained on Adrian’s forehead the moment I saw him. “Back the fuck away,” I said. I glanced past him to make sure Thomas was okay. He was bleeding from his scalp, as well as his hands where he pounded them up against the wall. Otherwise, he looked unharmed.
“We were supposed to work together,” Adrian said. “You betrayed me.”
“We couldn’t trust you.” I made sure to include Jonathan and the Cult in my statement. I didn’t want him thinking I did this on my own or forced their h
and. I kind of hoped this would be the moment where Jonathan finally told me to kill the bastard.
Adrian took a deep, shuddering breath. He glanced over his shoulder at the two wolves at his back, then turned back to me as if they were no longer a threat. “Your bullet won’t stop me,” he said.
“It will if I hit you in just the right spot.”
A smile curved his lips. “You could try.”
I almost did it right then and there, but Jonathan stepped forward, hand outstretched.
“No,” he said. “Not here. I will have no more bloodshed within my Den.”
Nathan’s fists clenched. It was obvious he wanted to kill Adrian as much as I did, if not more so.
From the far corner, a harsh, tortured laugh filled the room. Davin watched us, blood dribbling down his chin. He held an empty cup that had recently held blood. I ignored him.
“Adrian,” I said. “I won’t tell you again. Get away from him.”
“Your brother?” he said, his face going to his more normal neutral. “He reminds me of you in many ways. There are so many similarities, even with him afflicted as such. I should have known.”
I stepped forward, my aim never wavering. “Now.”
He bowed his head slightly and stepped to the side. His eyes were still blazing, but he was in much more control of himself. It was like I was a calming influence on him. I didn’t like that thought at all.
“Keep going.” I stepped around him, making sure not to get too close. I didn’t need him reaching out and grabbing my gun and using it on me. And I knew he could do it. You didn’t live as long as Adrian had if you were slow.
He kept walking until we were standing opposite each other again. This time, I was standing in front of the cell with Adrian close to the stairs.
“Go,” I said, “or I’ll kill you.” I was worried my bullet wouldn’t affect him at all, even if I hit him in the head. He was resistant to silver, something I had seen with my own two eyes. What made me so sure he hadn’t done something to make his skull hard enough to stop a bullet? Stranger things have happened.
Adrian glanced around the room, at the two wolves standing behind me. Some of his anger returned as he looked at them, but he did his best to hide it.
