I resisted the urge to try to follow his look toward the outside world, wondering whether or not it would yield any clues to my location, choosing instead to keep my attention on my untrustworthy opponent.
A smartly uniformed woman came down the aisle then, holding a crystal container, which carried some of the same red liquid inside and offered to refill Damien’s glass for him. He let her do so, then returned his gaze to me when she turned to walk back in the direction she had come from.
“So I’m guessing you have a lot of questions right now. Feel free to ask me anything,” he said, as he swirled the macabre drink around in his cup, before inhaling the aroma of the contents with a deep sniff.
I didn’t say a word, preferring to just sit there and glare at him, wishing I could burn a hole with my vision right through his perfectly coiffed head.
“Not too talkative this morning, are you? No worries. I don’t mind doing all the talking.” He smiled then and gave me a wink, before taking another swallow of the disgusting looking liquid in the glass. He closed his eyes for a moment as he rolled the fluid around in his mouth, as if savoring the taste of a fine wine, his face completely enraptured in that second of time, before he opened his eyes and began speaking again. “Do you want to know how I found you?” he asked. “It’s a great story. You’d probably really enjoy it.”
I just looked at him, trying to have a disinterested expression, but not knowing if I was really pulling it off or not.
“I’m hurt at your rudeness this morning, Portia,” he said then, feigning a sad expression on his face. “I was under the general impression that you’ve never had any problem whatsoever when it comes to conversing with my son.”
“You leave him out of this,” I spat at him, my anger coming swiftly to the surface at his casual reference to Vance. “After all you’ve done to him, you aren’t even worthy to speak his name!”
He smiled widely then, looking very pleased with himself and the reaction he had gotten from me.
“There’s the little spitfire I’ve been waiting for,” he said with a slight wink in my direction. “That’s much better. Now we can have ourselves a nice little conversation together.”
I instantly regretted speaking out, falling prey to his game which he was intent on playing with me.
“That boy of mine is something else, isn’t he?” Damien continued on, baiting me with his words. “I think I knew he was going to be something fantastic from the moment of his birth.”
He took another large swallow of the red liquid, the supreme satisfaction moving across his face once again.
“Where are my manners?” he said suddenly, as if he were completely horrified with himself. He sat up a little straighter, tipping his glass slightly toward me. “Would you like something to drink?”
I stared hotly at him, hoping he could see my anger over the fact that he was offering me the blood of some innocent witch or warlock to drink.
“It’s an excellent vintage,” he said, swirling the contents. “The best I’ve ever had, in fact. I like to call it Le Sangue de Vance.”
My face blanched instantly, and I didn’t need a translator to know what he had said. He was drinking Vance’s blood!
What had happened? Where was Vance? What had he done to him? The thoughts raced frantically through my head, and I felt my panic level begin to rise to the extreme.
“Don’t worry,” he said, reading my reaction to his comments perfectly. “Your lover boy is safe and sound. As a matter of fact, he’s still in residence with your sweet little coven back in Mexico.” He looked at the contents of the glass again. “No. This lovely blood was an early gift from my lately departed wife, Krista. I believe you were acquainted with her?”
His eyes bore into mine as he questioned me, but all I could feel was the rush of relief running through me. He didn’t have Vance. Vance was safe. He was still with the coven. They would protect him.
“I’ve been saving this particular bottle for a special occasion, seeing how you destroyed the entire shipment she was going to have sent to me,” Damien continued on. “That was very disappointing.”
He gave me a look, like that of a father disciplining his child, which I returned to him stare for stare.
“I must say that I’m very interested in finding out how you managed to stop his demon conversion, however. It has been quite unheard of before now. Would you care to share?” he asked me.
He lifted an eyebrow.
When I didn’t answer, he continued.
“No? Well, maybe later then,” he said, with a nonchalant shrug, as he repeated his previous move of swirling, sniffing and tasting the blood in his glass, making an obvious show of his delight in the mixture.
It made me sick to my stomach to watch him, to know he was devouring a part of Vance in that way. I tried not to let it get to me, since I knew he was deliberately baiting me with it.
He was quiet then for several moments while he sat and watched me. Having nothing else better to do, I returned his stare, not wanting to show any weakness. We sat that way for what seemed like ages before he spoke again.
“Imagine my surprise when I was sitting in my home the other night, having just performed a ritual on the most stunning little witch from India, only to look out my window and see the most magnificent surge of magical power rushing through the air, one that put the India witch’s powers to shame,” he said, never taking his eyes off my face.
I began to have a sinking feeling as he spoke.
“You may not be aware of this, but after a transfer of power is complete, one becomes extremely sensitive to the magic running in the currents around one. It’s quite an exhilarating feeling,” he explained as he watched me carefully. “But I’m diverting from the subject.”
He paused to take another swallow from the glass, and I watched as his Adam’s apple bobbed in his throat with the action, feeling nauseous at the sight.
“I looked out my window to see a beautiful burst of color in the sky over a small fishing boat out in the bay,” he was saying, as he waved his arm in a circle over his head. “It captured my interest instantly. I grabbed my telescope and looked out only to discover this wonderful girl all lit up on the deck of this particular tiny watercraft. Certainly you must imagine my surprise as the vessel turned in the water and went out, not only to rescue my earlier guest from certain death but to see my own son crawl out of the water with her.”
I was going to vomit. It was entirely my fault. My little magical display had alerted him to our presence.
“I was very excited, of course!” he continued, as a devious light began to dance over his face. “I began to plan my family reunion immediately. Of course, it occurred to me my boy might not come to me alone, of his own free will even if I invited him, so I made a new plan. I decided I’d invite a guest I knew he’d have to come see.”
I was bait. He was going to use me to draw Vance to him.
He smiled then, and he looked positively evil. I couldn’t help the little shiver of fear that danced down my spine.
“I kept watch, looking for a time when I might be able to catch you alone. I have to give a little credit to that son of mine. He doesn’t let you wander too far away from his side, does he?”
He looked me up and down then, as if he were judging a piece of meat in a contest. His perusal revolted my senses.
“Not that I blame him. You look like you might be quite a tasty little treat. I’m sure he was enjoying you quite regularly,” he said suggestively, cheapening our very relationship with his words.
I looked away from him then, toward the window, not wanting to give his lewd comments the dignity of my response.
“No?” He laughed out loud as he continued to look me over provocatively. “I must admit I’m surprised. The kid must have morals of steel. Of course, he probably got those from his mother. You know, before she woke up and realized what I really had to offer her.”
“You’re a very sick man,” I said quietly, wonderin
g why I suddenly was wishing I could reason with him somehow.
“Really?” he replied, perking right up at my response. “Please, my dear. Enlighten me.”
“You had everything in your life that’s worth anything. A beautiful, loving wife, a wonderful son, and still you threw it all away.” I paused. “Vance is the most perfect individual I’ve ever known. He’s good to the very center of his being. Why would you want to destroy all that?” I asked him, at that moment truly wishing I could understand his sense of reasoning and what was driving him.
He laughed out loud.
“Don’t worry, my dear Portia. You’ll come to understand. I’m glad to see you love him so much, because I have plans for both of you. All these warm and fuzzy feelings the two of you have for each other will make things work out even better.” he replied.
“Please leave him alone!” I begged him. “Do whatever you want with me; just please let him live his life.”
He placed the glass down then and started clapping his hands together in slow rhythm.
“Bravo, Portia! Acting as the martyr!” He laughed at my pain, as his cynical smile moved across his face. “You never cease to surprise me this morning! Here I thought I’d end up with a crying, cowardly girl and have instead found you to be a delightful little witch. And, of course, I mean that with the deepest respect. I may even think some more of my son at the moment. Apparently he’s pretty smart, falling for someone like you. He does have some taste for the finer things in life.” He smiled as he reached out and picked up his glass, holding it out toward me.
I looked at him in disgust.
“Cheers!” he said, before he downed the entire contents, drinking every last drop in the cup.
It made me sick to watch him. I turned to look out the window as we flew over the desert landscape below.
“Where are we going?” I asked, deciding to try to get some more information out of him.
He shook his finger back and forth at me then. “No, no,” he replied as he looked at me with a patronizing expression. “That is a surprise for later.”
“Whatever.” I closed my eyes, silently wishing I would never have to look at him again.
“Don’t worry. You won’t be disappointed. I promise,” he added, his voice thick with amusement.
I opened my eyes then, allowing them to flash angrily over at him. “I don’t care where it is, I won’t be there long. I’m positive Vance and the other members of the coven are on their way to find me right now!”
“Oh touché,” he replied, watching me curiously. “But I wouldn’t count on seeing your family any time soon.”
“What have you done?” Fear rose into my throat, tasting just like bile, as a million maniacal plans he could have implemented began dancing in my head.
He laughed again.
“Me?” he asked innocently, lifting a hand and placing it upon his chest. “I haven’t done anything to anyone. I just happened to leave Vance a little message behind, where I was sure he’d find it.”
“What message?” I asked, a nervous feeling beginning to float through my body.
“When he goes to storm my house looking for you, he’ll find a little note from daddy explaining that if he doesn’t come to me alone, he’ll never see you alive again. I was very careful to tell him that if I see one person from the disgusting, measly, little coven of yours in the same city we’re in, I’ll kill you on the spot. Trust me, I’m positive he’ll be coming by himself.” His eyes flashed at me.
I knew he was right. There was no way Vance would risk putting me in any more danger than I already was. If he had to magically contain the entire coven to keep them from following him, he would.
I felt a sick, sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach. It was going to be just the two of us against him now.
“He might not come,” I bluffed, with a very slight shrug. “He doesn’t know where we are.”
“Don’t worry about that.” He smiled at me. “I’ve been sure to leave an appropriate trail of bread crumbs for him to follow. It may take him a while to get to us, but he’ll find his way. I promise.”
I tried changing my tactics then, needing to throw him off his game somehow. Plus I just wanted to knock some of the self assuredness off his face.
“So what’s so great about this demon kiss?” I asked, trying to appear nonchalant while completely switching gears.
He grinned widely at my question.
“You surprise me again, Portia! Now you’re changing tactics to gain information. I’m impressed!”
“Well?” I replied, not bothering to deny it.
He stared at me for a moment as if weighing whether or not to tell me what I was asking for.
“First of all, I prefer to call it an exchange, not a demon kiss,” he said, making a face as if the very words put some sort of distaste into his mouth. “The exchange is a most exhilarating experience. The power moves into you and heightens your senses to an unheard of extreme. Magic flows in the very currents around you, and everything twists together into something like this great soup of power. It flows through your being, racing as it sings. The only problem is it doesn’t last more than a few hours. Sure, you get to retain most of the individual witch or warlock’s powers permanently, but the rush leaves much too quickly.”
I laughed out loud as I stared at him.
“So you’re just a glorified junkie! You’re destroying all these people so you can get high!” I exclaimed.
He lost his cool demeanor at that remark, leaning forward to grab me at the collar of my shirt. He yanked me toward him; his eyes turned the all too familiar bloodshot red as his teeth sharpened into fangs in front of me.
“Watch your mouth, you little witch, or I’ll kill you right here, right now,” he threatened in a menacing voice, and I knew he meant it.
“Go right ahead,” I spat back at him vehemently, not backing down one inch from him.
He let go of me suddenly then and leaned back in his chair looking at me, while pointing a finger slowly at me. He smiled then as if he had just figured out something that he had missed before.
“You’re linked to him, aren’t you?” he said, suddenly making the connection. “What did he do? A binding spell perhaps?”
I closed my eyes, knowing he had gained too much information, mentally kicking myself for giving too much away.
“You want me to kill you so he’ll know that you’re dead. You don’t want him to come, but you know he’s following that link,” he added.
He laughed then, and I opened my eyes to watch him again.
“It’s priceless really,” he said. “No matter where I could take you in the world, he’d eventually find his way there. I guess you’ll just have to live, at least for the time being, until he shows up.”
“I hate you!” I spewed out at him in frustration, wanting to attack him somehow but only having words to do it with.
“Hate, now there’s an emotion I can work with.” He smiled, as his features cooled and morphed back into his human look.
“Screw you,” I said as I looked away from him.
“Come on now, Portia. Don’t be that way,” he replied, toying with me. “It’ll be fun. You’ll see.”
He left me alone after that, choosing not to speak, instead just staring at me with his unnerving gaze.
I turned to glance back out the window, watching the terrain moving below as we flew quickly overhead.
The flight attendant returned with more blood for him after a little while, and I watched him as he tasted it.
“Not as good as Vance’s, but nice,” he said, taking another swallow as he tested it out.
I shook my head at him, not rising to take the bait this time, and turned back toward the window.
I needed to start looking for an opportunity to escape. If I could get away and back to Vance, everything would work better for us. I started to run possible scenarios through my head, trying to figure something out.
We would have to land
at an airport somewhere. If I could keep him from drugging me again, maybe I could get away from him there. Maybe I could somehow get someone’s attention.
I sighed in frustration.
Who was I kidding? There was no way Damien was going to allow any kind of opportunity like that to present itself, and even if it did, he had the magic capacity to stop anyone who could try to help. I had to think of something else.
I tried pushing against the magical barrier that was restraining me to my seat. When I saw that I couldn’t move physically, I tried using magic to break through. My powers, however, just arced back at me, which resulted in me shocking myself with a very hard jolt.
I cried out a little, in pain.
Damien chuckled to himself as he watched me.
“Trying to escape right in front of me?” he asked, lifting an eyebrow in question. “You aren’t afraid of anything, are you?”
I was afraid all right, just not so much for myself. I couldn’t let him hurt Vance.
“I can see that life with you is going to be very interesting over the next little while.” He looked amused.
“Not if I can help it,” I mumbled under my breath, as he laughed at me again, and I found myself wishing I could punch my fist clear down his throat to stop the sound of it.
“Portia, my dear,” he began, and I hated the very sound of my name dripping from his voice. “Every second I spend with you helps me to see why Vance is so attracted to you. You’re absolutely precious!” He gave me a little wink for emphasis.
I made up my mind right then and there to kill him as soon as I had the chance. I wanted to show him exactly how precious I could be.
A voice crackled over the cabin speaker.
“Sir, we’ll be beginning our descent shortly,” an unseen male voice said, and I assumed it was the pilot’s.
“It’s time to buckle up!” Damien said with a smile as he reached down to lift his belt, strapping himself into the seat easily. “Would you like me to help you with yours?” he taunted, leaning forward slightly as he stretched out his hands toward me in a helpful manner.
Of Witches and Warlocks: The Demon Kiss Page 22
