Don’t worry, Slay, Maven thought. I’ll give you another chance.
Only one problem remained. Maven had sworn to kill Dionis, and now she was dying on her own, right in front of him. Convenient. He wondered if he should just let it happen, maybe speed things along. It would simplify a great many things and satisfy his contract with Aubrey.
In the end, it was the look on Converse Billy’s face that pushed Maven over the edge. It was the look of a kid wondering why his hero wasn’t rushing in to aid a suffering person, or demon. The human half of Maven’s conscience took over, somehow.
To Hell with contracts.
He picked up Dionis, took her to his back office, and pressed a hidden button under his desk. A perfectly concealed trap door opened with steps that led down into—darkness was all that could be seen from here.
On his way down the stairs, Maven stopped when he sensed Converse Billy following close behind. Without looking back, he said, “Don’t follow me, Billy. There are some things even vampires shouldn’t see. I’ll see you around.”
Maven continued his descent, just as his poetically possessed store cued up an appropriate tune.
Sympathy for the Devil, by The Rolling Stones.
Just before stepping into that secret darkness, the Incubus Detective shook his head, and grinned just a little.
The End
The Incubus Detective Page 8
