Dare Me

by Parker Blue

  “I don’t know. Some in New Mexico, and now San Antonio.”

  “Seems like a slow way to do it, to me.” Then again, he only had a limited supply of his own blood. Maybe he could only take one city at a time. Still, that was one city too many . . . and too close for comfort.

  “That’s why he’s killing vamps and demons,” Austin said.

  “What do you mean?”

  “To minimize his opposition. He fears us and knows that we know what he really is. So, his plan is to eliminate us first.”

  Yeah, I got that. But it made me think. “Did you know that Emmanuel is a demon, too?” I asked the prisoner.

  “No, he is Emmanuel, a saint. He is not evil.”

  “Actually, he is. He’s using his demonic powers—his blood—to make you believe he’s holy, when he’s really just another demon.”

  “You are lying. He is our savior, come in answer to our prayers.”

  Hmm. “Even with Lola, I can’t make him disbelieve something he holds strongly,” I told Austin. I could make him do what I wanted while he was under her influence, or tell me whatever I wanted to know, but I couldn’t change his belief system.

  “Too bad,” Austin said.

  There is a way . . . the amulet called to me.

  “Well, maybe there’s one way I could do it . . . .”

  Austin frowned. “Not the crystal again.”

  “Yes, the crystal,” I said and couldn’t keep the irritation out of my voice. “It isn’t all bad, you know.”

  “You don’t know that,” Austin said. “You don’t know what it’ll do to you, if it will turn you into another power-hungry damn-the-consequences succubus like Dina.”

  “Then what do you suggest?” I asked, annoyed. “If I use the amulet, I can control him beyond the time he’s in my presence. I could send him to spy for us, learn more about Emmanuel, and find out where he’s hiding out.” At Austin’s stubborn look, I added, “If I don’t, what are we going to do with all of his minions we keep collecting? You don’t like the catch and release idea, we can’t kill them, and we can’t continue incarcerating them. We don’t have the space.”

  “The Movement will take care of it,” Austin snapped back. “You’ll use the amulet only as a last resort. It’s too dangerous.”

  Stupid. When were any of them going to see that it was the only possible solution? “I’ll use it just this once,” I promised. “Face it, we really need the intel, and it’s not like we’ve been successful getting it any other way.” Exasperated, I added, “You all want me to be the Paladin, to make these tough decisions, but when I do, you second guess me.”

  Austin scowled, but apparently realized there really was no other choice, because he said, “All right, but if you use it again without checking with someone, I’ll smash the blasted thing.”

  Finally. I grasped the tear-shaped crystal and concentrated. It was like endorphins flooded my system, making me feel wonderful, powerful. Concentrating on the hunter, I said, “You will find Emmanuel’s location and report back to me immediately when you know where he’ll be and when.” I gave him my phone number and the address of the penthouse. “You will not tell Emmanuel or anyone else that you are under my control, and you will continue to act normally in all other respects. Do you understand?”

  “Yes,” the man said, deeply under the influence of not only Lola but the amulet as well.

  Slowly, reluctantly, I withdrew the amulet’s influence, and Lola’s. It was harder than I expected to tear my will away from the amulet. I’d have to be careful of that. Have to be stronger than Dina.

  The prisoner glared at us and spat. “Evil spawn. I will kill you next.”

  Hmm, maybe I should have told him not to attack me, either. “No, you won’t,” I said, reinforcing the order with the amulet. “You will not even try.”

  I let go of him again, so he was no longer under Lola’s influence, but hopefully still the amulet’s. Now, to test it. “Where is Emmanuel?”

  “I don’t know.”

  “But you’re going to tell us as soon as you find out, right?”

  “Yes,” the man said, seeming at war with himself.

  Well, I didn’t care what kind of battle he had with himself, so long as I won the war.

  The next step was to release him, but I didn’t want to do that until I topped off Lola’s tank. After all, he was handy and available. Though he deserved to be sucked dry, I’d leave enough for him to function as I’d ordered.

  Unfortunately, it wasn’t as satisfying as it could be, and Lola still wouldn’t get anywhere near her former strength—only about forty-five percent. The amulet wanted to get in on the act, urging me to use it, to make the feeding more enjoyable, but I resisted its lure.

  It was harder than I expected, though. Could Austin and Fang be right?

  No, I’d just have to feed Lola more often so I wouldn’t need the crystal. And be a lot more careful in the future.

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Shade

  AFTER VAL LEFT with her bloodsucking friends, Shade went back to his room to see what he could learn about this Emmanuel. He’d been more disturbed by the demon’s existence than he’d let Val see, and now had to do whatever he could to counter this threat.

  “You really think this is the demon Dad brought in to our dimension?” Sharra asked.

  “Yes,” Shade said curtly as he booted up the laptop. “It makes too much sense. And now he’s after us.”

  “To kill us?” she asked, sounding worried.

  “Probably,” Shade said. “Or he might want us to open a portal and let some of his buddies in from the other side.” He started an online search for the name Emmanuel in New Mexico.

  She looked horrified. “We can’t let either one of those things happen,” she whispered.

  “Exactly.”

  DON’T WORRY ABOUT IT, Fang said to them from his place by Princess’s side. VAL WILL TAKE CARE OF IT.

  “I fight my own battles,” Sharra said. “I don’t need a Pala—” She broke off with a guilty look at Shade, then finished with, “We don’t need anyone else to help us. This is our problem. We’ll solve it. Right, Shawn?”

  “Shade,” he insisted. Shawn was a surly teenager who didn’t even exist anymore.

  “Sorry, I keep forgetting.”

  He nodded as he continued to search online. “But Sharra’s right. This is our responsibility.”

  WHAT CAN YOU DO THAT VAL CAN’T? Fang challenged.

  “We can create portals into other worlds,” Shade said. Obviously. “Sharra saved everyone in the Demon Underground with one, remember?”

  “Yeah,” Sharra said. “Val couldn’t do that.”

  Unfortunately, Shade wasn’t sure if he would have been able to do it either.

  Princess nipped at Fang. MY HUMAN IS JUST AS GOOD AS YOUR HUMAN. BETTER.

  MAYBE, Fang said, nosing her affectionately.

  Did the hellhound really believe it, or was he just placating Princess?

  WHAT DO YOU THINK? Fang snarked privately.

  It didn’t matter what Fang and Princess believed. All that mattered was putting this blood demon back where he belonged before he caused any more damage. Unfortunately, the Internet wasn’t proving much help. There were a few mentions of Emmanuel in New Mexico, but most of them talked about furtive religious meetings with superstitious people in the backward small towns near where Shade used to live, and rumors of healing that couldn’t be corroborated. The reports hadn’t put much stock into rumors of a new Messiah, and hadn’t investigated his background any further.

  Shade glanced up at Sharra. “We need to do some more digging. He seems to concentrate around Albuquerque and Santa Fe, but we need more info.”

  Sharra nodded. “I can do that. What about the Ency
clopedia Magicka? You think it might have something to help?”

  “There wasn’t much about blood demons in it,” Shade said with a shrug.

  “Maybe one of the spells? Could there be something there?”

  “Maybe. There’s a spell to locate mage demons, but that’s because the books are terrified of them. I don’t know if they can locate other demons.”

  “It wouldn’t hurt to try.”

  “We’ll have to wait for Val. She’s really the only who can access the spells part of the encyclopedia.”

  “Are you sure about that?” Sharra challenged. “Have you tried?”

  “No,” Shade admitted.

  “Then let’s try it. Where are they?”

  Val was keeping them here in the penthouse to keep them safe. “In her room, I think.”

  HEY, YOU DON’T WANT TO MESS WITH THOSE, Fang said. REMEMBER WHAT HAPPENED TO JOSH AND ANDREW?

  “Yes,” Shade admitted. “But that’s primarily because of the mage demon speaking through them, and the books’ paranoid desire to hide. The books are safe now, and the mage demon is in another dimension.” Shade had put him there. “I’m not like Mood. I know the dangers, and I’ll be careful.”

  SEE THAT YOU DO, Fang said. I DON’T WANT TO HAVE TO TELL VAL WHY SHE HAS TO SCRAPE GRISLY BITS OF YOU AND YOUR SISTER FROM THE WALLS.

  Sharra looked appalled. “You think that could happen?”

  “No,” Shade said dismissively. “Fang just thinks no one but Val can do anything right.”

  I DO NOT—Fang began, but was stopped by a nip from Princess.

  YOU DO, TOO. LEAVE THEM ALONE.

  And wonder of wonders, Fang listened to her.

  “You can keep watch on us, Fang. If anything seems a bit off, you have my permission to stop us by any means necessary.”

  Fang seemed mollified by that so Shade went into Val’s room. Being there smacked too much of invading her privacy, so he took the two books that held the spells into the living room.

  “I’ll take one, and you take the other,” Sharra suggested.

  THERE MIGHT BE AN EASIER WAY, Fang said.

  “What’s that?”

  VAL TALKS TO THE BOOKS AND ASKS FOR THEIR HELP.

  “Really?” Sharra asked with a raised eyebrow, then stared at the books. “Hey, you have any advice on how to capture a blood demon?”

  Nothing.

  “You try it,” Sharra told Shade. “Since you’re her friend and you’ve been handling them a lot, maybe they’ll talk to you.”

  “They don’t actually talk,” Shade said. “It’s more like they show her where the spells are in the books.” But it wouldn’t hurt to try, and approach them with more respect than Sharra had.

  First, though, he’d find out if they’d even respond to him. Feeling strange talking to inanimate objects, he said, “Uh, we are looking for assistance in combating a threat. Can you give us advice?”

  Surprisingly, one of the books glowed.

  “Whoa,” Sharra said. “Something worked. What does that glow mean?”

  Shade opened the book, and it fell open at the glowing spot. “It’s a spell.” He skimmed it quickly. “It will allow the books to communicate with us.” And the communication spell lasted for weeks, unless someone else used it in the interim.

  “Cool! Do it,” his sister urged.

  “I’m not sure,” Shade said. “The more you use the spells in the books, the less you’re able to use your other abilities.”

  “Well, maybe that’s a good thing. You think maybe it would make you a little less swirly, more human?”

  “I don’t know.” But it was worth a try. It wasn’t like he wanted to be at the mercy of his anger and accidentally create portals.

  Shade whispered the words of the spell, and magick rushed through him like a shot of wild static electricity, leaving the hairs on his arms standing on end. It didn’t feel at all like the dimensions he cycled through. This was far more visceral, as if the spell took up space in the very cells of his body.

  A blank space appeared on the page, and letters appeared one at a time, in glowing script. Speak to me.

  Ooookay. “Do I look any different?” Shade asked Sharra. He certainly didn’t feel changed—he still cycled through dimensions.

  She peered at his swirls for a moment. “No, I can’t tell a difference.” Turning to the book, she asked, “Do you have any spells that will help us locate this blood demon?”

  Nothing happened. Sharra poked Shade. “You try it.”

  Shade repeated the question, and this time the response was immediate. The previous words disappeared, and a single word took their place. No.

  “Do you have any additional information about blood demons?” he asked.

  No. All available information is written herein.

  “Well, that was a bust,” Sharra said, sounding disappointed.

  “Maybe if we asked a more open-ended question,” Shade suggested. “Is there anything you want to tell us?”

  Yes.

  He waited for the book to elaborate, but realized he might have to be more specific. “What else do you want to tell us?”

  The keeper is in danger.

  “Val?” Shade said, not really surprised. Her life pretty much put her in jeopardy all the time. “How is she in danger?”

  The amulet wishes to control the keeper.

  Shade’s mouth thinned. He knew that damned crystal was trouble. “Please give us as much information as possible. Tell us how the amulet is bad for Val.”

  The keeper must not be controlled or she can no longer be the keeper.

  Sharra stared at him. “What is this amulet, and why is it dangerous?”

  Shade explained it, and Sharra looked appalled. “You mean she can control you with this thing? Even when you’re not within her field, not near her?”

  “Yes, it allows her to control any man, forever.”

  “That’s dangerous.”

  Shade nodded. “Especially since it seems to have more power over her each time she uses it.”

  “We have to get that thing away from her,” Sharra exclaimed.

  Oh, great. Another reason for Sharra to distrust Val.

  Shade stared at the books, their last communication still glowing on the page. “You mean that if she’s controlled by the amulet, she can no longer use the spells in these books?”

  Yes.

  “But I just used a spell. Does that mean anyone can?”

  No. Only a potential keeper can use this spell.

  He was a potential keeper? What exactly did that mean? Shade shook his head. It didn’t matter. He’d ensure Val remained the keeper. “How can we keep her from using the crystal?”

  Bring the succubus to full power. Use the vampire.

  Tell Val to feed on Austin all she wanted? Shade didn’t care for that solution at all. Maybe there was another way. “How can we get rid of it?” he asked. He didn’t have much experience with magickal objects, but he suspected that getting rid of them wasn’t as easy as tossing them in the trash. Besides, Val’s connection with the damned thing might lead her to it no matter where he put it.

  Through a portal.

  That made sense. She couldn’t enter other dimensions on her own. “Can I use other spells in this book?” he asked, hoping there was something Val had missed, something he could do to help.

  Not until you become keeper.

  Well, that wasn’t going to happen.

  “What else do we need to know?”

  Do not let the keeper know you can use this spell until the amulet is gone.

  Damn. That was his best argument—give up the amulet because the books wouldn’t like it. “Why?”

  If she uses the communicatio
n spell, you will no longer be able to communicate with me unless you use it again. Each time you use it, you will lose more of your abilities and may not be able to open the portal.

  Sharra poked him. “It’s right. We have to keep this secret.”

  Shade nodded. Yes, the books could be a wealth of information, but only if he was able to use the spell. “Okay, I won’t tell her,” he agreed, feeling odd about making promises to a book. But now he had to figure out how to get that crystal away from her . . . for her own good.

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  Val

  WE RETURNED TO the penthouse to let Shade and Sharra know what we’d learned about Emmanuel, which wasn’t much. I insisted they both touch Tiny Tim so everyone could see their expressions.

  “This is our problem,” Sharra said. “Our father caused the problem in the first place, and Emmanuel is after us because of it. We’ll take care of it. Right, Shade?”

  He nodded. “She’s right. We need to fix this.”

  Tired of suddenly being the bad guy in their eyes, I asked, “How do you plan to do that? Or do you actually have a plan?”

  Austin raised his eyebrows in surprise, probably because I was becoming rather annoyed with Shade.

  “Micah has watchers out looking for this Emmanuel,” Shade said.

  “And what are you going to do when you find him?”

  “We’ll think of something,” Shade said curtly.

  “That’s what I thought,” I said, not caring how cold it sounded. “You don’t have a plan. And you don’t know anything about this guy except what Austin and I have found out for you. You need us.”

  Sharra shook her head. “We don’t need your help.”

  I didn’t let her finish. “Forget your stupid pride. This is about a heck of a lot more than you and your brother. This Emmanuel dude wants to take over the world, one person, one city at a time. He’s a full demon, eight times stronger than any of us. Literally eight times stronger than me. What kind of idiot wouldn’t accept help to save the world when we’re so clearly out of our depth?”

  WHOA, HARSH, Fang said.

  Just trying to beat some sense into her head. I sure wished I could use the amulet on her.