Dare Me

by Parker Blue

  I started to use Lola to persuade men to move out of my way so I could get to the front door, but a man in uniform with a bullhorn stood at the door and announced, “Please, everyone, calm down. We are moving outside so everyone can attend. I repeat, please, stop pushing. Everyone inside is coming out, and you will all be able to participate in the ceremony.”

  Ceremony? There was a ceremony?

  A wave of calm flowed over the crowd like a sigh, urging peace and brotherhood. Ah, Alejandro and Austin must have joined forces to send out their own particular brand of mood-alteration. Thank goodness they only used it for good.

  Everyone grouped politely on the lawn, and the people who had been indoors streamed out. After fifteen minutes or so, a small knot of people made their way to the center of the courtyard. I couldn’t see very well, but it was obvious from the way the crowd reacted that Emmanuel was in that group. A priest climbed up on the low stone wall of an old well and held up his hands. “My children, I am happy to present to you a truly holy man, who will no doubt be canonized as a saint. Please, welcome Emmanuel.”

  Whoa, mind-controlled much?

  The priest made a theatrical gesture off to his right, and Emmanuel joined him on the well. As advertised, he looked a lot like the pictures of Jesus, with white robes, long brown hair, a beard, and piercing eyes. I bet they flashed purple, though, just like any other demon, when he was using his power. He stretched out his arms, palms out, so the crowd could see the blood flowing sluggishly on his palms.

  I rolled my eyes. Sheesh. If I pushed him into the well, would he be able to walk on water?

  Gasps and cries filled the night air. Many people crossed themselves, and some even fell to their knees or fainted.

  I had to admit, the guy knew how to make an entrance. I pushed my way forward, using Lola when I had to, to get a closer look at Emmanuel and his minions, and to assess his security, but stayed back far enough so as not to be conspicuous.

  The core of his followers, who surrounded him closely and frowned into the crowd, had the same intent, fanatical look about them as Jorge and the other Penitentes. I didn’t see any weapons in sight, but they could be hidden. Besides, if they’d recently had some of the blood demon’s elixir, they were probably weapons themselves.

  Another man, tan, bald, wearing a black leather duster, stood off to the side. His gaze scanned the crowd, and he murmured into a headset. Head of security, no doubt. Every once in a while, he glanced down. I scooted forward until I could see what he was looking at—a bulldog.

  Strange. I could see using a pit bull or Rottweiler for added security, but a bulldog? Must be some mean doggie. Or could it be a hellhound? Naw—Emmanuel surrounded himself with humans, not demons.

  But that was irrelevant. Emmanuel was obviously sucking up all that lovely adoration. I saw his eyes glow with pleasure. He lowered his arms, and the crowd quieted. “My children,” he intoned, and his voice was deep and resonant, perfect for a false religious leader. “God has blessed me with the ability to heal the afflicted.”

  Sheesh. If I were God, I’d strike him dead for that blasphemy.

  Cheers rose from the crowd, and he silenced them by raising his hands again. “However, I fear my stamina is not good, and I am unable to heal more than a dozen each day.”

  Only a dozen? I doubted it had anything to do with his stamina. More like that’s all the blood he could give up per day. Or maybe it was an artificial limitation he set so he didn’t have to come amongst the unwashed masses any more than he had to, or even to keep the demand high. The reason didn’t matter, though. I was determined to ensure he wouldn’t “share” any more than we could help. Not telling what would happen to the ones he’d healed. Were they permanently subject to his control? The idea nauseated me.

  Arms waved in the air, and people yelled, “Pick me,” plus what I figured was the equivalent in Spanish.

  Emmanuel made shushing motions with his hands, and they quieted once again. “But first, I have a message for you.”

  Uh-oh. This didn’t bode well.

  “I have been given this magnificent gift, but it comes with a caveat.” He glared. “I must warn you of a plague infesting this world. Among you roam unnatural creatures. Creatures who pass as men, yet have evil in their souls.”

  Murmurs rose around me, and I could almost feel fear spike in the entity that was the crowd. He was talking about us, and he had it all wrong—he was the evil one. Annoyed, I fingered the teardrop-shaped crystal, wondering if I should try to use it on him, wondering if it would even work on a full-blooded demon.

  The amulet urged me to try, but I beat down the urge. There were too many people, too many minions around to try an experiment of that nature right now.

  “They live among you, work among you, go to school with your children,” he thundered. “But they are nothing but abominations.”

  It sounded so hokey, I kind of expected someone to laugh. But no one did. They desperately wanted to believe in the promise of healing, so they chose to believe in him.

  Emmanuel continued, “They would steal the very blood from your veins, force your children into illicit carnal pleasures against their will.”

  Oh, crap. He was talking about vampires . . . and succubi and incubi. Us. Here, now. Did he know we were here?

  I tuned out what he was saying. It was all in the same vein anyway, and I glanced around quickly, trying to locate my allies in the crowd. I didn’t spot any of them, but when I glanced back up front, I saw that security guy in the black duster staring straight at me and frowning. He was talking into his headset, too, probably whispering directly into Emmanuel’s ear.

  Busted. I’d better get out of here before Emmanuel decided to point me out and have the crowd rip me to shreds.

  I raised my hands in surrender to the guy in black to show I meant no harm, then disappeared back into the crowd. I didn’t need to watch the healing anyway. I knew how it was done.

  I made it back to the car and saw Alejandro waiting there. Austin strolled up a moment later. “He made us,” I said unnecessarily.

  “Yes, indeed,” Alejandro said thoughtfully. “I wonder how.”

  “I don’t know, but can we talk about it back at the penthouse?” I asked. Emmanuel and this whole situation gave me the creeps. I’d join up with Micah and Ramirez later to compare notes.

  “Of course.”

  Everyone was quiet on the way back, no doubt digesting what we’d just seen and heard. When we got back to the penthouse, Alejandro said, “I’ll be up in a moment. I wish to see first what progress they’ve made in the lab, if any.”

  I nodded and rode up in the elevator with Austin. “Quite a show, huh?” I asked.

  He ignored me, like I didn’t even exist. What was wrong with him now? Sheesh, I was sick and tired of everyone’s moods. Couldn’t everyone just be nice and pleasant for a change?

  Austin remained silent. Guess not.

  We entered the living room. It didn’t look quite as cold and forbidding or slasher-like as it had before. Someone had added bright cheery pillows and a few colorful afghans that warmed the place up a bit. I’d bet anything it was Gwen’s hand at work.

  Shade and Sharra sat in front of the television, on opposite ends of the black leather couch.

  All of a sudden, Austin snarled and shot toward Shade, moving so fast he was almost a blur. With the speed of a striking snake, he clamped Shade’s head in his hands and sank his fangs into Shade’s neck.

  What the heck? Fear slammed through me.

  Sharra screamed. Real helpful.

  SAVE HIM, Princess yelled from the bedroom.

  I flew over and tried to yank Austin off. No go. He had Shade trapped on the sofa where he couldn’t even roll free. “Let go, asshole. What do you think you’re doing?”

  But Austin was ignoring
me, intent on draining Shade of all his blood. Shade fought back, his eyes wide and fists and feet scoring quite a few hits, but he was no match for the much stronger vampire. Shade grew weaker with each sucking gulp.

  Using Lola, I yelled, “Stop!” It did no good. Neither did the amulet.

  Crap, he was controlled. As I tried unsuccessfully to peel Austin away from Shade, I yelled at Sharra, “Get help!”

  She took off just as Fang came running in. USE THE SPELL, Fang said urgently.

  Crap, I had to. What were the words for that strength spell again? I was so jazzed I couldn’t remember for a moment, then did. I yelled the words and felt a surge of energy punch through my body, setting my nerve endings on fire and making me feel like Supergirl.

  I grabbed Austin’s jaws and pulled them away from Shade’s neck. He fought me, but this time I was as strong as he. I also had the advantage of a valiant little hellhound biting at Austin’s hands, forcing him to move them away from Shade’s head or be bitten.

  Finally, I got the vampire leech loose and jerked him away from Shade who fell limply back on the couch. I slammed Austin down on the ground, face first, and twisted his arms up on his back. Then I sat on him, pinning him.

  Austin wouldn’t stay still like a good little vampire, though. He kept squirming and bucking, trying to get me off him. Crap. I wasn’t going to be able to hold him for the many hours this control lasted. And in the meantime, Shade needed help.

  “How’s Shade?” I asked Fang.

  NOT GOOD. BUT THE CAVALRY’S COMING.

  Elspeth and Gwen hurried in from the other room, their eyes wide.

  “Austin is being controlled—he attacked Shade,” I explained quickly while still wrestling with the cowboy on the ground. “He needs help.” I nodded toward the couch, and they both dashed over to Shade.

  Sharra came running back in then, Alejandro and Vincent right behind her. She pointed at Austin. “See?”

  “He’s being controlled by Emmanuel,” I explained again as Austin continued to struggle. “He attacked Shade, and I’m having a devil of a time keeping him down. A little help here, please?”

  “We’ll take care of this,” Vincent said.

  But when I eased up for just an instant, Austin leapt to his feet and, with murder in his eyes, headed for the other shadow demon—Sharra.

  Vincent and Alejandro were faster. As Sharra screeched, they each took one shoulder and body-slammed him back down onto the carpet, holding him as immobile as the struggling vamp would allow.

  I stood back, trying to catch my breath. “We can’t do this for four hours,” I protested. “Can you knock him out?”

  “Not necessary,” Vincent bit out. “Get the syringe from my right jacket pocket.”

  I did as he asked. “Now what? Inject Austin with it? And what is it?” I asked apprehensively. I didn’t want them to poison him or kill him or anything, just knock him out until he came to his senses.

  “Just do it,” Vincent ordered.

  Alejandro nodded. “It will be all right, Ms. Shapiro. It is merely some of my blood. Since I am his sire, we hope this will help counteract the blood demon’s control.”

  Well, in that case . . . “Gwen?” I said uncertainly. I didn’t want to screw it up, and she’d been an ER nurse when she was alive.

  “Got it,” she said and snatched the syringe out of my hand. She stabbed the needle into him and depressed the plunger.

  Heck, I could have done that.

  Austin bucked and yelled, but he was held fast by both Vincent and Alejandro while I sat on his legs.

  “Is it working?” I asked anxiously.

  “We’ll know in a moment,” Vincent said.

  And sure enough, Austin’s struggles let up until he was quiescent.

  “How do you know he’s not faking?” Vincent asked.

  “I can tell,” I said. Lola was responding to Austin’s nearness, and this time I didn’t stop her when she tried to sink her tentacles into him. It worked. “He’s not being controlled by anyone else,” I informed them.

  “Excellent,” Alejandro said, and he and Vincent let Austin go.

  I heard sobbing and realized it was coming from the couch. Sharra.

  I whirled. Crap. Was Shade okay?

  I leapt up off Austin and dashed over to Shade. Gwen had her hand on the bloody shreds of his neck where it looked like Austin had chewed on him, and Sharra had his head in her lap, stroking his hair and crying like a baby.

  “Is he . . .?” I couldn’t say the word, didn’t want to believe it was true.

  DEAD? Fang asked. NO, BUT HE’S NOT EXACTLY IN THE PINK EITHER.

  “He needs medical help, pronto,” Gwen said. “Or he’s going to bleed out.”

  “And where do you think he’s going to get it?” I asked her. “Has your ER ever treated a shadow demon? Know of anyone who won’t freak at the sight of him, or what his blood looks like?”

  “Then what do you suggest?” Elspeth asked calmly.

  Princess came running out, leaving her children at the need of her human. YOU MUST HEAL HIM, she insisted, staring at me.

  I can’t, I told her. Unless there was a healing spell in the books?

  SHARRA CAN, Fang reminded me. IF SHADE WAS ABLE TO HEAL DAN AND JOSH, SHE SHOULD BE ABLE TO HEAL HER BROTHER.

  Crap, I was an idiot. Why didn’t I think of that? I whirled on Sharra. “Can you?” I demanded. “Can you heal Shade?”

  “I . . . I don’t know. I never tried.”

  “Then you’d better damn well try now,” I said, desperate. “Or your Shadow Boy is going to die.”

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  Shade

  SHADE OPENED HIS eyes, feeling weak and drained—literally. “You can do this,” he told his sister. His voice came out more faint than he wanted, and the effort to say anything was enormous, not to mention painful whenever he moved his throat. But if she didn’t, he wasn’t going to make it.

  DO IT, Princess insisted. DO IT NOW.

  Sharra dithered. “I’ve never done it before—all I know is theory.”

  “Then use it to help Shade,” Val insisted. “What are you waiting for?”

  Val sounded frantic, and Shade supposed he ought to feel the same way, but all he felt was an increasing lethargy.

  “I need a healthy person, someone to act as template so the destroyed tissues and ligaments in his neck have a template to emulate,” Sharra said, sounding a little more confident now, but still with a bit of panic in her voice.

  “Me, of course.” Val’s tone was final.

  “No,” Shade said. He wasn’t sure where he’d found the energy to protest, but even though his mind was sluggish, he knew that wasn’t a good idea.

  “Why not?” Val demanded.

  Shade didn’t have the energy to explain or to find a way to say it that wouldn’t hurt Val’s feelings.

  Princess did it for him, in her own blunt way. HE DOESN’T WANT TO SHARE HIS MIND WITH YOU.

  That’s not how Shade would have said it, but it got the message across. He closed his eyes briefly, trying to block out the view of Val’s hurt expression.

  “He’s not going to want anyone here to share his mind,” Val protested.

  “Elspeth,” Shade whispered. The former Memory Eater already knew everything there was about his past. Trusting her with his current thoughts was just one tiny baby step of trust forward.

  “A vampire?” Val said in disbelief. “Will that even work? I mean, no blood flow.”

  “I—I don’t know,” Sharra admitted. “But if Shade thinks it will . . .”

  Shade wasn’t sure, but sharing with Elspeth was better than Val knowing every iota of what he felt.

  He felt himself fading, then Elspeth gripped his hand. “If it will
help, I would be willing to try.”

  “But you’ll share her memories, too,” Val reminded him. “Are you sure you both really want that?”

  “It matters not to me,” Elspeth said, “if it doesn’t trouble him.”

  Share eons of the bad memories she’d eaten? Why not, after what she’d done for him? Besides, it was better than the alternative.

  HE SAYS OKAY, Fang translated.

  “All right, then,” Sharra said. “Let’s do this.”

  “He needs to replace his blood loss, too,” Gwen reminded us. “Will the healing do that, too?”

  Damn. Good point. It wouldn’t.

  “I don’t know,” Sharra admitted. “Shade?”

  He didn’t have the energy to explain, so Fang did it for him. HE DOESN’T THINK IT WILL WORK. IT HEALS TISSUES, MUSCLES, AND BONE, BUT HE DOESN’T THINK IT’LL REPLACE BLOOD LOSS. On his own, Fang added, HE’S VERY WEAK. HE’LL NEED THE TRANSFUSION.

  Gwen nodded. “Do you know what your blood type is?”

  No, he’d never had it tested. Demons tended to avoid doctors and medical labs, unwilling to let them see the peculiarities in their blood.

  HE DOESN’T, Fang informed them.

  “It’s O positive,” Austin said from somewhere on the other side of the room.

  Shade couldn’t help but cringe at his attacker’s voice, and the bite on his neck throbbed. Intellectually, he knew the vampire had been controlled and was now neutralized, but his body still insisted on fight or flight.

  “You can tell by the taste?” Val said, sounding appalled.

  “Yes,” Austin said, short and succinct.

  “Good,” Gwen said. “Alejandro, can we use some of your supply downstairs?”

  Downstairs? Oh, yeah. The blood they kept on tap that the donors had supplied. Well, if he had to be drained, he guessed doing it at a blood bank was the best possible place.

  THAT’S IT, BUDDY, Fang encouraged him. KEEP THAT SENSE OF HUMOR. KEEP AWAKE.

  “Of course,” Alejandro said. “Vincent will help you.”

  “It would be better if we could take him downstairs where we have the proper equipment,” the other vampire said. “Is that possible?”