Tyrius straightened proudly, his tail flicking behind him. “I can tell you that most magic stones do have a weakness. Nothing has infinite power. Not magic. Not anything. The power of the stone will run out eventually, but it could take years, maybe even centuries before we see a difference.”
“Unless the queen uses it up all at once.” I remembered the strain on the queen’s features. The stone had drained her somewhat. Good. That was a start.
“It’s a possibility,” answered the Siamese cat. “But I’ve seen some witches go mad with magic stones. Once they get a taste of that power, it’s almost impossible for them to let it go. To stop using it. I’ve also known one that died, but not before she became a creature, a wraith. She forgot to eat and sleep, and eventually her mortal body shut down. Magic stones are dangerous. I don’t know how Ugul resisted that stone inside his chest, but he must have been a strong SOB.”
My stomach clenched with guilt as I tried to rid my mind’s eye of Ugul’s lifeless eyes on me. “You know her better than any of us, Danto,” I said. “You think she’ll create a giant army right away?”
Danto was silent for a while, his drink still untouched. “She’ll create an army large enough to put pressure on the other half-breed clans. One that won’t alert the human police right away. She’ll use the poor, the homeless, prostitutes, those who won’t be missed.” The vampire hesitated. “Then, when she’s ready, she’ll destroy all the other half-breeds who won’t swear fealty to her. She wants to rule over all of them. Isobel has always wanted to be the only queen of the half-breeds, fae or not.”
“I’ve got to hand it to her,” I said. “She’s freakishly ambitious. Crazy. But fiercely determined.”
Danto leaned forward. His gray eyes were still back and held mine, and I shivered. He had an absolutely perfect mouth, and his skin was flawless. “What’s going to happen is the other leaders of the half-breed clans will join her,” continued the vampire. “Either from fear or because they want to be on the winning side.”
“Winning side?” I scowled. “You’re talking as though she’s already won.”
“She will, if we don’t stop her.”
I resisted looking away from his penetrating stare. “And how do we do that? If, like you say, she’s already created what? A thousand new faeries? How do we stop an army of that size?”
Frowning, the vampire studied me a long moment while I listened to my heart pound in my chest and felt sweat break out on my forehead.
“The only way will be to join forces,” answered the vampire, his voice strained. “We can’t beat the faerie queen on our own. We’re going to need help. Lots of it. We need to take this to the Gray Council. Half-breeds and angel-born, at least the half-breeds that will not have joined her by then.”
I shifted in my seat, my frustration switching to fear. I prayed to the souls that we weren’t already too late.
Danto looked at me for a second and then said, “And after she’s convinced or destroyed all the half-breeds, she’ll turn on the humans next.”
I cringed. “Duh. Of course she will. There are even more to rule.”
Danto shook his head with no expression. “Humans are weak in her mind. To her, they’re at the bottom of the food chain. She doesn’t want to rule the humans—”
“She wants to eat them,” said Tyrius and I stared at him, my eyes wide. “Move over filet de Tyrius. Hello Homo sapiens bourguignon.”
Yikes. I’d seen the human teeth crown on her head. I had no doubt she’d sink her teeth into human flesh.
Danto looked at the priest. “I don’t believe she wants to turn the entire world into half-breeds. I believe she wants to turn just enough to rid the world of humans. Her hatred for humans goes back before my time. She was tortured by humans. Raped. Defiled. Atrocities were done to her, all in the name of one god or another. It changed her.”
I swore. “She’s crazy.”
“Ya think?” said Tyrius.
“Can the stone give her that much power?” The thought terrified me and I couldn’t help but feel responsible. “If only I hadn’t taken that damned job, none of this would be happening.”
“I seriously doubt that.” Tyrius turned around and faced me. “If it wasn’t you, it would have been someone else. Eventually the queen-bitch would have gotten her hands on that stone. It’s not your fault she’s psychotic. She just is.”
“But, I must caution you.” Danto’s cool calmness cracked as he took a breath. It was subtle, but there it was. “There’ll be those who’ll want to join her,” said the vampire, “and those who’ll want the stone for themselves.”
Jax swore. “This isn’t going to end well.” He stood up and went to pour himself another drink.
I jerked in my seat and hissed as Tyrius’s nails broke my skin in his effort to hang on. “You mean like other half-breeds?”
“And possibly those who sit on the Gray Council.” Danto’s face was grim. “Once we bring it up with the Gray Council,” continued the vampire, “I can promise you that some of the council members and even just other common half-breeds will want the stone. Because the one who holds the stone holds that power. The White Grace will be the number one commodity in our world. Every half-breed around the world will want it for their own.”
“Including the angel-born,” I found myself saying. I was positive the Heads of houses or even the Sensitive council would want their hands on that power. Fantastic.
“This is bad, Rowyn,” said Tyrius. I met his blue eyes and I knew he felt the same as I did.
We needed to destroy the stone.
I leaned back against my chair, my blood pressure rising. “Then, you don’t think we should go to the Gray Council?”
“As Head of the New York City vampires,” said the vampire, “I’m obliged to report to them on matters that could affect our livelihood. I have to tell them, but I know it won’t come without consequences.”
“So, basically we’re screwed. Fantastic.” Numb, I stared at the bottles of gin, rum and whiskey next to Jax at the bar. Maybe I should have a drink, a very big one.
Danto leaned forward and placed his untouched drink on the priest’s desk. “I’ll make arrangements to speak to the Gray Council tonight,” said Danto. “After they hear what I have to say, they’ll want to hear from us shortly, so don’t make any plans until I get in touch with you.”
“I’m an outcast,” I said shrugging. “There’s no way they’ll want to speak to me.”
“No,” said Father Thomas, his dark eyes concerned. “But the two of you might be called in as a witnesses.”
A warm flutter of appreciation slipped through me at Father Thomas’s inclusion of Tyrius as one of us. The cat, clearly pleased, purred and I reached out and scratched under his chin.
“They’ll believe me,” said Father Thomas. “But first, I need to speak to the bishop. The Church will want to know about this. If there’s a chance of thousands of new half-breeds being created overnight, we’ll need the Church’s help.”
My ears popped as I squished the yawn that threatened to expose how tired I was. I needed to sleep. I didn’t want any of them to think, to see, how truly exhausted I was. And I was still hungry.
“All right then,” I said as I stood up, looking forward to my bed. Tyrius landed elegantly on the floor next to me. “Guess I’ll go home and wait for your call.” I doubted I could sleep with the spike in my blood pressure, but maybe I could just relax for an hour or two.
I gave the priest a tight smile. “Thank you, Father Thomas. I’ll see you later,” I added quickly, not wanting Jax to offer us another ride home.
My pulse throbbed when I saw Jax coming towards me, those damn green eyes trying to hypnotize me again. My eyes moved to his full, kissable mouth and I flushed.
“I know what you’re going to say,” said Jax, lifting his hands in surrender, “but I still want to take you home. It’s late. And we’re all tired.”
“It’s fine. I’m ten minutes away on foot.
I want to walk and clear my head—”
The sound of a car alarm blared through the walls of the church.
Jax frowned as he turned his head towards the door. “That’s my car alarm.” He set his drink down and was out the door before I closed my mouth with the rest of my Jax-shutdown on my tongue.
When I turned back around, Danto was leaning over the old journal, flipping through the pages with a mildly interested expression on his face.
Father Thomas stood up and came around to stand next to me. “I was really glad to hear that your grandmother can keep her home,” he said, smiling. “You have a big heart, Rowyn. That was very kind of you.”
Embarrassed, I looked at my boots. “Yeah, well, it’s nothing. I’m just happy she’s happy,” I answered and felt a tug on my awareness.
A thread of apprehension unrolled as I took a deep breath and felt the pulse of darkness, the shift of demon energies. Ah. Crap.
The wrinkles at the corners of the priest’s eyes deepened. “What is it, Rowyn? You look like you want to say something.”
“Demons,” growled Tyrius. “Outside. And by the buckets of that rotten stench that are attacking my delicate nose, I’d say a shit load of them.”
My eyes widened. “Jax.”
The priest shot to the back of the room and grabbed one of his swords from the wall, brandishing it expertly, like a seasoned warrior.
“Jax!” I cried. My hair lifted off my face as a flash of black clothes and hair whipped past me. Danto was out the door before I even blinked. I shot through the doorway after him and bounded down the hall.
Shit. Shit. Shit.
“Jax! Wait!” I shouted just as I cleared the side entrance. My legs pounded with adrenaline, and my hand was perched on my soul blade as I rocketed through the door and out into the night air. My boots hit the walkway just as the two parking lot lamppost lights exploded and went out.
I halted, nearly crashing into Danto.
The vampire stood still, his body crouched slightly with his clawed hands splayed out. His black eyes were fixed on something before him.
I followed his gaze over to the parking lot.
My breath seemed to freeze in my throat.
A thin, humanoid demon, standing over eight feet tall with decomposing, seeping skin as red as blood and a mismatch of black fur along its back, arms and legs stood in the Church’s parking lot.
And hanging in its grasp by the neck was Jax.
27
The Greater demon Degamon’s black eyes focused on me and it smiled, revealing an excessively large mouth with an excessive number of sharp, yellow teeth.
The parking lot was slowly misting in a black, rolling fog, plunging it into darkness as wraiths—creatures layered with scales, fur and muscle—stepped from the shadows. Their rat-like tails thrashed behind them with black eyes glaring from beneath their flat skulls. Their nostrils flared out, taking in our scent, with drool dribbling from their elongated maws.
Igura demons. Lesser demons. Stupid, but deadly. I counted about twenty, but only half of them carried death blades. Good.
“Hello, angel brat,” sneered the Greater demon, his low voice making me shudder. “I’m here to collect my end of our bargain. Little Jaxie Spencie.”
Jax’s eyes met mine, and the whites of his eyes shone in the light of the moon. His face was turning a disturbing shade of purple. The red demon had him by the neck, his feet dangling four inches above the ground.
“Don’t look so surprised,” chortled the demon. “A deal’s a deal. I gave you want you wanted, and now I’m here to collect what’s owed to me. Him.”
Six months ago, I had stood and watched as Jax had given his name to the Greater demon in exchange for the name of the demon responsible for his sister’s death. I knew what that meant. From what I’d read and learned over the years, referred to in many demonology books as the Law of Names, knowledge of a true name allows one to affect another person or being magically. In this case, demon magic.
With Jax’s true name, which he had given freely to the demon, Jax was bound to it. Forever maybe. That part I wasn’t sure about. But I knew it gave the demon power over Jax. The demon could control his mind and body, maybe even possess him. Degamon could use him against us, and Jax would have no choice but to do as it commanded.
In our haste to find the killer of the Unmarked, we hadn’t specified the details. We hadn’t gone down to the nitty-gritty of the contract. The loopholes are in the fine print of any contract. Big mistake. Degamon’s claim on Jax would end, most probably, when Jax was dead.
I shook with rage at my own stupidity. I should have done something. Found a charm or a spell to counter the demon’s claim on Jax, if there was such a thing. I had no idea.
My head pounded and I felt as though my eyes were about to burst out of their sockets.
Damn you, Vedriel.
But then in that moment when Jax’s eyes met mine, I didn’t see fear in them, but fury—cold and practical, the kind when a plan didn’t unfold the way you’d wanted. And that’s when I realized what Jax had been doing for the past six months, what had him looking thinner and tired. He’d been looking for a way to get out of his deal.
Sure Jax had been searching for his sister’s killer, but he’d been searching for a way to get out of the deal with Degamon too.
“Degamon, I thought it was you.” Tyrius’s voice echoed loudly in the night air as he halted at my feet. “I’d recognize that low-grade demon stink anywhere.” The scent of aftershave told me Father Thomas was behind me, to my right.
Danto looked over at me, his jaw clenching. “What do you want to do?” His black eyes were strained, and he and I both knew that with any sudden movement, Degamon would snap Jax’s neck.
Fear hit my stomach like a stone dropping into a stream. “I’ll trade you for him,” I said hastily. “I’m more valuable than just a regular angel-born. You know it, and I know it.” I stepped forward, my eyes darting from the iguras to Degamon. “Let’s trade.”
Degamon lifted his head, seemingly interested.
“Rowyn, don’t,” Jax forced out. “Don’t… be… stupid.” His last words warbled as he shook, and I was seriously wondering how much longer he could live without air in his lungs.
“Yeah, Rowyn, what the hell are you doing?” hissed Tyrius. Then he added quickly at the priest’s raised eyebrow, “No offense, Padre.”
Father Thomas’s eyes shone with a deep loathing at Degamon. “None taken, baal.” The priest looked badass with his long sword gleaming in the moonlight. We shared the same tastes in swords apparently, and in our hatred for demons.
I flicked my eyes back to Degamon and lowered my voice to the cat, “I’m trying to save his life.” My thighs were stiff and throbbing from refraining from attacking Degamon.
Its eyes twinkled with amusement. It was enjoying us squirm, afraid to move. I’m going to kill that SOB.
Tyrius shifted nervously on his feet. “By sacrificing yours? Jax wouldn’t want that.”
“Maybe,” I said, feeling my palm wet with my own blood, as the hilt of my blade cut through my skin from holding it too hard. “But you want to leave him to die in the hands of that demon?”
“I don’t want that either,” said the cat, “but what you’re doing is suicide. Don’t be stupid. Think!”
Jax was going to die if I didn’t do something. “I’m out of options. Stupid is the only thing I’ve got.”
A well of fury ripped open inside of me, vast and unyielding and horrible. A guttural growl rolled in my throat at the sight of Jax’s tears falling down his cheeks. A rage boiled up in me so blistering it was an effort to keep from lunging to stab Degamon with my soul blade. But even before I could reach them, the demon would kill Jax.
“Rowyn, Rowyn, Rowyn,” mocked the demon. “Yes. I know who you are. But don’t worry, I’m not here for you. This little runt is mine,” said Degamon, black and red mist coiling off its body. “He was mine the second he opened his mo
uth and sealed the deal,” the demon snarled, bringing Jax close to his face. “The things we are going to do together makes me all tingly inside.”
Jax’s face twisted and then he spat in the demon’s face.
Degamon yanked Jax back, his black eyes narrowing. “A year in the Netherworld will teach you some manners.”
“No!” Cold and hot spiked through me. I was going to be sick. “No,” I faltered, my voice barely above a whisper. “No, you can’t.” Hot rage boiled inside me. This can’t be happening. Not now.
Degamon chuckled, the sound sending waves of fear through me. “Of course I can. This little fellow,” Degamon shook Jax, “gave me his name. He’s mine until I decide that he isn’t… or when he’s dead.”
“You bastard!” I shouted when I heard Jax make a choking sound. “You can’t do this! You hurt him and I’ll kill you. I’ll freaking kill you.”
“I’m honored,” Degamon said, tension in its voice and posture. “Jaxie Spencie is mine. You will not touch him.” The demon laughed. “As if you have a say in the matter.”
I do. I bent my body forward. I was going to rip off its head. The air moved and from the corners of my eyes I saw Danto and Father Thomas do the same.
A shadow of grief and horror flashed in Jax’s eyes. I couldn’t take my eyes away, and my pulse hammered. He was a pain in my ass, he had a freaking fiancée, but I still cared for the fool. I cared a lot, apparently.
“Come on, Degamon,” I hissed. “I’m a much better catch. I’ll make it worth your while. You’re a business man—business demon—whatever. You know what I mean. I’m worth ten of him.”
For a moment, Degamon watched me. Its expression was unreadable but the pressure on Jax’s neck seemed to lessen.
“You would sacrifice your life for him?” Degamon asked, shifting its clawed fingers around Jax’s throat. “Why? Why would you do this?”
“Because he’s my friend. And that’s what friends do.”
“Just a friend?” inquired the demon, its eyes rolling over Jax and then flicking back to me. It fell back and laughed. “Oh… I think not. He’s too pretty for anything platonic. Looks at those lips. Humans pay a lot of money for lips like those.”
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