Demon Soul

by Christine Ashworth

  "This isn't the time for a chat."

  The scent of lilies washed over them.

  "Do tell the little girl all about Satine," the vampire purred, startling them both.

  Gabriel and Rose shared a glance. He shook his head, his mouth set in a grim line. Trust me, you don't want to know.

  Then he shut down. Gabriel? Don't shut me out. "Gabriel?"

  "Rose. Go inside, now. For once." Gabriel grabbed her good arm and tugged her to the patio. "Go."

  "You do like to manhandle me," she grumbled, but Rose backed toward the glass doors. Prudence had her opening them and stepping into the house, but still she protested. "I need to meet the bitch who has the bigger part of your soul. You need to let me." The thought brought a scowl to her face.

  He gave a bark of laughter. "She's nobody," he said as Satine appeared at the foot of the fallen demon. Rose watched, fascinated, as he corrected to keep Satine in front of him and Rose to his back. "She stole my soul because she doesn't have one of her own."

  "You are being less than polite, Gabriel," Satine chided him, but her interest had focused, laser-like, on the girl. "Come out, come out little girl. Let's see what you're made of."

  The voice was familiar. Rose frowned, trying to remember.

  Gabriel's voice rumbled, interrupting her concentration. "Don't do it, Rose. Stay where you are. She can't get in unless you invite her, and trust me, that never ends well."

  "I've read vampire books, Gabriel. Don't treat me like a child," she snapped. Rose took a step away from the safety of the house, then another one.

  "Not all the books get it right," he murmured. "Artistic license."

  Rose shrugged. How could she help him if she didn’t face what she’d be up against? "I need to see her. If this is the day for fairy tales to come true, then the nightmares should come true, too." She moved to one side of Gabriel and studied the vampire.

  Satine stood on the grass by the pool dressed in four-inch gladiator heels, a bustier in stark black framing her full breasts, and lace boy shorts riding low on her pale hips. Her blood-red hair fell in a curling mass to her waist and her makeup was Hollywood perfect. She exuded a pale red light, and underneath the cloying scent of lilies Rose could smell death.

  By contrast Rose felt too thin, too plain to play in Satine's sandbox. Rose's eyes narrowed. She took another small step toward Satine, battle-ready even as horrified recognition balled in her belly.

  "That's right, little girl. Come on out and let's play, shall we?" Satine cooed.

  Rose touched Gabriel briefly; the coolness of his skin, or perhaps it was the energy that passed between them, sparked the golden aura around her.

  "Oooh, don't you look tasty with your angelic armor." Anticipation brightened her eyes. Satine licked her lips and reached out a pale hand. “Come closer.”

  "I don’t think so," Rose said, her voice calm. "I know you, Sara. You've seen me before. Look into my eyes, and remember."

  Satine looked. Her normally pale face went stark white with recognition, the blush she'd applied appearing garish now on her marble skin. She snarled. "You don't stand a chance. You didn't then, and you don't now. But this time, when I kick you in the teeth, I'll be snapping your neck. Then I'll drink your blood."

  "You'll never control me. Not again. I do have a chance, more than just a chance. I will win. I've been chosen to stand against you." Rose stood as tall as she could at a mere five-feet-five-no-spike-heels, and faced her enemy. The air around her seemed to pulse.

  "Chosen," spat the vampire. "It's all very well and good to be chosen. You have to actually be able to resist all you are in order to win. Can you resist?"

  Rose held her gaze steady. "I ran away from Kevin. I won that round.”

  “Oh yeah. But what happened after that? Oops, you died.” Satine tossed her head in contempt. "You can't run away from yourself. Look at me and remember your past. For we are alike, you and I. Look at me."

  Rose looked into the vampire's deep blue eyes and fell into memories of drugs, emptiness, and reckless behavior. Her very being became weighed down with longing for the drugs, the alcohol, and the anonymous sex. Kevin. She should find Kevin, beg his forgiveness. She should...her body fell into trembling; hard, jerking shakes of crystal meth need. The spiral on her belly burned and the energy she'd received from Gabriel dissolved as though written in vapor.

  "No!" Gabriel shoved Rose to the patio door and moved between them, and faced Satine. "Grab your trash and go. This isn't the time or the place. We're meeting later tonight, remember?"

  Satine's lip curled. "You really think that I'm going to just hand over your soul? Hmmm. Well. Maybe I will. Trade. Your soul for the girl." She smirked and put a hand on one hip, flipped her hair over her shoulder.

  Rose huddled against the door. Even wallowing in remembered pain, Rose understood. Of course. It was the only solution. Whatever she was supposed to do didn't necessarily mean she'd survive it. They hadn't promised her survival. Inside, she trembled as she waited for Gabriel to seal the deal.

  But his answer was as incomprehensible as it was straightforward. "No."

  "So, you give her your protection. Do you really think she's strong enough to do the job of satisfying you, Gabriel?" Satine laughed, a high, sharp sound that hurt Rose's ears. "Ah, you are too funny. She’s a suicide and a drug addict. Look at her, caught in the web of an addict's need. Watch your wallet around her, because she'll steal from you. Anything to get her next fix."

  Rose paled at the vampire's vicious words, so familiar, rendering her unable to move, to defend herself against them. How many times had she been accused of stealing, when all the time it had been Sara? Now Gabriel would make the trade. He'd have to, and she wouldn't blame him.

  Gabriel exploded in a rush of movement and caught Satine by surprise with a foot to her ribcage. She flew backwards, hitting the block wall at the rear of the property and causing it to bulge outwards. Foul curses streamed out of her mouth.

  Before Satine could regain her feet, Rose felt herself gathered up in Gabriel's arms and they'd moved through the patio door. He shut and locked it, then headed to the basement.

  In Gabriel's arms, Rose grew hot with shame as she replayed Satine's words in her mind. True, all true, and the heat of her addiction fed a gnawing emptiness in her belly. Gabriel's coolness, a delicious contrast to her own heat, didn't penetrate the doubt that swamped her. She'd never win. She'd never fulfill her mission, and as a result, she'd die. Gabriel would go demon without his soul. And the world will become a sadder, messier place without him.

  Despair took her over. The spiral on her belly burned, writhed. Tears streamed down her face. She should just kill herself all over again. She'd really messed up there with the vampire. She was worthless, where was her vodka, her pipe? Deep shudders wracked her body as Gabriel laid her down on a big bed.

  "Here. Just – stay here."

  Rose turned her face into the pillow and listened as Gabriel moved around. She heard a splash of a faucet and then Gabriel was beside her again. He used a wet washcloth to clean the jagged wounds on her arm.

  "Damn it. I'm sorry you were hurt. I can't–okay, I've got to put some stuff on there that will make the demon venom seem like water. Take a breath."

  She squeezed her eyes shut tight as liquid fire seemed to travel the same path as her wounds. She let out a quick gasp of breath and heard Gabriel swear quietly. "I'll be right back." Abruptly he left the room.

  Rose seethed with pain, both from her shoulder and in her heart. A tear trickled down her cheek. As if she was worth his time. As if.

  "Rose?"

  She started, wiped her eyes. "It still hurts."

  "I know. I'm almost done here." With a gentle hand, he smoothed a cooling cream deep into the long scratches. "There. Now just some gauze, and frozen peas." He wrapped her arm gently and laid the cold bag against her wound. "To cool the burn," he said, and sat back on his haunches and looked at her. "You want to tell me what all that was
about?"

  Rose turned her head away from him, shame heating her cheeks. "All what?"

  "You know Satine." His voice was flat, daring her to contradict him.

  "She's right. I can't win. You were right not to trust me. I'm an addict," she whispered, and her eyes filled again.

  "Bullshit. I've smelled you. You're not an addict, not anymore. You're clean, pure."

  "I'm not. I'm not! I'm nothing, a nuisance, a burden." Rose trembled.

  Gabriel moved, found a knitted blanket, and wrapped it around Rose. He sat next to her. "Tell me." He reached for her hand and held it.

  "My mother was an alcoholic and a junkie and a whore, and we rarely lived in the same place more than a few months at a time. Crayons, chalk, and paints kept me sane. I could lose myself in the pictures I created.” Memories flooded back, the good and the bad. Rose cleared her tight throat. “When she died, I was only sixteen. I became her in some weird way. The only difference between us is I never got paid money for sex." She faced Gabriel, but saw no judgment there, only a waiting. She continued, his hand her lifeline.

  "Sara - Satine and I are cousins. You were right about the family connection. After mom died, I worked, stayed with a friend's family. Got raped by my boss so I quit, and then my life fell apart. Like there was a part of me missing. I stole from the people who'd taken me in. They threw me out, so I got a new job. I hooked up with a co-worker who was both married and hooked on drugs. I took drugs to make the ugliness of my life just go away."

  She stared over Gabriel's head. "As long as I never sobered up I was fine. I lost weight. Lost strength. Then I left my lover, tried to get clean. A week went by, then two. Then a month, and I was still clean. So I went by his place to prove something to myself – stupid. I got sucked back in, overdosed on my lover's lawn just as she drove up with his kids." Gabriel made a sound and she looked toward him, but he just shook his head, so she continued.

  "The paramedics came and revived me on the lawn. Somebody gave me something that accidentally put me into a coma. And I had that experience in Purgatory that I already told you about. Like I said, now it's like the hole inside me is filled. But I was a fool to think it could last." Her eyes squeezed shut against his judgment.

  "Look at me."

  Rose shook her head. "Don't pretend this doesn't bother you. It has to bother you. I am no saint, Gabriel." She moved the bag of peas down a little bit. Finally she opened her eyes.

  Gabriel turned her hand over in his, traced the lifeline in her palm. It was broken in two places, she'd known that for years. "Rose, I'm not a saint. I've been a mercenary, a messenger, a hired hand. I've traveled the world, helping out where I could but more often being muscle for people who paid well. I'm good at menacing people, but I don't often kill. Today I killed twice."

  The loathing in his voice had her struggling to sit, clutching at his hand. "Wait a minute. You were protecting me," she protested. "If you hadn't done what you did, I'd be the dead one right now. And we don't know what would happen to the part of your soul I carry if I died." They were face to face now.

  "Look. I didn't save you because you have a part of my soul," he began.

  "I don't care why you saved me," she cut in. "I'm just glad you did. I'm not ready to die again. Not yet." They fell silent, each one taking the other's measure.

  "Do you trust me?" His voice was gruff and low.

  "With my life." Her eyes searched his. The slate gray had gone misty, and she couldn't see in. “Do you trust me?”

  "With my soul, obviously. Do me a favor. Lie down again, and keep looking at me," he said, his voice soft. "I need to try something."

  Curious, Rose lay back down. The hand that wasn't holding hers moved over her body, an inch or so away, as if he were testing her aura. A pale blue light shone from his hand and she remembered Justin and his healing. It was like a film was being stripped from her mental state as he proceeded. The confidence she'd felt since she first left the hospital came back. How could she possibly think she'd return to drugs?

  Rose watched, astonished, as a quick pain showed in his eyes when he moved across her hurt arm. The sting eased within her and she broke into an awed smile. He ended the connection between them and breathed heavily, sweat sheening his forehead as though he'd been running.

  "That was awesome. I feel good. Real good. What was that?"

  Gabriel stood, walked to the door and back, shaking out his arms. "The most basic Fae healing. A baby could do it. Are you okay? I'm not very good at it."

  Admiration filled her. "I'm fine, now. But how did you do that?"

  "It was mostly illusion. Satine is very, very good at illusion. I managed to break through it." He sat again next to her. "You know what happened to her." It wasn't a question.

  "Sara." She sighed, pulled her knees up to her chin. "We were camping, me and a bunch of family from my Dad's side. She left in the middle of the night with a man. She wanted to go with him. I'd seen her earlier that night with him.

  "Something in me knew enough to be afraid for her. I held on to her, screamed, fought hard, and she kicked me in the face for my pains. I was only thirteen. She was eighteen. Her mother never forgave me for "losing" Sara, and I never saw that side of my family again. That was the real beginning of all my troubles."

  "Has she ever tried to contact you before? Either mentally or physically?"

  "No. Never." She looked up at him, startled. "Do you think she could, mentally I mean?"

  Gabriel frowned. "You shared blood, but through family ties. I don't think it's possible for her to contact you mind to mind, but you must not let her bite you. That would be—bad."

  Rose took a breath. "Thank you."

  "For what? I've done nothing except put you in danger. I'm not exactly dancing at the thought," he growled. "I'll have to hang around to protect you until Justin comes home."

  "I thought you wanted to face down Satine?"

  His eyes bled to iridescent green. "I do. But I can't do anything until I know you're protected. I'm not having her come here after you, not before we're ready."

  Rose shifted uneasily. She wished she could just reach out and take his hand, soothe whatever bothered him. Gabriel was definitely bothered, she could tell.

  Abruptly he stood. "I suppose you're hungry again."

  Her stomach rumbled at the thought of food. "I ate a ton of pizza just a few hours ago," she protested. "I can't be hungry."

  "Spending time in demonic form is traumatic to your system. You need food. Fuel. I'll see what Justin has upstairs." Gabriel headed to the door.

  "I'll come with you." Rose flung off the blanket and swung her feet over the side of the bed. “I’m perfectly fine. I’ll come up and keep you company.”

  “You should stay down here,” he cautioned. “I’ll bring food down to you.”

  “Don’t be ridiculous. No one has ever brought me a meal in bed,” she said, following him up the stairs. “There’s no reason to start now. I’ll eat up here with you.”

  He let out an exasperated sigh. “Are you going to argue with me the rest of the night?”

  “Probably, if you continue to be overprotective. You’re just going to have to deal, Gabriel.”

  “Huh.”

  Chapter Six

  Deep below the club levels of Twisted, Satine paced in the office of her private lair and smoked her tenth cigarette of the night. Her ribcage still hurt where Gabriel had kicked her though the bruise had already faded. She'd changed into a negligee of frothy pear-green lace that stopped just short of her bare crotch in front, down to her knees in the back. Angry and humiliated, she paced in front of the naked were tiger lounging on her couch, aware of his gaze on her. "Stupid bitch," she growled between puffs. "Stupid, stupid bitch."

  "Family. You can't get away from them. Ignore her. Or, better yet, give her to Vlad." Chazz rose from the couch and caught her hips in his hands. He moved up behind her, nestled his hard and ready cock against her.

  She rolled her hips ag
ainst his heat in an almost automatic response. "She'll ruin everything. I need him, Chazz. I can't continue like this," she whined.

  "What do you want with a part-demon when you have the master of the city eating out of your hand? Not to mention me, ready and waiting to take you at a moment's notice," he added with another grin.

  "Vladimir scares me. But Gabriel, now..." Her voice trailed off, but she finished the sentence in her head. With all of his soul, I could win my freedom...

  "Vlad loves you," murmured Chazz. He reached around and pulled hard on her nipples. "Doesn't he turn you on?" His mouth found her throat and licked.

  Not one to let opportunity pass, Satine moaned her pleasure. “Vlad owns me, he doesn’t love me." Satine basked in the were tiger's warmth. "Nothing feels as good as you do." Except for Gabriel, she thought, but, uncharacteristically, kept that to herself.

  Impatient, Satine turned in his arms, circled hers around his neck. She met his gaze and smiled slowly, rubbed her bare crotch against his. "I need you to do something for me." She heard his heartbeat speed up in anticipation.

  He held her by the ass and squeezed hard. "Anything, you know that." Chazz bent to kiss her. She placed a hand between their mouths.

  "I need you to take care of the girl. Keep her occupied for, oh, several hours. Several days," she corrected, baring her throat to his nips. "She's in the way of my… project." She felt his cock grow even harder between them, felt her desire finally stir.

  "Dead or alive?"

  "The longer you keep her, the less it matters whether she survives," Satine murmured. "Come here." She reached up, tugged his head to one side, and licked his throat like he had hers. Beneath her tongue his vein pulsed, and she could scent the sweetness of his blood. It called to her. "Now," she murmured and his hands gripped her ass, lifted her, and impaled her on his cock as she wrapped her legs around him. He slid in, all the way home, just as she struck, her teeth piercing deep.

  Chazz cried out. Three hard thrusts and he came, again and again as she drank. He sank to the couch, with her wrapped around him. Finally she pulled away from his neck, licking her lips. She knew her eyes whirled red as she looked at him, lifted away, and stood.