Shades of Gray
Page 9
I remember now. Shortly before he died, Johannes gloated that he had a token of immense promise, one that would have beings everywhere bowing down to him because of who it represented. He led me to believe it was a statue, though. That sly old— Gray bit back an obscenity.
“What will you give us for this jeton?” Noelle asked, ignoring Gray’s soft noise of irritation. “Will you exchange it for the removal of the vitiation on Gray?”
To her complete surprise, the demon lord waved a dismissive hand. “I care little for the squabble between a father and a son. The vitiation was useful only in finding the location of Johannes, since he was bound to you, Dark One. Give me the jeton, and I will remove the curse.”
He never really wanted you. Noelle gave a little laugh. It was your father he was after all along.
He could have told me that! Gray snapped before saying aloud, “We accept. It will take me some little time to locate Johannes.”
“I do not have any more time to waste on this. I have spent four hundred years waiting for my minions to recover the jeton. Bring it to me now, or I will simply take it and leave the vitiation as it is.”
Miles grunted and made a few choking noises.
I think you’re going to have to do something about him. Noelle nodded toward the bound man.
What would you like? I could sit on him, if he’s annoying you.
How about cutting the rope that’s choking him?
Why would I want to do that?
Because, my darling, he is the one responsible for your soul being returned. If he hadn’t shot you, I wouldn’t have reacted as I did, and that sacrifice is what completed the Joining and gave you back your soul. So, really, we owe him quite a bit.
Gray, with a tsk of irritation, flipped open a pocket knife and slit the hog-tie rope.
“Now, look here.” Noelle addressed Amaymon, prepared to argue as long as it took to get him to see reason, which, upon reflection, might be decades, if not centuries, but luckily, at that moment, Nosty strolled into the door with a big orange cat in his arms.
“Found him! He was trying to get through the wards that someone drew on the front gate—mother of God! Demon lord!”
Nosty turned white, dropped Johannes, and, with a quick apologetic look at Gray, vanished into nothing.
“You almost killed me!” Miles gasped after he had enough air in his lungs to speak again. He rolled over onto his back and glared at Gray. “You murdering bastard!”
“Johannes!”
Amaymon bellowed the name with such force that Noelle stumbled backward a few steps. Gray quickly wrapped an arm around her, holding her tight, as Johannes, his back arched and his mouth open in a silent hiss of fury, looked wildly around the room for an escape.
“Return to me the jeton which you stole!” Amaymon demanded, closing in on the cat. He raised his hand, power snapping and crackling around it.
Do something. Noelle prodded Gray.
What? Hold Johannes steady so Amaymon can smite him?
He’s your father! You can’t let him be destroyed right in front of us.
Why not? He destroyed my mother’s life, not to mention mine. He deserves everything that is coming to him.
I agree, but let fate punish him, not Amaymon.
Gray sighed even as he strode forward, snatching up Johannes and whisking the leather collar over the cat’s head. You’re not going to let me have any fun, are you?
On the contrary, you’re going to have so much fun you’ll—
Get down on my knees every morning and thank the gods that you found me? he finished, laughing in her head.
Every morning and every night.
I accept your terms. “I take it that you didn’t give this to Johannes to show he was high in your favor, as he claimed at the time?” Gray asked as he tossed the collar with its attached gold tag to the demon lord.
Amaymon looked with satisfaction at the disc, ripping it from the collar. “I did not. He has never held my favor, let alone earned this token. He stole it from one of my wrath demons.” He flung the collar to the ground, glaring at the cat for a few seconds before turning toward the door.
“Hold on just one second,” Noelle said quickly, coming forward to stand next to Gray, who was glaring down at the spitting, hissing ball of fur and claws in his hands. If the demon lord thought he could just walk out without fulfilling his part of the deal, he could just think again. “The vitiation?”
Amaymon paused, rolled his eyes, but turned back to draw an intricate symbol in the air that glowed black, then silver, before dissolving into nothing. “It is removed. Keep your father away from me, lest I regret my generosity in allowing you all to live.”
“Generosity.” Noelle snorted as Amaymon left the hall. “Without help from his minions, he doesn’t have that sort of power in the mortal world.”
“I’ll get you both. See if I don’t!” Miles snarled, spittle flying from his mouth as he scrabbled around helplessly on the floor. “You’ll never work in television again!”
“Well, that’s disappointing,” Noelle said, patting the still-hissing Johannes on his head. “Still, the day hasn’t been a total loss. I’ve had the experience of being shot and fainting, which I’ve never done before, and Gray has his soul back, thanks to you, Miles, and of course, the vitiation is gone, so we won’t have to move every couple of weeks and can live here instead. Nosty will be thrilled with the company. I’ll have to find someone to take over my portal in England, but I think that can be arranged. And now, I believe that a celebration is in order.”
Gray smiled at her, his lovely eyes shining with so much love it took her breath away. “I couldn’t agree more. Let me first lock this monster up in the priest’s hole, and we can retire to my room, where I will celebrate you until your eyes roll back in your head and you can’t do any more than lift a wan hand in praise of my manly prowess.”
Noelle giggled. “I have a better idea of where we can leave Johannes so he won’t get into any trouble.”
“I swear by all that is holy that I will have my vengeance—you’re leaving? You can’t just leave me here like this! I demand that you untie me!”
As they strolled out the front door, Teresa ran up to Noelle. “Oh, there you are. I was just coming to get you. The fire trucks are at the gate, but we don’t have the key to open the lock.”
“The fire turned out to be nothing but Miles trying to get everyone out of the house so he could search the priest’s hole for nonexistent treasure,” Noelle told her as Gray dug into his pocket and handed Teresa a set of keys.
“Really?” Teresa frowned. “That’s an underhanded thing to do. Although . . . I wonder if we could get a few shots of the halls filled with smoke. That would be very atmospheric. Where is Miles, speaking of him?”
“Inside,” Gray answered, and reached into his pocket again, extracting his pocket knife and handing it to Raleigh.
“Er . . .” the cameraman said, gingerly taking it.
“It’s a long story. Right now, we have to rehome Gray’s cat. See you later,” Noelle told them, taking Gray’s hand.
“If you’re going where I think you’re going—” Gray started to say.
“It’s the perfect answer, really, don’t you think? Who better to watch over your father than your mother? Plus, she’s lonely, Gray. Not that she’ll continue to be now that we are going to move in, but still, having Johannes there will give her a reason to live. So to speak. And just think of what a fine sense of justice this is going to give her! He’ll be dependent on her for everything.”
Johannes howled, an unearthly, tormented howl that wasn’t in the least bit feline.
Noelle watched with pleasure some ten minutes later, as Gray, for the first time since the vitiation had been bound upon him during that fateful night several hundred years before, was able to see his mother. She swallowed back a painful lump of tears as the two of them stared at each other for a few seconds, before Joan opened her arms and Gray clasped her t
o his chest.
“It really is the most touching scene,” Noelle told Johannes, who continued to yowl and attempt to escape but was powerless to do so wrapped up in Gray’s jacket. “You’re very lucky. We both are, really. You get to be with your son and the woman who gave up her life for you, and I finally get to be a Beloved to someone who honestly wants me in his life.”
I don’t just want you, my love, I need you. You brought me more than just my soul—you brought me my mother’s forgiveness, and salvation, and most of all, you gave me happiness in the form of a feisty, red-haired little nun.
Noelle smiled as Gray turned, his arm around the semitranslucent form of his mother. “Yes, indeed, we are lucky,” she said softly, rubbing her chin on Johannes’s head as she gazed with love at the man who gave her everything she wanted. “Now, about that visit to the vet—”
The birds, which had now returned to the trees around the derelict cottage after several hundred years, squawked in protest at the feline screech that filled the air.
Table of Contents
Shades of Gray
Katie MacAlister
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight