Dead Certain (Eve Benson: Vampire Book 3)

by P. S. Power

  The man turned to her and gave her a look that promised sex, and that it would most likely be done skillfully. Like that was going to influence her?

  “I am. Now, we came to discuss breaking the link between myself and Maggie Sims. It seems like there’s some kind of plan in place, but no one has mentioned what it is to me.”

  Eve shrugged.

  “Yeah. If you go into that rectangle, made by those devices, that will let us break the thing, without killing you. That’s right, isn’t it Darla? This is the thing I paid for?”

  The blonde ex, and possibly current, for all Eve knew, cheerleader, nodded, her face efficient, and clothing very workman like. It was a black colored jumpsuit. Brown really, but so dark in color that it nearly couldn’t be counted that way. Finias was in a shirt and trousers that was just a bit darker than that, and, she noticed that Zack was dressed in brown too, though his clothing was a plain shirt and slacks, with a normal seeming leather belt.

  Good looking Fram was in a color that was similar, matching about what Zack had on.

  Keeley and Lyn practically looked like spots of color compared to the drabness of the rest of them.

  Darla though was made up to the nines, and smiled with a sudden charm that would have made a lot of tents appear at a Boy Scout jamboree.

  “That’s right. Eve set this up, at great personal expense, so that you wouldn’t have to suffer too much. I don’t agree with that, personally, but it fits what I know about the conditions of the agreement the two of you made. There is no trick being used, and no intent to lessen you even. Notice, she even wears a color stating she’s beneath you in the hierarchy. I wasn’t aware that she even knew about that.” Darla seemed happy enough about the whole thing, and gestured to Fram. “So, just step inside. It will hurt, but not kill. You have my word on that.”

  Fram didn’t seem to believe her, moving in to poke at the device a bit. He literally tapped one of the golden drums, which was about ten inches around, and didn’t move, meaning it was heavy, and likely made of metal. The things had little handles on the top, turned to line up with the others, except for one of them, which was nearest to Darla. She looked a bit bored, and pointed at the interior space.

  “Go ahead, it isn’t a trick.”

  Moving like the stone floor was made of snakes, the man climbed in, walking between two of the round things. He looked surprised when nothing happened to him.

  “So, this is some magical contraption of yours? How does it work?”

  Moving into the pain of speed so hard that Eve thought she might have heard the universe scream in sympathy, actually having a sense of that, she moved on the man, the Greater Demon, and hit him a dozen times, grabbing him each time, and pulling, so that he wouldn’t fly all over the place. Even in slow motion his body flopped and tried to fly around so fast it seemed like he was vibrating. Her first blow was to the back of his neck, and it nearly took his head off. The others were all about making certain the whole thing really worked.

  That he was well and truly dead. She had to be certain of that, since she wasn’t going to get two chances at it, she didn’t think.

  Dead certain.

  Then, without even making a face, or letting her anger and frustration at the whole mess show, she stepped back, to where she had been. Then let time move back to normal, the Greater Demon still falling, flopping lifelessly in the center of the rectangle defined by the time device thing.

  Darla giggled. It was an honest to God, little girl seeming, annoying, tinkle of freaking bells.

  “There we go! Perfect. I didn’t even see you moving, Eve.” She glanced at her hands, which when Eve looked down were clean. She hadn’t turned his head to vapor or punched big holes in his body, so there was no major blood leakage.

  Bey looked at Maggie, and after a second so did everyone else. It was Lyn who approached her though, and touched her arm, lightly.

  “The enslavement is broken. This woman is no longer under the control of anyone, Greater Demon or not. It is done.”

  She bowed a little bit and moved back. Maggie, faking a swallow did it back.

  “Thank you.”

  Lyn waved that away.

  “Don’t thank me. Thank The Snowflake. I won’t tell you how to dispose of your personal debts, but know this, not only did she just kill a Greater Demon for you, but she underwent ordeals and trials, and spent nearly a half billion dollars worth of goods to get you free. Most would not have bothered, even for a friend, or one they loved.”

  She moved back over to Eve, standing with her, even though things were suddenly a lot more awkward than they had been. She covered by pointing at the broken ruin.

  “So, we turn back time now?” For half a second she wondered if the whole thing had been a trick, meant to let her kill Fram for good, without him fighting too much.

  Darla nodded, then turned the handle on the top of the one golden container that wasn’t lined up to point at the others. It was an end piece, which she knelt by. When that happened, there was no glowing light or magical hum, but Fram sort of rewound through what had happened, his body moving backwards, flopping one way and the other, until he stood there, looking like he had before she moved. Perfectly fine and healthy.

  Fram looked slightly impressed.

  “Ah? I see it’s worked. Well, that was easier than I expected. I can’t feel the link, but it didn’t hurt at all.”

  Then Zack moved in, nearly as fast as she had. Not that he couldn’t do it faster, but he, for some reason, made Fram suffer a whole lot more. There was screaming in pain, though death happened after a few seconds anyway. You didn’t play with a Greater Demon that way.

  When he stepped out of the magical space, there were cracks in the floor from where Fram had impacted, as well as a lot more blood. Darla turned the device again, and reset the whole thing. It left Fram standing there, looking perfectly fine again.

  Eve nodded.

  “I see. Bey?”

  They each took turns then, killing Fram, over and over. She only did it the once, since that had been the agreement, but Zack went three times. Once for each of the women at the nail salon. It wasn’t enough, of course, but there was only so much they could do to Fram, wasn’t there?

  Keeley didn’t take a turn, but Darla did, and so did Finias, apparently just for the novelty of it. Lyn refrained, clearly being above such things.

  When it got to Maggie, Darla waved at her, and then to Fram.

  “No arms or legs left?” The suggestion required Zack jumping in, before Fram could really fight and knocking him out, since the Greater Demon was starting to understand that something weird was going on. The room filled with the scent of charred Fram, and there was a wave of white smoke, which would probably make everyone else feel hungry. Well, not the Vampires, but the rest of them.

  Maggie looked vindicated however, and Darla didn’t turn back time.

  “There. Now, Fram, think about this while you heal yourself. You came into the territory of another of us, and killed, without permission. Your chosen weapon damaged a valuable Vampire, removing her from her work, for nearly two weeks. We pass judgment on you for this.”

  Without seeming like he was in any real pain, the Greater Demon on the floor rolled his eyes at Darla, and then looked at Eve.

  “You promised no tricks in this.”

  Finias cleared his throat.

  “She didn’t allow any, either, Bold. Her part was taken care of when the link to Maggie was broken. The rest of this is now new and different. You had no agreement for safe passage from this place. It was a bit of an oversight on your part. Now, tell us, how did a failure of a being like yourself manage to capture an ancient master Vampire in the first place? I’ve been a bit curious about that, to tell the truth. No one else seems to know.”

  Fram stared at everyone, but let his gaze linger on Finias, as if he’d been the one behind it all. Eve wasn’t really certain, but she kind of suspected it was a combination of Zack and Darla. It was part o
f Fram’s insanity, she understood. He didn’t think that Zack was really his equal, so refused to think of him that way. It might even be true, but it still left him with gaps in what he thought could happen. She could see it, so it must be kind of plain to everyone.

  Fram just seemed a bit like he was annoyed for a few moments.

  “You know, it was actually pretty simple. I got the idea from The Mistress of Souls, to tell the truth. Working with her truly broadened my horizons.” He glanced at Keels and winked. “Not being able to do what she can, I realized that there were ways around that, if I were clever. So I presented myself as Marcus, the harmless doof, for months before I tried anything. Then I asked her to coffee and suggested a simple wager between us. Based on the outcome of the game campaign that was going on at the time. It was pretty clear that the Vampires were going to win, so I bet her that the Mages would take it all in the end.” He looked around the room, then shrugged.

  The Greater Demons all seemed to get the whole thing, just from that, but she didn’t. Fram, his pretty face red now, from the burns he’d suffered, glanced her way, and went on. Sounding perfectly fine. Like nothing could touch him.

  “Marcus the Mage had all that money, so I bet a hundred thousand on it, against her being my slave for a week. I even stipulated that there would be no sex involved, just some nude housecleaning. Maybe with a bit of groping, since I wanted it to seem real. She agreed, because even if she lost, it wouldn’t have been that big of a deal to her.” He smiled then and looked, using just his eyes over at her. “Then I rigged the game so she lost. When I reminded her of the bet, she was a good loser, and agreed to be my slave, even shaking on it. It was enough to seal the deal without too much of a fight. I mean, she honestly was agreeing to it, so her mind barely struggled as the hooks set in.”

  Eve got it then.

  She’d wondered about that one a bit too, but now it was pretty clear how it had happened. Maggie had thought that Mark was just a Mage, and not a real threat, so let herself be led into a situation where her defenses were nearly all the way down. Then she ended up being trapped in a way that even Greater Demons would have found hard to break. Luckily she had some friends to help her out.

  Eve looked at the others, and then shrugged.

  “Right. So, Fram, what’s a steady stream of food worth to you?”

  He sighed, and looked at the others, then shook his head.

  “Like that’s going to be allowed? I know that this isn’t going to go well for me. Demon trap? Torture? Draining, and cross contamination?” His focus went back to Darla, who waved him back to Eve for some reason.

  “That’s up to Eve. I think the offer was meant as a way to reestablish peace between us all. If I were you, I’d take it. Being coddled and given treats by Vampire is far better than what Zack had in mind for you, I can assure you of that. The Snowflake seems to have acted first however. Unless you intend to fight her over this, Zack?” She looked intrigued by the idea, rather than like she was being silly.

  Bey looked stiff, and as if he didn’t know what to do, but Zack was, in the end, one of the nicest Greater Demons.

  He just winked at Eve.

  “We can let her take care of it. I expect a loss payment for each of the people you killed in my territory, Fram. Did you really think I’d let that happen and do nothing?”

  “Yeah, I really did. You let Warren rape your Mages and your Human toy, even though you had to know I was controlling him and his friends at the time. Did you think I wouldn’t know you knew?”

  “Well, you are kind of blind to certain things, so, yes. My mistake, I see. I should have just killed you myself, instead of letting things play out to find what you had planned. Now, get out of my shop. If you do anything, to anyone, in my territory without permission again, I won’t warn you. Do you understand?”

  Fram sneered a bit, as if he wasn’t intimidated in the slightest.

  “Oh, do you really think you can take me in a fight?”

  Finias chuckled then, and shook his Dan Carmichael head.

  “He’s killed you three times so far today, and had you brought back each time, without you knowing about it. I wouldn’t push anyone in the room that way, Bold. If you could get past your blind spots… But you won’t, will you?” He seemed annoyed by it, almost disgusted.

  Finally without bothering to answer either of the men, he looked at Eve.

  “Food and feeding? All I can eat?”

  “Sure. Within the limits of what we can properly make. You don’t get a choice, but it will have calories, and we won’t spit in it. I’ll even get people to hold it for you, until you can grow some arms for it. As soon as that’s done, it’s over. What’s that worth to you?”

  Making a face, he sighed and shook his head.

  “Ten million?”

  Eve grinned and let her eyes roll.

  “Good start. Ten million for each of the Vampires at the store, and another ten for Lyn, since she’s acting as my mentor.”

  Fram made a face that seemed incredulous then.

  “What?”

  It was Finias that answered, his voice made droll.

  “I know. It’s amazing, isn’t it? You had one though, and I think that Eve will be at least as good of a Greater Demon as you ever were. Oh, she isn’t one of us, make no mistake there, but she has the basic prerequisites. So I suggested Lyn to her. Even if she fails, I think you might not want to create problems for her, for a good long while.”

  Fram seemed troubled then, but finally let out a puff of air. It was slightly huffy sounding, but he grinned up at Eve.

  “I can see it. Some new kind of Vampire then? One that might finally challenge us lowly apex predators? Well, it’s about freaking time. In case you haven’t noticed, Greater Demons are mainly assholes. I mean, you probably think I’m bad, but outside of the ones in this room, and a few others, like The Smith, and maybe The Forgiven, you’re looking at a group of monsters worse than you can possibly imagine. Oh, we clean up all right, in the main, but don’t let that fool you. It might do us good to have someone that can kick our butts into shape. Or, you know, it might destroy all of reality. Either way, I’m in. So, what’s next?”

  He looked at Eve, who shrugged.

  “Right. Well, from now on you and Keeley are dating, so she can help me get you to the back of the yogurt shop. Really, you should try to get with Zack, too. He’s pissed at you right now, so that probably won’t be happening. Then we need to get that whole thing set up for Keeley. Oh, um, do you agree not to attack her, or any of her people or friends, if she agrees not to do the same to you, or enslave you again? No tricks or loopholes, or using your superior intellect to get around my feeble Vampire brain.” She added the last in a rush, but other than grinning, Fram didn’t act too much like she was a moron.

  “Just like that? Do you agree to that, Mistress of Souls?”

  Keeley looked at him, her face considering. Really, she could do anything, couldn’t she? Eve wondered for a moment if Fram was about to become her slave again, but she nodded.

  “Yes. We can do that.”

  It was, it seemed, settled.

  Except for the other six Greater Demons that wanted her dead. If that was the correct number. That it might be a bit harder to deal with all of them wasn’t a thing that Eve’s little brain couldn’t understand, however. No one else had mentioned that Fram’s assessment wasn’t correct, about the others of their kind, had they? They hadn’t even added in a big list of names.

  She thought The Cleric might be safe enough, but he wasn’t really a Greater Demon, was he? Fram probably didn’t know that, so it meant what? That he thought the Angel was a bad-ass, too? Or he was a lot more vicious than he’d seemed the one time they’d worked together? She didn’t bring it up, even if Zack and Keeley seemed to know all about it. The others wouldn’t, and if Bey or Maggie knew, they weren’t chatting about it.

  “Come on then. Keels?” She didn’t invite the others, but Lyn moved along with th
em, as did Maggie and Bey. They both seemed happier suddenly, even if Eve had kind of volunteered the use of their embassy as a Greater Demon hospital.

  She did the carrying, the very warm body cradled in her arms, as she went through the mall, just walking along, even though regular Humans were out and shopping, given the time of day. She smiled at a little boy who stared, wide eyed at Fram.

  “Did that hurt?” There was innocence to the words, and the kid’s mother, or at least the dark haired woman that was watching him, however that worked out, tried to pull him away. He was little, and it seemed that even The Bold wasn’t going to be a dick to a four year old.

  “It sure did. She did it, with her mind powers.” He moved his head at Maggie, and smiled. “I made her do the same thing to Eve, the girl carrying me, a while back, using my own mind powers, so this is my punishment. You should be really careful about what you do to people, since your arms and legs wouldn’t grow back as easily as mine. The best thing to do is what your parents tell you, since they won’t let Maggie babysit you.” He winked, and then went on, even as the woman with the kid looked horribly embarrassed. “Not that Mags here would hurt you. You seem like a good guy. It’s just a thing to keep in mind, in case you ever have something like that come up.”

  He chuckled a bit as the boy was pulled away, and explained once the two people, regular Humans, or possibly Mages, as far as Eve could tell, got out of earshot.

  “Kids. That one will have nightmares about me and Maggie for years now. I bet they never shop here again either. Serves you all right, carrying me like this through the mall, right out in the open. What were you thinking?”

  She cleared her throat.

  “That people know that not everyone is Human now, and if the police come we can just tell them that you’re going to grow those back?” It was true though, she really hadn’t considered how regular people might view the whole thing, had she?

  Lyn had moved right along the whole time, but everyone else had stopped, so Eve hurried to catch up, since David would need instructions.

  It was, after all, waffle cone practice time.