by Parker Blue
“Over here,” Andrew said in a choked voice.
The woman was slight with wavy blond hair—and looked just like Josh. Obviously his mother. Oh, crap.
She dropped to her knees beside Josh’s body and wailed. “No, no. He’s dead. My boy is dead.”
Pain filled my chest, almost more than I could bear.
She wiped tears from her eyes and looked wildly around the room. When she spotted me, her eyes narrowed, and she rose from beside her son’s body. “You,” she spat. “This is your fault.”
She phased out and leapt for me. How the hell could I defend against an insubstantial female demon? I couldn’t do more than dodge, and I tried to do just that, as Austin and Fang futilely leapt in front of me.
“Stop,” Micah yelled, his hand outstretched toward Josh’s mother.
She halted obediently, unable to resist the command of his incubus.
“This is not how we settle disputes,” he said sternly.
She phased back to her substantial form, her fists clenched and face twisted in rage. “Then I demand a Judgment Ritual to prove her guilt and pass sentence. Someone needs to pay for Josh’s death.”
“You’re not thinking clearly, Cora,” Micah said soothingly. “The entire Underground appointed Val as Paladin. You can’t call a ritual to condemn her for doing her job.”
Cora forcibly calmed herself. “No. It was her decision to open a portal to the demon dimension. She didn’t know the shadow demon’s sister was still alive, so her sole purpose was to help her boyfriend—a vampire—rescue two other vampires. Then she took three of us with her, endangering their lives and leading my son Joshua to his death. Not only that, but she opened the portal not knowing what dangers lay beyond or how many vicious, violent full demons might come into this world to wreak havoc upon us and the humans around us.” Cora raised her chin and pointed accusingly at me. “She used her power as Paladin for private gain, recklessly endangered the demons in her care, and is responsible for the murder of my son.” She ended on a triumphant note, looking around for support at the crowd that had gathered.
Acid churned in my stomach. Good heavens, did the woman really believe that?
YES, Fang said soothingly. SHE IS GRIEVING AND NEEDS TO BLAME SOMEONE. IT MAKES HER THINKING A BIT WONKY.
“That’s not entirely true,” Shade said, to my surprise. Andrew kept his hand on Shade’s arm, so everyone could see his expression. “I was the one who badgered Val into letting me rescue my sister.” He glanced at Sharra and kept her hand in his as if he didn’t want to let her go. “Though we initially believed she had died, we all—including Val—had learned it was possible that she was still alive. So, it isn’t true that she thought Sharra was dead when she agreed to do this. She knew Sharra could have survived and, in fact, knew my sister was alive before she went through.” He hesitated, then added, “Val didn’t ask Josh to fight—he volunteered. Ask Andrew.”
Shade elbowed Andrew, encouraging him to talk.
Andrew stared down at his hands. “Josh and I wanted to help,” he said in a voice hardly louder than a mumble. “To save Sharra and the rest of the Demon Underground.”
They wanted to be heroes. I could understand that, but it had led to such a tragic outcome. I hoped everyone learned something from this.
Andrew cast Cora an apologetic glance. “Val told us about the danger and warned us not to grandstand, but we didn’t listen. Once we were over there, I heard her tell Josh to take Sharra to the portal and safety. But he ignored her . . . and attacked a demon instead. That’s who killed him, not Val.”
He dropped his eyes again and wouldn’t look at anyone. I respected his willingness to put himself out there for me and the truth.
“The boys speak the truth,” Ludwig said in his deep voice. “Joshua was reckless and did not listen to the Paladin. She is not responsible for his death.”
That made me feel a lot better. I wondered if Austin would say anything.
I DOUBT IT, Fang said. CORA LABELED HIM YOUR BOYFRIEND, SO ANYTHING HE SAYS WILL SEEM SUSPECT. I WOULDN’T EXPECT HIM TO.
I winced. In that case, I wouldn’t, either.
Ivy gave Cora a pitying glance. “The assertion that Val did it for her ‘boyfriend’ is untrue. I was present on at least two occasions when she denied Austin’s and Shade’s requests because she refused to go against Micah’s wishes. It was only when Micah forced her to make a decision that she decided to mount a rescue. And she used all assets at her disposal to learn as much as possible about what was waiting for her on the other side.”
Alejandro stepped forward. “I, too, lost a dear friend, but I do not blame Ms. Shapiro. Though I did not witness the events leading up to her decision to rescue Vincent, the shadow demon, and myself, I can confidently say that she does not let favoritism or personal bias guide her decisions. Emotion may sway her, but it’s always in the direction of what is right for everyone involved. She does not agree with all of the aims of the New Blood Movement, but she has worked with us when necessary to protect the members of the Movement, the Underground, and all the people of San Antonio. You could have no better Paladin.”
How nice of him to stand up for me. I felt tears pricking at my eyelids.
Lt. Ramirez nodded. “What he says is true. Val Shapiro has been a force for good in this city. She has not only helped the vampires and the demons present here today, but full humans as well. She acts as unofficial liaison between the three factions, though I have long thought we should make her position official.”
What? I wasn’t sure I wanted that at all, though I appreciated his support, too. I hoped no one else was going to say anything more. If anyone else was nice to me, I was afraid I’d burst into tears.
“No, no, it can’t be true,” Cora said, choking back a sob. “You didn’t have to do it. You didn’t have to go. Why?”
With all eyes upon me, I cleared my throat of the emotion clogging it, then said, “Yesterday, Andrew and I were trapped in another dimension for many hours, hoping someone would come to our rescue, but not knowing if it was possible. It was a horrible feeling, wondering if we were abandoned, doomed to spend our lives, or what little might be left of them, in another dimension.” I stopped for a moment, willing my voice to stop wavering.
When Andrew nodded with feeling, I added softly, “I realized that I couldn’t let something like that happen to anyone else if it was within my power to stop it.” I raised my chin. “I wanted everyone to know that I, as your Paladin, will always come for you, no matter what the risks are to me, personally.”
GOOD SPEECH, Fang said admiringly. YOU’VE GOT THEM IN THE PALM OF YOUR HAND NOW.
I was just telling the truth.
AND THAT’S WHY IT WORKS.
I turned to Cora. “I think Josh felt the same, and that’s why he insisted on coming with us. You can be proud of your son—he’s a hero.”
Cora burst into tears, and I pulled her into my arms. “I’m so sorry,” I whispered. She clutched at me, and the tension eased in both of us, though I knew we’d both feel the pain of his loss for a long time to come.
Gently, Ludwig pulled the sobbing woman away. I glanced up at Micah, needing . . . something. Absolution, maybe?
“You did your job well, Paladin,” he said gently.
Sweet, giddy relief filled me. They didn’t blame me.
NOW YOU JUST HAVE TO STOP BLAMING YOURSELF.
That might take a bit longer.
“But I do want to address something Lt. Ramirez said,” Micah continued. “I agree that you are an excellent choice to act as liaison between the three factions to maintain harmony and communication. What do you think? Are you up for the job?”
Wait—I’d just survived one challenge after I assumed too much responsibility, and they wanted me to do it more often? I glanced up and sa
w Alejandro, Lt. Ramirez, Austin, and Micah grin at me as if they thought the idea was just peachy.
IT IS, VAL, my faithful hellhound said. YOU’RE DOING THE JOB ALREADY. MIGHT AS WELL GET THE AUTHORITY ALONG WITH THE RESPONSIBILITY.
It looked as though I had no choice. “I—I will,” I said shakily.
Micah beamed at me, and I accepted Austin’s hug along with Alejandro’s and Ramirez’s congratulations. “Gee, guys,” I drawled. “Thanks for setting me up.”
They all laughed, and I said, “Can I at least take a vacation first?”
“Absolutely,” Micah said. “I’d say you deserve one.”
“Don’t worry, darlin’,” Austin said with a grin. “Everything in your life has been leading up to this point. Don’t fight it—it’s your destiny. And you’re going to be damned good at it.”
HE’S ALMOST RIGHT, Fang said. TO HELL WITH GOOD. YOU’RE GONNA BE AWESOME!
The End
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Dear Reader
Thank you so much for continuing to follow the adventures of Val and Fang as they take on the baddies of the world. You’ll notice I added a new character this time—Ivy Weiss, the stone whisperer. Ivy was originally a character in a totally different universe, but I didn’t have the time to both write it and get this book out in a timely manner. Then I realized—duh!—she could be a demon in this universe. That happy thought made this book much more fun to write, so you’ll probably be seeing more of her in the future.
Thanks for spending time in my world, and let me know how you liked Ivy, Austin, Val, Fang and the rest of the gang by leaving a review or contacting me on Facebook . . . and come visit my website at parkerblue.net to sign up for my newsletter!
—Parker Blue
About the Author
Parker Blue lives in Colorado Springs with her three rescue dogs where she spends her time reading, writing, beading, and watching way too much TV.