by Vivi Anna
He gestured with the plate. “I wasn’t sure if you were hungry or not.”
She studied him for a moment, then nodded. “I am.”
Nearing the pentagram, he reached across the lines and handed her the food. She took it from him and set it in her lap. She picked up the fork, spun it in the noodles, then put it in her mouth. She grinned around the mouthful. When she was done chewing, she looked up at him.
“Good Lord, that is so good.” She twirled her fork in it again. “I’ve instructed the goblins on how to prepare it properly, but they never get it right. It always tastes so sour. Must be the water in hell. Can’t seem to get that sulfur flavor out, no matter how long you boil it.”
He watched her eat, a sense of pride and satisfaction filling his gut. He’d always loved that Rachel had enjoyed his cooking. There had been many nights when they’d spent hours in the kitchen together preparing a meal, talking, laughing, eating. The thought now made him sad. And angry. Angry that those memories were tarnished by her true existence. By Daeva’s existence.
“Where’s yours?” she asked.
“Upstairs.”
“Didn’t want to eat with the demon?”
“Something like that.”
She shrugged. “Suit yourself.” She shoveled more of the spaghetti into her mouth.
“I don’t want to play this game anymore.”
She set her fork down and regarded him. “Then don’t.”
“I can’t in good conscience give you what you’re asking for.”
“Why not?”
“I can’t let you possess someone, Daeva. Take over her life like that. You have no idea what I had to deal with after you left Rachel’s body.”
“Did she die?” Something about asking that made her face pale. She actually looked extremely concerned.
“No, she woke up and was hysterical. She had no idea what she was doing there or who I was.”
“What did you do with her?”
“I took her to her parents’ house and told them she fell and hit her head and didn’t remember me.” He rubbed at his face, hating to have to relive it. “They took her to the hospital and ran tests on her. I slowly removed myself from her life. Her parents hated me for it.”
She eyed him intensely for a moment. He thought maybe she was going to apologize to him, but then she sighed, and leaned back onto her hands. “You can have the veto over the body I possess.”
“In what way?”
“When the time comes, after you have the chest in your hands, I will pick a body and if you disagree, you can veto me.”
Quinn looked at her, mulling over her words, trying to find the catch, the loophole. There were always loopholes in demon deals. But in every scenario he conjured in his mind, he couldn’t find a way she could deceive him. Ultimately, in the end, he could stop her from possessing anyone. He just had to continually say no.
“Agreed.”
“Excellent.” She picked up her plate. “Just let me finish this, then we can hammer out the details.” She started to eat again.
Slightly off balance, Quinn mounted the stairs to head back to the kitchen to eat his dinner. All the way there, he was sure that she’d gotten the upper hand on him. She was much too calm and reserved about the whole thing. But, as he ate his spaghetti, he couldn’t figure out why.
Once he was finished eating, he returned to the basement with his book of Latin rites. Daeva was standing, her empty plate right on the edge of the pentagram. She must’ve pushed it as far as she could without crossing the lines.
“Okay. You ready?” she asked.
“No, but I guess at this juncture I don’t have a choice.”
She smiled. “You always have a choice Quinn. You’re human. You’ve got free will.”
He didn’t say anything else on the subject. He didn’t feel like having an ethical or theological discussion with a demon right now. “Once I release you from the pentagram, will you have powers?”
She nodded. “Although I’ll be losing some because of the bargain we’ve made. I won’t be able to zip through the ether with a snap of my fingers. For all intents and purposes I will be human. Well, a human with super strength and other goodies. Not sure what, though. Need to test them out.”
Quinn was nervous. He’d never released a demon from a bound pentagram before. That was how his father had died. On the job, after releasing a demon he thought he could trust. Demon and trust were two words that didn’t go together.
He’d dealt with demons when they’d been bound inside a pentagram and when they’d been possessing someone. But he couldn’t think of another way to find the chest. He knew that Daeva, alone, had hidden it a hundred years ago. If he didn’t bind her with an agreement, he was certain someone else would. Like Richter Collins of the Crimson Hall Cabal. Once the sorcerer found out that the demon was the only one with that knowledge, he’d be looking to make a deal with her. And he wouldn’t bother with ethics.
Quinn opened the book to the right page and, holding his hand out toward the pentagram, began speaking the Latin words of the ritual.
When he was done, he took his ceremonial dagger and cupped it in his hand, slicing his palm open. Blood dripping onto the cement floor, he held his hand out to Daeva.
“Now yours.”
Palm up, she offered her hand to him. He quickly drew the blade across her skin. Instantly, blood welled to the top.
“Until the bargain is complete, Daeva, Seductress of Shadows, you are bound to the Earth and to me.”
They shook hands, their blood mixing, the power of the bargain sealing them together. He could feel the potency of it sizzling the hair on his arms.
Quinn pulled his hand away first and quickly wrapped it with gauze. Daeva squeezed her hand tight, but blood dripped from the corners.
“You aren’t going to heal as fast,” he offered. “Give me your hand.”
Daeva stepped out of the pentagram to stand beside him. She looked around, seemingly surprised to find herself unbound by the blessed lines. She smiled and took in a deep breath. “Finally.”
He saw the extreme relief on her face and he wondered if this was her first time being free. Well, not completely free—she was bound to him, which meant no matter where she went he could find her or compel her to return to his side. She was also free from exorcism. Which meant no one could send her back to hell. Except for him, that was.
“You’re bleeding all over the place. Give me your damn hand.”
She held her hand out to him. As quick as he could, he cleaned her up and wrapped her wound.
She tested it by clenching and unclenching her fist, then nodded. “Thanks.”
As he’d doctored her hand, he’d noticed a few scars on her arm. They’d looked fresh and sore. He wondered what they were from but didn’t want to ask. He didn’t want to seem as if he cared.
“Okay, before we go on this little adventure, we need to set some rules.”
Smirking, she shook her head. “You and your rules.”
“I just want to make sure I don’t end up with a knife in my back and you on the run.”
She pinned him with her gaze. He had to suppress a shiver. “Despite everything, I can’t believe you’d even think I would do that to you.”
Her words gave him a slight pause. He had to keep chanting in his mind, she’s a demon, she’s a demon, and not the woman I fell in love with. But her gaze was fierce and hard and serious. As if he’d actually hurt her feelings by even suggesting she would betray him like that.
“Wouldn’t you?” He met her gaze right on. He wasn’t about to back down, to cower before her.
She took a step away from him, then licking her lips, she glanced up the stairs. “I’m earthbound to you, Quinn. I couldn’t run even if I wanted to. And for the other part, quit being a dick and maybe I won’t consider it.”
He laughed at that. He couldn’t help it. In the past, the insult had been one of Rachel’s favorite things to call him when he was being d
ifficult. It had always made him laugh when she said it.
Surprised, she looked at him and smiled. “Oh, so there is a human being in there somewhere.”
“Yeah, deeply buried.”
“I knew it.”
His laughter died down and he set his shoulders straight. They had to get to work. He suspected the Cabal would be on his ass soon. Once they found out that Daeva had been called out of hell, and by whom, they would have little time.
“So, where are we going?”
“Well, we’ll need a car, lots of gas and supplies.”
“Where are we going, Daeva?”
She sighed. “Look, I can’t tell you that. It’s for your own safety. If you’re captured and questioned, you can’t give them the location.”
“And I won’t be able to ditch you, either.”
She ran her tongue over her top lip. “There is that, too.”
He nodded, resigned to having to do it her way for a while. He just wanted to find the chest. If he had to follow her directions he’d do it. “Fine.”
“Great. Now that that’s solved. I need to clean up.” She pushed past him to go up the stairs. “Do you have any bubble bath?”
Chapter 7
“No, I don’t have any damn bubble bath,” Quinn growled at her as he mounted the stairs behind her.
From the stairs she came out into the kitchen. It was small and cozy with a compact island in the middle. The scent of the sauce he’d made for the spaghetti still clung to the air.
She looked left then right. “Where’s your bathroom?”
“Upstairs.”
She moved through the kitchen and into the living room. She took in the destruction. “Maid’s day off?”
“Courtesy of your goblin friend, again, and the Cabal.”
She didn’t comment as she strode across the room and up the staircase, Quinn right on her heels.
“We don’t have time for your frivolous needs, Daeva. We should be on the move.”
She found the bathroom, but turned toward him before entering. “Look, I’ve spent the last few years in a stinking cesspool of misery and mayhem, thanks to you no less. I’m taking time to wash off the smell.”
“Well, since I’m the one that called you forth and released you, I think that makes me in charge.”
She smiled at him, putting a hand on one hip. “I may be bound to you, honey, but you don’t command me. There’s a huge difference, you know?”
He frowned. “I know the difference.”
“No, I don’t think you do.” She took a step back into the bathroom, then slammed the door shut on Quinn’s next protestation. With a satisfied sigh, she locked the door.
“Daeva, we don’t have time for this crap.”
“Sure we do, lover. While I bathe this beautiful body of mine why don’t you get what you need ready. Make sure you pack an extra pair of shorts, it’s going to be a long trip.”
She heard his exasperated sigh, and it tickled her inside. Let him suffer for a while. Fair was fair. Besides, she really did want to wash off the stench of sulfur she was sure still clung to her skin and clothes.
Plus, it would give her a bit of a reprieve from the sensations surging through her at seeing Quinn again. She didn’t think it would be this hard to be near him, with his masculine scent tantalizing her senses. The urge to touch him warred with the desire to slug him in his pointy nose.
Maybe she was being silly by demanding a bath when obviously there was a level of danger hovering over everything. But she found she couldn’t just jump in as Quinn’s traveling partner, however forced it was. It was a bit too much too soon. She’d just returned from three years in hell, sent there by the man beyond the door. She needed a little time to decompress her anger. Anger that she was surprised she still harbored. Seeing him face-to-face manifested that bitterness.
Daeva turned on the sink tap and splashed cold water on her face. She looked up into the mirror at herself. It was strange to be topside in her true form, well, almost true form. She was minus the fangs and glowy-type skin. She’d gotten so used to seeing Rachel’s face in the mirror that her real appearance sometimes startled her. She could just imagine what it was doing to Quinn. Maybe she should give him a break. This was probably just as difficult for him as it was for her. She gave him credit though, for swallowing his enormous pride and calling her. Asking a demon for help must’ve really pricked him in the ass.
Straightening, she patted her face dry with the hand towel. She opened the door. She supposed she’d give him that break. Although his suffering was sweet, she did possess a heart and conscience somewhere deep inside.
He was there leaning against the wall when she stepped out.
“I thought you needed a bath?”
She shrugged. “Nah, I just needed a minute to adjust to topside. It’s a bit unstable up here. The Earth’s always moving.”
He stared at her as though he didn’t know whether to believe her or not. He opened his mouth to respond but she grabbed his arm and yanked him to her.
His eyes widened when she leaned into his ear. “We have company.”
“Are you sure?” Quinn whispered.
She nodded. “Sounds like three or four men. Two at the front, one or two at the back.”
“Damn it.” He cursed a few more times. “Must be the Cabal. They’re earlier than I thought.”
“I could go blast them.”
He shook his head. “No. No blasting until we absolutely need to.” He moved to the stairs. “We have to get back to the basement.”
She followed him, close behind. “Won’t we be trapping ourselves?”
He shook his head. “Trust me. I’m always prepared.”
They made it back downstairs without incident. He rushed to one wall, slid his hands along the wallboard until he found a groove. He dug his fingers into it and pulled a piece off. Behind it were two duffel bags.
He grabbed them both, tossing one to her, then he pointed to the small window. “We’ll go out that way. I have a car parked about five blocks away for emergencies.”
She watched him pull the metal bars from the opening. Obviously they were there only for show. He tossed his bag through then dragged a chair over and set it underneath.
“You first.”
Although she was better equipped to stay behind and deal with the Cabal if they rushed down the stairs, she didn’t argue with him. Stepping up onto the chair, she pushed her bag out then reached through the window, grabbed hold of a tree root that was pushing through the grass and pulled herself up. Kicking her legs, she managed to wriggle her way out the small opening.
Once on her feet, she reached down and helped pull Quinn through. It proved a little harder for him to squeeze out the window opening. He was much thicker than she was.
They peered around for any sign of sorcerers lurking. She couldn’t see anything, even with her night vision. “We’re clear,” she told him.
“Okay. We run east about five blocks. There is a dark blue sedan parked on the right side. Keys are hidden on the right front wheel under the fender.”
“Got it.”
Quinn draped a bag handle around each shoulder, then took off. Daeva did the same and was right behind him. She’d run barely a block before she felt the first zing of magic behind her. She glanced over her shoulder just as a green bolt of energy slammed into the azalea bush she’d just passed.
“They’re on us!” she shouted to Quinn who was maybe three feet in front of her. “You get to the car. I’ll slow them down.”
She didn’t wait for him to respond. She stopped running and turned, already conjuring a ball of dark fire in her right palm. As a demon on this plane, she should have possessed many powers. Telekinesis, manipulation of elements—especially fire—moving through shadows. But she wasn’t sure which ones would work now that she was Quinn bound.
Her hands heated quickly, so she assumed her firepower was still intact. Once she had a good-sized fiery globe in her hand, sh
e launched it at the two sorcerers running down the street toward her. The ball hit the pavement in front of them, sending up sparks, and a wall of flame.
It wouldn’t last long, so she hoped Quinn had made it to the vehicle. Before the flames could go out, she made another ball in her left hand. It wasn’t nearly as big or powerful, but it would have to do. She had always been right-handed.
But before she could release it, a bolt of magic clipped her in the shoulder, and she dropped the sphere of fire. The moment it hit the sidewalk, it exploded in an array of sparks and flames leaped at her. She dived to the right and fell onto her side on the grass before her pants started to burn.
She looked up just as two other sorcerers advanced on her, their hands glowing green with power. Rolling, she gained her feet and started to run, but they were right on her ass. Sudden jolts of searing pain rushed up her back. The impact of their magic pushed her forward and she stumbled again, falling to her knees.
She couldn’t believe the pain surging over her body. She’d never felt anything like that before. Obviously she was more fragile topside than she was in hell. The binding must’ve made her human like.
A kick in the back of her head sent her face down to the cement. She tried to push up, but one of the men pressed her down with his boot on her back.
“We got the demon bitch,” one of the men called.
“There’s no need for name-calling.” Daeva pushed up with all her strength, sweeping her leg at the man. She knocked over the sorcerer standing on her.
Once he was down, she stumbled to her feet. But the other one was there, grabbing her by the back of the head.
“Where do you think you’re going?”
In the distance, she could see a vehicle bearing down on them. Twisting around, she punched the goon in the sternum and sent him sprawling backward. Fortunately he let go of her hair.
She bolted to the right just as Quinn barreled the car right into the sorcerer. He rolled over the hood, then off the car to land in a heap on the road.
Daeva opened the back door and dived into the car. Quinn backed it up, tires squealing, did a four-point turn and raced away from the magical goon squad.
A couple of bursts of green magic hit the back of the car. One busted a taillight, but it was nothing that would stop the vehicle. Tires squealed as Quinn turned the car around a corner to the main road, then finally out of the neighborhood and onto a major highway.