He smiled again. He smelled like rotten meat. I was pretty sure I knew who had killed the bodyguards. He spoke in a surprisingly cultured voice. “She offered me her vampiric lackies to run my errands up top.” He looked at the ceiling of the cavern, which really wasn't that far from his face. “Those of us unlucky enough to have no trace of human blood can only go up top when summoned.”
Did that mean my dad had some human blood? I'd think about that later, if there was a later. My dad was going to have to sit down and tell me all of the information I was lacking. I really didn't appreciate getting into so many life or death situations without knowing the rules.
“Do you know who my dad is?” I asked, trying to buy time.
The demon started swinging Maggie back and forth like a toy. “I grow tired of your games little one,” he replied.
“My dad is Alexondre. Do you know him?” I pressed.
The demon chuckled. “Oh Alexondre, he used to be so much fun back in the day . . . until he started sullying himself with that human woman. I was unaware there were any offspring.”
I bit my tongue before I said something I would regret in response to him insulting my mom. Instead I said, “So you're friends? You and my dad?”
The demon let Maggie slump to the ground, but still kept a hold of her. “I said I knew Alexondre, not that we were friends.”
“Well, wouldn't it be nice to have him owe you a favor?” I asked hopefully.
My dad probably wouldn't appreciate me bartering with his favors, but hell, he owed me too. It was time for him to pay up.
The demon eyed me skeptically. “What could Alexondre possibly do for me?”
Maggie started crying. I almost felt bad for her. Then she started mumbling about how she'd see me and my entire family burn and I stopped feeling bad.
“Well, what would you want?” I asked.
“Xoe, don't do this,” Chase interrupted.
The demon pointed a finger back at Chase. “You, are not in this conversation. Your bloodlines are so mixed up that I feel tainted even being near you.”
“Just keep me here and let Xoe go,” Chase blurted out. “I'll do your errands. I can come and go easier than vampires.”
The demon turned to look at Chase. Maggie struggled as he dragged her across the floor, then gave up and went limp.
“I believe I said you were not in this conversation,” the demon lectured. “Speak again and I'll kill you.”
This was going nowhere. There was obviously one thing that the demon really wanted. “What if my dad and I could find a way for you to go up top whenever you liked?”
“Xoe stop!” Chase shouted.
The demon smiled again. “Little one, if I could do that, I would never come down here again, but I fear it is not possible.”
Crap, I didn't really have anything else to bargain with. It really probably wasn't possible.
“Let us try,” I pleaded, ignoring Chase. “and if we can't, then I'll run your errands personally.”
He showed me his pointed teeth again. “Done.”
“We had a deal!” Maggie screamed, as she began to thrash around in the demon's grip.
I got to my feet and shakily walked to where Maggie dangled. My legs and back still felt slightly numb, so standing at all was a major feat.
“Little girl,” I chided.
Maggie went still and met me with scared eyes. I almost felt sorry for her . . . almost.
Chase came to stand beside me, shirt soaked in blood. He smiled, even though he was a little too pale and so was not happy with the situation.
“Hasn't anyone ever told you,” he continued for me.
“Not to make deals with demons?” we said in unison.
I couldn't help but think that Chase was lecturing me as much as he was lecturing Maggie.
The large demon chuckled, then promptly tore Maggie's heart out of her chest. I was going to be sick again.
Chapter Nineteen
“My name is Bartimus,” the demon explained, “but you may call me Bart.”
Just when I thought I'd heard everything, now I was meeting Bart the demon.
Bart had manifested a small cafe table and a teapot with two cups. Chase wasn't allowed to sit at the table. He was sulking in the corner. Bartimus looked even more massive sitting in his little wrought iron chair.
I sat in the other small chair and Bart poured us each a cup of tea and took a sip of his. Our tea came from the same teapot, so I grabbed mine and took a sip. Hopefully this wasn't a Princess Bride type of situation and I was about to die of Iocaine poisoning. The tea tasted like cinnamon.
“You never told me your name little one,” Bart prompted.
“It's Xoe,” I answered.
“Not just Xoe,” he argued. “That's not your full name, I can tell.”
“How?” I asked, suspicious.
“Little Xoe, my powers are of the mind,” he explained. “I can create other realities. Little white lies don't get by me. Due to this, I also know you have no intention of actually helping me.”
“I would be a fool to break a deal with a demon,” I countered.
“Yes you would,” Bart agreed, “but you hope that since you and your father are demons as well, that you can get around that little rule.”
I shrugged, feeling ill. “It was worth a shot.”
Bart grinned, and the stench of rotting meat dripped from his mouth over the scent of the tea. I was about to get eaten. I was totally going to get eaten. I started to stand.
“Calm down little one,” Bart chided. “I'm not going to eat you. I would not eat Alexondre's only child. That would be barbaric.”
I relaxed thinking that Bart was the last person I'd expect to not do something just because it was barbaric.
“I'll simply need a vial of your blood,” Bart said as if it was the most common thing in the world to say.
“No,” Chase said very firmly as he stood.
Bart stood as well and walked toward Chase. Chase stood his ground. Bully for him, he was still about to get himself killed.
“I'll do it!” I shouted. “If you tell me what it's for.”
“No, you will not,” came a voice from the other side of the cavern.
Bartimus whipped around in surprise, then smiled. “Alexondre! How lovely it is to see you!”
“What exactly do you think you are doing with my daughter?” my dad asked, a grim expression on his face.
Bartimus grinned even wider. “Little girl made a deal with me,” he explained.
My dad turned to me with one of those looks on his face that are reserved for the sole use of parents who are extremely disappointed in their children.
I looked down at my teacup. “I didn't really have a choice I mumbled.”
“She really didn't,” Bart agreed.
My dad turned to Chase. “Your job is to keep her out of trouble. You seem to have failed.”
“Don't blame him,” I interrupted. “He's already gotten munched on twice by vampires in the line of duty.”
Bartimus was practically bouncing up and down with excitement, for all the world like a giddy school girl. A giant, flesh-eating demon school girl. The image would have been comical if we weren't in such terrible circumstances.
My dad sighed loudly. “You're not taking her blood Bart.”
Bart lost his grin. “Then how will I ensure her promise?”
“You won't,” my dad explained. “There is no deal.”
Bart raised a hairy eyebrow. “Do you really want to go there Alexondre? You may or may not be able to take me, but where will that leave our little Xoe in the meantime? Where will that leave her when I crush your bones?”
My dad had a sour expression on his face. “I give you my word,” he mumbled.
“What was that?” Bartimus called out, grinning and cupping a massive hand to his ear. “I couldn't quite hear you, dear friend.”
“I give you my word that I will do whatever Xoe has promised you,” my dad state
d clearly.
Bart snapped his finger and a long paper scroll appeared in one of his hands, and a feather quill in the other. The paper looked like a contract.
“Seriously, are we in a Disney movie or something?” I remarked.
Bart ignored me and thrust the contract at my dad.
“What did you promise him anyhow?” my dad asked.
I couldn't quite meet his eyes. “Um,” I mumbled. “Just to help him gain his freedom to live in the human world.”
“Oh Xoe,” my dad sighed. “It had to be that.”
Bart chuckled as my dad signed the contract.
My dad walked over and grabbed my hand without another word, while I stayed sitting in the chair. I wasn't sure if I could stand again anyhow. He signaled for Chase to grab my other hand, and Chase obeyed silently.
“Send us back up,” my dad demanded.
“Can't get out yourselves?” Bart mocked.
“I know very well what type of wards you employ Bart,” my dad grumbled. “Now send us back or our deal won't do either of us any good.”
Bart grinned wickedly and snapped his fingers. I felt a sickening whooshing feeling in my gut, and clung to Chase and my dad like lifelines.
We ended up in the grass in front of the inn. My knees gave out as the world steadied itself around us, but Chase and my dad kept us upright. My dad let go of my hand as Chase put his arm around my waist to keep me on my feet.
I seemed to be struggling with a great deal of vertigo and my limbs remained numb. Chase finally hoisted me up into his arm and started carrying me towards the inn with my dad walking beside us.
A few werewolves in the lobby gave us weird looks and I managed to give them a little salute. They could gawk all they wanted. I'd take gawking werewolves over the empty alternate reality inn any day of the week.
The rest of our group was waiting for us when we got back. They were not exactly calm. Apparently they were the ones that had called my dad, so they knew he was coming to the rescue, but they obviously didn't have much faith in him, because we caught them in the act of devising battle plans of their own.
Jason ran to Chase and took me out of his arms. “What's wrong with her?” he asked.
“Vertigo,” Chase explained. “Traveling by demonic means can be a bit much when you're not really used to it. Traveling from a warded demon lair is quite a bit worse.”
“Will she be okay?” Jason prompted.
“I'm right here,” I interrupted, looking up at him from the cradle of his arms. “I might also be injured, besides the vertigo. I'm not sure. Could you put me down now?”
Jason smiled, ignoring my grumpiness. He took a moment to hold me a little tighter, then placed me gently on the bed. I was starting to feel better and managed to sit up on my own. Jason scooted in close to me, and gripped my hand as if he didn't quite believe that I was actually there.
I leaned against him and let him support most of my weight. I didn't need the help sitting up, but just feeling him next to me again was pretty much the best feeling in the world right then.
I regarded the rest of our group standing around us. Lucy and Allison looked as if they just didn't know what to do with themselves. Lela was looking at my dad with a nervous expression on her face. I didn't blame her, my dad could be pretty scary.
I envied everyone their ability to stand. Standing would still take a little while. I was having trouble focusing on any one thing in the room.
I was able to focus well enough to see Max sitting on the edge of the other bed. “Glad to see you made it back,” I commented.
Max glared at me. “I was stuck at that other inn with the dead body guards until about thirty minutes ago.”
“Hey, it's not my fault you couldn’t think your way out of it,” I snipped. “The place we ended up was definitely not an improvement.”
Max still looked cranky. I was guessing he was more upset that he couldn't get out of the other reality and Chase and I could. Bartimus must have freed him after he decided to deal with us rather than Maggie. Or maybe Bart just decided to stop putting any effort into the other reality, and Max was freed because Bart just didn't care. I was leaning towards the second option.
“So are you going to tell us what happened?” Allison prompted anxiously. “Max told us about the empty inn, but where did you and Chase go?”
I thought for a minute on the easiest way to explain it. “Maggie hired a demon to trap us. We ended up in his lair. The demon killed Maggie, now we owe the demon.”
“Owe him what?” Lucy asked.
Jason pushed a little closer to me, if that was even possible. “Um, I began. It doesn't matter right now. We'll figure it out when we get home.”
No one pushed me for more information. I imagined I looked just as bad as I felt at that moment.
“Well I'm off to try and sort out this mess,” my dad announced.
“How did you find us so quickly anyhow?” I asked before he could disappear.
My dad gave me a look like I was asking a silly question. “I couldn't sense you through Bart's wardings, but as soon as Max described what had happened, I knew where you would be.”
That made sense, since he'd known Bart back in the day.
“Wait,” I demanded again, when I saw he was still about to leave. “What are we going to do?”
“We will not be doing anything Alexondra,” he replied. “I'm now contractually bound to figure out a way to help Bartimus. If it can be done, I'll have to do it, then I'll have to kill him. Bartimus cannot be released into this world.”
“What would he have done with my blood,” I asked.
“Bart can focus his power using someone's blood,” he explained. “His mind games are strong enough without the extra control.”
“Tell me about it,” I mumbled.
There was a flash of flame and my dad was gone.
There was a knock at the door. No way. No more people. Hadn't I dealt with enough? Lela jumped into action and was at the door in seconds. She had barely opened it when Abel came striding in, followed closely by Devin.
Seeing me alive and well, Abel breathed a visible sigh of relief. “You are not making this arrangement easy,” Abel grumbled at me.
I shrugged. “Sorry. Take heart in the fact that it sucks a lot more for me.”
“Was it a demon that took you?” he asked.
“Do you really want an explanation?” I responded tiredly.
Abel furrowed his brow. “I don't. Not right now at least, but I do want to know if I have to protect you from demons as well as vampires.”
I shrugged. “I don't think you'll have to protect me from a demon just yet, or any vampires for that matter.”
Abel seemed to relax a little bit more. Devin raised his hand to hide his smile. I was yet to see Devin angry or upset. He always seemed amused. It was unnerving.
“The packs are getting ready to vote,” Abel announced.
“Now?” I whined. “I just got back. How did you know anything was wrong anyhow?”
Abel glared at me. I was getting a lot of glares lately. “Three dead werewolves appeared suddenly at the front door, along with Max.”
I opened my mouth to explain.
“No,” Abel held up a hand. “Explanations can come later, you need to get ready.”
I closed my eyes in frustration and Jason wrapped his arms around me. “Can't it wait?” he asked.
“No,” Abel replied, then walked back out of the room.
Just then I noticed that Devin was holding a garment bag. “That better not be what I think it is,” I said warily.
Devin gave me a truly evil look. “Abel is announcing his protection over you. Matchy matchy time. Werewolves do love a good show.”
“Well shit,” I replied, at a loss for words.
“Time to stand up and get ready,” Devin prompted.
Stand up? Easier said than done. A demon's life is never easy.
Chapter Twenty
The dress was midni
ght blue and strapless, with glimmers of tiny crystals visible along the bodice. I'd worn more dresses in the past days than I had my entire life. I wasn't starting to like it any more. In the end Allison and Lucy had helped me hobble into the bathroom to change.
Walking was getting easier, I just hoped the ability fully came back to me by the time of the vote. I had a feeling looking weak would not be a good thing. Plus it was frustrating as heck not being able to make my limbs work properly.
My back was a colorful speckling of healing bruises from being thrown against the cavern wall by Maggie. The dress showed all of the bruises on my upper back. Screw it.
I was sitting on the bathroom sink again while Allison worked on my face. I'd struggled at first, but I couldn't exactly run away. Lucy was sitting on the closed toilet seat.
Allison finished her work and I started to slide down from the counter-top. During my descent, the hem of my dress caught on the faucet. My feet met the ground and at the same time I heard a loud rip. I'd just gone and torn my dress. It was the straw that broke the camel's back.
“Screw it!” I threw up my arms haphazardly.
I stumbled out of the bathroom, completely fed up. I went and plopped on the floor by my suitcase and started pawing through my clothes. This was just all too much. I was done with stupid dresses. I turned my back to face the room and scooted the dress down off of my chest so I could put a bra on, then pulled my new dark blue Les Mis shirt on.
I forced myself to stand, bracing against the wall as I regarded the room. Max and Lela had turned to give me privacy. Allison and Lucy were standing just outside the bathroom door looking at me like I had lost my mind. Chase looked worried, and Jason's eyes were full of pity. I didn't want pity, but yet I couldn't help it as the first tear slid down my face. Jason walked up and took the jeans out of my hand.
I swayed as Jason searched for the dress zipper, then started working it down over my hips. Chase came to stand in front of me and gave me his arms for balance. Someone had bandaged his new wounds while I was holed up in the bathroom. He looked at my tear streaked face with a reassuring smile. Jason managed to get the dress off, then helped me step into my jeans.
The Xoe Meyers Trilogy (Xoe Meyers Young Adult Fantasy/Horror Series) Page 41