Before I had a chance to do anything else, he released me, and in a flash he was gone.
My body went weak with fear.
He’ll be all right. He’ll be all right.
The sooner I ended this, the safer we’d all be.
I dropped to my knees in front of the coffee table and lifted the glass that caged the quill. The sight of it took my breath away. I reached for it, only to hear a growl tear through the hidden tunnel that had led me here.
A moment later, the wall shuddered as something large rammed into it.
I swiveled just in time to see the wall explode inward, brick and plaster clattering to the ground. A plume of dust rose into the air. As it dissipated, a demon stepped through.
First I saw a large clawed foot. My eyes rose, taking in gray, muscular legs and then wide, wide shoulders. The demon’s face was more beast than man, its huge teeth too big for its jaw, its nose nothing more than two slits, and the pupils of its red eyes horizontal.
It—or rather, he (I was studiously ignoring that part of his anatomy)—growled low in his throat.
Today would not be like yesterday. This creature would not hold me down and bleed me. He’d been sent to deliver me back to hell.
We stared at each other for a second, and then the moment popped like a bubble. I lifted my hand as he dove for me, fangs bared.
I threw my power out at him, sending him careening back out the opening he came through.
My gaze darted about the library. I needed a weapon. Andre had to store some here. This room was, after all, a final defense against enemies. If someone else managed to break in, Andre would have a stash of weapons to defend himself with.
I scanned the walls and shelves, but saw nothing that came close to a lethal instrument.
The demon roared as he got to his feet.
Aw, crap.
I flicked my wrist at a nearby row of books, and using my power, flung them at the demon. He growled and lifted an arm as they smacked into him. With another twist of the wrist I emptied an entire shelf of books, silently apologizing to Andre as some of them exploded into an array of pages.
All I managed to do was piss off a demon and discern that no weapons were hidden behind the books.
I hoped Andre was having better luck than I was.
Andre
Andre rested a hand on his chair back and waited for the devil in his study. If it was time to end his long life, then he’d do it for Gabrielle. Gladly.
But not without a fight.
Even from here he heard the howling wind rip the front doors open. There were no screams to punctuate the devil’s entrance. Bishopcourt had already emptied itself of its occupants. They’d either fled, or they were now outside, battling for their lives.
Heels clicked against the entryway floor, moving away from where Andre waited until he could barely hear the footfalls. A minute later they returned, making their way towards him. They paused outside the study.
The door crashed open, and the devil stepped inside. The two men stared each other down.
“You can’t have her,” Andre said.
“She’s already mine.”
The devil had a sword sheathed at his waist. He’d come prepared like a mortal might.
The devil clasped his arms behind his back. “Who would’ve known all those centuries ago that it would come to this?” He surveyed the room before his eyes returned to Andre “You’ve made a good life for yourself. Pity it all has to end.”
Andre reached over his shoulders and pulled his swords out. He rolled his wrists, loosening up his arms.
The devil raised an eyebrow but made no move to draw his own weapon. “I granted you not just mercy, Andre; I gave you immortality, a gift other men have died for. Had you lived your mortal life, you would’ve been no one. Your bones would’ve rotted to ashes by now. You wouldn’t have been alive to steal my bond and my mate.”
Andre flared his nostrils. “You stole my father’s soul and damned me with this curse.”
“I didn’t see you regretting my goodwill when you took my queen to bed.” The devil said the words aloofly enough, but an inferno scorched at the back of his eyes. “You are the only reason she rebels, the only reason she fights my will.” The devil’s eyes narrowed. “Can you even fathom how much this angers me? I am Rex Inferna, the king of hell. Legions fall to my feet. Billions fear me; billions more worship me. I am no one’s second choice.”
At that, Ande’s mouth curved into an unpleasant smile. “You are most human’s second choice. That is all you will ever be.”
Now the devil didn’t bother masking the fire blazing in his eyes. He pulled his sword from its scabbard. “The world tilts and changes and yet it comes back to where it all started: you, me, and Old Man Death.”
Gabrielle