Marshaling all his strength, he nodded, his neck rigid. The movement was a mistake. It was as if his head was going to snap off. He didn’t attempt it again, focusing his concentration was on staying as still as possible. Then his beautiful wife made everything a thousand times worse.
Heat. Excruciating. Unbearable. All of it was focused on his torso, the space directly above his stomach. He looked down, expecting to see a mass of blistering burning flesh—or a gaping hole—where his chest used to be. But his skin was intact. Terribly red, but otherwise normal.
Isobel was holding the torch against his middle, but the flame wasn’t touching him. And it should have been.
There was a hairsbreadth of space between him at the fire. But the flame was kept from direct contact with his skin by an invisible wall. It shaped the fire into a near perfect circle. As he trembled and jerked closer to her, the unseen barrier adjusted, following his movements.
There was something else too. A crawling sensation in his veins, like mercury running through them. It circled through his body like a rat trying to escape a flood.
It was the demon.
Aware of soft murmuring, he squinted at Isobel. She was saying something, more Latin words. He didn’t try to understand what they were. Squeezing his eyes shut, he gritted his teeth, trying not to crush them with the force he was exerting, trying to keep his body from flying apart.
Through all the chaos, a new sensation became apparent. It was as if something was pulling at his core, drawing on him like a sucking leech.
And then all hell broke loose.
Chapter 27
“What the hell is this?” Aldo Garibaldi roared.
Isobel’s head flew up, her concentration breaking. The fire made contact with Matteo’ skin. His skin blistered and the hair on his chest begin to burn. Pulling the torch back, she turned to the Conte.
“No! Stay where you are!” she yelled, fighting the urge to jump up to slap him. “You’ll ruin everything.”
The Conte walked closer to the circle. “What are you doing?”
“What you wanted me to do,” she hissed. “Stay there. Don’t move and be quiet!”
Aldo’s face contorted at the sight of Matteo, who’d crumpled over on his side. “You will release my son. You’re killing him!”
Bloody stupid idiot.
“I’m trying to save him,” she said in shocked disbelief as the Conte raged at her. “And don’t you dare breach this circle!” She scrambled to her knees to grab a second piece of kindling, brandishing it in the count’s direction.
“I know you’re trying to kill him. Nino told me everything.”
What fresh hell was this? “He was wrong. Now shut up and stay away.”
“Don’t tell—”
“Father, stay away.”
Isobel gasped, turning back to her husband. Matteo’s voice was low and raspy, strained beyond all reason. She didn’t know how he had managed to speak. His body was being wracked by deep bone-shaking tremors and his face was nearly purple.
Tears running freely down her cheeks, she reached out to touch him again.
“Matteo my love, please hold on,” she cried, sitting back down. “We can still do this. Don’t move!”
“No, you can’t!”
Dizzily, Isobel twisted her head to the door. The last had been yelled by someone else. Another man had intruded on her ritual. He had to step closer to the lantern light for her to recognize him. And the gun he was holding.
“Nino, what the bloody hell is going on?” the Conte yelled. “You said she was going to kill my son, that she was planning on running away with all of his money. My money.”
Nino advanced, completely ignoring the count. The gun was pointed directly at her. “You weren’t supposed to get this far. You weren’t supposed to be here at all,” he said hoarsely.
“Please let me finish, Nino. I can save him,” she pleaded.
He leaned forward, his face contorting in anger. “I know that, but you’re not going to. You’re going to let him die.”
Isobel’s heart sank.
“What the hell are you saying?” the Conte asked in a strangled voice.
The true horror of it all was finally becoming clear. “He’s saying he did this,” she whispered. “He’s responsible for the curse.”
It was a guess, but one Nino didn’t contradict. He approached the circle instead, frowning down at it.
Isobel gasped. “Don’t even think it!”
He narrowed his eyes at her. “I won’t break the circle. I know the demon will escape then. No other innocent will be harmed. There’s been enough death already. But you’re not going to finish. Stand, right now, and walk away. You can escape. No one will blame you.” He swung the gun at the Conte and Matteo respectively. “These two will stay here and die.”
A small move from Aldo distracted Nino, who swung the rifle at him in response.
“I don’t understand,” Aldo said, bewildered. “Why are you doing this? You’ve been a loyal servant throughout this whole ordeal.”