A deranged goddess, that’s who.
“Let’s start with her hands,” Danny said. “If she has no fingers, she can’t shoot a spell. Right?” He looked around hopefully. His bare chest was massive in comparison to the tiny piece of fabric that covered him. He radiated strength, even though his brown hair was tousled, as usual, and this journey had clearly taken its toll on him.
Naomi stared at Danny, slightly openmouthed, but she averted her eyes quickly. Not before I noticed, however. “Um, oui, that might work. Let’s start with her hands.”
I bent over Selene’s body. “Hand me a shovel instead.”
Tyler went to retrieve the shovel, which hung next to the pickax, and brought it back. There was literally a plethora of torture devices lining the walls within easy reach. If the shovel tip didn’t work for the job, we had other options.
“Jessica.” Rourke’s strong voice echoed around the cavern. “I beheaded Selene already since I’ve been here. This is not going to work. She slips back together like a ghost.”
I glanced at Rourke, who stood, looking magnificent and almost fully healed. “You beheaded her here? Already?” I peered down at Selene. Jesus. If she could recover from a beheading that quickly we were in deep shit.
Rourke was naked from the waist up, but instead of a sheet he still had his jeans on. They were crusted in blood. “Of course I beheaded her,” he growled as he paced forward. “And I took her heart out. She would never have been able to keep me had she not called the demons. She’s never been as strong as I am. It required everything she had to keep me here, knowing you were in danger. She was losing, so she dialed up her new backup squad and spelled me with something different. It knocked me out until I heard your voice.”
“That’s what the blue lines were then,” I said, contemplating. “Blue must be her demon essence.” My eyes locked on him as he approached. My wolf growled, full of lust. I shook my head to clear her. I couldn’t let anything distract me from my goal. “But I broke her demon spell in you, so maybe—”
He angled his head at me, his irises sparking. “You think you can break it in her,” he finished.
“How would I do that?” I asked, glancing down at her body again. My only choice would be to throw my power in and hope it was enough. I looked up at him. “If it works, and I can break something inside of her, do you think it will be enough to send her to the Underworld?”
“I don’t know,” he said. “But it sounds like the best chance we’ve got, even though I don’t like it.” His voice held a growl. “But cutting her up will give us only a temporary fix, however satisfying it might be.”
I turned to Naomi. “Where’s your cross?” We were wasting time. “We can use it to null her while she’s out and I can try to break the demon-bond or kill the essence inside her. Then we take her head off and hope it’s enough to get her a ticket to the Underworld.”
A dark look passed over Naomi’s face. “Eamon took it from me as I tried to use it against Selene. I assume it is still in his possession. He’s never understood its worth and thinks I am too partial to it, but I will kill him for the betrayal.”
“He’s over against the far end of the cavern.” I nodded my head in that direction. I hated to break the news to her like this, but there was no good way. “I broke his neck before you were fully healed. I’m sorry, Naomi, but it needed to be done.”
Naomi stood. “I am not sorry. He broke our kin-bond and he betrayed me in the worst way he could. This would have ensured his death at my hands. He chose his side and he lost.” She flew off to find the cross.
I knelt down by Selene again. My brother and Danny came in close, Rourke right behind me; his heat calmed me. It was good to feel it again. I didn’t want to wait for Naomi, but I couldn’t risk waking Selene without it. If I put my hands on her, there would be a reaction. It might be enough to trigger her to wake.
Naomi’s voice echoed loudly a minute later. “Eamon is not here.”
I jumped up. “What are you talking about? I killed him ten minutes ago.” Had only ten minutes passed? It felt like a lifetime ago.
She flew to the top of the dais, landing on the scattered debris. “He is not here.”
“I broke his neck,” I said, almost accusingly. “Severing the connection is enough for a wolf. He fell to the ground like he was dead.”
“It’s not always enough for a vampire.” Naomi shook her head. “The spinal column must be separated fully from the body. Our bodies are already dead, while your body lives. You require communication to survive; we need no such thing. We can fuse it back together, but cannot live without a head. This information is not widely known, so it is not your fault, Ma Reine, but I must find him. There are tunnels here.”