Hot Blooded (Jessica McClain)

chapter 27

“And yet I’ve heard nothing about you,” I said as I picked myself off the ground as eloquently as I could manage. Rourke was already beside me, a low warning issuing from the back of his throat. I figured my best line of defense at the moment was to act like the sight of a Demon Lord in the flesh wasn’t freaking me out completely. I wasn’t sure I could pull it off, but it was worth a try. Get a handle on the fear, I told my wolf. We don’t want to emit any scent if we can help it.

“Well, my reputation does precede me in certain circles,” it said.

“I’m assuming you came to pick up your prize?”

“What? Are you referring to this?” It arched a well-manicured hand toward Selene’s lifeless body like it was nothing. If imps were greasy and unkempt, Demon Lords were the exact opposite. This man-thing emitted enough power to choke all of us and was dressed like a news anchor in a perfectly tailored three-piece suit without a single fiber out of place. It must have been glamoured on him in some way. I’d always pictured demons wearing capes and dressed in all black—not dressed to deliver the nightly news. What was most disturbing was its face. It was as precise as it was cruel, flawless and hawkish at the same time. Its hair arched away from its face in a poof that would be impossible to re-create, even on the Jersey Shore, no matter how much shellac. “Selene is not why I came. I came for you, of course.”

“What do you mean you came for me?” I balked. So much for cool.

It took a step closer and the room erupted in growls. I glanced to the right. Both Tyler and Danny had their game faces on. “My sister is not up for adoption, Demon,” my brother snarled. “You came to the wrong cave.”

The demon stopped and opened its hands like it was going to give a sermon to a roomful of worshippers. “Let me correct myself. I came to assess your threat to my race and make an appropriate diagnosis. Once I make my judgment I will do what needs to be done. As always.”

Rourke took a step forward, but before he could get a word out, I latched on to his forearm and stepped in front of him. He was not getting in the middle of this. I’d just gotten him back. “I am no threat to your race, I can assure you. I told your imp the same thing. I have no interest in demons, and that will never change.”

“That’s pleasant to hear, of course, but our oracle says otherwise. A female werewolf is no small thing, you see. The powers entrusted to you are unpredictable. They are said to morph as necessary and take on the attributes of those you fight, and because of this, you have been singled out as a threat to our race. I am here to erase that threat.”

“How can I threaten your race if I have no interest in you? I haven’t made a single move against you. Getting to the Underworld is no small thing, and you can believe me when I tell you I have no desire to visit.”

“Ah, but you have. Made a move, that is.” It put its fingers carefully in front of it in a mock bow. “Recently you have killed, not one, but two imps. They do count as ours, however distasteful. And please correct me if I’m wrong, but within the last day you have defeated a small army of our most precious pets, the Camazotz. Such a shame, as they are irreplaceable. Now, it seems, you have managed to kill a powerful goddess, who was also technically ours. The totality of that claim can be debated, of course, but once a soul is entrusted to us and we have distributed the agreed-upon power, we take full credit. Committing each of those crimes carries a debt of servitude in the Underworld, each indiscretion a different sentence. It seems, in just a very, very short time, you have amassed several centuries worth of debt to be meted out how we see fit.”

“Several hundred years of hard labor in the Underworld for each crime? You’ve got to be joking.” A giggle escaped my throat, because what else was I going to do but laugh? “And, just for the record, I didn’t technically kill the second imp. When I brought him back to my father, he was alive. I only rang his bell a little. What my father chose to do with him after was none of my business.” Why was I arguing stupid points? Because my brain was reeling. My wolf gnashed her teeth together and I had no better comebacks. This couldn’t be right. I had nothing to do with demons. “In my world, if your imp buddies come after me, I have full rights to defend myself. It says so under my Pack Laws. I can’t be in violation of an Underworld law for defending Pack Law. That goes against any kind of supernatural code and wouldn’t hold up in any court. I’ve heard you guys are big on courts.” The rumors were always that demons operated in a very regimented world, by their own regimented rules.

“My buddies, as you refer to them,” it said, “were not authorized to attack. It’s my understanding that you—what’s the human word?—tailed an imp who was minding his own business, and once confronted, that imp defended himself against you.”

“Minding his own business?” My hands fisted. “You mean in the process of raping a sixteen-year-old girl? Endangering human lives can’t be an acceptable Underworld practice. He had called attention to himself and had served jail time in a human prison. Those things have to count as some kind of an offense in your world.”

The demon’s mouth curved in distaste. “What an imp chooses to do on this plane is up to him. He had broken none of our laws.” Its hand flipped upward. It was shiny and way too clean. “You were the pursuer”—the demon flipped the other one so they were both out—“therefore you must pay.”

“Damn right I was the pursuer,” I said as I took a step forward without realizing it. “And I would pursue again and again to stop any imp from harming another innocent.”

“My point exactly.” Its eyes narrowed, its meticulous mouth curving up on one side in a half grin. It was like an extremely refined Hannibal Lecter. There was something so creepy and unnatural about this demon. Chills raced along my spine. I’d just inadvertently put myself right in its snare. “You are a nuisance and you will answer for your crimes before we allow you to commit any others against us.”

“I’m not going to answer for anything,” I growled. “But if it gets you off my back, I will vow to you that I have no beef with the Underworld. My words should ring true enough to you.”

“Your vows are not valid to us.”

“Why not?”

“There are too many loopholes with the spoken word and it is too late for that anyway.” It turned from us, clasping its hands behind its back, as it stalked away. “You have already violated our laws. You will pay for your crimes first, and then we will craft something that will bind you to your word, but it will take time to hone it to perfection, of course.”

“I’m not paying for my crimes because I committed none.”

Rourke, Tyler, and Danny were all a hairsbreadth away from dropping and changing. I had to make sure that didn’t happen. If they attacked we would go to war with this Demon Lord, and I didn’t like those odds.

“Are you challenging my authority? The Crown of Astaroth is mine, you see.” It looked at me curiously. “Don’t you know who I am?”

“Um.” I paused. I was a twenty-six-year-old newborn werewolf. I had no idea who this demon was. I’d just heard of the Crown of Astaroth for the first time from the imp. I had zero idea what it meant. “I don’t know who you are and, to tell you the truth, I don’t really care. I know you won’t tell me your real name, because giving it to me would be too risky—even though I don’t know how to summon anything. My disinterest alone should prove I have no desire in your crown or your throne. Keep your imps and soul-selling goddesses on a tighter leash, and we shouldn’t have any more problems in the future.”

“That’s not how this works.” It turned back to face us. “I apologize for any miscommunication. Crimes were committed and payment is due. We do not barter.” Before it could mask it, the demon’s eyes blinked and its pupils flashed serpentine. The irises went completely oval. In the next blink they were back to normal, which were a true, solid black.

“I told you, I’m not going anywhere,” I stated again, throwing power into my words. I could use all the help I could get. “According to my Pack Laws, I perpetrated no crime. Supernatural Sect laws will prove my innocence, and I know you have to follow the rules on this plane to some extent, or you’d already have swept me away. You can’t take me without my permission, right? I have to agree to something. Isn’t that how it works? Did you really think I’d agree to go with you willingly?”

“I will not debate my laws with you.” Its voice shook the cavern and sulfur permeated the air so quickly I coughed into the back of my hand. “I am a Demon Lord, a Prince of Thrones, the Lord Treasurer of Hell. I am not some low-level imp! If I say you are in offense of our laws, that is enough.” It pointed its manicured hand at the ground and rocks jumped. “You will be tried for your crimes in the Underworld and you will be found guilty.”

“No.” I threw as much power into the word as I could and I felt my power press up against the demons energy. “That’s not what’s going to happen here. What’s going to happen is you’re going to go back to where you came from and be thankful I want nothing more to do with your race.”

Its eyes flipped to full serpent and it made no move to correct them. “I can carry you to the Underworld without your consent. I do not need your permission. You have a court date with the High Court of Mephistopheles. It has already been written in the Book. It is a mandatory appointment. If you do not show up, you will die.”

“You can’t bind me without my consent.”

“Your own blood has made the binding already.”

I gasped. “What?”

“You left your blood on the imp. You shouldn’t be so careless. In the future, I would advise against it.”

“That’s impossible,” Rourke interjected for the first time. “I don’t know a lot about your race, but I know words have power to you guys. She has to agree, verbally, to what you are saying. You can’t sweep her off to the Underworld without verbal consent. A deal has to be brokered between the two of you.”

“Not correct.” It waved its finger at us, looking like a possessed anchorman with its snakelike eyes. It was a creature with very little humanness. This demon couldn’t possibly function in our world without being noticed even though it was doing its best to glamour itself into what it thought was a proper human form. “When crimes are committed, the magic shifts. Our world has branded her a criminal. We have her blood and her full name. That is enough to place her in our Book. Once it is written there, her future is sealed.”

I had to think fast. I wasn’t a criminal and power was power. If this Demon Lord wanted to take me, and what it was saying was true, it could’ve already taking me. Why hadn’t it just whooshed me away? Why is it sitting here debating me? Something is up. I cleared my throat. “If I’m in your powerful Book, why didn’t I just instantly materialize to your plane?” I paused. “It’s because my court date isn’t today. Right? And you can’t take me against my will ahead of time unless I agree to go with you,” I said. “The only way you can is if you manage to trick me into agreeing, which is what demons live for.”

Its façade glimmered for a second. Behind the human mask was more ugliness. Sharp, bony features shadowed by an exaggerated brow. I was pissing it off.

It energized me. “I’m right! You can’t, can you?” I shot at it. “You were allowed to cross over to get Selene and nothing more. Finding me still here was a bonus, and now you’re trying to trick me into believing I will die if I don’t go to your court. Well, it’s not going happen. Even though I’m a new, I wasn’t born without a brain.”

Its eyes flicked. Did it just blink a clear eyelid? “I will see that you pay for your indiscretions here today. If you had come with me of your own volition, things might have been easier for you.” Its perfectly white teeth snapped tightly. “I will personally see that you suffer.” Its mouth opened again, and instead of glamoured white, there was a row of sharp yellowed stubs. The Demon Lord was losing it fast. “You have earned an eternity of pain and agony, the likes of which you have never witnessed.”

“That sounds lovely,” I replied. “But for right now, I need to recover from a hard day killing a goddess. So why don’t you run along. And don’t forget to take her with you. I’m sure the two of you can swap plans about my imminent demise over noon tea, but honestly, I’m not interested in hearing about it anymore.”

The walls shook so hard, I thought the mountain was going to tumble down on top of our heads. Rocks and stones flew around the room as suffocating power shoved us all to our knees. The sulfur was so strong I wanted to rip my nose off my face so I could breathe again. I now knew why Rourke had used sulfur to cover our smell in the creek before. With the cloistering smell of rotten eggs in my nostrils, I couldn’t even begin to scent anything else. It burned all the way down my esophagus.

The demon’s voice boomed around the enclosed space, but we couldn’t see him anymore. “You will answer for your crimes, Jessica Ann McClain. I look forward to our reunion.”

“Um, can you give me a time frame for that?” I coughed, gagging on the putrescence. My wolf forced power into my vocal cords, trying to channel pure air into our lungs, and gold immediately wound through them like a protective netting. “I’d like to get it on the calendar. I’ve got a date with a Vampire Queen soon that I can’t miss, so it will have to be sometime after that.” A few days to them could mean months or years to us, if my limited understanding of the Underworld was correct. I’d bet money Aunt Tally knew the rules. I’d have to set up a meeting once we arrived home.

And the information wouldn’t come cheap.

“Sooner than you think” was all it said before a ring of power echoed in the room.

Then everything fell blessedly quiet. The sulfur smell started to diffuse and we could all breathe again.

“So that’s what a Demon Lord looks like up close? I thought they’d be taller.” Danny coughed as he stood up, his sheet hanging at a precarious angle. His hair was disheveled, but he looked great, because he was alive. We were all alive.

“Selene’s gone,” my brother said, directing our attention to where she had just been. “She vanished with the demon.”

I glanced over. The Demon Lord had indeed taken her, which was the real reason why he’d come. Likely a goddess warranted a Lord to pick her up. “She won’t stay dead in the Underworld, but her new normal will be ugly. I hope we never meet up with her again.”

“You’re not going there if I can help it,” Rourke growled, warm hands encircling me. “I know some about the Underworld, but we’ll have to learn more. I believe they have to serve you papers of some kind. The Demon Sect is carefully controlled by the Coalition. You can see what happens when they’re in this plane. It’s an explosion of power.” Rourke pulled me close. His touch electrified me. Is that always going to happen? I asked my wolf. She gave a happy bark. I licked my lips.

There were just a few more things we needed to do and we could leave this wretched cave forever. “Where’s Ray?” I asked Naomi. She had retrieved the cross, which meant she’d found Eamon. I didn’t really want to know the answer, but it was time.

Naomi walked over to the spot where Selene had just been. She bent over and picked up something by its edges, surprise on her features as she turned toward us. “The cross must not be able to travel to the Underworld or it would be gone.” She placed it into her pocket. Then she turned to face me. “I did not see your human. I encountered Eamon coming back in one of the tunnels.” Her voice was hard. “He did not survive our reunion.”

I wasn’t sad to hear that Eamon had found his end, but I was sad to know his sister had had to mete it out. There was no way that was any fun. I would never be able to kill Tyler. “Did he say anything about Ray?”

She shook her head. “He had no time to… speak.”

“Then there’s a chance he might be alive, right?” I know my face held hope, even though my heart didn’t believe it. “Do you think Eamon drank him dry?”

Naomi bowed her head. “There is very little chance the human survived their encounter. Eamon was not in his right mind. It would’ve been… a brutal feeding.”

“I have to find him before we leave,” I said. “Which way was the tunnel?” Sulfur still clung to the air, making it impossible for me to scent anything.

She pointed back behind the dais. “There is a small opening in the corner. Follow the tunnel for a few meters. You should be able to scent him there.”

I looked at the group. Danny lowered his gaze and Tyler set himself onto an old wooden chair that had somehow survived the carnage of the room. I took a step forward and Rourke made a move to follow me. “No,” I said, reaching back to place my hand on his warm chest. All I wanted to do was crawl into his arms. But that would have to wait. “I just need to say goodbye. He was a thorn in my side, but he was a decent guy in the end, however misguided.”

I crossed the room and entered the tunnel.

It was no more than a crack in the wall at the beginning, easily missed from the wrong direction. I stepped over Eamon’s bones at the entry point. The only thing left was a skeleton wrapped in his clothes. The bones were old and rotted looking. Vampires must degenerate to their actual age, because those bones looked five hundred years old.

“Ray?” I called. I knew he wouldn’t answer, but it made me feel good to think he might. I moved through the tunnel slowly. As I walked, it opened up. There were boulders jutting out from each side, closing the circumference considerably in places and making it more like a maze than a tunnel. As I paced farther in, I began to scent blood. The sulfur smell was less concentrated in here, and my nose was clearing.

It was Ray’s blood.

There was no mistaking it. I came along the edge of a shallow boulder and closed my eyes. He was behind it. His scent was all over the place. I didn’t really want to see. He was human, and therefore his weakness had always been a liability. This was the probable outcome of the journey. I’d known it going in—not that he would be eaten by a vampire, but that his chances of surviving this were slim to none. I had no idea how he’d found his way in with Tyler and Danny. I’d have to ask them. My best guess was that Naomi must have inadvertently dropped him by a backdoor entrance and they had met up in the maze of tunnels. This mountain clearly had many.

If he’d stayed on top of the mountain like we’d instructed him to, he’d be alive right now, complaining about how long it had taken us to get back. But, in the end, he’d done his best to help me. “Ray, can you hear me?” I called. There was no answer. Of course.

I stepped slowly around the boulder.

His broken body lay on the ground. His neck had been ripped open in several places, savaged and mutilated. Even his hands were bloody and torn. He’d tried to fight. Eamon’s persuasion, a vampire’s automatic defense, must not have worked. I didn’t doubt it, because Eamon had become unhinged in the end. His love for a goddess who had tortured him had been his undoing.

But Persuasion had never worked on Ray as long as he’d lived, and if Eamon had used it, Ray would’ve hated every minute of it. I grinned in spite of the situation, enjoying the fact that it must’ve pissed Eamon off as this human fought for his life.

I drew closer and knelt. “Oh, Ray,” I said on a small breath as I crouched down by his side. “I’m so sorry it had to end like this. If you can believe it, I was actually beginning to like you.” I placed my hands carefully on his broken body and cocked my head. His heart had just given one single, strangled beat. “What are you doing, Ray? Trying to survive at all odds?” I smiled. “You are one stubborn mother. I’ll give you that.” I lowered my head to his sternum. There wasn’t another beat for several long seconds. I lifted my head. “Ray, I can’t fix this.” I swallowed, angling my face up toward the ceiling in frustration, trying to clear the ball in my throat. “Even if you’re holding on as hard as you can, I can’t help you.” I forced myself to look down at him again. He was ravaged beyond repair, the wounds deep and deadly. “You’re human, and this kind of damage can’t be fixed even by the most skilled doctor in the world, even one of our own. There is nothing I can do. I’m so sorry. I really am.”

“I can fix it,” a voice said behind me. “If you’ll allow it, Ma Reine.”