“You are not the only fate Nona. Decima and Morta are not here to cast their vote, and rumor has it they do not share your same feelings.”
“They are no concern of yours.”
“Stay out of this!” the devil roared.
“Pluto, you have gotten greedy. You will not have the girl tonight. It is not to be.”
I blew out a breath of air, noticing only now that my legs had been trembling. I was safe.
“She must die once more before you will have another chance,” Cecilia said.
Well hell. So much for safety.
Panicked, I gazed at my former nanny, sincerely hoping she wasn’t suggesting that I’d have to go through this all over again in the future.
A calculating twinkle lit up the devil’s eyes, a smile touched his lips, and I began to shake all over again. His focus turned to me, and I almost collapsed under his stare. “I agree to your terms Nona.” He spoke to her but looked at me. “When Gabrielle dies, then I will extend to her the same benevolent offer she received tonight. Until then, I’ll wait.”
His gaze lingered on me for another moment, and then he faded away to nothing.
Chapter 26
“Whose blood is on your dress?”
I pulled the blanket I’d been given tighter around my torso, and shifted my weight. “Leanne’s.”
An inspector from the Politia wrote down my response. In the same hand that clutched his notepad, a recorder captured everything I said.
“The same girl who you carried out of the circle?” he clarified.
“Yes.” My skin crawled with the need to shower. I’d been here for over an hour, telling and now retelling my story. I’d probably have to do it a few more times too.
“And when did you get the blood on your dress?”
I sighed. This was the part where my story no longer made sense. “Right after she died.” His eyebrows nudged up.
Behind his shoulder Leanne sat with the same group of men and women who had joined hands earlier, looking very much alive. The group of them had decided to remain at the circle until dawn to make sure the devil wouldn’t try to get through again.
Oliver had told me earlier that the group consisted of local witches and psychics Leanne had contacted for assistance. Contacted for assistance days ago. Whatever had happened this evening, whatever I’d seen and been through, Leanne had been working to stop it for a long time. My heart clenched at her selflessness, at all my friends’ selflessness.
The inspector cleared his throat, and my attention returned to him. “I’m sorry, what was that?” I asked.
“How did she die?”
I bit my lip. “Minions of hell killed her.” Crazy laughter bubbled up, and I had to clamp my mouth shut to stop myself from cackling like a maniac.
“Minions of hell.”
I nodded.
This inspector was nicer than the last one who interviewed me, but that didn’t stop him from pinioning me with his gaze.
“What?” I said. “You mean to tell me you believe in the devil, but not minions of hell?”
“I believe in demons.”
“Well, the devil called them his minions,” I said.
“So they were the devil’s minions, not minions of hell.”
I can honestly say that I never thought I’d be having this conversation.
“Same thing,” I said. I could hear the defeat in my voice.
Energy thrummed through my veins, and my body tensed before I relaxed. A warm hand touched my back, and I didn’t have to check behind me to know just whose hand it was.
With his other hand Andre passed me a paper cup. The smell of hot chocolate rolled off of it. “You are the god of all things good,” I said, taking a sip of the steaming drink and trying not to moan at how good it tasted.
As always, Andre’s presence seemed to fill up the space, a pretty impressive feat considering that we stood in an open field. “I think Gabrielle is done for the evening.”
“I only have a few more questions,” the inspector said.
“Nonetheless, it’s going to have to wait until morning.”
The inspector’s lips began to protest, and Andre shot him a withering look.
Whatever the inspector had planned on saying died on the tip of his tongue. Instead he said, “Very well. Gabrielle, expect a call from us sometime tomorrow morning for a follow up.”
I handed the inspector the blanket I’d borrowed, then let Andre lead me back to his car. I snapped my seatbelt on as Andre gunned the engine.
“Where exactly are we going?” I asked, my body still shivering. I was cold from the inside out.
“You should know by now,” Andre said with a smirk. “My place. Where I’m not letting you out of my sight ever again.”
Bossy vampire.
***
Andre flicked on the lights to his bathroom. Along the room’s walls, mosaic saints gazed at me. For a guy with a supposedly damned soul, Andre seemed to be fairly religious.