The Marquis (The 13th Floor)

Chapter 11


The Marquis’ first move was easy, like stretching stiff muscles. He stomped one foot on the ground and sent his power out in a wave all around. The constructs howled, exploding into several demonic imps, which then promptly ended up in black piles of dust.

All the women fell to the ground. Most still unconscious. Mae bounced on her behind, seemingly unaware that it hurt. All her attention was focused on him.

Rolling his shoulders, he then cracked his neck. It felt good. More than good. It was spectacular. The power searing through his body wanted to burst out of every pore. Hate, fury, and vengeance provided such potent fuel for it. And it was righteous. He deserved this power. He deserved to have his revenge on Vetis for everything he’d done to him.

The Marquis leapt to the edge of fountain and balanced six feet from Vetis. The beating he’d given the bastard earlier was nothing like he was going to give him now.

“My old friend! You’re back. I’d shed a tear if I weren’t afraid you’d rip off my limbs while I wiped it.” Vetis danced backward.

“Demons don’t have friends.” The Marquis snarled, stepping closer. Each of his steps was matched by Vetis’ backward one.

“Oh, how you wound me.” Vetis held a hand over his heart. “And you will if I let you catch me. Thankfully I’ve always been quicker than you. So you can chase me all over town or you can give in to your true nature and finish what I started here before we head back home. Home, old man. I know you must have missed it.”

The Marquis curled his upper lip. Missed Hell? No one misses Hell, not even their Master on the rare occasions he left. Kicking a huge spray of water, he jumped at Vetis and felt him slip through his grasp.

“You can’t catch me!” Vetis waggled a finger and only just managed to raise a shield of fire as the Marquis blasted him. “This game is one you’re not going to win. You’ve always been reasonable. Give in to the inevitable.”

Talk, talk, talk. The Marquis knew the other demon’s ways. He was a creature of action. Let Vetis flap his jaw, but he wasn’t listening. Another bubble of roiling hate added to his power and his stream of fire drove Vetis back a few feet. This wasn’t a fight he was going to lose. And seeing the realization of it spread across Vetis’ face added more fuel to his flames.

Vetis was blasted off his feet and flew backward to the other side of the street. He rolled back onto his feet before jumping to his left as the Marquis threw a fireball at him. The ball sizzled and skidded over the sidewalk and into a building. The Circle rocked with the explosion.

“You were always like talking to a brick wall. All smash and kill. Never savoring the moment. I often wondered if you took any joy in it at all.” Vetis ran, skipped, and flipped onto the signless rod of a restaurant. He balanced like a trained circus performer and snapped his fingers.

The unconscious women jerked up as if pulled on strings. They rose to their feet and swayed, heads lulling forward or to the side. Spelled as they were, the Marquis could still see they were alive. They breathed and moaned, stumbling forward toward the fountain.

Sparing a glance for Mae, she appeared unaffected by Vetis. She had crawled over to the weeping woman and wrapped her arms around her, comforting her. Comforting her in this waking nightmare.

Something in his chest tightened, and he had to look away. These other women were nothing to him. Vetis’ tactics made no sense. When one of the women got close enough, the Marquis raised his hand to hit her.

“No! No, Marc, please.” Mae rose to her knees. “They’re just innocent victims.”

Yes, they were, but right now they were also Vetis’ tools. He couldn’t afford to look weak. He wouldn’t risk himself for a bunch of strangers.

The spelled women closed in with arms flailing in an attempt to hit him. The Marquis pushed a couple back when they got too close. Too aware of Mae’s cries even at that. One of them hit him and he went sailing into the fountain.

Water sloshed over in two great waves. The Marquis steamed as he stood up and bared his teeth. So they weren’t powerless little tools after all.

A ball of flame ignited in one hand. Smiting humans was much easier than even lesser demons.

“Marc, no!” Mae stood as she screamed.

Vetis laughed from his perch.

Spinning around, the Marquis threw the fireball at Vetis and slammed him against the building. He fell to the ground with a thump and the spelled women did the same.

Fight all the puppets or take out the puppet master. It was much more satisfying to see his flames still searing Vetis.

The Marquis launched himself at Vetis and rammed him with his horns. He pressed his head hard enough against the wall to hear bones crack before tossing him over his head. Letting out a victorious roar, he turned to finish him off.

Vetis was on his hands and knees, chuckling. He spat out a couple of mouthfuls of blood, but it didn’t stop his laughter. Mae screamed again. The Marquis whipped his head around to look at her. She was trying to run to the fountain, but the woman who she had been comforting had her arms wrapped around her waist and held her to the spot.

“Save them! Save them!”

Frowning, the Marquis didn’t understand. There was no one else—

He didn’t want to be the hero, couldn’t afford to waste time saving miserable humans. It was Vetis that he needed to concentrate his furious energy upon. The bastard had ruined everything and the Marquis would have his revenge.

The Marquis strode over and kicked Vetis, sending him flying ten feet. He ran over and drove his knee into Vetis’ chest to pin him to the ground. Mae’s frantic cries echoed in the Circle as he hit Vetis once, then twice. The feel of hot blood and broken bones made him grin.

“Marc!” Mae’s desperation made his fist still. “Save them! They’re drowning! The fountain!”

Twisting, the Marquis saw all the women were slumped over into the fountain. None of them fought their fate.

“I can’t get free! Marc, please, I know you’re still in there. Help them.” Mae had scratched her captor’s arms in an attempt to get free, but she was held fast. Even from across the Circle, he could see her tears. Her eyes shimmered with fear just like they did in her café when the construct attacked.

“Dammit.” The Marquis hit Vetis once more and raced over to the fountain. He yanked the women out and finally their survival instincts kicked in. Their bodies shook as they threw up water. Only one of them didn’t move. She didn’t even seem to be breathing.

Anger. Hate. Somewhere else in him, he had to remember how to give CPR.

He knelt down beside the woman and rolled her onto her back. Mouth to mouth? That wouldn’t work with his fang-filled maw. There was another part to it. What was it?

“Pump her chest!” Mae shouted.

Right. Hands just above the sternum and press with the palm. He needed to be careful he didn’t push a hole right through her.

The Marquis did a few compressions, paused, and did a few more. It wasn’t working. Why wasn’t it working? Damn, but she looked like Mae. A few more wrinkles, but a lovely face and large breasts.

Back in his bathroom, he had felt it. Love. His heart pounded and the redness in his vision eased. He continued pumping the woman’s chest. Mae. She was his only light in the world. Just a smile when she handed him his coffee would be enough to make the weight of a bad day evaporate. And the feeling of her mouth pressed to his when he kissed her, it was more magical than anything he’d ever experienced, and that was saying a lot.

The woman coughed and curled up as she rolled onto her side. Water spewed out of her mouth.

She was alive. He’d saved her. The Grand Marquis had saved a life.

He stood and turned, wanting to see Mae’s reaction. The light in her eyes, the smile. Everything could be all right again.

Instead, he saw her terror as Vetis held her from behind. Vetis had one arm locked around her, keeping Mae’s arms pinned to her sides. His other hand rested upon her exposed neck. Long sharp nails pricked her flesh.

The Marquis cursed, hating himself for taking time for doing anything other than killing Vetis. It was his fault Mae was in his clutches. All this was his fault. And there was no way to escape except by breaking his heart.