In less than a second, Marigold and Marius were engaged in combat. He moved, she followed; he slashed out with his fists, she evaded. I knew vampires were quick, but Marius was a helluva lot faster than Disco or Paine, nearly as fast as Revenald and Anton. His movements were impossible to follow, but because of Marigold I was able to see everything. To Marigold’s credit, she was equally as fast, if not faster. I got the impression she wanted this to last, to stretch out how wonderful it felt to be inside skin she could fully control.
“Is that the best you’ve got?” Marigold taunted her opponent, smiling as she did. “Really? And you’ve survived this long? Pathetic.”
Marius spun around, keeping his back to us, and snarled, “Is this better?”
I don’t know where the letter opener came from, only that Marigold was fast enough to avoid having it land in my arm—although it did slice through my jacket.
“Amateur,” Marigold purred and rushed him.
She tackled him to the ground, using enough force that the ceramic tile cracked with the impact. I could hear the pictures on the wall shaking, the vase containing the live flowers Disco kept on the edge of his desk crashing to the floor. She loved the sounds of violence, the thrill of victory. It rolled through me, even though I wasn’t a participant.
“The amulet.” Marigold allowed her power to stretch out, searching for the charm she’d created, until familiar warmth seeped from Marius’s pocket and merged with her energy. “There it is.”
Keeping one hand on Marius’s chest, she ripped his clothing with a firm grasp and tear. A portion of his designer pants came away in her fingers, along with the jewelry he’d taken from me. She quickly removed the hand keeping Marius pinned to the floor, reared back, and decked him in the face. His blood flowed, and she smeared the amulet in the heavy stream coming from his nose.
“Listen closely, leech.” My head lowered, until Marius and I were almost nose to nose, and Marigold said, “These are words of power.”
Marius stopped struggling in an instant, freezing beneath me, but his eyes went wide.
“The amulet belongs to me by rite of blood, given to Rhiannon Murphy as I intend it to be,” she said, words clear. “As its maker, it will never return to you. I forbid it. If you attempt to call it to your arms, you will wander the rest of eternity in chaos. You will not see, you will not understand, and you will not know the world around you. You will be tormented forever, caught in a maelstrom of confusion. Never again seek the power that belongs to me.”
She lifted away and asked, “Now, what should we do with him?”
Good question.
If I managed to kill Revenald, Marius would become the primary master of the home. He loved Disco, that much was obvious, but there was no guarantee he wouldn’t harm him. Also, there was the issue of Goose. My plans didn’t involve my fellow necromancer. Including him would only put my friend’s life on the line. Marius wouldn’t harm Goose—he would need him.
“Let him live,” I thought, knowing Marigold could hear not only the thought, but what had brought me to my conclusion. “There is no safety net, but at least Goose will be protected.”
“Are you sure that’s what you want?”
“Yes.” It was the best way. Disco would need an ally. Marius might be a bastard, but I knew he loved Gabriel, so much so he might be willing to risk his own safety to protect him.
“Very well.” Marigold didn’t sound happy. She rose, standing over Marius. “This is the way it will be, spawn of Hell. You will not come after my host, nor will you cause her harm. She is bound to me now, under my protection. Her primary purpose in this world is to assist me. If you interfere, you will pay with your life. Your end will not be swift. I’ll kill you slowly.”
“You should know something,” Marius said and staggered to his feet. “They don’t know about the amulet.”
“Who are they, pray tell?” Marigold asked dismissively, as though it didn’t matter.