Victoria balked at the notion, the color in her face draining away. “You expect me to have a child with you?”
“No, I expect you to give me a child. You will serve no purpose aside from carrying my son or daughter and giving birth. I have no patience for your foolish games. You are nothing more than a means to an end.”
I managed to scrounge up the empathy to feel sorry for Victoria, bitch though she was. Her baby, plucked from her arms like a puppy taken from its litter.
Jesus. Spoken like a true demon.
I didn’t bother going for my Brownings this time, removing the vial of salt from a pouch in my belt. I quickly poured the contents around me, keeping my hand steady. My brain went into overdrive as I tried to piece together a plan. Demons could only travel to our plane with a summoning and would only return to Hell once they were dismissed or forced to the other side. I hadn’t brought any special tools of the trade, so if Victoria accepted the deal I’d be forced to fight the damned thing and pray I survived.
Sucker wasn’t the best option for cutting into my palm, but since my trusty butterfly knives were currently embedded in Victoria’s hands, I made do with what I had. I made a thick cut at the base of my hand and pulled the edge of the blade away before it soaked up the blood, allowing the warm, red liquid to drip to the ground, spinning in a circle to bind the salt to my lifeforce.
“I bind this circle with my blood and will,” I whispered, pouring all of my energy into the spell and using the amulet to fortify my words. Latin would have been better, putting more oomph into the magic, but I was untrained with the language, which was something I had to rectify if I lived to see another day. “This place belongs to me. Those who enter it answer to me. If I will it, once inside none shall escape.”
Who was I kidding? Goose and I just tried this same thing with a poltergeist and failed. I said a silent prayer, hoping God would hear me, that He’d find it in His heart to forgive me of my sins and give me the chance to redeem myself at some point in the future.
Not that I deserved it, considering all I’d done.
Victoria took a deep breath, released it, and nodded. It was obvious she didn’t want to agree to the deal. But the importance of a child didn’t mean much when her life was on the line. I remembered her treatment of her daughter, Isabella McDaniel. So unlike her mother, a pawn forced back and forth between her parents. Victoria had tricked Goose to get pregnant. Then she had used their child as a tool to keep him under her control. The Victoria of the future was becoming the one of the present, only this child wouldn’t follow her orders. It would thrive under the rule of a demon father.
Yikes.
“I agree to your terms. Kill Rhiannon Murphy, and I will give you what you desire.”
“Rhiannon Murphy.” Labre looked at me, as though seeing me for the first time. “Rumors of your bargains have spread through Hell.”
Will every demon I meet tell me that? Word for fucking word?
“So I hear.”
“It’s a pity I have to end you.” The demon paused. “I am willing to offer you an exchange. Give me the child I want, and I’ll allow you to live. You can end the life of Victoria Delcroix with my blessing.”
“Even if that was possible, which it isn’t,”–thank God–“I’d have to decline.”
“Then consider our bargain made, Victoria Delcroix,” Labre said, eyes narrowing as he locked onto me. “The deal is done.”
I crossed myself and called on the full power of the amulet, nearly falling over when it answered readily as Labre removed his cloak, revealing an enormous, muscular body. Jesus H. Christ, he was big, built like a freaking tank. He rushed in my direction.