“And if I can’t do as you ask?”
“Then you will willingly summon me, open your circle, and offer your body as a sacrifice. Although I’d prefer the face I’ve always carried, you can freely offer your body to me, presenting it as the vessel of one of the fallen. I can exist in your form while you pass on to what awaits you.”
“And my soul?”
“That depends.”
“On?”
She arched a blond eyebrow. “On what terms you are on with the Holy Savior, of course. It is His will that prevails in such matters. Not mine.”
There were so many unanswered questions, such as how she landed in Hell in the first place, how an angel became one of the fallen, and what she’d done to become Lucifer’s familiar—the very ruler of Hell—as well as his concubine. Unfortunately, I didn’t have the time or the luxury of asking them.
“I agree to your terms, but there is a stipulation.”
“Which is?”
I grasped the amulet in my fist. “I keep the amulet. Regardless of what happens.”
Her smile waned, and her eyes darkened several shades. “Already you are basking in the glory of its power. It should indicate how dangerous the magic you wield is, how seductive.”
“I’m going to need it when I return.”
Her unrelenting stare was a force to be reckoned with. “If you say so.”
“Do you agree to the terms?”
“Step from your circle, Rhiannon Murphy, and I will return you to your time. Your debt to me, as well as the time you are given to see it done, begins the moment you return. Consider the bargain made.”
Before I did as she asked, I turned and faced Paine. He was frozen in place, but that didn’t hinder the way his brows creased and his lips pressed together, nor did they interfere with what appeared to be pools of red in his eyes—vampire tears.
Was it possible for my heart to shatter more than it already had?
“Things will be different between us,” I told him, meaning every word. “I promise you.”
He implored me with his eyes, his distressed gaze nearly impossible to turn away from. “Don’t go.”
I turned from him because I was unable to bear not giving him what he wanted and stepped from the circle. Just as I did, the sound of doors being demolished resounded through the room. I watched, mortified, as Carter appeared with a posse of werewolves at his side. Jennifer was among them, situated in the middle of the pack.
Carter’s gaze drifted to the very dead demon in the circle just behind me, his eyes growing wide in bewilderment. Then, without warning, the werewolves began to shift, and I realized crossing over wasn’t going to be as easy as I thought.
“Move!” I shouted, releasing the vampires from the grips of the magic that contained them. Just as I was about to accept Marigold’s bargain, striding toward her still form, I felt strong arms grip my waist—Paine’s.
“I won’t let you do this.”
Werewolves and vampires clashed all around us, sending torrents of blood across the room. I tried to wrest free of Paine’s hold, but he refused to let go, locking his hand around my wrist.
“Carter!” I thundered over the fray, frantically searching for him in the chaos. “Please, listen to me!”
Paine let me go when he was hit from behind. The force of the blow knocked us both to the ground, sending us in separate directions across the floor. Carter positioned himself between us, changed into the half-man, half-beast that was so macabre in its ferocity.
“You betrayed me, vampire lover,” he snarled, advancing one claw hand at a time.
Jennifer came out of nowhere, partially changed herself, and barreled into him just before he could touch me. They wrestled, although it was quite clear who was the stronger of the two. As they did, Paine returned, attempting to tug me to my feet, when he was hit in the chest by another werewolf who snapped razor sharp teeth in his face.