A Demon Does It Better (30 page)

“Stop it! You’re killing him!”

“It’s all for the greater good, my dear.” He filled the syringe then expelled the contents into the vial.

She
stared
with
horror
at
the
blood
that
bubbled
the
moment
it
dripped
onto
the
fine
particles. As the mad scientist turned toward her, she knew that not only would her blood be added to the mixture but that both of them would die as a result.

She
looked
past
the
sorcerer’s shoulder at her lover whose respiration was barely visible. His skin was a pasty gray, and his eyes were dull with the realization their future was very short-lived. Yet he managed to convey how he felt for her, that they wouldn’t be parted in death.

She
was
so
caught
up
in
gazing
at
him
she
didn’t feel the needle sliding into her vein or the essence of her life trickling out. The haze that covered her eyes deepened as she felt her flesh grow weak.

“Now I shall have it all,” the sorcerer chortled, obviously pleased with himself. “More power than anyone. The two of you have given me exactly what I need! The two are now one.” He stared at the vial’s contents with a maniacal raptness.

She
wanted
to
lift
her
arms
and
twist
her
chains
around
his
neck, taking his life just as he took hers, but her strength was gone, just as her lover’s life force was diminishing. It wouldn’t be long before they both were dead.

The spell was blood. Blood was the spell.

“No! Jared!”

“Lili. It’s all right. Wake up.”

“We’re dying!” she screamed, flailing her arms around, striking hard flesh.

The arms around her were warm and familiar along with the scent of a protective male. She still refused to open her eyes to her black-and-white surroundings, but the hand stroking her face encouraged her to.

She finally did, noticing the bedside lamp glowed with a warm light and the walls were the familiar coral with soft turquoise accents. Cleo was perched on the end of the bed, her back arched and claws dug deeply into her comforter.

“I warned you about doing that,” she whispered between dry lips. Her body shook, and her teeth chattered as if she suffered from hypothermia. Lili didn’t notice the blanket that Jared draped around her as he kept her close to his body to share his personal heat. “How did you get in here?”

“You screamed. I zapped the lock open,” the cat told her, looking as freaked as Lili felt.

“You had a nightmare,” Jared said, kissing her temple.

She shook her head. “No, it was something much worse. My dream showed what could happen to us if we aren’t careful. It was all about a blood spell. Two are one, and we’ll die.” She glanced down at her chest, fearing she’d find the brand on her shoulder, but it was mercifully bare. She also couldn’t find any needle marks on her arm. Just that her skin was slick with sweat and the stink of her fear tainted the air.

Jared brushed the sweaty strands of hair away from her face and kept on stroking her as if she was a frightened small animal. “It’s only a nightmare, love,” he crooned.

“Dreams show what can happen.”

“That’s your Greek blood talking.”

Lili wondered if she’d ever become warm. “It’s a warning,” she insisted. “The room I haven’t been able to get into. The one at the end of the hallway.”

Jared’s caresses stilled. “What did you see?” Tension colored his voice.

“Counters with burners, beakers, and vials. Iron shackles set in the wall, a long table with more manacles.” She shivered, hating to even remember the place of nightmares. “You were imprisoned against the wall, and he chained me to the table.” She touched her shoulder. “I was branded like you.”

He tightened his hold on her. “Who chained you, Lili?”

But no matter how hard she concentrated, she could only see a sharp image of the body. The face was nothing more than a haze in her memory.

“I don’t know.” She huddled against him, allowing him to pull her onto his lap and wrap the sheet and blankets around them. He kept kissing her temple and rubbing his hands up and down her arms.

“How about some tea?” he asked.

Lili shook her head, grabbing hold of his arms. “Don’t leave me.” Her eyes turned wild with fear.

“Okay, I won’t.”

Cleo made her way up the bed and stretched out along Lili’s hip. She purred loudly, the rough sound strangely soothing.

“I don’t want to go back to sleep.”

“We don’t need to,” Jared said softly while he shot the cat a thank-you smile. “We’ll just sit here and cuddle.”

Lili looked toward the window. Since there weren’t any neighbor’s windows on that side, she could leave the blinds open. She stared at the pink and lilac edges of dawn touching the sky. “But you’ll be gone soon.”
And
I’ll be alone with my nightmare as a horrific memory.

“You know I’ll stay as long as I can,” he vowed, resting his chin on top of her head while his hands stroked aimless patterns down her arms, leaving a trail of heat wherever they went.

“It’s in the blood,” she murmured. “He said something about both of our bloods being what he really needed. It doesn’t make sense, since demon blood isn’t compatible with anyone else’s. It’s a well-known medical fact. It’s even more dangerous than mixing two different blood types. It’s like pouring acid on a nuclear reactor.” She closed her eyes and rested her cheek against his chest. She could finally feel her respiration slowing, and while she wasn’t exactly feeling calm, she did feel a bit more settled. She slid her arms around his waist, as if she could keep him with her, but she felt the pull on his spirit, as if a thick cord had been wrapped about his body and was tugging at him. She gripped him tighter, but she knew even her magick couldn’t keep him with her.

“If you were a djinn, I’d bind you to me,” she whispered, brushing her lips across his collarbone that was already feeling less substantial to the touch.

“I won’t wear a silk turban or those puffy pants,” he warned her, but she also heard the hint of pain in his voice.

Lili knew the more Jared resisted, the more painful his departure would be. She slowly edged away from him and sat up, looking at him with dark eyes warm with love that he returned with a smile and a gaze. He grazed her cheek with the back of his fingers that started to turn to mist.

“I love you,” he said just before he disappeared.

“I love you too,” Lili said to the empty spot where he’d been, then burst into tears.

“Hey, at least you know where he is,” Cleo soothed, crawling up into her lap and purring noisily.

That made Lili cry even more. Cleo was well-known for preferring to receive comfort than give it.

“He’ll die, and there’s nothing I can do about it.” She picked up a corner of her sheet and dabbed at her eyes, then blew her nose.

“That’s not the witch I’m used to,” Cleo said. “What all was said about blood? Not just your chatter about mixing yours and Jared’s blood. What else was said?” She waved a paw in the air. “Just because I have fur doesn’t mean I don’t have a brain, you know. And what you had wasn’t just a nightmare, either. You were seeing what could happen if you don’t stop it in time. And something tells me it has to do with stale old Dr. Mortimer. He’s the one who ‘treats,’” she rolled her expressive eyes, “Jared, and he talked to you about blood spells, and then there are those nasty scrolls.”

Unwilling to wait for her coffeemaker to perform its own magick, Lili hexed up a large mug of her favorite mocha latte and settled back against her pillows, sipping the hot liquid. The scent of Jared’s skin blended with hers and the memory of sex offered her a form of solace.

“I have to do something about this,” she said, pulling her knees up while managing to pull the covers up to her chin. Even her coffee and the covers didn’t seem to provide enough warmth to combat the early morning-chilled air.

“Just remember, you have backup now. You can’t do it alone,” Cleo warned her, settling down beside her. “There’s no way, after all these years, that I want to break in a new witch.”

“I’m so glad you’re worried about my well-being.” She didn’t ask the cat how she knew she’d confided in Deisphe. Cleo tended to know everything. She finished her latte and waved the mug back to the kitchen.

“Do you think it’s all that easy to find the right witch to hang out with? At least you’re not one of those New Age witches who wear tie-dyed clothing, are drenched in patchouli, and sing all the time. Please, the sixties are over, so let’s move on, thank you very much.” The fluffy feline stretched out alongside Lili, then rolled over onto her back. “It’s bad enough that people do that ‘ooh, you’re a witch’s familiar’ when, excuse me, it’s not even close. I’m nobody’s bitch.”

Lili couldn’t help smiling as Cleo chattered away. It didn’t take a psychic to know her cat was talking to cheer her up. She obliged her furry buddy by flicking her fingers, sending colorful feathers floating in the air. Cleo gurgled happily and batted away at the bits of fluff that drifted around her.

Between the feathers and Cleo’s purring, Lili eventually drifted back to sleep and dreamed that Jared held her in his arms.

Jared left paradise for the underworld.

He’d barely returned to his cell when Turtifo showed up to drag him off to the treatment room. Not that he was totally aware of what happened there. The ogre dragged him to his feet, slapped a charm on his chest, and it was lights out. When he woke up again, his body was covered with blood and agony racked his body. He felt so weak he doubted he could even lift his little finger. The impulse to roll over and throw up the acid in his system was strong, but he couldn’t even do that.

His power was very low after his night with Lili and he usually managed a day or so to get his strength back before he was hauled off for any kind of treatment. He wasn’t as lucky this time around. He might not have known what happened, but he had the feeling there was a chance he could have died. He wasn’t about to admit to that possibility, since he had Lili to think about and protect in his own limited way.

Now he was sprawled on the ragged mattress, and his pain was drowning out the laughter in the hallway.

“Think he’ll last much longer? He was a mess when we dragged him outta there.” Coing said. The scent of his cigarette drifted through the bars in the door. “He’s always been a strong sonofabitch, but he sure went down fast this time.”

Jared wasn’t sure what they smoked, but whatever it was, it smelled like ancient shit. For now, he was too absorbed in blocking out the pain and wishing he could instantly heal the cuts along his arms and legs.

“He better. He’s the only thing that keeps us going too. The boss promised we’d always be along for the ride.” The stench from Turtifo’s unwashed body joined the smell of the cigarettes. “He gives off a lot more power than the others have combined.”

“What do you think he does when he uses that portal?”

“No idea, and I don’t care. He told us not to think about it, and it’s a lot safer not to. Otherwise, we could end up like the others.”

Jared frowned but discovered even that hurt.
The
others?
Could
they
be
talking
about
Lili’s friend and the other missing nurses?
He saw a hint of shadow at the bars and quickly closed his eyes, keeping his breathing even as if he was still unconscious. For some reason, they were talkative, and he needed to listen in, so he could tell Lili what he learned.

“He still out?” Coing asked.

“Yeah, and not waking up any time soon.” Turtifo’s laughter rumbled. “His last ‘treatment’ took a lot out of him.”

“Too bad we don’t have that witch down here.” Coing’s laughter was lewd. “I bet she’d have a lot to give.” His cohort joined him in ideas of what they could do with Lili.

“Fuck it; she’s got major protection going on. You see the sigils in her lab coat and scrubs? Somebody’s made sure nothing can hurt her,” Turtifo snarled. “Wonder who she screwed to get them? I wouldn’t mind bending her over a table.” He went on to fantasize what it would be like if he had her.