Evil Librarian (22 page)

“So?”

“They seek assistance, and will bargain.”

She flicks a contemptuous glance at us, then looks back at Aaron. “Seriously? You want me to help a couple of teenagers save their high school?”

“The demon calls himself John Gabriel.”

“Ah.”

“And the girl has some kind of resistance.”

I stare at him. “Hey! How do you know about that?”

“Your demon librarian said something about it. Before he threw you across the room.”

Ryan’s eyes get very narrow. “I thought you were out cold that whole time.”

Aaron attempts a shrug, which doesn’t quite work given his awkward physical situation, but the general message comes across. “I went in and out of consciousness a few times.”

I feel stupidly embarrassed that he knows about my roachiness. “Yeah, well, you saw how much good it did me. He can still kick my ass, apparently. He just can’t mesmerize me or suck my soul out like he can with everyone else.”

Suddenly I have the demoness’s full attention. I immediately wish I didn’t.

“Rrrrrreallllly,” she purrs. She turns away from Aaron and he drops to the floor like a bag of rocks.

I scramble to my feet, because I don’t like how it feels to be looking up at her. Ryan stands up beside me. The demoness stands at the edge of the circle, gazing at me intently. I wonder suddenly if she can hurt me the way she was able to hurt Aaron. Fucking Aaron. Who the hell intentionally creates a demon containment field that allows the demon to reach through it and make holes in your guts?

“Come closer,” she says.

“Uh,
no,
” I say. “Sorry.”

She widens her eyes slightly and repeats the command more forcefully. “Come. Closer.”

Beside me, Ryan takes a step forward.

“Hey!” I say, grabbing his hand and pulling him back. I glare at her. “Quit it!”

“Interesting,” she murmurs. “You really are resistant. Not your little friend, though. Just you.”

“So?”

Ryan abruptly jerks upward into the air with a yelp, taking his hand with him. I twist to stare up at him. He stares back, clearly on the edge of (understandably) completely freaking the hell out.

“So
come closer,
” the demoness explains, “or I will rip his intestines out through his eye sockets.”

Fucking
Aaron.

“Okay! Okay. I’m coming, see?” I take a slow step toward her, then another, glancing back and forth between her and Ryan. “Just put him down, all right? Gently! Please.”

She waits until I reach the circle’s edge, then releases him. He drops a little less hard than Aaron did. Maybe that’s what passes for gentle for a demon. At least his guts appear to still be intact.

From the floor, Ryan gives me a little wave that seems to be meant to indicate that he’s okay.

“Now,” the demoness says, “let me get a look at you.”

Then she closes her eyes and holds up her hands, or whatever they are, palms out. I feel a weird tingly sensation. Not good-tingly, like the kind Ryan inspires in my loins and various other places; this feeling makes me imagine thousands of tiny stinger-bearing insects hovering about a millimeter away from the entire surface area of my skin.

The demoness inhales deeply, and then exhales in a long, slow, shuddery breath that I can’t feel against my face even though she’s only a few inches away. She opens her eyes, and her gaze is focused and sharp and alight with interest.

“Oh, yes,” she says, baring her pointy teeth in a terrifying smile. “Did your demon tell you what we call creatures like you?”

“Yeah, yeah, I’m a giant super cockroach. Ha-ha, so funny. Hi
lar
ious.”

Her smile stretches even wider.

“So. I believe we can be of assistance to each other. You want to drive out this demon, yes?”

“I want to get rid of him forever and save my friend,” I say carefully, mindful of Aaron’s warning about deal making.

She nods. “I can help you. In return, you must allow me to borrow your resistance.”

Uhhhh. “How will that work, exactly?” I ask.

“Your John Gabriel is preparing to fight for the demon throne. I . . . have just decided to do the same. When the fight begins, you will let me draw upon your resistance, which will give me the advantage I need to defeat my rivals.”

“But how are you going to ‘draw upon’ it exactly? Will I get it back?”

“Think of it like . . . sharing an umbrella with me in a storm. You will have a little less of it for yourself, but only while you’re holding it so that I can benefit from its protection along with you.”

That doesn’t sound so bad.

“How would you help me save my friend?”

She thinks for a moment. “I will give you two powerful items to use at the time of the battle. One will sever the demon’s hold on your friend. The other will be a kind of shield to help protect you. It will deflect the demon’s power back at him, but only once.”

Aaaand now I am not following this at all.

“But — his power doesn’t work on me. If I’m only, uh, sharing the umbrella, why wouldn’t I still have enough —?”

She shakes her head. “It’s . . . a small umbrella. And it will be raining very hard.”

“Cyn,” I hear Ryan say from behind me. “This isn’t sounding like such a good idea.”

I make shushing motions at him with my hand without turning around. Of course it’s not a good idea. None of this is a good idea. There’s just no better choice available.

Anyway, I’m still trying to understand. “But he won’t even be here — he’ll be wherever you are, fighting, won’t he?”

“You will need to be present, in our realm, at the time of the battle.”

“Cyn, no!” Ryan shouts, at the same time that Aaron cries, “
What?
You’ll take
her
but not me?”

The demoness’s face tightens in annoyance. She flicks her claws and I whip around to see Ryan and Aaron both slump over.

“What did you just do?” I say in a carefully controlled voice.

“They’re fine,” she says. “I just needed them to shut up and let the ladies finish their chat.”

“Okay,” I say, although it’s totally not okay. I am suddenly aware that I am now, for all practical purposes, alone with her in Aaron’s creepy demon room. “So get on with it.”

“At the time of the battle, I will bring you here. Your demon will be bringing your friend along with him, too. He’ll have to. You will use the items I give you to sever their connection and protect yourself from his power while I am borrowing your resistance. Then, once I destroy the others and win the battle, I will send you back to your own world.”

“Me and Annie.”

“Yes.”

“Alive and unharmed.”

“Not killed or harmed by me. I cannot make any promises for anyone else.”

“And if you don’t win?”

“I will win.”

“Okay, but if you
don’t
?”

“Then we both lose. And your friend, too.”

“You’re not giving me much in the way of guarantees, here, lady.”

She smiles coldly at me. “There are never any guarantees. For any of us. I will keep my bargain, assuming I am alive and able to do so. If I’m dead, you will likely be, too. Or will wish you were. Your friend will be lost. If I win, you will get what you are asking for. Make your choice.”

I suddenly remember something else. “Can you stop Mr. Gabriel from killing everyone else in the school? He’s planning to do that at the end, before the fight.”

“I can try to force his hand sooner than he’s expecting. That’s the best I can do. I can’t stop him from draining your schoolmates between now and then. I can’t stop him from killing in general. But I might be able to stop him from getting his last deep drink at the end.” She tilts her head, considering. “That’s extra, though.”

I squint my eyes at her. “Extra?”

“Not part of the original bargain. It raises the price.”

“To what?”

“You must return to the demon realm twice more, at times of my choosing, to assist me.”

“No.”

“That is not negotiable.”

There is no way I’m going to agree to that. I’m sure once will be bad enough.

“Fine. Forget it. I’ll find some other way to stop him from killing everyone. We’ll stick with the original deal.”

“No.”

“What do you mean,
no
?”

“The original deal is off the table. New deal or no deal. Take it or leave it.”

“You can’t do that!”

She smiles her disturbing pointy smile and says nothing.

I feel very strongly that I should not agree to this new addition. But I need her help.
Annie
needs her help. The whole damn(ed) school needs her help.

“Once. Once more, at a time of your choosing.”

“Twice.”

“What if I’m busy?”

Silence.

“What if I’m not able to come?”

“You will be.”

“What if I say yes but then I just don’t come when you try to make me come back?” I realize I should probably not be saying everything that pops into my head right now, but I’m genuinely curious about this point.

“You will not be able to refuse. It will be part of the deal.”

“Like, I’ll be magically compelled to obey?”

“Something like that.”

I shake my head. “Oh, no. You spell it out. Clearly and completely. I want to know exactly what I am agreeing to before I agree to anything. Spell out all the terms, right now.”

She sighs, but does it anyway. “You agree to be transported to the demon realm for the coming battle for the throne and to lend me the power of your resistance to aid me in my fight for demon rule. This will be a temporary lending of power, and I will release it back to you upon my victory or my death, whichever comes first. You further agree to return twice more, at times of my choosing, to lend me your resistance again. In return for all of this, I will give you the tools you will need to free your friend from her demon master and to protect you from one direct assault of his power, provide you and your friend safe passage back from the demon realm following the battle, and do my best to prevent your demon librarian from killing everyone in the school before he departs.”

I try to channel my favorite fictional lawyers from TV — kicking ass and taking names, etc. “You will also do your best to see that Annie and I survive to be returned to our own world. And when you do your best to prevent Mr. Gabriel from killing everyone, your top priority will be making sure that Ryan Halsey survives.” I indicate his attractive yet unconscious form behind me. I feel a little guilty as I say that part, since I know Ryan would probably not agree to being put first over everyone else that needs saving. But I don’t care. If I have to go to the goddamn demon world, not once but three times, I’m going to get whatever I can out of it. And if that means I can make sure he survives this thing, I’m going to do it.

I hurry on with the rest. “Also, when you summon me those two more times in the future, the specific terms of the assistance I will be giving you will be negotiated at that time, my approval not to be unreasonably withheld or delayed. And you can’t whisk me away on the day of my future wedding, while I’m giving birth or about to give birth or have just given birth to a child, while I’m operating a motor vehicle or heavy machinery, or while I’m having sex. Or if I’m in the bathroom. And you have to do it in such a way that won’t be suspicious to any normal people who happen to be around who don’t know about demons and stuff. And you have to return me safely, alive and unharmed, if you can, both times. And then after the second time you have to leave me alone forever.”

“Agreed.”

I’m startled by the swiftness of her reply, and quickly try to review everything that’s been said to make sure I’m not overlooking anything important. I can’t think of anything, and I don’t know what else to do other than agree. I don’t want to. I really, really don’t want to. But getting her help seems like the best chance — probably the only chance — of getting me and Ryan and Annie and as many other people as possible out of this alive.

“Agreed.”

I feel another tingly sensation, this one a little painful, like all those insects stabbed me just for a second with their many tiny stingers. Then it’s gone.

The demoness makes another gesture and I hear groans behind me.

“Worm,” she says, addressing Aaron. He snaps to as much attention as he can, half lying on the floor.

She looks at him a moment more, then favors him with a small smile.

“You have done well. With your friend’s assistance, I will now be in a position to move forward with my plans for the demon throne. I will therefore be in need of a human consort from which to create my future mate. You will be ready when I call you.”

Aaron can barely speak from what appears to be overwhelming joy. “Y-yes, my mistress,” he manages in a hoarse whisper.

She blinks and disappears.

“Cyn?” Ryan asks softly. “What happened?”

“I’ll explain on the way home,” I say. “Right now I just want to get out of here.” I go over to help him up. “You okay?”

“Yeah,” he says, but he lets me help him. “I’ll live.”

Yes, you will,
I think but don’t say. And I realize that while I’m prepared to tell him the other terms of the deal, I’m not going to say anything about the going back twice more, or about making his life the demoness’s top priority.

There’s really no reason he needs to know.