Summoning Darkness (9 page)

Her shoulder burned. She tugged down the wide neck of her cotton nightgown to inspect the bite. It had healed rapidly, forming a round, deep red scar. As she watched, it shimmered in the mirror, heated from the inside with the supernatural power that had been Varin’s final gift to her. And his last transgression against the Prince of Darkness. Without his mark, she knew without a doubt she wouldn’t have been able to break free of Hell’s grip. Most of the time, she was grateful for Varin’s sacrifice. And other times, when the pain in her chest grew too hollow to bear, she wished he’d let her go. If he had, then she’d be with them now instead of remaining behind to imagine the vast array of punishments they had to endure for her summoning sin.

A rapid knock on her front door startled Heidi out of her thoughts.

“I know you’re in there.”

Heidi’s heightened senses picked up Lillian’s muffled voice clearly. She gripped the edge of the countertop and pressed her lips together, knowing this time, Lillian wouldn’t leave. She’d come back every day since the night the Scarlet Summoners brought Heidi home. They needed to talk, she’d said as the women left Heidi alone to rest, and promised to return. Heidi had hoped she’d be able to conduct another summoning on her own, but she realized that wasn’t going to happen. She needed to learn what Lillian knew about Hell… and about Varin.

She padded to the front hall, her bare feet making no noise as she approached the door and pulled it open. On the other side, Lillian stood frozen for an instant, taking in Heidi’s appearance. Then, graceful as a dancer, she slipped inside and gave Heidi a tentative hug.

“We’ve been worried sick about you,” Lillian said when Heidi moved away and locked the door behind her. “Why wouldn’t you let us help you get through this?”

“I needed to be alone.” Heidi led the way into her modestly decorated living room and flicked on a small lamp she’d placed on the coffee table. The deep brown lampshade drowned out most of the bulb’s force, while still allowing a little ambient light to escape.

Lillian perched on the edge of Heidi’s worn leather couch. “You’re still not going to tell me what happened in there.”

It wasn’t a question, and Heidi felt no need to answer. Instead, she said,

“Tell me how it is you always know exactly where to find a demon.”

Lillian’s brows shot up in surprise. “I’m not sure I understand what you mean.”

“Sure you do. The way you always lead the Summoners right to a demon’s door is more than a little odd, don’t you think? You’ve never made a mistake. Not once have you pegged a human for a demon or a demon for a human. How is that possible?”

Lillian hesitated. She raked a hand through her shimmering mane of blonde hair, then fixed Heidi with a hard gaze. “You’re one of us now, aren’t you?”

“I’m not sure I understand what you mean,” Heidi said, coyly echoing Lillian’s words back at her.

“There was a demon with you in that room,” Lillian said after another long pause. “He cast the spell of warding around the door, which is why we couldn’t get in and had to resort to casting through the barrier. Damn it, Heidi, we almost lost you. We had to do something.”

“No, you didn’t. You just had to trust me.”

“Trust you to get yourself sucked into the depths of Hell? Do you have any idea what you’re saying?”

Heidi paced the length of her living room. “Actually, I know better than anyone what I’m saying. Luke has spent the last two years down there, being subjected to terrors you and I can only imagine in our worst nightmares.”

“Others have spent time in Hell, too, Heidi. Don’t mistake Luke’s plight for the only one that matters.”

Heidi spun on her heel, fixing Lillian with a piercing glare. “Others. Like you?”

Lillian’s eyes narrowed. “It was a long time ago. I swore then that I would see every single demon who breached the mortal realm perish by my hand, and I’ve kept that promise. They’re all alike, Heidi. Every one of them.” She grimaced as though the words pained her. “They’re cruel and vicious. They treat Earth like it’s their own personal playground, and they delight in tormenting human souls.”

Heidi recalled the way Varin had held her when Hell itself threatened to tear her away from his arms. He’d fucked her roughly, almost savagely, but only because she demanded it. At other times, he’d been as tender and loving as Luke.

And she remembered the way he’d spoken Lillian’s name when he’d recognized her voice. The tenderness and raw hurt in his tone had made the hair on Heidi’s neck stand on end. That wasn’t the reaction of a demon who wanted to terrorize. It was the reaction of a man who’d just seen a ghost.

“It must have been difficult,” Heidi mused. “Escaping Hell.”

“I did what I had to do.”

“Yet you have no scars to show for your time there. I saw Luke’s skin,”

she said, deliberately avoiding mentioning Varin. “And I’ve seen yours. They look nothing alike.”

Lillian stiffened. “Do you know what it’s like to be torn from your family, from your future husband, from everything and everyone you’ve ever known only to be thrust into the depths of Hell and promised an eternity of darkness? I had to bide my time, to play along with every touch and sexual demand, to pretend I enjoyed every caress. But make no mistake. Scars don’t have to be visible to exist. And I meant it when I said I’d destroy every demon who stepped into our realm.”

A shudder ran down Heidi’s spine at the determination in Lillian’s voice. She took a deep breath, then voiced the thought that had been on her mind ever since Lillian stepped through the door. “Tell me how you get there.”

Lillian’s eyes widened. “You don’t mean that.”

“Something’s happened to me. I’m no longer fully human, and I can’t open a summoning portal no matter what I do, even though other spells come easily. You’ve been there. You can help me find a way to break through the barrier into Hell.”

Lillian toyed with the hem of her skirt. “Demons don’t mark humans without a damn good reason. It took me years to convince --” She stopped abruptly and sucked in a breath between her teeth, then shook her head.

“The demon who bit you. Who was he? Anyone we know?”

Although Heidi had suspected Lillian hadn’t managed to get a good look at Varin through the ambient magic that had filled the room, relief still suffused her veins when Lillian confirmed her assumption.

“If you’re wondering whether I initiated a summoning for Luke as a cover when I in fact intended to go back after a demon we’d previously sent to Hell, you can stop worrying. It’s no one we’ve dealt with.”

Lillian nodded. “I had to be sure. The bite… it’s just strange, that’s all.”

“No stranger than what we do on a daily basis would be to most humans. You of all people should know just how quickly the impossible becomes possible.”

Lillian slung the strap of her purse over her shoulder and stood. “Why do I get the feeling you’re determined to do this with or without my help?”

“Because I am.” Heidi touched the burning bite mark through her cotton nightshirt. “I’m going to bring him back, Lillian. No matter what it takes.”

Lillian turned and headed for the front door. There, she hesitated with her hand on the handle, then finally glanced over her shoulder at Heidi. “The next full moon is twelve days away. Meet me that night and I’ll help you pass through to the other side. After that, though, you’re on your own. I’ll call you with further instructions within the next few days.”

When Heidi had shut the door behind Lillian, she leaned against it and closed her eyes. Images of two very different men rose in her mind’s eye. She licked her dry lips, a shiver of awareness running through her.

“I’m going to bring you both back,” she promised. “No matter what it takes.”

Lacey Savage

Lacey Savage began her love affair with romance at an early age. In high school, she checked out steamy romance novels from the public library and would often be found reading them in the middle of class. Lacey still reads more than she cares to admit, and probably more than her husband would like, considering how many books she keeps bringing into the house. Her favorite genres have always been erotica, romance, fantasy, science fiction and mystery, so she tries to incorporate a little of each into her writing. She initially majored in Marketing, then went back to school to major in English Literature. After earning her degrees, she decided to turn her efforts to her true passion: writing. A hopeless romantic, Lacey loves writing about the intimate, sensual side of relationships. She currently resides in Ottawa, Canada, with her loving husband and their mischievous cat. You can learn more about Lacey by visiting her website at http://www.laceysavage.com, and can reach her at [email protected].

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