Whatever It Takes (8 page)

“You have me at your mercy.” I shook my manacled hands to prove my point. “So let her go.”

Kristoff cocked his brow in question. “Am I supposed to believe that? Even after you bested my men in an evening gown and heels. I think not.”

“You’re wrong.” Kristoff narrowed his eyes in suspicion. “I was barefoot.” Pride laced my words.

“You are not to be trusted. Sabine is a down payment so to speak.”

Damn, I guess pride really did come before the fall. I shouldn’t have gotten snippy with him. If I wanted him to believe that I was incapable of getting free than I should not have pointed out how incompetent his men were.

Now I really did pull on my chains, annoyed that because his men weren’t able to hold their own, Kristoff didn’t trust me. I was one woman, chained to an altar, what the hell could I do to him? I knew he wouldn’t budge, Kristoff didn’t trust me and that was fine, because given half the chance I’d put him six feet under where a corpse like him belonged.

Or at least I would try to. There was no telling which of us would make it out of a battle like that. I had years of pent up hatred and rage on my side. Kristoff on the other hand had millennium of war and violence on his. Yeah, it would be safe to say we might both need last rites preformed after that encounter.

“Easy, female.” His large palm now caressed my corset covered stomach. “I offer you my word that once you and I have concluded our business, everyone goes home unharmed.”

He had to be kidding me. As a matter of fact I was waiting for him to tell me I was on Candid Camera. Everyone knew Kristoff wasn’t one to keep his word. Hell, even I knew better than to negotiate with a vampire. They were no better than terrorist, feeding off our fear.

Kristoff continued to caress me through my corset. I tried to jerk away from his touch but my chains wouldn’t allow it. I was caught like a butterfly under glass, knowing that given half the chance Kristoff would gladly pull off my wings. A wicked smile curved his lips at my discomfort. Something rose up in me at that moment and I wanted nothing more than to wipe the smile off his face for him.

“The word of a snake can’t be trusted.”

At my words Sabine drew in a sharp breath. Out of the corner of my eye I saw Priest shift from one foot to the other, annoyance rolling off of him in waves. He was ready to pounce if Kristoff gave the word. It seemed I had said something out of line. Oh, silly me.

“Be that as it may, female, it appears you have no choice.”

He spread his arms as if to indicate that there was no way I was getting out of this jam. Kristoff planned on making good on whatever investment he thought he had made for twenty-one years. It appeared he thought I was that investment and he was going to collect. Although the muscle ticking in his jaw gave away his irritation, we were starting to grate on each other’s nerves. Trying to win that one up’s man contest that all mortal enemies played. Neither of us was going to win; at least from my vantage point it appeared that way.

“Let her go. I’ll stay, but let her go.”

He shook his head, “You will learn to heel, female.”

Where the hell did he think I was going chained as I was? Did he think that I was going to pull a Houdini and somehow slip my chains? No way, I was trussed up tighter than a Thanksgiving turkey. Besides, I’ve never met a sacrifice who got up from an altar still breathing. Let alone one that had a fighting chance, so he could just cut the crap.

Through gritted teeth I said, “Call me that again and I’ll neuter you.”

Kristoff turned toward Priest, “She is incorrigible.”

He nodded his ink covered head in ascent. For a moment I wondered if the pattern covered him when he went all furry. That would make for one interesting looking werewolf, maybe if I played my cards right I’d get that wolf pelt after all. I was more than sure that his strange markings were the reason behind Kristoff acquiring him. Or maybe it was his alpha powers, who knew with Kristoff anymore. He seemed to be full of nasty surprises today.

My musings were cut short by Priest’s words. “Master, shall I teach her, her place?”

I bristled at his words. Kristoff noticed my reaction, an evil grin lighting his features at my annoyance. He liked the fact that I was strong-willed. Maybe not when it was directed at him but with others he found it amusing. Maybe even something to be respected. Ha! Respect from a low-rent undead gangster, not likely.

“Do not be so eager to see her bow to you. Lest one day you find yourself bowing to her instead.”

He shot a very nasty look in Priest’s direction that had me wondering why he surrounded himself with such lackeys. Not only did Priest not know his place, he didn’t know when to leave well enough alone. After all Kristoff had just spewed some crap about me owning his black heart and here Priest was insulting me. Yeah, he was not a very observant goon.

But what Kristoff had said caught my attention. Because there was no way an Indigo Child could take on a werewolf and win; unless of course there was something here that I was missing. I may not have wanted answers I wouldn’t like, but I still needed to be kept in the loop. The crap Kristoff was spouting was so far out there I couldn’t even hope to begin to piece any of it together. It was one big disjointed puzzle, designed by Stanley Kubrick. A cryptic vampire was a very annoying vampire or so I was starting to realize.

“Right and the next thing you’ll tell me is that you’re not really a vampire, but the demon high lord spoken about in the Son of Perdition prophecy.”

Kristoff’s smirk grew wider. What? What did I say? Even Sabine looked at me as if I’d hit on some important point. They were all acting as if I’d uncovered the Holy Grail. Whatever everyone knew they hadn’t thought to include me. I could tell you now it was so very frustrating.

Replaying what I’d just said brought me up short. Holy crap! What if he wasn’t a vampire after all? That would mean that I was staring at my worst nightmare come to life. It would also mean that I have hated a single group of Mythos beings my whole life for the wrong reason. Although if my new assumption was right it wouldn’t really matter after tonight.

A flash of memory came back to me in an instant. In the recesses of my mind I could hear my grandfather crying out one word, demon. It was a memory from when I was five, just as Kristoff had alluded to. I had buried this memory deep amongst the rest of them. But there it was taunting me with a truth I could only just now see. That memory was all it took for the puzzle pieces to fall into place.

He had never been trying to acquire me for someone else. Kristoff was or should I say is the demon high lord the prophecy spoke of. It would seem that he felt I was the woman the prophecy had promised him. The hellfire to his brimstone. Dammit, my life just refused to be easy.

Kristoff ran his hand over my head in a gentle caress. An act so out of character with his demonic nature that it startled me. Making me shiver in disgust at how easily a beautiful exterior could hide such a blackened heart. I tried once more to pull away from him, but all I succeeded in doing was turning my head.

“It seems my female is perceptive.”

His female? Oh hell no, he could not be serious! I was holding out hope that he was only trying to scare me. Kristoff liked his victims to be full of fear before they died
,
I guess it made us taste better. You know fear, the other white meat. Yet that wouldn’t account for the way the others in the room had acted.

Good God, he thought I was going to let him mate with me. There was no way I was going to let that happen, not to bring about one of his half-breed freaks. If Kristoff succeeded with his plan I’d belong to him forever. I couldn’t let that happen, I couldn’t betray my grandfather’s memory like that. I didn’t care if my refusal meant I would have to die. I would rather die on my back than live on my knees in supplication to a monster.

I tugged harder on the chains, as if sheer will power would make them break. Tears slipped from my eyes as my wrists began to bleed from the struggle. I felt the blood begin to seep from my wrists and trail down my arms. Hopelessness filled my heart until it was all I could feel, there was nothing else left. It blocked out everything, even my deep hatred for Kristoff.

“Shh. Be still. This will all be over soon and you shall fulfill your destiny.”

I parted my lips to answer him but his hand clamped over my mouth effectively cutting off any retort. Just the touch of his skin to mine had me wanting to fight him harder. Chained like this there was only one option left open to me. I didn’t even bother to consider the consequences; I just bit down on his hand for all I was worth. Not letting go till I drew blood. I gagged. Yuck, his blood tasted bitter like stale pennies.

Kristoff hissed, his red eyes flashing black. "You’ll pay for that, dear.”

“Whatever. Can’t be any worse than this.” I shook my manacled hands for emphasis.

One thing about me, when I’m pissed I don’t think. I just say or do whatever comes to mind. Sometimes it worked to my advantage. Sometimes I got into a lot of trouble for it. I could see it in his eyes that this time I would pay the price for my rash actions.

He loomed over me. “I can assure you it will be.”

Forgetting that Sabine was in attendance I bit back. “Screw you.”

Kristoff leaned forward and spoke right against my ear. “So eager. I like that.”

I was about to tell him exactly what I thought. As a matter of fact why not? In for a penny in for a pound. “Why don’t you be a good little demon, practice safe sex and go f…?”

But his hand was over my mouth once more stopping me, this time smearing his blood over my lips and cheek. Fear gripped my heart as I tried to remember if his blood could turn me into a demon. But try as I might nothing about demon spawn would come to mind. I wanted to throw up from the stress of the whole damn situation.

“Enough! Priest.” Kristoff pulled his hand away from my mouth and turned to his henchman, “It’s time. Begin the ritual.”

I watched as Priest came closer to the altar. Kristoff moving off to the side, yet still close enough to keep an eye on me. I guess he didn’t trust me to behave after all. Well, I was too damned scared to even move now, so he had nothing to worry about.

Priest had a jeweled dagger in one hand, a silver cup in the other. Was he planning on a virgin sacrifice, because he was definitely barking up the wrong tree on that one. At that I felt a fleeting regret that I hadn’t experienced more of life. That, all my grandfather had died for was a wasted life, sacrificed to save a child that might die anyway.

“You might want to try someone else for a virgin sacrifice.”

Priest placed the objects on the alter beside me. “This is no sacrifice. It’s a bonding ceremony.”

Crap, they were serious all along. I had held out hope that he was only trying to scare me. I eyed Kristoff and he just smiled down at me. Like I was a blushing bride and he was a happy groom. Well, I would show him just what kind of a match we made. A match made in hell. Oh wait, that was exactly what we were. Or at least what we would be if I didn’t stop this ceremony from taking place. 

If Priest bound me to Kristoff I would be marked forever. There would be no where I could hide from him. He would know everything about me. From my thoughts to my emotions, he would be able to invade my dreams and waking thoughts. I would never be free of him. A bond with a demon was breakable only one way; death to the demon. Impossible, it has never been done.

I was stunned into silence and this seemed to please Kristoff immensely. The smile on his face spoke volumes, letting me know that he would take pleasure in my suffering. Reading his emotions told me that he thought with time I would be agreeable to all of this. Too bad for him, because as I lay here I’m really plotting his death.

From his robes Priest pulled a Blood Rosary, the rosary all satanic followers used. It had big red beads said to be made from the blood of martyrs and an upside down crucifix attached to it. He made an inverted sign of the cross. Then he began to pray over me in Latin. If nothing else, his evil devotion to a hollow religion was disturbing.

The air around the three of us shimmered with a spark of power. I knew they were calling forth the evil one. I could feel the fabric of time splitting; the stench of rotting souls filled the air around me. My wrists bled even more, the blood beginning to run down my arms even faster. But the pain was gone now, replaced by mind-numbing fear. If they were bringing forth the devil they meant business.

From the corner of my eye I noticed a bright green wall of fire. My heart leapt into my throat. God no, they really were calling the devil forth. They were going to pierce the veil and then the shit was going to hit the fan. There was nothing I could do about it chained as I was. All I could do was pray that Sabine was safe, everything else I would have to deal with as it came.

Kristoff leaned forward and whispered close to my ear. “My father below has come to bless our joining. He will approve of my choice in a mate, I’m sure.”

I whimpered. There was no way I’d survive this. Even if I did, I’d be destined for hell at the end of my life, which was a fate worse than any I could imagine. Forever separated from God’s holy love. Forever separated from everyone I’d ever loved. I should have told James what he and Shaye meant to me the last time we spoke. Why was it always when it was too late that we wanted to tell others just how much we loved them?

“Where shall you mark her?” The devil’s voice boomed, pulling me from my thoughts.

He was incorporeal, which was a blessing in and of itself. If the devil had come fully forth I would have died from fright. Once before his fall, Satan had been the most beautiful angel in all of God’s kingdom. Made to reflect God’s glory, he had been the lead angel of worship. But once pride, envy and hate gripped his heart, he became a beast. Twisted and deformed; a sight that would make the most seasoned warrior want to faint.

Obviously Priest wasn’t strong enough to bring him fully from the pit. Thank you God, for blessings, no matter how small. Because with my smart mouth I would probably tell him just how damn ugly I thought he was. That would most likely end my life for me but at least I’d have the last word. See, if you looked hard enough you could always find the bright side to things. Since I was feeling so optimistic I’d make an appointment to see someone about my anger management issues, right after I got out of this mess.

He slid his hand over my cuffed wrist taking away with him the bracelet my grandfather had given me as little girl. He held it in front of my face so I could watch the candle light bounce tauntingly off the crystal heart charms. Seeing something so special to me in his hands had a look of horror crossing my face and an answering smile crossing his. He was a bastard and if I ever got the chance I would make him pay for all he has put me through.

“Give it back you bastard!”

Kristoff slipped it into his pocket. “I believe I shall keep it as a wedding present. A reminder, if you will, of a wonderful evening.”

“I hate you.” I spat at him.

Grabbing a fistful of my curls he jerked hard. A whimper passed my lips. “Enough! Or I’ll ask my father below if we can honeymoon in hell.”

My eyes widened at his threat. Satisfied with my reaction he released my hair. Then Kristoff unbuckled my corset across my throat and unzipped it down the front. I was thankful I had decided to wear a bra. His hand was large and warm against my hip, sending a slight shiver up my body, my skin erupted in gooseflesh. What the hell was that about? I was so not reacting to this sleaze bag or his devil given power.

“Here.”

I felt the skin on my hip bone heat up. The feeling grew more intense as a green glow emanated from Kristoff’s hand. It was like getting tattooed all over again. Except this felt about one million times worse, think a disturbed nest of killer bees eating you alive, from the inside out.

His touch forced his thoughts into me. I could see everything, from all the death and debauchery he’s caused throughout eternity, to what he planned on doing to me. A tear slipped down my cheek. Through our link I sensed his excitement at my anguish. It seemed Kristoff enjoyed breaking me in front of his dark father.

“The bond has been established. It is up to you to finish it.”

The green wall of hellfire faded from sight. As soon as it was gone, the heat on my hip diminished and I found myself sagging against my chains. Bittersweet relief, the heat was gone, but now I would belong to my enemy for all eternity. Can’t I catch a break? Even Sherlock Holmes and Steve McGarrett were afforded the chance to rid themselves of their nemesis. Of course they were fictional characters and more cunning than I, not to mention they each had their own sidekick. Yep, some guys have all the luck.