Мишель Роуэн - Tall, Dark & Fangsome

Gideon’s expression twisted with fear and he looked at me. “Sarah—”

Thierry’s arm curled around my waist as he pulled me farther away from Gideon, who now reached out to me.

“I’m sorry,” I said as tears burned my eyes.

“So am I,” Gideon said.

The hellfire inside Gideon leaked out through the cut the demon had made. He looked down at his hands as they filled with flames. He blinked, and his eyes changed from black back to their normal emerald green.

“It doesn’t hurt.” He smiled at me. “I suppose I should count my blessings, right?”

A moment later the flames consumed him and he disappeared in a column of fire.

I choked out a sob and turned to Thierry, grabbing him into a tight hug. He gasped with pain.

“Sorry,” I managed. “I’m sorry.”

“For staking me?” he asked.

“For everything.”

“Don’t be.” He took my face between his hands and stared down at me. “Are those tears for Gideon?”

“Some of them.”

He kissed them away. “I understand.”

“He’s gone.”

“I know.”

He held me for a while until I calmed down a little. Then I pulled back from him and jabbed a finger in his direction. “I think I told you to stake me, mister. And you totally bailed on me like a chump.”

“I did.” He gingerly touched his chest. “And I think I paid the price for that.”

“I did that to keep you safe.”

“I’d hate to see what you’d do if you were very upset with me.”

“But what if—”

“Enough talking.” He pulled me—gently—against him and shut me up with a very deep kiss.

I felt a hand on my back after a moment. It was Steven. He looked completely shaken, but at least his eyes were back to normal.

“Dude, what just happened?”

“You were possessed by a demon,” I said.

He groaned. “Again? That so sucks.”

“Do me a favor?” I asked. “Go let Amy out of the crypt?”

He nodded and ran off to two crypts nearby, letting out a now-conscious Amy from one and his mother from the other. Steven embraced his mom very hard, and she patted the top of his head.

“I’m sorry, Mom. I promise I won’t do any more demon magic.”

“It’s fine,” she said. “But we’re still moving to Germany. And then you’re grounded for six months. And I’m confiscating all of your CDs.”

“Aww, Mom!”

Thierry stroked the hair back off my face. “How do you feel? Did he take too much blood?”

“I’m a bit woozy, but I’ll survive.” I looked up at him. “But he took everything. All of my extra strength. My curse. Everything. I’ve totally regressed.” I ran the tip of my tongue over my teeth. “Still got the fangs, though.”

“Perhaps if he’d continued to drain you, you might have become human again entirely.”

“Let’s not go overboard.” I managed a smile. “Why would I want to give all of this excitement up?”

“An excellent point.”

Veronique stood nearby with her arms crossed—the spell keeping her silent and still long over. She finally approached.

“I can’t believe this,” she said.

“Nor can I,” Thierry replied. “You sided with Gideon?”

“In an attempt to help stave off any unnecessary bloodshed.”

“Ah, I see. So it was entirely altruistic, was it?”

She sighed. “It did not turn out as I envisioned it.”

“No, I don’t suppose it did.”

“I am sorry.” She turned to me. “And to you as well.”

I shook my head. “You know, I do question your methods, but if you weren’t there yesterday letting me drink from you, things might have gone very badly.”

She shook her head with stunned disbelief. “Thierry, you were the Red Devil… all this time? I can’t believe it.”

“I was,” he said.

She tilted her head as she looked at him. “Although, now that you mention it, there is a striking similarity…” She swallowed. “How couldn’t I have known? It all makes sense now. But you knew, Sarah. Just from seeing him with his mask. You saw who he was underneath.”

I shrugged. “It took a couple of times, but yeah, I did.”

“You truly love my husband, don’t you?”

“Completely.”

There was a strange look of wonder and disbelief on her face, as if she was only just now realizing that it could possibly be true.

She touched my hand. “I’m happy for you, then. Both of you.”

I nodded. “Always glad to know my boyfriend’s wife approves of our relationship.”

Amy chose that moment to approach awkwardly. “Sarah?”

I moved toward her, but she took a step back from me. I held out my hands. “I’m so sorry about what happened before.”

She touched her throat, by which I’d held her up against the wall like a rag doll. “Are you better now?”

“I’m better than better. I’m cured.”

Her eyes widened. “No more curse?”

“It’s history.”

She made a little joyful noise and grabbed me in a huge hug, big enough to squeeze the breath out of me. It was so good to breathe again. Really, it’s underrated, this breathing thing.

Ditto the heartbeat. I’d never take it for granted again.

My cell phone buzzed and I pulled it out of my purse to answer it.

“Sarah.” George’s weary voice was on the other end.

“Hey,” I said.

“We have literally searched the entire city. Well, not literally, but you know what I mean.

We can’t find Amy anywhere and now it’s after midnight.” His voice quavered. “It’s all my fault. Gideon’s going to kill her and it’s all my fault.”

“Oh, well. You win some, you lose some.”

“How can you sound so blasé? This is Amy! Little darling Amy, and she’s dead! Barry is going to kill me.”

“You’re probably right. He’s ornery, that one.”

There was a long pause. “Did we miss something important?”

“Only a little. But Amy’s okay, so don’t worry. And Gideon… Gideon’s gone.” My throat felt thick as I said it.

George let out such a long sigh of relief I had to pull the phone away from my ear. “I think

I’m going to throw up. Like, seriously. Right here.”

I handed off the phone to Amy so she could assure George of her current happy, healthy, still slightly buzzed status.

Thierry touched my arm. “You’re upset.”

“It’s been a hell of a night.” I swallowed. “Like, literally.”

He nodded. “He’s gone.”

“I know.”

He was quiet for a moment, then he led me away from everyone else so we could speak in private. “Were you in love with him?”

I licked my dry lips. “No. But, I cared for him. Parts of him.”

Thierry raised an eyebrow. “Which parts?”

“You know what I mean. He was right about one thing he told me. Everyone has both good and bad in them. But actions speak louder than words. So, yeah, I did care for him despite who he was. But I love you.”

He smiled. “I can accept that.”

I frowned. “Aren’t you in pain with that hole in your chest.”

“I am a fast healer. But,” he cringed, “it is unpleasant.”

“Sorry.”

“Don’t be.” He leaned over to brush his lips against mine. “We can work around it.”

“That sounds very promising.” I leaned back. “And what about the Red Devil?”

He looked down at the mask he’d discarded earlier. “I think I’ve hidden behind masks for far too long. If I’m going to try to make any changes in the world, from now on I’ll do it without any secret identities.”

“It’s a deal.” I hooked my arm through his. “But, seriously. The next time I ask you to kill me, I want you to do it, okay?”

“I promise. Next time I definitely will.”