Мишель Роуэн - Lady & the Vamp

"Parker," the Boss said, his tone even. "Did I not stress how important this is to me? And yet you failed me again."

Her mouth was as dry as the desert she and Quinn had spent the better part of the afternoon traveling through.

"I… I—" She felt a tug at her sleeve and turned to see Quinn behind her, concern and worry etched into his expression. His hand moved down protectively to her waist, and he drew her closer to him.

The Boss's gaze flicked to Quinn. "He's still alive."

She nodded.

"I told you to kill him, and you ignored my orders."

Quinn's hand tightened at her waist. "Janie?"

She turned and looked at him. "I couldn't do it."

The Boss nodded his wrinkled skull. "And now, to make things even worse, you are a vampire?" He shook his head. "Pathetic. Truly pathetic."

She reached to touch her throat, but the marks had disappeared almost completely thanks to the healing balm. "How did you know that?"

"I can smell it on you from here."

She looked at Quinn. He shrugged. "I think you smell great."

The Boss sneered at them. "My seers once told me that you were destined for greatness. Despite your previous shortcomings, I gave you this chance to prove your worth to me. You have failed." His gaze moved to Quinn. "How rude of me not to introduce myself. I am he who shall end your life tonight. Yours and Parker's."

"Oh, yeah?" Quinn growled. "And I am he who shall end yours first."

The Boss laughed, a dry cackle that, as per usual, sounded riddled with disease. "Perhaps earlier I would have found you more humorous, but now I am simply weary and ready for this all to be over." He looked at the Eye. "Finally. After a millennium it is mine again."

"A m-millennium?"

Janie hated that the man made her stutter with nervousness. This is not how she'd envisioned her final meeting with the Boss.

The casino, except for them, was completely vacant. No witnesses. She was living on borrowed time now.

"Yes, Parker. This—" He held up the Eye "—was my staff, you see. And it was taken from me by a tribe of humans who once worshipped me until they betrayed me, a cloak of magic placed over its location for all this time until very recently. They were very good at keeping it from me for so long, but I will have the last laugh."

"Your staff?"

"It is part of me. Part of what little power I still have left. It represents that which was taken away from me when I was banished."

"Banished?" Janie felt very confused, which wasn't really a big stretch from when she'd beensort of confused. "From where?"

"From Hell." His thin lips twisted into a humorless smile. "I was a high-ranking demon at one time. For many millennia. And then my power was taken from me by Lucifer himself. I was punished. Sent here to the earthly realm. They expected me to wither away into nothingness among insipid, vile humans. The only thing that has kept me alive for all of this time has been hate and my deep desire for revenge."

"You're a demon?" Janie repeated, feeling cold at the thought. Why that had never occurred to her, she had no idea. She'd always referred to her "boss from hell." She'd never known she'd been speaking literally.

"Not just a demon," the Boss said, raising his hairless eyebrow. "I answered only to Lucifer."

"And that's what your wish is?" A cold feeling of dread swept over her. "To be a demon again?"

"This fragile body that grows weaker by the day. All will soon be restored, and I will get my revenge on all who have betrayed or disappointed me." His eyes narrowed. "And that includes you, Parker."

"But I found the Eye. Doesn't that count for anything?"

"You intended on letting your lover use it. Even with my threats toward your sister. You didn't believe that I would follow through?"

She glanced at Quinn.Her lover .

The Boss knew everything, didn't he? The thought was not in the least bit comforting.

Damn seers. She only hoped they didn't have some sort of psychic video connection to YouTube.

She didn't try to deny what he said, knowing it would be wasted breath. "But you have it now."

"Yes." He smiled, and then he laughed in a way that made Janie even more nervous than she already was. "All of these creatures in search of the Eye for all of these years, hoping to find it to use it for their own purposes.Any one wish was the rumor, yes?"

Quinn's grip tightened at her waist.

"That's what they say," Quinn said. "Make one wish and the Eye grants it."

"Amusing how information can be twisted over many years to become that of legend and myth. Yes,

there can be only one wish. However,I am the only one who can make that wish."

Janie was stunned at this news, and then she glanced at Quinn, whose face had whitened. "You'rethe only one?"

He smiled wistfully. "Wait until you see me in demon form. I am a thing of horrific beauty."

She was beginning to think that Malcolm's wish for omnipotence was almost cute compared to her Boss turning full demon.

But the Eye wasn't complete, was it? Not without the red stone that Quinn still had. Did the Boss even realize that?

She turned to look up into Quinn's dark blue eyes. His expression was tense, and he hadn't moved from her side since Malcolm had beenslayed .

Did he know what she was thinking?

Yes. She could see it in his eyes. He knew. She didn't have to tell him.

He had to go. He had to run and protect the stone. Take it somewhere that the Boss would never be able to find it. There was a chance that Quinn could escape before the Boss even knew what was going on and what he was missing. A slim chance, but they had to take it.

Quinn's throat worked as he swallowed. He shook his head almost imperceptibly.

She could almost read his mind.No, I'm not leaving you. Not like this .

But she didn't give him a chance. She pushed him, hard, away from her and moved toward her Boss and his helpers to distract them. She didn't look to see if Quinn had taken off. She knew he had.

"Parker, what are you doing?" the Boss said, frowning. "You're a bit of a freak, do you know that?"

"I suppose you want to kill me now," she said.

He raised an eyebrow. "It does sound tempting. But that can wait until after."

"After you've made your wish."

"Yes." He looked down at the Eye then, studying its beautiful etched details. If what he said was true, he hadn't seen it in person for ten centuries. His pale, watery eyes appraised its every surface. And then his brow slowly lowered, and he raised his gaze to Janie's.

He'd noticed the discrepancy.

"Where is your lover?"

"Gone."

"He would leave you to face my wrath alone?"

She said nothing.

Then his eyes did the oddest thing. Wherevampires's eyes turned black when they were very hungry, her

Boss's eyes filled with what appeared to be… fire? A red and orange gleam that froze her inside. She hadn't seen that before. Ever.

"Bring her," he said, and his helper drones grabbed her on either side, painfully, and dragged her through the deserted casino.

Quinn had escaped. He had the stone. He could run away and try to forget any of this had happened with his safety intact, knowing that the demon he just had the misfortune to meet wouldn't be able to make his wish.

He stood outside, next to the fountain of the Bellagio as it did its choreographed water dance to Celine

Dion singing about her heart going on.

And on.

Then he swore loudly. Loud enough that the gathered crowd turned to look at him as if he was something to be wary of. Something to fear.

He was.

He'd left her. Just like that. Without even arguing. Without coming up with a better solution.

And now she was going to pay the price. Her boss would kill her for her betrayal.