Мишель Роуэн - Lady & the Vamp

"No. Actually, angels. They are really annoying. But just above angels are vampires."

"You talk a lot for an evil entity."

"Give me the stone."

Quinn eyed him warily. "Any reason you're not just taking it from me?"

The Boss's lips twisted. "Unfortunately, I cannot take it from you, you must give it to me of your own free will. It was part of my banishment. Rules and regulations even apply to demons."

It was in Quinn's hand in a flash. "Let them live and it's yours."

"You would take me at my word?"

"When you have what you want, you won't give a shit about them anymore. I'm sure you'll have much more interesting things to take care of, won't you? What difference will it make if you spare a few meaningless creatures?"

"Quinn, what the hell are you doing?" Janie said through clenched teeth.

"Silence," the Boss hissed. "Very well, vampire. I will give you my word the only way I can. By giving you my name. The demonRadisshii gives you the solemn vow that you and your friends here shall be spared my wrath."

"Radisshii? That's seriously your name?"

"Now, the stone?"

Just as Janie was about to open her mouth to protest, Quinn threw the ruby at the Boss.

Since the Boss was very old and frail, the stone hit him in the face and fell to the floor.

"Ouch," he said.

Quinn cleared his throat. "Sorry. I… I thought you'd catch that."

A drone dove to the ground, picking it up and handing it to the Boss with eyes lowered in reverence.

The boss rubbed his cheek, which now bore a small red mark. He frowned.

Quinn raised his eyebrows. "Remember, you said you wouldn't kill me. Now let my friends go."

"Silence."

The Boss—the demonRadisshii —produced the Eye, running his dry fingers over its golden surface.

"I've waited so long. I can hardly believe the time has finally arrived." He raised the Eye to his mouth and kissed it gently. Then, with fingers shaking, he slid the red stone into place on the bottom of the filigreed silver globe. It fused with the rest of the staff with a small burst of light.

Janie glanced at Quinn, feeling such mixed emotions she thought she might be physically ill.

He'd come back for her. He'd gotten out in one piece, but he'd come back to save her.

She never thought she'd have her very own knight in shining khakis, but there he was, standing just a few paces away, his gaze fixed only on her.

On the other hand, his saving her meant the rest of the world was basically screwed when the Boss turned into his full demon form.

While it had been a very romantic gesture for him to return with the express reason of saving her ass, he really hadn't been using that big beautiful vampire brain of his.

She tried to remember what she knew about vanquishing demons. It hadn't really been her specialty.

Had she thought for even a moment that her Boss was a demon, she would have gotten a dozengrimoires and read up on the subject. But she hadn't. She'd never liked homework all that much to start with. What she knew about slaying vampires or hunting down werewolves and othernasties she'd learned by doing.

Unfortunately—or rather,fortunately ; up until now—demon hunting wasn't her deal. Demons usually stayed in Hell or the Underworld, since most of them found the earthly realm much too dull.

The Boss had started to chant something in a language she couldn't place. Something ancient and magical and infused with evil. If a language could be evil, then the one he was speaking fit the bill. There were a lot of consonants.

The room went silent and the air seemed to thicken. She waited, feeling the sweat dripping down her back. It was getting warmer in there by the second. Like a posh, expensive microwave oven.

She had to do something. Anything. She struggled against the men who held her still. "Boss! Let's talk about this. Maybe we can make a deal."

He opened his eyes. "You interrupted me."

"Sorry."

"No, you're not. You're trying to stop me from making my wish."

"That's silly. But maybe you're focusing on the wrong thing. Maybe this is the wrong time. Wait until tomorrow. It doesn't seem like it's working, anyhow. A nice night's sleep will do everyone some good."

"I've slept enough," he said, smiling. She noticed that his teeth had grown sharper. "It is as if I've been unconscious for a thousand years and tonight I shall finally awaken."

The Eye began to glow, a very soft light emanating from underneath the filigree. He looked at it and smiled.

"Let us go," Janie said. "You promised."

"Yes, I did promise, didn't I. It is unfortunate that I lied."

"But you used your true name!"

"I gave you the wrong pronunciation." He smiled thinly. "I will be quite hungry when I change. I shall begin with a light meal of you and your sister. If I still have room, then your lover and partner will follow.

For dessert I may nibble on a couple of my servants."

Joe and Steve exchanged a nervous glance.

"Janie—" Quinn said, and she craned her neck to look at him. "I can't move. I'm…shit … I'm frozen in place."

"My power grows even before I make my wish." The boss's old wrinkled face was filled with demonic joy. "Shall I tear him apart now or wait for later? It is so very tempting."

"Don't hurt him!" she yelled.

A sound began, a low buzzing that increased in volume until it filled the room and hurt Janie's ears. She heard somebody scream and saw it was Angela, covering her ears and staring around with terror. Lenny struggled against his bindings.

She had to find some way to stop him from saying the words. From making his wish out loud.

And then, as if he'd creepily read her mind, he looked directly at her. "But I don't have to speak it, Parker. I told you that the Eye is part of me. It already knows what I want."

Just then, the Eye burst open, the delicate silver filigree that encased the globe-like top parting until the smooth crystal beneath was fully exposed. It glowed as hot and bright as a tiny white sun, and the Boss held it at arm's length as if the brightness was too much even for him to take. The noise was so deafening that if she'd yelled something, even if she'd screamed, she wouldn't be heard.

It was too late. She'd gone into this assignment not caring what it was he wanted her to retrieve. Not caring who had to get hurt or who it might hurt once her assignment was over. All she cared about was saving her sister.

Hell, it wasn't even about that at the core level. She'd cared only about saving her own skin. She thought she didn't care if she lived or died, but she'd been fooling herself. Self-preservation had kicked in.

And this is what had come of the decisions she'd made in her life.

She wanted to give up all hope, but she still managed to cling to it weakly. As long as she and Quinn were still alive, there was a chance to fix this. To stop this.

The bright white crystal turned red—a swirling red and orange and gold like the fire that she'd seen in the

Boss's eyes.

Seeing that globe of fire extinguished the small bit of hope she still had. That fire wasn't filled with light. It was filled with endless darkness.

She had no control over this, no say in the outcome.

Quinn had tried to save her, but now they were all doomed.

The red light extended itself like cobwebs, crawling up the Boss's arm and over his shoulder. Down his neck to his small, frail body. Up his face to slide onto his cheeks like red veins, like the roots of a belligerent tree taking deep root in his body from the outside in.

After a moment he was completely encased with the pulsing veins of fire. Past the incessant loud buzzing sound, she could heard something or somebody screaming. It was her Boss. He screamed with pain from inside that thing.