After I relayed all the information Dottie and Nonna had told me, Arin went to his desk to look up stuff about demons.
I lay down on the couch, but changing position did nothing to alleviate how sick I felt. "You know, I have Durga's powers. Why couldn't I go and work some of my own demon magic?"
Of course, the only experience I had with bossing around demons was when I told one demon to go to hell. Well, wasn't I the foretold queen of vampires and lycans? Surely, I could kick some butt.
I missed Gabriel. And not just because I wanted to puke up my guts because he wasn't around.
My stomach squeezed and burbled. What I wouldn't give for an Alka-Seltzer. "Maybe Gabriel isn't in the shelter." I looked up at Dottie and Nonna. "Would you try to find him, please?"
They looked at each other, shrugged, and then pop - poof, they were gone.
Arin returned to where we were sitting. The fountain trickled happily. Funny how beautiful things like statues with trickling water had no worth when you were looking at the end of your life, and the lives of your friends. I was beginning to see why the dead were not overly concerned with big events. What did it matter? Dead was dead.
"If Koschei's hideout is nearby," said Arin, "maybe we should hit him directly."
"You really think we can sneak into Koschei's place?" I asked. I hated to say it, but I was feeling a little outgunned. Strangely enough, I was also starting to feel better. Maybe lying down had done the trick.
Or maybe ... Hope shot through me. Was Gabriel on his way here?
Dottie appeared suddenly and danced around the fountain, excited. "We found Gabriel!"
I sat up and jumped off the couch. "You did? Where is he?"
"Close," said Nonna as she floated next to me. "Looks hurt. And that girl he's with - "
But the three of us were in motion. Zerina led the way to the secret exit. This time she created earthen stairs for us to climb.
Nonna was right. Gabriel was just a few feet away.
But he wasn't in his human form.
He was the white wolf.
His fur was soaked in blood. He was panting hard and walking slowly. On his back, he carried an unconscious and bloodied Terran.
"Gabriel!" I dove to my knees and wrapped my arms around his big, furry neck. "Are you okay?" I kissed his jaw, his ear, his nose.
He whined, nuzzling me.
Arin gently lifted Terran from Gabriel's back. He carried her to the entrance. Zerina followed, looking more upset than I'd ever seen her. Nonna and Dottie were pleased as punch with themselves.
I held on to Gabriel's thick fur and dry-wept. I was so glad to see him. So glad he was okay. So glad we were together.
After we were all safely in the tunnel, Zerina sealed the entrance.
"It's getting close to dawn," I said. "I don't have any control over when I pass out. Luckily, that's the same for all vampires, Ancients or not."
Arin placed Terran on the couch. He looked at me. "That's true. And it may be why Koschei has gathered guardians and other creatures to him."
"Still, it might be easier to breach his security during the day," said Zerina, kneeling next to Terran. She wiped off the blood encrusting Terran's arms. "These are bite marks. Gabriel, were you attacked by lycans?"
He barked, which I took to mean yes. "Dottie, Nonna, can you go spy some more at Koschei's? "
"Damn straight." Dottie saluted smartly. Nonna did the same, grinning widely.
They disappeared.
"Come on, baby," I said to Gabriel. "Let's get you cleaned up."
We walked to the cave with its wonderful waterfall. I got undressed while Gabriel got human. I didn't want to get my new dress soiled, especially since it was the only garment I currently owned.
I wasn't real keen on watching the morphing process. The crunch of bones realigning was hard on my eardrums, not to mention all the changing of fur to skin.
Gabriel sat, naked and bloody and weary, on the floor of the cave. I knelt down and cupped his face. "Are you all right?"
"I thought I'd lost you," he whispered. His golden eyes held tears. "As soon as Zela dumped us at the shelter, we got the hell out of there."
"But the demon barrier ..."
"We're lycans," he said. "We dug under it. Unfortunately, we ran into the lycans protecting the vampires - the ones casting the demon spells. Terran got the worst of it."
"She'll be okay," I said, not knowing if it was true. She looked bad. "I'm just glad you made it back alive."
He stood under the waterfall and I helped him wash away the grime and blood. Then I scooped up my dress and we walked to the cave with its comfy bed.
Gabriel and I fell asleep in each other's arms.
Terran appeared in the doorway and cleared her throat.
I yanked my fangs free of Gabriel's prime flesh. The holes sealed up almost immediately. I wiped the blood off his skin. Damn! I was hoping to get some nookie before the end of the world.
"It's good to see you standing on your own two feet," said Gabriel, grinning.
Terran's expression was caught between amusement and annoyance.
Boom! The earth shook all around us.
"Koschei's attacking," said Terran. "You two might want to get dressed."
I felt like I was Maid Marian joining Robin Hood and the Merry Men as they snuck through Sherwood Forest, especially barefoot and in my fairy blue dress. Hey, I've seen the movie, okay? I'm not a complete dunce.
The plan was simple: I would raise a zombie army and use 'em against the bad guys. Hopefully, we'd distract the others long enough to destroy the demon shield. Nyah, nyah!
We could see the demon shield was up and running, but it was fluctuating badly. The vampires in the compound were probably giving them hell.
I kept praying that everyone there was okay. And that Wilson wasn't freaking out. The sooner we defeated Koschei, the sooner I'd get to see my son.
Gabriel and I would stay in the cemetery and rouse the corpses (ugh). Arin, Zerina, and Terran would go to the compound and cause all kinds of trouble for the bad guys surrounding the barrier. I wasn't sure how it would work out with the demon angle. I had a hard enough time with the ghosts.
Gabriel and I stayed at the edge of the forest. Dottie and Nonna floated above the treetops, keeping a lookout for us. Terran and the others took off for the Hummer. Why not ride to the war in style?
"Are you scared?" asked Gabriel, holding my hand.
"Terrified," I admitted. "How about you?"
"I'm the alpha," he said. "I'm never scared."
"Liar, liar, pants on fire." I kissed him soundly. Then we crept from the protection of the woods and into the cemetery.
Khenti had hammered the process into my mind during our little session. I got on my hands and knees, placed my palms on the ground, and said, "Rise!"
I'm sorry if you're disappointed in the how-to here. I wasn't all that impressed myself. But I wasn't going to argue with a four-thousand-year -old vampire or ask him to make it fancier just to impress anyone watching me.
Energy poured from my hands into the ground. The yellow light emitting from my palms felt hot and zappy, like lightning.
The ground rumbled ominously.
The whole cemetery shook as if an earthquake were ravaging its sleeping residents. The grave nearest to us burst open and a rotting coffin plopped onto the grass.
The lid flew off and a pair of wrinkled arms extended up. The embalmed corpse sat up and looked at me. Well, sorta. Her eyes weren't open. (Y'know, because she didn't have any. Ugh!) But that wasn't the worst thing.
My very first zombie was the dead body of my grandmother.