"You're in Broken Heart at the place where you murdered Nefertiti - and yourself." I gave Johnny the news as gently as possible.
He looked down into the beautiful face of the vampire who'd Turned him. "I killed her. And I'm not free." He looked at me, his gaze filled with pain. "Why?"
"Why isn't he free of Nefertiti?" I asked Khenti. I didn't want to break eye contact with Johnny. I wasn't sure how long he'd give me his attention and wanted no excuse for him to go back to what he'd been doing.
"The magic of the binding is one of the strongest spells ever constructed. The hundred years must be fulfilled, whether on this plane or the next."
"Fifty years more," he cried. "With her."
"Wait!" I screamed as he lifted the blade. "God knows she deserves it, honey. I'm here to help."
"You want to help? Sever my ties with this bitch."
"I'm sorry," I said. "I can't."
Johnny let his sword fly. Nefertiti's head came free of her body. One after the other, they exploded into ash.
I couldn't bear to see it all play out again. I turned and ran.
I stopped in a copse of trees and leaned against one, trying to get my thoughts settled. My stomach was gurgling something fierce, a mix of hunger and nausea.
Khenti laid a hand on my shoulder. "Patsy. Are you all right?"
"I'm wonderful." I straightened and turned. "They're caught in a horrifying situation - all because of the damned binding spell created by the Ancients."
"We did what we thought was best for our people," said Khenti. "Why did you talk only to Johnny?"
I had instinctively woken Johnny from that awful business. I understood why now. "He's the only one who can control her. If I ask her anything directly, she breaks out of the death cycle. She may know a trick or two about freeing herself from that drama. You really want the ghost of that evil bitch roaming around Broken Heart? Who knows what she could do."
The thought of what Nefertiti might be capable of as a free spirit chilled me to the marrow. She could possess others or even contact Koschei. I shuddered and wrapped my arms around myself.
"Very good," said Khenti. He nodded approvingly.
I was glad he wasn't too pissed. I felt like I'd failed miserably. "I didn't exactly succeed," I pointed out. "They're still trapped."
"It's worth trying again," he said. "But not tonight."
"Yes," said a thundering voice behind me. "You have a much bigger problem."
Khenti and I turned. The gray-skinned demon who'd attacked me last night leaned against an oak tree, grinning. "Remember me, Patsy?"
Nonna screeched like a banshee and shot up into the branches of the oak. I backed away, scared witless. This was the same demon who'd tried to get at me before. His black gaze followed me as he licked his leathery lips. Jesus. What was he gonna do? Put me on the dinner menu?
"Andhaka," said Khenti. "So, your mistress has aligned with Koschei."
The demon shrugged. "What are you going to do? Throw ghosts at me?" He laughed. "You have no power over me."
"Well, then," said Khenti, discarding his jacket, "I'll just have to kill you."
The demon launched from the tree with a roar and headed straight for Khenti. I skittered backward and yelped.
"Get out of here, Patsy," cried Khenti. He ducked another punch, then landed a nice one in the demon's abdomen.
"Behind you," screamed Nonna from the tree. Then she popped out of sight. I guess watching people wallop each other was too much for her.
Her warning came a split second too late. A hand gripped my shoulder and I screeched as I tried to wrest free.
Desperate, I grabbed the wrist holding me. The moment my hand made contact, it felt like fire shot through me. The heat raced through my every nerve ending. I felt electrified. The power surge hurt something fierce, but it also gave me strength.
I pulled free from the iron grip and whirled around to see a thin, short woman. She was the one causing me so much trouble? She looked like a spring breeze would knock her over. Her cinnamon skin was smooth and ageless, and her brown eyes shone as cold and flat as river stones. Her black robes fluttered around her. Her gray hair, which she wore in a single braid, shone like silver in the moonlight.
"We choose our fates," she said in a lyrical voice. "Prophecy is nothing more than men making their own hopes a reality."
"Uh ... ooookay." I backed away. To our left, the demon and Khenti battled. I smelled the rusty scent of blood, heard the groans and oomphs as blows were delivered as well as the scrabbling of feet against the leaf-strewn ground.
"I don't want to hurt you," I said.
"You cannot. I am Durga the Ancient and I rule demonkind."
Oh, shit.
I heard Khenti scream. I turned away from Durga, which was stupid, but I couldn't help it. I saw that the demon had pinned Khenti to the ground. His huge, gray hand gripped the Egyptian's neck.
"Finish it!" commanded Durga.
"Durga," gasped Khenti. "Do not do this! You know that Koschei is droch fola. He has no soul."
Durga was unmoved by this logic. Koschei may not have had his soul, but this lady didn't have a heart. "Finish him, minion."
Andhaka squeezed Khenti's neck harder and I realized that he meant to do so until my friend's head came off. Nausea gurgled in my stomach.
Durga hit me across the face. I sailed through the air and landed with a whomp on the hard ground.
My whole body felt as though I'd gone through a shredder, but I managed to sit up. Blood dripped down my temple and my vision blurred for an instant.
Across the field, I saw the white wolf streaking toward us. Durga saw the direction of my gaze, and turned.
I cheered when Gabriel knocked her flat on her back and clamped her throat.
Durga knew when she'd been beaten. She did the disappearing-vampire trick. One second she was there and the next Gabriel was sitting among the fading gold sparkles.
He turned his attention to the demon, advancing slowly, snarling and growling.
"You again!" shouted the demon. "Mongrel!"
Gabriel leapt for Andhaka and sank his teeth into the demon's shoulder. Andhaka was forced to let go of Khenti's neck so that he could swipe at the attacking wolf.
His claws made vicious contact. Gabriel yipped in pain and darted back, which gave Khenti an opportunity to strike. He smacked the demon in the chest with both hands, and Andhaka flew backward.
Gabriel launched himself at the discombobulated creature. Black smoke roiled from the ground. Andhaka howled in rage, and then poof ... he was gone.
Khenti sat up, staring down at his ruined suit. Gabriel padded to me and sat down. He licked my face and yipped.
"Thank you," I said. I grabbed his ruff and planted a kiss on his furry nose. "You have impeccable timing."
He barked his agreement.
Gabriel's eyes held mine. He licked my face again, and then he was off, running for the cover of trees on the other side of the clearing.
"I owe the white wolf my life," said Khenti as he got to his feet.
"Yeah. Me, too." Again. I stood up and dusted off my clothes.
"We should go to the compound," said Khenti. "It's safest there."
"Hell, no. I hate that place. I'm going home, demon or no demon."
"Then at least let me take you there and see to your safety."
"You mean the sparkle thing?"
He nodded and held out his arms.
Well, crap.
I was starving, but I'd promised Khenti to stay put until my new guardian arrived. I opened the back door to the shop and locked it behind me, then flipped on the lights.
Nonna was still upset about my telling that cigarette-smoking tart to vamoose, so I said, "Dottie, come back!"
She shimmered into one of the styling chairs and gave me the evil eye. "Never do that again. It was terrible! Just this big white space with uncomfortable chairs and old magazines. It was like being in a waiting room where your name is never called."
"Really? Then I suggest you think twice about pissing me off."
She stuck out her tongue at me, Nonna laughed, and we were all friends again.
I was halfway across the shop when someone pounded on the back door. I nearly jumped out of my skin. My first thought was that the demon had returned, but I realized he wouldn't knock. I returned to the back door and yelled, "Who is it?"
"Gabriel. Please, let me in!"
Oh my God! My fingers clenched the bolt, but I didn't turn it.
"You're not my guardian," I shouted. "You lied to me."
"I only wanted to protect you. I swear it."
"Why?"
"Do we have to talk through this blasted door? Please, Patsy. Trust me."
He'd come to my rescue twice. I'd sure love to know why. Before I could talk myself out of it, I unbolted the door and swung it open. Gabriel nearly fell into my arms, but managed to stagger inside on his own. He looked a mess. He wore only a pair of jeans. His magnificent chest had been clawed. Blood dripped onto the floor.
I slammed the door shut and locked it again.
Gabriel sank to his knees, swaying. His face was tight with pain.
I knelt down. My hands hovered over his shoulders, but I was afraid to touch him. "What can I do?"
His eyes met mine and one corner of his mouth hitched. "Ask me that again later, okay?"
His gaze dipped to my breasts and left no doubt what he meant by the question. I shook my head. "You're ornery as hell. Come on. Get into the chair and I'll clean your wounds."
He stood up and I gently guided him to the nearest styling chair. His moon white hair needed a good brushing. The best I could do was pull it back into a ponytail.
I got paper towels and soaked them with warm water. As I leaned over to wipe off his ribs, Gabriel's hand snaked around my neck and pulled me close.
"I need blood, Patricia."
I looked at him, the wet paper towel poised above his skin. "I'm not a nurse, I don't do transfusions. "
"I need to drink it."
I stared at him, my mouth agape. "Lycans don't drink blood."
"I do." He opened his mouth and needlepoint fangs descended. He licked his lips as he leaned forward, aiming those sharp babies right at my neck.
Panic erupted. I jerked out of his grip and lurched back. "What the hell are you?"
Koschei
Translated from the Memoirs of Ruadan
After I was banished by my wife, I traveled by boat to a cold and barren place far from the land of Eire. As my new nature dictated, I drank the blood of mortal beings. In every village, I had to lie in wait for the unwary and take my sustenance by force. Soon, I gained a reputation as a strigoi mort - a vampire.
Word spread quickly about the strigoi mort. Villagers and farmers begged their gods, their wise men, and their healers for protection, but though they laid herbs on their doorsills and curses around their houses, I was not affected. Superstition was not magic - I knew real magic.
One night, I attacked a farmer, who fought so fiercely I let him go. Though I fled, I was relentlessly chased by terrified villagers. Forced to travel deeper and deeper into the craggy, snow-filled mountains, I subsisted on animal blood and slept in caves.
Three days passed. On the fourth evening, I discovered a small village tucked into the mountainside. Cold and hungry, I managed to subdue a young woman long enough to drink what I needed. But she was the favorite wife of Koschei, the dark wizard.
Koschei had a more fearsome reputation than even a strigoi mort. He was bone thin and wore only black robes. His hair was long and dark; his eyes as hard and green as jade. Through his magic and his psychic abilities, he coaxed from other villages food, entertainment, and companionship. Koschei had all that he needed to live a comfortable life, including many wives, concubines, and children.
I was surprised to find myself at the mercy of a mere mortal. Koschei's most powerful gift was the ability to glamour. Within moments, Koschei compelled me to tell all my secrets.
Then Koschei revealed his own secret: He was dying. He told me that he feared that his village and his family were in jeopardy; that if he died, rival peoples would attack.
"Give me immortal life and I will teach you my magic. I will show you how to draw a human to you, to drink, and to make him forget. "
I agreed. What Koschei did not know was that I asked Morrigu for the ability to make others like me. She showed me the spells and the symbols for Turning. She gave me special instructions for the first six vampires I would Turn; these equals would rule the new vampire race with me.
I warned Koschei that Turning into a deamhan fola was risky. But I could not persuade him from his goal. We agreed that he would teach me the magic first, should the transformation fail.
Koschei spent every evening showing me the ways of the mind. He taught me how to alter his voice and how to create illusions. "People believe so easily," he said. "Show them what they expect and they will not question you."
After I learned all that I could from Koschei, I performed the ritual of Turning. I was relieved when he awoke as deamhan fola.
There was little time to celebrate his transformation. The next evening, his village was savagely attacked. Though Koschei and I combined our powers to fight the unknown invaders, nearly all of the villagers were slain and the buildings burned.
We escaped with three of Koschei's children deep into the mountains. Only Koschei's daughter, Ina, who was barely seventeen, survived the night.
While Koschei held vigil over his daughter, I returned to the village. I buried the dead and burned everything else to the ground. I also be-spelled the area so that neither human nor beast would enter what had once been a happy place.
After the work was done and the spells cast, I returned to the cave.
Koschei was readying to leave. He knew of a powerful healer in another village. "I will take Ina to her."
We agreed to meet in one year with the other five deamhan fola to create a ruling Council.
Then Koschei and I parted ways.