Tempest of Vengeance (2 page)

We paused for lunch, and I made her a tuna
fish sandwich, and some chips. We liked it so much we both had two.
Before we had time to clean up, Serena came to take her from me,
and I decided I couldn’t wait any longer for Theo to return my
call. I notified Dev that I was going to Danial’s, and he called
first, to make sure Theoron was there. As soon as he confirmed it,
I teleported.

My eldest child

now
more of a man than boy

T, was waiting for
me in the great room when I arrived. I hugged him hard as soon as
he was within reach. He looked his normal self, a state I was
grateful and relieved to see him in even as it brought back the
pain of Danial’s current condition.

“I’m sorry, about your father,” I said
raggedly, as we separated. “Devlin says he may recover, but right
now, he is still in a coma-like state. But his heart is
beating.”

Elle, my werecougar daughter in all ways but
biological, came in at that moment, her eyes and face reddened from
crying. I hugged her, too, and she began to cry again. I sat with
her for a while on the couch, reassuring her that Danial would
regain consciousness, trying hard to invest my words with
believability. T sat with us too, but he was lost in thought, his
forest green eyes serious and also a little determined. “I don’t
know what to do,” he said finally. “Dad did this all alone for a
lot of years, with only Theo. But I feel like I’m in way over my
head, Mom. There are three meetings tonight, and I have no idea
what to say to these clients.”

“You are not going, not alone,” I said
firmly. “Cancel them!”

“Dad would expect me to go,” T said
stubbornly. “I have to go. But yes, I’m not taking any more
appointments. When you answer the e-mails from now on, you can tell
everyone we aren’t taking cases anymore, not for the next month at
least.”

How long had it been since I’d done e-mail? A
week? Since the night before Lash was arrested? Had it only been a
week? It seemed like years. Shit, I would have to work on that
later...“I will. But cancel the night meetings, don’t go
alone!”

“He won’t be alone,” a strong voice said
behind me. “I’ll be with him.”

I turned to see Terian standing there,
looking just as he always had. His cherrywood-colored eyes looked a
little hesitant, but he was smiling. I ran to him without a thought
and hugged him hard, so hard he let out an “Oof!” Terian hugged me
back for a long time, and neither of us said anything.

“I’m sorry, for what I did to you, the things
I said,” Terian said quietly, his deep voice gentle in my ear. “I
can’t say I’m sorry enough.”

“I forgive you,” I said automatically,
suppressing a shiver at the memory, even as I quickly stepped back
from him.

“It won’t happen again,” Terian assured me.
“I want you to know that, Sarelle.”

“Call me Sar, Tears,” I said, giving him a
smile.

He gave me one back, then turned to T. “We
need to leave. The first meeting is at three. Sar, please come and
see me, if you would, later in the week? I’ll be working nights,
but I’ll be up by noon.”

I nodded, uneasy knowing I’d have to visit
his lab.
Maybe I’ll ask Titus to go with me.

As Terian left with Theoron, I turned to
Elle. “Where’s Devon this morning?”

She gave me an unhappy look. “He’s with Jenny
and Theo,” she said bitterly. “They’re outside, playing. They do it
every day around this time, and usually every morning, too.”

“It’s okay,” I said tiredly, forcing a smile.
“Theo and I talked about this. We’re trying to get anyone watching
to believe Devon isn’t my son, so he’ll be safe.”

Realization dawned in Elle’s eyes. She hugged
me. “I didn’t know, Mom, I thought—”

“Elle, do you want to come and stay at Hayden
with me?” I interrupted. “To be near Danial? I know you think of
him as your father. You’re welcome to come.”

Elle said nothing for a while. “No,” she said
finally. “I’m okay here. Devon needs me, and so does T.”

“I’m very proud of you,” I said tearfully.
“You are right, they do need you.”

I gave her a last hug, then left. I knew I
should wait and face Theo and Jenny, but I couldn’t do it. What if
Devon wouldn’t leave them to come spend time with me? I couldn’t
bear seeing that. It was better to leave well enough alone, since I
was popping in unannounced anyway. There was no point ruining the
façade of the happy cougar family I was trying so hard to
bolster.

The rest of the week passed that same way. I
tried to call Theo, and he didn’t return my calls. I finally asked
Elle to give him a message that Devon be available for me to visit
on Friday afternoon. When I arrived, my little cougar son was
waiting with Elle, and the three of us spent the afternoon playing
games, and watching a movie. Devon was on good behavior, and I was
shocked to see he looked even bigger. He had to be at least eighty
pounds now for sure.

At dusk, I hugged Elle and he good-bye, and
apprehensively went to see Terian at his lab. We exchanged
pleasantries for a while, until I couldn’t stand it any longer.
“Why did you want to see me?”

Terian looked at me, and said nothing.

“Just say it, Terian.”

“You know I love you,” he said quietly.

I nodded, uncomfortable. “I know it.”

“You know I’m marrying Sundown, that she’s
having my child.”

I nodded again. “Congratulations, by the
way.”

“She’s asked you to be her maid of honor,” he
said in a rush. “Would you step down?”

I got it completely, without his saying the
reason he was asking me. That he couldn’t marry her with me there
as her second, that it was too much, especially after what had
happened between us. Everyone in our circle knew his desire for me
was the reason he’d succumbed to his demon half, and it would
detract from the wedding, if I were up at the altar with him and
Sundown.

“Of course,” I said quickly. “I’ll tell her
today.”

“Thank you,” Terian said, the look on his
face indicating he was working up to saying something else. “Sar, I
want you to know—”

I left the lab quickly, before he could say
anything else to me, heading directly to see Sundown. She was upset
that I was bowing out, but she said she’d ask Cia instead. I told
her I was sorry, and that I’d still like to attend, if she’d let
me. She said fine, to my abject relief. I didn’t want to cause any
problems between them, not after what they’d both gone through.

We’d had enough problems getting Rip out of
Hell two nights after Danial was drained.

Titus, Alerian—aka Leri—, Terian, Devlin,
Theoron, and I had all gathered at Titus’s house at ten to
midnight. I’d imagined the demon abode to be a cozy country
cottage, which is what the top part of the house resembled. But the
basement was enormous, and obviously used as Titus’s and Leri’s
laboratory/workshop. There were scrolls everywhere, vials, leathers
bags, and jars of who knew what on numerous shelves. While the
workshop looked a lot like Titus’s lab at Devlin’s, some of this
stuff had to be the witch Leri’s magic-making materials, prompting
me to stare in wonder.
What kind of sorcery did fairies do?
I’d always heard in legends they could bend reality, and stop time.
Maybe she knows only demon magic?

“Sar, this is important! Are you paying
attention?” Titus said with barely concealed aggravation.

I snapped my mind back to what we were doing.
Titus was drawing a plain circle with blood on the concrete floor.
“Is that your blood?”

“No. Mostly Theoron’s, with a little of
Lash’s mixed in.”

“From the training sessions?” I replied,
surprised and sickened.

“I asked Lash if I could draw it magically
out of the mats, each time they were done training,” Titus said,
looking sheepish. “He knew I wouldn’t harm T, so he agreed. It’s
strong magically and it saves me having to use Dev’s, or mine and
so weaken either of us. I knew Rip was going to need it, sooner or
later.”

Why would he know that? Something to ask
later.

“Sarelle, you are the only human here, and
Dev, you are the Summoner. I will need some of your blood. Leri
will get both samples, if you let her.”

We submitted, grimacing, as she took a few
drops by knife point.
Where is a pain-relieving spell when you
need one?
I didn’t voice my thoughts, telling myself I wasn’t a
wimp.

“Now repeat what I say. We need to open a
door to Hell.”

The chant was simple, but after I’d said it
fifteen times, it was getting old. We did it for a half hour, and
suddenly, with a sharp cracking noise of splitting concrete, the
center of the circle opened. Heavy choking smoke issued out, and
the sound of hoarse screams.

“Sar, get back against the wall and stay
there,” Titus yelled. “Dev, T, grab him when he comes through!
Terian, Leri, help me hold back the rest of them back!”

Rest of them? Shit!

Figures covered with smoke and ashes were
trying to clamor through the portal, sulfurous smoke and oily
greasy fumes still spouting forth, making the air hard to breathe,
and difficult to see through. I remained against the wall in a
crouch, glad to stay out of the action. T and Dev managed to grab
Rip—who’d somehow been right on the other side of the portal—and
yank him through, but some other demons weren’t letting him go.
They had his legs, and were trying to drag him back in with their
clawed hands, the sharp snapping sounds of teeth gnashing in
frustration. Terian and Leri struck at them with blue fire, and
managed to knock them back, though no one seemed to die or burn,
even when the fire hit them. Titus had his hands full just keeping
the portal functioning, sweat running off him, his eyes burning
flames, and his arms outstretched, his taloned hands straining to
hold the door open.

Finally, Devlin and T managed to pull Rip
free from the other demons holding him. “Close it now!” Devlin
shouted.

Titus closed the portal with a quick motion,
severing several arms that had been reaching through. Terian and
Leri incinerated them with blue fire, and these burnt silently,
still twitching violently. Directly after, everyone except me
collapsed to the floor, gasping for breath.

The effort had been worthwhile. In their
midst, a steaming, smoking Rip was lying on his side sprawled just
beyond the closed doorway. Devlin and T let him go, and he climbed
to his feet, grinning widely. He seemed none the worse for wear
from being in Hell, though he was filthy for sure. “Thanks!” he
said with gusto, grinning. “I was sure they weren’t going to let me
go this time—”

This time?

Devlin backhanded him hard with a snarl,
knocking the demon to the floor. Rip bared his bloodied teeth in
anger, before he swallowed it down. He faced Devlin, and went to
one knee. “I apologize for failing you, Master,” Rip said very
formally. “I am yours to command.”

I guessed that solved the question of how Dev
acquired his demon servants. I didn’t want to know what he had to
promise in exchange for their service. But maybe there was nothing,
save a few drops of blood, and a ticket out of Hell? I hadn’t heard
anything spoken tonight about souls.

“Guard us as best you can, and take your
orders from Titus, till Lash returns,” Devlin instructed harshly.
“And know that if you should fail me a second time, and be sent
back to Hell again, I’ll not spill one drop of blood to get you
out. You’ll be blacklisted from my employ and from Theoron’s as
well. And with your reputation, you’ll be roasting in Hell a good
while before you’re free again. No one wants a demon working for
them who’s careless, or just plain stupid!”

I expected Titus to say something, defend
Rip, but his face was neutral, as were Terian’s and Leri’s, who
both stood beside him. T was glaring at Rip, but he said nothing.
My mouth had gotten me in enough trouble lately, so I stayed
silent, also. But I wondered about Devlin’s mention of Rip’s
reputation, and if Rip was so unreliable, why he’s agreed to employ
him at all.

“I understand, Master,” Rip said quietly, his
jaw working in anger. “I’ll not fail you again.”

Terian teleported T and himself back to
Danial’s house directly after, and I took Devlin and I back to
Hayden. Titus said he and Rip would be along shortly. Devlin and I
went upstairs and sat in the Jacuzzi for a while. We were both a
little raw from the ordeal, silent and still as we soaked in the
steaming water. But when we went in to bed, I couldn’t put off the
question any longer.

“Where is Diana, Dev?”

Dev’s tone when he answered wasn’t regretful,
as I expected it to be over the fate of Ulysses’ innocent sister.
His words weren’t what I assumed I’d hear, either. “She’s in one of
the grey rooms, with the door locked, and magically barred. Titus
gave her a potion. It will make her sleep until either I kiss her,
or I die. When she’s awakened either way, the blood I gave her will
have worn off—”

“Tell me that’s not where the tale of—?”

“Yes, that maiden had the same kind of spell
put on her, for much the same reason. She, like Diana, needed to be
out of the way for a while. This way she will be.”

Nice way to put it.
“I’m surprised you
were so lenient with her, after what Ulysses did to Danial.”

Devlin said nothing, and then it hit me that
he hadn’t come to this decision by himself. And it hadn’t been
anything I had said to him, either. “Venus saw you with her.”

Devlin nodded. “Yes. I left you in a rage
after our fight in the kitchen, and I went to Diana, to kill her,
and to...hurt her first. But Venus saw me opening the door, and she
didn’t ask me what I was doing, or who was inside, though I’d been
careful that she not see Diana.” Devlin took a deep ragged breath.
“She called out to me, ‘Daddy, please don’t hurt her.’ She was
staring at me, tears in her eyes, holding that damn stuffed cougar
you bought her—”