"Got it?" I asked, glanced out the window at the side mirror. So far, no sign we were being followed, but that didn"t count for s.h.i.t. There were too many ways for vamps and demons to travel.

"Yeah, got it," Camille said. "Vanzir"s here, I"m bringing him with us. We need every hand on deck for this one, and he"ll just have to take his chances that Karvanak won"t catch him. Not the best idea but I"m also . . ." Here, she dropped her voice and I knew she didn"t want to be overheard. "I"m going to order him to-if he thinks he"s about to be caught-kill himself."

I stared at the night as it pa.s.sed by. The moon was on her way to dark, and the night seemed like one long hush at the graveside. "Yeah, that"s probably best," I said after a moment. "You think we"ll ever live a normal life again, Camille?"

She let out a strangled laugh. "Oh my Kitten, we could walk up a stairway to the stars and never find normal again. No, I"m afraid that we"re stuck in the nightmare. And you know what? That"s okay, because our lives have meaning. And in this world with so much senseless anger and violence, I think we should be proud to carry the burdens we do. We"re making an impact. At least, we have to keep telling ourselves that. Now, be careful, and we"ll be there as soon as we can."

As the phone went dead, I looked back out into the night. As Menolly deftly swerved through the streets, driving us toward whatever disaster next awaited, the clouds parted for a moment, just long enough to let me look at the stars. They were beautiful, cold and stark against the velvet night. At least something would last forever, I thought. In this world of anger, of hatred, of insanity, at least the stars were-for all intents and purposes-eternal.

CHAPTER 26.

Forsythia Street was tucked away in the Industrial District, cloistered from the main drag so you"d never know it was there unless you were looking for it. Before she turned right onto the street, Menolly flipped off the headlights and Camille"s silver Lexus truly became a shadow in the night, ghostly and silent. We glided slowly down the street before Menolly parked a few houses down from where Fraale indicated the house was.

"I"d rather not park directly in front of the house," she said. "Too much chance for the car to be targeted and destroy our getaway." Menolly climbed out of the driver"s seat and tucked the keys in her coat pocket, then zipped it shut. "Let"s go. We want to get in there and out before Karvanak arrives home."

Karvanak. I shuddered. The more I learned about the demon, the more my stomach turned when his name was mentioned. Fraale"s last comment about the servant who p.i.s.sed him off had stuck in my mind, and I couldn"t get the image out of my thoughts. And yet, I was part cat-and I"d killed as a cat. In hunger as well as from my basic nature. But this-this was spite. Pure spite. Surely, whatever she"d done, Karvanak"s servant couldn"t have been that out of line. I shuddered. The more I learned about the demon, the more my stomach turned when his name was mentioned. Fraale"s last comment about the servant who p.i.s.sed him off had stuck in my mind, and I couldn"t get the image out of my thoughts. And yet, I was part cat-and I"d killed as a cat. In hunger as well as from my basic nature. But this-this was spite. Pure spite. Surely, whatever she"d done, Karvanak"s servant couldn"t have been that out of line.

"What are we facing in there?" I asked. "Any demons other than the Rksasa?"

"Bloatworgles for sure. Several of them. A few full-grown venidemons. And I know he"s got a few human warriors, too. There are some servants, but most of them are runaways he"s picked up at the bus station and put to work or uses for his fun. They"ll run the other way, hoping to escape."

She shivered, then slowly turned to face me. "I know I"ve done some terrible things over the years. It goes with the job. I"ve broken up families, broken men"s hearts, and shattered women"s dreams. But I"ve never seen anything quite so bad as the horrors that have taken place behind those locked doors."

"You can"t help your nature, Fraale," Roz said. "But nothing you"ve ever done remotely resembles the h.e.l.lhole that Karvanak has carved out for his victims." His voice sounded wistful as he added, "Don"t ever compare yourself to him. You can"t even begin to believe you"re as bad as he is."

Fraale gave him an icy stare. "And just how would you know what I"ve been up to the past three hundred years? For all you know, I could be a raving lunatic who decided to play ma.s.s murderer. We"ve seen each other exactly four times since the G.o.ds chose to destroy our lives, Rozurial. And not once-not one time one time in all the centuries that have pa.s.sed-have you ever thought to ask me how I"m coping with this. You always make up some excuse and hightail it out of my sight as soon as you can." in all the centuries that have pa.s.sed-have you ever thought to ask me how I"m coping with this. You always make up some excuse and hightail it out of my sight as soon as you can."

Rozurial bared his teeth. "Leave our life together where it belongs-in the past. There"s no turning back. Regrets will only poison what memories we shared. I loved you when we were married, and I loved you after that b.i.t.c.h Hera transformed you. I wept as you changed. And I wept when Zeus did the same to me. But you know, as well as I do, that it never would have worked-not with what we were becoming. I cried until all the tears were washed away and there was only a hollow void."

Fraale"s face twisted. "And then you left me. You left me alone."

"I had to. To save you. To save me. To protect what we had together." Roz sagged against the car. "Surely you can see why we had to move on. And this conversation only proves why we can"t be near each other. Too many memories, too many regrets, and too much anger. I couldn"t save you then, and I can"t save you now. I couldn"t save you then, and I can"t save you now."

She stared at him. I thought she was going to try again. I thought for sure she"d pull out the love card and play it. And how could he resist her tears and her heartbreak? But after a moment, she just shook her head and turned toward the house.

"You"re right. The G.o.ds won, and we lost," she said softly. "Let"s get this over with, because the sooner we do, the sooner I can get the h.e.l.l out of here. And I"d like to leave knowing I don"t have to constantly look over my shoulder, wondering if Karvanak is going to come creeping up behind me to slit my throat."

She glanced at Menolly and, in a hostile tone, said, "It"s obvious how he feels about you, but watch your heart. He"s an incubus. He"ll never be able to love anyone again without hurting them in the end. Incubi are born to f.u.c.k you, then walk out the door. And so are my kind. We"re all just users."

Menolly wisely held up her hands. "Hey, color me Switzerland. I"m not involved in this," she said softly. "Whatever you think is going on between Roz and me, isn"t. All I want to do is get in there and rescue Delilah"s boyfriend before he ends up as cube steak on Karvanak"s menu."

Fraale frowned, then shrugged. "Let"s get a move on. Karvanak"s bound to be on his way here."

"Should we wait for Camille and the others?" Zach asked, quietly touching me on the shoulder.

I shook my head. "We can"t afford to stand around waiting. We"re going to have to start this fight all by our lonesome and hope to h.e.l.l it doesn"t blow up before they get here. I just wish I wasn"t wearing this c.r.a.p. It"s not going to provide a whole h.e.l.l of a lot of protection." I tugged at the leg of my lame pants.

The house was gray green, all right, and three stories tall, looking altogether way too much like the Munsters" mansion on Mockingbird Lane. But instead of the jaunty Herman, we were facing a ball-busting Karvanak.

The house was, indeed, set back on the property, with a narrow walkway of broken concrete leading to it. Gra.s.s poked through cracks in the cement, and on both sides the yard had grown wild, a tangle of dead foliage from the winter mingling with new runners as the bramble bushes and ferns woke to spring.

"Where is he? What floor is Chase on?" As I stared at the place, it suddenly hit me full force.

Chase was in there in there. He was scared, with a mangled finger. The G.o.ds only knew what else they"d done to him. And we were the only hope he had. I sucked in a deep breath and started up the walk, remembering what Fraale had said about b.o.o.by traps. Menolly and the others followed.

"I think he"s in the bas.e.m.e.nt. What better place to keep a prisoner you don"t want escaping?"

"Guards?" I cracked my knuckles, gearing up for the fight.

She shook her head. "Just what I told you: bloatworgles, venidemons, and some FBHs. That"s enough, I guess."

"Yeah, and more than I want to deal with. d.a.m.ned bloatworgles are hard to kill. I found that out a few days ago." As we neared the door, I called back to Fraale, "The door? b.o.o.by-trapped? Rigged?"

"Not that I know of," she said.

"Good! That"s enough for me." I ripped the screen door off its hinges, then landed a heavy blow with my foot to the doork.n.o.b. The latch broke, and I slammed the door wide. Fraale"s pale tears had hit me in the gut. Rozurial had let his love slip away, had turned his back on her. The odds against them were overwhelming, and he"d caved and let the G.o.ds win. I wasn"t about to do that to Chase. Not until I knew he wanted out for good. If he did, I"d step aside gracefully. If not, we"d find some way to make it work.

I pushed into the living room, which was expensively-though gaudily-furnished. The others crowded in behind me and immediately spread out.

"Where"s the bas.e.m.e.nt?" I asked but stopped short when three big, burly, fully leathered men stepped into the room. They didn"t look look magical, but looks could be deceiving. They were carrying swords that emanated a faint bluish glow. Enchanted blades. Good for controlling creatures like the venidemons, where guns might be useless. Also good for hacking off arms and legs. magical, but looks could be deceiving. They were carrying swords that emanated a faint bluish glow. Enchanted blades. Good for controlling creatures like the venidemons, where guns might be useless. Also good for hacking off arms and legs.

I sucked in a deep breath and-oh s.h.i.t! My knife! I didn"t have my knife. I"d left it at home! How could I have- "Kitten! Catch!"

I whirled as Camille, Morio, and Vanzir tumbled into the room.

Camille tossed me my blade. "Thought you might need this," she said, eyeing the men with delight. "Looks like we got us some playmates," she added and immediately froze. I could feel the energy spin around her like a vortex. Oh goody-faulty spells on the loose! But hey, when they worked, they worked with a vengeance.

I caught the dagger by the hilt and flashed her a brilliant smile. "Love you, too, babe! Let"s get on with it!"

The men raced toward us, their eyes glinting with a perverse delight. I knew it was a perverse delight because I recognized the feeling and the look. My own adrenaline was pumping as I leapt forward, wishing to h.e.l.l for jeans and a tank. But all thoughts of clothing were swept away as I entered the fray.

On my left, Roz wielded a nasty-looking serrated blade in one hand. On my right, Menolly moved in on one of the bikers, her fangs out and eyes glowing. As we engaged the three men, I could hear Morio tell Camille, "Rope it in-save the magic. They can take care of those three, and we"ll need all our powers for Karvanak."

And then I was into the fray. My opponent"s blade was long and curved and spattered with blood. As I raised my dagger and braced against his blow, I wondered how many men he"d killed. How many women? I put my weight behind my blade and shoved, knocking him back. He stumbled but caught himself and swung low. I leapt, playing jump rope with the sword as it pa.s.sed beneath my feet. The next moment, I did a Bruce Lee and flipped over his head, landing behind him, my dagger at the ready.

He jerked around, startled. I took advantage of his confusion and leapt again, this time spinning to kick him solidly in his sword arm with my stiletto. The heel pierced his leather, pierced his skin, sank deep into the muscle.

Oh s.h.i.t! My heel was caught in the tissue of his arm, and I couldn"t pull loose. I shook my foot, ripping a long, jagged gash in his arm as I did so, and he let out a scream that echoed through the room. As he jerked away, I managed to free my boot and stumbled, rolling into a somersault, coming up into a squat.

"b.i.t.c.h! b.i.t.c.h!" My opponent was obviously in pain. He was losing it, and I aimed to drive him over the edge. One bit of battle wisdom: Push an adversary too far, and they often lose sight of common sense and make mistakes.

A slow smile spread across my face as I stood, tapping my blade against my hand. "Come on, baby. You gonna let yourself get whipped by a p.u.s.s.ycat?" With a smirk, I blew him a kiss. "I"d offer to blow you, but your d.i.c.k"s gotta be smaller than my little finger and I just don"t do do shrimps." shrimps."

Oh yeah, that did it. He came at me full-tilt, roaring as he raised his sword over his head, leaving his torso open to attack.

One thing about berserker rage, I thought, I thought, it can make a grown man incredibly stupid. it can make a grown man incredibly stupid. I hauled back and sent my dagger singing through the air, to land right in his heart. As I danced away, he suddenly realized he wasn"t going anywhere anymore. He lost his grip on his sword, and it tumbled to the floor behind him. He glanced down at his chest, at the blood burbling out from around the dagger"s point, then at me, looking confused. I hauled back and sent my dagger singing through the air, to land right in his heart. As I danced away, he suddenly realized he wasn"t going anywhere anymore. He lost his grip on his sword, and it tumbled to the floor behind him. He glanced down at his chest, at the blood burbling out from around the dagger"s point, then at me, looking confused.

The coppery scent of blood filled my nostrils, making me salivate. As quickly as stepping through a doorway, I could feel her her there, aware and awake; Panther wanted off the chain. The man was close to dying, and the Death Maiden in me reveled as he slipped away. there, aware and awake; Panther wanted off the chain. The man was close to dying, and the Death Maiden in me reveled as he slipped away.

I grabbed my dagger, yanking it out of his chest as he started to topple forward. His gaze locked on mine, and I saw the shock and the bewilderment that accompanied whatever last thoughts had run through his mind. And then, just like that, he lurched to the ground and lay still. He was dead.

Staring at his p.r.o.ne form, I tried to summon up some feeling of regret, but the only thing I could think about was rescuing Chase, and how this man might have been the one to cut off Chase"s fingertip. I wiped my blade on his back and turned to help the others.

Roz had cut down the man in front of him, and Menolly had taken care of her opponent. For the moment, we were alone again.

Camille walked over to their swords and picked up one. "These could come in handy. Not iron-but sort of alloy. The enchantment"s to make them stronger and more deadly. I don"t think its aimed at any one particular race or species." She tossed one to Morio, one to Roz, and offered the third to me. I took it, staring at the curving blade.

"I dunno, I"m used to my dagger. It would be hard to run with this. On the other hand, it"s good for holding people at arm"s length. Vanzir, you want it?"

Vanzir looked at the blade with a hunger I seldom saw on his face. "I"ll use it to cut out his heart," he murmured, and I knew he was talking about Karvanak. He took the sword and swished it around. Obviously the dude had experience from the way he made it sing through the air.

I glanced at Morio. "You don"t have any clothes that you could spare in that bag of yours, do you?"

He grinned. "Don"t like looking like a hoochie mama? I have a spare karate outfit. The pants will be short, but it"s got to be better than what you"re wearing." He zipped open his bag and tossed me a pair of black pants and a white top, along with a belt, also black.

"Thanks," I said, yanking off my togs of torture. Everyone stared. I was buck naked beneath the lame. "Look all you want, but right now, I don"t give a s.h.i.t. I just want out of that c.r.a.p and into something that won"t give me jock itch."

Camille laughed as I yanked on the pants, which came up to my shins, and belted the top. "Feel better?" she said.

"Much. The material"s a lot heavier than that c.r.a.p," I added, kicking the glittering hooker togs. "At least my skin can breathe now."

"Take them with you," Camille warned me. "Morio, put the pants and halter in your bag. They"ve got her scent and essence on them, and there"s no way in h.e.l.l we want anybody who might work magic to get hold of that."

"Good point," he said, snagging them up. He stuffed them in his bag, then zipped it shut.

"Okay, let"s find Chase. We"ve still got a bunch of bloatworgles and venidemons to deal with." I led them into the hallway that branched off from the living room. The house reminded me of the one in which we"d fought the venidemons, though it looked in better shape. I also doubted we"d find a portal here; the energy wasn"t strong enough for that. At least, I hoped we wouldn"t.

I opened each door as we came to it. In one room, we found stacks of expensive rugs: wool, hand-woven, and beautiful. The next was a bathroom, and the third was a bedroom. Lush and opulent, the room smelled like Rksasa. I was about to cross the threshold when Camille stopped me.

"Wards-strong wards. You"ll blow your head off if you go in there. Let"s find Chase and get him out of here." She pulled me back from the door, and I nodded, looking around.

"Where"s the bas.e.m.e.nt, Fraale?" I didn"t want to waste time running around like a chicken with my head cut off. Camille was right: Get in there, get Chase out, and then come back for Karvanak.

"See that door over there-the one that looks like it might lead to another bedroom?" She pointed to a door on the other side of the arch leading out of the hall. "That"s it. The bas.e.m.e.nt is unfinished, so it"s cold and dank. I have no idea where the venidemons are. Karvanak was pretty clear about not letting them loose down there. The creatures are mindless and would have tried to use your detective as an all-you-can-eat diner."

But the bloatworgles weren"t mindless . . . dangerous, yes. Disgusting, definitely. But mindless? No. I reached for the door handle.

"Be on your guard. My guess is that the bloatworgles are down there. Don"t go in without your defenses being up. By the way, Roz saved me from getting toasted by the one on our property. Remember, they breathe fire."

As I opened the door, a fetid smell wafted up. Oh yeah, bloatworgle stench. Delightful. A pair of glowing eyes gleamed from the darkness below.

Those sure as h.e.l.l aren"t cat eyes, I thought. With a shout, I decided to play Han Solo and ran full tilt down the stairs, screaming at the top of my lungs and waving my dagger like a crazed berserker. I thought. With a shout, I decided to play Han Solo and ran full tilt down the stairs, screaming at the top of my lungs and waving my dagger like a crazed berserker.

Apparently, blind and foolish courage has its advantages, because I landed right square on the stomach of the creepy critter before he could shake himself out of his astonishment and skedaddle.

It was a bloatworgle, all right, and he looked like he"d just swallowed his tongue. Before he had a chance to open his mouth, I raised my dagger and brought it straight down on his eyes. While his hide was tough, his eyes were not, and I drove the dagger deep. A spray of gray green mucus sprayed up on me.

"Ewww." I grimaced. Grungy and gross, yes, but there was no time to worry about the c.r.a.p staining Morio"s karate suit. No time to worry about anything. I was on autopilot: Seek and destroy the enemy. Rescue the valiant knight locked in the castle dungeon. Any sense of remorse or hesitance had flown the coop, and my body was chugging along on adrenaline and instinct.

I leapt to my feet as the others joined me. Where was the next little creep?

A flash of movement caught my eye, and I whirled just in time to see a second demon open his mouth and let loose with a scorching blast, hitting Vanzir straight in the stomach. Vanzir didn"t seem to even flinch, and I wondered what the h.e.l.l dream chasers were really made of. We"d never seen him in his native form. He let loose a low growl in his throat and moved in, his sword making contact long enough to carve a nice little niche in the bloatworgle"s arm before the blade bounced away again. Man, those suckers were tough!

"Move," Morio said, sounding a little like Smoky. He was shifting. Within seconds, he went from five eight to eight feet tall, his nose and chin morphing out to a muzzle with drool dripping off the fangs. I stared, always impressed by his youkai form. Unlike Weres, he remained bipedal, though his head was vaguely vulpine. Though he was covered with a downy reddish fur, his hands and feet remained humanoid. Yet his eyes mirrored Morio"s spirit, through and through. Altogether, he was one scary-looking m.u.t.h.a.

I jumped out of the way as he dove for the demon, catching the potbellied creature up in his arms. The bloatworgle let out a squeal and made a nosedive for Morio"s muzzle, its mouth open to land a bite.

Before it could make contact, Morio grabbed the thing around the neck and sent it smashing against the wall. The house shook, and the bloatworgle let out a gurgle and slid to the floor. Morio turned toward Camille, who nodded.

It was then that I saw the door in the back of the bas.e.m.e.nt. Chase was in there; he had had to be. I raced toward it, heedless of whether there were any other demons in the room. As my hand touched the doork.n.o.b, I heard a scuffle behind me and glanced over my shoulder. Menolly and Morio were taking out another bloatworgle, playing volleyball with the demon as the ball. I ignored them-they could handle it-and yanked open the door. to be. I raced toward it, heedless of whether there were any other demons in the room. As my hand touched the doork.n.o.b, I heard a scuffle behind me and glanced over my shoulder. Menolly and Morio were taking out another bloatworgle, playing volleyball with the demon as the ball. I ignored them-they could handle it-and yanked open the door.

I flipped on the light, and c.o.c.kroaches scattered in every direction. The inside of the room was small, not much bigger than a utility room. A cage had been built in the back. A cell, really, with floor-to-ceiling bars. There was a bare incandescent lightbulb screwed into a ceiling fixture, giving off all of forty watts. The room was empty save for a chair near the door to the cell, and a layer of grime covered the walls. The place smelled like s.h.i.t and blood and rotting food.

I swallowed the lump growing in my throat and stepped forward, my gaze glued on the cell. In the corner, huddled beneath a thin blanket on a mattress, sat my Chase. My sweet Chase.

He raised his head, his eyes glazed over. When he saw me, a look of disbelief crossed his face, and he began to cry.

"Chase! Chase!" I yanked on the cell door, but it was locked. "Wait here. I"ll get someone to bend the bars." I ducked back out into the room. The third bloatworgle was dead. "Menolly, come bend these bars for me. I found Chase."

Menolly sailed to my side, her feet barely touching the floor. She raced inside the room. A grimace washed over her face as she looked around, but her focus was solely on Chase, and she grabbed the bars and began to bend them.

"Wait!" Morio rushed in, back in his human form. "Let me cast a Dispel Illusion spell just in case." A bright light filled the room as he conjured the spell, but n.o.body proved to be anything other than what they were.

Menolly immediately went back to the bars, and they screeched as she slowly forced them apart. Her hands were blistering-there must be iron in them-but she didn"t show any pain or hesitance. After a moment, the bars were big enough for her to squeeze through.

"Let me do this. I"m stronger than you and can carry him out without a problem." She stepped through without another word and knelt by Chase, murmuring softly to him. He nodded as she gathered him up in her arms and, hoisting the man who was a good foot taller than she over her shoulder, she carried him to the bars.

Taking his arm, I helped him to step out of the cell. The b.l.o.o.d.y stump where they"d chopped off the tip of his finger looked like it might be infected.

I had to force myself not to burst into tears. I had to be strong for him. I had to be his anchor right now. The G.o.ds only knew how terrified and adrift he probably felt at this moment.

As he leaned against the bars, shaky and pale, he whispered. "Delilah, I"m so sorry-I"m so sorry-"

I pressed my fingers to his lips. "Hush. Just hush. There"s time enough to talk later. The important thing is to get you out of here where we can treat your wounds." I wrapped my arm around his waist and led him out of the cramped room. Camille gasped, but at my look, she stayed where she was.

Zach moved forward.

Chase stared at him. His eyes were worn, he looked like he"d been to h.e.l.l and back, and I could only pray that a severed finger was the worst that Karvanak had done to him. Chase glanced at me, then at Zachary.

"You-you . . . I understand . . ."

Once again, I pressed my finger to his lips. "Shush. There"s nothing so important we have to discuss it now. We need to focus on getting you out of here before Karvanak returns-"