Ruby Shadows (59 page)

Druaga paid no attention.

“
Nice—very nice,” he
snorted, surveying my bare breasts. Then he sniffed me again, this
time bending down to poke his disgusting snout right in my
crotch.

“
You asshole!” I kicked
out reflexively and the toe of my little black ballet flat caught
him in the throat.

“
Argh!” He jumped back,
his hairy hand going to his throat. “You little bitch!” he snarled
in a choked voice. “Half a soul or not, I’ll take you like I
should’ve from the start.”

He stepped forward again, one hand going to
his hardening member. I felt my stomach turn with a sick twist. He
was really going to do it—he was going to rape me and take my soul
right here in the board room, in front of the entire Council of
Demons! And no one was going to do a thing to stop him—including me
because I didn’t have a weapon.

Yes, you do have a
weapon!
whispered a little voice inside my
head.
You’ve got power inside you if you
just let it out!

I didn’t know what the voice was talking
about but I knew I needed to find out. But before I could think
further, Druaga was leaning over me, blowing his hot, rotten breath
in my face and fumbling between us for the button of my jeans.

“
Get away from me!” I
shouted in his face but he only laughed. I tried to kick him again
but he dodged me and stripped down my jeans and panties,
effectively hobbling my legs.

“
Come here, my pretty
little mortal,” he snorted in my face. “Give me a sweet kiss while
I fuck out your soul…”

Oh, this was so not
good…If only I had time and the right materials to try and cast a
spell. But my magic didn’t work that way. It wasn’t like I could
just shout out a word like Laish had! The thought started a loop in
my frantic brain.
Words of power…words of
power…if only I could say them like he did!

I felt something hot and hard and slimy
poking against the inside of my thigh and the boar’s snout was
closing in on my face, snuffling against my cheek. A shudder of
pure disgust went through me. I felt like I was going to gag or
faint or go crazy or maybe all three at once.

No, no I can’t stand this!
I can’t let him do it! I
can’t!

I turned my head to one side and opened my
mouth, meaning to scream or shout. Instead, a word I had never
heard before came pouring out.

I say pouring out but it
was more like it came
sizzling
out like a lightning bolt—a flash of electricity
that singed the hairs on Druaga’s snout and made him jump back with
a curse.

“
What in the name of
Lucifer?” he growled.

“
Stay back from me or I’ll
do it again, you nasty bastard!” I gasped, though I had no idea how
I had done what I had done in the first place. “I’ll fry you like a
fucking piece of bacon!”

“
You can’t!” Druaga drew
back, his muddy eyes uncertain.

“
I can! Laish taught me
everything he knew about words of power,” I lied recklessly. “If he
was here now—”

“
Well, he’s not,” Belial
thundered, glaring at me. “And he never will be again, thanks to
you, you filthy little mortal!” He nodded at the guards who were
still holding me, although not as tightly as before. “Someone gag
her. That should stop any further displays while Druaga finishes
her punishment.”

I opened my mouth to shout again but a hot,
hard palm slapped over my face before I could speak.

“
Now, Druaga,” Belial
said, an evil grin curling the corners of his thin, blue lips. “You
may proceed.”

“
I will.” The boar-headed
demon got back into position between my thighs. “I’m going to have
fun with this little bitch. And since Lord Laish isn’t here to stop
me—”

“
Oh, but he
is.”

The low, familiar voice came as a shock to
more than just me. Every head in the room jerked up, including
mine. To my mingled relief and astonishment, I saw Laish standing
in the doorway of the plush boardroom. He was wearing an immaculate
three piece suit and a look of utter rage on his face. But when he
spoke, his voice came out cold and terribly quiet.

“
Druaga,” he said softly.
“Take your hands off Gwendolyn and step away from her
now
or suffer the
consequences.”

* * * * *

Laish

How can I express my rage at seeing those
filthy hands on the woman I loved? Words cannot express it. I
wanted to kill every last one of them—to maim and rend—to tear out
their hearts and burn them at their feet. A crude solution,
perhaps, but doubtless an effective one.

I restrained myself with some effort.
Gwendolyn had been subjected to enough already. All I wanted now
was to get her out of here once and for all and see her safely home
to the Mortal Realm.

“
My Lord Laish,” Druaga
sputtered, stepping quickly away from my little witch. “We were
told…we thought…”

“
I can see well enough
what you thought.” Striding past him, I gripped Gwendolyn under the
arm and pulled her behind me, shielding her with my body. I could
feel her trembling as she tried to get herself together. The fear
and anxiety coming from her in waves only increased my
rage.

“
My Lord,” Belial began.
“The Mirror of the Eye showed—”

“
The Mirror showed
what—that I was dead? Or gone beyond recovering?” I glared at him.
“And you thought the best way to react to my death was to hurt the
woman I love?” I shook my head. “Words cannot express the depth of
this betrayal—I
trusted
you, my old Master. I told Gwendolyn to go to you
for safe passage back to her home. And how do you repay my trust?
By giving her to this…this
beast?”

I nodded in disgust at Druaga. The
boar-headed demon was still standing there with his member in one
hand. Now he rather unwisely began to talk.

“
She stole what was mine!
I was taking the compensation awarded by the Council,” he snorted.
“It is my right—”

“
You have no right to the
woman I love.” With a flick of my wrist, I caused the
black-bladed
thrak
to appear in my hand.

Druaga’s eyes widened when he saw the
weapon.

“
You can’t use that on me!
You have no soul to wield it with.”

“
Are you certain about
that?” I took a step towards him, holding the
thrak
out before me.

His face filled with fear, but still he
didn’t have the sense to shut up.

“
Even if you could, a
soul-killer is forbidden! It is against the law!”

“
Have you forgotten who is
Lord of this realm?” I demanded in a low voice. “I
am
the law.”

With ruthless pleasure, I plunged the dagger
into the blackened husk of his heart. It took almost everything I
had left of the piece of soul I had stolen, but I felt the blade do
its work before I withdrew it.

With an agonized cry, Druaga stumbled
backwards and burst into black flames. They sprouted from his one
remaining tusk first. Then, as he tried frantically to beat them
out, they spread to his hands and then his arms, flowing like oil
along his skin and clothing. At last he was completely consumed—a
shrieking ball of black fire, staggering around the room trying
desperately to put himself out.

I knew he would not be successful. Nor would
death end his burning. Even after he was completely consumed, his
essence would writhe forever in the Lake of Fire—entombed for
eternity in unspeakable agony. It was the fate that awaited every
demon when he died and I was pleased to inflict it on Druaga
now.

At last his struggles were
over and he was no more than a pile of ashes on the marble floor
and a cloud of foul smelling smoke which I waved away with a word.
I turned to Belial and the rest of the Council and held out
the
thrak.

“
Would any of you care to
be next?”

“
My Lord!” Belial sounded
aghast. “You cannot threaten the Council!”

“
And why not?” I demanded.
“Only moments ago they were threatening Gwendolyn. Not a one of
them lifted a finger to protect her from Druaga—yourself included.
In fact, you
gave
her to him.”

“
My Lord,
please,”
the old demon
pleaded. “I know you are upset but listen to reason—you only
think
you love this
mortal female! She has
bewitched
you—around her hangs the scent of the Eternal
Flame!”

I gave a short laugh.
“Is
that
what you
think?”

“
It is what I
know.”
Belial looked at
me earnestly, in the way which
used to
move my heart. Now it did nothing but make me angry. “Please, my
Lord,” he groveled. “She nearly
killed
you with her feminine
wiles—please, see reason!”

“
The only thing I see is
someone I once cared for who is now nothing to me,” I told him
coldly. “Go, Belial. For the sake of our shared past, I will not
kill you. But you are banished from my realm henceforward and
forevermore.”

“
But my
Lord,”
he whined. “I am
old…all of my books, my study materials are here. I cannot
simply
leave.
I’d
be torn to pieces the minute I left Dis!”

“
That is not my concern,”
I said. “Go now or I will let Gwendolyn ‘fry you like a piece of
bacon’ as I believe I heard her say earlier.”

Whining and muttering to himself, the old
demon hunched his way out of the Council room door. As he left, he
threw one last baleful glance over his humped shoulder at
Gwendolyn.

She lifted her chin and glared back at him,
clutching her torn shirt tightly to her breasts. I was glad to see
her composure had returned though I could still feel a slight
tremor running through her. I longed to take her in my arms and
comfort her but I knew she would not want any comfort I could
offer. Besides, I had one last matter to attend to first.

I turned to the Council.

“
You are all dismissed. Go
and never return to my realm.”

There were mutters of disbelief and rage and
some threatened to speak to Lucifer himself.

“
Speak to him then.” I
raised the
thrak
menacingly. “I care not. Only get out of my sight before I
decide Druaga needs company in the Lake of Fire.” It was an empty
threat—I had only a shred left of the soul I had stolen and it was
far too precious to me to waste it on any of them.

The members of the Council
did not know that, however. My words got them moving with admirable
alacrity, considering their age. Casting frightened glances at
the
thrak
I held,
they shuffled quickly from the room.

When they were gone at last with the door
slammed shut behind them, I turned to Gwendolyn.

“
Mon ange,”
I said, unable to help using my old nickname for
her. “Are you all right?”

“
I’m fine,” she said and
then burst into tears.

“
Gwendolyn…” I knew I had
no right to comfort her but I couldn’t help myself. I drew her into
my arms and held her close to my chest, feeling the connection
between us throb with her emotion. It was a connection I would have
to give up soon enough but I couldn’t bring myself to do it now—not
yet. Not when she was trembling and crying in my arms.

“
Oh, Laish,” she whispered
at last. “I thought you were
dead.”

“
I was, for a time,” I
told her truthfully enough. “But listen,
mon ange,
this is not the best place
to talk. Tell me, are you ready to go home?”

“
Yes,” she whispered,
wiping her eyes. “Oh, yes—
please,
Laish. Take me home!”

“
With pleasure,” I
said.

With a wave of my hand, I opened a door to
the Mortal Realm. Then, taking her by the arm, I pulled her
through, back to her home and to safety, fulfilling my promise
though it broke my heart to do so. My betrayal had been too great
for her to forgive—of that I was certain. Once her tears had run
their course, she would remember how cruelly I had treated her and
want nothing more to do with me.

She would be well rid of me, I told myself
stoically. I had caused her nothing but pain and grief and if I
didn’t wish to hurt her any more, I had to let her go.

Though I loved my little witch more than I
could express, it was time to say goodbye.

* * * * *

Gwendolyn

We came back right in
front of Grams’ small, neat front lawn in the middle of the night.
At least, I
think
it was the middle of the night. I wasn’t wearing a watch but
it was dark and the air had that still, cold feeling it gets in the
early morning hours just after midnight.

Even in Florida it gets a little chilly
sometimes. I shivered and tried to pull my torn shirt closer around
myself.

“
Are you cold?” Laish
looked at me, his ruby eyes filled with anxiety and something
else—some emotion I couldn’t quite read.