still carry the scars?”
“Because he wanted me clean. Cleansed by the sea.”
“Salt water.”The only way to blemish a vampire’s perfection. Well, there was another, but it involved a wooden stake and the bastard’s heart. And was a lot more permanent.
She nodded. “It was part of his ritual. Torture me, take me into the water, make me drink his blood, and leave just enough time to towel off before the next round. Sixth question.”
“How did no one find out?”
“Because no one looked. Seventh.”
“How did you escape?”
“He couldn’t play with a dead body.” Finally, her strength faltered a little. Davyn thought he saw the reflection of moisture in her eyes, but she looked at her feet before he could tell for sure. “When I came back, I was in a ditch.”
Seers died and then came back able to see the world hidden within the human one. If Lamere wasn’t such a prick, he would’ve just wiped her mind of all of it. But then again, he thought he’d killed her, so why bother?
“That’s a shitty way to become a seer, but at least he used his magic on you for all the rest of it. It ain’t much, puppet, but at least you didn’t feel it.”
“I felt everything.” She paused, maybe waiting for him to ask something else, but he didn’t know what to say. “If he’d used his power, it would have ruined his fun. When he took me, I was already a seer. I just didn’t know what that meant yet.”
The angels had failed. Somehow they’d missed her and had given Lamere the chance to take her before she knew anything about the Highworld.
Suddenly, it all clicked together. Davyn understood exactly why Lamere was tracking her, why he’d come back to the city. And it had nothing to do with making new vampires or challenging a demon.
The fucking psycho wants her back. Because she was the one who got away. And all the rest of it was a game.
“Eighth question,” she said.
“You didn’t eat much. Are you still hungry?”
“Is that your question?”
“It’s a question. Are you?”
“No.”
“Me neither. But I have to go back in for the check.”
Her brow furrowed as she realized he was done asking questions and was serious about going back to pay. “You’re a shitty demon.”
He shrugged. “This world is my home for the time being. When in Rome, spend a lot of time in the bathhouses. When in San Francisco…? Well, there are no more bathhouses here, but there are a lot of great restaurants I want to be able to come back to. So I pay for my food.”
He approached her and grabbed her shirt between his thumb and forefinger, pulling it down carefully so he wouldn’t accidentally touch her. “I still have two more questions. I want to hold onto them for a while.”
She nodded. “I can’t answer them if I’m dead.”
“Then you’re going to have to make sure you don’t do anything that’ll get you killed, won’t you? And high on that list is to not fuck with me.” You idiot. Just say it. You know you’re going to. “Yes,” was all he got out before he remembered how much he disliked her.
“Yes, what?”
“I can’t sit back and go to a movie while you hunt Lamere down, not unless I want to bring the Devil’s wrath down on the world. So taking the vamp out is my number-one priority. But if you happen to get to him first, then yes, I will stand back and let you shove the stake into his heart.” He paused before walking away. “If you can’t keep up or if you’re bleeding too badly to take him out, the deal’s off. Got it?”
“Got it,” she answered quickly, probably shocked and afraid he would come to his senses before the deal was struck. “Does this mean we’ve teamed up?”
“No. It means that I will use my considerable skill, and you will use your marginal ones to make sure the same mark doesn’t get away.”
“You don’t know what team up means, do you?”
“Demons don’t team up,” he grumbled.
“Okay. It’s just two words, but whatever. Thanks
“Because he wanted me clean. Cleansed by the sea.”
“Salt water.”The only way to blemish a vampire’s perfection. Well, there was another, but it involved a wooden stake and the bastard’s heart. And was a lot more permanent.
She nodded. “It was part of his ritual. Torture me, take me into the water, make me drink his blood, and leave just enough time to towel off before the next round. Sixth question.”
“How did no one find out?”
“Because no one looked. Seventh.”
“How did you escape?”
“He couldn’t play with a dead body.” Finally, her strength faltered a little. Davyn thought he saw the reflection of moisture in her eyes, but she looked at her feet before he could tell for sure. “When I came back, I was in a ditch.”
Seers died and then came back able to see the world hidden within the human one. If Lamere wasn’t such a prick, he would’ve just wiped her mind of all of it. But then again, he thought he’d killed her, so why bother?
“That’s a shitty way to become a seer, but at least he used his magic on you for all the rest of it. It ain’t much, puppet, but at least you didn’t feel it.”
“I felt everything.” She paused, maybe waiting for him to ask something else, but he didn’t know what to say. “If he’d used his power, it would have ruined his fun. When he took me, I was already a seer. I just didn’t know what that meant yet.”
The angels had failed. Somehow they’d missed her and had given Lamere the chance to take her before she knew anything about the Highworld.
Suddenly, it all clicked together. Davyn understood exactly why Lamere was tracking her, why he’d come back to the city. And it had nothing to do with making new vampires or challenging a demon.
The fucking psycho wants her back. Because she was the one who got away. And all the rest of it was a game.
“Eighth question,” she said.
“You didn’t eat much. Are you still hungry?”
“Is that your question?”
“It’s a question. Are you?”
“No.”
“Me neither. But I have to go back in for the check.”
Her brow furrowed as she realized he was done asking questions and was serious about going back to pay. “You’re a shitty demon.”
He shrugged. “This world is my home for the time being. When in Rome, spend a lot of time in the bathhouses. When in San Francisco…? Well, there are no more bathhouses here, but there are a lot of great restaurants I want to be able to come back to. So I pay for my food.”
He approached her and grabbed her shirt between his thumb and forefinger, pulling it down carefully so he wouldn’t accidentally touch her. “I still have two more questions. I want to hold onto them for a while.”
She nodded. “I can’t answer them if I’m dead.”
“Then you’re going to have to make sure you don’t do anything that’ll get you killed, won’t you? And high on that list is to not fuck with me.” You idiot. Just say it. You know you’re going to. “Yes,” was all he got out before he remembered how much he disliked her.
“Yes, what?”
“I can’t sit back and go to a movie while you hunt Lamere down, not unless I want to bring the Devil’s wrath down on the world. So taking the vamp out is my number-one priority. But if you happen to get to him first, then yes, I will stand back and let you shove the stake into his heart.” He paused before walking away. “If you can’t keep up or if you’re bleeding too badly to take him out, the deal’s off. Got it?”
“Got it,” she answered quickly, probably shocked and afraid he would come to his senses before the deal was struck. “Does this mean we’ve teamed up?”
“No. It means that I will use my considerable skill, and you will use your marginal ones to make sure the same mark doesn’t get away.”
“You don’t know what team up means, do you?”
“Demons don’t team up,” he grumbled.
“Okay. It’s just two words, but whatever. Thanks
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