marysuevirus | The Mary Sue Virus: Beyond Death (Reply)

Title: The Mary Sue Virus: Beyond Death
Chapter Sixty Five: Releasing the Demons
Fandom: Anita Blake universe
Rating: 18 and up
Warnings: graphic sex and violence, language, anything else i can toss in.
Disclaimer: the recognizable characters and places contained herein are the property of LKH. i'm merely borrowing for the sake of entertainment. no money is being made from this venture. the Sues are the sole property of their originators, Ginevra, Dazzledfirestar, Nanaea, SilverFoxChan and ladydeathfaerie. the concept and title of The Mary Sue Virus are used with permission from Dazzledfirestar.

Author's Notes: oops. something bad happens. sorry?

The Mary Sue Virus: Beyond Death - Index Link

The knock on the door startled Rhia, bringing her head up from the book she was looking through. The clock on the wall told her that it was late, almost ten o'clock at night. No one should be knocking on her door. Nathaniel was at work and she was locked away in her apartment, waiting for him to get off. She'd planned on spending the night doing some research, trying to figure out exactly what she had to do to stop the demon summoner. She wasn't expecting late night callers.

Rhia rose from her chair, leaving her book open to the page she'd been on, and headed toward the door. A glance through the peephole showed her a young man wearing a uniform shirt. He looked bored and put out. "Yes?"

"I have a letter here for Rhiannon Fitzpatrick," the young man returned.

"Do I need to sign for it or anything?" she asked.

"No."

Rhia debated it a moment, then undid the locks and opened the door as far as the chain would allow. She offered her hand up. "I'll take that, thanks," she told the courier. He stared at her through the crack in the door a moment, then nodded and handed the letter over. He was gone before she could think of closing the door again. She sighed in relief as she swung the door shut again, once more engaging the locks. The envelope was plain, with her name and address in black ink. She was pretty sure it was Aedan's handwriting.

Frowning, Rhia retrieved her letter opener and slid the blade between the flap and the body of the envelope. It took about half a minute to split the thing open. She set the opener down before tugging out the folded sheet of paper contained within. Unfolding the paper presented her with a short, hand written note.

Rhia,
I've uncovered the identity of the demon summoner and am going to confront him. It is likely that by the time you get this, he'll be making ready his preparations to summon the demon. I need you to contact Christophe and Cassadore. They'll know what needs to be done to stop the demon from coming through to this world. Time is of the essence here, so I suggest you hurry. I'm trusting you to have my back and I promise I'll explain everything later. Once you've made your plans with Christophe and Cassadore, call Jean Claude and let him know what's going on. I'll take care of the rest.
Thanks,
A

Rhia frowned. What did Aedan mean? What preparations was the summoner making? Why was Aedan going to confront the summoner? That sounded an awful lot like she was going to offer herself up to his insane plans in Rhia's place. In fact, the whole note carried with it a sense of foreboding. As if even it knew something ominous was going to happen. She retrieved her cell phone and used speed dial to contact Aedan. It went straight to voicemail, the other woman's voice telling her she was busy with work and would call back as soon as she was free if the caller would please just leave their name and number and a brief message.

Her frown intensified and Rhia disconnected the call. This time, she dialed Christophe's number. It barely even started ringing before he answered it. "Rhiannon." There was tension in the way he spoke her name, letting her know that he was aware something was going on.

"Christophe, I just got the strangest message from Aedan," she told him.

"What does it say?" he asked. She could hear something in his voice that made her anxious.

"She said she knows the identity of the demon summoner and she's gone to confront him. She said I was supposed to call you and Cassadore and make plans. Then I'm supposed to call Jean Claude and let him know what's going on. But how am I supposed to do that when I don't even really know what's going on?"

Christophe muttered something under his breath that sounded very much like a curse to Rhia. "Hang on, child. I'm going to call Cassadore and include him in this conversation. Perhaps he can shine some light on the subject." The line clicked on to hold for a moment and Rhia felt her pulse hammer in her throat. Waiting meant wasting time. Something she didn't want to do. Because she had a very bad feeling about this whole mess and she didn't like sitting back, doing nothing. Finally the line clicked again and hummed as the connection came back. "I'm back, Rhiannon. And Cassadore is on the other line."

"Christophe tells me the necromancer has discovered the identity of the demon summoner," Cassadore said without preamble. Something about the way he said 'necromancer' rubbed Rhia the wrong way.

"Aedan sent me a letter saying she was going to go confront him," Rhia told him, making a point of stressing the other woman's name. "Why is Aedan going to confront the summoner? I was under the impression that that was my duty. The visions said as much."

"Your visions told you that you would be part of the story, Rhiannon. Not that you were to play victim for the demon," Cassadore told her.

"Victim? What are you talking about? No one is playing victim for the demon. Aedan is not playing victim for the demon," she retorted, displeased with the warning trill that shot through her at the very use of the word victim.

"The necromancer is doing what she must to protect you and the rest of the world from the demon. If the summoner succeeds in his plans, there will be no one on earth who can stop the demon," Cassadore explained.

"What did you tell her?" Rhia snarled into the phone. The certainty that this turn of events was Cassadore's doing filled her with outrage and anger. "What did you tell her to make her do this? What did you make her promise to do in return for the information that would help her save Micah?"

"I merely pointed out that your life is far more important than hers. She made the choice of her own volition," Cassadore assured her.

Anger swept through her, anger like she'd never felt before. Her fingers tightened on the slim cell phone and, for the first time, she was filled with the desire to use her magic for her own personal gain. And that small part of her that had inherited Raina began offering her interesting ways she could do just that. "I am not more important than Aedan. Her life is as important as mine. More. Because if she dies, then half of the preternatural community goes with her. But you don't care about that. You don't care about anyone but yourself. Fucking selfish asshole. I can't believe I was awed to meet you. You're not better than--"

"Your life is far more important than the necromancer's," Cassadore cut across her tirade, seemingly unfazed by her anger. "You are one of Cassandra's descendants, Rhiannon. When my time as oracle comes to an end, you will take my place. It is my duty to protect the line. Your life is more important to this world than the necromancer's."

Rhia was stunned by the revelation, momentarily incapable of speech. There was no way he was right. He couldn't be right. She was a seer, yes. But she wasn't a Seer. Cassadore was a Seer. An oracle. The Oracle. There was no way...

"The necromancer will fulfill the duty you saw for yourself and you will remain unharmed. This is as I Saw it, Rhiannon," Cassadore told her gently.

"The necromancer has a name," she ground out forcefully. "Its Aedan. And she's my friend. She isn't cannon fodder to save your precious line. I don't give a shit about that. I care about my friend. And I swear to Goddess, if anything happens to her... I will kill you myself." Rhia ended the call and threw the phone across the room, a curse leaving her lips as she did so.

The bastard! How dare he! How dare he go behind her back and put someone else's life in danger just to protect his precious line. And how dare he drop a bombshell of information like that on her at a time like this! She wasn't about to let Aedan die because he wanted to protect her. Because the more she thought about it, the more she realized that that's what would happen. Aedan would die and then so would her friends. People she loved and cared about. Her heart stopped a moment. Nathaniel. She couldn't lose him. She wasn't strong enough to survive losing him.

The chime of her phone rattled her nerves, making her hands shake badly. She crossed the room slowly, uncertain as to whether she really wanted to answer it or not. It was on its fourth ring by the time she picked it up. Christophe. She frowned, not sure she wanted to speak to him. The chiming stopped, letting her know he'd hung up on his end. Only to start chiming against almost immediately. She drew a breath and sighed, then pushed the button to answer the call. "Rhiannon, please do not hang up the call. I would like it if you listened to me."

"I am not going to let Aedan die so he can protect his precious line. I want nothing to do with it, or him, if it means turning my back on a friend who would obviously die rather than see me get hurt. I'm going to find a way to stop this because its insane and... I can't lose someone else," Rhia told him, voice ending on a soft note of pain.

"I know this, Rhiannon. Which is why I've called you back. I know how we can stop this. But it will take both of us working together. And we're going to need help," Christophe told her. "Do you think we can rely on the Master of the City to lend aid?"

"To make sure nothing happens to Aedan? Yes. He will definitely lend aid," Rhia said, anxious to get things moving. She had a bad feeling that they didn't have much time.

"Good. Now listen carefully, because this is what we must do," Christophe began. Rhia listened carefully, the entire time praying that Goddess would be with them.

~*~

Surprisingly, it did not take Jean Claude long to answer his phone. He picked up almost before the first ring had even completed itself. "Rhiannon?" The question in her name asked so much that she didn't know where to begin. She wished she knew what he was thinking or feeling at the moment, because it would make this so much easier for her if she did.

Doing her best not to take a noticeable breath, she pulled her courage to her and got right into it. "Have you heard from Aedan?" she asked him.

"I had a brief conversation with her nearly an hour ago. But nothing since then," he reported. She thought she heard a slight touch of anger in his voice. "I have, however, had a conversation with the rats who were assigned to guard her this evening. They reported that she somehow managed to incapacitate them and slip away from them before they regained consciousness. When I attempted to contact her, through various methods, it was to find that she had shut me out completely. And now you call, asking me about her. What is it that I need to know?"

"She sent me a note. In it, she told me she'd figured out who the summoner was and she was going to go confront him," Rhia told him. There was a moment or two of silence, then she heard Jean Claude mutter some words in French that sounded very much like swear words.

"You mean she went to get herself killed," he replied.

Rhia sighed. "It seems likely. But that's why I'm calling you. Christophe knows how we can stop this before it goes that far. The only thing is we're going to need help. Lots of it. Because he and I can deal with the demon, but we need time to get set up. So we need people to run interference."

"I can gather several people together. How much interference are we talking about?" he asked, voice sounding a little distant. She suspected he was already working on putting a group of people together.

"According to Christophe and a friend of his who is an expert on demons, this particular one is one of the strongest ever encountered. So think nuclear weapon interference."

"I will have them together shortly. Where will we be meeting? Do you know where to find Aedan?"

Rhia paused a moment. She hadn't thought about that bit. She'd been working under the idea that Jean Claude would be able to find her. She could try using her gifts to find Aedan, but she wasn't sure that would work. Frowning, she reached out and picked up the note, making sure her fingers touched the ink that flowed across the page. Cassadore had told her she was of Cassandra's line. Maybe she could put that to work for her.

Closing her eyes, she concentrated on the note. Imagined Aedan handling the paper as she wrote her message on it. Formed an image of Aedan in her mind, then sent her gifts spiraling out into the ether in the hopes that they would know what to do. That they would be able to find her and locate her. That they'd be able to give Rhia some clue.

For a moment, she didn't think it would work. She felt nothing, saw nothing. And then, the darkness began to peel back, in layers, until she saw faint shadows. Slowly, what she saw came into focus. Rhia found herself staring at a cemetery, headstones jutting up from the ground in an odd mimicry of teeth. She could see trees looming like shadowed sentinels, large and broad with branches that spread wide over the grounds. There were lanterns spaced at intervals, casting weird lighting across the graves. "I see a cemetery," she whispered, still searching the grounds for something she could use. Her eyes finally lit upon a statue in one corner, tall and imposing as it stood under a line of trees. "There's a statue in the corner. Its huge. I can't make it out, but its under a bunch of trees."

"I know of which cemetery you speak," Jean Claude assured her. "I will have someone pick you and Christophe up. Have whatever you might need ready because they will not wait for you." He left unspoken that he wasn't going to sit around and wait for the demon to kill Aedan.

"Christophe is on his way here. We'll be ready and waiting," Rhia assured him. The line clicked off without so much as a goodbye from the vampire. Rhia sighed and began to gather her things together. She didn't know that she liked the way this evening seemed to be intent on playing out. It wasn't supposed to be Aedan. And if anything happened to her, Rhia was personally going to see to it that Cassadore paid.

Even if that meant with his life...

~*~*~*~*~

It was fortunate that there were so many trees in this particular cemetery. Otherwise, there would have been no way to bring in all of the people Jean Claude had with him. Rhiannon and Christophe stood behind him and off to the side. They'd put their heads together as soon as they'd arrived in the cemetery and, even now, Jean Claude could feel the first faint stirrings of magic. Asher was some distance away, watching and waiting silently. As silent as the graves in the cemetery. Wicked and Truth were spread out around himself and Asher, there to act as both guards and to lend their aid, if needed. Scattered among the trees were the rest of his small party. Micah and Minette, though he'd tried to convince Minette to stay at the Circus. She'd vehemently refused, saying that she wasn't about to let her best friend possibly die. Not if there was anything she could do to stop it. He felt Richard's nervous energy flowing around him and allowed himself to relive the surprise he'd felt when the Ulfric had agreed to accompany him on this task.

There were others out there, some of the rats and a few of the pack lurking in the trees. Waiting for the moment they were needed. For now, though, they were stuck waiting. As everyone else was. Because Rhia had said they'd be able to do nothing until she and Christophe were able to bring down the circle the summoner was going to cast. Because that's where the demon would be.

And, Jean Claude realized as he watched the cloaked figure moving around among the graves, that was where Aedan was going to be.

Aedan... His heart stopped in his chest every time he thought about what her foolishness would bring. He knew, deep down inside, she had understood before leaving her office that going after the summoner would mean her death. And yet, she'd done it anyway. And she'd lied to him about her plans, letting him think that there was absolutely nothing wrong. And then she'd shut him out and left him wondering what she'd been doing.

It would be a miracle if she survived this encounter. If she died before they were able to deal with the demon, Jean Claude would show the summoner what real power was. Right before he ripped the man's heart from his chest and watched him die.

The cloaked figure stopped moving and stepped off to the side. Jean Claude had, upon seeing the summoner, wanted to cross the distance between himself and the their target and simply end it. Right then and there. It had been Rhia who had told him that doing so wasn't possible, that they had to deal with both summoner and demon. If not, the demon would simply find someone else to prey upon and they'd have to start this all over again. So he stood helpless. Watching. Waiting.

Power swelled on the air as the summoner closed the circle. A circle that enclosed Aedan within it. A circle that would keep him from her until it could be brought down. He had to trust that Rhiannon and Christophe could do what they'd said they could do. Tension and fear coalesced in his stomach, leaving him on edge. He didn't like this. Not one bit. He hated feeling useless.

The summoner had stretched Aedan's body out over a grave, using stakes pounded into the ground and chains connected to them to bind her in place. It must have taken a bit of doing, because the summoner appeared to be a small man and she'd been dead weight the entire time. Whatever method he'd used to render her unconscious, it still had a hold on her. Even now, there was a wall of nothing in his head where she was supposed to be.

And then power swelled again when the summoner began speaking in a tongue that made the fine hairs on Jean Claude's arms stand on end. He felt the uneasiness that passed through those with him, letting him know that they'd all experienced the same sense of doom as he had. That thought was driven away as the power crested, resting heavy and thick on the air. In the blink of an eye, there was a very large figure standing next to the grave upon which Aedan lay.

It was tall, so very tall. It stood on legs that appeared twice as long as its torso. A torso that was thick with muscle and stretched long. Its head was elongated, kind of thin. There were slits for its nostrils, barely raised up from the surface of its face, and eyes that gleamed red in the lanterns' light. it came complete with long arms that seemed corded with muscle. If he had to guess, Jean Claude would have to say the demon stood well over ten feet tall. It looked and felt powerful. And he had to wonder if maybe their plan would actually work.

"You summoned me, master?" The demon's voice was low, and it sounded like rocks grating across one another. Its focus was solely on the figure wearing the cloak, but Jean Claude knew it was aware of the body stretched out at its feet.

"I've brought you the final sacrifice," the summoner replied. One hand motioned toward where Aedan lay, prompting the demon to look down at her. From where he stood, Jean Claude could see that she was still, her eyes closed and face lax with unconsciousness. The demon studied her a moment before turning its red-eyed gaze back to the summoner.

"She's ripe with power," it hissed, what Jean Claude felt was supposed to be a smile pulling its lips wide. There were so many sharp, pointy teeth in that thing's mouth.

"Wake her so that she may learn of the worthiness of her sacrifice before she makes it," the summoner ordered.

"As you bid, master," the demon responded. It studied Aedan's form a moment or two, then bent at the waist. One of its hands reached for her, taloned fingers spreading out like an array of spears. Before it touched her, the hand stopped and the demon stared a moment longer. Then one of those needle sharp talons sank into her flesh, just below her collar bone. The gasp that tore from her throat was loud and her eyes snapped open as pain lanced through her body.

Just as suddenly as her wakening, he felt her at the back of his head, a solid presence despite the pain that ate at her. For a moment, he knew a deep sense of relief. Then he heard the wheezing from across the distance and understood that the demon had punctured a lung. That was not a good thing. At all. Aedan, he began.

"Wait. I'll tell you when," she shot back at him, tone confident and steady, as if she'd been expecting him to be there, before her eyes rolled toward the cloaked figure on the other side of the circle. A smile touched her lips, filled with pain and blood and hatred.

"Good evening, Marshal Kinkade, and welcome to my little party. I am--"

"Dominic Perkins," Aedan cut across him, a sneer in her voice that it seemed the summoner missed. Because his hands reached up to push his hood back, exposing the face of a man who looked like he would be better suited to sitting behind a desk, pushing papers around, than summoning a demon and ordering it to murder people.

"Ah! You know me. My reputation precedes me," the man beamed.

"Nothing of the sort," Aedan said, then coughed. Jean Claude saw flecks of crimson paint her flesh. "Deductive reasoning. You've been summoning this walking piece of shit in order to gain power. Because you're jealous that your son was born with natural abilities and you weren't. I hope his death was worth what you've gained, because its all you're going to get," she told him.

"You don't know what you're talking about. My servant has promised me all the power I could want and more! Why do you think I'm doing this?"

"Your servant?" she scoffed, gaze turning to look up at the demon. "Seriously. You bought into its lies? Its a demon, you fucking idiot. It lies. That's its job. It can't give you power. Its taking power for itself."

"Liar!" the man yelled.

"Either you're born with power or you aren't. You don't gain power by trying to steal it from other people." she told Perkins. Her words ended with coughing and each one sent more pain shafting through her. Jean Claude held a breath he didn't need to draw when she wheezed and gasped her way through drawing air into her one good lung.

"You lie," Perkins snarled. "My servant has told me how to gain power. He's helping me accomplish my goals. Once I've taken your power, I'll be so strong that no one will be able to stop me."

His words saw her laughing again. "You can't steal my power. You can't steal anyone's power. That's not how this shit works. But I'm not surprised by your ignorance. That's why the coven wouldn't let you join them. Because you were too stupid to know that you couldn't take power from someone. You certainly can't take it by eating their organs. Did you really buy into that shit?"

Dominic Perkins frowned at Aedan, then shifted his gaze to the demon. "Shut her up!"

The demon's hand swung and slammed into the side of Aedan's head. The connection he had with her was gone in an instant. It was Rhia's hand on his arm that kept him from leaving the protection of the trees. "Just wait," she whispered softly, barely any breath leaving her lungs with which to make noise. He hadn't even realized he'd moved.

When he gave his attention back to the summoner, it was to find the man muttering to himself feverishly, as if he was having a conversation with someone no one else could see. This went on for a moment or two, then the little man looked at the demon again. "Wake her."

It nodded and gave its attention back to the figure on the ground. Again, the demon drove a single talon into Aedan's chest. Her back arched up off the ground, eyes flying wide as a noiseless gasp fell from parted lips. Her fingers curled into fists and every muscle in her body shook. He felt the fire race under her skin, felt the pain rush through her. Felt her struggle to pull air into her lungs. Aedan, let me help.

"Wait! I'll tell you when its fucking time! Just make sure Rhia and Christophe are ready!" she snarled in his head, voice laden with pain.

"Now, Marshal Kinkade," the Perkins man began, sounding much calmer than he had only moments ago. "Allow me to explain to you why you're here at my party."

"I know exactly why I'm here," Aedan panted, breath labored and chest on fire. "Hate to disappoint you, fucker, but you're the only one dying tonight." Jean Claude watched as her hand shifted around in its shackle, so that her palm and fingers touched the grass beneath her. He had a very bad feeling about what was going to happen.

"How funny. You're threatening me. As if you can do anything, locked away in my circle with the demon as you are," Perkins mused. He sounded as if he was about to break into laughter. It was obvious he'd missed the movement of her hand.

"You forgot one tiny detail when you brought me here," she rasped. Jean Claude felt her power swell, felt it ride heavy on the air before she shoved it into the ground.

Do not do this, ma mie. Conserve your strength, Jean Claude begged her.

She didn't respond. Not with words. But he felt her power swell again, felt the ground shake as the zombies she summoned clawed their way to the surface. Even the summoner seemed to sense something was up, because he looked around with wide eyes, a mildly panicked expression on his face. "What are you doing? What is this?" he demanded of her.

Aedan smiled, the look frightening with blood staining her lips. "You brought a necromancer to a fucking cemetery. In fact, you brought a necromancer to a cemetery where your son, whom you murdered, is buried. You're a fucking idiot. I win. You lose. Now fuck right off to hell," she panted, lungs straining to draw in enough air after she'd expended so much energy.

Dominic Perkins looked around him as a single corpse popped up behind him. A half dozen more broke the surface around him in a circle and the single zombie, watching them with intent eyes. "You murdered me, Father," the single zombie managed to get out, despite the fact that it was missing its tongue. And it looked right at Perkins, even though there were no eyes in its head. How Aedan had managed such a feat was beyond him, but Jean Claude didn't think she had any more in her.

"What is this? Stop him!" Perkins called, trying to dodge the zombie that had been his son. His gaze slid around until it landed on Aedan, eyes wide with panic and fear. "Stop him! For the love of God! Stop him!"

"Too late, Perkins. He's going to kill you like you killed him. Bad form," she laughed, then coughed, then laughed some more. "Bad form bringing a necromancer to a cemetery. But this is the least you deserve for what you did."

Aedan paused, gasping for breath. He could feel her chest through their link, burning and heavy. Perkins let go a high scream of terror as he tried to find his way past the ring of waiting zombies. Anytime he got close to a gap, the two closest to it shifted toward him and pushed him back into the center of the circle. Back toward his dead son. And, just like that, it was over. His son fell on him, mouth wide and teeth bared as his hands gripped the man's throat. Aedan's power swelled again and the ring of zombies disappeared. Perkins' son disappeared, his hold on his father so absolute that the man disappeared with him. When Jean Claude looked back to the circle where Aedan lay bleeding, it was to find that she was nearly limp with the expenditure of energy.

"That was an ill advised move, necromancer. That leaves you trapped in here with me," the demon reminded her.

Aedan! Jean Claude called. She gave no answer, gave no indication that she even heard him. All of her attention seemed to be focused on the demon.

"Tell Aedan we're ready," Rhia whispered, hand once more coming to rest on his arm. The softness of her touch, the earthy feel of her magic, helped to calm him. He hadn't realized he was starting to panic, but her touch grounded him when he so desperately needed it. Losing his head now was sure to end with Aedan losing her life.

Aedan, Rhiannon says they are ready. he informed her. Do you hear me? Rhiannon and Christophe are ready to bring down the walls of the circle.

"Tell them to await my word. It isn't time yet," she replied. He could hear the pain in each of her words, could sense her dwindling strength. She stared defiantly at the demon. "You're not going to get your wish, ugly. Not today. I'm going to make sure you never get the chance to try this again."

"You cannot stop me, necromancer. You will die and I will be born again. I will take your magic and all your power and I will become flesh and blood," the demon informed her. It studied her a moment, eyes shifting over her while its nostrils flared. "You're on the verge of death even now. I can smell it coming for you. Allow me to hasten it. I need your heart, necromancer."

"Can't have it," she gasped, struggling to draw air into her lungs. It was hard to draw a full breath, though, because one lung was useless. "Belongs to someone else."

"I had no intention of asking you to give it to me. I am simply going to take it. The question is... How?" One of the demon's talons slid into the hole in Aedan's chest, filling her with a fresh round of pain. Once again, her back arched and her eyes went wide. She gasped loudly, unable to pull air into her lungs. Jean Claude could feel the panic trying to settle in, could feel her determination as she beat the panic back and forced herself to ride out the pain exploding in her chest. Just as he had to force himself, and those with him, to remain still until the time was right. He honestly wasn't sure he could wait much longer. "I have already made a hole. It would be a simple matter of enlarging it. Shattering your ribcage. Pulling your beating heart from your chest."

The talon slid free and Aedan collapsed against the ground. The feel of her at the back of his head was fuzzy. She didn't have much more time.

"Or, perhaps, I will go through your abdomen," the demon began. Jean Claude felt its talons sink into Aedan's flesh, felt the pain race through her. Once again, her back arched. She screamed, even though she had no breath to do so, hands scrabbling at the ground as if taking hold of it would ground her and shield her from the pain.

The demon's hand disappeared into her flesh and started working its way toward her heart. Jean Claude felt it as it slid against her ribs. As the sharp points of its talons touched her heart. Felt her body shiver to a halt. The demon was going to kill her and she was going to let it. "And pull it from you this way."

"Now, Jean Claude. Tell Rhia now." Aedan's voice whispered through his mind, almost no weight behind it.

"Now, Rhiannon. She says do it now!" he commanded, not bothering with whispering. The witch said nothing, but he felt her magic swirl around him. Felt Christophe's own magic, so similar to Aedan's and yet not, combine with hers. It swelled.

And the circle was gone.

Everything happened in a blur after that. The demon, hand still clasped around Aedan's heart, looked up just as it was slammed into by a trio of truly pissed off master vampires and an Ulfric in his hybrid form. The four of them, their rage and strength combined, managed to drive the demon away without allowing it to pull Aedan's heart from her chest. There was a loud snap, then a bellow of rage, but Jean Claude paid it no mind. Even before the demon had been shoved away from her, he was in motion. He reached her before Micah and Minette, going to his knees beside her.

"Aedan!" the Nimir-Ra yelled, her hands already shattering the chain that bound the wrist nearest her. Minette took hold of that hand, eyes raking her friend's figure frantically before coming to rest on him. Jean Claude heard Micah deal with the chains at her ankles. But all his attention was focused on her face, so pale and still and... lifeless.

The chains that held her were ordinary, easy for him to break. He took hold of the hand he'd freed, pulled it into his lap. He had both hands curled around it, holding it tightly. As if doing so would keep her with him. Her breath came in short, shallow gasps. Blood leaked from the hole in her chest. Poured from the one below her ribcage. "Aedan. Please, Aedan, look at me," Minette begged. "Please don't do this to me. Please."

"Aedan," he whispered. "Ma mie."

Her eyes fluttered open, a task that took far too long to accomplish, and shifted in his direction. The hand he held tried to tighten down around his, tried to squeeze it. There was little strength in her action. "Je..." she tried, voice giving out on her. So she tried again. "Je..."

"Shhh, ma mie. Save your strength," he told her.

She swallowed. Coughed so that blood welled up to stain her lips, to slide down her cheek. "Je t'aime," she got out.

"Jean Claude, do something!" Minette demanded, voice strident with her fear. The air was painted with that same fear, the night around him alive with it. "Give her some energy. Do something! She's dying!"

"I cannot give her energy. That is one of her gifts. Not one of mine," he told the other woman absently, watching as the light in Aedan's eyes slowly dimmed.

"No! You can't let her die! Do something! Save her! Do something!" Minette ordered, tears thickening her words. When he looked up at her, she was staring at him, eyes wide with her grief. Her cheeks were wet and her hand still clung tenaciously to Aedan's.

His attention was pulled back to Aedan as the breath rattled from her throat and the hand he held went slack. Her eyes stared up at him sightlessly, face soft and relaxed. He kept hold of her hand with one of his, used the other to feel for a pulse even though he knew it was pointless. Minette was fully crying, her face turned into Micah's chest. All around him, he could feel the disbelief and the anger. How had this happened again?

"The police are coming," Edward's voice cut the silence that had descended upon the cemetery. "An ambulance is with them, too." Death paused, his gaze sliding from Minette to Micah to Jean Claude. Then that gaze finally fell to where Aedan lay. And Jean Claude saw his face close off, saw it become as cold and distant as it had ever been. "How long has she been down?" he asked, dropping gracefully down onto his knees beside Aedan. Jean Claude watched as sure hands assessed her wounds, checked for a pulse, did a quick exam that was obviously left over from a past life. "Jean Claude! How long has she been down?"

"A minute. Perhaps less," he replied. Edward nodded, tipped Aedan's head back so that her airway was straight and unobstructed. His coat came off, followed by his shirt. It was pressed against Aedan's chest, one of his hands reaching for Minette. Forcing her to press the makeshift bandage against the hole. "I'm going to administer CPR. Someone needs to do chest compressions. We need to circulate both blood and air to keep her brain from suffering damage." The man's gaze went to Aedan's chest, Minette's hand pressed against it and hiding the hole they knew to be there. "Maybe open heart massage is a better choice. Can you do that?" Edward asked him.

"I can," Jean Claude nodded. He let go of Aedan's hand, laying it on the ground beside her. Then he shifted himself around, carefully slid his hand into the hole made by the demon's talons, and found her heart. It was still warm, a wet and heavy weight in his palm. He gave a nod to Edward and watched as the man started breathing air into her lungs. When he stopped, Jean Claude pumped Aedan's heart. Gently. Carefully.

Back and forth they went, Edward breathing for her while Jean Claude continued to massage her heart. Soon enough, he heard the rattle of a stretcher as it was hauled across the cemetery's uneven ground. The flick of colored lights spun lazily around the area, and the sound of voices coming through a walkie-talkie broke up the silence of the night. Moments later, EMTs were bearing down on them. Beyond them, a group of police officers were joining the party.

It was a delicate dance to switch out with the EMT who was to take over keeping Aedan's heart going. Jean Claude had to admire their fortitude and their calmness in the face of something that could likely be one of the worst things they'd ever seen. Cool heads reigned as one EMT began barking orders. The others followed them, doing as they were told in an effort to get Aedan stabilized. To keep her alive long enough to get her to the hospital.

All he could do was stand there and watch, Edward at his side. Her blood lay heavy and thick on his arm, growing cold and clammy now that it was exposed to the air. He should clean it off, do something. He couldn't force himself to leave her side, couldn't force himself to do anything but stare. And hope. It felt like it was in vain. But he hoped so terribly that she could be saved. He wasn't ready to let her go yet. Wasn't ready to face yet the death of someone else close to him.

And she'd told him, as she lay dying, that she loved him. Because she'd thought it the only chance she'd ever get to tell him. He was starting to think that perhaps he didn't deserve her...

"What the fuck?" The question brought Jean Claude out of his thoughts. He found that the police had reached them and Detective Storr was standing beside him, watching the paramedics' desperate efforts to stabilize Aedan. To keep her alive so that they could get her to the hospital. He also found that his people were spread around him, their faces stoic. Cast in sadness. They were lost. Angry. He felt all of that. And so much more. "What the fuck happened here?"

"She dealt with your demon. And the summoner," he told Dolph coldly, gesturing toward Aedan with the bloody hand to ensure he drove his point home. "I hope her sacrifice was worth it."

"We need to move her. If we can get her to the hospital, there may be a chance." The EMT who had been issuing orders looked at Dolph. The man nodded, then turned to look at a cop behind him.

"Radio ahead and clear the streets. I want an escort. Make sure they get to the hospital in record time," he ordered. Then he turned back to the scene before him, watched as the EMTs worked at getting Aedan onto the stretcher without breaking off from massaging her heart. "We're not going to lose another one. Not if I can help it."

~*~*~*~*~

The waiting room was somber, filled with heavy silence and long faces. Everyone was clustered together in one area, cluttering up a couch and several chairs. He'd taken the far corner, where he could see everything. Be alone. Curse himself for not seeing what the idiotic little twit had been planning. He should have known, should have seen it coming. He should have stopped her. If he had, maybe they wouldn't be in a hospital's emergency room waiting area in the middle of the night, hoping beyond hope that death wouldn't pay them a visit.

Edward let his gaze slide around the waiting room, let it touch upon everyone present. First up was Jean Claude, standing near the windows that overlooked the darkened city. He had no idea what the man saw. What he was thinking. Only that he was as silent and pensive as Edward had seen him since Anita's death. His right hand and arm were still coated in Aedan's blood, now dried and rusty brown. It was caked under the vampire's fingernails and caught in the creases of skin on his knuckles. Either Jean Claude had forgotten about it or he'd left the blood there to make a statement.

For as much as he didn't know, there was something he did know. Jean Claude had not been as unaffected by the events of the evening as he wanted people to think. Whatever he felt for Aedan, it was far more than the simple emotions that came with having a human servant. Edward had learned a long time ago that Jean Claude masked his emotions by putting on a blank face. If the blankness of his face was any indication at the moment, Edward was certain that Jean Claude had realized that he loved Aedan. For a moment, a faint smile touched the corner of his lips. God help everyone if those two ever became a couple.

The next face he touched upon was Minette's. She was curled up in a corner of the couch, Micah's arm wrapped around her. Face pale and still glistening with falling tears, she looked lost. He supposed he could understand that. Aedan had been Minette's only family for years. Just as she'd been Aedan's only family. Being presented with evidence of your friend's mortality tended to be difficult to accept. Edward suspected she'd remain shell-shocked for a while longer. At her side, Micah was quiet, face stoic, but it was plain to see that there was sorrow lurking, just waiting to rise to the surface when least expected.

Richard wore his anger openly, his jaw clenched tightly as he allowed his rage to eat at him. There were a few scratches lingering across his cheek where the demon had apparently gotten him good during their fight. Surprisingly, Rhia stood with him, allowing him to comfort her with an arm around her shoulders as she leaned into him and cried silently. As for the little witch, she was pale and shaken. Edward thought perhaps she'd realized just what kind of danger she'd been willing to put herself into by trying to make herself a target to the summoner and his pet demon. And, if he wasn't mistaken, there was a little guilt there. Because Aedan had taken her place without batting an eyelash.

He let his gaze skim over the rats and the other members of Richard's pack, took in the looks of anger and sadness and disbelief. Touched upon the not quite as stoic as they'd like expressions on the Wicked Truth's faces. Apparently, no one had realized just what Aedan was willing to do for someone she cared about. Idiots and fools, the lot of them. If there was one thing he'd leaned about Aedan in the time he'd known her, it was that she gave her everything. Always.

The last person he studied was Asher. The man sat alone, face blank and as welcoming as stone. He stared at the floor, obviously trying to make sense of everything. Edward couldn't be certain, because he knew there were things Aedan wouldn't tell him, but it seemed like Asher was taking things nearly as hard as Jean Claude. Edward wasn't sure if it was because she was one of his last ties to Anita or if it was Aedan herself. If that was the case, Edward had to wonder just what she'd done to melt some of the ice around the blonde's heart.

The surprise was Detective Storr, occupying a chair by himself. His face was hard, letting people know he was unapproachable. But Edward was certain it was entirely for show. Whether he wanted to or not, Storr cared about what happened to Aedan. It was possible the man looked upon her as a daughter. She was young enough to be his child. Maybe he was kicking himself for how he'd treated her. Maybe he was there to apologize for being an asshole to her. Then again, maybe he was hoping this would be the best time to ask her about that night with the lycanthrope killers. Who knew?

What he did know is he was damn tired of waiting. They'd been there for several hours, with no news. The only thing any of them had been told was that Aedan had been rushed to surgery and the doctor would come speak with them when that was finished. He had to wonder just how long it actually took to do the repairs that were needed.

Edward was on the verge of going for a drink when an older man in blue scrubs and a white coat came in. He still wore the paper hat on his head and the paper booties on his feet. If Edward squinted closely, he could see specks of blood on the man's shirt. The doctor looked at the clipboard in his hand, then raised his eyes so that he could survey the room. "Mister Jean Claude?" he asked.

The vampire turned to look at the doctor. There was a brief moment where the doctor stared at the blood dried on Jean Claude's arm with something akin to shock, then he shook himself and stepped forward. Not surprisingly, he didn't offer his hand to shake. Jean Claude didn't seem to mind. "How is Aedan?" the master vampire asked quietly. Everyone in the room heard him.

"It was touch a go for a bit. How you managed to keep her alive with all of the damage done is just a miracle," the doctor began, then glanced down at his clipboard. "Of course we, got the air out of her chest, stitched up the holes in her lung, and got it reinflated. We checked her heart to ensure that there was no lasting damage from being grabbed as it was. We made sure none of the larger, nearby blood vessels had been lacerated or torn open. Any that looked as if they had been were stitched up. We did a thorough review of her abdominal organs to ensure that none of them had suffered tears or lacerations. And, finally, we closed the wound in her abdomen."

The doctor paused and looked around the room before bringing his gaze back to Jean Claude. "How exactly did she incur such injuries? It looked like someone tried to rip her heart out of her chest." Edward was sure the doctor was thinking about the dried blood on the vampire's arm.

"A demon attempted to rip her heart out of her chest," Jean Claude replied, tone almost flat. The doctor blinked at that, but before he could ask any other questions, Jean Claude pressed on. "When can we see her?"

"Shortly. I've got staff settling her into a private room. As soon as they're done, I'll allow two of you to visit her at a time. She's unconscious right now, so she won't be chatting or anything. But you can go in and talk to her, let her know you're there. It'll help with the healing process." The doctor looked around the room, letting his gaze touch on everyone there. If he was confused by the large and varied group of people there, he didn't voice it. He simply accepted it as fact that these people were friends and family. "I'll leave you to figure out who goes in and sees her first. I'll send a nurse to escort you to her room shortly."

The doctor slipped out of the waiting area without saying anything else. Heavy silence blanketed the air, making it feel thick and cloying. As if people were afraid to speak. That was the last thing Aedan would want from them. Edward pushed out of his corner and drew every eye in the room his way. "Jean Claude, you and Asher go visit her first. You've got a limited amount of darkness left. The rest of us can wait until after."

"You are sure?" Jean Claude asked in return. There was maybe just a tiny hint of disbelief in his voice. Nothing that anyone would notice, really. But the vampire knew how Edward felt about him, especially where Aedan was concerned. So the disbelief was understandable. Edward let his gaze slide from one pale face to the next, let them see the truth in his eyes. Then he nodded.

"I'm sure. I plan on sitting with her all day anyway, so I'm in no rush," Edward informed them. It was a way of saying he was going to guard her stupid ass without saying it in front of everyone. Jean Claude stared a moment longer, then nodded his head. He offered Edward a faint smile, just a quick uplift of his mouth at the corners. It was enough. Edward gave another nod and headed for the door. "There's a vending machine up the hall. I'm going to grab something to drink. Anyone need anything?"

Fifteen minutes later, Edward returned to the waiting area with three bottles of water, six cups of coffee, a cup of tea, and a can of lemonade. Both Jean Claude and Asher were absent, letting him know that the nurse had come to show them to Aedan's room. He took the time to pass drinks around to those who had ordered, then returned to his corner. Not more than ten seconds later, Dolph joined him. Edward watched him grimace after a sip of the hospital's version of coffee and simply waited.

"What the hell was she doing, taking on a demon by herself?" Dolph asked. Edward bit back the dry smile that wanted to come and slanted a look Storr's way. He considered pulling his punches, considered being polite about it. But then he decided fuck that noise. He couldn't be bothered to be polite.

"What the hell do you care? She lowered herself by dating a vampire. Everyone knows how you feel about that. You made that abundantly clear when it was Anita and not Aedan."

He watched Dolph's mouth compress into a thin line. Yeah. He'd made a point. And it had hurt. Too fucking bad. Edward had heard more than once just how Rudolph Storr felt about vampires and, more importantly, how he felt about people he knew dating vampires. Rationally, Edward knew that the man got upset because he cared about the person in question. Probably he liked to consider himself a father figure for Aedan. But Edward also knew that Dolph had pushed Aedan beyond her limits, had accused her of letting Anita die in one breath and then treated her exactly like Anita with the next breath. His treatment of the woman had been unfair since the very first and Edward felt it was time to put a stop to that shit.

"That doesn't mean I want to see her get herself killed because she's got some crazy notion that she has to be Anita," Dolph replied. His tone was gruff. No doubt an attempt to hide his anger and the other emotions filling him.

"She was doing her job, Detective Storr," Edward informed him.

"Offering herself up like some kind of sacrifice wasn't her job, Forrester!" Dolph snapped.

"On the contrary," Edward replied quietly. "She's your preternatural expert. She's the one who knows about the undead and the dead and the lycanthropes. She's the one who deals with them for you. Your men aren't equipped to deal with a demon." Edward paused and pinned him with a glare. "You aren't equipped to deal with a demon. Hell, not even Aedan is equipped to deal with a demon. But she did it anyway. And if you ask her why, she'll tell you what I just told you. She was doing her job. Saving innocent lives in your city."

"That doesn't mean getting herself killed," Dolph insisted.

Edward stared at him over his bottle of water for several long moments and decided to go in for the kill. "What do you care? You're the one who wants to put her in jail over a deranged murderer that you can't even find. Never mind that she doesn't know what happened to him. Never mind she was in shock when you started hounding her for answers. Never mind she's nearly fucking killed herself trying to live up to your expectations."

Dolph turned a look on him that would have made a lesser man cringe back in fear. There was very little Edward was truly afraid of anymore and the anger in Rudolph Storr's face wasn't on the list. He stared back at the man, eyes and face blank. "You think I don't know what kind of asshole I am? You think I haven't tried to find a way to stop being that asshole?

"I think you get off on scaring young women because it makes you feel big," Edward replied, tone letting the other man know he was absolutely unconcerned with anything Dolph had or hadn't been trying to do. "I think that I almost lost a friend tonight because you pushed too fucking hard. I think you might want to consider leaving Aedan alone from now on."

"Are you threatening me, Forrester?" Dolph asked, inching closer in an attempt to use his size to intimidate him. Edward flicked his gaze over the man and said nothing. But he knew the look on his face told Dolph exactly how not intimidated he was.

"Maybe he isn't, but I will," a soft voice interrupted them, prompting Edward to shift his attention to the young women standing behind Storr. Both Minette and Rhiannon were there, eyes puffy and red from crying. Their faces were pale, still damp with tears. But the stony looks they were sending his way spoke far more eloquently than words as to how they felt about him. Edward was surprised when the little witch stepped forward and put herself in Dolph's personal space. "If you ever make Aedan feel like she has to live up to your insane expectations again, it will be the last time you ever think about doing it. The past two months nearly killed her. It will not happen again."

"Rhia," Richard's voice was soft, though the man hadn't moved from where he stood.

"I want you to understand who Aedan Kinkade is, Detective Storr. That was supposed to be me tonight. I was supposed to be the summoner's final victim." Emotion rippled across Rhiannon's face at that. Edward saw guilt at the forefront. Anger and fear followed closely behind. "But Aedan took my place. Selflessly. Because she wasn't going to let someone else die on her watch. She sacrificed herself tonight, knowing full well that the only way to stop the demon was to let it kill her."

Dolph stared at Rhiannon as if he didn't buy her statement. It was likely he didn't. The cop instincts were strong in him and he suspected everyone. It was why he was such a good cop. But that distrust made for difficult friendships.

"You see, Detective Storr," the voice drew their small group apart, forcing Dolph to turn and seek out the new speaker. Asher and Jean Claude had rejoined them unnoticed. And everyone in the waiting room had gathered behind them, making a show of just who their loyalties had been given to. One of Asher's hands gestured to the group surrounding him. "Aedan loves her family unconditionally. She loves her friends unconditionally, too. And she would do anything for them. Even if it means dying to protect them." He motioned their way with the last, indicating the four of them standing there.

"Jean Claude?" Rhiannon asked. She and Minette switched their attention to the vampires, a faint glimmer of hope settling onto their faces.

"She is resting. Her heartbeat is strong." It was as close as the vampire would come to saying he felt she'd live. If the marks kicked in, it was almost a sure guarantee. But the damage the demon had done... It had almost been too much. "We should return home. The night grows short and there are others who are waiting for news."

Jean Claude's gaze flicked Edward's way, a silent question in them. He nodded. "Go. I've got things here. I'll keep an eye on her."

"I will return this evening," he replied. Edward watched in silence as Jean Claude turned and went out the door. Asher, Wicked, and Truth were behind him. The rats followed after them. Richard shot a look at Rhia, who shook her head in return. He gave her a look and a nod, then took his wolves and left. Micah, Minette, and Rhia stayed where they were, gazes once again pinned on Dolph.

"Rhia, why don't you and Minette go visit Aedan. I think Detective Storr and I need to have a little conversation," Edward told them. He felt them leave, never once taking his eyes off the other man. So he saw the dark look that came into Dolph's eyes, saw the way his mouth flattened. It took everything in him not to smile in return. This was going to be fun.

~*~*~*~*~

The soft swish of the door drew her away from the lingering effects of the pain killers. Even with the drugs in her system, she could feel how tight her chest was, feel the dull tracers of pain that lingered there. And her abdomen...

It was too much trouble to open her eyes. They were so heavy and she was so tired. So she settled on a deep frown and took it on faith that her visitor saw it. "You did well, necromancer. The plan worked."

"Despite my not dying," she retorted softly.

"Your death, had it occurred, would have been regrettable. But they would have come to accept it."

"You can fuck off, Cassadore. I don't need your shit. I have enough of my own to deal with."

"I come to thank you for sparing Rhiannon's life and this is how I am repaid." There was a touch of surprise in his voice, as if he hadn't expected her to be so pissed off for nearly having her heart ripped from her chest. "I suppose it was too much to expect a modicum of respect and politeness from someone like you."

"You don't respect me. Hell, you don't even like me. Why should I bother giving you the things you refuse to give me?"

"Do not forget. I know what you truly are, necromancer. Do you wish your friends and family to know, as well?"

She managed to pry her eyelids open far enough to give him a narrow-eyed stare. Let him see how unimpressed she was with him. "I know what you truly are, Cassadore. You may be from Cassandra's line. You may be wearing that nice, pleasant looking human suit. But that doesn't change what you are on the inside. You and I both know that."

The smile he sent her way was filled with darkness. She closed her eyes to let him know how unafraid she was. "Such vehement hatred from one so young."

"I know your kind, Cassadore. You use people for your own ends. You cloak yourself in your righteousness. You believe you're better than everyone else. You look down upon people who are different. I've been there. I've done that. I am not impressed with your act."

"You are an abomination, necromancer. Your kind should never have been allowed to walk the earth. The vampires had the right of it, destroying your kin upon sight." Something thick and heavy filled his voice. It might have frightened other people, but she was too used to such tricks to pay it any mind.

"I've been called that before. Find another insult," she spat. She drew a breath, slow and shallow in an effort not to antagonize her chest. Opened her eyes again to pin him with a stare. "To be honest, I don't think I'm the abomination here."

Cassadore frowned at her, obviously taking offense to her statement. "He was right to try and purge you of your powers. It is a shame he didn't succeed."

"If he had, that would have left you cleaning up the summoner's mess. I don't think you've got the stones to out yourself like that. Its got to be pretty cushy, hiding out in plain sight the way you are." She stared a moment before letting a slow, knowing smile curl up her lips. "Then again, you wouldn't have been able to stop that piece of shit demon anyway. You don't have the juice."

The Seer's eyes narrowed on her. "You are annoying. And detestable. Contemptible. You would drive a sane person to madness."

"All part of my charm, dickhead. Now get out of my hospital room and leave me the fuck alone. In fact, leave Rhia the fuck alone. If I find out you even look at her wrong, I'll end you." She made sure he heard the promise in her voice. "Also, just so you know, I didn't do this shit to protect your line. I did this to protect Rhia. So take your thanks and shove them up your sanctimonious ass."

She watched as his frown deepened. Watched him take a step closer to her bed. Saw the intent in his eyes. "I can end your life here and now, necromancer. It would be a mercy killing. And no one would know that it was murder. They would think your death was because of your injuries. You are too weak to stop me."

She smiled at him, the look filled with darkness. "I might be too weak to stop you. But Edward isn't. And don't think Edward hasn't figured out how to deal with you yet. There's a reason the vampires call him Death, you know."

"But he is not here, necromancer."

"Oh. He's here." The words were punctuated by the sound of a gun's hammer cocking back. Cassadore turned, obviously surprised to find that the man in question was standing behind him with his gun drawn. Drawn and pointed at his head.

"How?"

"I told you, Cassadore. Edward is Death. No one ever hears Death coming. Now get out. Come near me again, and I'll tell everyone what you really are," she snarled at him. She needed him to leave. Needed him to go so she could give up the pretense of being stronger than she was. Her chest burned with pain and breathing was becoming difficult. She needed to stop talking and simply rest. But she wasn't going to do that until Cassadore was gone.

The man looked between the two of them, mouth flattening into a thin, tight line. He finally inclined his head, acceptance that he had been thwarted, and headed for the door. There was a pause before he went through it, making her think that he was considering saying something to her. But then the moment was gone and he swept out into the hallway. She sagged back against the bedding, eyes drooping shut and lungs aching as she tried to simply breathe.

"Making friends, I see," Edward quipped. She heard the soft sounds of his gun being putting up. Sighing, she gave him what she felt was a tired smile.

"You know me," she whispered.

"Yeah. I do. What I don't know is what's going on between you and Cassadore. He doesn't seem to like you very much." The sound of his voice got louder, letting her know he was closing the distance between himself and the bed. There was a faint creak when he took the chair next to her bed, then a soft sigh as tension slid off his shoulders.

"I'm hurt," she retorted, trying to stifle a cough.

"Stop pushing. It hasn't even been twenty four hours since a power mad demon tried to rip your beating heart out of your chest. You're going to need a little more time to recover. Even with the marks." It was as much a statement as it was a command. She nodded and took a shallow breath. "Why doesn't the seer like you?"

"Because I know what he is," she told him.

"And that is?"

"You haven't figured it out?" she frowned at him. Could it be she knew something he didn't? Was the world going to stop turning? Had hell frozen over?"

"Pretend I know very little about the world and enlighten my uneducated self," Edward replied. She almost laughed at the dry tone, but thought better of it.

"He's a demon wandering around in a human suit. How do you think he knows so much about demons?" she paused and frowned. "What I haven't figured out is why he was so intent on protecting Rhia. Because demons generally don't tend to care about humans. They're merely a tool. He seems to genuinely care about Rhia. And, I'll be honest. I don't like that. Not one bit."

"You think he might try to use her for a vessel?" Edward asked bluntly. She shouldn't have been surprised that he'd figure out what she was thinking.

"I wouldn't be surprised if that was the motivator behind his helping us," she admitted. She frowned when Edward cracked a huge smile, the kind that said he was enjoying the moment far too much.

"Then I don't think you have much to worry about," he told her, taking her curious look as a reason to continue. "Rhia's already threatened to remove his balls for him. In vivid detail. When she happened to be on the phone with him. The little witch is almost as blood thirsty as you."