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I wrapped my arm around her shoulder. “Easier, yes, but we need you. And besides, we’d miss out on dissing Springer and his freaks. Come on, think of it this way: now these wing nuts won’t ever be able to kill anybody again. We couldn’t stop the murders they already committed, but we’ve stopped any more from happening. And the elf—we saved her life.”
Delilah glanced over at the girl, who by now had returned to consciousness. Morio was looking after her, and Roz had managed to find some sort of painkiller in those voluminous pockets of his. She would be okay, though she was severely injured. We’d take her back to Otherworld with us when we took the boys through to hand them over to the OIA.
“I guess you’re right. We can’t win every battle. And we found the fifth spirit seal.” She sighed and wandered over to join Morio.
I settled myself on the altar, waiting for Camille and Smoky to return. Roz joined me, sliding an arm around my waist. I leaned my head on his shoulder. He kissed my forehead, and I didn’t shake him off or pull away. For once, I actually welcomed the comforting gesture.
I was feeling much the same as Delilah, even though I wasn’t about to let her see it. I was her tough little sister, the one she relied on to remain ready to rock when she felt vulnerable. I wasn’t going to let her down by allowing her to see how shaken this whole mess had left me.
“I take it you’re going to hunt down Rialto once we’re out of here?” Roz leaned close to whisper in my ear, but he seemed to sense the general mood and refrained from nibbling.
I nodded. “You can count on it. I hope to the gods that the girl is still okay. If she is, I’ll get Nerissa in on this to help place her in a foster home, someplace far away from here. Either way, Rialto is toast.”
“Let me come with you. I’d like to pay the pervert a visit myself,” he said. “Vanzir promises he and his buddies can take care of this place, including the tunnels, without torching any homes nearby. I just thought you’d like to know.” Roz shook his head. “I hate this. I’m an incubus. Sex is my forte. But although I seduce, I’ve never once—ever—raped a woman. And I never will.”
“I know you haven’t,” I said. “And it’s more than that . . . it’s the whole sacrifice-the-woman-to-the-monster bullshit. Where do these horndogs get that? Bad late-night horror flicks?”
“Hey, it’s not just the movies,” Roz said. “What culture hasn’t had a deity require a living sacrifice? Monsters are only one step away from the gods.”
“And that’s why I hate the gods,” I said. “I can do quite nicely without their interference.”
“As can I,” Roz said. Knowing his background, I knew he wasn’t just mouthing platitudes. Zeus and Hera had left Rozurial and his ex-wife up shit creek without a paddle, ruining their lives and changing them for eternity.
Just then, Camille and Smoky stepped out of the Ionyc Sea. Camille looked sleepy, as did the man Smoky held in his other arm. It was Wilbur, all right, and he looked more confused than anything else.
After about ten minutes, both Camille and Wilbur were over their exhaustion brought on by the trip through the Ionyc currents. We explained to Wilbur what we needed him to do, showing him the Demon Gate. We didn’t mention Shadow Wing or anything that had gone on except for the fight with the Karsetii.
He examined the portal, grimacing as he watched the stars stream through the inky void. “Whoever opened the gate is the same one who created those ghouls, by the way. Sloppy work. There’s no fundamental direction keyed into the gate.”
I had no idea what he was talking about, but he seemed sure of himself. “Can you dismantle it?”
Wilbur nodded. “It shouldn’t be hard. The whole magical signature is warped; whoever did this has been tooling around in some dark, dark areas.” He looked over his shoulder at me, his brow creased. “Whoever did this has one sick soul.”
“Doesn’t matter. He’s dead, and now we need his dark deeds to disappear with him.” I frowned. “You raise ghouls, you work death magic, and yet you find this repulsive? Isn’t that a little out of character?”
Wilbur laughed, sharp and short. “Death magic has its place. Don’t judge me until you find out everything I use it for. After all, you’re a vampire. Aren’t you supposed to be out sucking somebody’s blood?”
I snorted. “Touché. You’ve got me there. Okay, what do you need to fix this? And then forget you ever saw it?”
He stared at me for a moment, then arched one eyebrow. “It might be nice to get to know my neighbors a little bit better.” Leaning in, he whispered, “I’ve never done a vampire before; I hear you can make it hot as hell.”
I backed up a step. He wanted me to fuck him in exchange for closing the Demon Gate? “I’m no whore.” Camille had slept with Smoky to help us gain valuable information, but she’d wanted to sleep with him. That was different.
Diplomacy wasn’t one of my strong suits, and we weren’t here to play games. He’d do it our way or else.
“Listen,” I said, closing in on him. “Just seal the gate. You’ll seal the gate because you have pride in your profession. You’ll seal the gate because you don’t like sloppy work like this, and you know what havoc can happen. You’ll seal the gate because I’ll break your neck if you don’t do it. And you’ll seal the gate because I promise you, we will find the freak who taught the man who did this and take him out of commission.”
Wilbur rubbed his chin, then broke into a faint smile. “You girls aren’t the pieces of T & A I thought you were. Good enough. All right, I’ll do it. Looks like an interesting situation,” he added, glancing around.
I glanced at the Demon Gate, then back at Wilbur. We’d have to find a way to wipe his memory after he finished, but I wasn’t about to say aloud what I was thinking. “You ready?”
He nodded. “I need some privacy and—that one—the Jap.” He pointed at Morio.
I winced. “He’s Japanese, not a Jap, you moron. And he’s a youkai-kitsune who could gobble you whole for dinner if he changed into his true form. Be polite. You have no idea what caliber of people you’re standing among, except for the cretins snoozing it up on the floor.”
Wilbur shrugged. “Whatever. I need his help. He knows enough about necromancy to give me what aid I require.”
We carried the remaining members of Dante’s Hellions into the hallway, while Morio stayed behind.
