Ruby Shadows Read online

  I sat up in bed, careful not to wake her just yet, and took the sacrificial knife and the plate I’d left out on my nightstand. Carefully I made the cut in my wrist, wincing as the bitterly cold blade bit into my flesh. I made eggs, pancakes, bacon, fresh fruit and a grapefruit half appear before placing the plate on a silver tray I had conjured and wrapping my wrist in a clean handkerchief to heal. Gwendolyn had missed both lunch and dinner the night before and I wanted her to have plenty of fuel to keep going today—we had a long road to travel ahead of us.

  And nothing but heartbreak at the end of it.

  * * * * *

  Gwendolyn

  “Wake up, mon ange. Breakfast is served.”

  The smell of breakfast food, warm and comforting, tickled my nose and I stretched in the big luxurious bed Laish had carried me to the night before after he’d finished making me come. I’d fallen asleep in his arms, my head pillowed on his broad chest as he stroked my hair and whispered how much he cared for me.

  It was one of the sweetest, most tender moments I’d ever shared with anyone in my life and it had been with a demon. I told myself that wasn’t right but then again, I’d also shared the hottest sexual experience of my life with Laish as well. Letting him go down on me and make me come had been more erotic than anything I’d ever imagined and more deliciously addictive than I would have believed possible. Already I wanted his hands and mouth on me again—though I knew I shouldn’t.

  Just remembering the pleasure he’d given me made my toes curl and my pussy throb—but it also sent a wave of guilt washing over me.

  Shouldn’t have done it, whispered a little voice in my head.

  Had to do it, I argued to myself. There was no other way.

  And is that what you’re going to say when you get to the last barrier—‘Oh well, I just have to fuck him? There’s no other way?’

  I pushed the thought away with some difficulty. It was true, we were getting to the end of our long road today. Laish had told me the night before that once we entered the Sunless Sea, it was only a few hours journey to the last barrier—the one that separated us from the Abyss. And once we were there I would have to make some tough choices—choices I didn’t want to think about now.

  “Breakfast, Gwendolyn. Aren’t you hungry?”

  Laish’s deep voice and the warm smells of delicious food tugged me—I let them pull me out of my worry and guilt and tried to put my doubts and fears aside.

  Opening my eyes at last, I sat up and saw that he was standing beside the bed, holding a silver tray. He was wearing another one of his immaculate suits—a black one with a red power tie that made him look like a Wall Street billionaire. But it was the tray that drew my eyes. On it was a veritable feast and a small vase with a single red rose in it. My somewhat battered Zephyrhills bottle was there too, looking plastic and cheap next to the gleaming silver and snowy linen napkin.

  “Wow—this looks amazing,” I said as Laish sat it down in front of me. “Breakfast in bed—what did I do to deserve this?”

  He propped some pillows behind my back and smiled.

  “Nothing—merely trusted me.”

  “Trusted you?” I frowned and then his meaning sank in. “Oh, you mean to…” I felt my cheeks get hot as I remembered all over again exactly how much trust I had placed in him, spreading my thighs and letting him lick me…

  “Don’t get flustered, Gwendolyn,” he murmured, handing me a fork. “Just eat.”

  “Fine.” Trying to cover my confusion, I took a big bite of scrambled eggs. They were delicious—fluffy and light with just a hint of salt and pepper—just how I liked them.

  “Is it good?” Laish asked, pouring a little syrup on my pancakes.

  “Amazing,” I said, going for another bite.

  “I am glad. You had next to nothing to eat yesterday—you must be starving.”

  “I am,” I said. “I feel like I could eat a horse. Or—”

  Then I stopped with a forkful of scrambled eggs halfway to my mouth when I remembered exactly why I hadn’t eaten much the day before.

  “Or?” Laish raised an eyebrow at me.

  “Did you hurt yourself to make this for me?” I asked suspiciously. “I know you did, Laish. You got it all ready before I woke up so I couldn’t protest about you cutting yourself, didn’t you?”

  “Don’t be silly—I simply wanted to serve you breakfast in bed,” he said lightly.

  I frowned. “I don’t want you to do that anymore—I don’t like the idea of you having awful pain just to feed me.”

  He frowned back. “Gwendolyn, be reasonable. I cannot let you starve. And besides, it doesn’t hurt nearly as much as Belial led you to believe.”

  “That’s not what you said last night,” I accused. “You said—”

  “Your food is getting cold, mon ange,” he said, rising from the side of the bed where he’d been sitting. “Think of this, if it did give me pain to prepare it for you, then it would be very remiss of you to waste it in arguing when you could have been putting my sacrifice to good use.”

  “Fine,” I muttered, spearing another bite of eggs, since the one on my fork had gotten cold. “But at least tell me how you do it. Why is it that you can make food that won’t damn me with your own blood? You never really explained it before.”

  He sighed and sat back down on the bed again.

  “It has to do with the fact that I was not always as you see me. And no—I will not discuss what I was with you now—we have too much to do. But when I make the Sacrifice of Blood for you, I am drawing on that small part inside me that is still the original being I was created as. There are a few—a very few—drops of good still within me. These are what I use to make the food for you. It is not my blood—though it looks like it—but the few pure drops of my essence that I am transmuting into sustenance for you.”

  “But…won’t you use up all your goodness—I mean, all that you have left—feeding me? If you’ve only got a few drops?” I asked anxiously.

  He shook his head. “Actually, the reverse is true. Each time I sacrifice for you—each time I bear pain for the sake of another—the good in me is multiplied. So technically I could continue feeding you in this way forever. Because good begets good as evil begets evil.”

  “Oh.” I cut a piece of pancake and chewed it thoughtfully. “So does it hurt because you’re having to separate the good out from the evil?”

  “Something like that.” He patted my knee. “And now, please just eat. We have a very long day ahead of us. I will leave some clothing for you in the bathroom and I suggest you take a nice, hot shower before we go. It is likely to be the last one you get while you remain in the Infernal Realm.”

  I did as he suggested. After finishing my breakfast—I really was starving—I took a hot, refreshing shower and then changed into the clothing he’d provided. Today’s outfit consisted of a long, silky sleeveless gown of white with a pattern of blood red flowers on it. It had a slit up either thigh to make riding easier and there was also a hooded, long-sleeved traveling cloak in dove gray to go over it. For shoes I was still wearing my little black ballet flats but Laish must’ve had someone clean and mend them thoroughly. They looked like new but when I slipped them on, they still fit me with the comfort of perfectly broken in shoes.

  Eryn settled on my shoulder, looking like a delicate snowflake on the dove gray cloak, as I packed the spell books and the book on angels Laish had said I could keep in my leather satchel. I was tempted to go back to the library and look for more but it really wasn’t practical to lug so many heavy books around Hell. Reluctantly, I decided to make do with what I had.

  Descending the spiral stair case I couldn’t help hearing voices floating up from the bottom floor.

  “I tell you, my Lord, Druaga is insisting on having a hearing and I think the Council of Elder Demons is going to agree to it.” It was Belial’s voice—I was certain.

  “He has no case against me.” Laish sounded bored and preoccupied. “Once they r
ealize that, they will dismiss it out of hand.”

  “They may not,” Belial said. “They do not wish to lose their privileges at the Hotel Infernal—it is the only decent place to stay in Baator where many of them conduct business. For that reason alone they will at least hear his grievance.”

  “I will deal with it on my return,” Laish told him. “Right now I have no time.”

  “You have no time for anything but that mortal female.” Was there a faint note of bitterness in Belial’s tone? “Did you make the Sacrifice of Blood for her again this morning?”

  “And if I did?” Laish’s deep voice held a warning growl. “What business is it of yours?”

  “It is the business of our entire realm!” Belial exclaimed. “Need I remind you, my Lord, of how narrow the margin between good and evil is for you? You have always walked a fine line—if the balance within you should tip in the wrong direction—”

  “You need not fear about that,” Laish said briskly. “Tonight I shall be committing an act that will bring me firmly back into balance.”

  I wondered what in the world he was talking about. Was he planning to do something evil? Or good? Or what? And was I going to be involved?

  Just then I reached the bottom of the stairs and Bobbin rushed up to me.

  “Good morning, my Lady Gwendolyn,” he squeaked, sounding out of breath. “Master Belial said you were leaving this morning and I wanted to see you off.”

  “Hello, Bobbin—that’s very sweet of you.” I tried to smile at the little imp though I couldn’t help feeling a little annoyed. Had Laish been going to say anything else about tonight? Should I be worried?

  But Laish had obviously heard our exchange. He and Belial were already coming around to the foot of the staircase.

  “Hello, mon ange. You’re looking refreshed.” He smiled at me and took my hand. “Are you ready to resume our journey?”

  “As ready as I’ll ever be.” I smiled at him, trying to put my fears behind me. After last night, how could I doubt him again? He had seen me in the Mirror of the Eye—he had to care for me. There was no way he was pretending or trying to fool me into trusting him for some nefarious purpose—was there?

  It’s all right, I told myself. He was probably just trying to make Belial feel better when he said he was going to do something to restore his balance. It’s probably nothing.

  “Good morning, Master Belial,” I said to the old demon, coolly. I hadn’t forgotten his words to Laish—that he should have left me for the Skitterlings.

  Belial gave me a forced-looking smile and nodded.

  “Good morning—you look lovely my dear.”

  “Thank you.” I turned to Laish. “Is Kurex saddled and ready to go?”

  “Indeed he is—and very ready to be off.”

  We turned to go but I felt a tugging at the hem of my traveling cloak. Turning back, I saw it was Bobbin, looking hopefully up at me.

  “Yes, Bobbin,” I said, bending down to talk to him. “What is it?”

  “I got you something, my Lady Gwendolyn.” He’d been holding one hand behind his back and now he brought out a beautiful flower with gold and orange and red petals that curled outward, rather like an orchid.

  “Oh, Bobbin—that’s gorgeous,” I said, taking it from him. “Thank you!”

  “It’s from one of the flame-flower plants that grow by the Lake of Fire,” he explained, grinning shyly. “I have a cousin who lives there—he brought me one of the plants to tend. They only bloom when you put them in a hot enough fire.”

  “Was that you, teasing the watch-dragon this morning, Bobbin?” Belial demanded, glaring down at the little imp. “Were you trying to get it to breathe fire to make your blasted plant bloom?”

  The little imp scuffed at the floor nervously with one hoof.

  “I only wanted something nice to give to the pretty lady before she left, Master. Please, don’t punish me.”

  “No, don’t punish him,” I said, patting his curly little head. “Don’t you dare—he was just being sweet.”

  Belial glowered and I began to think there was something sinister behind his kindly old demon façade. But he only nodded his head briefly.

  “As my Lady wishes.”

  “Thank you.” Leaning down, I gave little Bobbin a kiss on the cheek before straightening up.

  “Oh, my Lady!” he squeaked, his face glowing as he clapped his little hand to the cheek I’d kissed. “Thank you—thank you! I shall never wash my face again!”

  “You most certainly will!” Belial growled. “Come back here, Bobbin!”

  But the little imp was already scampering away, his hand still held firmly to his cheek, his little hooves tap-tap-tapping across the marble floor.

  I turned to go with Laish and saw that he had a most unusual expression on his face. He was staring at me curiously with a little half-smile tugging at the corner of his mouth.

  “What is it?” I asked as we walked out of the huge skull and into the courtyard where Kurex was stamping restlessly.

  “Nothing.” He shook his head. “It is only that I still cannot understand the affinity the creatures of Hell have for you.”

  “Not all of them,” I pointed out. “This is the first time I’ve kissed anyone but you since I got here but I’ve been attacked something like three or four times.”

  “More like five or six,” he corrected, helping me mount the horse. “But still, there are some creatures here that seem drawn to you—myself included.”

  I shrugged. “I don’t know—maybe it has to do with me being a witch.”

  “Maybe.” But he sounded doubtful. “At any rate, let us be going. We still need to stop at The Hoof before we can cross the barrier.”

  “Why are we stopping there?” I asked as he guided Kurex back out onto the cobblestone road. The big horse’s shoes clopped loudly against the stone and echoed off the bone buildings on either side.

  “You’ll see. It won’t take long.” Laish sounded grim for some reason but I didn’t ask why.

  We passed through the busy town where, as before, everyone seemed to be going somewhere in a hurry, with a distracted frown on his or her face. I wondered if anyone ever smiled in this circle of Hell. Certainly, it was much more pleasant than most of the other circles I had visited, but while nobody was being tortured, they didn’t seem to be enjoying themselves either. Maybe they all had a low level depression or something—that in itself would be a kind of torture, even if not the obvious kind.

  It wasn’t long before we stopped in front of an enormous hoof—seriously, it was as big as a two story house. And that was what it had been turned into—well, a two story tavern, anyway. There was a wooden sign hanging up outside which simply said, The Hoof, and demons and lost souls of all descriptions were going in and out of it, presumably catching a quick drink before they headed back to whatever work they were doing.

  “Stay here on Kurex’s back,” Laish told me, pulling the horse to a halt and swinging off. “I will only be a moment.”

  “Why can’t I come in?” I asked, frowning. “I’d like to see inside.”

  “It would not be safe for you.” He frowned back. “Do you remember that you promised to do as I said from now on?”

  “I remember I said I’d listen to you.” I sighed. “Fine, go inside. It’s too early in the day for a glass of wine or beer anyway.”

  He grinned. “As to that, I do not think you would like the libations served at The Hoof. The ale has dragon’s bile in it and the wine is crushed from grapes watered by the blood of the innocent.”

  “What? Eww!” I exclaimed. “That’s awful!”

  “No, that’s Hell.” He cocked an eyebrow at me. “Surely you are not surprised after everything else you have witnessed here?”

  “I guess not.” I sighed. “Look, just try not to take too long, okay? It makes me nervous to be out here without you.”

  I didn’t like admitting that but I couldn’t help it. Every time we were separated, bad things
seemed to happen. And I’d had enough awful adventures in the past few days to last me a lifetime.

  “It will be the work of a moment. I already see the one I am here to meet.” He nodded at a huge demon with the head of a bull and the body of a man, leaning against the outer wall of The Hoof. The creature—I guessed it was a Minotaur—had a long black box under its arm. When it saw Laish, it nodded back and lumbered into the tavern.

  Laish followed it and I wondered what in the world they were talking about in there. I didn’t have long to wonder, though, because in a matter of minutes Laish came out with the long black box I’d seen the Minotaur holding.

  “What’s that?” I asked as he tucked it into Kurex’s saddle bags and swung up behind me again.

  “Insurance,” he said shortly. “Come, it’s time to pass through the barrier.”

  “Where is it?” I asked.

  “Just ahead at the end of this road. You cannot see it, of course, but in a matter of moments we will pass through and be in the middle of the Sunless Sea.”

  “In the middle of it?” I felt a surge of fear. “Now, just hold on a minute,” I said, turning in the saddle to look at Laish. “All this time I thought we were going to be on the shore or the beach or something like that. Nobody said anything about in the middle of the ocean—I wasn’t exactly on the high school swim team, you know. And—”

  But just at that moment we reached the end of the street and the entire city of Dis completely vanished. The bright daylight turned abruptly to night and Kurex’s hooves were thunking on sand instead of clopping on cobblestones.

  “What in the world?” I looked around, bewildered.

  “No, what in Hell,” Laish corrected me. “This, mon ange, is the Sunless Sea, the sixth level of Hell.”

  “But…” I shook my head, not understanding. “All I see is sand—where’s the water?”

  “Look up.” He gestured directly above our heads.