Chapter 31

Icould not believe that I was sitting in the same room as Evangeline. Pretending that I loved her still while internally I wondered how I had never seen the horror that she truly was. "Eva, what is the plan? You've lost Bree. How can the spell possibly go on?"

She laughed, rolling over in bed, letting the silk sheet slide over her skin, giving me a more than ample view of her body, the curves that I'd caressed so very long ago. "Are you sure you don't wish to join me, Robert?"

"If I had any ability to do so, I would. But, alas, no blood flow." I shrugged and looked. "You tempt me when I can do nothing about it."

"It's okay, I have Remy for that. He's passably good in that arena." Her laughter caught me off guard. I'd heard her voice, felt her touch in what passed for my dreams all these long years dead and undead. I'd thought about having her in my arms again. Of course, I'd always assumed it would be sometime after my curse finally broke, that I'd find her waiting for me on the other side. Not laughing joyfully because she has another man to service her…needs.

I rocked on my heels, my hands in my pockets, as I stared at the wall. "I have a bad feeling, Eva. I am concerned?—"

"Do not fret, Robert. Remy will find Bree. He is using the wolves of the isle. They cannot be fooled, even by magic. So she will be found." From the corner of my eye, I saw her stretch, again flashing me her body as she reached for a dressing gown, pulling the deep red material around herself.

"You have a great deal of confidence. I would be worried. She's resourceful, I have seen that myself in the time I've spent with her," I said.

"You think she is better than me?" Evangeline shot me a look and I immediately shook my head.

"Of course not, my love. I only worry because this is what you've been working toward. I…don't want to see you disappointed. To not get what you seek." I gave her a half bow, very formal, but I knew her. She loved the courtliness of romance, the way I'd bent to her whims, indulging her. In short, I knew exactly what she wanted from me. And it kept my eyes from hers, because I was afraid she'd see the truth of my disdain in them.

She sighed and stepped toward me, wrapping me in her arms with a strength that should not have been. "I knew you would understand, Robert. I told her that you would. She didn't think you would ever come to see my side of it. But I knew. I knew you loved me still." She curled herself against my chest. "You were always my hero, Robert. I knew you'd come through for me, no matter the danger. No matter the cost."

Her fingers were tucked up under her chin, as if she were still young and fearful. An act. I was sure of it. I was more than a little curious about the ‘her and she' Evangeline spoke of.

"Is this a mentor you are referring to?" I asked, forcing my arms to stay tight around her. "Another vampire who has guided you?"

Her laughter was sharper this time. "No vampire helped me. No, my friend is…she has been with me since I was very young. Long before I met Joseph. Long before I even met you."

She looked up at me, and in her blue eyes was a flicker of something else…something darker. I swallowed hard and smiled, though it was difficult to pretend I didn't see the entity peeking out at me. I had seen more than one demon who'd taken possession of a body and I was seeing it again. "I am glad you've not been alone, my love."

Her smile seemed genuine, and the darkness was gone. "You always loved me, Robert. More than anyone else."

I shrugged and tugged her close so she could not see the sorrow or disgust in my eyes. I wasn't sure which would be at the forefront. But whoever had looked out through Evangeline's eyes…she was right, it was no vampire.

I knew a demon when I saw one. "Does your friend see you often. To give you guidance?" I thought it best to play dumb as long as I could. If Evangeline had been carrying a demon all this time, it was no wonder that she was the strongest vampire.

But if so…why involve vampires at all? Demons had uses for vampires, but it wasn't like the two species were friendly. Not really. Damian and Stavros had been exceptions to that rule. They'd chosen to live relatively peaceful lives, rather than constantly trying to destroy things like homes, souls, or the world. I couldn't imagine why a demon would go to such trouble to create a vampire army that wouldn't be bound to its rules.

I couldn't help but gasp as the thoughts swirled through me.

"What is it?" Evangeline pulled away from me, trying to look me in the eye.

"I just…realized…" I fumbled to cover up my realization that the spell likely had nothing to do with vampires and everything to do with demons, "that our anniversary will be very soon."

She grabbed my face and kissed me deeply. "Ah, always the romantic. I love it. Perhaps you and Remy can bed me together, that would be something I would greatly enjoy."

Before I could react, she spun from me. "It is dusk, I must feed. Stay in here, Robert. While I trust you, Remy does not, and he will kill you on sight."

With a bang of the door, she was gone, and I was alone. Or almost alone. My thoughts tumbled over and over, battling for the front of my mind.

The ghost Vesuvius floated through the doorway, looking back at what was likely her retreating figure. "She seems happy. Your ruse is working better than I could have hoped."

I lowered my voice, aware that anyone could be listening in. "Whatever mind she had before is gone. She thinks that I would bed her with Remy!"

Yes, that's what I was stuck on. The demon piece was bad, and my thoughts on that swirled like smoke above a smoldering fire, but the other part I just couldn't fathom.

Was I truly supposed to watch my wife have sex with another man and pretend to be comfortable with it? No, I was quite certain I couldn't fake being okay with that. Even though she wasn't my Eva, she wasn't the woman I'd fallen in love with, there was no way I could watch that…

"I doubt there will be time for all that," Vesuvius said. "Your friend, the one marked as the cauldron, she will be back."

I glanced at him. "Why would Breena come back here?"

He gave a huge sigh that fluttered bits of his beard. "Because she needs to finish what has been started. I…I cannot say more. I can only tell the truth once. Once. I have waited all this time to finally be able to speak it. To her. That is my curse."

"Wonderful," I muttered under my breath. I found myself not quite pacing the room, more like…well, yes, I suppose I was pacing. But I was searching too. Opening the drawers on the dresser against the wall. Lifting the mattress up and checking it for anything that might be of use.

My wooden stake had been taken away. There were no knives. No letter openers even.

"What are you looking for?" Vesuvius asked.

"Anything that might help me help my friend." I went to my knees and peered under the bed. Dust and what looked like lingerie were spread out…but that was it.

Wait, there was something else. I paused and tipped my head sideways so I could get further under the bed, breathing in the dust.

Etched into the stone floor was a symbol. I couldn't quite make it out, but I was very much afraid I knew what it meant.

"Oh, this is not good." I ran my fingers over the deep marks, feeling the energy slipping out through the stone.

Vesuvius leaned over under the other side of the bed. "Excellent. I was hoping you'd find that."

"You were hoping? Why wouldn't you just tell me?"

"As I said, I can only tell my tale once. Even to the other ghosts I have said nothing except that the spell is not what they believe it to be." He grimaced. "But this…perhaps this will help you understand Evangeline. This might help you do what you must."

"I don't want to understand her," I growled as I slid further under the bed. The symbol was that of a demon. I traced the air above the design carefully, not quite touching it. Because the gods knew how sensitive its master was, how quickly the demon would know I'd discovered it.

It wasn't a pentagram. No, it was much darker—a mark tied to a specific demon, which would open a specific portal, allowing that demon mastery of those who came through after them.

And this mark was connected to one of the worst demons if memory served me.

A mark of a leader. Baphmara. Queen of the legions. The demon that had been tasked to find a way for all the others to enter into the human realm.

My stomach rolled and I pushed my way back out from under the bed. "Vesuvius, do you understand who this demon is and what she's been tasked with?"

His eyes were grave. "I do."

"So you understand that I must do all I can to stop this spell. That it is my duty as a sentinel and guardian to stop it from coming to fruition."

His smile was so very sad. "The ingredients are in her, too many people know and will hunt for her even if Evangeline fails. Her wizard friend. Other dark forces. You can only hope that the spell is done right, and as I meant it to be done. That is what must be done now. To save the world."

I shook my head at him. "No, you aren't understanding!" I caught myself and lowered my voice. "You aren't understanding, old man. The legions…this…this spell will open our world to the legions of darkness. Demons will pour through this portal and destroy the world."

He said nothing. "I will speak only to the one who will cast the spell. The final witch descended from the line of witches who started the spell years ago. When Evangeline first came to America. There is a key to this. And she will return to the castle soon."

I was quite sure my heart stopped a second time, I could not imagine Bree dying for this horrendous cause. "No. We have to find a way to stop Bree from coming here!" The rest of what he'd said sunk in. Bree's line…Bree's line had started this? I thought back to the old witch who'd tried to heal Evangeline. I closed my eyes, struggling to see her face. Could she have been Bree's ancestor?

"I know what they want of her," he said. "But she is coming. You must hide her once she arrives, if you can. You are gaining the trust of the one who was once your wife. Use it to your advantage."

I could not believe what I was hearing. "These are the moments when I wish I were still a skeleton."

"I can arrange that."

The door to the bedroom slid open and Remy stepped in. "Who are you talking to? I was quite sure you had a friend in here."

I shook my head and lied through my teeth. "I hear voices. Sometimes they speak to me. Sometimes they argue."

Remy nodded. "Evangeline has been keeping you hidden from me."

I shrugged. "She believes you will kill me. But…I did not want to remind her that I was already dead."

His smile widened. "My thoughts exactly." He lifted his hand and his magic shot toward me, like snakes digging into my body. I grunted as the pain slipped into what was left of me, and my flesh melted away until I was the skeleton I'd been when I first met Bree.

"That's better." Remy smiled. "No more secrets out of you to Evangeline. No more turning her from her task."

Not that I'd been doing anything of the sort.

"Not friend," I growled.

Remy laughed. "No, I am not your friend. I am not anyone's friend."