"She's pure evil!"
Smite her?
"Oh, not pure, surely," Sally said with a little giggle. "And, you know, I did say I was naughty, not truly evil."
You can't smite?
"That's right, she is," Diamond said, giving Sally a gimlet look. "Although I am willing to bet that Great-grandma Disin is going to have a thing or two to say about you dragging me here. You know how she gets."
Not that I'm aware.
Sally shuddered, her smile dissolving as she muttered, "She wouldn't know anything if you didn't tell her."
Well, hell. It sounded so dramatic, too.
Alec moved quickly, pushing Cora behind him as he faced the messenger. "You will say what you have to say to me, Julian. Then I will destroy you."
"Alec - " Kristoff said, sighing as he stepped forward between the two men. "You can't do that."
"No, he can't," Cora agreed, shoving Alec on the back before moving around to his side.
He wrapped an arm around her, holding her close, needing her warmth, needing her light to banish the darkness that threatened to claim him again. "It is a crime for one Dark One to threaten the life of another's B eloved - "
"We made no threats against her, nor did we harm her," Julian protested. "Give us a little credit, Alec. We simply wished to talk to her . . . and you."
"Oh, sure you do!" Cora flung herself in front of him, her arms held wide as if to protect him.
He would have found the idea laughable, but he felt in her a determination to save him.
You already have, love.
Saved you? Your soul, maybe, but there's more to you than that.
"You wish to talk, messenger? What do you have to say to me that doesn't include a command of punishment?" Alec demanded to know, gently but firmly moving Cora back to his side. Now is not the time for relationship talk, mi querida.
I'm a woman - there's always time to talk about relationships, she answered, digging an elbow into his side when he spent a few moments wishing he had a sword. No decapitating, Alec. It's not nice, and besides, they really aren't to blame.
"I'm thinking that if you've got something to say, you'd better hold on to it," Sally suddenly interjected, strolling over to the mangled remains of a table, leaning one hip on them. Diamond, looking vaguely uncomfortable, trailed after her.
"Why's that? " Cora asked. "Are you going to do something else 'naughty' to us? Maybe bring Bael in to torture us a bit? Burn down hell? Destroy the entire planet? "
"You see?" Sally whispered to Alec with a little nod toward Cora. "Anger management counseling would do her a world of good."
Cora sputtered something extremely rude under her breath, and started toward Sally. Alec caught her and held her tight against his body. "Beloved, I know you are enraged at her - as am I - but as Kristoff pointed out, it can do no good to think about beating her with a two-by-four. Nor dropping her in the La Brea tar pits. No, not even feeding her to a tank of hungry sharks."
Sally gasped in horror, her eyes huge. "Sharks! Cora!"
"It was just a thought," Cora muttered, crossing her arms over her chest. "A damned good one, too, if you ask me."
"No one did," Sally said, looking decidedly disgruntled.
"Why should we be quick?" Kristoff asked, clearly curious as to Sally's warning.
"And tar pits? Do you have any idea how difficult it is to clean tar off of wool - what? Oh, we're about to have company."
"Who? " Alec asked, his eyes narrowing on the woman.
"Some liches," Sally answered, gesturing to Ulfur. "Other than you, dear boy. Come over here so I can pet your nice horse."
"Don't do it, Ulfur!" Pia warned. "It's some sort of a trap!"
"Honestly, I wouldn't have your mind for all of the minions in Abaddon," Sally said, giving Pia a look. "Such suspicions!"
Ulfur moved slowly toward her, the horse, now perfectly solid and not in the least bit ghostly, at his side.
"What liches? " Alec asked. "The lichmaster who lives in the caves nearby?"
"I expect she'll be here, too," Sally said, giving Ragnor a pat on the neck. "She's smart, Jane is. She'll see Brother Ailwin sniffing around, and know he's up to no good, so no doubt she'll follow him here."
"Brother Ailwin!" Pia clutched Kristoff. "He'll use Cora and Ulfur! We have to get out of here!"
"Too late," Sally said, waving. "Welcome to Abaddon, Brother Ailwin. Oh, I see you brought