Succubus Shadows Page 0,88

turned back to the Oneroi. "So, you stole my succubus and tortured her." His voice carried that reptilian chill. It froze my blood. It made the air crackle with tension. The Oneroi shifted uncomfortably. They weren't unaffected.

"Because of her, our mother was recaptured," one of them said. But he didn't sound as confident or outraged as before. "We are entitled to revenge."

"You believe insult to another justifies revenge?" asked Jerome. Oh, that voice. That voice made the air grow still.

"Yes," said the Oneroi as one.

"Me too," replied Jerome.

He didn't even move, but I felt the power flare out from him, like a torch thrown into dry tinder. It exploded - and so did the Oneroi. Well, it was more like they imploded. That power hit them, and then - they were no more. Just like that.

"Oh, Jerome," said the man holding me. "Do you know what you've done?"

Jerome glanced back at us and shrugged. "I don't like people taking my things."

The swirling purple gate had never left, and now it began to grow brighter and rotate faster.

"Shit," said Jerome. "I was hoping no one would notice."

The man holding me sighed. He looked down at me, and silvery gray eyes pierced my soul. "Listen to me. Do not move. Do you understand? Stay right here." When I didn't answer, he sighed again. "Do you know me?"

Did I? Yes. The eyes. I knew the eyes. "Carter." The word came out strangely on my tongue.

"Yes," he said. "You know me. Trust me. Do not move."

He let go of me, waited to see what I'd do, and then walked up to join Jerome when I stayed in place. Nothing could have made me move anyway, not when I saw what came through the gate.

It was monstrous. Literally. Yellow-eyed and scaly, mottled purple and gray. It had what looked like a pig's snout, and seven horns ran over its head like points on a crown. It towered over Jerome and Carter as it emerged from the gate, but the two of them stood where they were, regarding it defiantly.

"You destroyed my subjects," the creature growled. Its voice came from deep within its throat and made the floor vibrate. "You broke the laws."

"Your subjects were in our realm," said Jerome. He was perfectly calm. "They stole one of my people and abused her. They broke the rules."

"That doesn't give you the right to do what you did," came the response.

"They would have destroyed her if they were capable of it. Next time, keep a better watch on your employees so that they don't go causing trouble where they shouldn't."

The monster's nostrils flared. "I could destroy you for this."

"Try," said Jerome. "Try taking on both of us."

Those yellow eyes flicked over to Carter. A few teeth showed in the creature's mouth. I think he was smiling. "An angel and a demon fighting together. It would almost be worth seeing."

Heavy silence fell as everyone sized each other up. I had no sense of the monster's strength. Physical size was not proportional to power. Jerome and Carter, however, were burning like small suns, ready to burst at any moment.

At last, the monster shrugged. Or did his equivalent of it. "But it's been enough just to see you defend each other's honor. I will not destroy you...today. There will be no more assaults on my people. If there are, I won't be so forgiving."

"And if your people don't leave mine alone," said Jerome smoothly, "I won't be as forgiving either."

The creature snarled, and for a moment, I thought he might very well change his mind. He didn't. Instead, he stepped backward toward the purple light. He merged into it, vanishing to our eyes, and then the gate itself disappeared as well.

"He is such a fucking liar," said Jerome. "'Forgiving' indeed. He knew we'd blast his scaly ass out of here."

"Yeah, well, I hope we never find if that's true or not," said Carter. "Fighting a Morphean demon would generate paperwork even on my side."

Jerome's lips twitched into a smile. "Now that would be worth seeing."

I looked between both of them, my fear from the near-confrontation fading. With the last of my energy, I lunged for Jerome, beating my fists against his chest. He caught them and stopped me as easily as Carter had.

"You should have let me do it! You should have let me destroy them! It was my right!"

"That's what you're pissed off about? Georgie, I'm not even sure how you're still standing."

"It was my right," I repeated. "You