Chapter 16

 

We were headed out of town, but I knew I needed to make a few upgrades to this new hair style.

“Can we stop at the drugstore first?” I asked.

“Sure, what for?”

I shrugged. “A few things to bring this new look together. My eyebrows are too light for this hair. I need some makeup to darken them, so it doesn’t seem like I colored my hair just to hide.”

The corner of Matt’s mouth hitched up. “Gotcha.”

We parked in the pharmacy lot, and Matt got out his wallet, then handed me a couple twenty-dollar bills. I felt crappy taking the money from him. “Thanks.”

“I’ll put it on your tab,” he said with a grin. “I know you’re good for it, I know where you live.”

I grinned back. At the moment, I slept right next to him, so he didn’t have to look too far. I went into the store and hunted around. The first aisle held refrigerated food. The next was box mixes and such. It wasn’t set up like the drugstore back home. For one thing, it seemed huge. For another, there weren’t the usual signs of the aisle contents hanging from the ceiling. I wandered around for a few minutes until I found the makeup section.

I didn’t usually buy makeup, so I felt a little lost. I’d never needed foundation, and I didn’t want to get started using it. I supposed changing my skin tone would be a good move, but it had always made me uncomfortable and would be time consuming every day. I didn’t like lipstick, but I could work with a lip liner, so I grabbed a wine colored one. I added eyeliner and mascara. Maybe some kind of hair gel or hairspray and a round brush would help. In the aisle with hair accessories, I saw a display of cheap jewelry on an end cap, so I snagged a couple chains. Near the front hung bandanas. Very retro eighties.

I took it all up to the front and purchased the stuff, then went back to the bathroom near the pharmacy. I was surprised to find a fairly nice bathroom with a few stalls and a big mirror. I ripped the things out of their packaging and set them on the counter, making sure I stuck the receipt in my pocket just in case somebody gave me a hard time about wearing the jewelry and bandana out of the store.

I put the eyeliner on a little heavy, top and bottom, giving myself a bit of a cat-eye look, then took up the mascara. I filled in my eyebrows, then my eyelashes with it. It was amazing what makeup could do now. Then I used the lip liner. I took the hair spray and used the curling brush to give it a flippy style. Finally, I put the chains and bandana around my neck like I’d once seen on the cover of an album. Not bad. I tucked the rest of the stuff back in the bag and tied it off, then went to meet Matt.

When I was halfway to the front doors, a woman and man in navy suits stepped out of an aisle in front of me. The man wore mirrored sunglasses, and the woman had her copper penny red, shoulder-length hair pulled neatly back in a clip. They opened wallets and flashed badges of some kind. “Ms. Allyson Reynolds. We need to talk to you. I’m Agent Wilkins, and this is Agent Gerard, of the FBI.”

Shit. Panic welled up. I tried to remain calm. They knew who I was, but were they after me for the jail break? They had to be, but they didn’t have guns drawn, so maybe not. “What about?” How on Earth had they found me? Had Zyriel given me up? What did they want?

She gave me a nasty sneer. “I don’t think you want us doing this in public.”

The man stood about six feet tall, slim build, with short blond hair. His face had scars, almost like acne. Was he a demon? Was she?

“If you’ll just come with us.” They quickly flanked me, and each grabbed an arm, effectively limiting my use of my hands.

“Hey, what do you think you’re doing?” I protested. Even if they weren’t really feds, they certainly had the strong-arm tactics down. They moved me toward the front doors at a fast pace. I had a feeling if I took my feet off the ground, they’d simply keep walking, holding me up between them, and I was no lightweight. Would Matt see what was happening as we left the store?

Outside, they had the handcuffs out before I could draw breath. “Allyson Reynolds, you are under arrest for vehicular manslaughter, for escaping from lawful imprisonment, and for leaving the state of your confinement. Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law. You have the right to remain silent. You have the right to an attorney. If you cannot afford an attorney, one will be appointed to you by the courts. Do you understand these rights as they have been read to you?”

I stared dazedly.

“Listen, just let me tell my friend where I’m going,” I tried to stall.

They simply moved faster, hanging a left, away from Matt.

“Ally?” I heard behind us.

“Matt!”

They shoved me in through the open side door of a dark blue minivan idling at the curb. The man climbed in behind me, slamming the door closed even as the car started pulling away from the curb, picking up speed fast.

Matt shouted my name again, but it was muffled. There was no way he could catch up to these people.

My hands were cuffed behind me. It was hard to sit that way, so I braced my feet apart, trying to stay upright as the car careened around other vehicles and corners. I didn’t know the city, so I had no idea where we were going, and I couldn’t get a hand on one of them to even be sure who they really were. The woman in the front seat smirked back at me. Yeah, she didn’t look anything like the typical stony-faced, professional law enforcement officer. There was another man in the driver’s seat. I could only catch glimpses in the rearview mirror.

“Either you’re really bad at your job, or you’re not FBI,” I ventured.

“Give the little angel a prize for guessing right,” the man in the driver’s seat said. I tried to meet his gaze in the rearview mirror, but he wore mirrored sunglasses.

“Where are we going?” I didn’t think they’d tell me, but it was a natural question, and as cocksure as they were acting, maybe they would.

“Oh, you’re going to get to meet the head demon of these parts. The boss wants to see you,” the woman said silkily. She made it sound like an honor. It was one I definitely wouldn’t mind forgoing.

How was I going to get out of this? They had me, by myself, handcuffed, and I didn’t think Matt could just track me down as if I had built-in GPS turned on. I had a lot to learn about him, but I had a feeling it wasn’t one of his capabilities.

“What does he want with me?” I asked quietly.

The woman laughed nastily and said nothing.

I’d be willing to bet it was nothing good. Was he going to have me killed? Why not just order his minions to do it right there? Maybe he wanted to use me as a hostage to ransom me for one of his people. Were demons held somewhere? Wouldn’t they just be banished back to the underworld? That was supposed to be the worst punishment possible for a soul.

The guy sitting next to me had lost some of his stony-faced professional demeanor. He sat, slumped back against the seat, playing with a lighter he had taken out of his pocket and glancing over at me occasionally. His tie had been loosened, reminding me now of a noose. He caught me looking and smiled. It wasn’t a nice smile. He started passing his fingers through the flame, back and forth, as his eyes roamed over me. “I wonder what the boss does want with you. I can think of a few things I’d enjoy doing.” He grabbed a handful of my hair and yanked me over by it, pulling it toward the flame. Tears stung my eyes from having my hair yanked, and I started to get a little angry, taking the edge off my fear.

“Boss said keep your hands off,” the driver barked.

The guy released me with a scowl. “I was just having some fun.”

“You’re lucky her hairspray didn’t light up,” the woman muttered.

The man in back grinned and started to move his lighter toward her headrest.

“Knock it off,” the man driving barked again, and the car swerved slightly.

The guy next to me scowled and closed his lighter.

The car got off the highway at the next exit. It surprised me we hadn’t been stopped by cops already, with how fast we’d been traveling, but he slowed as we moved into a concrete jungle and abruptly drove right, down into an underground parking garage.

The two in front got out. The driver opened the door and grabbed me by the collar of my coat to ‘help’ me out of the car. I nearly stumbled, but he held me upright like a kitten being dragged by the scruff. I didn’t know who he was, he had to be an mid-level demon. I was not getting away from this guy on my own. The woman stalked along beside us to an elevator and pushed the button to call it. The third demon slunk along behind us, flicking his lighter and closing it, repeatedly. He was beginning to get on my nerves.

They clearly weren’t concerned about anyone seeing us. Did they just not care, or were we in a private building? I would bet on the latter. Inside the elevator, the woman punched the button for the top floor and then had to key in an entry code. The elevator rose smoothly and swiftly, stopping with a cushioned finish that promised not to spill any tray of drinks service staff might be carrying.

The doors of the elevator opened automatically upon our arrival at the penthouse. The windows were floor to ceiling and let in a fair amount of light. I was shoved forward onto a plush, light blue carpet that made me think I’d stepped onto a cloud. Cream colored sofas in suede ringed a sunken sitting area. Skirting that space, we moved to the left, where a large desk looked out over the city, and someone sat with his back to us. I could see short, white blond hair groomed back like little feathers. He turned, and his features were angelic - light blue eyes, red lips, and a thin, pointed nose. He smiled like a gracious host. “Ah, good, you’ve arrived. I trust you’ve had a pleasant journey, Allyson?” There was an authoritative air about him as he placed his fingers together, the pad of each finger meeting the corresponding pad of the finger on the other hand.

I threw a wary look at my back seat companion. “Uh, yeah, great.”

I looked back and saw the boss had followed my gaze.

He stood. “Timerious. I will deal with you later. Leave us.”

“But, boss,” he whined. A quelling look sent him slinking quickly out.

“Now, let us sit,” the blond man said, gesturing toward the sofas.

The big man turned me.

“Gregor, really, handcuffs?”

“She’s dangerous, boss.”

“You couldn’t handle one measly little healing angel without handcuffs? Take them off.”

Gregor produced a key and uncuffed me. I rubbed my wrists and took a step back.

“Now, leave us. I don’t think Allyson will go anywhere until she has at least heard my proposition, will you, dear?”

I was confused by his demeanor, but if it meant having a little more freedom and room to move, I’d agree to hear him out, while watching for other ways out of there. I nodded.

“Good.” He inclined his head to the male and female demon. “You are excused.”

I couldn’t hide a smirk at the way he addressed the two, as if he was a very pleasant and proper schoolmarm from olden days. He really was very… pretty. He had dressed in a thick, cowl-neck sweater in light blue under a woolen suit of cream.

He gestured to the sunken sitting area with one impeccably manicured hand. “Please, Allyson, have a seat.”

I stepped down into the area and took a seat in the center of the far couch. There didn’t seem to be a better or worse place to sit if I were considering escape, but I felt like keeping some distance between me and this demon. As pleasant as he acted, I had the feeling he housed immense power. The air positively hummed with it.

He sat on the couch, facing out at the windows with a sigh and crossed his legs. “Lovely, isn’t it?” He inclined his head toward the windows. “As close as one can get to the clouds without being in them. It reminds me of home.”

I really couldn’t recall much of the “home” he referred to.

He tilted his head. “I’ll come right to the point, Allyson. I could use someone of your talents on our team.”

I laughed, one short bark. “Banishing demons?” What use did a demon boss have for someone who could banish demons? Unless there was some kind of turf war going on?

He smiled condescendingly. “No, my dear. You are a healer. When you cast a demon out of a human’s body, you are healing the human of something that does not belong there. You have another talent I believe you have recently become aware of.”

I tilted my head, puzzled. How could he know about the conversation between Gabby and me?

He chuckled at my consternation. “You just never know who or what might be listening in, do you, dear? Or who might be sharing information?”

I had to agree. Was he suggesting the room had been bugged? Or that Gabby himself was a turncoat? I found that incredibly hard to believe, but who really knew?

“You are capable of forgiving a demon, giving them the right to venture into heaven again, are you not?”

I didn’t like the direction of the conversation, but it wasn’t really a question, so I didn’t bother to deny it. I nodded once.

“Imagine what a coup that would be for me, to offer your services to Lucifer himself?” He looked like a cat who had just lapped up a bowl of cream.

His goal was becoming clear. I could potentially allow his whole demonic force back into heaven. It didn’t make sense. I wouldn’t have been accorded that kind of power without some checks and balances, would I? I felt a little nauseous. Would heaven have based their defense on my simply being willing and able to refuse such an… offer? Surely not. “And if I refuse?”

He smiled ever so slightly. “Oh, I’m sure there are ways we could… coerce you into complying.”

His tone was utterly charming, as if he were talking about tickling me with flowers. I knew that wasn’t what he had in mind. Something in the set of his features suggested his smiles didn’t mean what smiles usually meant.

“I think you might need a little time to consider my request. It would be so much easier, less messy, and less trouble if you came to this decision of your own free will.”

I shook my head. “What makes you think this will work? Why wouldn’t…” I shot a look upward. “He just smite me if I even attempted such a thing?”

“Free will, dear, free will. He gives us our abilities and aptitudes, then it’s up to us what we do with them.” He stood in an abrupt but gracefully fluid motion. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have other things to do. I’ll leave you to Gregor and Jacelyn to consider your options.”

His two favorite henchmen returned at the mere mention of their names, as if they had been waiting just out of sync with reality so they could pop in upon request. Perhaps that’s what lackeys did, hovered out of sight to do their master’s bidding.

I stood and skirted around the table, away from him, so I could get out of the sunken sitting area. Though I’d been shown more contempt and antagonism by these two, I still found him far scarier. Perhaps, in part, because he didn’t appear worried in the least about what I could do, while those two had felt the need to have me handcuffed.

I clasped my hands together and hunched my shoulders meekly to show I would go with them without the benefit of restraints. If I were free, then I had a much better chance of making an escape if the opportunity presented itself. I hoped Matt would find me, but I wouldn’t count on it. It was best to be prepared to save myself.

“Take her below and introduce her to a few of your co-workers. Maybe when she gets to know some of them, she’ll see we’re not all bad.”

The woman took a breath as if she were going to sigh, but he turned toward her, and the exhalation never happened. “Yes, sir.”

We went down in the elevator to a floor with another open plan. The demons appeared to occupy the whole building. This floor also had a sunken sitting area where the television played in front of us, and hard rock thumped from my left. A gang of rampaging teenagers would have decorated the same way, dropping their stuff everywhere. All eyes in the vicinity, and there were several pairs, turned toward us. The din of voices silenced, leaving the television talk show people yelling at each other.

To my right, light glinted off multicolored bottles of liquor behind a bar on the far wall. Several people clustered around a pool table between me and the bar, two women and two men in leather. One man was leaned over, lining up his shot. Now he stood up and stared, along with the others. Beyond them I could see an open window into a kitchen area.

In the sunken sitting area directly in front of me, several more people lounged. There was a man with his feet up and a petite blonde on his lap. Zyriel. Our eyes met, and he quickly looked away. I’d get no help there, apparently.

To the left, I found, instead of the desk as on the floor above, another television was hooked up to a gaming system, and some kind of game was being played by several males and a female.

I imagined they had trouble getting someone to come in and clean up after the ragtag group. The inhabitants were dressed in a variety of styles, from rapper to outlaw biker and just plain teen punk. If the two with me were dressed as grown-ups, the rest of them abdicated any sort of responsibility.

A blonde woman in the sitting area walked over and knelt on the couch in front of us. “An angel. Can we pluck her feathers?” Her wide blue eyes were disturbingly vacant, as if she’d been tortured into non-attachment.

“She’s not an angel right now, she was born human. Keep an eye on her. Boss wants her to sign on with us, so try not to scare her too much with your antics. She better be intact when we come back.” The duo backed up into the elevator and left.

I took in the faces around me with more than a little trepidation. They ranged from mildly curious to slightly antagonistic to downright hostile and even a couple faintly hungry looks. Zyriel didn’t look at me, as if afraid of us being linked. He needn’t have worried. I wouldn’t rat him out, no matter what he had offered in the past.

As I stood there uncertainly, a black cat with green eyes, looking a little worse for the wear, came out from in between the couches and walked over to me.

“Hello, kitty,” I said and leaned over to pet it.

The blond smirked. “Better watch out, that cat hates everyone.”

The cat sniffed my leg then began to rub against me.

“Well, I’ll be damned,” the blond exclaimed.

“You already are,” someone snorted.

As I scratched the cat’s head, another woman walked around the corner to my right. She was dressed in bike shorts and a sports bra and covered in sweat, like she’d just been running laps on a treadmill.

They must have a gym here. It made sense, they had everything else. The woman narrowed her eyes and suddenly flew at me. Her shoulder hooked in under my abdomen and she tackled me to the floor, knocking the breath out of me. I hit the floor hard on my left side, taking the jarring impact on my left upper arm and hip. She fell on top of me, further restricting my ability to breathe. Then she hooked her hand over my shoulder and yanked me onto my back as she scrambled to pin me

“Lula was my friend, you bitch.” Her face contorted, and she hauled back with her right hand.

I struggled, but could not break loose. The fist never made impact, though. Instead, the weight of the woman suddenly lifted off me.

I looked up to see Zyriel scowling.

“Asphodel wants her in one piece. He has a plan, she’s the only one who can make it happen.”

The other woman seethed and yanked away from Zyriel, but didn’t have another go. She just pointed her finger at me. “You’d better stay out of my way, bitch.”

I scrambled to my feet, then rubbed the back of my head where it had made contact with the floor.

Zyriel frowned down at me. “Let’s find you someplace to stay out of the way. How about something to eat?”

If it had been anyone else, I would have refused food, but while Zyriel wouldn’t acknowledge me, I didn’t think he would harm me either, so I let him lead me into the kitchen.

In utter contrast to the room we’d just left, the kitchen gleamed with spotless stainless steel, like an industrial kitchen for feeding a crowd - easy to clean and work in, with everything to hand. A woman stirred a pot on the stove. Her head shot up then she relaxed. “Hey, Z.”

“Trish, this is Merry. She’s going to be staying with us for a little while.”

“Ally,” I murmured.

Zyriel stiffened beside me. “That’s what I said, Ally.”

Trish looked up, her black eyes suddenly interested as she blew a bit of dark brown hair out of her eyes. “She’s the angel born as a human?”

“Yeah, one of them,” Zyriel replied.

A bell dinged. Trish grabbed an oven mitt and opened the range to retrieve a pan of rolls that smelled of garlic and butter. She set them on the counter, then slanted a look in my direction. “You hungry?”

I snorted. “When it comes to food that smells as good as that does, always.” I had trouble thinking I should expect any danger from this petite woman.

“Trish here is the daughter of a lesser demon and a human. She’s kind of here by default, not so much of her own choosing,” he said quietly. “She made some bad choices, but she’s not a bad woman.”

Her eyes flicked up, then back to her task as she opened drawers and cabinets, pulling out dishes.

“I’ll leave you with Trish,” Zyriel said and walked out.

Probably doesn’t want to appear chummy with the enemy. I sat down on one of the stools as Trish set a steaming bowl of pasta fagiole in front of me and the butter dish, along with a plate holding a couple rolls. “So, you became the de facto chef here?” I asked.

She gave me a lopsided smile. “Keeps me out of trouble, if you know what I mean. Most of ‘em won’t bite the hand that feeds them. At least, not when they’re in their right minds.” She rubbed a red welt on her left forearm that looked like a healing burn. An accident in the kitchen, or something else? Maybe my friend from the car with the lighter.

I reached out impulsively. She flinched, and I stopped. “May I?”

Her eyes widened. She shifted back a step then steadied, stood up straighter, and nodded. I laid a hand on her arm, my hand tingling slightly as energy warmed the area, drawing the burn up and out, clearing the skin.

She watched me in surprise. “Wow. Thanks.”

I picked up the spoon. “Thank you.”

A thump heralded the entrance of the cat via the counter into the bar area. He hopped down and padded around the counter to sit at the base of my chair and proceeded to bathe his face.

“He looks a little worse for wear too,” I commented.

“Yeah, Biggles likes to have a go at him, but he’s gotten pretty good at hiding, and most of ‘em will stop him if they get a chance. I’m just afraid one of us won’t be around one of these days, and he’ll take a hurt he can’t recover from.” She looked sad.

“Why not set him free in the city?” I asked, regarding the big tomcat.

Trish looked as if the thought had not occurred to her before. She was so used to her own confinement here. Her brow wrinkled. “Where would he go? Would it be any better?” She tilted her head and pursed her lips as she considered the questions.

I studied her face. She didn’t appear that old, but looks could be deceiving with demons. She seemed guileless and weary. “What about you? What keeps you here?”

She gazed at me, and her eyebrows drew together. “I guess… where would I go?”

“Anywhere.”

She smiled wistfully, her sad eyes telling me that it sounded like a pipe dream. “Anywhere?”

“Why not?”

She looked around as if she couldn’t imagine anything beyond her four walls. “I belong here.”

Like a child asking the repetitive question, I said in an unchallenging tone, “Why?”

“I’m one of them.” She didn’t quite sound as if she believed it.

I pressed my suit. “What have you done to deserve it?”

She ducked her head. “It’s like being in a gang. You just… do what you’re told, to get along.”

I had a feeling she had never done anything to warrant her existence. She was just the kitchen mouse, believing guilt by association kept her confined.

I scanned the large, empty kitchen. There was no one there but us, no one paying us any mind. A service elevator in a corner caught my eye. I couldn’t believe my luck. I trilled to the cat. He looked up and squeezed his eyes in agreement.

“What do you say we take a little walk?” I said, standing and picking the cat up. He began to purr and rubbed his head against my chin.

My gaze returned to the service elevator. “Does that thing work?”

Her eyes were wide. “Yeah.” She glanced back toward the doorway to the bar area.

“Trish,” a voice yelled from the living area. “Is lunch ready yet?”

“Almost,” she called. She wrung her hands, glancing at the elevator, then back at the door to the room. Her face cleared. She untied the short apron, flung it on the counter, and skirted the island. “Let’s go.”

We were in the service elevator and headed down in half a dozen heartbeats. It seemed to take four times as long as the ascent in the regular elevator, but that may have been my excitement at finding a way out.

Of course, when the doors opened, we weren’t alone in the garage. Our blond, angelic demon stood in front of me. Asphodel, Zyriel had called him. His two favorite henchmen flanked him. I let the cat drop to the floor.

“Did you really think we wouldn’t know you were leaving the floor?” he asked silkily. He glared at Trish. “I’m most disappointed in you. I’ll deal with you myself, later.”

Trembling slightly, I inhaled and blew out a breath. I wasn’t about to give up that easily. Daylight blazed beyond them through the entrance to the parking area. I could never agree to what he wanted so it was likely I would die here if I didn’t find a way out.

I lunged at the taller demon, my hands headed for his face. It wasn’t much of a chance, though it was more than I would get upstairs.

He must not have thought I’d really do it because we landed in a heap on the ground. I heard a hiss as my hands made contact. An unholy chorus screeched in my head, and I had the impression of a cubist painting, everything out of proportion and alignment. The energy in me reached out to set it right. The cat hissed and spit to my left, then the female demon screamed. I couldn’t look but heard a small thud that I feared was my new feline friend.

I was being lifted by Asphodel and flung away when a car screeched in and came to a halt, the door flew open. I rolled and sat up, then scrambled into a crouch. The male demon I had attacked didn’t move.

I glanced at the car to see Matt. How had he even found me? I eyed the open car door, but I couldn’t abandon Trish. I rose and faced Asphodel.

“No!” Trish shouted. I looked back to see her launch herself at the female demon as she leveled a gun at me. The cat lay nearby, a casualty of the female demon, I assumed. I couldn’t see if it was still alive. Trish and the demon fought. I heard the report as the gun fired, and they fell to the ground, still struggling.

“Trish,” I cried.

The gun went off again, and they both stayed down. A moment later, Trish rolled away, clutching her arm.

Asphodel seethed as he stared at me, and I realized the veneer of civilization was gone, leaving his face hideously scarred. His head was scabbed over and nearly hairless. This was a reflection of his disfigured soul, not some physical ailment. I almost felt sorry for him. Almost.

Matt had left the car and joined me with a double-handed sword.

“Fool,” Asphodel said. “Do you think I’ll let her go so easily when what I want is in my grasp?”

The elevator dinged. I expected to see reinforcements pour out. It opened, but no one was upright. They were sprawled in a heap on the floor of the elevator, Zyriel amongst them. What had happened? I wanted to go to him, make sure he was okay, but I was otherwise occupied at the moment.

Matt engaged Asphodel as I skirted their fight and grabbed Trish, helping her into the car. I started toward the elevator, but Zyriel opened his eyes a slit and gave me a wink. I took that to mean he did not want to be rescued.

Asphodel now had a sword of fire in his hands. I didn’t think Matt’s sword, no matter how blessed, could stand against that fire.

I reached over the back seat with my upper body and sprung the lock on the suitcase holding Matt’s demon-hunting paraphernalia. What to grab? A cross? Some of the holy water? Then I saw the relic I knew was real and grabbed the vial with one hand and some holy water with the other.

I was suddenly yanked out of the car and tossed to the side. I looked up at Asphodel from a prone position and managed to flip the lid off the holy water and fling it upward, dousing him with it. He grinned even as it began to burn, and steam rose off him.

I looked around wildly for Matt, fearing the worst. He lay, crumpled on the cement, to my right.

Asphodel loomed over me. “Do you really think such a paltry thing will stop me, angel?”

His voice reverberated now with the grating tone of a metal gate, long overdue for oiling, glamor truly gone. I had managed to keep my grasp on the relic case as I fell and shielded it with my body, so I could open the vial without him seeing. I palmed the relic. This time I was prepared and resisted the pull of memory in the wood.

Where to target him? Treating him like a vampire was a fair bet. The closer to the heart, the better, but anywhere in his flesh with such a powerful relic should give him pause. I waited until he moved forward and cowered beneath him.

“Please,” I gasped. “Please don’t hurt us. I’m begging.”

He laughed as I held my hands up as if in supplication, then stopped when I jammed my hand against his thigh. He started to howl. It built into a scream as he staggered to the side and fell to the ground, writhing.

I scrambled over to Matt. He lay on his side, unconscious. I had to get him out of there. He didn’t complain as I rolled him over, but that didn’t seem like a good thing. I’d have rather had him awake and swearing.

I gazed around. The screaming had stopped. Asphodel had disappeared. I had a feeling it wasn’t the last we would hear of him, but he needed healing just as much as Matt, even if he was an immortal being.

How was I going to get Matt back to the car? Maybe I could heal him enough to get him there under his own power.

I laid one hand on his left shoulder and one on the right side of his abdomen, as if applying defibrillator pads. Something squished under my right hand, and I grimaced, but sent a surge of energy from one hand to the other. His body arched as he gasped. His eyelids fluttered open, and he coughed.

I gave him a hand to sit up, and he wrapped an arm around his abdomen. “Can you get to the car with some help?”

“I think so,” he rasped.

I got him to the car and in, then closed the door and slid behind the wheel. I glanced back at Trish. I couldn’t worry too much, I would check her once we were out of harm’s way. I had a moment’s hesitation about leaving Zyriel behind, but he knew what he was doing. Me interfering might cause him more trouble than good. I glanced over at the elevator. They were beginning to stir. Time to get out of Dodge.