otherwise of you,” he almost purred into my ear.
A shiver of the purest pleasure rippled down my back.
“Cora! You missed a fascinating breakfast. There were some lovely speakers talking about the sorts of things that are available for us to pass the time here in the Akasha. But tell me, who is your friend?” Her gaze flickered from where my fingers were twined through his to his face.
“This is Alec Darwin. He’s a vampire. He killed a woman several hundred years ago.” I bit back the words that my inner devil was trying to force out, hiding them deep in my psyche so Alec wouldn’t overhear them: And he’s not available.
“Hello, Alec,” Diamond said with a cheery smile.
He responded politely, then peered at her for a few seconds. She’s glowing.
She is? I glanced at her, my eyes widening. Oh, no, she is! Was she affected by me becoming the eyeball of Sauron?
Occio di Lucifer, and no, I don’t think it works that way. I could feel him turning the facts over in his mind. Did you say that Ulfur glowed, as well?
Yes.
And that he had stolen something from Bael?
Something gold, yes. It looked like a flattened disk when he showed it to me.
Before or after you were cast into the Akasha?
After.
Sins of the saints . . . Ulfur must have stolen all three Tools.
You think he’s an Occio, too?
No, it sounds like he’s the Anima di Lucifer. That used to be a dragon-shaped aquamanile. Which means that this woman must have been holding the third Tool.
“And you just met? ” Diamond interrupted my thoughts with a pointed look at where I still held Alec’s hand.
“Yes.” I pushed away the spike of jealousy, focusing on what was important. “Diamond, when we were at the house and you were in the basement, what were you doing? ”
“Taking pictures. You know that.”
“No, I mean right at the moment when suddenly we were zapped here.”
“Oh.” She looked thoughtful. “I was examining a very pretty goblet I found that had rolled beneath the stairs. It looked valuable, and I was going to bring it up to show you, when poof!”
“Goblet?” I asked Alec.
He nodded. “The Voce di Lucifer. All three of you were holding a Tool when Bael banished Ulfur.”
“Bael?” Diamond froze. “The demon lord Bael?”
“Yes.” Alec looked at her with speculation that was mirrored in my mind. “Do you know him?”
“Me? Merciful sovereign, no! But I know of him, of course. Everyone does,” she explained, her hands fluttering in the air as she spoke. “Are you saying Bael sent us here?”
“That’s what we think,” I said slowly. “Diamond, how come you know about the demon lord guy? Why didn’t you see him at the house? Why aren’t you freaking out about being here? And why were you so happy to go off to a breakfast of the damned without so much as wigging out one tiny little bit?”
“What is there to wig out about?” she asked with a bright smile shared between us. “It’s the Akasha, not Abaddon, Cora. I’ve never seen a demon lord before, so I didn’t know he was at the house, although it did feel as if there was a very old entrance to Abaddon somewhere on the premises. As for being here, well, I’ve always wanted to see the Akasha, and here we are! It’s so very fascinating, don’t you think? And the people here are so nice. Almost desperately pleased to have someone to talk to, if you know what I mean. Margaretta told me there were some informational meetings I could sit in on if I liked to see how things were done here, which sounds super fun, don’t you think?”
She’s deranged, I told Alec, staring at her in astonishment.
It’s tempting to agree, but I don’t think she is. I think she’s . . . hmm.
She’s what?
I’m not quite sure. She appears human, but that could be just a glamour. Whatever she is, I don’t believe she’s mundane.
Mundane?
Mortal.
I pinched his fingers. Are you saying I’m mundane, buster?
You are mortal, yes, he said with a mental leer. But
A shiver of the purest pleasure rippled down my back.
“Cora! You missed a fascinating breakfast. There were some lovely speakers talking about the sorts of things that are available for us to pass the time here in the Akasha. But tell me, who is your friend?” Her gaze flickered from where my fingers were twined through his to his face.
“This is Alec Darwin. He’s a vampire. He killed a woman several hundred years ago.” I bit back the words that my inner devil was trying to force out, hiding them deep in my psyche so Alec wouldn’t overhear them: And he’s not available.
“Hello, Alec,” Diamond said with a cheery smile.
He responded politely, then peered at her for a few seconds. She’s glowing.
She is? I glanced at her, my eyes widening. Oh, no, she is! Was she affected by me becoming the eyeball of Sauron?
Occio di Lucifer, and no, I don’t think it works that way. I could feel him turning the facts over in his mind. Did you say that Ulfur glowed, as well?
Yes.
And that he had stolen something from Bael?
Something gold, yes. It looked like a flattened disk when he showed it to me.
Before or after you were cast into the Akasha?
After.
Sins of the saints . . . Ulfur must have stolen all three Tools.
You think he’s an Occio, too?
No, it sounds like he’s the Anima di Lucifer. That used to be a dragon-shaped aquamanile. Which means that this woman must have been holding the third Tool.
“And you just met? ” Diamond interrupted my thoughts with a pointed look at where I still held Alec’s hand.
“Yes.” I pushed away the spike of jealousy, focusing on what was important. “Diamond, when we were at the house and you were in the basement, what were you doing? ”
“Taking pictures. You know that.”
“No, I mean right at the moment when suddenly we were zapped here.”
“Oh.” She looked thoughtful. “I was examining a very pretty goblet I found that had rolled beneath the stairs. It looked valuable, and I was going to bring it up to show you, when poof!”
“Goblet?” I asked Alec.
He nodded. “The Voce di Lucifer. All three of you were holding a Tool when Bael banished Ulfur.”
“Bael?” Diamond froze. “The demon lord Bael?”
“Yes.” Alec looked at her with speculation that was mirrored in my mind. “Do you know him?”
“Me? Merciful sovereign, no! But I know of him, of course. Everyone does,” she explained, her hands fluttering in the air as she spoke. “Are you saying Bael sent us here?”
“That’s what we think,” I said slowly. “Diamond, how come you know about the demon lord guy? Why didn’t you see him at the house? Why aren’t you freaking out about being here? And why were you so happy to go off to a breakfast of the damned without so much as wigging out one tiny little bit?”
“What is there to wig out about?” she asked with a bright smile shared between us. “It’s the Akasha, not Abaddon, Cora. I’ve never seen a demon lord before, so I didn’t know he was at the house, although it did feel as if there was a very old entrance to Abaddon somewhere on the premises. As for being here, well, I’ve always wanted to see the Akasha, and here we are! It’s so very fascinating, don’t you think? And the people here are so nice. Almost desperately pleased to have someone to talk to, if you know what I mean. Margaretta told me there were some informational meetings I could sit in on if I liked to see how things were done here, which sounds super fun, don’t you think?”
She’s deranged, I told Alec, staring at her in astonishment.
It’s tempting to agree, but I don’t think she is. I think she’s . . . hmm.
She’s what?
I’m not quite sure. She appears human, but that could be just a glamour. Whatever she is, I don’t believe she’s mundane.
Mundane?
Mortal.
I pinched his fingers. Are you saying I’m mundane, buster?
You are mortal, yes, he said with a mental leer. But
Similar Books
