"Why are we here?"
The tiny head turned to stab Abby with a glittering gaze. Abby grimaced. In the shifting candlelight, the woman looked like a shriveled lizard.
And just about as warm.
'To change the world, my lady."
Abby shifted uneasily. 'That's a little vague."
"It's time that the full glory of the Phoenix be revealed. Her power will cleanse the world."
Cleanse the world.
It certainly sounded nicer than mass murder.
"Cleanse the world of what?" she demanded, needing to hear the woman admit her black-hearted intentions.
"Evil."
"Again, a little vague." She wrapped her arms about her waist. Any dark and dank cellar was creepy, but with the candles and mortician slab and some goo that might or might not be blood, this took creepy to a new level. "Precisely what evil are we cleansing?"
"The demons, of course. And those who worship the dark lord."
"The dark lord has been banished from this world."
Impatience as well as something that might have been anger tightened the older woman's lips. Obviously she was not a big fan of having her decisions put up for debate.
"His foulness still taints the very air we breathe. He calls to his disciples and they answer. They must all be brought to an end," she rasped.
Abby licked her lips. "And you expect the Phoenix to do this?"
"Of course. The beloved Goddess was meant to rule." She held out her gnarled hands as if accepting worship from some unseen disciples. 'Just as I was meant to rule. Our time has at last arrived."
Good God, the woman was certifiable.
Hurry, Dante, she silently breathed. Please hurry.
"I understand your desire. It is no doubt admirable, but there are surely other means of battling evil?" she attempted to soothe. Pacify the crazy person. That was always her motto.
Absurdly the witch appeared outraged rather than soothed.
"Understand?" She moved to stand directly before Abby. "What could you possibly understand, girl?"
"I understand right from wrong."
"Until a few days ago, you thought demons to be nothing more than fairy tales."
Abby found her terror being swallowed by a growing anger. Dammit. She hadn't wanted to be some stupid Chalice. Or to have monsters chasing her around. Or to be some sort of savior of the world.
But now that she had been forced into this position, she wasn't going to be bullied into becoming the evil they were supposed to be fighting.
"Perhaps I didn't know, but now I realize that there are many sorts of demons. Not all of them bad."
"The vampire," Edra hissed. "He has seduced you."
Abby clenched her hands. "This has nothing to do with Dante. I will not be a part of wholesale murder."
The witch stepped close enough to cloak Abby in the sour scent of sweat and cloves.
"Have you battled against darkness for the past three centuries?" she rasped. "Have you given your very soul to keep the horror at bay? Have you watched innocent women slaughtered like pigs beneath the magic of a foul wizard?"
In spite of herself, Abby stumbled backward. Her eyes might tell her that she could pick up the frail old woman and rattle her silly. Her heart warned her that the witch could wave a wand and squash her like a bug.
I'm the Chalice," she bluffed. "You can't force me to perform a spell."
"I would prefer that you join with me." Edra raised a hand to point her finger directly between Abby's eyes. "But we can do this the hard way."
Oh God, here comes the bug-squashing part.
"No… wait…"
The words barely left her lips when a blinding pain exploded in her head.
Abby tumbled to her knees. She clutched her head as she realized she was going to die.
No one could survive such pain.
Dante, where the hell are you ?
Viper and Dante slid into the shadows as the sound of noisy footsteps echoed through the hall.
Taking a deep sniff, Dante leaned close to his companion and whispered directly in his ear. "Two men, both human." His fangs lengthened. "I'll take care of them. You go to Abby."
Viper paused. 'You're certain?"
"I can't harm Edra. You can."
A cold smile touched the elegant features. "It will be my pleasure."
Not even the air stirred as Viper disappeared from his side. Remaining in the shadows, Dante waited for the men to walk directly past him. Only then did he leap forward, taking the nearest guard to the floor with fluid strength.
He felt the second man reach to grasp his arm. Without even glancing in his direction, Dante threw him into the nearby wall. There was a thud and a groan as the attacker slid to the floor.
The man underneath him grimly struggled to reach beneath his bulky form. Dante smiled wryly, knowing the fool was no doubt reaching for a gun. He either didn't know a vampire held him or had no idea bullets couldn't harm the undead.
Grasping a handful of hair, he smacked the thick skull onto the floor, and then again. He felt the body beneath him go slack, and Dante was on his feet.
Both men were out cold, but he wasn't about to leave them behind. Opening a nearby door, he returned to the unconscious men and easily tossed them into the narrow room. With the same speed, he bound them with their belts and closed the door.
Silently he was once again moving forward. There was the sharp scent of blood ahead of him. Viper, no doubt. Unless the witches banded together, they would prove no match for the powerful vampire.
Ignoring the potent smell, Dante angled toward the back of the house. The fainter scent of the Shalott led him through the empty library to a small closet that had been locked with three iron bars.
Not a barrier to vampires, but Dante was willing to bet that iron was a threat to Shalotts.
With a grimace at the inevitable noise, Dante ripped the bars from the door, tossing them aside as he glanced over his shoulder to ensure that no one had come charging into the room to confront him.
The room was empty, but his momentary distraction didn't go unpunished as the door exploded outward and a slender form leapt forward to catch him on the chin with a sharp kick.
With a grunt that was as much annoyance as pain, Dante whirled to discover the demon bent in a menacing crouch.
There was a lethal, near-intoxicating beauty in her long, slender limbs and flowing black hair, but Dante had no interest in her physical attributes. Or even the cloud of pheromones that filled the room.
His bond with Abby made him impervious to her potent allure.
Instead he prepared himself for another attack.