Stupid vampires.
"Dante, it is Levet," he growled.
"Levet?" The raven brows snapped together. "Where the hell are you?"
"If you will clear your mind I will show you."
"What?"
Levet muttered a few choice curses. He kept them low enough so that the vampire couldn't hear. He wasn't completely suicidal, but they made him feel better.
"Just clear your mind, I will do the rest."
Dante didn't look happy, but he closed his eyes and obviously made an attempt to empty his mind. Levet didn't waste any time as he thrust his memories of the long journey to the farmhouse through the water.
There was a sharp hiss as Dante wrenched open his eyes and gave a shake of his head.
"It is much farther than I thought Even taking cars it will be' hours before we can arrive."
Levet shrugged. Nothing could be done to make the vampires arrive any sooner.
"I will wait for you near the entrance to the cave," Levet promised."
"What of Viper and Shay?"
"I don't know."
Dante grimaced. "We'll be there."
"Hurry."
With a wave of his hand, Level closed the portal. Or at least he attempted to close the portal. Dante's image was gone, but the swirling darkness remained. With a frown he leaned forward only to give a sudden squawk as a beautiful face swam into view. Falling back into the mud he watched in horror as the woman pushed through the portal to stand before him.
Not that he didn't appreciate the sight of a lovely woman.
He might be small, but he was all male and no man could deny mat the small, curvaceous woman with her pure white skin, slanted blue eyes, and pale green hair was a sight to behold. Quite, quite a sight to behold.
Oh, and it didn't help that she was butt naked beneath the sheer toga.
"Holy mother of..." Struggling against the thick, grasping mud Levet glared at the woman who stood only a foot taller than him. "Don't do that."
The woman gave a bat of her lashes, her smile vacant. "Do what?"
At last on his feet he shook the slimy moss from his wings. "Pop up like a... a ... thing that annoyingly pops."
"I didn't pop."
"You most certainly did. Do you have no manners, whatsoever?" Levet gave a shake of his head. "Of course not, what am I saying. You are a water sprite."
"And you're a gargoyle, although I've never seen one so tiny. Did you get shrunk by a spell?"
Levet rolled his eyes as he turned and began stomping away from the river. Water sprites might be visions of loveliness, but they rarely possessed enough brains to fill a thimble.
"No, I did not get shrunk by a spell. This is the size I have always been."
She fluttered at his side, skimming over the rocks and bushes with annoying ease.
"It's not very impressive."
"Shut up and go away you ridiculous pest."
"I'm not a pest, and I can't leave."
"Of course you can." Levet gave a flick of his hand, careful to keep his eyes trained on the ground before him. As a demon he couldn't be bespelled by the sprite, but he wasn't completely immune to temptation. Now was not the time for such a delicious distraction. "Swim away with the nasty fishes."
"You summoned me, little gargoyle," she purred.
"I most certainly did not,"
"Yes, you did,"
"Did not."
"Did so."
"Did..." Coming to a halt Levet threw his hands in the air. "Sacrebleu, this is absurd. Why will you not go away?"
She gave a toss of her long curls. "I told you, you summoned me. I am bound to you until the spell is broken."
"Fine, I break it, You are unsummoned. Go away."
A pout touched her full lips. "You don't know much for a gargoyle."
His wings gave an angry buzz. Beautiful or not the woman was a pain in the ass.
"Fine, tell me what I must do to make you disappear."
The pout became a downright sulk. "You do not think me lovely?"
"I think giraffes are lovely but that doesn't mean I want one trailing behind me. Especially one that can't seem to keep its mouth shut."
"You are not a very nice gargoyle." Her skin slowly began to shimmer in the faint moonlight. It was a shimmer that had lured sailors to their doom for centuries. "You should tell me I'm beautiful and long to be with me."
"The only thing I long for is some peace," Levet growled. "I wish you to be quiet."
The blue eyes widened and her lips parted but astonishingly there was nothing but blissful silence.
Levet frowned. Did she actually obey his command? No, it hadn't been a command. It had been a wish.
A sly smile touched his lips. "Ah ha. That is it. You give me three wishes and then you must return to the waters."
Her arms folded over her ample bosom as she glared at him in frustration. Obviously she had hoped to keep him too befuddled and bewitched to reason the manner of being rid of her. As long as she owed him wishes she was free of her watery prison.
And best of all he was a demon. Which meant that when she returned to the waters she couldn't force him to join her.
Tapping a thick claw on his chin Levet carefully considered what was to be done with his sudden stroke of fortune.
He had used one wish on her silence.
A wish well used, if he did say so himself.
But he had two left.
He must decide precisely just how they should be used.
Dante swayed and reached out a hand to grasp the edge of a nearby table as the contact with the gargoyle was abruptly brought to an end.
Damn the stunted demon. It was disconcerting to have someone wrench themselves from his mind with such haste.
"Dante, what is it? What's happening?"
Giving a shake of his head Dante turned to regard the dark, muscular vampire who had entered the room. Santiago appeared distinctly out of place in the opulent splendor of Viper's private club. Like Dante he preferred a plain black shirt and leather pants.
Of course they were both warriors. It was Viper who possessed the elegant sophistication to feel comfortable among such grandeur.
"The gargoyle," he said in abrupt tones.
Santiago gave a swift glance about the empty lobby. "He's returned?"
"Ho, he managed to contact me through a portal."
"A portal? I didn't realize gargoyles possessed such powers."
Dante smiled with grim humor. In spite of himself he couldn't help but like the annoying gargoyle.
"The little one seems full of surprises."