"Don't do this, Larry. Don't get us killed for Raymond Stirling."
His cross spilled out in the open air. It glowed like Serephina's eyes. He just looked at me.
I sighed, and brought out my own cross. "This is a bad idea."
"I know," he said. "But I can't just watch."
I stared at his earnest face, and knew it was true. He couldn't just watch. I could have. I might not have enjoyed it, but I could have let it happen. More's the pity.
"What are you doing with your little holy objects?" Janos asked.
"Stopping this," I said.
"You want them dead, Anita."
"Not like this," I said.
"Would you have me let you use your gun and waste all this blood?"
He was offering to let me shoot them. I shook my head. "I don't think that's an option anymore."
"It was never an option," Larry said.
I let that go; no need to disillusion him. I walked towards Pallas and Bettina. Larry walked towards Ellie and Xavier, cross held outward to the length of its chain, as if that made it work better. Nothing wrong with a little dramatic gesture, but I'd have to clue him in that it didn't really help. But later.
The cross's glow grew until it was like wearing a 100-watt lightbulb naked around your neck. I saw the world as a black circle outside the glow.
Xavier was on his feet facing Larry, but the others had crawled away from their prey, beaten by the light.
"Thank you, Ms. Blake," Stirling said. "Thank you." He grabbed my leg with his good hand, fawning over me. I fought an urge to shake him off.
"Thank Larry; I'd have let you die."
He didn't seem to hear me. He was nearly crying with relief, slobbering all over my Nikes.
"Back away from them, please." The voice was female and honey-thick.
I blinked over the glow of the cross and saw Kissa holding a gun. A revolver that looked like a Magnum; hard to tell in the glow. Whatever it was, it'd make a big hole.
"Move away from them, now."
"I thought Serephina didn't want me dead."
"Kissa will shoot your young friend."
I stopped in mid-breath and let it out. "If you kill him, I won't cooperate with whatever you have in mind for tonight."
"You misunderstand us, Anita," Janos said. "My master does not require your cooperation. Everything she wants from you can be taken by force."
I stared at him over the shining light. He had Jeff cuddled against him; most heartwarming.
"Take off your crosses and throw them far out into the trees," Janos said. He ran a gloved hand along both sides of Jeff's face, planting a kiss on his cheek.
"Now that we know you would give up your safety for both young men, we have one more hostage than is absolutely necessary." He put his hands on either side of Jeff's neck, just holding, not hurting, not yet.
"Take off your crosses and throw them into the woods. I will not ask a third time."
I stared at him. I didn't want to give up my cross. I glanced at Larry. He was still facing off against Xavier, his cross glowing bravely. Shit.
"Kissa, shoot the man."
"No," I said. I undid the chain. "Don't shoot him."
"Don't do it , Anita," Larry said.
"I can't watch them shoot you, not if I can stop it." I let the chain pool in my hand; the cross shone with a blue-white flame like burning magnesium. It was a bad idea to throw it away. A real bad idea. I tossed it into the woods. The cross glittered like a falling star and died out of sight in the dark.
"Now your cross, Larry," Janos said.
Larry shook his head. "You'll have to shoot me."
"We'll shoot the boy," Janos said. "Or perhaps I'll feed upon him while you watch." He pinned Jeff against himself with one arm, while his other hand dug into the boy's hair, holding him immobile, neck exposed.
Larry looked at me. "What do I do, Anita?"
"You have to decide this one for yourself," I said.
"They'll really kill him, won't they?"
"Yeah, they will."
He cursed under his breath and let the cross fall against his chest. He undid the chain and threw it out into the woods with a lot of force to it, as if he could throw his anger with it.
When the light from his cross died away, we stood there in the darkness. The moonlight that had seemed so bright before was a dim substitute.
My night vision returned in stages. Kissa stepped closer, the gun still pointed at us. The first time I'd seen her, she had exuded sexuality, power; now she was docile, quiet, as though some of her power had been drained away. She looked pale and drawn. She needed to feed.
"Why haven't they let you feed tonight?" I asked.
"Our master is not a hundred percent sure of Kissa's loyalty. It needed testing, didn't it, my dark beauty?"