Night of the Tiger(46)

“Oh, yes. Because he’s generous, he wants to extend his hand in friendship. He’ll forgo claiming your soul if you’ll do one little thing for him.”

“And that would be?” Roric sounded almost bored with the entire proceedings. Aimee studied him carefully. His face could have been carved from stone. His lips were set in a thin, almost cruel line. His eyes were filled with the cunning patience of a predator.

Sandra shrugged as though it was of no importance. “He wants you and your friends to head up his legions so he can defeat Zeus and the rest of them once and for all.”

“Ah,” Roric drawled slowly. “Attacking the Lady, stripping of her of her power and imprisoning her weren’t enough. Now he turns on his kin, but they are still too much for him to handle.”

“It’s not like that,” Sandra assured him. “They’re weaklings. Hades just wants someone competent at the head of his armies. Everyone still talks about the war between the Lady of the Beasts and Hades.” Her gaze ran admiringly over Roric’s frame. “For a while there, no one knew who would win. Hades couldn’t break any of you.”

“Where is my Lady now?” There was pure steel in Roric’s voice now.

Sandra shrugged. “Hades set her free as part of the bargain. She told him how to free all of you, so he released her from the chains that held her all these years.”

“Where is she?” Roric repeated.

“In Hell, of course.” She rewound the scroll and tapped it against his chest. “If she can find her way out, she’s free to leave. Last I saw of the poor dear, she was stumbling around in the dark somewhere on the fifth level. Nasty demons there.”

Roric swung his sword out in an arc. Blood spurted from Sandra’s neck, but in a movement almost too fast for Aimee to see, the other woman managed to arch backward, barely avoiding losing her head.

Slapping her hand to her neck, she hissed. The human form seemed to dissolve around Sandra, melting away. In her place stood a six-foot demon covered in thick, leathery skin that was a mottled blue. The blonde hair slowly changed color until it was black as midnight. Her eyes blazed red, promising retribution. “You will pay for that, beast.”

A second sword appeared in Roric’s left hand and he went on the attack. The demon jumped aside, crashing into the coffee table and reducing it to rubble. The sofa went askew as the demon kicked it aside. Aimee shrieked as the creature hissed again, long fangs flashing beside a double row of teeth. How in the hell did you fight something like that?

Roric showed no such hesitation, launching himself at the demon. The creature shrieked as both blades cut deep. A black hole seemed to appear out of nowhere, filling the corner of the room. Thick, black smoke roiled outward.

Aimee slapped her hand over her nose and mouth and ran for the door to open it. The scent of sulfur and fire singed her nostrils. She could taste it on her tongue. It reminded her too much of the stench from her nightmares.

The demon stepped backward, disappearing into the void. The black hole closed in on itself, leaving the room reeking of burnt flesh and fear. Aimee stared at what was left of her living room. Everything would have to be replaced, including the floor, which had been scorched black where the hole had opened.

She tried to swallow, but her mouth was too dry. “That was…” Aimee didn’t know quite what to say that wouldn’t sound totally crazy. All of this was insane.

“Are you all right?” Roric strode toward her, the two swords disappearing from his hands in a flash.

“I’m not sure.” It was suddenly all too much for her. Her vision dimmed and she shook her head to clear it. She sank to the floor beside the door, gulping in the clean, fresh air that flowed in from outside.

Roric crouched beside her, his bulk blocking most of the carnage behind him, but nothing could obliterate the stench from Hell.

Slowly, she raised her head and stared into a pair of concerned, pale blue eyes. “What are we going to do?”

“Whatever we have to,” came the grim reply.



Frustration clung to Roric, much like the lingering stink from the smoke. His reflexes were slower than they used to be. He should have been able to destroy the succubus with little problem. He also should have gotten more answers out of her. His attention had been fractured between the demon and Aimee.

He’d sensed her feelings of betrayal when she discovered exactly what her friend was. Roric had sensed Aimee’s loneliness. Finding out she’d been used had to hurt.

Then there had been the way she’d reacted when the succubus had tried to tempt him physically. Aimee hadn’t liked that at all. He could have easily reassured her that not even the most skilled sex demon could compare to her natural loveliness, but he didn’t want Sandra or, in turn, Hades to have that kind of information. They would use it against him in a heartbeat.