crouched right next to me.
“You don’t seem so tough to me.” The man’s rough voice didn’t seem to fit his handsome appearance. Not that he didn’t look like a badass—he managed that just fine—but his grating voice sounded ruined by some massive damage yet he didn’t seem to have a scar on him. His smooth pale skin covered a passive face.
“Interesting. I wasn’t sure my master was being honest when he swore the gleipnir would hold. And yet, here you are helpless, within my grasp.” Damn, the man had an almost gentle smile. But there was something strange about how his handsome lips moved when he spoke.
“What are you?”
His smile widened, revealing sharp fangs. Several of the other men around him laughed at my question. Those I could see also had fangs, but their sharp tips weren’t nearly as dangerous-looking as those of the man who L. Shannon
93
knelt beside me.
“I’m a blood demon, and this is my coven of vampires.” He reached out and pushed back my hair so I could see him more clearly. “I am called Farryl. Do you have a name?”
“Names have power. Do not give him ours.”
“What do you want?”
“What a lovely question.” He flashed me another fangy smile and settled down with his legs crossed under him. “I want many things, including my freedom, unlimited sex and blood, and my master to be happy.
Because when he is not happy, I and my coven suffer badly.”
So he wasn’t thrilled with his boss. Right now, neither was I. The cynical side of me couldn’t help but wonder if they were one and the same. “What will make your master happy?”
“The end of the world.”
Okay, probably not Weaver playing both sides. I struggled to hold my head up high enough to keep an eye on him. “That doesn’t seem like a good idea for the rest of us though.” Maybe this guy wasn’t all for the plan and could be talked out of this part of it.
“I believe in the here and now. The immediate punishment for failure outweighs my desire to avoid the end if he ever succeeds.” The man, demon or whatever looked entirely too relaxed although his men looked just as serious as before. “So my question for you is simple.
Will you obey my master willingly or will this become unpleasant?”
It was already pretty damn unpleasant. “I won’t willingly destroy the world. And to be honest, I’m not very good at that whole O-word.” 94
Amethyst Bound
“Oh word?”
“Obey. I’m not good at that.”
He laughed. “I like your spirit and I rather agree about the word being unpalatable. Unfortunately, you will be taught the value of succumbing to the master’s demands.
The alternative can be painfully instructional.” Farryl reached under the netting and captured my hand. In a single smooth motion he wrapped a band around my wrist.
It burned but I didn’t bother complaining. Compared to the sizzle from the net, the band was almost unnoticeable.
The demon petted my hand as if to comfort me.
“Relax. This is the easy part.” A scraping sound from the back of my house froze the smile on Farryl’s lips. He motioned two of his men to go check it out.
“Where is your minion?”
I wasn’t about to give up Benjamin to this demon.
“Minion, what’s that?”
Rather than answer with words, Farryl slid his arm from the expensive-looking leather jacket and pulled his shirt far enough aside to show a nipple ring and his shoulder where a green dragon had marked him. “Where is your minion? You do only have one so far, correct?” Oh, my God…another dragon, the green one, was behind the attacks. It was him who wanted to destroy the world. “He took a demon as his minion?”
“Several.” Whatever else he would have said was interrupted by an explosion at the front of the house.
Farryl shot upright, his legs unfolding smoothly as he rose. The air around him darkened. “Javiis, watch the daegyn-rok . Gaviin, take your men to secure the rear of the house. The rest are with me.” Farryl
“You don’t seem so tough to me.” The man’s rough voice didn’t seem to fit his handsome appearance. Not that he didn’t look like a badass—he managed that just fine—but his grating voice sounded ruined by some massive damage yet he didn’t seem to have a scar on him. His smooth pale skin covered a passive face.
“Interesting. I wasn’t sure my master was being honest when he swore the gleipnir would hold. And yet, here you are helpless, within my grasp.” Damn, the man had an almost gentle smile. But there was something strange about how his handsome lips moved when he spoke.
“What are you?”
His smile widened, revealing sharp fangs. Several of the other men around him laughed at my question. Those I could see also had fangs, but their sharp tips weren’t nearly as dangerous-looking as those of the man who L. Shannon
93
knelt beside me.
“I’m a blood demon, and this is my coven of vampires.” He reached out and pushed back my hair so I could see him more clearly. “I am called Farryl. Do you have a name?”
“Names have power. Do not give him ours.”
“What do you want?”
“What a lovely question.” He flashed me another fangy smile and settled down with his legs crossed under him. “I want many things, including my freedom, unlimited sex and blood, and my master to be happy.
Because when he is not happy, I and my coven suffer badly.”
So he wasn’t thrilled with his boss. Right now, neither was I. The cynical side of me couldn’t help but wonder if they were one and the same. “What will make your master happy?”
“The end of the world.”
Okay, probably not Weaver playing both sides. I struggled to hold my head up high enough to keep an eye on him. “That doesn’t seem like a good idea for the rest of us though.” Maybe this guy wasn’t all for the plan and could be talked out of this part of it.
“I believe in the here and now. The immediate punishment for failure outweighs my desire to avoid the end if he ever succeeds.” The man, demon or whatever looked entirely too relaxed although his men looked just as serious as before. “So my question for you is simple.
Will you obey my master willingly or will this become unpleasant?”
It was already pretty damn unpleasant. “I won’t willingly destroy the world. And to be honest, I’m not very good at that whole O-word.” 94
Amethyst Bound
“Oh word?”
“Obey. I’m not good at that.”
He laughed. “I like your spirit and I rather agree about the word being unpalatable. Unfortunately, you will be taught the value of succumbing to the master’s demands.
The alternative can be painfully instructional.” Farryl reached under the netting and captured my hand. In a single smooth motion he wrapped a band around my wrist.
It burned but I didn’t bother complaining. Compared to the sizzle from the net, the band was almost unnoticeable.
The demon petted my hand as if to comfort me.
“Relax. This is the easy part.” A scraping sound from the back of my house froze the smile on Farryl’s lips. He motioned two of his men to go check it out.
“Where is your minion?”
I wasn’t about to give up Benjamin to this demon.
“Minion, what’s that?”
Rather than answer with words, Farryl slid his arm from the expensive-looking leather jacket and pulled his shirt far enough aside to show a nipple ring and his shoulder where a green dragon had marked him. “Where is your minion? You do only have one so far, correct?” Oh, my God…another dragon, the green one, was behind the attacks. It was him who wanted to destroy the world. “He took a demon as his minion?”
“Several.” Whatever else he would have said was interrupted by an explosion at the front of the house.
Farryl shot upright, his legs unfolding smoothly as he rose. The air around him darkened. “Javiis, watch the daegyn-rok . Gaviin, take your men to secure the rear of the house. The rest are with me.” Farryl
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