Blood Price

looked directly at her, its expression gloating and openly triumphant.

    When she died, it won.

    The hell it wins. She grabbed onto what life she had left and shook it, hard. I am not going to die. I am not going to die!

    "I am . . . not . . . going to die. . . ."

    "That's what I said." Celluci didn't bother to smile. Neither of them would have believed it.
    "Listen."

    Through the glassless window, up from the street, she could hear sirens growing closer.

    "Cavalry?" she asked.

    He nodded. "I called in an officer down when I reached the building-the place felt like it was under siege. There'll be an ambulance with them. I don't care how much blood you've lost, they can replace it."

    "Concussed, too. . . ."

    "Your head's hard enough to take it. You're not going to die." He half turned to face the Demon Lord, throwing his conviction over his shoulder at it.

    It smiled unpleasantly. "All mortals die in time. I will, of course, try to make it sooner than later."

    "Over my dead body," Celluci snarled.

    "No need." Henry shook his head. "It can't kill her or it would have the moment it left the pentagram. Her death is tied to the invocation and it can't affect the invocation. All it can do is wait.

    "If you stay," he told it, moving closer, "you'll be fighting every moment. We can't destroy you, but without all your power you'll have no easy time of it."

    The Demon Lord watched him move, eyes narrowed.

    No, Vicki realized, it isn't watching him, it's watching the grimoire.

    "So what do you suggest?" it scoffed. "That I surrender? Time is all I need, and time I have in abundance."

    Vicki pushed at Celluci's arm, moving him out of his protective position. "A deal. . . . You want . . . the grimoire." If only her tongue wasn't so damned thick. "Go. . . . Break the invocation . . . it's yours."

    "In time, I will take the grimoire. You have no idea of how to truly use the knowledge it contains." It made no effort to hide its desire as it stared at the book of demonic lore. "There is nothing in your deal for me."

    "Power freely given has more strength than that taken by force." Coreen went deep red as the two men and the Demon Lord turned to stare at her. "Well, it does. Everyone knows it."

    "And power freely given is not a power often seen where you come from" Henry added, nodding slowly. The girl had brought up an important point. "It could be the makings of a major coup."

    "The name . . . written on the . . . city." The demonkind had proven they were not without ambition.

    "Upstart, grasping." The Demon Lord ground out a number of other words in a language that sound like a cat fight and its aspect began to slip again.

    "Why wait for this world when you can have another now?" Henry prodded. "You want the grimoire. With it you can control others of your kind. Defeat your enemies. . . ."

    "Yessss."

    "We give it freely if in exchange you break the invocation and return where you came from.
    He who called you is no more. Nothing holds you here. Why wait when you can rule?"

    With an effort the Demon Lord maintained its shape.

    holding out hands that were no longer quite hands. "Give it to me. I will make your bargain."

    "Swear it on your name."

    "I ssso sssswear."

    "And that you'll never use the book against humankind," Coreen added in a rush, before Henry could move.

    "It holdsss knowledge only to be usssed againssst demonkind."

    Her lower lip went out. "Swear it anyway. On your name."

    "I ssswear. I ssswear."

    Henry took a step forward and placed the book on what remained of the Demon Lord's hands. Grimoire and Demon Lord disappeared.

    Vicki stared to giggle.

    Celluci looked down at her and frowned. "What?" he snapped.

    "I was just . . . wondering . . . what you're going to . . . put in . . . your report."

    * * *
    "I saw Henry." Tony finished off the last of the gelatin and put the bowl back on the tray.
    "He came and told me what happened. Said I had a right to know. He's pretty cool. I think he was checking me out."

    "Probably," Vicki agreed. "You know a dangerous amount about him."

    Tony shrugged. "I'm no threat. Don't matter to me what time a guy gets up."

    "Doesn't matter."

    He grinned. "That's what I said."

    The nurse's shoes squeaked softly against the floor as she came into the room. "Visiting hours are over. You can come again tomorrow."

    Tony glanced from the nurse to Vicki and heaved himself to his feet. He paused in the doorway and looked back. "Save me the gelatin."

    Vicki