Bone Gods

would say that what she was doing was an obscenity. That it would probably kill her, and even if it didn’t, that it would rip her soul away from her surely as wind snuffed a candle flame. “But you’re not here,” Pete murmured as she chalked a final word in front of her toes. “Are you?”
    Jack had brought her here. Because she’d believed his lies, and she’d let herself think that he was the man who could save the world, if it came to that. She’d followed him too far down the rabbit hole, and now there was no way back, only through. The choices were down to one—fight or lie down and die. And Pete had known since long before she clapped eyes on Jack Winter that she wasn’t the dying type.
    She had to close the circle, imbue it with her will, and Pete pressed her thumbs into her forehead, trying to massage the twinge that rose when she reached down into herself and tried to push a little bit of talent into the chalk markings. Jack’s magic looked like blue fire, so Pete clung to that image, seeing faint blue flame rising from the twin ring of chalk marks. Her headache worsened, and she felt something warm and wet trickle from her nostrils. A hum built in her back teeth, vibrating all through her skeleton, and Pete recognized it as the same impulse that had rushed through her when she’d flung the hexes, simply sustained. It hurt like sticking her fingers into a socket, and she dug her nails into her palm to take her mind off it. There was an incantation for these sorts of things, dozens of them, in as many languages, but Pete didn’t know any by rote, so she used the name.
    “Belial.”
    Nothing happened, except an increase in her headache, verging from uncomfortable into the territory of concussions and blackout hangovers.
    Pete swallowed, her mouth dry as a wad of cotton, and tried again. “Belial. Prince of the demons of Hell. Pete Caldecott wants to talk to Belial.”
    The air shimmered before her, yawning into a black vortex, and Pete heard screaming and smelled the faint scent of fires, the sort of dirty smoke roiled by burning corpses.
    “Belial?” Pete said, the power gathering behind her eyes making her skull throb. There was a time when the sight would have terrified her, but now she just sighed. “Come on, Belial, quit fucking about.”
    The theatrics ceased, and in their place stood a small man in a black suit and white shirt, immaculate tie pressed and done with a ruby stickpin. Belial smoothed his greasy hair out of his pure black eyes and grinned at her with shark’s teeth. “Well, hello there, Pete. You wanted to see me?”

CHAPTER 33
    Pete stood up. Belial wasn’t tall, in the body he chose to wear like a flash little overcoat, and she could nearly look him in the eye. “Suppose I did.”
    Belial’s tongue flicked out and wriggled, tasting the air. “Never thought I’d see the day, but awfully glad that I did.”
    Pete shot a glance at the circle. It was solid, but she started when she saw Ollie slumped unconscious against the wall. “What did you do to him?”
    Belial shrugged. “You wanted to talk. Figured we should do it without that fat gobshite eavesdropping.”
    “You’re a bloody bastard, you know?” Pete said.
    His pointed teeth glowed in the guttering candlelight. “I am a demon, luv.”
    “I haven’t forgotten,” Pete assured him. Belial took a step toward her, and Pete took one back before she could stop herself. She stopped her foot before it rubbed out the chalk line. The demon laughed, sending cold dead fingers up and down her spine.
    “So close and yet so far away. Jack’s taught you a thing or two, hasn’t he? Clever girl.”
    “You’re going to have to at least work a little if you want out,” Pete said. “It’s not fancy, but it’ll hold.”
    Belial shimmered, and when Pete blinked he was in front of her. He grabbed the back of her neck and drew them close enough to kiss. “You haven’t got the stones to hold me, Petunia. I’m not a trained dog. I’m here because you interest me.” He released her just as abruptly then fixed his tie. “Now why don’t you smooth out that frown and tell me what you want, before I get bored and take myself off to the cinema?”
    “If I’m so horrible at this, then why are you standing here?” Pete waved a hand. “There’s the door. Go fly away, and open it for me while you’re at it.”
    Belial chuckled again. “You may not have the finesse yet, but you’ve got bigger balls than Winter. He