Ruby Shadows

  “Come back to me safe and sound,” she whispered at last. Then she gave me a quick kiss on the cheek and finally released me. Her eyes were bright with unshed tears as she looked from me to Laish. “Take care of her,” she said, in a voice that trembled only a little.

  “I will,” Laish said simply. He took my hand in his and looked into my eyes. The expression on his face was so intense it sent a cool shiver down my spine. I couldn’t help remembering our bargain and wondering if he intended to collect on his debt the minute we landed in Hell. What would he do to me? What—?

  “Fear not, Gwendolyn,” he murmured. “Just take a deep breath. We’ll be there before you know it.”

  I opened my mouth to reply but just then I felt a hot wind rush over me, scouring my entire body from the top of my head to the tips of my toes.

  Then, abruptly, it ended.

  “It’s over now,” Laish said quietly. “You can open your eyes.”

  I hadn’t even been aware of closing my eyes in the first place but when I opened them, I saw we were standing someplace else. Someplace dark and hazy with a red tinge to the black sky.

  Hell.

  Chapter Eight

  Laish

  I watched my little witch with some trepidation, wanting to make sure she took the dematerialization and rematerialization all right. She seemed a bit shaken at first but she adapted quickly, taking a deep breath and moving away from me as soon as she could.

  I frowned. I had hoped that being in such threatening surroundings would bring her closer to me, rather than driving her away. But she was wary of me—I could see the guarded look in her lovely green eyes. Inwardly, I sighed. Clearly I would have to work harder to gain her trust. Which wasn’t going to be easy considering the trip we were about to undertake and the way we were going to have to travel.

  “Wow.” Gwendolyn gave a shaky little laugh and tried to straighten her long black hair, which had been blown about during our trip. “That was some ride.”

  “It is the fastest and most efficient way to travel,” I told her modestly. “It is a pity we cannot simply dematerialize straight to the edge of the Abyss but there are laws governing movement through the circles of Hell which may not be broken, even by me.”

  She sighed. “Of course—there are always laws. Anyway, it’s a lot faster than the way I usually get here.”

  “How do you travel to the Shadow Lands?” I asked. I knew she had been here, on Hell’s front doorstep before, but I had never accompanied her on any of her trips.

  “It’s a long, complicated spell with a lot of expensive ingredients. It’s a real pain in the ass because if you don’t do it just right, it doesn’t work and then you have to start all over again.” She shook her head ruefully. “I tried something like fifty times and spent two months income before I finally got it right the first time.”

  “Fifty trials?” I raised an eyebrow at her. “You must have wanted to get here badly.”

  “I had to,” she said, looking down. “There were…things I needed here that I couldn’t get anywhere else.”

  “Things to work the revenge spell you’ve been trying to gather ingredients for?” I asked.

  I confess I wanted to know more about that particular spell—specifically, who Gwendolyn wanted revenge on badly enough to risk her immortal soul in order to get it. What had they done to her to raise the little witch’s ire…or a better question might be what would I do to them when I found out? I felt a possessive growl rise in my throat and swallowed it with some difficulty. Why did she affect me so? I had no answer.

  “Well?” I said, when she didn’t reply.

  “That’s none of your business,” she snapped.

  “Oh, I think it is.” I went to her, crushing the plentiful demon’s breath plants that grew in the arid soil under my feet and releasing their sickly sweet, rotten-ripe smell. “Let us have an understanding right here and now, Gwendolyn,” I said.

  “What?” She wouldn’t look at me so I lifted her chin, gently but firmly, and looked into her eyes. “What?” She repeated, meeting my gaze at last. The look on her lovely face was half defiant, half fearful.

  “You and I will be traveling together through difficult and dangerous terrain,” I told her, still holding her eyes with mine. “You will forgo your usual defiance and treat me with courtesy—the same courtesy I will show to you.”

  “You mean the courtesy you showed me when you told me I would have to…have to ‘yield’ to you while we were here?” she demanded.

  I sighed. “So that is the crux of the matter. Of course—I should have known.”

  “Yes, you freaking well should have.” She crossed her arms protectively over her breasts and I couldn’t help noticing that there were two spots of color high on her cheeks. “If you know anything about witches you know I can’t really ‘yield’ to you. At least, not all the way. If I do…”

  “Your power will be halved. Yes, I know,” I told her gently. “But I am not asking you to give yourself to me simply for my own gratification, mon ange. It is a necessary sacrifice if you wish to travel through the Infernal Realm.”

  She shook her head. “How can it possibly be necessary for me to have sex with you just to travel through Hell? I don’t understand.”

  “No,” I said, cupping her cheek—which felt hot in my palm. “But you will.”

  Her cheeks got even darker and her breathing seemed to quicken. She pulled away from me. “Don’t do that. Don’t touch me.”

  “You must get used to my touch,” I told her grimly. “Before this trip is over you will feel my hands over every inch of your flesh.” I knew she wouldn’t like that part and sure enough, she opened that lush little mouth of hers to complain. I raised one finger, cutting her off. “Again, it will be a necessary sacrifice,” I told her. “As will the fact that while we are here, you will be traveling as my concubine.”

  “Your what?” She shook her head. “Oh, no—I don’t think so. What the hell are you talking about, anyway?”

  I was rapidly losing my patience. “What we are talking about is the fact that I am smuggling you—a living corporeal being with an intact and non-damned soul—into Hell,” I told her. “The only way anyone will believe I am doing this without suspicion is if you travel as someone of consequence to me—specifically, my concubine.”

  “Look, Laish, I don’t care what kind of bargain we made—I am not going to be your sex slave the whole time we’re here.”

  Her eyes were wide and angry which didn’t surprise me. I had known she wouldn’t like this little detail—which is why I had purposefully left it out before.

  “You will be my concubine in name only,” I said. “But you will agree to this ruse or I will not take you a step further.”

  “I…you…this is blackmail!” she burst out, obviously furious.

  “Call it what you like,” I told her evenly. “But from the time we pass the Great Barrier until we reach the final circle of Hell—the Abyss—you will belong to me and obey my orders. And you will start by wearing this.”

  I reached into the air and pulled out the outfit I had chosen for her. I didn’t intend to argue with her anymore. I enjoyed her sharp wit and her stubborn nature but in this, I would not be refused.

  “Put it on,” I said, pressing the garment forcefully into her arms. “And let’s hear no more about it.”

  * * * * *

  Gwendolyn

  I stared at the clingy red gown he’d shoved into my hands with shock and incomprehension. The fabric was incredibly thin and filmy and it had spaghetti straps, meaning I couldn’t wear a bra under it. It was going to show damn near everything.

  “You’re joking,” I said, looking up at Laish, who was scowling down at me. “You can’t expect me to wear this thing. I might as well prance into Hell naked.”

  “I assure you, Gwendolyn, that can be arranged.” His deep voice was steely and I could see he wasn’t going to take no for an answer. Not that it stopped me from trying.

/>   “I’m not wearing this,” I said, trying to shove it back at him. “No way in Hell—literally.”

  “Then there is no way in Hell that you are getting past the Great Barrier.” He nodded to the burning stone wall which encircled the realm of the damned. It rose hundreds of feet into the sky but it was still dwarfed by the gates. Glowing gold and red, their enormous wrought iron wings towered like a monolith over the Shadow Lands.

  I put a hand on my hip. “What—you won’t take me in if I don’t meet your personal dress code?”

  He frowned. “No, I refuse to take you in and risk someone knowing who and what you are because you are dressed like a second rate tourist.”

  “There’s nothing wrong with my clothes,” I said defensively.

  “No, if you are going on a tour of the Vatican or the Great Pyramid of Giza or some other Earthly landmark,” he snapped. “Here they single you out as an easy mark.”

  I could feel my resolve wavering but I tried not to show it. “What—people don’t wear jeans in Hell?” I asked.

  Laish gave my comfortable jeans a scathing look. “They do not. Those ridiculous trousers mark you for what you are—a living human in the lands of the dead and damned.”

  “Is that really so dangerous?” I asked.

  “In a word—yes.” Laish gave a short, sharp nod. “Even dressed in the clothing I have provided, you will be at considerable risk, Gwendolyn. Though I myself have no interest in your soul, there are many who think otherwise. Demons with quotas to fulfill who will be skinned or maimed by their superiors if they fail. Soul scalpers who make a living selling the unwary to the unprincipled. And simple thieves who steal whatever is unattended. Remember, Hell is the realm of sin and corruption. You cannot trust anyone here.”

  “What about you?” I asked, my voice cracking a little as I remembered my earlier fears that he would take what he wanted and then abandon me. “Can I trust you while we’re here? Can I really, Laish?”

  “Did you not hear the pledge I gave to your grandmother?” he demanded.

  “I know what you told Grams but I thought…” I shook my head. “You were just saying that to make her feel better, right? I mean, you don’t really care about me, any more than I care about you. We’re just sort of working together to get this done. Right?”

  “Just working together…” Laish mused in a low voice. “Is that how you see it?”

  “Well, it’s better than thinking that I’m prostituting myself to you in order to get through Hell and shut that damn door,” I snapped, my nerves worked to the breaking point.

  “I suppose so.” Laish sighed and gave me a long look. Then he stepped forward and cupped my cheek again, looking down into my eyes. I wanted to pull away from his gentle touch, which sent shivers all through me, but something stopped me. “Yes, Gwendolyn,” he murmured. “You can trust me. And if an oath is necessary to satisfy, I swear it—not on my soul, as I have none—but on yours. I will not leave you or forsake you. I will protect you with my life—but in order to do that, I need for you to trust me.”

  “I…I’ll try,” I said in a small voice. Damn it, why did he always make me feel so unsure of myself? And why did his hand on my skin make my stomach flutter and my heart race? It was ridiculous but I couldn’t stop my body’s reaction to him any more than I could stop breathing.

  “Good,” Laish murmured. Leaning down, he brushed a gentle, chaste kiss to my lips. It was so soft, I barely felt it but the warm press of his mouth to mine reminded me of the other, much more passionate kiss we had shared before when I had “paid” him for the demon’s breath I’d needed for a spell. Part of me wanted to kiss him back—and part of me was scared to death. I held perfectly still, frozen with indecision until he straightened up. “Trust me,” he murmured. “And put on the dress.”

  “All right,” I whispered back. “But at least turn around so I can have some privacy.”

  “Privacy will soon become a thing of the past but I will be happy to cede you one last moment to yourself.” Turning, he presented his broad back to me. “Go on, get dressed. And hurry, there will be a changing of the guards soon at the Great Barrier. I would like to take advantage of it to slip in unnoticed.”

  “Can’t believe I’m doing this,” I muttered to myself. But all the same, I went ahead, shedding my jeans and t-shirt (and bra, which I hated to lose) and shimmying into the thin red dress instead.

  It occurred to me, as I changed, that once we reached Hell, it had taken Laish exactly ten minutes to get me out of my clothes. The thought made me irritated with myself and I was even more annoyed when I remembered the way his soft kiss had made me practically melt. What was wrong with me, anyway? I was a strong, independent witch. I should be immune to his mind games.

  But apparently I wasn’t because here I was, on Hell’s front doorstep, wearing nothing but my lacy black bikini panties and a thin red night-gown looking dress which showed plenty of cleavage and outlined both my nipples clearly. It was also a lot tighter around the hips and behind than I liked—not that I was surprised—Laish had clearly meant for it to fit me like a glove. At least my chosen footwear—the little black ballet flats—didn’t look too bad with it.

  “Are you ready?” Laish rumbled.

  “As I’ll ever be,” I grumbled. “You can turn around now.”

  He turned and looked at me, those ruby red eyes traveling over what felt like every inch of my body.

  “Well?” I shifted uncomfortably. “Are we going to go?”

  “In a moment. I want to admire the view.” He stepped toward me. “I knew that color would look lovely against your skin. I love the tone, you know—so warm and creamy. Like café au lait.”

  I lifted my chin, trying not to let his nearness affect me. “Thank you but can we go now?”

  “Not yet.” He let one finger drift over the thin silk strap on my right shoulder. I stiffened, wondering if he would demand part of his “payment” now. But he didn’t touch my breast—only my shoulder. “The contrast is perfect,” he murmured.

  “Well, red has always been my color.” I had to work to keep my voice even.

  “I’m not speaking of the red dress against your skin—I’m talking about my skin contrasted with yours.” He nodded at his big, well-shaped hand, which looked pale against my own warm brown tones. “Light and dark,” he murmured. “Beautiful.”

  “I guess so.” I made myself step away from his light touch though part of me really wanted to step into it. “Now are we going or not? I thought there was a changing of the guard or something like that.”

  He sighed. “Will you always be this standoffish with me, mon ange?” He shook his head before I could answer “Never mind. Yes, this is the time to enter, hopefully unnoticed. Follow me and say nothing.”

  “Fine. I’ll walk five paces behind you and I won’t say a word when you tell people I’m your freaking concubine,” I muttered, feeling a surge of irritation which almost eclipsed the other, turbulent emotions he brought out in me.

  Laish frowned. “Kindly remember that this ruse is for your safety and try not to sulk about it, Gwendolyn. We must be as unnoticed as possible in this journey. Do not forget that the Hellspawn is also on your trail, seeking to devour your soul.”

  My throat went suddenly dry. “But…you banished it back to the pit.”

  “I did but as I said before, it will find its way back to you by any means necessary. Let’s not give it any help. Now, are you ready?”

  “More than ready,” I assured him, but my heart was suddenly beating double time. Was I really going to do this? Was I really going to walk straight into Hell?

  “Good. Then let’s go,” Laish said.

  Apparently I was.

  Chapter Nine

  Gwendolyn

  Laish led me toward the massive gates, which towered higher than any skyscraper on Earth. The wrought iron panels had strange, disturbing shapes worked into them —monstrous beasts and demonic faces which seemed to shift and change if I s
tared at them too closely. I tried not to but I still saw them out of the corner of my eye as we approached.

  Though we were keeping in the shadows, I couldn’t help feeling nervous as we got closer. In my other trips to the Shadow Lands, I had been careful to stay far from the gates. I didn’t even like approaching the wall which encircled Hell but at least it wasn’t crawling with demons.

  Speaking of demons, I felt my breath catch in my throat as I saw who—or what—was guarding those gates.

  Two gigantic demons, each of them at least ten feet tall, stood watch beside the enormous gates. What struck me most about them—aside from their size—was that they looked nothing like Laish. In fact, from the twisting black horns protruding from their foreheads right down to their cloven hooves, their appearance was what every child is taught the Devil looks like. They even had red skin and were armed with giant pitchforks. It would have been almost cartoonish if it wasn’t so grotesque. As we watched, one of the demons opened his mouth to yawn, revealing a foot long, forked tongue, just like a snake’s.

  “Ugh,” I muttered, involuntarily. “Why do they look like that?”

  “They look like what you imagine them to look like, Gwendolyn,” Laish murmured back. “This is what you were taught to expect and so this is what you see. Believe me, their true appearance is much more terrible—it would drive your human mind mad.”

  “But you don’t look anything like that,” I protested. “Uh, do you?”

  He threw an amused glance over his shoulder. “Do you want to find out? Should I show you my true form?”

  “No, don’t!” I exclaimed, before I thought about it.

  Laish’s face went blank but he only nodded. “A pity. I thought you had more courage than that.”

  “I just…I like the way you look now,” I said. In fact, I liked it a lot more than I wanted to. But was the Laish I liked just a mirage? Maybe I should let him show me his true form. It might rid me of the ridiculous feelings I kept having every time he touched me.