Elven Blood (Imp Book 3) (31 page)

The hellhound cocked his head to the side and looked over the edge. Grabbing the steel cable I’d brought in one of his jaws, he jumped down, landing with his feet carefully poised on the dirt ledge he’d made surrounding the casket. Boomer weighed nearly three hundred pounds in his hellhound form. I appreciated his care, especially since I didn’t know how sturdy the lid was after nearly twenty years in the ground.

He dug down to free a handle, looped the cable around it before leaping back to the surface. Grabbing the ends with both jaws, he pulled slowly and steadily, stirring the casket from the embrace of packed dirt. Slowly he edged backward, easing it out an inch at a time, but over the years, the ground had a tight hold on its prize, and, after a bare inch of movement, the pretty brass handle snapped off and flew through the air.

The devastated expression on Boomer’s face was priceless. I almost laughed.

“It’s okay, boy. Let’s dig it loose a bit more, and try with the other handle.”

He did just that, leaping back in and sending dirt flying with renewed enthusiasm. In no time at all, he was easing a much–loosened casket up and out of the grave. I brushed the dirt from the cream and gold, faux–marble lid and instructed Boomer to cut the top off. A few quick slices of fang, and the lid slid to the side, revealing pink satin.

The coffin was a vault casket, so it was solid with a tight seal. Normally decomposition would have mottled and stained the pink ruffled lining, but this was pristine. The tiny baby, nestled peacefully inside, looked as fresh as the day her grieving parents had laid her to rest. That alone clued me in to the baby’s ancestry. Elf babies were magically preserved, held in stasis from the moment they died. An exchange might take place within days, or within years of a death. The elf baby needed to appear absolutely fresh at the time of the swap, and years in the ground had done nothing to diminish the power of Elven preservation techniques. Such a tiny little thing, with wisps of golden hair and a pale pink bow of a mouth, her ears an illusion to pass as human. I reached out with my energy, to scan her, and confirm what I already knew.

I couldn’t bear to separate her head from her body; she was just too perfect. Gently lifting her from the satin enclosure, I wrapped her in a blanket, setting the little form inside a duffle bag. A twinge of guilt went through me, but I reminded myself this baby had died long ago and there was a young woman, very much alive, that necessitated my disturbing the rest of the dead.

I put the casket back together as best I could, then Boomer helped me lower it into the grave and return the dirt. After replacing the sod and marker, the grave looked much as we’d found it. With any luck, the site would have few visitors and the property maintenance people wouldn’t be around until spring for mowing.

Slinging the duffle bag gently over one shoulder and the steel cable over the other, Boomer and I climbed over the high cemetery fence and mad our way to the Suburban.

26

L
eethu twirled a lock of her silky black hair, her face a study in concentration.

“It’s still not quite right,” she mused, half to herself. Dar was upstairs “recovering” from an entertaining evening with the succubus. It was just as well. He’d be a serious distraction at this point. Especially all hopped up on hormones.

“How did you form the original child?” Perhaps if she remembered, she could duplicate her efforts here, on this corpse.

“Oh, that was a work of art,” she said proudly. “I manipulated the elf portion so it was the majority of the formation. Just enough of me to provide defensive ability and the conversion skills to fix wounds and illness. I wanted her to appear to be a full elf, but be able to turn on the power if she were in danger.”

Clever and thoughtful. I had no desire whatsoever to form an offspring, hybrid or otherwise, but I could appreciate the great care and skill that Leethu had put into her elf hybrid.

The succubus shot me a sly look under long, black lashes. “You’ve seen her, Ni–ni. Isn’t she perfect? She looks like a full elf, like a clone of her mother. Didn’t I do well?”

I felt cold. “Of course I haven’t seen her,” I lied. “If I had, do you think we’d be wasting time trying to cram demon energy into this thing?”

Leethu resumed her work, a little smirk on one corner of her sensuous mouth. “I have no wish to find my elf hybrid girl, Ni–ni. It would only prove my involvement in her creation. I hope she remains safely hidden away, out of the hands of those who might turn her, or her body, over to the elves. That way I can deny my part in this. It could have been any Incubus. Clearly the elf woman was mistaken in her accusation of me.” Yes, Leethu was far more intelligent than any demon gave her credit for.

“Here,” she said, nodding at her hands.

I reached over and sent my energy down in beside her to the spot she indicated, then burned a small trail along the cells, leaving traces of energy behind. We were purposely using raw energy instead of personal energy. It left a stronger marker and didn’t readily identify a particular demon. If this passed their scrutiny, neither of us wanted the baby’s parentage obviously linked to Leethu, or me, through our energy markers. Best to keep things vague and let them assume it had all dulled over time, that the Elven stasis had been compromised because of the demon genetic signature.

She pulled back and looked down at her work, disgusted. “This has got to be the stupidest thing I’ve ever done. We’d be better off using papier–mâché and wire hangers.”

“A piñata hybrid?” I asked, always happy to find humor in the darkest of times. “Fill her with candy and cheap plastic toys?”

Leethu tittered, her laughter like wind chimes in the breeze. “Or a bottle of wine. Those elves love their wine. Maybe they’ll get all drunk and forget how shitty this fake baby is.”

I joined in. “Maybe if
we
drink the wine, the baby would be less shitty.”

Dar came down to us bent over in a fit of giggles around the body laid out on my dining room table.

“Is that dinner?” he asked.

“Boomer hopes so.” I couldn’t help it. I’d probably be dead within twenty–four hours. Gallows humor was all I had left.

Dar looked over the beautiful elf child. “This would be crudités to Boomer. Better get a bigger corpse.”

I wiped the tears from my eyes. “Can you do anything with it?” I asked, gesturing to the body. “It’s shitty and Leethu and I are out of ideas.”

He shooed Leethu out of the way and sent his energy into the baby. After a few disgusted noises, he glared up at me. “Seriously? Are you fucking kidding me?”

I wrinkled my nose. “I told you it was shitty.”

He grumbled. “… Better off using papier–mâché and some wire hangers.”

“That’s what I said,” Leethu laughed.

Dar glared up at me again. “Come take this out. Over here. Now. Come take this shit out and start over.”

Fuck, he sounded like one of the teachers back when we were kids. I scurried over, just like I would have in school, and obediently removed the energy I’d placed in the baby.

“Leethu, yours is almost as bad. Get over here and take it out.”

The succubus complied, rubbing her hip against Dar as she worked. Dar viewed her with interest.

“Oh no, you turn it off right now,” I scolded Leethu. “We’ve got work to do here. You both can fuck all you want while I’m in Hel meeting my end at Haagenti’s hands.”

Dar looked guilty. He should. It was him that got me into this mess with Haagenti in the first place.

Leethu stepped back and Dar once again checked the baby before pulling away and standing, resolute, with his hands on his hips.

“Hybrids aren’t like whole demons. It’s not just the formation, it’s the path the demon portion takes once they mature. Yes, their formation has some impact on how much demon they have and what their skills are, but where it resides is remarkably similar from one to the other.”

“So now you’re the expert on hybrids?” Sarcasm dripped from my every word. Dar was famous for going off on a convincing academic rant on subjects he knew absolutely nothing about. Many fools had died following his impressive–sounding advice. I wasn’t about to be one of those fools.

Dar looked a bit embarrassed. “Well. I, uh … I have made some hybrids, for sale, and they brought a very good price.”

The elf hybrid that Leethu had created was an anomaly. A forbidden, get–a–demon–killed kind of anomaly. Most hybrids were either human crosses, just for fun, or animals. Fucking animals wasn’t exactly something a demon wanted to put on their resume. Creating offspring with them was almost as bad. Still, there was a good market for hybrids, and a demon that didn’t mind the rather embarrassing reputation could make some serious cash. I wasn’t aware of Dar having that reputation though. So either he was lying or he’d been paying another demon to take the heat for siring his various animals.

“So, let’s hear some names here,” I scoffed. “What hybrids have you bred and who owns them?”

Dar squirmed. “What, are you going to check references? Do we really have time for that?”

“You’re lying. You sack of shit.”

Leethu was watching this back and forth like a spectator at a tennis match. “That goblin hybrid of Macariel’s is Dar’s. Andros supposedly sired it, but I could tell.”

Dar gurgled something unintelligible.

“A goblin? You fucked a
goblin?
” Oh, this was far worse than an animal. This was serious blackmail material. I wondered how he’d gotten Andros to take the rap for that one? Of course, I’d give just about anything to have a goblin hybrid. That would be epic.

“No. No.” Dar gurgled something else. It was an entertaining noise. This was turning into the highlight of my day.

“Yes. Yes.” Leethu fixed him with a forbidding eye. “Do you think I can’t tell my own brother’s creation? Then there was the troll hybrid last century.”

Dar choked and I squealed in delight. A troll? Dar? And a troll? I would have paid good money to see that. How does one even fuck a troll? Their skin is like a sheet of granite. He’d break his dick off in that thing.

“We will never speak of this,” Dar pleaded. “I’ll help you with this baby, but we will never mention this again—among ourselves, or with anyone else. Agreed?”

“Agreed,” I lied. This was way too juicy to keep to myself, and Dar knew it.

Leethu patted Dar on the arm then announced she was going to get us all beers before high–tailing it into the kitchen. Dar shifted his weight from foot to foot, staring down at the elf on the table.

“Does this mean you won’t be accepting my breeding petition?” he asked, his voice deceptively casual.

“I don’t know,” I teased. “I figured you’d withdraw it. I don’t think I can compete with goblins and trolls. That’s pretty exotic.”

He looked up, a rather silly smirk on his face. “Mal, fucking you is far more exciting and dangerous than anything I’ve done to date. And having you sire an offspring I form is pretty high on my wish list.”

That was probably the nicest thing anyone had ever said to me. “I like fucking you too, Dar. And if I ever decide to breed, I’ll definitely give you due consideration.”

“Bitch,” he said affectionately. “I’ll use my energy to alter this elf body for you. Just so you can see how awesome I really am.”

“Are you sure?” I asked, taking a swig of the beer Leethu handed to me. “What happens if the elves identify your energy signature? They might think you sired the hybrid and come after you.”

Dar snorted. “They’d never believe it. Besides I’m not afraid of the elves; you’re the only being alive I truly fear.”

“And well you should.” I walked near him to watch over his shoulder. I really was very fond of Dar. Fond enough to die protecting him.

“See? Here, just under the solar plexus. Then here at the lower part of the brain.”

“One at the crown?” Leethu asked, also leaning over a shoulder.

“No, leave that for the base form. As well as the tip of the frontal lobe, and heart areas. If the sire resides there, the hybrid is unstable.”

Dar moved his energy down the body. “A small amount here, just under the left ribcage next to the stomach, then a large amount just inside the tailbone. Let the tailbone serve as a cradle, as a seat for the demon energy. If there is a tailbone, that is. If not, well, you just have to make due.”

I was impressed. “Do you do all this when you form?” I asked.

“No, the formation follows the standard procedure, the same as if you were doing a demon formation. With hybrids though, you need to consider whether the end result needs to pass as the maternal animal.”

Leethu nodded. “I created the elf hybrid to seem to be one hundred percent elf.”

“And that’s the way most hybrids are formed,” Dar confirmed. “Usually you want them to be discrete, to fit in visually and behaviorally with their non–demon family.”

“Behaviorally is not really achievable,” I commented, thinking of Boomer and Diablo.

“Yeah. And sometimes you really want more demon, just to create interest or added power.” Dar finished and sat back, a satisfied look on his face.

I checked and discovered a newfound respect for Dar. He may fuck goblins and trolls, but he was damned cool in my book. Leethu must have been thinking the same thing. Her gaze roamed down Dar’s form in admiration.

“Nice job. Wanna sixty–nine?”

Okay, maybe she wasn’t thinking the same thing I was. Dar was definitely up for that proposal, and he followed Leethu up the stairs with a spring in his step, leaving me alone with the corpse.

“Come on, Sweetie,” I told her as I wrapped her in a towel and put her back in the duffle bag. “Your journey is almost over.”

It was done. Reluctant to rush things, I walked around my house, committing it to memory. The fireplace, the huge sectional couches that had seen lovemaking, naps, and late–night movies complete with popcorn. The enormous French doors leading out to my patio and pool. Ah, my beloved pool! I remembered summers when I sunned on a deckchair, hoping desperately to attract Wyatt’s interest while he trimmed the grass. Boomer’s face peered in at me, and I looked past him to the stables—the stables with Vegas and Piper. All the beautiful horseback rides with Wyatt by my side. I wandered around front where my Corvette was parked in the driveway. The Corvette that Wyatt was always pestering me to drive.