Underbelly (62 page)

Grey continued, trying to push Clemence closer to the edge. “She was the one who introduced you to the occult, Clemence. She led you down this path and manoeuvred it so that you suffered the worse punishment. She retained her looks and you were practically smote even though you were just her stooge.”

“
He doesn’t know anything, Clemence.”

“
There’s a permanent convention going on in my head, of course I know plenty,” Grey said assertively. “You’ve lived like this for nearly a millennium – if you don’t take this opportunity it’ll never present itself again. The things you’ve done – I suppose I can understand, you must have thought that you were so hideous without that you might as well become monstrous within. It doesn’t excuse your reprehensible actions, actions that any culture or religion would view as atrocities. I’m offering you a rebirth and that means a clean slate, whether you deserve that or not. I’d extend that offer to Adelaide too, but I know she’ll say no. She’s beautiful, she has the power to do good, though she chooses to do evil, and she has a thrall who does her bidding. Why should she want things to change? You’re a monster, an abomination of a genie with powers that can only harm and with nothing to call your own. Why would you refuse my offer? You have to at least consider it. Of course I’m saying this to save my life but it is in your best interests to accept my offer.”

“
We’ve been promised things before, Grey. You humans will say anything to try and stop the suffering,” Adelaide said.

“
The difference is I can do what I say,” Grey said.

“
Cut him,” Adelaide commanded authoritatively, Clemence reluctantly obeying her order but restraining herself from causing major damage, peeling off more of his epidermis rather than digging deeper in the wound she’d already created.

Grey felt dizzy from the blood loss and said, “Make your choice wisely,” before he passed out.

“
He’s shamming. Cut him some more,” Adelaide said as she gazed at Grey who remained motionless. She knew he was not dead and she hoped that his spirit was still housed in his body, as she wanted to make Grey suffer for all that he had said.

“
Cut nuff people know not there,” Clemence snorted, irate with her sister for making her start to cut him whilst she was still contemplating his offer. She had been an animal for so long that the thought of becoming a human again scared her; the thought of rough hands that scarred becoming tender hands that stroked and caressed, of a volcanic red, rough body becoming soft pink skin. To have a real head of hair again instead of black straggly moist scraps, a real woman’s body – it terrified her, but it appealed tremendously too and her sister had taken that opportunity away. Killing was fun, but it was not living and that was what he offered, the chance to have a real, full and varied life.

“
He is there. Even if his spirit is not there he will return and let’s give him some injuries that he’ll know about when he dares come back.” Adelaide was convinced that they were damned for all eternity and made the best of it and wanted her sister to strike with her usual enthusiasm.

“
Want pretty. Human.”

“
Look, even if he can do things with human spirits, it’s different with us. Don’t get carried away with his ideas because if there was a way to make you beautiful I would have done it centuries ago. I think you should work on his liver.”

“
Don’t care.”

“
You love this. Take out his liver and then I’ll fix him straight away. You’ll feel better once you’ve inflicted some pain. Go on, Clemence, go on.”

“
Don’t care,” she repeated angrily.

“
Inflict some pain. Release your anger on him.”

Clemence sat down, making no move on Grey, disinterested in hurting him further. It was probably already too late to accept his offer, but she would do no more in the hope that he might return.

“
Don’t just sit there. Until you hurt him I have nothing to do. Those injuries are so minor I won’t waste my time patching them up,” Adelaide said irately.

“
Fix stomach.”

“
I will not! Pull out his liver and then I’ll fix him entirely.”

“
Fix stomach now!”

“
Clemence, don’t tell me what to do. We should make an example of this one. He’s lied to you, promised you things you can’t ever have. He’s hurt you – hurt him back. Show him what you think of liars.”

“
True medium.”

“
Yes, he is, but he can’t help you.”

“
Want try.”

“
Clemence, just do as I tell you. What do you understand of this – you can’t even speak properly,” Adelaide said tiredly.

“
Not without my jaw falling down, no,” Clemence said aggressively, her jaw falling several inches on the right side as she said this. It was agony but she was so incensed that she didn’t care about the pain. “I’m taking him up on the offer.”

“
Our eternal life is dependent on the other.”

“
You might have eternal life – I have eternal death. The only time I’m not in pain is when I inflict it on others – and yes, I fucking love torturing them, but I know that’s not normal and if he can make me human I know I can do without it.”

“
It’s impossible. Let’s just kill him now and we’ll make her add his wife to the list. You’d like that, wouldn’t you?” Adelaide said with a smile, trying to talk her round (normally she found the creature that had been her sister utterly pliable and she disliked this change).

“
Leave her be. Fix him.”

“
He called you horrible names. Punish him. Maybe we can find another medium and we’ll get him to fix you, not Grey.”

“
Not waiting. Him do it.”

“
This is what he wants, don’t you see that? You’re playing into his hands.”

“
I don’t care because it’s what I want,” she spat out and she winced and said, “Such agony to talk so you’d better listen because I am tired of…ow…repeating this. Fix him now or I’ll fucking break you.”

“
Oh really?” Adelaide said, getting in her face, responding to the threat by confronting her, intending to put her in her place. “You have me to thank that you are still alive now. Without me…”

Clemence responded to her words by reaching for her throat, slashing her jugular. Adelaide staggered back, putting both hands to her throat and sealing the wound, which quickly faded. “You can’t kill me, you ignoramus. Now kill him before I get mad.”

Clemence raised herself to the roof of their tomb and sprung at Adelaide, Grey’s waking image. Adelaide’s death was very, very slow, as she kept fixing the wounds that Clemence inflicted, forcing her to be quicker in striking her. They rolled around and Grey had to move quickly to avoid getting struck accidentally, which grew harder as the light that emanated from Adelaide’s body faded, which Grey thought was a blessing when she finally died, aware of how disfigured her body would be from the numerous blows she suffered.

“
Killed her. Bring me back,” Clemence said, reaching upwards and damaging the soil above her, making it disintegrate at her touch, trying to forge an escape route for him (which she had to do quickly, his oxygen supply gone with Adelaide’s death). Eventually Grey could see something, the small chink of the night sky providing some illumination, and he attempted to climb out, unaided by Clemence who didn’t dare try and help him for fear of hurting him with her sharp touch. Earthworms and beetles crawled over his face as he forced his way through the soil, slipping down once and caving in the hole before Clemence disintegrated a lot more earth above them and escape proved easier. After he had climbed up and was safe, Clemence said, “Keep promise,” as she grabbed her head with both hands and twisted it round with a sharp crack, breaking her own neck. Grey looked down at them both and saw them disappear, though he did see a swarm of flies in their place before they too vanished. Grey probed his belly as he staggered along – he’d live, and treatment could wait until they were back in New York. That was the priority now, getting Germaine and going back home.

When Grey saw that Germaine wasn’t at the hostel he knew there was only one other place where she’d be. He attracted many stares along the way due to his dishevelled, bloody appearance, his shirt tattered, and his jeans filthy and very bloodstained, as he walked across town barefoot, ignoring everyone around him. It was after one by the time he arrived and he let himself in, feeling no need to be courteous after learning that it was Audrey who’d tried to sentence him to an unspeakable death. Germaine and Audrey were both awake and stared anxiously as the door opened, and Germaine leapt up and scrambled to him, almost knocking him over, and she ecstatically embraced him . Grey kissed her cheek and looked past her to Audrey – he would enjoy the reunion that he never thought he’d get later, and let her know just how important she was to him, but his anger took precedence.

“
What disturbs me is that I had to negotiate with a demon to secure my release, that I managed to reach the humanity in her, but not in you,” he said judgementally, staring at her with reproach before he turned and left, taking Germaine with him. Germaine echoed his harsh stare yet felt it involuntarily change to pity. Audrey stood alone, and while she did not admit it, Germaine could see that she was ashamed. She had lost her great love and had nothing to compensate – no religion, no friends, and not even the belief that she was a good person. Her bleak future seemed punishment enough without Germaine adding her censure. She thought of James instead, spending the early hours of the morning tending to him in the small bathroom in their hostel, asking him to see a doctor, which he promised he’d do in New York, where they’d be travelling in economy seats at first light. She saw that the wounds, when cleaned, didn’t look to be too deep and she didn’t nag him to see a doctor immediately because she was as desperate as he was to leave Lichwood. The trauma of the experience would be with them for a long time, but believing that they had lost each other and being given a second chance did the impossible and doubled their affection and appreciation of the other. Their fledgling marriage was working well before Lichwood and now they were both determined to make it even better, holding hands on the three trains they took all the way back. He didn’t even obsess about his failure regarding the Whitlows. It was tragic, but because he’d saved Germaine from such a fate and eliminated the threat of the Alieus he felt victorious.

Chapter 10 – The Rabbit and the Snake

Returning to their New York apartment proved to them that it was their true home. That was how it felt for both of them; that their quarters were commodious was a boon, though the important thing was that they felt like they belonged here. Grey was patched up by his doctor (Conrad had recommended his own personal physician to him, one of the best doctors in the state) and sent home the same day with a thin, non-restrictive dressing covering his lightly skinned abdomen. The awkward questions were more arduous than the treatment... Germaine had her belly checked out too, visiting her respected obstetrician for a routine examination, which went smoothly, as always. Conrad was still out of town and had sent Grey a letter inviting him to join him on a skiing holiday, the opportunity having passed and the last thing he felt like doing in any event as he was happy to stay in New York until after the birth and beyond. With Conrad gone he spent a lot more time working, taking on full time hours in the kitchen, where his position was unclear and the other staff were wary of him, aware that he lived in a swanky suite in the hotel and seemed able to pick and choose his hours of work. He made the most of his newly restored body, starting each morning with a jog down the stairs and around the block. Adelaide had restored him to his former glory – Grey felt so physically good now that he considered returning to amateur athletics.

Another letter arrived for them, this one addressed to Germaine Cremont Grey and from France, Germaine guessing correctly that it was from her father’s brother, Tristan.

“
He wants to know what happened to them,” Germaine said, handing Grey the letter to read.