Wild Ride (47 page)

“
BUT WE HAVE RESPONSIBILITIES,
” Vanth said.

“
WE DO AS WE PLEASE!
”

“
OKAY, THIS IS HOW EVERYTHING WENT SOUTH THE LAST TIME,
” Fufluns said. “
PEOPLE STOP WORSHIPPING YOU IF YOU DON'T DELIVER AND THEN YOU LOSE YOUR POWER. TRUST ME, I KNOW.
”

“
SO
?” Kharos snarled. “
I DON'T NEED WORSHIPPERS; I NEED TO FEED. THE DESPAIR THE HELL-GATE WILL DELIVER ME WILL MAKE ME POWERFUL BEYOND—
”

“
SO MUCH FOR ALL OF US TOGETHER
,” Fufluns said. “
IT'S ALL ABOUT YOU, RIGHT?
”

Kharos scowled at him. Ray was looking better every minute.

“
WE GET TO STAY IN DREAMLAND?
” Tura said. “
I LIKE THAT
.” She flipped her tail and swam through the air to put her arm around Fufluns. “
YOU LIKE THAT, DON'T YOU, DARLING?
”

“
LOVE IT,
” Fufluns said, folding his arms and staring back at Kharos.

“
WE'RE BETTER IN HELL,
” Selvans said from behind them. “
THE OLD WAYS ARE BEST.
”

“
YOU'RE BETTER IN HELL
,” Fufluns said. “
SOME OF US LIKE THE LIGHT.
”

“
YOU ARE NOT LOYAL,
” Selvans said to him.

“
I USED TO BE A GOD
,” Fufluns said to him. “
LOYALTY IS NOT IN MY JOB DESCRIPTION.
”

“
ENOUGH!
” Kharos waited until all eyes were turned to him. “
WE'RE OPENING THE HELL-GATE. NOW. AND THEN WE WILL FILL IT WITH SOULS. RAY AND THE GOVERNMENT WOMAN ARE GATHERING ALL OF THOSE WHO HAVE BEEN POSSESSED, SINCE THEY HAVE ABSORBED SOME DEMON NATURE AND WILL BE DRAWN TO THE HELL-GATE. LATER WE—
”

“
WAIT A MINUTE
,” Fufluns said, his face dark. “
NOT ALL WHO HAVE BEEN POSSESSED. NOT MAB. WE HAD A DEAL.
”

“
NOT ALL THE POSSESSED SOULS,
” Kharos agreed smoothly, thinking,
AND THAT WOMAN OF YOURS WILL BE THE FIRST ONE IN.

Fufluns did not look reassured.

“
WE GO NOW TO THE LOWEST LEVEL OF THE KEEP,
” Kharos said, “
AND OPEN THE HELL-GATE. RAY WILL BRING THE SOULS IN THROUGH THE TUNNELS, WE WILL CAST THEM INTO HELL, AND DRINK THEIR TERROR, FEED ON THEIR DESPAIR
—”

“
I DON'T DO THAT
,” Fufluns pointed out. “
FORMER GOD OF HAPPINESS HERE, REMEMBER? FEEDING ON DESPAIR GIVES ME GAS.
”

Kharos gritted his teeth. “—
AND OUR POWER WILL BE INVINCIBLE
—”

“
I DON'T KNOW,”
Vanth said. “
I DON'T LIKE LEAVING THEM ALONE DOWN THERE. I'M THEIR GUIDE, YOU KNOW. THEY LOVE ME. I
—”

“
THEY'LL BE FINE,
” Kharos snapped.

“
OH, YEAH,
” Fufluns said. “
COLD DESPAIR AND NEVER-ENDING HOPELESS TERROR. THEY'RE GOING TO
LOVE IT
DOWN THERE.
”

Selvans lumbered forward, scowling at Fufluns as he raised his fist. “
INSOLENT!
”

“
BRING IT ON, MEATHEAD,
” Fufluns said. “
THE LAST TIME YOU WON A FIGHT, THERE WAS A STAR IN THE EAST.
”

Selvans stopped, confused. “
WHY DOES HE TALK LIKE THAT?
”

“HE HAS LISTENED TOO LONG TO HUMAN SOULS,
” Kharos said.

“
I GET OUT A LOT MORE THAN YOU DO,
” Fufluns translated for him. “
YOU'RE THE ETRUSCAN HULK, EXCEPT NOT SO LIGHT ON YOUR FEET.
”

Selvans swung at him, and Fufluns leaned back to let the massive fist pass in front of him.

“
YOU SEE MY POINT
,” he said.

“
ENOUGH!”
Kharos said, angrily aware that he'd said that once before.

“
I DON'T KNOW,”
Vanth said.

Kharos looked at her, exasperated.

“
DON'T BE CRANKY, DARLING,
” she said. “
IT SOUNDS LIKE A REALLY GOOD IDEA, BUT I HAVE TO WONDER, WHY HAVEN'T WE DONE THIS BEFORE?
”

“
BECAUSE IT'S TIME TO DO IT NOW,
” Kharos said, not in the mood to discuss the finer points of the ebb and flow of cosmic power. He turned to the others. “
WE OPEN THE HELL-GATE BY CIRCLING THE GATEWAY IN
THE DEPTHS OF THE KEEP. AS WE CALL ON THE GATE TO OPEN, WE WILL
—”

“
IS THIS GOING TO TAKE LONG?
” Tura said from the window. “
THERE ARE PEOPLE IN THE PARK. I WANT TO PLAY.
”

“
I SAY WE TAKE A BREAK.
” Fufluns went to join her, putting an arm around her and pointing out the window. “
SEE THAT GUY DOWN THERE IN THE AEROSMITH T-SHIRT AND THE MULLET? MARRIED. AND THAT IS NOT HIS WIFE.
”

“
OOOOOH
,” Tura said, leaning forward. “
MINE
.”

THIS ISN'T GOING TO WORK
, Kharos thought, looking at them all. Trying to bind them together had been foolish. He didn't need them agreeing, he was the Devil, they would follow him or they could go to hell with the cattle souls. Because he was going to feed whether they cooperated or not.

“
WE GO NOW
,” he said, and opened the door to the stairway.

“
OH, ALL RIGHT,
” Tura said, and swam past him and down the stairs, followed by Selvans, obedient as always, lurching after her.

Vanth patted his arm on the way out. “
I LOVE IT WHEN YOU'RE COMMANDING, DARLING.
”

Fufluns didn't pat his arm. “
YOU KNOW THE GUARDIA ARE GOING TO BE ALL OVER THIS.
”

“
FUCK THE GUARDIA,
” Kharos said. “
THEY CAN SCREAM IN HELL WITH THE SOULS. THIS IS MY PARK NOW.
”

“ ‘
FUCK THE GUARDIA
'?” Fufluns said, laughing at him. “
WHO'S BEEN CORRUPTED BY POSSESSION NOW? YOU'RE MORE HUMAN THAN YOU THINK, BIG GUY. EVER THOUGHT ABOUT WHAT THAT'S GOING TO DO FOR YOU?
”

“
YES
,” Kharos said. “
HUMANS ARE SELFISH, CRUEL, AND RUTHLESS, PREYING ON THEIR OWN KIND. THAT MAKES ME A BIGGER BASTARD THAN ANY OTHER DEMON IN THE HISTORY OF MANKIND.
”

Fufluns lost his smile.

“
NOW GET YOUR ASS DOWN TO THAT BASEMENT AND HELP ME OPEN THE HELL-GATE,
” Kharos said, “
OR YOU'RE GOING TO BE THE FORMER GOD OF HAPPINESS IN
HELL.
”

Fufluns hesitated and then went down the stairs.

“DAMN RIGHT,
” Kharos said, and followed him.

 

M
ab and Oliver left Frankie gorging on pistachios in Delpha's trailer and went down to Old Fred's, where Oliver loaded his demon gun while Mab put extra rounds in his bag. He'd taken his glasses off, and Mab tried to distract herself from her libido by reminding herself that she was going to be facing the apocalypse shortly.

It did the job nicely.

“This feels very OK Corral,” she said to him. “Not that we have an OK Corral anymore.” She zipped the bag closed and then gripped it as she heard the sounds of “Alcohol” drift up from the Pavilion. Ten thirty. They were running out of time. Whatever Kharos was going to do—

Oliver shot the bolt home on the gun and took the bag from her. “Don't worry.”

“Don't worry?” Mab heard her voice rise and took a deep breath. “We could all die tonight.”

“No.” Oliver put the bag and gun by the door and turned back to her, folding his arms and leaning against the table. “We'll win.”

“Why? Because we're the good guys? This is reality and we're up against
the Devil
.”

“Because the universe bends toward justice.”

His gray eyes were steady on her, and his voice was relaxed, and his biceps pushed against his shirtsleeves because his arms were folded and Mab thought,
I'm scared out of my mind, and I want him.
“That makes no sense,” she said, but there he was, tall and broad-shouldered and calm and powerful and smart, so smart, and competent, and—

“Are you okay?” Oliver said.

—he'd been a great dragon. Okay, that had been an illusion, but she was a Seer, so what she'd seen had been true—

“Mab?”

“The universe bends toward what?” she said, trying to keep her libido in check. It was just because she was going to die tonight. Adrenaline. Or something.

“The arc of the universe is a long one but it bends toward justice,” Oliver said. “A nineteenth-century minister named Parker said it. I like it.”

He smiled at her, not a charming, crooked grin, not trying to trick her or jolly her along, just his usual flash of a smile while he looked into her eyes, and she lost her breath.

“It means the universe is on our side,” Oliver said, his voice kind but sure. “If we fight for what we believe in, the universe will put its thumb on our side of the scale.”

She loved his voice, she realized. No lilt in it, no laughter, just a steady low voice that told the truth. And then went into her bones and hummed there.

“We'll be okay,” he said, when she didn't say anything.

“We could all die tonight,” she said to herself, and thought,
And I'll never know what it's like to make love with a dragon.

“Mab?”

He bent down to look into her eyes, and she took one step forward and kissed him, her eyes closed and her hand on his chest as her mouth moved against his, and he pulled her to him and kissed her back, competent and powerful and—

He bit her lip and she gasped and his tongue invaded her mouth as he pressed her against the wall, his body lifting hers up as she clung to him, shocked and breathless. He broke the kiss, his eyes hot on her, his breath coming heavy, and then he said, “You're right, we could die tonight, we should live for the moment,” and kissed her again, and she wrapped her arms around his neck, arching into him, trying to get closer, too many clothes—

He bounced her up to his waist and she wrapped her legs around him, and he carried her down the short hall into the tiny bedroom and put her down on the bed, easing on top of her, all without breaking the kiss.
This
, she thought,
this is right
, and then she remembered that Delpha had said Joe was her one true love and stopped and looked up into Oliver's gray eyes, not so steady now, pupils dilated and hot on her. “I don't care,” she said, “it's you, I want you,” and he nodded and kissed her, slipping his tongue into her mouth as he shoved up her Dreamland T-shirt, catching the edge of her bra so that he stripped her naked from the waist up in one smooth move while she gasped again. Then his mouth was on her breast and she arched against him as she felt the pull deep inside her, and yanked
at his shirt, wanting to feel his skin against hers, and he stripped that off, too, as she raked her nails down through the fur on his chest and felt him shudder under her hands. “Naked,” she said, but he was already shoving off his jeans, and she kicked off hers and then he reached for her.

He caught her roughly, bore her down, his hands hard on her as his mouth moved over her, nipping at her skin with his teeth, little flickers of pain that made her shiver and drove her higher as he bit his way down her body, parting her legs, his hands hot on her. Then he licked into her and she writhed as he held her down and the heat spread, prickles under her skin, building and twisting inside her, and then she cried out as she came. He moved back up her body and she kissed him hard, wrapping herself around him, biting him on the shoulder, her hands everywhere as he shuddered against her, exploring him as he'd explored her, loving the way she made him moan, the way he came back for her and made her moan, too. And when she said, “I can't wait any longer,” he reached for his jeans and got a condom because of course Oliver would have a condom, and she kissed him because he was Oliver and because she knew he'd always be there for her.

Then he rolled her on her back and she felt him hard against her and then thick inside her and the shudder began again. He looked in her eyes, and he must have seen the blue glow there, but he never flinched, and she gave herself up to him, rocking with him, letting the shudder build as she wound tighter and tighter under him. She bit him on the shoulder, and he laced his fingers in her hair to pull her back so he could kiss her again and again, moving hard inside her until the heat was too much, and she cried out and let the spasms take her, over and over and over again while she clung to him. Then she was quiet, gasping, and he came, holding on to her, his fingers digging into her until he collapsed, and she wrapped her arms around him as he rolled onto his back, taking her with him, his face buried in her neck. They breathed together for a few minutes and then Oliver let his head fall back and she saw the exhaustion on his face, completely spent from loving her.

He smiled at her, and this time the smile stayed, and he said, “We're not going to die tonight.”

“Really?” Mab said, still trying to breathe. “How do you know?”

“Because the universe wants us to do this again,” Oliver said, and kissed her, pulling her back against him, demanding and strong and hot and sure.

Dragon lover
, she thought, and kissed him back.

 

E
than and Weaver met Mab and Oliver on the boat dock at eleven thirty after the park closed.

“Well, hello,” Weaver said to Oliver, laughing, and he said, “You have no room to talk,” and she laughed again.