Wow. It's the 15th already? It seems impossible. I thought that the time leading up to the trip to Europe would stretch unendingly. Be the longest two weeks of my life. I keep hoping that they'll go slower. On the just-in-case worry, I've got too much to say. But life doesn't slow enough for me to say any of it.

Anyway. After finishing Daemon 2, I've been at odds. I wrote on a few other things, and the passion keeps shifting. I have a feeling Daemon 3 will be on its heels. :) Lucifel is just too well established.

****

What the hell…” I stared back into his yellow-orange eyes. “How could I?’

“You’re a necromage. You can reach it. You would just need a lot of energy and a pair of anchor points.”

“You two,” I said softly.

Merula shook her head mournfully. “I can’t. I’m not the kind of witch who can hold that much energy from the Afterways. I don’t have a familiar.”

“And I am your familiar. I can help you draw the energy and hold the way ahead of you. I can’t hold both gates.”

I slumped back down. “So it’s like saying I could fly but I don’t have wings.”

The sun was sinking, and I couldn’t remember it getting this late. The phone behind me rang and I picked it up without checking the ID, praying that Elris and his kids were alright. “Hello?”

“I hadn’t expected civility out of you,” a voice replied. I wanted to throw things before—now I just wanted to set them on fire, hurl them off the face of the earth and utterly maim them.

“Fuck you, Caninus. Feel better?”

“Immensely,” he assured me. “I wanted to apologize.”

“Bullshit,” I replied automatically.

“They most certainly do,” he agreed. “All living creatures defecate. We seem to agree on something. That’s not why I called, though. Antoinette knew where I’d been.” His chuckle, despite the feeling I got of silk running through my fingers, was forced, as if the silk cared a tension that couldn’t be described. “I carried some of your scent back with me.”

“How the hell did that happen?” I didn’t think you could rub off scent just by proximity, could you?

“Ah, the innocent, oh-so-chaste kiss,” he replied, his voice smooth and low. Now it was chocolate nestling in my lungs and making it hard to breath for desire.

“Stop it,” I snapped at him harshly. “I don’t need it.”

“My apologies,” he replied and the feeling went away, mostly. “I…forgot that the aura tends to be more pronounced when I’m worried. I will try to fix it in the future.”

“Odd—the next time I see you, I’m fucking killing you.”

“I had to give her something. I told her I followed you and saw you with the child.” He sighed. “I am sorry, Lucifel. But I had no choice.”

“So you gave up a kid. You’ll have her hold a kid hostage against me!” I was yelling again. I seemed to be doing that more frequently all the time.

“Yes,” he snapped back, his temper beginning to fray in return. “Because it was the lesser of the two I had to give.”

“Her life was lesser? You son of a bitch! You heartless—“

“It was either her or you,” his voice cut through authoritatively. “I could either give Antoinette Alayna or I could tell her I was leading you to her. I have more faith in you saving that child than I do in Antoinette believing for long that I was trying to lead you to her.”

I paused. He had a point, unfortunately. “Thanks for faith in me,” I snapped. It felt better than forgiving him.

“I am sorry,” he said, his voice very soft. It reminded me of a young child, caught in a difficult decision and forced to be grown up too fast. I wasn’t sure if the image came from me or if it was being projected by him. I couldn’t decide what option was better for him.

“You’d better be,” I replied. “I even think you’re slipping again and I’ll fucking kill you.”

“Does that mean the hit is off for now?”

“Yeah,” I agreed reluctantly. “Congratulations. You just got a stay of execution.” Merula and Foyl were very tense behind me, and that didn’t make it any better.

“Thank you, meus decorus angelus,” he replied with a chuckle.

“What did you call me?”

“Meus decorus angelus? I thought you knew Latin!”

I paused a moment and thought about it. “My…beautiful angel? Did you just call me that?”

“Very good, darling.”

“Okay, first, fuck you. Second, I’m not yours. Third, I’m not your darling. Did I miss anything?”

“You didn’t object to being called beautiful,” he laughed. “Or an angel, really.”

“Let’s repeat number one: fuck you.”

“I already asked that and you told me to go to hell,” he laughed again. I could feel the heat of it upon my skin.

“Lucifel? Is everything alright?” Merula looked at me quizzically, and I remembered that only a few moments ago, I’d been yelling at Caninus. Now I was almost joking with him, albeit sternly. No wonder they were confused.

“It’s fine,” I said to her.

“Did you just say that I’m fine?” He laughed again and I struggled not to smile. “I hardly know what to think, meus angelus!”

“Shut up,” I told him. “You got your stay. Was there anything else? I’ve got shit I need to do.”

“Indubitably,” he replied, giving a theatrical sigh. “Ah, how I wish these liaisons were longer lasting, darling. But I know that you are just using some pampered elitist who has lost their dear dog as an excuse to end it.”

“Fuck you,” I said, tears choking my voice uncharacteristically. “Fuck you. I’d never raise an animal and I’ve damn sure got deeper problems!”

“Lucifel?” His voice stopped me from slamming down the phone, making my muscles feel tight. It took me a moment to realize that he was purposefully exuding it. “I didn’t mean to hurt you. Tell me?”

“What?” I scoffed. “You’re…” I lowered my voice to try and prevent Merula and Foyl from hearing. “You’re a vampire whose master is after my ass. Why in the hell should I tell you what’s wrong?”

“Because,” he said simply, “we’re conspiring to the overthrow, remember?”

“And I should trust you, just like that?” I didn’t want to—I wanted to throw the phone down and tell him to shove it. I couldn’t.

“Not really,” he admitted. “But it’s part of the building of trust. Let me help you however much I can. If you don’t like the idea that I’m doing it because I want to prove to you that you can trust me, then consider it penance for having to inform Antoinette about Alayna.”

“Or, I could consider it another ploy for information,” I snapped back.

“You could,” he agreed. “You’d be wrong. But I don’t really have any way of proving it to you. So it’s your gamble.”

“Why does it matter?” I switched tactics. “There’s nothing you can do anyway.”

“Won’t know that until you tell me. So, please? Don’t make me beg.” I could hear the smile in his voice calling one to mine.

“What?”

He chuckled, low and like candy. I shook my head to rid it of the sensation. “Alright, Lucifel. I’m on my knees now. Begging. Please, pretty, pretty, pretty please, darling. Tell me what’s wrong?”

“Stars, get off your fucking knees!” I laughed unwillingly when he chuckled. “Fine. Um.” Now that I seemed to have agreed to tell him, I wasn’t sure how. In the end, I opted for just spewing it out, the words coming close to running together in my haste. “There is a psudo-clan of elves that wants to murder everyone who has moved into human lands. They tried to kill me last night.”

“Yes,” he prodded, as if he was still waiting for me to get to it.

“Wait a fucking second…you know about that.” I heard his shallow breathing stop. “You fucking did! You know someone tried to kill me last night, you asshole!”

“That’s not the point here, Lucifel. I’ve heard of this clan, but I didn’t think that it would be a problem if they encountered you. By the way you’re shaken up, they weren’t just idealistic, idiotic kids but a real threat. But there’s something more here. Get to that, then yell at me.”

“Fucking asshole,” I said instead.

“I realize I am,” he replied casually. “I probably always have been. I’m more or less the kind of bastard not to care. So, continue.”

“My uncle and his sons live in Wichita, and they’re in danger too. But there’s no way I could get there.”

“Not exactly,” he mused. “The Unseen Paths reach everywhere.”

“And I can’t travel them and I’m damn sure not entrusting myself to you in the Afterways. They can fuck up a necromage. The dead see us and in their territory, we’re vulnerable. Trust me, not something I want to do, especially not while under your control.” I paused, then added almost involuntarily, “Or at least, not under the control of the one you’re under the control of.”

“I understand,” he replied. “It was a thought.”

“Hold on,” Foyl said above me. “Who the blazes are you talking to?”

“Long story,” I said dismissively.

“Pointless, too, ultimately. But he said he could use the Afterways. There’s your way in,” Foyl grinned at me. “You don’t trust him not to shut you there. But I can hold the path open. So we can get you there and back. Merula can stay here and serve as…a lighthouse, sort of. Show us the path back.”

“Lucifel? What the hell is going on?”

“Shut up,” I said, too many voices everywhere. I remembered that I hadn’t eaten all day, and suddenly I could feel where the neighbors buried their bitchy white cat. I freaked out, clamping down on all of my scattering energies, but it only made things worse. The dead bugs in the lights overhead were starting to quiver again. “Fuck,” I said, my stomach churning. “No…no, not again. Not fucking again.” I slammed the phone down and ran for the stairs.

The basement’s bathroom was small but nice enough. I sat on the toilet shaking and sitting as still as I could. Slowly, all the dead things within a mile radius began to fade from my consciousness. I blessed the foresight that had caused me to tell the Realtor that I couldn’t live less than three miles from a cemetery. I didn’t clamp down entirely at once. That causes the power to leak and pulse, and diffuse, finding its way out. So I drew it in carefully. Slowly, I managed to pull in all of it, and control my shaking. I was gulping breath when the faint knocking at the door started. I ignored it.

“It won’t go away the more you ignore it,” a voice said as its owner clasped my hands comfortingly.

“Fuck!” I jumped as Caninus knelt in front of me, still holding my barely quivering hands.

“Now?” He raised an eyebrow and spared a dubious glance at the linoleum floor. “Looks rather slick. I don’t want your head to hit the wall.”

“Son of a bitch,” I sighed, trying to relax.

“A fair enough assessment of my mother. Are you alright now, angelus?” I shook, but the quivers gave way to silent laughter. He smiled, kneeling at my feet. “Good, good. How do you feel?”

“Why are you here?” I asked instead.

He shrugged with vampiritic fluidity. “Because I could feel you over the phone before you hung up. Something was very wrong. And you sounded very scared. So I came here through the Afterways. I hadn’t expected to see you sitting on a toilet and sobbing.”

I touched my cheek and was surprised to find wetness. “It wasn’t sobbing, though,” I said, covering my pride.

“As you will, angelus. It was very heartrending, though.”

“Lucifel?” Merula’s voice came through the door hesitantly. “Lucifel, are you alright?”

Caninus stiffened slightly and looked a bit confused. He turned to me and said, “I had forgotten you had company. My apologies.”

Foyl’s rasp came through, “Lucifel? Something is amiss. I’ll go in.”

Just as I was debating explaining the ‘vampire in the room’ business, Foyl just appeared. Seems like everyone was using the freaking Afterways but me for transportation. And that would be resolved shortly.

“Am I…interrupting?” Foyl said cautiously.

“This is the asshole I was on the phone with,” I replied with an unintentional grin. “Caninus. He’s a vampire, who’s master is trying to force me into a job or kill me. Caninus, this is Foyl. He’s my familiar, I suppose.” It was all so ridiculous, I burst into laughter.

Foyl looked almost offended, but Caninus had the grace to grin. Did it look a little forced? “Yes, I see how this is…odd. Foyl, I am honored to meet another draconic familiar.” He didn’t look happy, though. He looked scared. “It has been very long, I assure you.”

“There is no hard feelings for that then.” I cocked an eyebrow. What was that supposed to mean? Before I could ask, Foyl expounded, “You don’t need to feel guilt for it. I am well aware of my rarity and thereby, the fascination connected to me.” I didn’t think he looked fascinated. I thought he looked a little intimidated.

“Thank you for that. At the first opportunity, I would love to hear how you came to be a familiar for a necromage,” Caninus said dipolatically, looking more at ease.

“It is an odd set of circumstances, I grant,” Foyl admitted grudgingly.

The doorknob turned and Merula came through. “What’s going on in…” she set eyes on Caninus and stopped.

“Shit,” the vampire said.