A fortunate thing considering he had barely blinked when the sound of a high, piercing scream abruptly shattered the air.

"Sacrebleu. Shay."

Chapter Twenty-Six

It was like one of those horrible nightmares that used to plague her. The one where she was trying to flee from the witches, but her feet were relentlessly sinking into a thick mud. No matter how hard she tried to flee she just kept going slower and slower.

She could see Damocles with his dagger gleaming in the light. She could see Evor struggling as his life flashed before his eyes. She could see the short distance she had to cross to halt the relentless blow.

But no matter how fast she traveled she couldn't reach the imp before the dagger was plunged into the troll's treacherous heart.

A scream of fury and fear was wrenched from her throat.

Evor wasn't the only one to see his life passing before his eyes, and it was all so brutally unfair.

For so many years she had taken her life for granted. She had even cursed the miserable existence given to her. Certainly she had never wakened with a fierce desire to leap from her bed and discover what the day might bring.

Now she at last had that. She had Viper. And the thought of dying now filled her with unbearable despair.

Continuing to run despite the futility of it all, Shay abruptly felt the earth buckle beneath her feet. She fell to her knees even as the stone around the entrance burst inward to shower her in a cloud of pebbles.

Not at all certain what had happened, she cleared her eyes and peered through the cloud of dust.

What she saw was a very large, very terrifying gargoyle. A gargoyle who reached out to bat the imp across the room.

With a sickening thud the imp hit the far wall and crumpled onto the floor. Even from a distance it was easy to detect the unnatural angle of his neck and the wide eyes that were blank with death.

Holy freaking cow.

Too stunned to even appreciate the fact that Damocles had miraculously been killed, Shay began to scoot backward as the looming demon reached down to pluck the screaming Evor off the floor and hold him in his claws.

She was alive for the moment, but the gargoyle that now held the troll didn't look in any mood to hear her pleas. In fact, he looked large and fierce and entirely capable of swallowing them all whole.

The gargoyle took a step forward and she gave a small shriek. To hell with courage. This thing was scaring the crap out of her.

The demon halted, and then shockingly he held up his free hand in a motion of peace.

"Shay, it is I" he rumbled. Then, as she continued to regard him with open horror, he gave a click of his tongue. "It is Levet."

"Levet?" Shay slowly rose to her feet, her gaze belatedly taking in the beautiful wings that were now as large as a small car. "What... what have you done?"

He smiled revealing teeth that could snap her in two. "It appears that I have rescued you once again from your own foolishness."

Rescued. Blessed saints. She was rescued. The relief flooded through her. Or at least it started to flare through her. It hadn't gone very far when it was replaced by a flare of fear.

Viper.

Spinning about she turned just in time to watch the beautiful, silver-haired vampire take the head off the Anasso.

This time the relief went unchecked. It was over. Truly, truly over.

She took a step forward to rush to Viper's side. She wanted to throw herself in his arms and shout for joy. She wanted to run her hands through his hair and kiss him until they both could forget the horror of the past hours.

Her steps halted, however, as Viper slowly slid to his knees and an expression of deep sorrow touched his face.

He had just been forced to kill a leader he had obviously respected for centuries. He deserved a few moments to reconcile himself to the painful death.

With an effort she slowly turned back to the waiting demon behind her. He didn't look at all like her beloved Levet. Well, except for the eyes. They could never change.

A shaky smile touched her lips. "I didn't know you could alter your shape." Levet shrugged. "Oh, we all have our little secrets..."

"He didn't do it. I did," a female voice firmly interrupted. Shay's eyes widened as a curvaceous woman attired in a sheer bit of cloth stepped from behind the looming demon.

"A water sprite?" Shay regarded the gargoyle with a lift of her brows. "Good grief, Levet, you have been a busy boy."

"It looks as if you've been a little busy yourself. That one is still alive." He pointed a claw toward Styx who was beginning to stir on the floor. "Do you want me to squash him?"

Before Shay could answer she felt a comforting arm slip around her shoulder. Her heart gave a small leap as she glanced into the pale face of the vampire at her side.

"Viper?" she questioned softly. This man had just lost his leader. She wouldn't pressure him to also lose a friend.

"No," Viper retorted, his voice firm. "He was only doing what he thought was right. He risked his life to save us."

"Yes, he did." she said softly, her gaze returning to Levet. "No squashing."

"What of this animal?" Levet gave the troll a vicious shake. "Can I kill him?"

Shay lifted a hand. "Not yet. He still holds my curse."

Levet heaved a sigh. "Well, damn. I can't kill the vampire. I can't kill the troll. I hate to waste a good wish. Maybe I should go pillage a nearby village. The local maidens would no doubt appreciate my new, very manly, physique."

Viper chuckled softly. It was one of the best sounds that Shay had ever heard.

"Surely after all these centuries you must know that size doesn't matter to a woman?" he drawled.

"Ha. Easy to say for a six-foot vampire " Levet grumbled.

Reluctantly, Shay left Viper's side to gently take Levet's huge hand and pressed it to her face. She understood just how difficult it must have been for the demon to force himself to charge to her rescue.

"Levet, it isn't the size of the demon that matters, but the size of his heart. And there is no gargoyle in all the world who possesses a heart as large as yours." Her lips touched his rough skin. "You saved my life."

"Oui, oui. There is no need to blubber over me." Levet pulled back, a blush staining his gray cheeks. To cover his embarrassment he held out the squirming Evor and gave him another shake. "What do you want me to do with this creature?"

"Put him here." Viper pointed at a spot directly before him.

Holding his arm outward Levet simply allowed the troll to drop from his hand. Evor managed to crumble to the floor before Viper had him by the neck and he was once again on his feet. His eyes bulged and his round face turned red as Viper's fingers dug into his spongy flesh.

"You can't kill me," the troll squeaked. "Not without killing the Shalott."

With a casual motion Viper slapped Evor with enough force to make his head snap back.

"The Shalott has a name."

"Shay," Evor gasped. "Lady Shay."

Viper regarded him as if he were a bug he discovered stuck to the bottom of his shoe. "What do you want to do with him, pet? We could take him home and have him nailed to the wall as a trophy."

Shay shuddered. "And have to look at that ghastly race every day?"

"Good point. I do have several creatively themed dungeons he might enjoy."

"Creatively themed?"

Viper gave a small shrug. "Traditional torture, ancient torture, high-tech torture..."

"No, no. Please." Evor rolled his head toward Shay, his expression desperate. It was an expression she decided she liked on that ugly mug. "I'll do whatever you want."

She stepped closer to the troll, her expression hard. "I want answers."

"Of course." He nervously licked his lips. "What answers?"

"How did you get my curse?"

"I…"

Viper's fingers abruptly tightened. "Don't even think of lying to the lady. I can make you pray for death."

"I went to Morgana for a... potion," Evor gasped.

"Morgana?" Shay demanded.

"The witch."

"Oh " Shay frowned. She hadn't known that trolls used magical potions. "What sort of potion?"

"It was personal."

"Personal? What does that mean?"

"Trust me, pet, you don't want any more specifics," Viper interrupted.

She grimaced. Viper was no doubt right. The mere thought of what the nasty demon might do in private was enough to give her nightmares.

"Fine. You went to the witch for a potion. How did you end up with my curse?"

"When I arrived the store was closed so I... let myself in."

"Meaning you broke into the store," Shay accused.

"I wanted that potion " Evor said in tones mat revealed breaking and entering was a common part of his moral code. "I thought the place was empty, but there was a hidden door that had been left open and I could hear voices. One of them was Morgana speaking to a younger witch. Her protegee, I suppose."

Shay frowned, recalling the door that led to the dirt cellar beneath the store.