Ruby Shadows Read online

  “Of course.” Her cheeks were pink. “I’ve never been penetrated—nor do I want to be!”

  “I used to think the same thing,” I muttered and then sighed. Well, I had to admit my one and only sexual experience with Laish had been amazing—right up until the end that was. So at least I had some good memories. Eryn, however, was an angel. It was right that she should remain as she was—untouched and pure as the driven snow.

  “So I should just be ready for anything that happens?” she asked me.

  I nodded. “Yup—pretty much. Sorry, I know that’s vague.”

  “That’s all right, Gwendolyn—do what you can. I am in your hands. But maybe I’d better pull in my wings? Just in case?”

  “Uh, sure, I guess,” I said.

  “All right.” A look of concentration passed over her face and then the white feathers around her shoulders began shrinking. After a moment, they disappeared completely.

  “Uh—where did they go?” Mystified, I went around behind her to see. Her long white gown had thin spaghetti straps and on the pale skin of her shoulder blades, I saw something that looked like a faint tattoo of wings. But a tattoo done in pure gold ink—not black or blue. “That’s beautiful!” I exclaimed. Without thinking, I reached out to trace one of the golden lines with one finger.

  “Oh!” Eryn shivered and jumped.

  “Sorry,” I said, quickly drawing back my hand. “I didn’t mean to, uh, hurt you.”

  “It’s not that. An angel’s wings are just very…sensitive.” She cleared her throat. “A sensitive as certain other parts of your anatomy that, well… I think you know what I mean.”

  She was blushing again so I got the message. Geeze, I’d just molested an angel without even knowing it.

  “I’m really sorry,” I said quickly, taking a step back. “Uh, maybe we’d just better get going.”

  “That is probably a good idea.” She nodded gratefully and closed her eyes. “I am ready.”

  I was too—it was time to get this party started. Especially since I had no idea when Belial might come back or send his guards to get me for the ridiculous hearing Druaga was insisting on. I needed to get Eryn out of here and get rid of all evidence of her before that happened. That way, at least, I could deny that I had anything of his and it would be the truth.

  “Hail to the Guardians of the watchtowers of the East,” I began.

  To my surprise, as I started the spell, I felt a surge of power flow through me. It was almost like I had plugged part of myself into a wall circuit and the current had begun to flow as soon as I flipped a switch. Well, there was no time to wonder about it now—once a spell is started, it must be seen through to its conclusion. So I continued calling the corners and lighting candles, trying not to think about how the last time I’d done this, Laish had been with me.

  When I had lit the final candle, I stood in front of the small alter and the remaining white pillar candle and began to recite the spell. I had memorized it, of course—it doesn’t do not to know your spell by heart before you begin it. And anyway, it hadn’t been hard to commit to memory—it was a pretty simple spell aimed at only one thing—complete and total protection of the innocent.

  “Blessed be the innocent,

  Blessed be the pure of heart.

  So be they at the end of times

  As they are at the Start.

  Protection grant this Blameless One

  A wall around her build

  Let none with wicked thoughts approach

  Against them be her shield

  Send her a protector

  A guard against the night

  A way to hide her innocence

  Away from Evil’s sight

  Blessed be the innocent,

  Blessed be the pure of heart.

  So be they at the end of times

  As they are at the Start.

  So Mote it be.”

  As I spoke the last word, power raced through me again—so strongly it nearly knocked me over. I braced myself, head down, trying to be strong enough to contain the immense surge. What the Hell was happening to me? Then I heard Eryn say,

  “Oh!” in a long, drawn out whisper.

  Looking up, I saw the result of my spell.

  I don’t know what I expected—maybe that an invisible force field would be raised all around Eryn or that a magical shield she could use would somehow appear. Instead, a plain wooden doorway had appeared in the center of the circle. It looked like any door you might find inside a house—maybe a bedroom or a closet door—and it was just standing there.

  “What is this? Where does it lead?” Eryn asked me softly.

  I shrugged. “Honestly, I don’t know. You’ll have to open it and find out.”

  “But…is it safe?” She was eyeing the door anxiously. “It doesn’t look like a door that would lead to Heaven.”

  “No, it looks like somebody’s bedroom or bathroom door,” I admitted. “I don’t think I could open a doorway from Hell into Heaven even if I had the power of an entire coven behind me. I’m pretty sure that this leads to somewhere in the Mortal Realm.”

  “Well, that is a step in the right direction.” She sounded hopeful but still uncertain.

  “Anything’s better than Hell,” I agreed. “Maybe the spell is trying to send you someplace safe—someplace away from here.”

  “But where, Gwendolyn?” Eryn was looking at me uncertainly again. “Do you know where this doorway might lead to?”

  I opened my mouth to answer but just then the door to the living area was flung open and Belial hobbled in. Behind him came two burly demon guards and Druaga.

  The boar demon was still minus one tusk but his male equipment had begun to grow back. I saw with dismay that it was already over a foot long and dangling from his open-fronted trousers in the most disgusting way. When he saw Eryn, he stopped and pointed at her with one hairy finger.

  “There she is! I told you the mortal girl stole something of great value from me! Guards—seize her!”

  The two demons came charging forward…only to bounce off the invisible boundary created by my magic circle. They wouldn’t be able to get past it until they rubbed it out entirely—which wouldn’t be easy considering that the talcum powder I’d used had really gotten ingrained in the weave of the carpet. Still, there was no time to lose—Eryn needed to get out of here.

  Unfortunately she appeared frozen to the spot, staring with wide-eyed fear at Druaga who was in a fury, shouting and swearing.

  “Mine,” he snorted. “I tell you, she’s mine! The mortal female stole her from me—it is just as I said.”

  “Yes, yes,” said Belial impatiently. “We believe you, Druaga. But if you want the angel back, we must rub out the circle.”

  Uh-oh—they were on to us. As the four of them started scuffing at the white talcum powder on the dark carpet, I whirled around to face my new friend.

  “Eryn,” I said, taking the angel by the arms and shaking her. “Eryn, hurry—you have to open the door and go through it. You have to.”

  “But…I don’t know what or who is on the other side,” she protested.

  “Yes but you know who’s on this side,” I pointed out grimly. “And if you don’t go now, you know what’s going to happen to you.”

  Her pale, lovely face got even paler.

  “You’re right,” she said, reaching for the plain brass doorknob. “I have to go—and you do too.” She looked at me pleadingly. “Gwendolyn, come with me!”

  “I can’t,” I said as gently as I could. “I have to keep the magic going. And besides, this spell only works on virgins and I’m not one anymore—remember?”

  “Oh yes, I suppose…” She looked like she might cry but Druaga and Belial were beginning to make headway at scuffing my talcum powder circle out of existence.

  “Hurry,” I told her. “Hurry!”

  “All right.” Taking a deep breath, she turned the knob just as I felt the magic of the circle give way.

  “