Free Bring Out Your Dead by MacAlister Katie Page B

burned at the stake for his sins. The other
escaped and was not heard of or seen again.”
    “ Fascinating,” he said,
but I could tell what was coming next, and I dreaded it. Offense
was my only option.
    “ If your next question is
going to be, ‘Was his daughter named Ysabelle?’ I will walk out of
the room.”
    Three seconds passed. “Was his daughter
named—”
    I left the room. “Damian, I’m going to have
to go out with Sebastian for a bit. You’re perfectly safe here, but
Sally will stay with you—”
    “ Oy!” Sally said at the
same time Sebastian, emerging from the bathroom, announced that I
would not be accompanying him.
    “ Why not?”
    He slipped on his coat and
tucked the ring into the pocket. You do
not seriously believe I would allow you to come within range of
this demon’s powers?
    I thought the whole point of us Joining was
to keep me safe from the demon.
    It was. And you are safer now that your
souls are bound to me, but if the demon destroys me, you will be
unprotected again.
    I rolled my eyes. “Then you should stay
here, and I’ll use the ring to destroy it.”
    “ That would be the height
of foolishness.”
    I started to bristle at the implication, but
common sense kicked in and reminded me that while I was many
things, powerful enough to destroy a demon was not on the list.
    “ You will stay here with
the others where you are safe. I will destroy this demon, and
return to you as soon as I am able.” He moved to the desk and
flipped open an address book. “Then we’ll alert the Guardian that
Asmodeus will shortly be making an appearance.”
    “ Asmodeus?” I asked,
startled. “Isn’t that the one who held you prisoner—”
    “ Yes,” Sebastian said with
a smile. At the sight of it, a burning memory coursed through me.
“The demon belonged to Asmodeus. I have no doubt that by now, the
demon has told its master of the existence of a tattu in London. By destroying the
demon, I will draw Asmodeus himself out.”
    I said nothing, rubbing my arms against the
sudden chill that gripped me. Sebastian was almost through the door
when he paused and looked back at me.
    Beloved? You are distressed. You burn with
fever.
    It’s not a fever, and yes, I’m distressed. I
understand why you wish to destroy Asmodeus, but I don’t like the
way thoughts of revenge consume you.
    His eyes glittered, pale.
I felt his curiousity, but all he asked was, Why?
    The air left my lungs, making it diffcult
for me to breathe. I rubbed my arms, reminding myself where I was,
that there was no threat to me in this hotel room. Despite that, my
flesh crawled. Black dots appeared before my eyes. I couldn’t
breathe, I couldn’t think. I was trapped, immobile, a prisoner of
my own mind. Panic mingled with dread, flooding me with its inky,
blistering presence, consuming every bit of me until nothing was
left but a charred shell.
     

Chapter Seven
     
    Sebastian reached me before I hit the floor,
shouldering aside the revenants and Sally as they asked questions
about what was happening.
    “ I will see to her,”
Sebastian said to Sally as she ignored the closed door and followed
us into his bedroom.
    “ She is my charge,” Sally
started to say, but Sebastian cut her off, waving her out of the
room.
    “ She is mine now. I will
let no harm befall her.”
    To my great surprise, Sally just looked at
him for a few seconds, nodded, then left without even glancing
toward me. I felt oddly bereft…for the space of time it took for
Sebastian to lay me on the bed.
    “ Why did you not tell me,
Beloved?” he asked, his fingers gently brushing a strand of hair
back from my cheek.
    I turned my face so I wouldn’t have to see
the pity in his eyes. He didn’t like that, gently but irresolutely
forcing me to meet his gaze.
    “ It was not your brother
who was burned at the stake for his father’s sins, was
it?”
    “ No,” I said, choking on
the word, desperately pushing back the memories.
    Sebastian slid behind me,