Ruby Shadows (Born to Darkness #3)(141)

“I hope Eryn’s all right too,” I said earnestly. “And I promise I’ll try to get some answers about her when I talk to Laish.”

“After you get your own answers,” Addison said.

“Exactly,” I said, grimly. “For right now I need to get his demon-ass on the line and find out what the Hell is going on.”

I just hoped he would answer my call.

* * * * *

Laish

“Mon ange, how very nice to see you again.” I smiled at my little witch, speaking through the magic fire she’d used to call me to her.

“I need to talk to you.” I could see her frowning through the flames but I knew she couldn’t see me. “Where are you, Laish? Why aren’t you answering my summons?”

“I am answering your summons,” I said patiently. “I simply cannot come to you as easily as I once could for…various reasons.”

“Well, I really need to talk to you. Face to face.” She was frowning and she had one hand planted on her lush, rounded hip. “Now.”

“If you want to see my face one of us must come to the other,” I told her.

“What? Why?” she demanded.

“I will explain it later. When I see you,” I said. “Now, would you rather that I come to you and meet you at your grandmother’s house or do you wish to come to me?”

She bit her lip. “I don’t know if having you here is a good idea. Grams is glad I came back safe but I still don’t think you’re on her list of favorite people.”

“Understandable,” I said evenly. “After all, I did take her granddaughter’s innocence.”

“Um…” Gwendolyn looked uncomfortable. “She doesn’t know about that. I didn’t tell her.”

I raised an eyebrow.

“Why, Gwendolyn—have you been lying to her?”

“No,” she said defensively. “She didn’t ask and I didn’t tell. We’ve just been sort of…skirting around the issue.”

“Technically, she never needs to know, I suppose,” I remarked. “After all, it’s not as though your powers have lessened any as a result, have they?”

Her eyes narrowed. “See, that’s one of the things I want to talk to you about. Along with the fact that you were able to close that door to the Abyss and use the thrak to kill Druaga.”

I spread my hands though I knew she couldn’t see me.

“If you do not wish to meet at your grandmother’s house, perhaps you could come to me.”

“That depends. Where are you?”

I gave her the address of my estate on Siesta Key. “It is just outside of Sarasota,” I said. “To get here…”


“I’ll just use the Maps ap on my phone—I can find it,” she said. “All right, I should be there in an hour or so. But I still don’t understand why you can’t just appear so we can talk.”

“All will be made clear in time,” I promised her. “And I am glad you are coming to visit me—I have an old friend staying at my place I think you will be glad to see.”

“Who?” she demanded. “What old friend?”

“You’ll find out. I will see you soon, mon ange. Please drive carefully.”

I ended our connection and took a deep breath. I had been anticipating Gwendolyn’s call since the moment we parted. Though time is usually fleeting for one like me, who has lived so many eons, the days had seemed to drag on and on as I waited to hear from her. I both longed to see her sweet face again and dreaded what it would mean when I did.

For I knew by the tone of her voice and the fire in her eyes that she finally understood what I had done to her. The depth of my betrayal had finally become clear.

Which meant this meeting could very well be our last.



Chapter Thirty-six

Gwendolyn





The drive from Tampa to Sarasota isn’t too bad as long as traffic is light. Luckily it was a weekend so even though I was leaving around six o’clock, I had smooth sailing all the way. I left a note for Grams, of course, telling her I was going to a friend’s house. I hoped she’d think that I went to visit with Taylor or Addison—I knew she’d be really unhappy if she knew I was going to see Laish. All she’d talked about this whole past week was what a narrow escape I’d had and how I was “well-shut” of that demon. Though I’d explained how he had saved my life multiple times, Grams just couldn’t bring herself to like him. Not that I think she was trying very hard.

By the time I was pulling into the long, curving drive which was graveled with broken white sea shells instead of pebbles, the sun was almost setting. There was a big, scrolled gate at the end of the drive but it opened automatically for me before I could even reach for the call box. Apparently Laish was watching for my arrival.

I drove my little car up to a vast stone mansion, perched on the edge of the beach and surrounded on all sides by lush, tropical growth. It looked like a giant seashell itself, painted as it was with the pink and orange light of the setting sun.

“Wow…” I muttered. Even knowing what Laish was, I couldn’t help feeling a little intimidated by this display of wealth. The house looked like the kind of thing that took an army of servants to keep up and its location was just perfect.