Ruby Shadows (Born to Darkness #3)(148)

“And it was so thoughtful of you to remember I can only have juice.” Taylor smiled and took a sip of her OJ. “But what did you mean that Eryn needs a strong protector? I thought the demon who captured her and wanted her back—that Dru..Dri…”

“Druaga,” I told her.

“Right—the pig-headed one. I thought he was dead?” Taylor asked.

Laish sighed. “He is. Unfortunately, certain events have come to light that make it clear he was not the only threat to the little angel’s safety.”

“What? What do you mean?” I’d been about to take a sip of the wonderful smelling wine but now I put down my glass, disturbed. “I thought Eryn was safe now that she’s out of Hell.”

“I wish I could say that she was.” Laish shook his head. “But I have been speaking to a contact in the Infernal Realm. Apparently, Druaga wasn’t holding Eryn for his own purposes. He had been contracted to capture and hold her for a much more powerful entity—a demon called Azaezal.”

“Azaezal?” I frowned. “I don’t remember you mentioning him.”

“That is because it is not wise to speak his name aloud in the Infernal Realm lest you wish him to appear and rend you limb from limb,” Laish said grimly. “Azaezal is the overlord of the Abyss. His power eclipses even my own—or the power I had before I gave it up to stay here in the Mortal Realm.”

“That doesn’t sound good. At all.” Addison said, frowning.

“It is not.” Laish frowned. “Azaezal is the strongest of Hell’s overlords, save Lucifer himself. He even has dominion over the Ancient Ones who live in the Abyss.” He looked at me seriously. “We were very lucky that he wasn’t there when we were closing the door you opened into his realm, mon ange.”

“But what does he want with Eryn?” I asked. “I mean, she’s gone from Hell now—beyond his reach. Wouldn’t you think he’d just try to capture another angel?”

“First of all, you must not assume that because Eryn is now in the Mortal Realm that she is beyond his reach,” Laish said, taking a sip of his own wine. “And secondly, if he wants Eryn, there must be something different about her—something special.”

“But what?” Addison asked.

Laish shrugged. “As to that, who can say? But it sounds to me as though Gwendolyn’s spell knew that the little angel would be in grave danger. It sent her to one of the only mortals in the world who might possibly be able to defend her from such a demonic threat.”

“Will we ever find out what became of her?” I asked. “Should I try to find Shadowlock and warn him? Do you think he’ll really protect her?”

“I think, mon ange, that if he is using such a strong spell to hide her, he is already aware of the threat and taking steps to combat it. As to protecting her, I do not believe your magic would have sent her to him otherwise.”


“But he’s a murderer,” Addison protested. “He’s evil.”

“So was I, before Gwendolyn gave me a reason to change,” Laish said quietly, taking my hand. “Perhaps Eryn may do the same for Shadowlock.”

“I hope so.” I said, squeezing his fingers. “I really do but poor Eryn…I just want her to be all right.”

“As to that, we will have to wait and see.” Laish squeezed my fingers back and leaned down to give me a small kiss. “There is nothing more to be done for the moment.”

Wait and see? I didn’t like the sound of that. I still wanted to find my angel friend and make sure the warlock was treating her right. Treating her right and respecting her boundaries. I couldn’t help thinking of how she’d shivered when I just touched her shoulder, where her wings had been hidden. Then I thought of how big and muscular he’d been when he appeared in the Mirror of the Eye.

Would Shadowlock treat her right? Would he protect her without hurting her? Was there a decent human being buried somewhere inside him, behind that mask of a spell that kept anyone from seeing his face?

I didn’t know but I hoped for Eryn’s sake there was. I really hoped so.