Hell to Pay (The Harry Russo Diaries Book 4) Read online

  “Mmmm,” he purred, sucking my finger back into his mouth, “that tastes good.”

  I swallowed as the fire was stoked somewhere south of my belly button, and squirmed underneath him. “Maybe you better take another sample,” I said, pointing to the corner of my mouth. “I think I have some here too.”

  Nash grinned and released my hand, folding himself over my body, his chest pressing against mine. He pinned my arms above my head and then transferred their captivity to one hand so he could use the other to grasp my chin. He made a show of examining my mouth and then tilted my head to the side, bringing his face close to mine. “Yes, I think you might be right,” he whispered, his voice low and rough.

  When his tongue rasped across the corner of my mouth, sending a shiver down my spine, I moaned. His eyes widened for a split second before his mouth descended, his tongue plunging in to ravish mine.

  I felt him hard against me, and I slipped my hand from his to reach down between our bodies, tugging at the button on his jeans.

  With a groan, Nash tore his mouth from mine. “I have to go in to work,” he said, his voice flat.

  “Not even time for a quickie?” I slid my hand past his waistband. Mmmm, he was going commando today. Nice.

  “Only if I take you right here, right now,” he grumbled and my nether region quickly agreed.

  There was a quiet sound at the door and then a muffled voice said, “I’m coming in! Your private bits better all be covered.”

  The door swung open, and Tess stomped in, shaking off a few flakes of snow. She kicked off her boots and hung up her jacket without even looking at us and then headed across the room to the stairs.

  “Hi, Tess!” I shouted after her, trying not to giggle.

  “And you wonder why I need my own place,” she griped without slowing her pace.

  ***

  Tess’s arrival kiboshed whatever sort of quickie Nash and I were going to have, and since she had thumped off to her room in a mood and Nash had gone into the office, I suddenly found myself all alone with nothing to do.

  Reluctantly, I pulled out several of the ancient books Isaac had found on necromancy. I still had to figure out what all I needed to do to raise William Koenig’s zombie. With everything going on, I hadn’t been able to spend much time doing research.

  I was ready to call it quits for the night when Bryce’s computer screen blinked on.

  “Hey, Harry,” Bryce’s computerized voice called out through the speakers. “I’ve got something for you.”

  I sat down at the desk in front of the computer and gave a little wave to the camera perched on top. “Hey, Bryce. What’s up?”

  “I’ve been playing around with the recording from the GhostCam 3000, trying to clean it up a bit, and there’s something you’ve got to hear.”

  The robot animation Bryce often put up on the screen popped into view, holding a sign that said One Moment Please. After about ten seconds, he dropped the sign and picked up another one. This time it said Don’t Get Your Panties in a Twist. I couldn’t help but chuckle.

  Suddenly the screen went black, and then a window popped opened. A video of the inside of Susan Cooper’s house started to play.

  “I’m going to fast forward to the end,” Bryce said.

  The video sped forward, stopping just as the whirling vortex of books and cups came to a halt. Up until this point, the volume had been muted, but as the amorphous, red-and-yellow blob that was Darryl Leroy Sutcliffe appeared again and the vortex came to a sudden stop, Bryce turned up the volume so I could hear.

  On the recording, Tess yelped in surprise just as Darryl’s tremulous voice asked, “What’s happening?”

  “You need to leave now, Darryl. You don’t belong here.”

  “I-I…yes, I need to go.”

  There was another pause in the sound on the recording, and then I heard a small shuffling, followed by Tess’s, “What the fuck’s happening, Harry?”

  At this point in the recording, I remembered that I had felt something weird, a sudden chill in the room before there was a draw of energy on my aura. I still didn’t know what happened, and truthfully, I had sort of forgotten all about it until Bryce started playing the video, so what I heard next chilled me to the bone.

  “Well, well, well. What do we have here?” The voice was neither mine nor Darryl’s, the Southern drawl becoming more pronounced as the speaker continued. “Don’t you look like a right tasty, little morsel?”

  “Omigod!” I stared at the computer screen in shock. “Play that part over again!”

  Bryce complied, and as I watched, or rather, listened, the tiny hairs on the back of my neck stood up. My stomach clenched, and for a moment I thought I was going to lose my dinner.

  “I know that voice,” I said, shaking my head in denial.

  “There’s a bit more,” Bryce said. “Do you want to hear it?”

  “Play it,” I replied, feeling numb.

  The recording started to play again, and Seth’s distinctive voice purred, “So nice of y’all to open this handy little window for me here. It’s like, what is it called? Oh yes, drive-thru.”

  “No!” Darryl cried out on the recording “Who are you? Wait! Stop!”

  “Stop it, Bryce. Stop the recording.” I couldn’t listen anymore. I knew the rest. And now I had an explanation for why Darryl sounded so terrified when it came time for him to cross over. Because he didn’t. Instead, his soul was taken by the creature that I now knew as Seth, a.k.a. the Collector.

  Chapter Sixteen

  The air was filled with laughter and music, lights flashed and bells rang.

  I was surrounded, the press of people crowding in on me.

  After a moment’s disorientation, I realized where I was—back at Wishes—but thankfully it was only a dream. It had to be. How else could I be there? Nash’s team had the club shut down. No one could enter or leave, and yet it seemed to be in full swing.

  I looked around to orient myself and discovered I was very close to the fountain that had eluded my inspection last time. Elbowing through the crowd, I made my way towards it. Unlike my previous visit, there no longer seemed to be any sort of enchantment preventing me from drawing close. Although perhaps there still was for everyone else because as I shoved my way through the dancing, writhing bodies, the crowd thinned, and I stumbled forward when I encountered no further resistance. I caught myself before I fell flat on my face and came to a stop in a space in front of the fountain, devoid of anyone but me. Curiosity won over caution, and I turned my attention to the watery monument, ignoring the rest of my surroundings.

  As I had surmised from my last visit, the fountain looked like something more at home in Rome than a warehouse full of horny, dancing norms. Carved from marble, there was a large central figure rising up from the middle. Definitely male—it was kind of hard to miss his massive semi-erect penis and set of cojones that would do a horse proud—the statue had a body to match his manly bits, muscular to the point of being beefy. He had a full and flowing head of wavy hair and a long, bushy beard that would make even the most enthusiastic lumbersexual proud. The oddest thing about him (cojones not withstanding) was the small brazier he held in one hand. The flame burned brightly, dancing in its marble bowl to the tune of the splashing water. I had never seen the two elements, fire and water, juxtaposed like that before.

  Still, it wasn’t until I looked closer at the rest of the fountain and the remaining statues that I began to feel uneasy. From a distance, the central figure appeared to watch over the other scantily clad statues as they danced and cavorted in front of him. On closer inspection, however, it was much more disturbing. The figures were men and women of all shapes and sizes. They were naked and the men were much more modestly endowed. Their faces were contorted in grimaces of pain and terror because what I had mistaken for wisps of clothing were actually flames licking up the sides of their bodies. The smaller statues were writhing in pain as they were burned alive at the feet of the much bigger cent
ral statue who wore an unmistakeable look of pleasure. The entire thing was disturbing.

  Unable to look at it any longer, I leaned on the side of the basin and gazed down at the water below, only to gasp in surprise. The pool was an eerie glowing blue colour. The water itself appeared to be just water (at least the stuff spraying out of the various jets around the fountain appeared to be nothing out of the ordinary), but the pool below was teeming with something that appeared almost eel-like, if eels were long, glowing blue, amorphous blobs.

  “Why, Harry, sugar, so glad you have finally arrived.”

  Startled by Seth’s voice behind me, I spun, reaching for my katana, but it wasn’t there. I looked down at myself. I was dressed Nash’s old RPD Academy T-shirt and nothing else. It was what I had worn to bed. Even my feet were bare.

  I glanced furtively around me, keeping my eye on Seth. There was no sign of any of his cronies; I was alone with him standing in front of the fountain. He grinned and winked at me. “I thought you were never going to fall asleep and join us.”

  Say what? Seth’s words sent a shiver down my spine. I was dreaming. I know I was. So why did it feel so real, and how could I dream such a vivid description for something I had never seen up close?

  I peered at the bare skin of my arm and pinched it.

  “Ow!”

  “Now, sugar, don’t go abusing your pretty self.”

  “I felt that! How could I have felt that? I’m dreaming. I’m not really here.”

  Seth smiled slyly and shrugged. “Well, you are dreaming, but you are here just the same—at least the important bits.”

  “That’s impossible,” I said with more confidence than I felt.

  Seth arched his eyebrows at me. “Is it really now, Angharad Grainne Russo?”

  My name! Of course. Max was worried about what Seth could do with my full name, and now I guess I had found out. I glanced around the packed club. Maybe not as busy as it had been before but still crowded. “Are all these people dreaming like me?”

  “All your dreams come true at Wishes,” Seth replied with a toothy grin.

  So that’s why Nash and the SRU only found about thirty people in the club the night they raided it. The rest of the people weren’t physically there. They were astral projections—their souls had left their physical bodies at home and had come out to play. When Nash and Max had broken in, they only entered the warehouse in our realm. The pocket realm had remained hidden from them.

  “What do you want from me?” I asked suspiciously.

  Seth made a clicking sound with his tongue, shaking his head. “Harry, may I call you Harry?” He continued without waiting for an answer. “Harry, let’s not be hasty here. We can be friends. I just know it. Join me for a little libation.” He gestured with his hand like he was Vanna White, and a small round wicker table and chairs appeared (in white, of course).

  “No, thanks.” I crossed my arms and stared at him, unwilling to move.

  Seth’s eyes locked with mine in a game of who would blink first. After a minute, his blue eyes narrowed, and then they changed. It was like he blinked, but didn’t. Instead of his eyelids closing over his eyes like they would for a normal blink, a clear membrane slid across the surface of his eyes from the corner of his nose outwards, and his pupils elongated until they were tiny upright slits of black in an iris of yellow.

  “Please, I do insist.” He smiled at me with his lizard eyes and then blinked and it was if it had never happened.

  He stepped towards me, reaching out, and I jumped back. “Don’t touch me.”

  “Come now, sugar. You already know I don’t need to touch you to get a taste.”

  As if to demonstrate, the air around me cooled as something pulled on my aura, siphoning energy from me. I sucked in a surprised breath, and my knees buckled.

  “Sit,” Seth said, his voice hard.

  The wicker chair appeared behind me, and I sank into it, more because if I didn’t, I would fall on my ass than because he told me to.

  Seth sat in the chair across the small table from me, looking pleased as punch. “There now, isn’t this nice?” He picked up the pitcher of lemonade that wasn’t there a moment ago and poured two glasses. “Have a drink. You have my word as a gentleman that it is only lemonade.”

  With a shaky hand, I reached out to the glass to take it. “I’ll hold you to your word Set Zaeb—”

  “SILENCE!” Seth roared at me, casting away the pitcher so it landed on the floor with a crash. “Where did you learn that name?” he asked, his voice dripping with menace.

  I set the glass back down with deliberation and looked at him squarely. “I have my resources,” I replied, trying to play it cooler than I felt. My heart was pounding in my chest. I struggled to slow it down and restore some calm, hoping to buy time while I strengthened my shields. I didn’t feel like being a Harry-flavoured milkshake again. “What I don’t understand is why you’re here and not your brother.”

  “Asar!” Seth all but spit out the name. “My brother was nothing more than a mewling, puny king. He thought he was a god, and yet now he is nothing but dust, and I shall be an Emperor in Duat.”

  Whoa, talk about your career aspirations.

  “Does your boss know about your plans to usurp him? Somebody better tell Asmodeus not to go to any dinner parties with you.”

  For a split second, the skin around Seth’s eyes tightened and I could have sworn I saw fear. Wow, Asomdeus must be a real badass if this badass was afraid of him. Suddenly Seth smiled, his pearly white teeth glowing under the lights. “You know, darlin’, you are awfully bold for someone in your situation. I like it.”

  “And what situation would that be? The one where you plan on sucking me dry like you nearly did my friend, Tess? Like you’re doing to all these people?” I waved a hand out over the nearby crowd. They were dancing and partying, oblivious to the danger they were in.

  “Ahhh, the dear Therese Fuentes. She is a tasty morsel and oh so easy to read.” Seth leaned back in his chair as if reminiscing. “So many of these pathetic souls come here seeking fame and fortune, full of lust and greed. They want it all. But not your dear Miss Tess. All she wants is to be loved. She dreams of finding a mate like your Cian Nash.”

  I frowned at Seth’s use of Nash’s name. What else had he found out from Tess? Poor Tess. I knew she was having a hard time with the idea that I was mated to Nash. Not that she was jealous of me or anything. I know she’s happy for me. But I also know it is her deepest, darkest desire to be mated and have a family of her own. I scowled at Seth. How dare he use her like that?

  “So that’s what you do? Suck people dry while feeding them illusions of their dreams coming true? Like you did to Tess?”

  Seth appeared unaffected by my accusations and merely shrugged. “Your friend was never in danger. The dual-natured cannot be bought, but they do make for a tasty snack. And they recuperate so quickly.” With a flash of his teeth Seth tipped his chin at the crowd beyond, and I followed his gaze.

  “Tess?” I rose to my feet, pushing back the chair. “Tess!”

  Tess, dressed in an extremely short, tight red dress, was dancing in the centre of a mob of men, booty bumping and grinding, running her hands all over herself and them. Most of the men were dressed in variations of the white leather fetish wear that seemed to be the uniform for Team Daemon.

  “What is she doing here?” I glared at Seth. “What are you doing? Send her back.”

  “She’s here of her own free will, just like all the others.” He waved a hand out over the club. I looked around at all the people—men and women, many acting out similar scenes to Tess’s. A woman who appeared to be in her fifties was being double-teamed by a couple of daemons disguised as buff young men, an expression of pure pleasure on her face. The daemons were kissing her arms and neck, sucking her life force. Suddenly, the woman gasped in shock and keeled over. The daemons backed away, letting her fall, apparently indifferent to her distress. Before her body hit the floor she d
isappeared. A second later, an imp popped into view beside me, and I jumped back in surprise. The imp ignored me, running around my chair to the fountain. He leaned over the edge of the basin and proceeded to regurgitate a glowing blue mass into the water below, before popping out of sight. WTF?

  “Ahhh,” Seth purred. “Another for my collection. How nice.”

  I gaped at him. That’s what the glowing blue things were? Souls? I quickly found Tess in the crowd again. “Tess!” I shouted, trying to get her attention. “Wake up!” I moved to go to her only to find my way blocked. The beefy goons from my previous visit were standing in front of me like a wall of muscle between me and Tess.

  “We are not finished with our conversation yet, sugar. Do sit down.”

  “No. I have nothing to say to you.” I made a move to dash around the goons, and the closest one stepped forward, holding a black police baton. He gave it a flick, allowing the baton to expand to its full length, and smiled at me menacingly. I hesitated. I was dreaming, so could he really hurt me? The realization that I had felt it when I pinched myself seemed answer enough for me.

  “Don’t be tiresome, sugar.” Seth sounded bored. “Sit yourself down.” At his words, the goon squad advanced, all brandishing batons. Where was my flaming sword when I needed it?

  With a scowl at Seth, I flopped back down in my chair and crossed my arms. “I have nothing to say to you until Tess is back home safe.”

  Seth rolled his eyes with much exaggeration. “Fine. She’s gone. She’s of no use to me anyway.” He waved his hand, and the wall of goons parted. Tess blinked out of sight and I breathed a sigh of relief.

  “And you promise not to lure her back here or let her come back here ever again.” I leaned forward so only he could hear me. “Swear on your name, Set Zaebos.”

  Seth’s eyes became deadly, the reptilian pupils snapping back into place as his body seemed to swell, the muscles in his arms and neck bulging, until he towered over me from his seat. “You will not use that name,” he roared. He reached out a bloated hand, the veins bulging under his skin, as if to grab me by my nonexistent collar, and I steeled myself against the draw on my aura. I waited, holding my breath, but nothing happened. A surprised look came over Seth’s face and I blinked, realizing my shields had held. He wasn’t able to steal my life force. Seth’s eyes widened and then quickly narrowed as he scowled at me. “I swear, on my name, Set Zaebos, your friend Therese Fuentes will be safe. I will not lure her here again.”