Page 93 of The Last Slayer
I’d let another person die. And I couldn’t even blame it on inexperience this time.
My fault. Again.
Or was it?
No supernatural had ever entered a dream like that during one of my hunts. So why would they suddenly decide to start now? Who would want to mess things up so I’d do as I was told?
Ramiel.
I stood up, took a step away from Mary. “Come on, Ramiel. I know you’re around here somewhere.”
He wasn’t there, and then suddenly he was, radiating vitality. His presence made the room seem smaller and somehow tawdry. My heart beat like I was a teenager on a first date. And a heat that had nothing to do with the temperature in the condo dried my mouth.
Focus, Ashera. He isn’t like you. He’s all wrong for you.
“What did you do to her?”
He gave me a look. “Pray lay the blame where it belongs, Ashera. You called the beasts into her psyche. They aren’t known for their delicacy.”
I turned to him fully. Was this another of his elaborate setups? I wanted so badly to believe it wasn’t, that he wouldn’t go this far, but I couldn’t be sure. “I didn’t ‘call’ anything. I was reinforcing my wall of containment.”
“You are a dragonlady, but also by blood a slayer. Like it or not, the slayers’ creatures will answer your summons against lesser demons. Unfortunately, you don’t yet have the level of control necessary to wield your new power with finesse.”
I must have looked skeptical, because Ramiel said, “Ashera. I give you my word I had nothing to do with this.” He went close to Mary, tilted his head as though he were listening. “Her psyche’s been ruptured.”
I hated to ask, but I had no choice. “Can you fix her?”
“Yes.”
I waited a beat. “Well?”
“Well what?” He looked at me curiously, and I could just imagine what was going on in his immortal mind. She’s going to die anyway…what’s a few decades more or less?
“It’s not fair for her to pay for my mistake.”
I couldn’t let her die because of me, but I was afraid Ramiel might not feel the same way. We’d parted badly, and I’d told him my life wasn’t with the dragonlords but with mortals. He might force me to watch Mary die so I knew I shouldn’t be among such fragile creatures.
Please don’t, I wanted to say but didn’t dare. I held my breath and waited.
“Fair.” Something flickered in his eyes, then disappeared. “Life is unfair. However, since you wish it…”
He extended a hand toward her. Power poured out, bathing her in reparative magic. It reflected off her skin, limning the room in silver, as soothing as a hymnal. I guess it was true that I was becoming more sensitive, because I could see the faint iridescent outline of her torn psyche closing up, healing and reinvesting itself in her body. I’d never seen a psyche before, not in its pure form, and it was beautiful. My knees felt weak with relief. Mary wasn’t going to die. I hadn’t screwed everything
up, and I had Ramiel to thank.
There was an agonizingly long moment. Then Mary opened her eyes.
“What happened?” she croaked.
“Nothing. The demon’s dead. Are you…are you okay?”
“Yeah.” She looked at Ramiel and there was an immediate surge of undisguised interest. “Who is he?”
I felt my eyes narrowing. Jeez…hadn’t she just been dead? “A colleague. An apprentice hunter.”
Ramiel didn’t say anything, although I did sort of feel his head turn toward me.
“You guys should open up a modeling agency or something.” She shook her head. “What a waste.”
