It took a long moment but at last she gave a small shake of her head. There was a sense of cold, looming danger, but it wasn't the same.
"It's not the same demon."
"I don't know whether to be relieved or disappointed." Viper gave a shake of his head before holding out his hand. "Come, we need to get out of here."
Shay widened her gaze. "Wouldn't it be safer to stay?"
"We'd be trapped."
"At least we have weapons." she pointed out.
He shrugged. "We need someplace we can run if things go to hell."
"If they go to hell?" she choked in disbelief.
A faint smile curved his lips before he bent down to place a kiss just beneath her ear.
"The fun has just started, pet," he whispered.
Collecting a pair of daggers that he fit into his boots and a small amulet hung on a leather thong Viper led Shay and the gargoyle from the armory.
The hellhounds were dead but that hovering demon remained a distant threat that could not be ignored. He didn't want to be cornered with no means of escape when it finally attacked. Not when he couldn't be entirely confident he was capable of besting the stalking demon.
Choosing a narrow tunnel that led away from the house he moved with a silent urgency that had Shay muttering beneath her breath and the tiny gargoyle stumbling to keep up. He ignored their complaints as he flowed through the darkness and at last came to the stairs he sought.
"This way." he commanded, standing aside so Shay and the gargoyle could pass.
Both halted to regard him with suspicion. He should have known it would be too much to hope they could simply do as he requested without a prolonged argument.
"Where does this lead?" Shay demanded.
"To a chamber beneath the garage. We will attempt to hold off the demon from there, but if we fail it will give you the opportunity to flee."
Her expression hardened. "You think that I'll leave you... I mean, leave Levet to fight off a demon that is obviously after me?"
"We have no choice." Viper reached out to grasp her arm. "Neither the gargoyle nor I can leave these tunnels, not until night has fallen. We can only give you time to escape,"
Levet heaved a rasping sigh. "He's right, Shay. You have to go."
"Forget it. I..." Shay's words came to a halt as the sound of rumbling came from behind them. "Shit."
"The time to argue is over."
Keeping his grip on Shay's arm he forced her up the steps into the small chamber. Once at the narrow ladder he reached into his pocket to retrieve the small amulet and placed it around her neck.
She glanced down in confusion. "What is that?"
"The amulet holds a spell that will mask your presence from the demon."
A strange expression rippled over her pale face. "Magic?"
"So I have been assured," he muttered. "Forgive me."
"What?" Shay gave a small squeak of pain as he reached up to tug several strands of her hair from her head. "What the hell was that for?"
Viper tucked the hair into his pocket. "At least some scent of you must remain here or the demon will become suspicious. Now you must go."
Expecting another argument Viper was startled when she gave a sharp nod of her head. "Yes."
"Wait until Levet and I have left the chamber before you climb the ladder and push open the trapdoor. The keys to the cars are hung on the wall. Just take one and go as far from here as you can."
"Okay."
Viper didn't trust this sudden compliance. Shay was precisely the sort of woman to insist on going down with the ship. A Joan of Arc just waiting to happen. For God's sake, he had been preparing to physically throw her from the tunnels.
Framing her face with his hands he glared into her wide eyes. "I will have your word that you will leave, Shay."
Annoyance flashed in the golden eyes, but astonishingly she gave a nod of her head. "I will leave."
"Your word?"
"My word."
He gave a growl low in his throat He didn't doubt her pledge, but he couldn't shake the certainty that she was planning something ridiculously dangerous.
Unfortunately, any lecture he might have given her on foolish bravado was forced from his mind at the sound of cracking timbers and shattering earth.
The demon had lost patience and was forcing his huge bulk through the tunnels.
Devil's balls.
Without hesitation Viper bent his head and pressed a brief, hungry kiss to her lips. "Go, Shay," he whispered softly, and then giving her a gentle push toward the nearby ladder, he headed for the door.
Once again he braced himself for some protest, but with a smooth motion Shay had turned and was sprinting across the room. Viper hurried to leave the chamber and shut the door behind him. He could feel the heavy pressure of dawn already filling the sky. He had no desire to greet it up close and personal.
Back in the tunnel he moved to stand beside an obviously nervous Levet.
"Did she go?" the gargoyle muttered.
"Yes."
"She did?" Levet gave a startled blink. "You didn't hurt her, did you?"
"For once it was not necessary." Viper pulled his sword from its sheath as he prepared for the demon crashing through the tunnel. "She went quite eagerly."
"Sacrebleu. It can only mean she is plotting something stupid."
"No doubt," Viper agreed with a grimace. "For the moment, however, she is out of danger. We can only hope to disable the demon before she decides to return."
"Disable the demon, he says," Levet muttered beneath his breath, holding his dagger with an awkward hand. "More likely we are about to become an early morning snack."
Viper smiled with grim anticipation. "Not without a fight, my friend. The demon will discover that vampire meat is not so easy to come by."
The gargoyle gave an aggravated twitch of his tail, but thankfully he held his tongue as a glow began to fill the air and the looming demon thrust into view.
Viper clenched his teeth at the sight of the narrow, scaled head with its long snout and mouthful of razor teeth. Many would confuse the demon with a small dragon, but Viper knew the difference. It was the long-forgotten Lu. A creature feared throughout the demon world. One that was nearly impossible to defeat without magic. And he was fresh out of magic.
"Shit," he breathed.
"Shit, indeed," Levet said at his side. "Now what?"
"Do you possess any spells?"
Levet gave a disgusted snort. "Do you think if I possessed any spells I would still be here? I am not nearly so fond of you, vampire, as to gladly die at your side."
"I thought all gargoyles could use some magic," Viper muttered as he edged to the side and prepared for an attack.
"Oh sure, mock me as I'm about to die," Levet groused.
"You are not about to die, Levet. We are both immortals."
"Pah. We both know that even immortals can die. Usually in horrible ways."
Well, Viper could hardly argue. It was true enough.
"If you prefer, I could simply toss you to the demon and hope he would make your death a swift affair."
Whatever French curses hovered on Levet's lips were drowned out by the hissing rumble of the Lu.
Although the body of the demon was too large to slide through the tunnel without an effort, the serpentine neck allowed the black-scaled head to swing disturbingly close.
"I smell the Shalott." A forked tongue tasted the air. "Where have you hidden her?"
Viper's expression remained impassive as he concealed his relief that the Lu hadn't yet realized his quarry had escaped. There was nothing like centuries of practice to perfect the poker face.
"She is near enough, but I fear she is not overly anxious to meet with you," he drawled. "It seems that the charms of the elusive Lu are highly overrated."
The crimson eyes flashed with fury. Lu's had never been known for their sense of humor.
"You mock me at your peril, vampire."
Viper shifted closer to the wall. The faint, iridescent glow from the demon's scales would become blinding during a battle. He wanted to be in a position to be able to watch that deadly mouth when worst came to worst.
"I doubt my peril has anything to do with whether I mock you or not." He firmly kept the demon's attention on himself and away from the cowering Levet. "You're not here for my sparkling personality."
"True enough." At least the demon didn't try to deny his murderous intent. "Still I am not unreasonable. Hand her over and there is no need for you to die, vampire."
Viper smiled with cold disdain. "Oh, I have no intention of dying. Not by your hands. Or rather, by your teeth."
The angry hiss made the entire tunnel shiver in warning. "Brave words, but unless you have more than a stunted gargoyle to lend you assistance you are no match for me."
There was an angry buzz of wings as Levet took swift exception to the insult.
"Stunted?" the gargoyle huffed. "Why you overgrown worm, I'll—"