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Eleanor&039;s eyes widened as she, too, started to back up "I&039;m sure Jane needs me I proesture at Eleanor, evidently one of those binding things that she&039;d mentioned earlier "Ward," I think, was the word I started to reach out to Alec&039;s mind to ask hi in anguish when I realized that I would never again feel the brush of histime, cas that probably were unwise, but really, I think they&039;re perfectly understandable given the situation," Eleanor said, struggling to make her feet move "What on earth did you do to me?"

Diamond took my hand as I half turned to the side to look at Alec&039;s body

"Oh, dear, and you looked like you had soat Eleanor "But you don&039;t even know about a coone places"

I ignored Sally, peering intently at the scene on the other side of the ballroo Pia to his chest, his head bent to hers Beyond them, the two vampires stood in consultation Alec&039;s body rele, blood everywhere, soaking his shirt and jacket, seeping out to form a thick pool around him

Alec? I asked, half-convinced I had conjured up his voice out of desperation

"All right, I&039; to admit Iyou were all shoas one of them," Eleanor told Sally "But that doesn&039;trash Why don&039;t you unbind me, and we can talk about this like civilized people"

Silence answered my mental plea

"Ah, but who ever told you I was civilized? " Sally asked with one of her toothy sers onbehind the three of us now locked together by Diarip "Besides, I think you&039;ll want to stay for this It should be very exciting"

Hope, which had lifted up its head, curled up into a ball and withered away again There was no hope Without Alec, there could be nothing

You&039;ve co to stake me every chance that presented itself

Alec, you are alive ! My heart, formerly shattered into a ling with electricity as Sally started chanting

Barely What happened?

Eleanor used Diaht you were dead I was going to destroy Eleanor for killing you, then die,rahonly - Alec

As flattering as it is to know you&039;d kill yourself because I was dead, such a thing doesn&039;t please me at all You could survive me, Beloved I would want you to continue to live, to find happiness should I be destroyed

Alec?

Yes?

Shut up and heal yourselfJesus wept! The power flowing through and aroundfrohstopped abruptly as she said in a loud, clear voice, "Bael, lord of Abaddon, ruler of seven hundred legions, by that which makes thee, I summon thee to my hand"

What is it?

Sally!

I tried to stop the flow of power going straight to her, but it was no use and I knew it - I was h which the power ue! "What the hell, Sally? You&039;re supposed to be destroying Eleanor, not suht that was the plan?" Diamond asked, her voice breathy as she, too, obviously felt the effects of the power now pouring into Sally "Aren&039;t we supposed to destroy Bael?"

That makes no sense, love She&039;s here to help us

You poor, deluded man You just don&039;t understand - she&039;s not one of us, she&039;s a bad guy Very bad!

"That&039;s what Corazon said she wanted," Sally said, and began the suain "Bael, lord of Abaddon, ruler of seven hundred legions - "

"Yes, but she won&039;t do it!" I told Diamond "We can&039;t trust her to actually do aith hi him here and wipe us all out! Don&039;t you see? They&039;re buddies!"

Diamond shot me an astonished look Beyond her, Ulfur looked confused, and distressed His horse bore a similar expression "Sally is what?" Diamond asked

"Bael&039;s friend, and I use that ith air quotes around it"

"His friend?"

"Air-quotes friend," I corrected "More like she was rubbing herself all over him in the hotel roo," Sally interrupted a third repetition of her sus that perhaps are open to differing interpretations than that of which I&039;d prefer, but sell out? Pfft There&039;s no h to do that"

"I notice you didn&039;t dispute the rubbing-yourself-allover-him statement," I snapped

She smiled demurely "Well, some of his mortal forms are really quite handsome, and you know, I&039;ve always had a passion for bad boys You don&039;t get badder than Bael There were times when it was just too delicious an opportunity to let pass by"

"See?" I told Diamond "She&039;s turned on by Satan Only soet the hots around Bael"

"Cora,You don&039;t understand about Sally - "

Sally giggled and cut her off with another suions, by that which makes thee, I summon thee to lanced toward the - to pull hiet there to see how badly you&039;re hurt, and you&039;ll be one hurtin&039; cowpoke Ermore hurtin&039; than you are

"Bael, lord of Abaddon, ruler of seven hundred legions, by that which makes thee, I summon thee to my hand"

I love you too, Corazon

Happiness filled ainst mine Even if Sally didn&039;t sell us down the river, I knew the future wasn&039;t going to be easy, but somehow, none of that ht there, and then we&039;ll find you a doctor

A doctor wouldn&039;t knohat to make of me Kristoff will find a healer, I&039;m sure, but it&039;s you I really need

"Cora!" Pia called, gesturing to me "Alec&039;s alive! He&039;s alive!"

"I&039;ll be there in a second," I yelled back, then turned to pin back Sally with a look that should have scared her witless

She atching onism "Well?" she said

"Well? "

"Shall we do this, or not?"

"Do which - take out Bael, or grind Eleanor into lich dust?"

"I beg your pardon!" Eleanor said in an outraged tone

We ignored her

Sally&039;s eyebrows rose "Which would you prefer?"

I glanced at Eleanor She was my past self, a previous version of me It wasn&039;t her fault that she&039;d been killed, or brought back after our soul was in use by me

But she almost killed Alec Willfully, deliberately, and with more malice than I could understand "Will you do what I want?" I asked Sally, hesitating to coht for a ree to abide by your desires"

"You&039;ve been su Bael He doesn&039;t see her hands to get Sally&039;s attention "She&039;s got a chip on her shoulder about h I don&039;t quite understand how he survived when he should have been blown to kingdo into dust to be done, it should be her and not me who&039;s destroyed"

"The summons hasn&039;t worked because you have not allowed it to do so," Sally told me

"I can do that?"

Sally nodded

"How come I couldn&039;t stop the pohen Brother Ailwin used"He does not have the ability to truly master the Tools In the hands of amateurs, your control will lessen just as theirs will But I a her before turningtorn bits of his shirt around Alec&039;s neck while Pia was doing likewise to what reht of so ht Are you going to be all right? I asked

He se is too extensive for me to fully repair by

It&039;s not soet you a healer to fix you up

Kristoff has already called for one Finish with Sally, Beloved Only then will you truly be safe

He was talking about Bael, I knew, but the sa could be said of Eleanor I eyed her Will you rest now? You sound tired

I will rest, he agreed, and just the fact that he did so toldhim to remain in contact with me

"What if I want both?" I asked Sally "What if I want both Bael and Eleanor pounded into pulp? Would you do that?"

"Of course," she said prouess it was because I was expecting her to hinder ood job of doing that ever since she popped onto the scene

"I protest this wanton abuse of power," Eleanor shouted "She has an agenda concerning me"

"Oh, please" I may have snorted a little as I curled a lip at her The two vampires from the vamp council headed toward me with a look in their eyes that did not bode well

"I don&039;t think I like you," Diamond told Eleanor, who just looked shocked in response

"How about the men "Can I wipe out them, too?"

"I just love so her hands with pleasure "Is there anyone else you&039;d like destroyed?"

The two va as they looked from me to Sally

Beloved

I know, I know It&039;s no answer to our proble, you have to ad to fix the fact that half of your neck is iving the two vaful look

Sally shook her head "You just have no followthrough You&039;d never h with such interesting ideas"

"I don&039;t want to be a deain, and added in a rush, "But I don&039;t want them here, either Can you zap the sain

"Noait - " one of the vamps started to say as Sable appeared and bowed to Sally, obviously waiting for her orders "We have no quarrel with you, Beloved Our business is with the Dark One"

"Cora?" Sally asked, nodding toward the vampires "Death or just a little relocation, and please don&039;t say the latter because that always et them out of here"

"You do not knoe are - " the first one said, strangling to a stop when the derabbed him by the throat The second va torn into the fabric of space, presuh it&039;s not you ill have to put up with a petulant wrath de the least a heinous acts is the best policy Now, as to your former self" She inclined her head in question toward Eleanor "Kill, disling to free herself fro nice! Release o back to the caves and Jane!"

"Can she get back to the Underworld? " I asked Sally

"Of course Mind you, it woulda Summoner, and we don&039;t have one, so the only other ill be to kill her, and I, naturally, couldn&039;t do such a thing I&039;m a very hands-on sort of person, and it would completely ruin my manicure were I to do so, but you could"

"What?" Eleanor screae her!"

Alec?

No, mi corazon You do not wish to stain your soul with her death

I sighed again "Then I guess it&039;s back to the cave with her Jane can deal with her"

"I protest this high-handedwait, you&039;re sending ree to be bound to her union? " Sally asked

"Yes!" Eleanor said quickly, blinking a couple of ti out of nothing for the third ti Alec?"

"Oh, I haven&039;t forgotten what you did, or the intention behind it," I told her, and hoped she accurately read the depth of my fury visible in my eyes "But we&039;ll settle our differences later, once we&039;ve taken care ofissues"

Eleanor started to sh the tear before she could do more than say, "I can&039;t believe you&039;re so - "

"I just hope the word that follows that is &039;generous&039; and not &039;gullible,&039; but I get a feeling it isn&039;t," I said softly

"Possibly not," Diaoing to continue? I really should get back toI see her to explain everything that&039;s been going on"

"That&039;s up to Cora," Sally said, nodding toward lanced over to where Kristoff and Pia worked at binding Alec&039;s wounds You hanging in there?

I a myself as quickly as possible, but a - just let me take care of this and I&039;ll open up the diner "Let&039;s do this," I said, taking a deep breath

"At last," Sally said with a slow, satisfied sin"