Page 112 of The Cruelest Undead

“Oh, it’s not much, but it’s enough to hold you for twenty-four hours. That means you won’t be able to get out and help the asshole you’ve put into play.”

She screamed and shook the bars.

And the searing pain knocked her to the floor where she landed on her ass.

Oh…

It was a sight to be seen to know that she was this irritated. She was red, cursing, and all stirred up.

This.

Was.

Fun.

Instead of dealing with her outburst, Jacques simply tucked the vial away.

“Checkmate, Fate. You’re always bitching about destroying the fabric of fate, but here you are, helping raise the dead, and making a mess.”

She protested.

“You can’t do this,” she hissed, and as she did, she let him see her true form. Her eyes bled black, and she had scales all over her body. She was green, evil, and the real snake in the garden.

Gone was the façade, and in its place was reality.

“I did do it, and I will contain you. Next time you go into my mind and steal what isn’t yours, to give away, keep in mind that I can get your blood. It was rather easy. When you live in a garden, there are bugs. You’d think a snake like you would befriend the other creatures.”

She gasped.

“I hate you. When I get out…”

He grinned.

“Oh, well, I hate you too. That’s why I’m putting you out of play for twenty-four hours. You bet it all on Mathew, andThe Vampyre’s Cross, but he won’t findThe Necromancer’s Sword.”

She.

Was.

Pissed.

“Now, where was I?” he asked, going back around his desk. “Oh, yeah. I was looking for a sword that we were going to put into Pandora’s Box for safe keeping.”

A big book fell from the ceiling, and he went back to work. The pages flipped, and he picked up a quill to dip it into a bottle of blood.

“Enjoy your stay in my realm,” he said.

Then, he whistled.

The walls came alive with every creature he commanded. Each was a soul-filled being in his servitude for their crimes against humanity.

“She’s not going to be around her garden. May I suggest you go, get your pestilence on, and destroy it. Take it to the ground so there isn’t a shred of plant life left. Make it mine, and fill it withDEATH.”

She wailed as the bugs scurried away, off to do his bidding.

“You can’t take my garden. It’s my realm.”

He laughed.

---