Page 23 of Seph

“I don’t know, vampire. But those stories you’ve heard about me kidnapping an unwilling bride are false. I took her for a day, out of danger. When I asked her to leave,beggedher to leave, she would not. She stayed. She and I... We fell in love. Shechoseme.” Hades put a fist over his heart. “I know in my heart that she has not chosen another. Our bond is too strong. Have you never felt that? Your kind... at leastsomeof your kind can love.”

“I’ve felt it. Hasn’t been returned.” Simeon pretended the tires on the Mustang were fascinating.

Hades peered at him, then nodded slowly. “I am sorry for that. But perhaps there is another in your future.”

I don’t want another.

I want Emily to see me like I see her. Like something worth more than fighting and dying for. Something worth living for.

“You know how to cause pain, don’t you, you with your threats and your fancy cars? Look, I’ll go on this wife-hunt for you. Certainly don’t want to spend the rest of my afterlife in a pit with shitting monsters and no plumbing. Can you conjure up a sparkly portrait of the missus?”

Hades reached into the pouch again, and another cloud emerged, much larger this time.

Simeon’s jaw dropped, and he struggled to keep in his wolf-whistle.

If there had been a contest to see if a woman could look youthful but wise, radiant like spring but dark as death... If there could be a beauty made of opposites—wait a minute.

Emily. The strongest and deadliest hunter, the fragilest and shyest flower. An old soul in a young body, the beauty of the sun who had been taught to live in shadows. Someone who had always traveled, and the only one who had ever made him long for home.

Simeon stopped staring before Hades got the wrong idea. “She reminds me of someone.”

“Seph has no equal,” Hades said reverently, hand ghosting over the glittering, frozen face. “This is shortly before our wedding. I captured her image.”

Simeon studied the gentle face, the yellow hair with its fiery streaks, the pallor of her skin that was incongruous with the pink of her lips and cheeks. Before he could speak, Hades reached into the bag again. “Here is our wedding day. Oh, and here she is when she was expecting Zag. Ah, and this is her and Milly visiting Demeter in England when Europe was our power center. She had a farm in Chipping Norton—although back then it wasn’t called Chipping Norton, I imagine. Oh, and here—”

“How can someone who sorts souls all day be such a bloody family man?” Simeon burst out, feeling rather claustrophobic as image after image of Hades’ family walled him in.

Hades snapped his fingers, and the images vanished. “What they call me is notallthat I am. One week from midnight, vampire.”

“Wait! Any special instructions? What am I supposed to do, go looking around Ohio, asking if anyone’s been turned into a newt?”

“Idaho, and yes, that might be a good place to start. Oh, about the car. Super unleaded. And watch the speed. Think slowly until you get used to it if you put it in H-Mode.”

“Think? H-Mode? Like Hyperdrive?” Simeon winced, wondering if Hades was also a Trekkie and if the Lord of Death used an air freshener in his car.

“Hades-Mode. Think of your destination, and you’ll be there in a matter of minutes. If you're simply driving through town, make sure the H-Mode button isnotengaged. I don’t want a fleet of dead pedestrians blaming me for your carelessness.”

Simeon slid into the front seat and found Hades beside him. “Did you do that to your wife? Keep sneakin’ up behind her? Maybe she didn’t like it. OW! Ow, I’m sorry!” Simeon apologized as a column of flame suddenly danced across his lap.

“This is the H-Mode button.” Hades pointed to a small silver button next to the CD player. “This button,” he pointed to a small black button, “switches from radio to CD. Don’t mix them up. That could be nasty.”

“I bet. So I just think, ‘Take me to Emily Van Helsing’s place’ and—bloody fuck!” Simeon shouted as his entire body went airborne and his head kissed the windshield. In the time it had taken to form the thought, a split second, the car had crossed town in a single metaphysical bound. “Why didn’t you tell me you pushed the bloody button!?”

“I’m in the car. Whenever I’m in the car, it’s in H-Mode.” The god shrugged complacently and waved his hand, repairing the long spider web of cracking glass made by Simeon’s skull. “This is Emily Van Helsing’s? She’s a strange girl. Do you know, she’s gotten on Charon’s ferry twice, then hopped back off. Death just won’t stick! Get it? River Styx?”

Simeon winced guiltily. One of those times was probably when he’d kicked her out of that window in London. “You even make Dad jokes.” Simeon rolled his eyes. “And you’re not great with the details, I hafta say.”

“Some people learn by doing. You know how H-Mode works now. And the horn button brings the car to your location. Immediately. So don’t use the horn button on the key fob.”

“What about the horn on the car itself?” Simeon braced as Hades reached over and tapped the steering wheel. The first bars of Gunod’sFuneral Marchtooted out. “What sort of a god are you?” Simeon demanded, utterly at a loss. Fierce, funny, sad, commanding, helpless, devoted... he felt like he could chuck the entire linguist’s thesaurus at him and adjectives would stick to him.

“A miserable one.” Hades smiled, showing something cruel in the set of his canines and gleaming white teeth. “One who is just about out of patience. Are you here to request Miss Van Helsing’s help?”

“I am. She owes me a favor or two.” Simeon swallowed. He didn’t know if bringing her flowers, helping her learn how to walk, hunt, and fight again, or even saving her life would be enough to convince her to come with him. Probably not.

But convincing her that if the missing Persephone wasn’t found, he, little J.J., Mr. Minegold, and the other good vamps in this town were all about to become roomies in Hell might do it. Still... “I know it’s my sacred duty, or whatever the demonic equivalent of sacred duty is, but if she helps... do you think youcould sweeten the deal? Just for her? Tell her no one will die of unnatural causes in town for a week? She’s devoted to her job, like you, and she still keeps an eagle eye on the monsters in this town. The first whiff of trouble would have her loading her crossbow and leading the charge like some warrior goddess.” Simeon’s eyes went hazy.

Emily. Running. Like a warrior goddess, her blades brandished, her breasts bouncing...

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