Page 51 of Dead Air
But Cenn knew that Niall would want no part of that. Niall would never speak to Cenn again if he made a new deal with Dùbhghlas and had a hand in MacIlwraith’s downfall. It went without saying that Niall wouldn’t approve of Cenn unleashing a reign of chaos and darkness, no matter how glorious it was. He would insist that Cenn choose between keeping Niall and ruling the Beltway and eventually the world.
“Together, we would be unstoppable. We would crush MacIlwraith and Oglethorpe,” Dùbhghlas vowed.
“You’re probably right,” Cenn said and stopped his pacing.
Dùbhghlas raised his head. “Then, we have a deal?” he asked hopefully.
“I…” Cenn smiled as he pictured MacIlwraith and his minions, dead and burned. He saw Dùbhghlas, charred and defiled as well and Cenn hummed happily. The sky was filled with smoke and his children were everywhere, damning and destroying everything they touched. He inhaled deeply, filling his lungs with the smell of burning blood and sulphur and heard the distant cries. The vision brought him to a state of demonicrapture and Cenn savored it for another moment, then shook his head. “I think I’ll pass.”
“What?” Dùbhghlas pushed off the floor and got his knees beneath him, floundering. “What do you mean, you’ll pass?”
“I’m gonna sit this one out, I’ve decided,” Cenn said as he backed into the corner behind the door.
“Wait! Don’t go! What else do you want?” Dùbhghlas shuffled after Cenn on his knees, holding up his clasped hands. “Name your price, my Lord!”
“I already have what I wanted: Niall Gilpatrick’s soul is still his own and I’m free and have my army back. And I have nothing but time to let this play out and deal with whoever’s left standing. It’s been a pleasure doing business with you, Hugh,” Cenn tapped his brow in salute, then gave Dùbhghlas the finger as he faded into the shadows.
“You filthy motherfucking demon!” Dùbhghlas shouted and scrambled to his feet. He rushed into the corner, spitting mad. “I’ll kill you, if it’s the last thing I do, and I’ll find a way to get them!”
Cenn’s laughter and choking, sulfurous smoke filled the room before he leaped through the ceiling and out into the night. It only took a few moments to find that silent, dead air, and Cenn hurled himself into it, reappearing in Niall’s cabin half a second later.
It was quiet and Cenn was invisible, checking the atmosphere before revealing himself to Niall and Oglethorpe. The others were camped on the lawn in front of the cabin and waiting for news.
“What if they’re fighting?” Niall asked from the sink. He was defrosting several bags of frozen soup and his cobbler starters.
There was a faint humph from Oglethorpe as he reclined in Niall’s armchair with a cup of whiskey-spiked tea. “Then HughDùbhghlas will finally get what he has coming to him,” the old witch said, chuckling.
“We did not fight,” Cenn said, reappearing in Niall’s lumberdaddy form.
Niall rushed across the cabin, throwing his arms around Cenn. “You’re alright!”
Cenn shushed and kissed Niall’s hair. “He fell for my bluff. You’re free and the deal is canceled.”
“How did you do it?” Oglethorpe demanded, hopping to his feet but Cenn shook his head.
“That is something that no man is supposed to know, for very good reason. MacIlwraith would have figured it out, I’d wager,” he said, causing Oglethorpe to gasp as he rushed from the cabin to ask MacIlwraith and inform the others of Cenn’s return.
“Merlin said there was a good chance you wouldn’t come back, that you’d switch sides again if Dùbhghlas offered you something better.”
“He did,” Cenn whispered.
Niall leaned back, his eyes huge. “He did?” he whispered back and Cenn nodded.
“He did offer me something better—everything my demon heart desires. But it wouldn’t have been worth it without you.”
“Me?” Niall laughed and started to say he wasn’t all that special but Cenn cut him off with a rough kiss. He kicked the door shut and clicked his fingers, locking it.
“I would have it all and I would be unstoppable but it would have cost meyou.There will be other battles to fight and more power to claim because that is how it’s always been with nature and with men. But after a thousand lifetimes I’ve learned that there will only ever beoneNiall Gilpatrick and there will never be enough time for us.”
“Us?” Niall nodded jerkily, his eyes watering as they grew bigger. “I didn’t doubt for a moment that you’d come back.I couldn’t explain why because I’m just…me,” he said with a baffled laugh. “We’respecial, though, and I can feel that I was put here for you and so we could do something important together.”
He was talking about fate and Cenn knew better than to trust it to be romantic or generous. “Possibly. All I know is that we belong together and I’m taking a…fifty or sixty year hiatus.”
“A hiatus?” Niall echoed, unsure if he’d heard correctly and afraid to get his hopes up. “What does that mean?”
“I’m out of the deal-making business for the time being. All I want to focus on is you and making you as happy as a mortal man can be until your human heart stops beating.”
“Really? Won’t that get boring after a decade or so when you’re used to doing dangerous demon things?” Niall worried but Cenn laughed, shaking his head.
