Page 11 of The Healer and the Vampire
He was waiting for him, calling for Conrad to come to him. He wanted to talk to him, that's all. He just wanted to talk to Conrad, and then he'd leave them all alone and not bother them again. The demon's voice was in his head, insistent and mean, telling heavily exaggerated old embarrassments and leaning on Conrad's weaknesses. He continued to walk out the door and past the valet stand to the circular drive.
The air thinned suddenly, and Remi felt his heart drop. The demon moved quickly from the back plaza forward as if zeroing in on something, and then he saw it. "It's Conrad." He shouted as he raced from the room through the lobby and out the door.
He stopped several feet behind Conrad when the demon issued a warning. “Any closer and I will gut him right here in front of you.” Remi reached out to Conrad with his mind desperate for a connection to pull him back to reality. He was under the demon’s control, but they had a bond that was far and away more powerful than anything this abomination could conjure.
Conrad breathed, and Remi felt the connection snap into place. Conrad was back and fully aware of what was happening and of his own level of peril. He didn’t visibly react, but Remi could feel his response. The demon moved closer and was reaching out to Conrad. Remi comforted his beloved, keeping him calm and assuring him that there was a plan and that they would be back in each other's arms very soon.
"I'll just drain him of his gift, it might leave him an empty lifeless husk, but it might just leave him an empty husk. He'll be gone, but his body will remain warm for a while." The thing laughed. "Honesty, they all die, and so will this beauty." Remi felt the trap begin to move and tighten. Sasha was following through.
The demon was still several yards from Conrad. He channeled the instructions to slowly back up gradual imperceptible movements, and Conrad complied. His fear was still there, which was expected, but there was a resilience and a solid resolve that took Remi a bit by surprise. He didn't doubt his beloved was strong, but he had a soul that was unyielding. The demon was not going to win.
Remi channeled for Conrad to move back quickly when he gave him the sign. Sasha was drawing the lines and reinforcing them with fire and ice. The demon would be immobilized and then destroyed. They could not endure the light and power of a mage. It was odd that the demon had not sensed Sasha's presence. He was apparently too high on the thought of draining a healer to do his due diligence and failed to ascertain his own threat level.
The energy surrounded them, and Remi ran for his beloved, who turned and leapt backward into his arms. Remi held him and sprinted toward the back door. The demon exploded with an anger so thick it colored the air and shookthe ground beneath their feet. He was trapped, running over and over to throw himself against the barrier, screaming and twisting, while Sasha tightened his hold. Remi held Conrad in his arms and watched from inside the Hotel as death took the immoral beast, reducing it to ash and smoke and then nothing.
Conrad was breathless at the sight of that monster being reduced to dust. It had nearly taken his life, had nearly ended everything if it weren't for Remi, the man who ran into the face of death and destruction to save him with no thought of his own life. He carried him to safety and held him, raining kisses down the side of his face and neck, while squeezing him so hard that Conrad could feel the man's heartbeat against his own chest.
"You scared me so badly it will take a few minutes or maybe a few days before I can let you go." Remi's voice was laced with panic, and Conrad never wanted to hear that in his lover's voice ever again. He put them both at risk, and the thought of what could have happened sent a shiver down his spine.
Remi held him tighter if that was even possible, and then the Alpha showed up along with a few guards. He recognized Koa, who came up and patted him on the shoulder. "Glad you're in one piece, Conrad." He said good-naturedly, and it seemed to calm the extreme tension that had filled the air.
"Yeah, me too." He responded and pressed his face to Remi's chest, taking in the scent and the safety of this man.
"His influence has dissipated with his death, the area is clear. Sasha is doing a walk-through of the Hotel and grounds to make sure nothing lingers." The wolves were always thorough, and Conrad appreciated their eye for detail. He had always considered the supernatural as untrustworthy and dangerous and people to avoid, but after meeting Remi and the shifters ofthe Indigo Hotel, he now understood that, like any species, not all were bad.
“I apologize for making things worse. The demon got into my head, and everything turned so dark and hopeless." Conrad attempted to express regret for his behavior.
"If you hadn't drawn him out and given Sasha a target, it could have taken ages to resolve this situation. By acting as bait, you expedited the end." Koa said with a laugh and this time gave Remi's shoulder a friendly pat.
"No more using yourself as bait," Remi spoke firmly. "If you feel the urge to throw yourself into the face of danger, please talk to me first."
"I will always talk to you first," Conrad told him. "I promise no more stupidity, well, I'll try to cut back on the stupidity. I'm not sure I can promise to eliminate it entirely."
"Just talk to me first, that's all I ask, just a heads up." Remi chuckled, and Conrad loved the ease and the comfort that sound brought him.
“Will do.”
"No offence, but I'm going to take my beloved and head home. I will complete the rest of your security review remotely." Remi stated and released Conrad just enough so that he could wrap his arm around his waist and point him in the direction of the elevators.
“No offence taken.” Alpha Henrik responded with a smile. “Go home and enjoy your beloved.”
Remi moved them quickly to the elevators, and soon they were in a beautiful black SUV pulling out of the underground garage and on their way out of town. Conrad felt relieved to begetting away from that Hotel and out of town. He desperately needed time alone with Remi.
"I tried to call Patrick earlier, he'd warned me about someone after me, and he said he was going to hide out until it was safe, basically, and for me to do the same. I didn't believe him at the time. I assumed it was just another manipulation to get me to go home, but now I see that his warnings were valid." Conrad said and reached over to take Remi's hand. Remi smiled and took his hand, holding it securely and filling Conrad with the peace that always touched him when he was with Remi.
"What did he have to say?" Remi asked.
“Nothing, I never spoke with him. His phone was disconnected. He must be in hiding.”
“Are you worried about him?”
"No, Patrick is very good at taking care of himself, and I prefer the no contact relationship with him." Conrad paused for a moment and then commented on something else he remembered.
"I thought the demon looked familiar when I got a good look at him coming toward me, and now I remember where I saw him. It was at our last appointment with a middle-aged woman in an upscale neighborhood in a suburb outside of Baton Rouge.” He closed his eyes for a moment and then opened them. He'd pictured the man standing there smiling.
"He was there, standing behind Patrick, looking at me and smiling. I thought he was just part of the household, a friend or relative of the client, but it was him, it was the demon." Conrad felt Remi tighten his grip on his hand in response to his words.
“You’re lucky to have escaped and made it to Eastport.”
