Page 81 of Total Eclipse of the Moon
"You don’t have to go through with it."
"Not go through with what? Rescinding the curse? That’s lust talking. Hold a piece of yourself solid through this. I have a countdown timer that’s going to hit zero when I say the words to counter the curse. You need to accept I’m probably going to die. The only way I can get through doing it is knowing you’ll survive." She cleared her throat and stepped away from him. "Right now, though, I need to do something you might not like."
He frowned.
She put a hand on his chest. "I need to talk to the demon for a minute. Will you let me do that?"
"Why? It can hear you if you talk to me."
"There’s something I need to tell it in person. I’m sorry, but please?"
"Okay." Shane waved for her to sit next to him. He removed his phone from Antonio’s backpack. "You know how to get me back if you need to. I’ll go ahead and queue up one of its least favorites." He compressed his lips. "I don’t like this, but I trust you."
She gripped the phone tight as he sat down, unsure but going with her gut, which told her this had to happen.
Shane’s irises blacked over.
"Demon?" she asked.
He nodded.
Was she sure about this? No. But she felt the need to communicate with the thing, to determine its level of sanity and integrity. "I just wanted to say thank you."
"For what?" It still sounded like Shane and if not for the dark eyes, she’d think it was him.
"For sparing him. For not driving Shane crazy in your campaign for control."
He chuckled darkly. "You think I didn’t try? Generosity isn’t in my nature. He’s a stubborn asshole."
She cocked her head. "Maybe like everyone else you’re drawn to that indefinable quality that makes everyone want to be on Shane’s team? He’s like a steady hand at the wheel you don’t want to kick out of the driver’s seat. You protect him and for that I appreciate you. Do you have a name?"
"Baku."
"As in the demon of Japanese legend? What was it he did?" She tapped her lips. "A nightmare eater I think it was. He rid a person of bad dreams, especially children. He was loved long ago." Her face slackened a bit and she whispered, "You really are a dragon demon."
"How would you know all that?"
"I grew up obsessed with everything to do with dragons. Learned everything I could. What happened to you? How’d you end up like this?"
"I devoured one too many bad dreams and got bored. Don’t ever classify me as a hero, witch. It was much more fun to eat hopes and dreams and leave humans to an empty depressive existence." He leered with pure evil and delight.
"Well, that’s…dark."
"You’re the Dragon Healer."
"I’ve healed a few dragons in my time. I’m sure there’s more than one of us in the world capable of seeing dragons and healing them."
"No. That’s a power given to one soul ever few generations."
She tried not to feel the weight of responsibility that came with that statement. If she died, then how long would it be before someone else could care for the dragons? Love for the monstrous creatures saddened her. She cleared the dryness from her throat. "I need you to promise me that in that moment in the future when he’ll elect to do something stupid, like die in some altruistic ridiculousness to save me, you’ll do the right thing. You’ll protect him. He won’t like you overriding his need to do what he thinks is ethically right."
"What are you talking about?"
"Promise me."
"Demons don’t make promises."
"Baku, do it for me."
