Demona took her time, leafing slowly through a few of the books. She was taking her time, and wasting theirs. After all, she knew exactly what page the spell was on, and if it was indeed here in these crates, she could go right to it.
It depended on what deal these traitors were going to cut her.
She wanted freedom to leave, and they wanted their human alive.
It seemed like a simple enough agreement, but they were fighting her on it. They didn't seem to realize that she was the one holding the cards.
Demona moistened the tip of a talon with her tongue and turned another page with almost painful slowness.
"Demona!" came a shout as familiar to her as her own voice.
Demona felt a smile at his despair grow across his face. The others had not listened to her bargaining for her freedom, but Goliath would. To save his pet human, Goliath would do anything.
The clan members jerked at the sound of his voice, a few flinched at the anger it has resonated with.
Angela had turned and run to the door in hopes of intercepting him.
She didn't have a change against the wall of rage that was her father as he barged in the room. One look at his face, and she took two big steps back.
Goliath, his massive chest heaving with the emotions he was trying…and failing… to hide, stormed up to his former mate.
In his lifetime, he had never harmed a female for any reason. If Demona failed to reverse the spell, however, he was sorely afraid of what he might do to her.
He stopped only inches from her, his eyes glowing and his fists clenched. "What spell did you cast, and how do we remove it." He demanded.
Demona didn't acknowledge him, and turned another page. Slowly.
Goliath growled, and his control shattered. He Grabbed Demona by the throat, and bodily lifted her from her seat. "Tell me," He roared in her face.
"Father!" Angela gasped, and moved to intervene. Broadway intercepted his mate, and held her back from the scene.
"Tell me," Goliath demanded again.
Demona struggled to breathe. Oh, she knew she couldn't die, thanks to her ties with Macbeth… but that didn't mean that it didn't hurt. She gasped for air even as her hands reflexively tried to pry his fingers away from her throat.
The males of the clan converged then, ganging up on their leader and separating him from the one being on the planet that could save Elisa.
"You'll pay for that, Goliath," Demona said, flinging the book she'd been holding (a book of Latin Poetry that only looked like a spell book) away from her to hit the wall to her left with a loud slap. "As you'll pay every day after your pitiful human dies."
The clan lost a few steps of distance as Goliath's fury gave him the strength to drag them forward.
"Not helping, Demona," Brooklyn ground out.
"Goliath, lad," Hudson shouted to be heard above Goliaths growls. "Goliath, hurting her will only delay Elisa's return."
Goliath stopped moving. He stood rigid, still, giving the illusion of calm. Inside, he seethed with an almost blinding hatred.
"Bring. Her. Back." Goliath ground out between his clenched teeth. "Now!"
"Mother, please," Angela begged, not for the first time. "You can stop this."
"Then give me my freedom, and you can have your human whore back." Demona coughed out.
The roar that erupted from Goliath was deafening. He managed to gain another three steps toward Demona with the rest of the clan struggling to restrain him.
There was a small pop, and Goliath flinched. He growled in anger, glared at someone behind him, and collapsed into his clan's arms.
There was a dart in one shoulder, bearing the Xanatos Enterprises logo.
"I didn't want to have to do that," Xanatos said, handing the tranq gun to Owen, "But that was getting us nowhere."
The clan lowered Goliath gently to the ground. As one, they all swung around to face Demona.
"Mother," Angela said softly. "Please."
"I am sorry daughter," Demona said, for the first time showing what might be genuine emotion in her voice. "With no guarantees that I will be able to go free after I give you the spell, I have no reason to help the human."
Angela gasped. "Even for me?"
"I'm sorry," Demona said.
Angela too a deep breath, closed her eyes and made her decision. This was her mother, but she wouldn't put her friends, her father or her clan at risk for Demona.
Never again.
"No," Angela said, her voice going hard. "I'm sorry. To everyone," Angela swept her gaze across the clan. "I know that you have all put your vengeance for her actions on hold for me." She shook her head sadly. "No more. Do what you must."
And with that, she walked briskly out the door.
-{- -{- -{- -{- -{-
Nell moved with a sensual confidence she only felt when she danced. She was told once that was why people loved to watch her dance. Her movements were not the traditional demure style, and so she tended to catch the eye of those who liked the different form.
She moved freely about the room, occasionally picking a single male in the room to flirt with in connection to the performance. The music started slow, but gradually picked up the pace.
Nell, normally a little awkward and clumsy in her everyday life, put on the performance of a lifetime with no hesitations or stumbles.
When the music ended, the silence was startling. Nell posed in the final position, standing straight, her arms held above her head and crossed at the wrist, her head thrown back with eyes closed.
Her chest heaving after the exertion of the dance, she slowly opened her eyes. A movement out of the corner of her eyes caught her attention. Was someone standing in the rafters?
It was then that the applause began. Slowly at first, and gathered in volume as the dining room erupted, drawing her attention away from the mysterious figure.
While Nell was puzzled at the figure above her head, Elisa recognized what she'd seen.
She'd seen a Gargoyle.