Cemetery Summons Ch. 14

Stunned, he barely recognized Fain and Niaf being tossed through the tear, reaching back for him. He raised an arm toward them as they disappeared into nothingness before his eyes. Elassa lingered for a moment, both hands outstretched, before she too disappeared altogether. The last to leave was Dalaria, a cold gaze aimed at Anthony. She shook her head.

"Ye of the cursed blood," she began, and then looked up at Jack sternly. "And ye of the forbidden blood, are never again to feel the touch of hell. As ordained by God and by Satan. Seek now redemption for your crimes, lest ye be punished by your Lord."

And with nothing more to say or do, she disappeared in the blink of an eye and the rift closed behind her, as if it had never been. Jack held his arm out of a few moments, disbelief still roiling around in his mind. This couldn't be happening. This just...it was impossible!

Realization hit him like a ton of bricks as Anathane loosened her grip and set him back down on the floor, sobbing silently. She backed away from him on her knees and let a waterfall of teal hair shield her face from him. Jack stood there, his mind in a haze. Why would this happen to him on today of all days? Nobody's luck was this bad. It was just impossible that today, the day he had planned to begin the rest of his life, that this would happen.

He wanted so badly to kill that woman, Dalaria, the one who had stolen his lovers. His! And with nobody else to vent his seething, intense hatred on, he grabbed Anathane by the throat and slammed her against the wall. His claws bit through her flesh and red mist spurted out like steam. Anathane struggled to breathe, but didn't lift a finger against him. She just sat there and let him choke her as hard as he could with both hands. His thumbs had bitten so deeply into her throat that he couldn't see them anymore. They were buried inside her.

"Wait, Jack," Anthony gasped as he got up from the floor where Anathane had abrubtly dropped him. "I can help." He limped over to them and put a hand on Jack's shoulder as he choked the life out of his lover.

"What?" growled Jack impatiently as his grip lessened on Anathane's neck.

"Anathane, do you...know anyone, ah!" Anthony tried to catch his breath, but all he did was cause his panting to get worse. "Anyone that...in hell...that could help...us get them back?" Anthony dropped down on all fours and panted like a dog. Jack growled and released Anathane completely, helping Anthony to his feet.

"There may be one, Nyx. She may take pity on you. But we have to work quickly. We've wasted too much time already. Hurry," she said with urgency. Anathane grabbed Jack's wrist and stabbed it with a tentacle. His arm turned pale as blood was drained from him in almost an instant. He fell back against the countertop as Anathane drew a large circle on the wall and filled it with hundreds of intricate patterns and designs and a great star in the center and several other designs that seemed vaguely familiar.

"I need a bit of blood from you too, Anthony. Jack hasn't a bit of spellbound blood in him, you do." She sucked blood from Anthony and painted it on the circle as well. And after a short incantation, the grabbed Jack and Anthony and dragged them through the wall as if it weren't even there.

Jack fell into complete darkness as Anathane whispered an apology and something stabbed him in the back of the neck.