Page 52 of Gladiator Moon

“You’re a monster.”

“Says the vampire. You know, you amuse me, Samantha Moon. You stand in my chamber. Surrounded by hundreds, if not thousands, of my demon children. Holding a sword forged by angels who failed.”

“Their sword lives on.”

He smiles. “So it does. For now. A sword can always be separated from its bearer. You have never met these people, these warriors.”

“I’ve met one and that was enough.”

“You owe them nothing, Samantha.”

“That’s not how I think.”

“Unfortunately, I can see that,” he agrees.

Then, suddenly, a horn sounds. It comes from far above us. The Dark One doesn’t react to the alarm. That is, until another horn sounds, longer this time. Azul shifts. So does Pickles.

“What was that?” I ask.

“The start of...” begins Pickles.

“The start of the morning Games.”

Which obviously means more of the red stuff; indeed, a fresh torrent of the stuff flows down the rubber teat, filling it like a bladder. The Dark One sucks on it eagerly. Speaking of vampire.

Briefly satiated, the entity looks up at me. “So,” he says. “Have you finished bargaining?”

“I have.”

“Good. Because now it’s my turn.”

He rises slowly from his throne. The feeding tube slides from his mouth and swings lazily behind him. It seems to magically seal itself off, thus preserving all that hard fought blood. Bones crunch and break free as he pushes himself up. The nearby demons stir, shudder. The Dark One stands to his full, impossible height. An impossible height. Fifteen feet? Twenty? “First off, I decline your offer.”

“I figured.”

“Though I’d like to offer a counter one.”

“I’m listening.”

“You put down the Devil Killer, kneel before me, and surrender. And I will personally return you to Earth.”

Okay, that last part actually catches me off guard.

“You would return home. No harm, no foul. Baltazar made an error bringing you, a vampire mom, to my Games.”

“You can say that again, mister.”

“He will, of course, be punished.”

“Of course. Is your offer just for me?”

“It is, yes.”

“And everyone else will remain and fight.”

“I didn’t bring them here to dance for me.”

“Then I decline your offer.”