"Am I dead?"
"Nearly," the Nazarene said. "Based on the depth of the wound, I'd imagine you have a few minutes before you're fully drained."
"I don't understand," I said. "Why am I here?"
The Nazarene shrugged. "This place is of the making of your mind, Nicky."
"But why are you here?" I asked.
"Because you have yet to complete your commission. You must destroy the grimoire."
"But how?" I asked. "If I'm going to die, it's over."
The Nazarene smiled. "Who said you're going to die?"
"You just did. In a few minutes, I'll be totally drained. Nothing but a desiccated shell of who I was."
"You must destroy the grimoire, Nicky."
"Again, I don't know how! Even if I somehow managed to survive, I'm not sure what to do. I could drink Devin's blood. I could become an elemental again. But even then, I'm not sure how I'll do it."
"You're not listening to me," the Nazarene said. "Again, I bid you take and eat."
The Nazarene held his arm again to my lips. "Wait, only what has pierced the Nazarene can destroy the grimoire."
"Take and eat," the Nazarene said again, still smiling.
"So you're not just a vision. Not some manifestation of my subconscious mind?"
"I work in mysterious ways," the Nazarene said.
I bit his arm. He pulled it away. Blood mixed with water poured from his wound.
"Now, take and drink."
I opened my mouth. I tasted nothing. It was like drinking water. Life-giving water. I gulped it down. A tingle consumed my body.
The Nazarene placed his hand on my head as I drink. "Wake up, Nyxie."
"Nyxie?" I asked as the Nazarene pulled his arm back into his body and stepped away.
Again, the world around me faded to black. I opened my eyes again.
"There you are!" a gravelly voice said. I felt a dull pain in my scalp. As if someone had yanked a tuft of hair from my head. I looked down at my gut to see Brucie, with my hair threaded through a needle, sewing the wound in my gut.
"Brucie!" I said. "Thank God!"
"Maybe that's who you should be thanking. I heard a voice call to me, much like I do when you call my name. But it wasn't your voice. Someone was looking out for you."
I chuckled. "It was the Nazarene."
Brucie chuckled. "If that's what you want to believe. I don't know who it was."
The tingle I felt in my body before, when I drank from the Nazarene, was now focused on where my wound had been. The elemental power that remained in my hair was healing me.
"I didn't know you could sew," I said.
Brucie laughed. "I didn't either. Pretty shitty stitch job, but I think it's working."
"It is. Thank you, Brucie."
"Interesting timing. The police had just arrived at your apartment. My apologies. I had to bring your things here."
I looked to my right side to see my crossbow, my stakes, all of my vampire hunting tools. I chuckled. "I'm not sure I believed in divine providence until today. I'll need some of those weapons."
"Did a vampire do this to you?" Brucie asked. "It's the middle of the day."
"Yeah," I said. "But this vampire isn't your run-of-the-mill bloodsucker."
"Was it the killer?" Brucie asked.
"One of them," I said. "But not the one who killed the people at the club. Either way, he has the grimoire."
Brucie nodded. "I'm going to need you to double the amount you promised on that Amazon gift card."
I chuckled. "I'll triple it. Hell, I'll give you my Amazon log-in. Buy as many smutty books as you'd like."
"Score!" Brucie said, spreading his wings. "Thanks, Nyxie!"
I smiled. "You saved my life, Brucie. It's the least I can do."
Brucie disappeared in a mist. I shifted into bat form, flew to the tree-top where I'd stashed Mina's cloak. I wrapped it over my body then retrieved my clothes.
Cloak without clothes beneath... the last thing I wanted to look like was a flasher.
With my stilettos back on my feet, and the rest of my clothes on my body, I raced back to my pile of weapons. I could only hope I'd make it back to the cathedral before Tom. He wouldn't hurt Devin. Mina might. And Malinda wasn't safe either.
Even if I arrived before Tom, a fight was destined to ensue if I showed up without the grimoire. Only now, with Mina's cloak and my trusty crossbow in hand, I was prepared.
Chapter Thirty-One
I opened the cathedral doors and stepped into the nave.
Devin and Malinda were bound in chains on the altar. Not conventional chains. Chains of magic. Celestial magic.
Mina stood front and center, a wide smug smile splitting her face. "You look good in gold, Nyx."
"I look good in anything," I shot back. "Now, let them go."
"Give me the grimoire, and, as promised, they will not be harmed."
I stepped into the nave and took aim with my crossbow. "Let them go first."
"Come now, Nicky. I thought we were getting along so well. There's no need for violence."
"And there was no need to bind them to your altar."
"Consider it an insurance policy. As I said, give me the grimoire, and I will uphold my end of our agreement."
"I can't," I said, maintaining my aim.
"Because you don't have it?" Mina asked.
I grunted. "I know where it is."
"But you don't have it."
"Not yet. But I will."
"I told you if you do not return with the grimoire, there would be a cost." Mina raised her hands. The chains around Devin and Malinda glowed. They screamed in pain.
"Stop it!" I shouted. "I told you, I'll get it!"
"Too late for that," Mina said. "You've failed."
I shot my bolt at Mina. It struck her in the heart.
Mina grabbed at the bolt and, laughing, pulled it from her chest. A golden glow consumed her body, healing her wound. "You really shouldn't have done that. I was going to kill them quickly. Now, they'll suffer."
I took aim again. She healed once. Could she heal twice? How much magic could she access? Eventually, I hoped, she'd run out.
I fired another bolt.
It struck her again, this time in the shoulder.
Mina yanked it out, healing herself again. Then, she raised her hand. The chains binding Devin and Mina glowed hotter this time. They screamed in pain.
I was about to charge after them, to try and wrest them free from the chains. But the glass on two stained glass windows on either side of the nave shattered. Two cloaked figures leaped through, firing more bolts of their own at Mina.
They both removed their hoods as they fired another round of bolts at Mina. One caught her in the chest. Another one struck her leg.
It was Tom and Heather. Only Heather, who still looked like the Rose I knew from the club, was paler than before. Purple veins were spiderwebbed across her face. She wasn't the same Rose I met before. She'd killed again. How many souls had she taken? There was no telling. But she was barely human if she'd ever been human at all post-resurrection.
Mina pulled the bolts out of her body, healing each of her wounds with celestial magic.
Extending both hands, she fired blasts of celestial magic at Tom and Heather. They stumbled, but it didn't stop them.
Tom and Heather dropped their crossbows and retrieved daggers from their cloaks. They charged Mina.
I ran as fast as I could around them as they struggled on the floor. Every time they stabbed Mina, another explosion of celestial power blasted from her form.
The bindings on Devin and Malinda faded from a blight glow to a dull hue. This was my chance. While Mina was focusing her magic on thwarting Tom and Heather, I might be able to free them from their bindings.
I grabbed Devin, but I couldn't pull him free. The chains were still too strong. I tried to free Malnda but didn't have any more success.
Another blast of magic exploded from Mina's body. I watched a
s Heather flew back into one of the pews, breaking it in half.
But Tom remained on Mina, his body now wrapped in the same kind of chains that held Devin and Malinda.
A bright glow of celestial magic surrounded Mina and Tom. When it faded, they were gone.
Heather screamed with rage as she charged the spot where Mina and Tom had been. In a fury, she pounded the tile on the floor.
The chains on Devin and Malinda were gone. I quickly helped them off the altar. Malinda held on to me. She was weak before, now she could hardly stand.
"We have to get out of here," Devin said.
I shook my head. "If we leave, we'll be vulnerable to Heather."
"If we stay, we won't be able to kill her. She can't die."
"She can't die outside either," Malinda said. "Nicky is right. Our best chance is to trap her here. Somehow."
Heather stood up and stared at us. Her eyes were black. She wasn't a resurrected vampire. Not like Tom. But she was a monster.
I didn't bother firing a bolt at her. I knew it wouldn't work.
"Rose!" I shouted. "Or, should I say, Heather? You don't have to do this."
Heather laughed. "Such a shame. My Katherine had so much promise. But you had to favor that Amelia bitch."
I snorted. "I gave Katie her shot. You didn't have to kill her. You didn't have to kill any of them."
Heather shrugged. "I require souls. They sustain me. Why not remove a few barriers to my granddaughter's success?"
"They don't sustain you," I said. "Look at you! They're turning you into a monster!"
"A monster?" Heather cackled. "I was raised by the power of the Nazarene. I am an angel!"
"That scroll was not made by the Christ you worship," I said. "It was created by witches who used his blood, who stole his power!"
"Lies!" Heather screamed. "Now, these witches must be judged."
"By you?" I asked. "Who made you their judge?"
"The Nazarene himself!"
"And is it the way of the Nazarene to kill innocent people?"
"No one is innocent," Heather said. "They were sinners, like you!"
"I won't let you hurt them, Heather."
"You can't kill me, Nicky. Or, shall I call you Nyx?"
"Maybe not," I said. "But I won't let you hurt them either. In here, we're stronger than you."
"But unlike you, I have all the time in the world. You may be stronger than me together, for now. But you will tire. Eventually, the tide will turn in my favor. We could fight this out as long as you'd like. Unless, of course, you'd like to expedite the inevitable. Shall we take this outside?"
I snorted. "Not a chance."
"Just as well," Heather smirked. "This will be more fun, anyway. Eventually, I'll take their souls regardless. Even if I have to drag them out of here."
"Not going to happen," Devin said, extending his hand. He fired a blast of fire at Heather. Her cloak caught fire.
Heather laughed. "That tickles. Thanks for the fire. There's more than one way to force you outside."
I glared at Devin. "Wasn't the best idea."
Devin shrugged. "I was buying time."
Heather laughed as she draped her cloak, now in flames over a pew catching the varnished wood in the fire. Then, she moved her cloak to another one.
"What will it be? The smoke or the flames that will get you first?"
I grunted. I charged Heather, ripping the cloak from her hands.
Heather laughed as I stomped out the flames.
"You're too late!" Heather said.
"Nicky! Watch out!" Malinda shouted.
I jumped back, avoiding Heather's dagger as she jabbed it at my back. I grabbed her arm and threw an elbow into her jaw as I yanked the knife out of her hand.
Heather smirked. "Funny. I used to have so many aches and pains. Came with age. Now, I almost enjoy pain. Hit me again, Nicky."
I sighed. "Why are you wasting time with us, anyway? You used to be a part of the Order. Surely you have an idea where Mina might have taken Tom."
Heather bit her lip. "I might."
"Shouldn't that be your priority? If Mina manages to get that grimoire from him..."
"Tom can handle himself."
"Can he?" I asked. "It looked to me like Mina had him tied up. She doesn't have to kill him, you know. All she has to do is take the grimoire from him."
Heather clenched her fists. "I hate to admit it. But you have a point."
"Where did they go?" I asked.
Heather shook her head. "If I'm going to go there, I won't be taking you with me."
"She bested you once before," I said. "You need our help, Heather."
"How do I know if you get it, you won't use it to kill me?"
"If Mina gets it, you can guarantee she will. And she already knows how to perform the spell to do it."
Heather wiped her nose with the sleeve of her cloak. Then, she narrowed her eyes. The ground beneath us started to shake.
"What the..." Malinda said, holding onto Devin's shoulder.
"She's already done it, hasn't she," I said.
"I... I don't know..."
"Heather. Tell us where she went. If you have any idea. I can stop this."
Heather shook her head. "You can't stop it."
"I can. I can destroy the grimoire!"
"Then you'd kill me! You expect me to tell..."
The wall behind the altar blasted apart. As stones flew, I ran as fast as possible, grabbing Devin and Malinda, and pulled them behind a pew. One that wasn't set on fire.
Two winged creatures, illuminated by white light, appeared at the opening blasted through the stone of the cathedral wall.
"Heather! Where is she! Where is Mina!" I screamed.
Heather looked at me and smirked. She looked back at the angels and cried. "My sisters!"
The two angels flew at Heather like missiles. A flaming sword formed in their hands as they struck Heather through. Her body exploded in a blast of golden energies and a shower of blood.
I ducked behind the pew. "Huddle up on me!"
Devin and Malinda pulled their legs into their chests. I removed Mina's cloak and draped it over all three of us.
Would the celestial magic in the cloak protect us from actual celestials? I didn't know. But we couldn't outrun these angels.
They circled the room twice. They passed right over us. I could hear their wings flap through the air.
One spoke to the other—I couldn't make out their words. It was a language I didn't know. An angelic tongue.
Surely, Mina wanted them to kill us, too. I could only hope she'd given them a broader command than that. That they wouldn't be fixated on us. If only we could avoid them as they went to take down their next target.
The angels flew out of one of the shattered stained-glass windows.
"Holy crap," Malinda said. "It worked!"
I nodded. "But we don't have much time. They'll be back. We know what Mina intends to do. I have to destroy the grimoire. If I don't, there's no telling how many people, including witches and vampires, they'll kill."
"But we don't know where they went. My God, I can't believe that was my dad... resurrected but also a vampire?"
"The angels probably took him out already," I said.
"Devin, I need your blood," Malinda said.
"Why?" Devin asked.
"Your DNA. I can use it to target your dad. So we can find him."
Devin shook his head. "But he was a vampire. He doesn't have a soul."
"Doesn't matter," Malinda said. "That's why I need your blood. Your DNA is close enough to his I should be able to sense it. Even if the angels killed him. If they did to him what they did to Heather, his blood would be all over the place."
Devin nodded. "Alright. What do we need?"
Malinda popped off the rubber boot at the bottom of her cane. A wand fell out into her hand.
"I don't need much blood. Only enough to cover the tip of my wand."
"Here," I said, handin
g Devin the dagger I'd taken from Heather. "This should work."
Devin pressed the blade into the palm of his hand. He winced as he slid it across his skin. Blood poured from the gash.
Malinda dipped the tip of her wand into the blood on Devin's hand. "That will do."
I ripped a piece of my blouse and grabbed Devin's hand. I wrapped it up as tight as I could.
"Give me a second," Malinda said, rising to her feet.
"You sure you've got this?" I asked.
Malinda nodded. "It will work."
"I trust you," Devin said. "But what if it doesn't? It won't do to me like you did to those blood bags, right?"
Malina chuckled. "You have a soul. At least I think you do."
"I thought this spell didn't require a soul," I said.
"It doesn't. Not to find the target. But to empower the spell, well, it will draw on the power of Devin's soul that coheres in the blood on my wand."
"You've got this," Devin said.
Malinda nodded. "Hailey has the cheesiest incantations. So, let me warn you in advance. This is going to sound... stupid."
I smiled. "Do what you have to do."
Malinda nodded and extended her arm, holding her blood-coated wand tight. "Life within, find the blood of its kin!"
A red glow coursed through Malinda's wand. She opened her palm and set the wand in her hand. The wand spun around in circles until, like a compass pointing due north, it settled on one direction.
Chapter Thirty-Two
"We just need to follow the way the wand points," Malinda said. "The closer we get, the brighter it will glow. I think."
"You think?" Devin asked.
"That's what Hailey says. I've never done this before, you know."
"Stay close," I said. "This cloak seems to hide us well enough from the angels. If they circle back around, we'll have to cover up again."
Malinda got her way. She finally got to sit shotgun. She finally had a good reason—she was the one with the magical GPS system, after all. I crammed myself into the back seat. Malinda slid her set forward to give me sufficient leg space.
It wasn't as bad as I thought. It was a four-door vehicle, after all. Not comfortable. But I'd manage.
Devin drove as Malinda held her wand in her palm, allowing it to pivot in the direction we needed to go.
No Shift, Sherlock: A Vampire Hunter Urban Fantasy Mystery (The Legend of Nyx Book 3) Page 16