My wrath must have showed in my eyes because Dominic made an animal sound of terror and scrambled behind my desk. “Please, Ancient One, listen—”
“I am tired of listening to your—” I broke off, my eyes widening as Jacob’s mind wrenched free. I heard the rush of footsteps for the inner door and Dominic turned toward the sound as well, facing the door that was closer to him than me. “Jacob, NO!” I shouted, vaulting over the desk as he burst through the door.
Everything moved in slow motion. Jacob’s eyes were furious and frightened as he came through, brandishing my old war club. For a moment, I almost froze out of sheer vexation and fear. “Jacob….” I stopped the thought before I could finish it.
I grabbed Dominic’s shoulder as he started toward Jacob and he howled, struggling to free himself. Whether or not he meant Jacob harm I didn’t care; just the thought overrode reason.
Jacob swung the club toward Dominic’s stomach. He caught it in his palm before it could strike and Jacob’s eyes widened as he yanked back, trying to jerk the weapon from his grip. Taking advantage of Dominic’s momentary distraction, I grabbed the letter opener on my desk and stabbed through the bones and muscles of his back until he stiffened as it pierced his heart. Vicious, primal satisfaction.
I made sure he was locked in stasis before I let him slump over my chair. The stone club clattered to the floor. I turned to see Jacob staring at me, his face pale. “You little fool,” I grated, grabbing him by his shoulders. I looked him over, making sure he hadn’t been touched, and relief that he was unharmed battled with fury that he had thrown himself into the situation.
Jacob’s blue eyes turned molten and his cheeks colored. His hands came up to my blood-soaked shirt, tearing it open, sending buttons flying. He ran his hand over my chest where Claudia had stabbed me, but the wound had already closed and the tears along my ribs finished knitting before his eyes.
“You could’ve been killed!” I shouted, barely noticing his own anger as I vented my own. My hands tightened on his shoulders and I shook him, trembling inside. I should’ve sent him home the moment I awoke.
Jacob jerked out of my grasp, his chest heaving. I made no effort to move out of the way as his fist struck my jaw. I met his furious gaze again. “Do you feel better now?” I asked, my tone icy.
“God damn you,” Jacob raged. “Don’t ya ever fucking do that again!”
At first, I wasn’t sure what he meant and thought he was reacting from fear for my well-being. Then I realized, while that might be a part of it, what had truly made Jacob so livid was because I had forced him to obey my command. He was not one to take his loss of control and will without a fight.
“I will do whatever I have to do, since you cannot be trusted to keep your promises.”
Jacob’s face paled and his hands clenched at his sides. “Go to hell.” He spun on his heel, averting his face from the sight of Claudia’s body. He left without another word, slamming the door behind him.
I resisted my natural impulse to storm after him. There were things I needed to say, but it was better he was gone. He would be safer at his apartment and I still had to attend to my unwanted guests. Jacob wouldn’t want to be a part of what was to come. I brushed his mind to make sure he was really leaving before I walled him away again. I don’t think he even noticed the brief connection, consumed as he was in muttering unflattering comments directed toward me, Dominic and Claudia, and the world at large.
It wasn’t that late and the upper floors of the cathedral were nigh deserted. Still, it wouldn’t be wise to be reckless. I went to the door and locked it behind me. Dominic lay over the chair, still seemingly lifeless and not a concern at the moment. I went over to Claudia and turned her over, checking to make sure she wasn’t regenerating yet. I placed my fingertips against her ruined temple and probed, finding her mind locked in a deep sleep to heal her wounds. Good. I would deal with her afterward.
I took the stepladder out from my closet and dragged Dominic up. A smile crossed my lips as I took his hands in my own and pressed them against the stone of the ceiling. It took a little more concentration than normal to penetrate the dense matter with the both of us, but soon the stone seemed to give as inexorably I sunk our hands into the rock before releasing my grip on him. As I pulled my hands out, his remained locked inside stone.
I stepped down and set aside the ladder, and then rummaged through Dominic’s pockets, taking out his cell phone. I had never gotten around to getting one of those gadgets for myself. I dialed a number that had proved to be useful from time to time in the past.
“Speak.” The voice on the other end was casual, neutral, but I knew the impression it gave was false. Ghedi Ussier was one of the most dangerous men I had ever met.
“Good evening,” I replied, taking pleasure in the sight of Dominic hanging by his wrists, his head lolling. “I have need of your Razor Children for a short time.”
The businesslike timbre of his voice gave way to a slow, honeyed drawl. “Having problems with your secret admirers?”
“They are proving to be annoyingly persistent and I might not get another opportunity to question a member this closely.” Not to mention they knew of Jacob. I wasn’t about to let them take that tidbit back to Montrose and his council of cronies.
“The Children are at your disposal for as long as you need them. I wouldn’t mind knowing more about their activities myself. Don’t worry about payment; services are free of charge for senior citizens,” Mr. Ussier said, his tone smooth.
“Thank you.” I was surrounded by those with smart mouths. “If you need anything from my end, don’t hesitate to look me up.”
“I appreciate the offer. I know how precious your time is. Hey, don’t be such a stranger. I know you’ve probably seen and done it all and etched it in cuneiform somewhere for posterity, but having a little fun never killed anyone permanently.”
“I’ll keep that in mind, my friend. Always a pleasure doing business with you.” I hung up the phone and tucked it back into Dominic’s jeans. “Now youngling, it’s just you and I for a time.” I yanked out the letter opener and Dominic began to kick and flail, making small panicked sounds.
I walked around to face him, smiling at his frantic efforts to tug his wrists free from the ceiling’s grip. “It is quite useless. You have neither the age nor the skills to release yourself.” My voice grew colder as he met my gaze. “Unless you wish to chew yourself free like an animal.”
“Ancient One,” Dominic gasped, his pale eyes darting around the room, searching for any escape or aid, which wasn’t forthcoming. “I knew nothing of her intentions, I swear to you.”
“Yet, you wouldn’t have hesitated to take advantage of the opportunity had her attack been successful, would you?” The fear deepened in his eyes and I smiled again. “I thought not.”
“You should’ve chosen your companion better.” I pulled out a sheet of stationery and a pen. “I’m penning a note to Montrose. If he and the other members of your council possess any intelligence this will be the end of it.”
I scrawled the terse note and stuffed it into an envelope for Kayla to send off, and then looked back up to meet Dominic’s hopeful gaze. “Does this mean that you’re going to let me go?” he asked.
I laughed. “I think not. You’ve seen something you shouldn’t have.” I rose, moving to stand before Dominic, staying out of reach of his furious kicks. “Now, I wish to know everything about your Syndicate and what their intentions are.”
Dominic stopped struggling, hanging limply from his wrists, his eyes stark with terror and defiance. “I’m not going to say fucking shit,” he snarled. “You think this is over with because you’re going to destroy me, or because you’ve ignored the Syndicate in the past? They’re going to keep coming, asshole. They’ll find out about your precious human toy and there will be nothing you can do to protect him when they do.”
My fury must’ve showed in my eyes because Dominic gasped and tried to draw back. My gaze sha
rpened, my mind probing into his, tearing through his defenses. He trembled, his head tossing as he tried to break the link. “Don’t scream,” I whispered in his thoughts, my will smothering his even as he drew in breath to do so. He gagged as the desperate sound caught in his throat.
Dominic’s mind splintered and shredded before my own as I plundered his consciousness. I shifted through every memory, every secret he had, absorbing the information. He made strangled animal sounds and his legs kicked fruitlessly, his body twisting in midair.
I withdrew, stepping back and shaking my head in disgust. His body sagged and his head dangled, the whites of his eyes showing, and his body twitched spasmodically. Fools, the entire lot of them. I glanced up at the discreet knock on my door and noted absently, for the first time, that Jacob had left his coat behind.
“Yes?” I turned my back on what was left of Dominic and headed toward the door, every instinct on alert.
“Ussier sent us,” came the soft reply, and I smiled.
Chapter 12
I HADN’T realized I had forgotten my coat until I was halfway across the South Lawn. It didn’t matter though. There was no way in fucking hell I was going to go back up there. The wind pierced through the weave of my sweater, pricking my skin with a thousand needles. I was so fucking furious and hurt and scared outta my damn mind.
I stalked down the sidewalk, letting my anger fuel the heat inside of me. How could he do that to me? Kristair had taken the decision right out of my hands. He had arrogantly shoved me aside and took me over without a word or an apology. It was infuriating.
At the same time, I couldn’t help but squirm. Catholic guilt got me every time. I had promised him I wouldn’t interfere, but God damn it. Anger and fear surged again as I remembered the terror I had felt when the stabbing pain had struck me and Kristair’s heart had lurched in my chest. Instinct had taken over at that point, and when he had restrained me, it was like I’d been locked in an insane nightmare where I’d lost all control.
I was shivering by the time I reached the street. Hugging my arms around my body, I contemplated the long walk back to my apartment. I would never make it without freezing my balls off in the process. Glaring back at the cathedral, I quickly ran through my options. Going back was not one of them, since I was still too pissed and hurt. Not to mention, I didn’t want to deal with the situation I’d left behind.
The image of Claudia’s body crumpled on the floor like a discarded doll rose in my mind and I flinched back from it. My problem didn’t stem from knowing Kristair had killed her. She had attacked him first. As much as I wanted to pretend it hadn’t happened, it had. I’d gotten into some pretty serious fights growing up, but I’d never been so close to someone who had been alive moments before and then had their brains bashed in. Dominic too. I shuddered and wiped the cold sweat off my brow, my stomach churning. Part of what froze my insides was how casual Kristair seemed about the violence that had occurred in his office. He was upset, but not because he had to kill them.
Kristair had blocked me from this thoughts and feelings with an ease that had stunned me. I was almost glad he did though, for the memory of the look in his eyes chilled my blood to near freezing. I wasn’t sure I could handle what was going through his mind as he killed them, especially in the state I was in now.
There were plenty of cabs since it was still relatively early, so I made sure I had some money in my wallet and hailed one. The driver looked at me like I was insane as he pulled up. I don’t suppose he had many people standing on sidewalks with no coat when it was in the twenties. He probably wasn’t too far off the mark. I looked back over my shoulder at the cathedral looming behind me. Exterior lights shot up the sides to reflect off and despite the way it almost glowed, it appeared dark and brooding. I shivered and slipped into the cab.
“Corner of Halket and Oakland off Forbes Avenue,” I said, my eyes involuntarily going back to the tower. I tried reaching for Kristair’s mind. Regardless of my fury and hurt, I was worried about him, but the wall still remained between us.
“You okay, kid?” The driver turned in his seat to face me.
“Just fucking rosy.” I glared at him. I wasn’t in the mood for taxicab confessions tonight. I wanted to be where it was warm, safe, and sane.
Without another word, the driver pulled away from the curb and started threading his way through the traffic. Most of the congestion from rush hour had passed, though there were still plenty of students on the sidewalks hurrying home from the campus or heading out for one entertainment or another. I envied their peace of mind.
My mind kept going over and over the events, both with Dominic and Claudia as well as the argument between Kristair and me. By the time I saw the hospital that bordered my apartment building my rage had withered, in spite of my attempts to fuel it. I was a knotted mess inside. I handed the cab driver some bills and climbed out, feeling more alone than I ever had before.
I wanted to be back at the cathedral with Kristair, with his arms around me, and know that everything was going to be okay. I needed to wash the image of that woman’s murdered body from my mind and of that kid draped over the chair with a fucking letter opener, of all things, sticking out of his back. I knew they weren’t what they seemed and I knew they had attacked Kristair first, but still my mind couldn’t adjust to the idea that he had killed them in cold blood. And if they weren’t dead yet, they would be before the night was over. I had read their fate clearly in Kristair’s implacable eyes.
I needed to believe that his actions were justified. I just couldn’t seem to mesh what I knew of the man I loved and this side of him that I hadn’t seen before. Claudia and Dominic were monsters, right? They had to be destroyed, but what did that make Kristair? What did that make me? I had rushed in there, weapon in hand as well. Now I was leaving, putting it all in Kristair’s hands. What a fucking coward.
A shudder ran through my body and I realized that I was standing on the sidewalk, not moving, without a coat. The cab driver had long since driven off and a lone passerby was looking at me strangely before crossing to the other side of the street. I was an idiot. Kristair would find me frozen on the sidewalk when he came to get me, if I didn’t get my head out of my ass and go upstairs.
With icy fingers, I dug my keys out of my pocket and let myself into the vestibule of the apartment building. I took the stairs instead of the elevator because I was in no mood to speak to anyone. If I was very lucky, neither Tony nor Steve would be home. As I unlocked my front door, I saw that my hands were covered in dried blood. It was black under my nails and caked the cuticles. Dark smears stained my sweater as well.
Bile rose in my throat as I let myself in. I wished I was sure the blood belonged to Kristair and not Claudia. My skin crawled and I was overcome with the urge to strip and scrub myself clean. The lights were all on. Steve was sitting in front of the TV, his attention on the Seinfeld rerun. I jammed my hands in my pockets and hurried back toward my room.
“Tony left the notes on your bed,” Steve said absently.
“Thanks,” I managed to reply, continuing on without another word.
“Jake, you jackass, it’s a damn ice shelf outside and you managed to lose your coat between the O and wherever you went. Good job.”
I didn’t reply to Steve’s sarcasm, hoping he’d take the hint. I went into my room, slamming the door behind me to reinforce the point. The sweater, with its telltale bloodstains, was off in an instant as I made a beeline for the bathroom. I’d take it to the incinerator after I’d washed the stench of death off my skin.
The shock and cold were beginning to hit my system and I was trembling as I turned on the hot water in the sink. I couldn’t help but wonder if the police were going to be knocking on my door, nor what I would do if they did. What would Kristair do with the bodies? I was in so far over my head I was drowning.
“Jake, what the hell has been going on with you lately?” Tony snapped as he barged into my bedroom.
“Leave me alo
ne,” I snarled, grabbing the bar of soap and thrusting my hands under the scalding water and lathering them. My stomach lurched as rust stained the water and foam. I tried to kick the door shut, but Tony caught it as it was closing.
“Holy shit! Is that blood?” Tony asked, sounding as sick as I felt. “Are you hurt? Hold on, I’ll get Steve—”
“No! I’m fine. Just leave me alone.” The anger caused by his interference died as our eyes met. Tony was looking at me like he didn’t know me anymore. I flinched back from my friend’s silent accusation and concentrated instead on getting every speck of blood off my hands, from under my fingernails, my skin crawling as I did.
“I didn’t do anything,” I said, casting Tony another dark glance.
He seemed to shake himself from his thoughts, peering down at the sink. “Are you okay?”
Fuck no. I was pretty damned far from okay. In desperation, I tried to reach Kristair again, but the wall between us was thick and I had no idea what I could do to breach it. If I could just reach him things would be better. I rinsed the soap clean of the dark red stains and set it back on the sink, grateful that my trembling had eased.
“Yeah, Tony, I’m cool,” I lied, not quite able to meet his eyes. “I’m freezing. I’m gonna take a shower.” Deliberately, I turned my back on him and pulled the curtain over the tub, turning on the water.
There was a long, agonizing pause before Tony left and once again I was incredibly alone. I sighed and then noticed the skin on my wrist was unbroken from Kristair’s bite. What the fuck? The bite had been deep and it hadn’t happened that long ago, an hour, maybe two. It seemed like an eternity. I couldn’t understand why I was healing so quickly.
My skin was clammy as I stepped underneath the too-hot spray. The water eased the chill from my muscles, but did nothing to banish the tension from my body and mind. I argued with myself while I scrubbed myself clean over and over. By the time I stepped out and was toweling myself dry, I had decided to go back and talk to Kristair.
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