by J. A. Saare
That didn’t leave me wiggle room.
The folder was information that I’d pretty much covered—demon conjuring, how to banish a demon to Hell, and how to kill one. The killing required something blessed by a holy man and a pure-blood demon of all fucking things, which I was guessing was the purpose of the devious little surprise wrapped in a leather sheath inside the case. I slid the dagger into my still-open duffel and exchanged folders.
As the contents of the manila file spilled into my lap, I heard the floor creak and lifted my head, meeting a pair of knowing chocolate-brown eyes. Bells didn’t speak for several seconds, taking in the guilty spectacle of my ass. Then she stepped into the room.
“I figured I’d give you enough time to let your shadow go.”
I almost laughed. Almost. “You knew?”
“I had a general idea.” She crossed to me and took a seat directly across from me. “The question is, what are you up to now?”
I could have lied, but what was the point? Information about Marigold Vesta’s amulet was all over my lap. As Bells lifted one of the various sheets of paper, she studied it. There was no indication of anger, fear, or aggravation.
“I knew you had it. I could feel it on you the moment I mended your wound. Only something as powerful as the pendant of a fallen angel could balance out my darkness.”
That was a fully loaded statement, complete with sour cream and bacon bits. “Your darkness?”
She arched a brow, and in that moment, she appeared very much like her father. “You’re aware of how I was conceived, aren’t you?”
Shit on a stick. “I am.”
“Are you aware of what happens when a mortal and a half-demon procreate?”
“No.” I hated how weak my voice sounded.
“Well.” She smiled at me, but her eyes became cloudy, so dark the pupils were almost absent. “We live out a solid human lifetime as a hybrid. A little of both. When we mature, the demon starts taking over. It’s something you can’t control and you can’t stop. It’s only natural that a being born with half a soul will eventually embrace the darkness they carry.” She paused. “Do you remember when you implied I was like my mother, and I told you we were nothing alike?”
Boy, did I. “You didn’t seem very happy about the idea.”
“It’s because it hit so close to home. In a few months, I’ll reach maturity. It starts with the ability to heal, and then it becomes something else. Instead of wanting to ease pain, I’ll desire to inflict it. I’ve felt it coming for months.”
“Goose—”
“Doesn’t know,” she confessed. “I haven’t told him. Considering the circumstances, it wouldn’t matter anyway. I am what I am, I know what I am, and I know what I’ll eventually become.”
Bells retrieved more of the papers from my lap and began sorting through them, one by one, not saying a word. When she finished, she took the journal and flipped through it. She stopped when she reached a passage and started reading. It was the last page of the journal, so I wasn’t sure what it was, until she actually fucking smiled. When she looked up at me, the bleakness in her eyes was replaced by a look I couldn’t read.
She handed the journal over. “Here.”
Instead of some kind of spell, I found the last page was a letter written by Sonja, telling me if I’d come this far, maybe I was ready to go all the way and book a safe passage home.
“You’re planning to make a deal to go back, aren’t you?”
My fingers stilled on the page. “That depends.”
“On?”
Lifting my gaze, I answered her straight. “If you’re going to try to stop me.”
“Why would I want to do that?”
She was so serious, but I couldn’t find it in myself not to answer like the smartass I was. “Because you’ll cease to exist?”
Looking away, she began putting the pages in her lap in order. “I was never supposed to exist. I was created as a part of a demon’s game, a way of taking claim of someone who didn’t want her. Dad hates her, you know? Even though he loves me, and he answers to her for it, he knows what he’s condemned me to. I’ve seen the impact it’s caused. He’s slowly watching me vanish before his eyes, becoming something he’ll eventually love but hate, while attached to a bitch he detests, and there isn’t anything he can do about it.”
I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. “So you want me to do something about it in his place?”
“I know about mortal history,” she said. “I’ve researched it, studied it and know it like the back of my hand. The place that exists now is a shell of what it was supposed to be. A place corrupted by demons, overtaken by them. Soon, there won’t be much of a world left. You’ve seen how it is, and believe me, it’s only going to get worse. Right now other half-demons are taking control of all the major cities across the world. When they do, they’ll summon and conjure their full-blooded brethren to take their place. Life for those with souls will become a virtual Hell on earth, with no other option but to fall from grace in order to survive. God might have won the first round, but he won’t survive the second. Armageddon is, as we speak, at hand.”
“From the looks of it, it’s already arrived.”
She made a sound that was a mixture of a snort and a laugh. “You’re probably right.” Taking a deep sigh, she settled her hands on her knees. “So, when do you plan to do the summoning? I’m assuming that’s your plan?”
Tempting as it was, I didn’t ask her how about now? “The sooner the better. I’m running out of time.”
She frowned, pensive and thoughtful. “You’re not going to get the opportunity to do anything if Victoria finds out about what you’ve done. That means we’re going to have to improvise.”
Relief, profound and immense, coursed through me. “Does that mean you’re going to help?”
She nodded, looked me in the eye, and said, “Yes, I’m going to help you. But a little bit of pain is going to be involved. We can’t have you returning empty handed without an excuse.”
Before I could question exactly what she meant, Bells moved to her knees and brought her fist back. She decked me in the face with enough force to plant me flat on my back and knock the wind from my sails. Before I could brace myself, she gave me another harsh rap to the chin.
Chapter Fifteen
“She attacked you?” Victoria circled me like a shark, eyes those of a predator. “You fought the mongrels in the club easily enough. How did she gain the upper hand?”
Pressing the wadded handkerchief Goose had provided to my bloodied and battered nose, I muttered, “She waited until my back was turned and got the drop on me.”
“You expect me to believe that?”
“No, I don’t.” I sighed and tried to relax in the extremely uncomfortable chair I’d been placed in. “I wouldn’t believe it if I hadn’t experienced being shit kicked firsthand. You said she was an animal. I should have listened.”
Paine watched our interaction from behind his desk, unmoving, studying me. Next to him was Goose and Bells, both equally quiet. Victoria’s guards were, as always, at her back.
Victoria turned from me, glancing at Bells. “Any word from Mardock?”
Bells stepped forward, shaking her head. “She was long gone by the time I entered the apartment.”
“Which begs the question.” Victoria landed a look of hatred on her child, one no parent should ever bestow. “Why was she allowed to leave your presence? I gave specific orders that she was never to be left unattended until we were assured of where her loyalties lie.”
“That’s been taken care of.” Paine stood and started walking around his desk. “The mark between Rhiannon and me has been established, as well as the bond between those beholden to each other. She’s given herself to me completely as a familiar and a lover. That suffices.”
Shit. The stunned look on
Goose’s face made me queasy. Why hadn’t we had the chance to talk so that I could explain everything? At the very least I wanted him to understand.
“Isn’t that convenient?” Victoria circled my chair, marking each of the injuries that Bells had inflicted. I had to hand it to the girl—she knew how to kick some ass. The first two punches were only a warm up. I had bruises, scratches and a swollen eye to prove it. “Perhaps too convenient.”
“She won’t run.” Goose’s voice was so neutral, so indifferent. “She needs our help to sever her debt. It wouldn’t serve her any purpose to flee.”
“Ah, yes.” Victoria’s eerie smile forced me to look away from her as she stopped in front of me. “I’ve been told a deal has been brokered. Isn’t that fortunate for you as well? I’m surprised, frankly, as the cost seemed too high.”
I looked up then, noting that Paine was now staring at the floor, avoiding my gaze. In fact, everyone seemed uncomfortable. Victoria glanced around the room and started to laugh, like a fucking deranged and rabid hyena. When she stopped, she kneeled in front of me, forcing me to meet her eyes.
“Paine didn’t tell you, did he? Naughty, naughty boy.”
Don’t slap her, don’t slap her, don’t slap her.
I made sure my reply was docile and not curt. “What are you talking about?”
“The cost of my help is a night in my bed. Your lover has avoided it long enough.”
I launched myself at her without thinking. I didn’t care about the danger, about the prospect of never returning home. The thought of the violation she’d expect Paine to endure—the very same torment I’d suffered—was impossible to deny. Her initial surprise was short lived. Within moments, she had the upper hand, placing her hand around my throat as she put her weight on my chest and glowered down at me.
“Never, ever, do something that stupid again. You challenge me”—she squeezed her fingers tightly, cutting off my oxygen supply—“and I’ll break your fucking neck. I don’t give a shit about you. All you are is a toy, a means to get what I want. And make no mistake—I will get what I want. I’ll fuck your vampire, I’ll drink from him, and before the night is over, he will call me Mistress. I will own his soul, and he will do each and every single thing I tell him to without question. Even as he suffers the deaths of all the lives I’ve claimed. When he returns to you, a part of me will always remain, and there isn’t a fucking thing you can do about it.”
She released me and stood. I brought my hand to my neck, coughing as I struggled to breathe. No one came to my assistance, not that I expected them to. They hovered back, remaining as they were. As I rolled onto my knees, I had to force myself to keep my eyes on the floor versus look at Paine, unwilling to see the anger, remorse, or frustration I knew he must be experiencing.
“We’ll perform the summoning at sunset, which is just minutes from now. Meet me at the floor of your club. The ritual will happen there.” Victoria turned her back to me. “When the deed is done, you will come to me.”
I couldn’t see if Paine nodded, but since he didn’t speak, I knew he must have.
I wanted to scream. I wanted to rip something apart. I wanted to do anything but remain on the fucking carpet as the bitch strolled by with her fucking troops marching idly behind. I pressed my fingers into the thick material until my nails bent backward. I welcomed the pain, trying to call on each and every ache in my body and face. It was the only way to stay in control, to keep from losing my shit.
“Rhiannon.” When Paine’s voice came from just above me, I moved away as if the sound burned. I understood why he kept the details of his deal from me, but it didn’t lessen the sting or piss me off any less.
“You should have told me.”
The pain and misery in his voice wrapped invisible fingers around my heart, fingers that squeezed until I thought the very beating might stop. “I know. I’m sorry.”
His apology made me angrier. What did he have to feel sorry for? I was the one who had placed him in this predicament and put him in this wretched place. I’d never asked why he was so averse to touching Victoria, assuming it was because, like others, he would see things he wouldn’t like.
“You’ll see how she dies?”
“Yes.”
“What else?”
“I’ll see the people she’s killed.” His level voice didn’t completely mask his anxiety. “Half-demons aren’t like humans or vampires.”
The level of the sacrifice he was willing to make changed things, an irreversible shifting of events that would alter not only the future, but the past. It was inevitable, something I’d denied myself but now knew I could never truly avoid. Paine would do something no other had ever been willing to do for me, and knowing that caused a shift in the way I felt about him, whether I wanted it to or not.
“I need a few minutes alone.”
No one questioned it, but I managed to stop Bells as she started past me. “Wait,” I told her, my gaze glued on my fingers. Several of the nails were now bent backward, the quicks filled with blood. “I want to speak to you.”
“Go ahead,” Bells told the others. “I’ll bring her down before it’s time.”
I waited until the door closed before I released the scream I’d been holding in. It didn’t matter if they could still hear my rage, my heartbreak, my turmoil. It was a precursor of what they could expect soon. My throat felt raw and bruised when I finally stopped. I licked my lips and struggled to talk.
“I didn’t get a good layout of the club the last time. Are there still mirrors in front of the dance floor, under the DJ booth?”
“Yes, that’s where they plan on performing the summoning.” Bells knelt beside me. “What are you planning? Don’t do something stupid.”
“Stupid is as stupid does,” I muttered.
“Tell me what you’re going to do. I can’t help you if I don’t know.”
“It’s best you don’t.” I struggled to my feet, shrugging Bells off when she attempted to assist. “You need a clear head.”
“Then tell me what I can do.”
Shaking out my stiff shoulders, I finally looked at her. She was tense, her face pensive. “When the shit hits the fan, stay the hell out of the way.”
I glanced around the office until I located my duffel. Everything I needed was inside. It was a risky fucking gamble, but one I was willing to take. If it was necessary, I’d burn the entire building to the fucking ground to set things right.
Summoning Marigold Vesta would require a bit of my blood and a sacrifice. Most witches used animals, like chickens, cats and dogs. In my case, I had a much larger target in mind—one that deserved to be sent to Hell until she could be reborn.
I yanked the packet with the facts on Marigold and her amulet from the folder and read over it. There was a lot of information, including the amulet’s power to prevent maladies—such as lycanthropy—heal injuries, shade your presence from others—including vampires you were beholden to—and increase powers. Several of the pages were ones I needed to keep, so I folded them into a tidy square and shoved them into my back pocket. When the time came, I would take advantage the gift I’d been given. It wasn’t something that was meant to be used lightly, something that if given the chance could sear your soul. That was the power of the amulet. Much like the One Ring to Rule Them All, the strength and seduction of the jewelry only became stronger. That was the reason Goose was so terrified of it. Pure souls—those untainted by tragedy and violence—were repulsed by the hum I found delicious. For others—like me, who had witnessed and partaken in fucked-up shit—it was like a drug.
“At least let me heal you.” Bells grasped my arm, but I pulled away.
“It’ll only clue them in to what is going on. I need to stay just like I am.” At her worried look, I gave her a grin. “Believe me, as good as you are, I’ve had worse.”
The last thing I needed was at t
he bottom of the bag. I removed the ancient-looking dagger from its sheath, studied the shining blade that didn’t match the nearly rusty hilt. It was hard to believe the thing fed off blood. Once I unlocked its hunger, I’d be forced to continue nourishing it. Good thing I always seemed to need a decent blade in my arsenal, although I would miss my trusty butterfly knife.
The knife didn’t fit into my pocket—too long and wide—so I stuffed it into my pants and covered it with my sweater. The metal was cool against my skin, deadened until returned to life.
I heard the clock chiming downstairs—once, twice, then three, four, five and six deep, resonating sounds. When the sounds stopped, I knew it was time.
“Are you sure you’re ready for this?” Bells asked softly.
It felt cheesy to say it, but damn if it didn’t feel just right. “Let’s rock and roll.”
Chapter Sixteen
The entire crew had assembled by the time I arrived to the summoning, including a few new faces I didn’t recognize. A white circle of salt had been created in the middle of the dance floor, which was perfect. In order to make it my own, I only had to seal an inner circle with my blood and voila—a safe place. Not that it would matter. The moment I went balls out, the shit could hit the fan. If I was knocked from the sanctity of my personal bubble of protection, it would be a free for all.
Paine didn’t look at me as I approached him. His shame made the fire in my veins all the hotter, my rage all the brighter. He seemed stunned when I stopped in front of him, placed my hands on his shoulders, and lifted onto the tips of my toes to whisper in his ear, “No matter what happens, don’t open the mark between us.”
He gripped my waist, pulling me closer. “Why would you say something like that?” His dark eyes sought mine. “What are you up to?”
Lying to him hurt more than I anticipated. “I don’t want to share what you’re feeling when this is all said and done. I can’t bear it.”