Tied In Knots (Immortals Book 7)

by LJ Vickery

  His wife’s voice came back choked and sobbing. They may have Girin. Can’t talk. We’re all going goddess. The connection ended, and Marduk roared.

  Absu felt panic from his friends on a visceral level. The lodge in California suddenly seemed much too full. Gods with mates in danger, some of whom were pregnant, morphed into huge, muscle-bound monsters and serpents. Enlil sprouted horns and Ishkur’s hands glowed red. Things were not looking good.

  Charlie and Bee-Dee, who hadn’t witnessed any of the gods’ alter ego’s before, looked on in bewilderment. Absu tried to keep himself under wraps, but in solidarity with his fellow gods, he couldn’t help himself. A few claws popped out from his extended fingertips.

  Bless her, Charlie didn’t even blink.

  Dorian, who’d seen plenty of god-like transformations in his day, was not patient. Witches couldn’t do mind-speak, and clearly, he wanted to know what was going on. He approached the enormous and still-growing god of thunder. “Marduk. Tell me what’s happening.”

  The rumble that came from the god’s mouth was nearly unintelligible.

  “Demons…in the compound…Girin…” he roared the last.

  Dorian fisted the shirt he’d borrowed from Enlil. It was talisman enough to transport back to the Blue Hills. “I’m there, Marduk. Right now.” Dorian disappeared in a blink.

  Absu railed, along with those left behind, impotent with rage. They couldn’t leave instantly like the warlock, and couldn’t even begin their trip home, hemmed in as they were by demons. Inaction suffocated them. Marduk’s eyes sparked with lightning as he nearly exploded, wrenching open the door. “I’m not waiting,” he thundered.

  There was a loud, angry blast of agreement. Thirteen gods, one goddess, one witch, and six Lauernley filled in behind Marduk to face the enemy. One way or another, they would get home.

  ****

  Jake was frantic. There was something horribly wrong. The women had known he was coming home from the airport, but the perimeter barriers weren’t opening for him. He’d been calling for several minutes. He was just about to give up and check in with the gods in California when a male voice he didn’t know picked up the line. “Who is this?” the unknown person whispered.

  “It’s Jake. Who’s this?”

  “It’s Greg Abelard, Hux and the twins’ father.”

  Jake could barely hear over noise in the background. “What’s going on?” He heard soft, quick conferring, before the phone was put on speaker. Luckily, the volume increased.

  “Jake. This is Addie. Demons are in the compound. They’re after Girin and Matthew. Kate and Greg Abelard are hidden in the security room with me, and we’re watching on the monitors. Ghost-like demons are using their teeth to cut through the bars of Matthew’s cell.”

  “Lower the barriers.” Jake was frantic. Anna was in there. “Where’s everyone else?” The car was finally able to move forward. His tires spun and caught as he punched the gas.

  “Vesca screamed from upstairs, and they’ve all gone to save the baby.” The witch valiantly tried to control the panic in her voice.

  Jake made a quick judgment call. Every molecule in his body howled at him to keep Anna safe, but the trained agent in him couldn’t let the prisoner get away. “I’m getting out of the car, and I’m headed in through the garage.” He eased the gun from its holster under his arm. He didn’t have to look at his weapon. It had a fully automatic safety release, ready when he was. “Tell me everything you know about these demons.”

  Greg Abelard recounted every evil detail, while Jake made his way inside the dwelling under siege.

  ****

  Dorian appeared silently behind the group of women outside of Girin’s nursery.

  “Vesca?” Tess called, leaning with her back up against the wall. She was doing a good job remaining calm. “Vesca? What’s happening?”

  There was no answer from behind the closed door. He watched Lenore, standing next to Tess, extract a blade from the inside of each thigh-high boot she wore, passing one over to Marduk’s wife. Holly had grabbed a sword from somewhere in the compound. But Glory, Dani-Lee, and Anna were unarmed. Angie was tuning up her witch skills behind the rest of them when he tapped her shoulder. She jumped.

  “Bloody hell, Dad.” She lowered her hands. “I could have killed you.” Her eyes dropped. “And what in Hades are you not wearing?” Dorian had forgotten that most of his assets were on display with the shirt he’d borrowed.

  “Something with which to scare the ghouls.” He gave a wry twist of his mouth. “I’m going in first.”

  All of the women were now aware of him, and he gave Angie and Anna a shoulder squeeze as he eased into the point position. He brushed by Tess and kicked a well-healed boot―his only other covering―into the door. It crashed open, and the group rushed in.

  Vesca lay sideways on the floor, knocked out, but her body surrounded an oddly complacent Girin. One demon strained to get the nursemaid off the baby, while another had a hold of the godling’s feet, trying to get a good three-fingered purchase to yank him free.

  “No.” Tess launched herself toward the group before Dorian had a chance to take a clear witch-fingerblast shot at either of the pair.

  “Dammit, Tess. Move,” he ordered, but he was too late. The goddess received a full dose of sleeping gas in the face, and fell helplessly to the floor next to Vesca as the demon responsible laughed maniacally.

  The other of the gibbering pair finally scooped the baby up, and held him as a shield, while the first disappeared into nothingness. Dorian took a guess and shot a bolt of power where the hellion had vanished, but no exploding goo appeared to assure he’d made a hit. The remaining demon, needing to stay corporeal to hang on to his prize, sped off over their heads with the baby clutched in its greedy arms. Holly knelt by Tess and Vesca, while Dorian instructed the rest to follow the fiend to the first floor.

  ****

  In the basement, Jake hid inside the first dungeon room to the left. Matthew had been set free, and the agent was trying to make sense of the strange sing-songy English the asshole’s rescuers spoke as they ran toward his position, speeding down the hallway to the elevator.

  “Gottathebabeeee, forrryooo.”

  “You got a baby. What baby?” Matthew passed him first, and pushed the elevator buttons, waiting impatiently for his ride up. Jake watched as one of the goblins procured a gun from within the folds of its body and passed it to Matthew.

  “Thanks. Now what baby?”

  “Goddd―esss, boi…th-u-u-undder god boi.”

  Damn. They had Girin.

  “Good job,” Matthew chortled. “I hate that arrogant bastard.” The elevator door opened, but before Matthew could step a toe inside, Jake had his gun pointed straight at Matthew’s head.

  “Drop your weapon,” Jake ordered. “And tell ghoul-face and friend that I’ll put a bullet through your brain if they so much as flinch in my direction or turn invisible.” He inched his way out of the dungeon to stand next to Bel’s head henchman.

  “They get it.” Matthew dropped his gun and the two demons, obviously able to translate, held off.

  “In,” Jake jerked Matthew’s arm, backing himself into the lift. “Not you,” he told the demons who moved to follow. He’d been briefed about their sleepy breath. He was taking no chances in the enclosed elevator.

  “First floor,” he ordered Matthew, indicating the buttons with a twist of his head. The doors slid closed and opened minutes later on a scene of confusion.

  A demon stood in the open front door with a silent baby Girin held negligently in its arms. Another gibbering ghoul stood out on the snow-covered front steps. The two Jake had left in the basement suddenly appeared to flank the one holding the infant.

  All the goddesses and an extremely volatile looking Dorian were spread throughout the large foyer, every one of them holding poses of aggression. Lenore was speaking.

  “Let the baby go, asshole.” She pointed a gun at the demon’s head. The fiend’s
grip shifted until one beefy ghost arm was holding the baby tight against its chest.

  “No mooove,” it said. “Squeeeze babeeee…pop.” It giggled hideously. One of the basement pair pointed at Matthew.

  “Ourladeewants…hrrrr man. Man-us…babeeee-yuuu.” It was clearly looking to make a trade.

  “You heard it.” Matthew swaggered out of the elevator. “I walk, and you get the baby back. I think that’s a fair deal.”

  “And we trust you, why?” Lenore scoffed.

  Jake knew that Lenore had a long association with Matthew, and nothing he said could be considered truthful.

  “Do you have a choice?” The arrogant male looked like he was actually enjoying himself as he eased away from Jake. “They can take off with the baby, who’ll belong to Bel, and you can be stuck with me. Or I can vacate the premises, and little baby boo-boo gets night-nights in Mommy’s arms.” He grinned wickedly. “Why do I know which one you’re going to pick?”

  “Fine. Give us the baby,” Holly said, from her position halfway up the staircase.

  “Don’t tell me. Tess’s sister?” Matthew guessed. “What a nice little family affair.” Not getting a reply, he took a few more steps toward the door and looked at Lenore with amused suspicion.

  “If he gives you the baby, you’ll shoot me,” he said. “You’re forgetting, I know you as well as you know me.”

  Jake figured the asshole was right. Lenore wouldn’t let him walk away.

  Anna spoke up, “I have a suggestion. Lay Girin gently on the floor in front of you,” she told the ghoul. “Matthew can join you and you can all leave before we pick the baby up.”

  “Another sister? How many of you are there?” Matthew scoffed. “At least this one sounds reasonable.” He looked around, still not getting any love. “So. Who shoots me if I move?” He took a few tentative steps. “No one?” He nodded to the demon. “Fine. Put the baby down.”

  The fiend crouched and placed Girin on the welcome mat, but didn’t budge an inch from there. He waited for Matthew to move into safe territory.

  “Well, goodbye all.” Matthew turned and took a mock bow. “I can’t say much for my basement accommodations, but,” he looked around and his voice turned nasty, “I look forward to moving in here when the gods get sent back to hell.” He took five long strides across the marble expanse, and when the two flanking demons skated in rapidly behind him, he scooped the baby off the floor and bolted for the door.

  “Noo,” Anna’s scream pierced the room. Dorian aimed and fired a blast of energy at a retreating back, causing one spawn to fall. But Jake knew it was only stunned not dead. Immortals had some life-essence thing that had to be removed to get the deed completely done.

  Holly bolted down the stairs with a revived Tess reeling behind, and launched herself at the thing.

  It was a sight to behold, the petite woman, seven months pregnant, straddling the prone form of a bulbous white ghoul to pry its mouth open. She stabbed again and again into the roof of its mouth, slicing the demon’s life essence until the body poofed into nonexistence.

  The rest of the group had already run through the door after the kidnappers, and Jake followed as soon as Holly was safe. They all came to a halt just off the doorstep. Matthew stood in the swirling snow, a knife to Girin’s left shoulder.

  “Any closer and there won’t be a baby left.” His eyes narrowed. “Get me the keys to that car. Now,” he demanded, pointing to the one that stood in the circular driveway. “And have someone lower your shields so we can leave.”

  “I’ll do it,” Lenore spat. “But don’t think I won’t find you and string you up by your balls,” she threatened before disappearing to do as she was told.

  “The keys are in it,” Holly told him.

  “And we won’t try to stop you if you just give me my baby back,” Tess cried.

  Matthew inched toward the vehicle, his remaining demon protectors glued to his side.

  “Sorry, Tess. Girin is now either dead or barter, and if he lives, Beletseri is going to be so pleased.” He scoffed at the group. “I think it will be an easy choice. The as-yet unmated Chosen, Charlie, for Marduk’s firstborn.”

  Jake didn’t think the man capable of killing a baby, but he couldn’t risk it.

  “We lose, and you win.” Jake urged everyone to back away, and Lenore appeared in their midst.

  “The barriers are down,” she glowered.

  “Okay. Just go,” Jake told him, and put a hand on Tess’s rigid arm. “We’ll get him back,” he whispered in her ear. “I promise.”

  As Tess sobbed, sparks flared on the ground, surrounding Matthew and his minions.

  Jake blinked. “What…who…” He looked around, but all the goddesses seemed as stunned as him.

  Matthew’s eyes morphed from gleeful to furious in a second. “What are you doing?” he cried, dancing away from the small fires that had sprung to life. “Stop now or the kid dies,” he screamed, dancing away from a particularly bad spark that almost ignited his cuff.

  “It’s not us,” Tess cried out, her arms reaching out toward her son. “Please. Give him back!”

  The air around the evil group arced with electricity.

  Lightning appeared, striking close to them on all sides, and the sky lit up with an eye-piercing brilliance. Matthew let out a shriek of pain and his arms seemed to open involuntarily. Then everything stopped. The air cleared and everyone standing in the snow became deadly calm.

  Girin was nowhere to be seen.

  Condensation puffed from Tess’s frantic, open mouth. “My baby,” she wailed. “What have you done with him?” She started forward toward Matthew, gun raised and a feverish agitation on her face. Jake knew, at that moment, she was capable of killing Matthew, and he had to spare her the recriminations that would come with that.

  He stepped forward to take the shot, but Matthew dove for the car. The fiends surrounded him in a flash, and every bullet spent from his Glock got sucked up by the gloopy demons as he fired in rapid succession.

  Matthew scrambled for the driver’s seat, brought the car to life, and in a screech of tires, sped across the lawn and into the trees.

  Lenore disappeared, but came back a minute later, her lips twisted in an angry grimace. “I couldn’t close the shields in time.”

  Matthew and his demons had successfully fled.

  The goddesses, Jake, and Dorian stood in disbelief, chests rising and falling in the aftermath of adrenaline.

  Tess fell to the ground, dropping her gun to sob. “My baby. My son.”

  Holly came forward and put a hand on her sister’s shoulder. “Like Jake said,” her sister comforted. “We’ll find him.” Her voice echoed loudly in the hush of the woods. But Jake’s ears alerted to something else. Something smaller.

  Tess must have heard it too, because she raised her head.

  The sound grew and turned from a slight whimper into a lusty cry. The goddess leaped to her feet, but Jake was already halfway toward the bawling.

  “Girin.” He heard Tess behind him while he scrambled around trees and tripped over buried roots, but paid her no heed, doggedly following the demanding entreaty.

  With her goddess speed, Tess finally caught up and the two rounded the split rock together, then stopped. Girin lay on his back, nestled between the two giant halves of snow-laden granite, safe and sound, wrapped in his blanket. His angry little face had worked up into a lusty temper.

  Tess rushed forward and dropped to her knees, gathering Girin to her chest. Jake stood back, gun raised and vigilant should Matthew return, while Tess held her son tightly, rocking back and forth and kissing his little head over and over. “Shh…it’s okay. You’re all right now.”

  As she murmured platitudes and endearments, the rest of the stunned group gathered around. Neither the goddesses nor Jake knew what to make of what had happened. If Marduk hadn’t been on the West Coast, he would have been responsible for the light show, but that wasn’t possible.

  Lenore sp
oke up first. “You don’t suppose…” She seemed at a loss for the first time since Jake had met her.

  Dorian clearly had no such difficulty. He’d been around immortals for a long time, and his shrug was as much relief as it was acknowledgement.

  “Well, he is the son of a thunder and lightning god after all.”

  Chapter Twenty-Nine

  Marduk and Waylon, two powerful beings, left the lodge shoulder to shoulder with Absu and crew right behind.

  “You tell us where they are, and we’ll grab them.” Marduk was in full battle mode, not having heard back from Tess. Thunder and lightning ripped the sky as his ire took elemental form.

  “There.” Waylon pointed ten feet overhead. “Approaching fast.”

  Absu noted that the blue king was the opposite of Marduk and extremely calm when under siege.

  The demon froze under the Lauernley’s stare. Marduk was the first to spring into action, reaching a hand into nothingness to come up with a hand full of gelatinous, rubbery leg. He held on and dragged the fiend, now embodied, to the ground. The creature looked stunned.

  “Yuuuu ceee…us?” It took in a deep breath to spew out its toxic gas, but Marduk was way ahead of that trick.

  “Oh no you don’t.” He punched the gummy ghoul in the side of the head, where it wasted its noxious fumes to the side. The god took advantage of his edge and dug into one mucilaginous jaw, forcing the thing’s sharp teeth open wide. “Waylon, go for the life essence.”

  The blue being thrust his hand up inside the mouth, squelching through its palate, and ripped the solid, glowing heart free of its berth. The demon shrank into itself and dematerialized with a flat fizzle. Absu grinned. So weirdly satisfying.

  Several of the other gods, Absu included, were having similar experiences using Waylon and his men’s locating powers. All but Enten, the cold god, who was so pissed off he just froze huge blocks of air until a victim became visible, then continued to give them a dry-ice treatment that made their essences explode from the inside out. Very dramatic.

  Absu had just dispatched one demon when he became aware of Anshar having difficulty. The all-sky god was grappling with a particularly large demon that managed to kick him in the head. Before he could recover, his enemy had wafted away and was headed straight toward the open door of the lodge.