She’d always been rebellious, her and Trina both, and she dare not take any risks. She needed Lilith to be cooperative, and after tonight, that seemed unlikely.
But she had a plan.
She placed blue-and-white scarves around the door of Haven House and placed a glass of water near the door. As she lit a blue candle, she called forth the goddess Yasmina—conductor of souls. “Great goddess, allow Nan to hear my voice, to be commanded and compelled by me.”
The candle blue out. The water drained.
Rowena grinned.
She pressed her face to the front door. “Nan, you must possess Lilith.”
I cannot reach her. She’s protected her space.
She frowned. Hadn’t Lilith said something about that at dinner? She’d said that Kat helped her. If that was the case, Lilith must have used the dried herb mixture she herself had taught Kat. She got down on her hands and knees and blew under the door. Closed her eyes and used her Magic to push the air across the floor. Up the stairs and through the bedrooms. It wasn’t enough to alert anyone who might be awake, but it would scatter any dried herbs lying on the floors.
“Nan, you must possess Lilith.”
Yes. Yes, I will stop the abomination before it starts. He will die. She will die.
“No. Don’t kill Lilith. Possess her. I need her.”
I will kill him.
“Yes. Kill him. Possess her. And wait for my instructions.”
Rowena glanced up to see her nemesis standing behind her at the base of Haven House’s porch steps, hiding in the shadows. Good gods, how long had he been standing there? She straightened.
“Bright blessings, Madam High Priestess.”
Great. This was the last thing she needed. “What are you doing here?”
“Making sure you aren’t seen.” He glanced away, staring up at the darkened sky for a moment. “They've mated each other, you know.”
Rowena froze. No wonder James hadn’t left Lilith after the fiasco at her house.
He tsked. “Nothing good can come of this should he bite her. Not for either of us.”
She stared. This male held the same beliefs that Nan had. Rowena shook her head. No witch, no matter how rebellious, would allow a vampire to transform her. It was an abomination because the witch would lose her Magic as her Vampiric talent took over.
“As always, my offer stands.” He rocked back on his heels. “It would be in our best interests to unite forces. We'll destroy him and share her.” A shudder wracked through him so hard, his head snapped to the side. His pleasant demeanor shifted to something fierce. His hands fisted.
She still couldn’t quite figure him out. “You're jealous.”
His body relaxed and he let out a soft chuckle. “No. I require her Magic but for a short time.”
“I'm not a madam.”
“And that's not the type of magic I want.” He smirked. “I need her to work one spell. That's all. Then she's all yours.”
One spell. His request seemed so innocent, yet much could be done with one spell. “I don't trust you. Go away. I've got everything under control.”
“Of course, madam.” A shudder ran though him again. “What did you do to Kat?” The accusatory question shot out of his mouth rapid-fire.
Rowena reared back.
He took out his blade and she prepared to cast against him.
But he sank it hilt deep into his own thigh. He pulled the blade out and sheathed it. His jaw clenched tight, but he smiled. “Just say my name if you change your mind. I'll hear you.”
Two voices. She’d distinctly heard two separate voices. And both knew far more than she wanted them to know. So was he possessed, or crazy? “What's your name?”
“Julius. Julius Crowley.” He made a little bow and turned, whistling as he limped down the drive.
The fool male was stupid enough to give her his name?
No. He’d been far too careful over the years to commit such a novice error now. So whose name had he given her? An enemy’s? The weaker consciousness living in that body? Something was up with that male.
He was different . . . and not in a good way.
Chapter 29
Dawn came and went, but Nan didn’t show. They stayed awake, waiting for her, but the house remained silent.
“Come on, let’s get some rest.” James stretched out on the bed and pulled Lilith to him. He couldn't seem to stop touching her. “Tell me the story your mom told you.”
“The Creation story?”
He nodded, kissed the top of her head and tucked her closer to his frame.
“Once upon a time, the goddess walked the vastness of space, alone with her mate. They loved each other and expressed that love physically, creating life.” She kissed his chest. “The Grigori were first, two hundred beings of great power. Eventually, we'd come to know these beings as gods—Zeus, Ra, Thor—and they'd give birth to daemon-kind. But before that time came, the goddess created other beings, creatures made of light with no free will. They were the keepers of time, of space, of peace. As powerful as the Grigori, as knowledgeable, but lacking their passion and emotion.”
Ah, the angels.
“The goddess created homes for all the beings. Machon for the Grigori and their kin. Raquia for the Angels. And Earth for humans. The goddess could see all their futures, their struggles and their final redemptions. And she saw that it was good.”
James smiled. She made it all sound so . . . divine. So planned and accepted.
“The daemons came last, but were no less favored.”
He tightened his grip on her.
“The Grigori came to Earth, seeking to mate with the daughters of men. They wanted to create life, like the humans. They felt cheated thinking the goddess gave the humans something better than what they had. They set themselves up as gods, sharing their secrets with men. And men worshipped them, offering these gods their daughters. Some angered the Grigori and were cursed. Others pleased them and were blessed.”
As far as he knew, only the Grigori coven had been blessed. All the other races had been cursed.
“But the Grigori could not impregnate their chosen mates. One of the Grigori grew frustrated and bit his mate. She changed, all his anger and spite turning her into a Nephilim. The other Grigori saw what he'd done and did the same. The Nephilim were a plague upon the Earth, destroying mankind.”
That's what he was. Descendant of the Nephilim. Born of violence and anger.
She lifted her head to look at him. “My mom never explained how vampires were born of the Nephilim.”
“We're the watered-down version.”
“Okay, you gotta explain that statement. Nephilim aren't in my book of daemonology.”
“So, Nephilim A bites someone and they become Nephilim B who bites Nephilim C, well, by the time you get to Nephilim E, the Watcher's DNA is so watered-down you end up with“—he shrugged—“me.”
She laid her head on his chest. “Ah, my mom told me vampires carried the Grigori's talent, but none of the rage and anger of the Nephilim. Now that makes sense.”
“Because of us, God destroyed everything.”
She shook her head against him. “The goddess sent a flood to wipe the Nephilim from the Earth, but she saved mankind and she saved daemon-kind.” Lilith sat up. “If she thought your kind evil, she'd have destroyed vampires with the Nephilim.” She laid back down and settled against his chest, tracing his scars with her fingers. “Instead, she allowed the Nephilim to remain long enough to ensure the vampires’ existence. You have purpose in this world, James. You may have lost your faith, but the goddess never loses faith in us.”
Faith? No one had given him a reason to have faith in a long time. Who would've imagined he might find some in a pagan woman? He curled himself around her, wishing he could sink right into her skin. Wishing he could take on her faith as his own.
Eventually, he'd have to tell her the truth. He'd need to confess to killing her in her past life.
Then they
'd both discover the truth about faith and forgiveness.
***
Nan appeared in the doorway later that afternoon, well before sunset.
Lilith bolted upright. James’ alarm hadn't gone off yet. She glanced at him as she donned her nightgown.
James tugged on his pants. “She's early.”
“How?”
Nan grinned, her teeth soiled, pointed. One of her long, thin legs flexed over Kat's potion, her foot landing solidly on their side of the protective line.
Tiny tendrils of smoke spouted off her skin. Nan sucked in a breath, hissing.
Lilith grabbed hold of James' hand. “It's working. I told you it would work. She won't be able to cross.”
He backed away from Nan, pulling her with him. “It's not.”
Nan placed her hands on either side of the doorjamb. Slowly, moaning and hissing, she pulled herself through. “Now, that’s not so bad.”
“It'll get worse. You're smoking. Any minute now, you'll erupt into flames and be sent back to your own realm.”
Nan shook her head, stalking forward. “Oh, it hurts. It's pissing me the fuck off. But I'm not going anywhere. Not until I've got what I came for.”
“What?”
“You.”
Nan lunged forward, the second set of her arms, the ones ending in vicious hooks, lashing out. Lilith started to call forth a void, to trap Nan, but James grabbed her, pulling her behind him. He grabbed hold of Nan's hooked appendages.
Lilith staggered back. Nan was far stronger than she'd expected. She needed James out of the way, then she'd trap Nan in a void and exorcise her spirit from the house. “James, move out of the way on the count of three.”
“No.”
“I've got this. You need to move. One.” Lilith gathered her resolve, grounding her energy by linking her spirit with the world around her.
“Two.” She used that grounding to pull more energy toward her, to put as much energy as possible behind her spell.
“Three.”
“Goddamn you.” James shoved Nan back and leapt out of the way.
Lilith conjured the void, just like Brenda had instructed, a box of pure nothingness around Nan.
She straightened. Good gods, it worked. It worked!
James pulled himself up from the floor and dusted himself off. “She's gone?”
She shot him a cocky grin. “I told you I could handle this.”
***
He had an overwhelming need to lecture her to within an inch of her life, but the brilliant smile she bestowed on him stayed his words. For now. He didn't have it in him to sour her success. But later, later he'd lecture her for putting herself at risk.
Lilith's smile faded and he realized he must be glaring at her.
He started toward her just as a blur passed from the void to Lilith and disappeared.
Her eyes widened and her mouth gaped. She held her hand to her throat as if choking.
“Lil?”
The void disappeared.
She lowered her head, holding up a hand for him to stay back, and her whole body shuddered. Something moved beneath her skin, slithered down her arm, making her wrist jerk.
What am I supposed to protect her from?
Everything.
Shit.
“Lilith?” He stepped closer, his hand closing around her outstretched arm. Her skin felt like ice. “Baby?” He didn't know why he kept trying to get her attention. He knew he wouldn't like what he saw. “Look at me.” With a finger under her chin, he tried to coax her face up.
Her head snapped up with enough force to pop bone. Her eyes, her beautiful, ancient eyes weren't there. Above her slack features, two solid white orbs stared at him. The vitality he loved in her, gone. Her features had taken on an ashen quality, her veins black beneath her skin.
His chest tightened. He'd failed her. No. He'd pretty much condemned her. Never should he have allowed any of this. He'd had one job, damn it. “What can I do?”
The voice coming out of her wasn't Lilith's. “Watch her die, Vampire.”
Jesus. For over a millennium he'd hunted and killed daemons. He had more experience in killing than he ever desired to have in anything. And yet, he was helpless in this. He'd never tried to save any of the possessed beings he'd met. “Lilith. Listen to me. I need help here. What do I do?”
Her body trembled and shook, her posture jerking this way and that as if two forces inside fought for control. “Stab her.” Lilith's voice.
“No.” For a moment, her skin seemed to clear, the midnight spider webbing of veins, fading. The only way to stab Nan, would be to stab Lilith, too. “Give me something else. Anything else.”
“She's weak.” She gripped his shirt in her fist; a shudder ran through her. “Get the information and stab her.”
An outraged shriek erupted from her mouth, her body thrashing, lifting and levitating, as Nan fought for control.
“Tell me what to do.” He muttered the words, desperate for any advice. Even from the Watchers. “Come on, you bastards, you wanted me to protect her, tell me what to do.”
His phone came alive in his back pocket and he jumped. He wrested his phone out of his pocket. The screen announced he had a text from No Number Available. He clicked the message open.
Kill her.
One shaky hand scrubbed over his head. “No.” Then, firmer. “No.” He threw his phone on the bed.
In the corner, the clock radio flipped on. The dial rotating back and forth playing bits of songs, excerpts from commercials and talk shows. “Careful now . . . .” A male announcer’s voice. The dial spun. “Watching you . . . .” A vocalist. “Closer now . . . .” A woman's vocals. “Seeing you . . . .” A child's voice.
The Watchers were warning him.
His gaze traveled back and forth from the radio to where Lilith thrashed against the ceiling. “I'm not killing her.” There had to be another way.
The dial spun, and the volume leapt up. “Do as you’re told.”
The angry lyrics repeated, raising in volume. “Do as you’re told.”
“No. She'll not die tonight, not by my hand.”
The dial spun. “I'm coming for you.”
The radio turned off.
Jesus. Would they send other Guardian? Would they come themselves?
No. The Watchers were trapped on Machon. They couldn't come here.
He looked up, but Lilith was gone.
Shit.
He grabbed his blades and strapped them on. If someone did show up, he'd be ready for them. He walked out into the hall and glanced both ways. Lilith still struggled with Nan, across the ceiling and down the entryway wall.
James raced down the stairs, grabbed hold of Lilith and pulled her back down, pressing her feet to the floor.
Lilith settled. He cupped her slack cheek. “Nan, why does Lilith need my protection?”
“She's dead.”
His gut knotted. “She's not. You're lying. Tell me why. Why does she need my protection?”
“I'll not allow the abomination.”
What the hell was she talking about? They’d already mated. “It's already happened.”
She laughed, her cackle all the more eerie for the fact that Lilith's face didn't move. “You know nothing, Vampire. You think you do, but you don't.”
“Stop talking in riddles.” All this time he thought him mating Lilith was the abomination she'd spoken of. “What's the abomination? Why does she need my protection?”
“They’re one and the same.”
He shook her. “Explain.”
A sound escaped through Lilith's parted lips. Then another. And another, until they blended into a tune. Like the slow winding of a Jack-in-the-Box by a nervous child. One afraid something other than a happy clown might jump out when the lid opened. A child's song. He recognized the tune: “Pop Goes the Weasel.”
“I know you can hear me, you bitch. Answer my question.”
Outside, the porch creaked.
They we
re coming. He needed to get Lilith out of here.
Upstairs, a door creaked open.
He gripped Lilith’s clammy upper arms and he rotated a slow circle, forcing her to keep pace, the position allowing him to stay focused on her while checking their surroundings over her shoulder.
Someone was coming.
Her dead eyes stayed on him while his shifted to the shadows, their movement giving him the chance to make sure nothing snuck up on them from the dark rooms surrounding them.
The water turned on in the bathroom upstairs.
The lights flickered off.
Who was coming? The Watchers themselves? A Guardian? Something else?
He had no idea what to expect and he didn't dare let Lilith out of his sight, not while that bitch possessed her. The cabinets in the kitchen started to slam open and closed.
His body jerked as Lilith added lyrics to her tune. “All around the Guardian realm . . . .”
“Stop it.” Around they went, the dark kitchen appeared empty. Nothing moved on the stairs. The living room remained still. And noise came from every corner of the house.
“. . . the vampire stalks the humans. . . .“
Jesus. Where was the threat coming from? Or was this just Nan fucking with him?
“No one knows what he really is.” Her slack features spread into a sickly smile. “’Til out pops the Watcher.”
James froze. Watcher?
She lurched at him. Her eyes turned blood red, her teeth jagged little spikes in her mouth.
He stepped back, tripped, and fell.
Lilith hovered over him and everything, the furniture, the books, the paintings rose up from their assigned spaces, hovering with her.
He scrambled back.
The boards covering the windows started to shake, the nails whining as the boards shook loose.
A stream of late evening sunlight blasted through the room, trapping him in the corner.
Fuck.
She flew toward him, arms outstretched, fingers arched into claws.
He grabbed hold of her, turned, and pressed her to the wall. She screamed, thrashing against him, clawing his face and gnashing her teeth.
“Come on, Lil, I know you're in there.” He restrained her, trying not to add additional injuries to her body. “Help me.”
The Beacon (The Original's Trilogy Book 1) Page 23