‘Enjoying yourself?’ she asked acidly.
‘More than you could possibly imagine Isabel,’ he smiled coolly.
‘I still don’t understand why we have to destroy all the Crossroads? Why can’t we just make a deal with a keeper and go after the book?’
‘Patience Isabel,’ he replied smoothly, ‘you are in Hades domain now. Do you really want him coming after you trying to stop you from getting your hands on Infernum. After all you’ve suffered, all you’ve sacrificed, do you want to risk Hades’ interference?’
She watched him with dark unfathomable eyes.
‘If we destroy all the Crossroads first, we not only minimize the risk of anyone following us, but we destabilize the Underworld and keep them busy. It’s a win win situation.’
‘So you say.’
His mouth curved as he watched Isabel turn to the Crossroad, studying it thoughtfully.
A circular cover stone sat at its center, with its former keeper grotesquely sprawled across it. Four roads struck out from the center in the direction of the four compass points. Each road made up of heavy stone slabs, each etched with strange spidery symbols and deeply embedded with moss and lichen. Each road ended in a huge dark stone archway and each of the four archways were connected by a tall circular stone wall which encompassed the whole Crossroad. Blackened thorny vines crisscrossed the tall boundary walls in a vicious cruel looking lattice. It looked like the briar patch which guarded Sleeping Beauty’s slumbering castle, Isabel thought absently, only this wasn’t Disney and there sure as hell wouldn’t be a happy ending. Well…she amended her thoughts, there wouldn’t be a happy ending for anyone else, but for her, once she got her hands on the book, she would have everything she had ever wanted, everything that was ever meant to be hers.
Nathaniel knew he had her the moment her mouth curved into a smile and she turned back to him.
‘Destroy it,’ she whispered.
‘Your wish is my command,’ he bowed mockingly.
He pooled his power carefully. He couldn’t risk letting her know how weakened the body she had created for him was, it wasn’t time yet. He could have easily destroyed it himself now. After absorbing the life force of two Crossroad keepers he could feel the strength and power roaring through his veins, but it would make Isabel too suspicious. So instead he raised his hands and used his power to unlock the four huge stone gateways.
The great doorways burst open as huge plumes of black shadow rushed in like thick inky looking tentacles and when the shadow finally dissipated the Crossroad was filled with men and women of all ages and descriptions, each dressed in black with eyes the color of rubies.
‘Nathaniel,’ a young man who looked no older than twenty human years stepped forwards, ‘you summoned us?’
He tried to keep the disgust from his face as he took in the decaying rotten flesh of the body Nathaniel had been forced to wear. His gaze raked across to Isabel and his lips peeled back as if he were about to give a feral snarl.
‘That’s enough Zachary’ Nathaniel replied calmly. He’d known Zachary for countless centuries and he was one of his most trusted lieutenants. In fact, Zachary had joined him on earth at Constantinople and Nathaniel had been forced to concede that, when it came to finding the most inventively excruciating ways to cause pain to humans, Zachary had far outstripped himself. Watching the young looking demon working had been absolutely breath taking. He could tell even now the outrage he held in by iron hard control only. The slight tension in his body, the subtle flare of his nostrils and the glare in his eyes said that he would love nothing more than to strap the human witch to a table and go to work on her. Which was an interesting idea, Nathaniel mused absently. He’d always intended to deal with Isabel West himself when she had outlived her usefulness, but the thought of handing her over to Zachary and watching the little Maestro working his magic was…slightly arousing.
‘What do you require?’ Zachary asked quietly.
‘Break every last stone, not one single symbol must remain.’
‘As you wish,’ he turned to the others and nodded.
They fanned out across the Crossroad each choosing a stone inscribed with an ancient symbol and began to smash them all one by one. Bright blue light flooded the space with each stone broken, the ground trembled and shook, filling the air with a loud grinding sound. It was as if the ground itself were protesting the desecration and destruction of such an ancient place of power. Once the last stone had been smashed the demons disappeared, coalescing once again into shadow and vanishing through the doorways leaving Isabel and Nathaniel standing alone in the ruins of the Crossroad, with Zachary watching them closely.
The muted blue glow which appeared to come from beneath the cracked stones seemed to throb once, then twice, faltering like a dying heartbeat before finally fading into darkness leaving the Crossroad as cold and dead as its keeper.
‘What are your orders?’ Zachary asked.
‘They remain the same as before,’ he answered quietly. He threw a quick glance in Isabel's direction but she wasn’t paying attention, her gaze was once again fixed on the now silent ruins. ‘You know what to do.’
Zachary nodded and he too disappeared.
‘Isabel?’ Nathaniel called.
Stared silently giving no indication she’d even heard him.
‘Isabel?’ he repeated.
She turned to him slowly, preoccupied, as if her mind was somewhere else entirely.
‘Are you ready?’
‘For what?’
His deformed mouth curved into a terrifyingly clown-like smile.
‘To find the next Crossroad.’
Chapter 12.
‘Roni wait up’ Jake frowned, as he cast his flashlight in front of him. ‘Damn it where are you?’
‘I’m right here’ she sighed in exasperation. ‘I don’t need you to hold my hand for me you know, I told you I was perfectly capable of doing this on my own.’
‘Yeah, I’m going to let you go hiking through the woods in the middle of the night with a soul stealing demon on the loose,’ he replied sarcastically.
‘He probably isn’t out here you know; the pickings are too slim. If its souls he’s after he’s going to stick close to town where it’s like shooting fish in a barrel.’
‘You don’t know that’ he frowned, his face concealed by the darkness, ‘he has to be hiding out somewhere. For all you know he could have a secret lair around here.’
A secret lair?’ she replied in amusement as she pointed her flashlight down at the compass she held in her palm.
‘Well you know what I mean.’
‘So you what?’ the amusement flipped to irritation as she adjusted her direction, ‘came out here to protect me?’
‘Of course I did’ he sighed, ‘in case you hadn’t noticed I’m a cop. That’s what cops do, protect people.’
She wasn’t sure why that statement annoyed her even more. No, to tell the truth she knew exactly why it bugged the crap out of her, because it was painfully obvious he didn’t feel the same way about her as she felt about him. It was embarrassing and just plain depressing. After kissing her boneless he’d just shrugged it off and pretended it didn’t happen. In fact, she was beginning to wonder if it had happened at all or whether she’d just imagined it in the first place.
‘So you’re just out here protecting me as your civic duty,’ she replied in disgust.
‘Not just,’ he jogged to catch up with her, grabbing her arm and turning her to face him. ‘Christ Roni, would you just listen?’
She stopped and turned to face him, pointing her flashlight at an angle so it lit up both their faces. It was hard to talk to someone when you couldn’t see their expressions.
‘Look,’ he frowned, ‘yes I would protect you as I would anyone else, because it’s my job but also because that’s who I am. I can’t help wanting to keep you safe. I’m sorry if that pisses you off but I’m not going to change. It
’s not because I think you’re not capable, it’s because I can’t stand the thought of you getting hurt.’
He blew out a frustrated breath and tipped his head back so he could see the stars peeking through the canopy of trees.
‘Stop saying such sweet things before I end up liking you more than I already do…’
He turned his gaze back on her, a smile playing on his lips.
‘I like you too.’
‘What?’ Roni whispered, the color draining from her face.
‘I said I like you too,’ he clarified seeing her puzzled expression. ‘You told me to stop saying sweet things to you because its making you like me.’
‘I didn’t say that,’ her eyes widened in shock.
‘Yes you did, I heard you,’ he frowned in confusion.
‘No,’ she repeated firmly. ‘I thought it, I didn’t say it.’
‘That’s not…’
His voice trailed off.
‘Wonder if it’s part of his gift he unlocked the night he cast the circle. Perhaps it was a dormant gift which has been awoken…’
‘What?’ Veronica asked, ‘why are you looking at me like that?’
‘You were just wondering if it was a dormant gift which was woken up when I cast the circle.’
Her mouth fell open.
‘Holy shit!’ Jake breathed, his eyes widening. ‘Do you know what this means?’
‘What?’ Roni whispered.
‘I’m Charles Xavier.’
Her expression hardened and she shook her head. ‘I don’t think you’re taking this seriously.’
‘I’m very serious.’
‘Patrick Stewart or James McAvoy?’ she asked after a moment.
‘Now who’s not taking it seriously?’ he raised a brow in amusement.
‘I can’t believe we’re having this conversation,’ she sighed.
‘And McAvoy obviously,’ Jake replied. ‘I’m too young to lose all my hair.’
He raked his hand through his hair, shaking his head dramatically and pouting as if he were part of a shampoo commercial.
She couldn’t help the laugh that bubbled out.
‘So are we good?’ he asked.
She rolled her eyes, a small smile still hovering over her lips as she sighed in defeat.
‘Yeah we’re good,’ she turned back towards the trail, ‘just stay out of my head.’
‘Sorry can’t make any promises,’ he fell into step next to her, ‘I haven’t a clue how to control it although it does answer a few questions.’
‘How so?’ they walked along companionably.
‘I’ve been hearing some very strange conversations around town lately.’
‘Like what?’ she asked curiously.
‘Like Mr Wilson wondering if you should order some red stilettos online.’
‘That’s not so strange.’
‘In his size?’
‘Oh,’ she chuckled.
‘And Marisa Thompson wondering if Laurel Martin stuffs her training bra with tissue. Lewis Clark thinking his wife would look good with butt implants. Josh Anderson wondering what dog food tastes like. Lonnie Wright wondering if her husband gets a vasectomy whether or not he’ll still be able to get an erection and trust me you do not want to know what the sweet little eighty-year-old Ms Betty Nelson wants to do to Todd Roberts, who is forty-five years her junior.’
Roni let loose another laugh.
‘Seriously I’m traumatized; I may require counseling.’
She smiled at him even though he couldn’t see her in the darkness.
‘I’d say maybe it was just a fluke but now I’m guessing you’re stuck with it.’
‘At first I thought I was going crazy.’
‘I’d say given everything that’s happened recently, you reading peoples’ minds ranks pretty low on the Mercy crazy scale.’
‘Maybe,’ he mused, ‘but I feel like Mel Gibson in the film ‘What women want’. I can see it becoming a real pain in the ass.’
‘Well maybe there’s some way to switch it back off,’ Roni replied thoughtfully, ‘or at least teach you to control it so you’re not picking up every random thought.’
‘I hope so.’
‘Although I have to say I may never look at Ms Nelson again in the same light.’
‘Roni please,’ he replied in a pained voice, causing her to laugh again.
She stopped abruptly as her flashlight landed on a Willow tree. ‘Here we go,’ she looked the tree up and down, ‘this one should do.’
‘Do we have to get naked and chant or something?’ Jake asked.
‘Very funny,’ she rolled her eyes, handing him her flashlight.
She tucked her compass into her bag and removed a knife with a slightly curved blade and white handle.
‘What’s that?’
‘A boline,’ she answered absently as she selected the branches that she wanted. ‘It’s for harvesting herbs and wood for spells.’
‘Oh,’ he replied, ‘you know you could have just used the magic knife Olivia gave me.’
She shook her head as she cut several small lengths of wood and tucked them into her bag.
‘No, that’s an athame which you’ve also used for killing. Different knives, different purposes.’
She stepped back and retrieved her flashlight from Jake. The beam suddenly highlighted his face and she paused just taking him in. He was smiling at her again, she wished he wouldn’t do that, it just made her want to sink her teeth into him. She’d never known anyone like him, never had someone that could make her laugh the way he did. Looking at him now watching her, she just wanted to latch onto him again. She wanted her mouth on his, she wanted to taste him, God, it just plain sucked that he didn’t want her that way.
‘Roni,’ his eyes widened in surprise.
Oh no.
‘Please tell me you didn’t just hear that.’
He didn’t need to tell her, his face said it all.
‘Stay out of my head,’ she snapped angrily turning away from him in absolute mortification.
Great, now she was going to have to move to another state.
‘Roni, wait…’
Possibly another country.
‘Roni damn it,’ he grasped onto her arm and pulled her up against him, ‘will you just wait a minute.’
‘Forget it Jake,’ she shook her head.
‘Roni…’
‘No, seriously just pretend you didn’t hear that.’
‘Roni will you just…’
‘Look, I think I’ve embarrassed myself enough for one lifetime, possibly even two so will you just let me go.’
‘Roni if you would just…’
‘Jesus stop saying my name,’ she hissed, ‘I’m dying here Jake.’
Before she could say another word his mouth crashed down on hers. Unlike the sweet slow exploration of last time, his tongue swept in hot and needy, tasting her like he just couldn’t help himself. He yanked her body up against his and took and took until she was dizzy, and when she thought she couldn’t give anymore he pushed her into a spiral of desperate need until she was practically clawing to get him closer. It was like being burned alive with painful pleasure and she was as lost to it as he was. The insistent need for oxygen finally drove them apart so that they were leaning against each other breathing heavily, their foreheads pressed together and hearts pounding.
‘Do you really think I don’t want you?’ he breathed against her mouth.
‘I…’
She was about to answer him when she suddenly broke off frowning. She fumbled for her flashlight.
‘What is it?’ he asked sensing the tension in her body.
‘Do you smell that?’
He did, it was a sudden a strong scent of Lilies. He’d never particularly cared for those flowers, they always reminded him of funerals.
‘Lilies?’ he replied, ‘what’s so strange about that? We’re in the
middle of the woods.’
‘Yes,’ she replied quietly, ‘but…’ she swept the ground around them, ‘there are no Lilies here.’
They both shuddered violently at the sudden icy cold feeling. It felt like being plunged into freezing cold water as the sensation trickled down their backs settling uncomfortably between their shoulder blades.
She jolted slightly as she felt a tall shadow rush past the edge of her vision.
‘Did you see that?’ Veronica whispered urgently.
‘Roni,’ Jake grabbed her hand tightly as he turned to look at her, ‘RUN!’
She stumbled slightly as he yanked her arm but managed to remain on her feet as they both took off in a flat run. Even though it was a full moon barely any light penetrated the thick canopy of trees. She had no idea which direction they were heading in and could do nothing but cling on to Jake and try not to trip and fall on the uneven ground. Her lungs were burning in protest and her legs ached. It felt like they had been running forever when they finally slowed and stopped in the shadow of a huge old tree.
‘Are you okay?’ Jake whispered.
She nodded as a matter of habit even knowing he couldn’t see her, so she sucked in a deep labored breath. ‘Yes,’ she wheezed, ‘just a bit out of shape.’
He shut off his flashlight and shoved it into his pocket and drew his weapon, listening for any sound other than their harsh panting.
‘Do you know where we are?’
‘I think we’re coming up on the beach to the West of the lake.’
‘We’re heading in the wrong direction,’ Roni breathed heavily.
‘I know,’ Jake frowned, ‘but it couldn’t be helped. If we can get out of the woods and back to the main road I can call Tommy to come and pick us up. We’ll come back for the car in the daylight.’
‘Do you think that was him? The Soul Collector?’
‘I think it pays to be cautious,’ he took her hand again, ‘ready?’
‘Yes.’
‘Keep your flashlight pointed dead ahead otherwise I can’t see where we’re going.’
‘Okay.’
The sudden pungent smell of Lilies washed over them and a gust of cold air rushed past them.
‘Shit,’ Jake swore, ‘GO!’
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