“Why, yours of course.” I smiled at him again; soon my cheeks would cramp. “Where to?” My stomach was growling.
“How about a café? We can eat quickly and get to Ann’s sooner.”
“Okay,” I said, instantly thrown back into reality. The thought of facing what happened to Ann made a knot form in my stomach. Suddenly, I wasn’t so hungry.
We arrived at Jodie’s, a small café next to the university. It boasted the best coffee next to Starbucks, and had killer cinnamon rolls. The place was pretty packed and I was worried we might not get a table when we were suddenly mauled by the middle-aged hostess. Thank you, Lucian!
She placed us by the front windows. We had a lovely view of the parking lot and a bricked-in dumpster. She grinned at Lucian, her back to me, asking him what he would like to drink. She then proceeded to take his order to the back. I had to clear my throat loudly for her to remember I was with him.
She smiled stupidly and apologized. I returned her smile, understanding how he could have blown her mind. She was old enough to be his mother and acting like an idiot, but I just shook my head and prayed for a male server.
I got my wish, fancy that! He was very friendly, remembered me and everything. Lucian ordered the Hungry Trucker dinner and I had a chicken sandwich with a tall glass of water.
Lucian’s food disappeared, while mine remained untouched.
“You have to eat something, Grace. You’ll make yourself ill. Not to mention the fact that you’ll be no good in a fight.”
I picked up a cold, floppy fry and slapped it into the ketchup. I groaned and picked up the sandwich instead. I took a huge bite to shut my new dad up, chewed like a mongrel and swallowed. It was like cardboard in my mouth. My lip curled and I pushed the plate away.
“Sorry, but this isn’t going to work. I’ll end up gagging myself.”
I drank my water and decided to eat later. If I were still alive that is. I held my hand up for the check.
The waiter, who looked like a Skippy or a Stuart, came ambling up on very long legs. He smiled at me while handing Lucian the check.
“Is there anything else I can get for you?” he asked, flashing a toothy smile.
“No thanks.” I said to his happy, puppy dog face. Wow, to smile like that now.
Lucian reached into his back pocket and pulled out his wallet. His eyebrows rose and his eyes slid up to glare at me. “This isn’t my wallet.” He opened it up and shook his head. “Well, I guess it is now.”
He looked through its unfamiliar leather interior and smiled.
“It’s nice, Grace. Thank you.”
“You’re quite welcome.” I said. Yeah, as if I knew! For some reason, my power seemed incredibly concerned with fashion. Lord knows I never would have changed his wallet to match his spiffy black shoes on my own. Who knew my brain was that coordinated? Then again, the ring did match my bra to my panties.
“You ready?” he said as he tossed down two twenties. Our meal couldn’t have been much more than twenty. I smiled at his generosity. I was really starting to go for him. I hoped this warlock thing wasn’t going to be the fly in our ointment.
I rose and we walked out into the chilly night air. He opened the door for me again. His chivalry was automatic, like he was born a hundred years ago. Holy shit…I froze at that thought. Maybe he was! I wouldn’t freak, or worse, ask. I don’t think that would be a very pleasant conversation to have just yet. Then again, maybe I wouldn’t have to worry about these things; after all, we were meeting up with certain death in about an hour. Perhaps all my superficial problems would be over this very night!
The ride to Ann’s house was quiet, which was stupid. We should have been planning and re-planning. But, then again, how can you plan for the unknown?
Despite what I’d said to Lucian earlier, I still believed it was Seth who had kidnapped Ann. She had better be okay, or his little minions would be mopping up his liquefied body parts for weeks, er, make that seconds, since they would really have to go too.
We stopped several feet from her house. It was black. The yellow crime scene tape made fluttering sounds in the wind. Everyone was gone and things were going just according to plan.
“Should I pull up closer? Lucian asked softly.
“No, that wouldn’t be a very good idea.” I said, as I looked around the dark neighborhood. “I think we should drive further down the road and park someplace out of the way. Some busybody might spot us and we don’t want any company while we do this. I‘ll just zap us into the house.”
“Are you going to suit us up?” Lucian asked as we got out of the car. We parked about three miles away at the end of a quiet street.
“Sure.” I was thinking he got a bigger thrill out of the instant clothing changes than I did. “Stand back a little; let me think.” I was trying to picture all the things we could meet up with and decided on a stealthy commando look, with lots of accessories. We were redressed in seconds.
Lucian was silent as he inventoried his new uniform. He wore black leather, Kevlar and Gortex. Strapped to his legs were several wooden stakes, short silver arrows, a lethal looking bowie knife and a scary assortment of guns.
His arms were equally laden with goodies. His left arm sported a silver flask, the cross on the bottle identifying it as holy water. A small crossbow was slung on his back and his other arm bulged with items I couldn’t quite identify. The look was deadly. It matched the eerie light in his eyes. He stood tall and confident. Then he turned those eyes to me. My heart did a little flutter, and I stifled it fast. No need to go all mushy.
“You look amazing.” he said, letting out a gasp, “No matter what you have on or what you do, you’re always so beautiful.” He took a step toward me.
Uh-oh, I wasn’t expecting him to be the one to go all gaga. The look in his eyes was one I would have loved to see under different circumstances. It was the look a man gave a woman before turning out the lights. The familiar thrill shot up my spine and my stomach felt heavy. Nothing like danger to make you horny, I guess.
“Lucian,” I said a little too breathy. “We need to focus. We can’t exactly do anything right now, anyway.”
“Is that a promise that we can begin something later?” he questioned smoothly. He was sexy and appeared wild and untamed in his new deadly garb. He looked so good. Suddenly my powers with clothing took on new and exciting possibilities. I was breathing harder than I cared to admit, and having a hard time focusing. I folded my arms to keep from pulling him to me. Only then did I notice I had no weapons at all!
“What the hell? I’m not armed at all!” I cried. My unbridled passion was instantly squelched. Like a bucket of ice water right in the face.
Apparently, the bucket missed Lucian because he purred, “You are the weapon, Grace. You don’t need a thing, but that pretty diamond on your finger and your impressive temper.” His words weren’t suggestive, but his tone certainly was.
I was thinking, at that moment, Lucian liked a little danger in his sex, and I was just what the doctor ordered. At least, with him, I didn’t have to worry about getting my throat torn out. Well, at least, I didn’t think I had to worry about that. At this point, I wasn’t taking anything for granted.
“Let’s go,” I said, cutting off my sordid thoughts. “I’m going to try for her kitchen. It doesn’t have any furniture and I’m less likely to crash us through her coffee table.”
I grabbed his hand.
FOURTEEN
Ann’s house still smelled like hell, only slightly less noxious. We were also in total darkness. I didn’t want to risk turning on a light. I knew Ann’s house like the back of my hand so I decided I would lead the way in the dark.
We entered the bedroom, only then did I decide on light. I opened my hand and a pen-sized flashlight appeared. I turned it on and flashed it on the floor. I did not want to stumble and wind up touching the walls. I knew the blood was dry, but it might flake off on my hand, and that was just not okay.
We shut
the door. The strange symbols were still there. I looked at Lucian. Holding my breath, I grabbed his arm with my right hand as I raised my left hand to the door.
“Ready?” I asked as my hand hovered above the symbols.
“Whether I am or not, it’s too late. Do you feel it?” His brows were almost touching his hairline.
I faced the door again. A slight tickle was feathering the center of my palm. “You can feel that?” I asked Lucian, as relief flooded my body. I was secretly worried that this was a single ticket. The tickle slowly spread out, filling my whole hand, then crept its way up to permeate my entire body. I cringed as I pressed my hand flat to the door. A moment later, we were slowly pulled forward. It felt like being sucked through a wall of Jell-O. I shut my eyes, I was afraid they’d get blinded by goo. The feeling lasted only a few seconds and the next thing I knew, we were through. I looked down at my clothing. Wow, I thought, feeling my arms and face. We were surprisingly clean and dry.
“Where are we?” I whispered, hoping Lucian had a clue. I turned to look at him; he was staring a little slack-jawed. Apparently we were both oblivious.
“This place is over the top,” I whispered, looking around. We were in a warehouse-sized room, decorated in early bordello. The walls were high and draped with long flowing panels of black fabric. The carpet beneath our feet was way too thick and way too red. Large sitting areas were arranged in clusters around the room. The chairs were opulent, upholstered in red velvet. The golden legs were intricately carved.
A massive fireplace took up half of a long wall and was crackling with huge flames. “Hmm, I see they have their very own gateway to hell.” I gestured to the fire. It was tall enough to stand in and wide enough to burn a tree sideways.
“I wouldn’t be a bit surprised.” he said, shifting uneasily. “The air reeks of death. We are in a very bad place.”
Fabulous, I feel so much better now, I thought. “Thanks for sugar-coating it.” I said, shivering at his cool tone. His words scared me, bringing back mental pictures of my poor Ann’s bedroom, the carnage, the blood. I had a very bad feeling about this.
I looked around the dimly lit space and discovered that the light came from dozens of tall torches scattered around the room. Small flames burned inside tulip-shaped holders, giving the room enough light to see clearly, but at the same time casting grotesque shadows on the walls. It was spooky, gaudy, and darkly beautiful at the same time. I hated it.
Lucian stood, rigid. “No one seems to be here,” he said, “strange that we have no welcome party.”
I agreed. It was too quiet.
“What now?” he said. “I was planning on shooting someone, or at the very least, punching someone in the face.” He sounded disappointed.
“You’re pouting? Knock it off! I’m sure you’ll get your chance.” I took a small step forward only to have Lucian’s hand shoot out and stop me.
“Wait,” he said, “we’re not alone, do you hear it?” He was whispering, and a wild look filled his eyes. My adrenalin started pumping faster as I tried to identify the sound.
Nothing.
I closed my eyes and listened with my mind. Oh my God, it was Ann! She was crying. Her mind was racing. I couldn’t hear her thoughts very clearly; I only knew she was alive. She was also chained, gagged and… close.
“Follow me. I think they’re waiting for us.” I pulled a wooden stake from Lucian’s stash and handed it to him. In my hand, I materialized the crucifix dagger. I hunched over, praying that they hadn’t noticed our arrival. We were whispering and the room was huge, but I had no idea if these beings had super hearing or not.
Lucian was quick. He ran ahead of me, making no sound. Not too impressive, considering the seven inches of carpet. I ran, trying to even us up. I knew he was trying to be the first one they saw, just in case they were ready to knock my block off and grab the ring.
I lost sight of him as he turned around a group of throne-like chairs and then I heard her.
Ann.
She was just ahead. Her cries were muffled. It pissed me off. But I was glad at the same time. If she could cry, that meant she was alive. I had to count my blessings.
I stumbled out into an empty area that wasn’t visible when we first entered. The sight I beheld was startling and I froze in my tracks. I was looking at a scene from some badly written porno slash sci-fi movie.
Lying on the floor, dressed in nothing but a golden bra and panties was my lovely Ann. She had a gold metal collar around her neck connected to a thin chain. Her ankles were shackled with a pair of matching cuffs. The chain was very long, obviously to allow her some mobility, if needed. The same cuffs were around her wrists. The chain looked much shorter than the one at her feet. Her mouth was taped shut. Where they found gold duct tape was beyond me. She was sitting on a gold, satin pillow, like a prized pet.
This was wrong on so many levels. But, as strange as it was, I was too relieved to see that she was whole. Not a scratch. Her eyes were puffy and red from crying, but I could see no visible injuries.
I spun, where the hell was Lucian? I didn’t see him, Shit, I couldn’t waste time worrying about him, I had to get her out of here.
“Sorry, honey. This might hurt,” I soothed before I pulled the tape from her mouth. Her eyes were wild.
As soon as the tape was removed, she yelled, “It’s a trap, Grace. Run!”
“Not without you.” I reached for the cuffs on her feet when a male voice stopped me.
“I wouldn’t, if I were you,” the silky voice purred.
I turned to find a huge, fearsome thing standing behind me. It was at least nine feet tall with a bald, knobby head. Its skin was a grayish-yellow color with several tattoos all over its malformed body. Lucian was struggling in its huge arms while it pressed a hypodermic needle into his neck. Its thumb was on the plunger.
The voice came again, but not from the thing.
“Miss Allen, how good of you to come. As you can see, we have kept your beautiful friend in excellent health.”
The voice came from the direction of the far wall. A regally dressed man stepped out from behind a long silken drape. He was divine, dressed in the requisite frock coat and lace. His long auburn hair was tied in a black ribbon. His striking green eyes looked cruel. He held the other end of Ann’s chain in his gloved hand. I would have laughed at the cliché, but I was too worried.
“If you try to rescue your friend, we will kill your lover,” he smirked. Then he held up a small remote control, “And if you try to rescue your lover,” his eyes bled to solid black, “we will kill your friend. Believe me, Miss Allen, the speed of their death will be blinding. Do you wish to chance it?”
He took a small graceful step toward Ann, eyeing her eagerly.
“You see,” he continued, “the syringe at Lucian’s neck is filled with acid. It’s the only thing that will work on one such as him. Of course, there is always salt water. But why risk it? He is very powerful you know, but sadly, not immortal.” He smiled. He’d just revealed Lucian’s secret, but I’d already figured it out on my own, so shock never registered on my face.
With my features calm, almost bored, I glanced at Lucian. I shrugged my shoulders as if to say, “So what?” My calm was lost on him and he looked furious as he struggled in vain. The yucky thing holding Lucian had his arms pinned painfully behind his back. Its yellow eyes were raking my body like I had a ham bone tied around my neck. I gulped. I was going to stay in control. I was not going to get my friends killed.
The fop spoke again. My reaction to his little revelation was obviously a small disappointment so he marched on to more disturbing matters. “The collar, young Ann wears, is fitted with a blade.” He giggled like an amused child, “With a touch of a button, it will sever her head.” He stepped deeper into the room. Elegantly unfolding himself onto a large throne, he jingled Ann’s chain with a flourish. She jumped and started crying again.
“What do you want?” I growled.
“NO!” Luci
an screamed, his words interrupted as the thing pulled his arms up at an odd angle. His pain was obvious, but Lucian made no other sound.
“Why, we want you, my dear.” He slid his tongue over the sharp points of his teeth. “It’s the only way to save your friends. Oh, how badly I long to see you take your friend’s place.” He pulled hard on her chain. She was forced to crawl to his feet, or risk getting strangled. “But, to my sorrow, my master has other plans for you,” he sighed dramatically.
This was a huge mess! We hadn’t planned on a sneaky, big, ugly grabbing Lucian. I was thinking he would be the one to protect me. I should have left him behind. I could be having drinks with Ann at The Edge by now. That was bullshit, but I was so confused, not to mention scared beyond the telling!
The ring was such a powerful thing, but I didn’t know its limits yet. Damn it! Could I save them both before the bad guys could react? I knew I couldn’t bring them back if I failed.
“Time’s up Miss Allen. You choose… now!”
He nodded to the big thing behind me and held the remote out. I screamed, “Wait! Okay, you win, but you let them go first!”
A grin slid onto his wicked face. “No, my dear, you must come to us first. For when you see your friends are safe, what will stop you from destroying us?”
Not a whole hell of a lot. I looked down. “Fine then,” I hissed as I gritted my teeth.
He stood, and at the same moment, another man came out from behind the curtain. He was identical to the fop in front of me. Then it hit me. These were the twins I almost ran into at Seth’s house. How sweet, what a lovely reunion this was! Darn it, I should have brought a gift!
“Ah, Eden, please remove the ring from Miss Allen’s finger. She has graciously agreed to be our guest.” He strolled toward Ann, swinging her chain. He bent to smell her neck, she cringed away, eyes wide with terror. I had to distract him.
“Oh, you are so full of shit, and astoundingly, yourself!” I spat. “You go get Seth,” I screamed at them, “that fucking coward! You tell him to come and get the ring himself!”
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