Abomination (The Path to Redempton Book 1)

by Kimbra Swain

  “Yes, she was, but when Tommy and Tony went downstairs, we left her alone. Surveillance showed a shadowed figure surrounding her and she disappeared,” Ashley said.

  “Meredith is working with Nalusa Chito,” I said out loud for Tadeas’ benefit. He cringed.

  “It would seem so,” Ashley said.

  “Does Gregory know?”

  “Yes, Ichiro went up to tell him a little while ago.”

  “Ash, we need to start the first stage of Code: Decedo,” I said.

  “What! No, it’s not that bad, is it?” she asked astonished.

  “Yes, it’s that bad.”

  “How is he?” she wanted to know about Tadeas.

  “I’ve got him. It’s going to be alright. I hope,” I said looking him in the eyes. He nodded that it would.

  “Abby, thank you for hearing him out. I know it was hard for you, but we need you both right now. This is serious,” she said sounding afraid.

  “Don’t I know? Decedo. Do it now. Wait for further instructions,” I said.

  “Talk to you soon,” she hung up.

  “What is Decedo?” Tadeas asked.

  “It’s a pre-evacuation protocol. All non-essential personnel are moved out, and all data transferred to an alternate location. It’s cautionary. We had not one, but three traitors in our midst, the compound by my standards is compromised. Perhaps beyond salvaging. My team will start a quiet and discrete pre-evacuation,” I explained.

  “This is far more serious than we thought. I mean continents falling off in the ocean is serious, but this really hits home,” he said.

  “She said the security videos are in my email. That we should watch them.”

  He groaned.

  “We will do whatever you want to do.”

  “It needs to be done. I want to know. You will stay with me?” he said. I touched his cheek, and nodded. I couldn’t abandon him now. I could tell he was extremely tired. I whispered my healing spell and touched his bruises, and they each faded away. The one on his face was especially bad. Jay had hit him extremely hard. “Thank you.”

  I stood up, and he stood with me. “We watch the tapes. You get in bed. I feel how exhausted you are. The emotional rollercoaster can take a lot out of you.” He nodded. He walked with me back to the office with all the monitors. I accessed the smallest one closest to the desk. I motioned for him to sit in my chair. He sat down, and I leaned over him and started up the surveillance footage. The first clips showed her sneaking into his room, and starting a pot of coffee. She took something from her pocket and poured it into the coffee pot. I stepped away from him, and sat on the desk not looking at the screen. I did not need to see. No matter what was on that tape, I was here for him. It took too long for me to realize that, and I’d do whatever I could to make it up to him. I reached down and took his hand from the mouse and held it. I closed my eyes and concentrated on his emotions. I could feel the jaguar in him now. It was restless. It occurred to me then that the jaguar did not fight out against her. He controlled it. He probably didn’t even realize it. I felt him flinch, and I looked down at him. He shook his head. He leaned over on the desk and put his other hand up through his hair which had lengthened even more. He rested his head on his palm. I watched his eyes as the screen flickered reflections through them. The video ended, and he said there for a moment. I would sit there with him as long as he needed me too.

  “She tried,” he choked out. “But nothing happened. She called someone on the phone, and was angry. She cleaned up the coffee that spilled, and the cups then just laid in the bed waiting for me to wake up.” He looked relieved. I could see it in his eyes, and feel it in his touch. “Travis and Sam both were in the room once I passed out. They helped her undress me and put me in the bed.”

  “I should have known they were involved. The tavern experience should have been a loud and clear warning. I’ve got to get my instincts back for these kinds of things,” I said. “What can I do for you now?”

  “I need to sleep for a little while, then we can plan our next moves. Maybe a shower to wash all of this off of me,” he said as if a shower could clean off the hurt, pain and confusion. Showers were good, but I didn’t think they were that good. He stood up and looked at me with kind, but painful eyes. “I still need you to help me with all of this.”

  “Good thing I’m not going anywhere,” I said.

  “Good thing,” he murmured. I wanted more than anything to see him smile. Now was not the time, but soon I wanted to see his face light up. I jumped off the desk, and took his hand. I led him upstairs to his room. He let go of my hand without looking at me and went into the shower. I walked over to the door that went to his private balcony patio and opened it up to let the breeze in. George came in with clean linens, and we put fresh ones on his bed while the shower ran in the bathroom. George touched my face, kissed me on the forehead and disappeared into the house somewhere. He never said a word. He didn’t have to say anything.

  Tadeas came out in jogging pants, no shirt and a wet mop of hair. He rubbed it with a towel.

  “Shower feel good?” I asked.

  “Yes. Made me feel a little better,” he looked over to the bed where George and I had it turned down waiting for him.

  “I can shut this door if you would like, but I thought the breeze felt nice.” He didn't respond. I left it open. I went over to the main light switch and turned it off. I watched him lay down on the bed and curl up. I walked over and pulled the covers over him.

  “Will you stay with me?” he asked.

  “Of course,” I shut the hallway door and walked over to the chair next to the bed to sit down. He reached over, grabbed my hand and tugged. To be honest, I didn’t think having a woman in his bed is what he needed. But then it occurred to me, he needed a friend as close as possible. Someone he trusted. Someone that cared for him. I climbed in the bed next to him as he rolled back over and curled up. I pulled the covers back over us both, and listened to him sleep. My mind did not slow. The ball was rolling now. The question was who all were the players, what was the game, and did we have time to stop it? The Paris auction now meant everything.

  Sitting in the dark waiting for Travis to return, I decided to alter my plan a bit. Since the Jaguar and his bitch seemed to survive my first attempt, I hoped Meredith would come to her senses and just kill the cat instead of trying to fuck him. Even I know when to fuck them or when to leave them. I needed to get back to Cassidy. I left her asleep in Mwenye’s condo. I pulled in power, and with a whirl of black smoke, I stood at the end of the bed. She was still asleep like a little goddess of beauty. I sat on the edge of the bed. She opened her eyes and looked at me.

  “Hey where have you been?” she asked.

  “I had to take care of some things before we left for Paris. I need you to do something for me, okay?”

  “Sure,” she said sweetly.

  “Go ahead and get dressed. Get the luggage together. Here’s my credit card. Call a cab and go to the airport. Take the earliest flight you can to Paris, and I’ll meet you there.

  “I don’t want to fly alone,” she said.

  “I know, sweetie, but I’ve got a friend joining us. I’ve got to go pick the friend up, and I’ll meet you in Paris,” I said. I got up and wrote down the address to the hotel in Paris. “This is where we are staying. They will be expecting you. I’m sorry, sweetie. I hate that it’s happened this way. But we are going to have a great time in Paris. I want you to see it all.”

  “I’ll do it,” she said smiling.

  I kissed her on the cheek, and she blushed. “I’ll see you soon, beautiful goddess.” I stepped back and the black smoke engulfed me again.

  When I arrived back in the hotel room, Travis and Samantha were there. It surprised me that they weren’t having sex. “Something wrong with the both of you?” I asked.

  “No, we were just waiting on you,” Travis said.

  “Well, lover boy, we are going to have to postpone any further nocturnal activit
ies. We have to get to Paris. There is an auction there with an item that I desperately want, and I want to kill the person that is selling it.”

  “Kill?” Samantha said.

  “Yes, my dear, there is a very evil woman out there who likes to manipulate people. She plays games and hurts people. She’s killed people. I’ve decided that I will be the one to put her down,” I proclaimed.

  “Who is it?” Samantha said.

  I sauntered over to her, and bent down to her ear and whispered, “Abigail Davenport.”

  “No, she didn’t do anything to you,” Samantha protested.

  “Oh, but my dear, she used you. She pretended to be your friend. She let you think you could help her with her failing efforts in the canvas trials. She manipulated Tadeas Duarte. She has her claws in him now, and it will just be a matter of time before he is dead. Just think of what that will do to poor Meredith,” I explained and watched the wheels turning in her head.

  “She made a fool of me in front of the whole class. Made me look like a woman beater, then humiliated me when she stopped pretending,” Travis added.

  Samantha shot him an evil look. “You are a sex crazed idiot, Travis. You are just mad she didn’t want to jump in your bed.”

  “Maybe so. But I wouldn’t mind if she were dead,” he responded.

  “Well, I’m not going to participate,” she got up and headed toward the door.

  “Where are you going?” I said to her.

  “I’m going back to Milt. He’s the best thing that ever happened to me,” she said.

  “Oh please, you are his paid whore. He’s your sugar daddy,” I threw at her.

  “He’s never paid me. I love him.”

  I did not know what to say. It was just too gross to even imagine.

  “Gag,” Travis said.

  “Shut up, Travis. You will never know what love is,” she spouted at him.

  “I sure as hell know it’s not fucking some shriveled dick,” he said.

  I died laughing. He was right. She opened the door and stormed out into the night. I looked at Travis.

  “Are we going to fuck or what?” he asked.

  Leave it to a son of Asmodeus to get to the point. Perhaps we had time for one last roll in the bed. I just quirked a smile at him, and he was on me in a second. I would miss his vigor and thirst for sex.

  I looked back into the room as I went out into the night. His muscular form laid across the bed naked. His eyes were devoid of color. He had ceased to breathe, but I could feel his soul stirring inside me. I had finally done it. Sucking his soul into my body was a rush of power far beyond any I had ever felt. It boiled inside of me. I could use his strength as mine. I finally understood what Mwenye felt, and he had been collecting souls for ages. I wanted to find another one as soon as possible, and start my collection. I walked out to the road. Perhaps a hitchhiker or a lost young woman would happen my way. My eyes settled on her as she walked toward me. I could see the tears running down her cheeks.

  “My dear Samantha, what is wrong?”

  “Milt said he had to go to Paris. He left me behind. I have nowhere to go,” she cried.

  I put my arms around her and hugged her. “Oh, sweetheart, you come with me to Paris. We will find him, and you can show him what he missed out on. These men don’t care about us my dear. We have to make our own way in this world.”

  She looked up to me and nodded. I pulled on the darkness, and we arrived in an instant under a bridge just outside Paris. She fluttered her eyes, and could see the city bright against the horizon.

  “Oh wow, how did you do that?” she asked.

  “Just a little magic my dear,” I replied. “And the soul of a strapping young man,” I added to myself.

  “Where’s Travis?” she asked on cue.

  “Oh, he decided that Paris was a girl thing, and he didn’t want to come,” I explained.

  “He’s a man whore, anyway,” she said.

  “He can’t help it dear. It is who he is. He’s rather good at it though,” I said regretfully.

  “Yes, he is,” she turned and smiled at me with a glint in her eye.

  “Well, let’s go to the city. I have a friend I want you to meet.”

  I called a cab to pick us up on the outskirts of town. We would make it to the hotel before Cassidy arrived. I could not wait to take my girls on the town. This worked out splendidly. Samantha’s soul would substitute for Cassidy’s, and I could keep the red-headed goddess around a little longer.

  Once Cassidy arrived the two of them made fast friends. I loved watching them laugh and giggle. I missed innocence. Mine had been ripped from me by a man that I did not realize was utterly dangerous. I could live vicariously through them for the day. We loaded up, went shopping, saw the tower, ate French pastry and generally lived the life of a common tourist. I felt antsy. It had almost been twenty-four hours since I consumed Travis. I hungered for my next soul. I know Samantha caught me staring at her many times throughout the day. She would just blush and smile. “Oh, dear heart, if you only knew what I am going to do to you,” I told myself. I would smile back and join their cheerful conversation. I would show John Mwenye that this world needed a new legendary necromancer. I would have to thank him for everything he had showed me to make it possible, but then I thought to myself, “I’ve already fucked him far more than he deserved.” I was a new woman. Life had just now begun.

  When I woke up, I laid very still. Abby slept next to me. Her heart pumped steadily. Her face was calm and serene. My dreams were awful. A mix of exorcism, death and Meredith laughing hysterically at me. Abby had been so difficult to deal with last night. She was unreasonable. But in the end, she came through, and she stayed here even though I knew she didn't want to lay in the bed with me. I did not want to be alone. My deepest desire was that she and I had finally reached a place of complete trust. I thought we were already there, but feelings make you irrational. I knew how much time, effort and emotion she had wrapped up in our partnership. Even if the feelings weren't romantic, her entire plan for the future rested on me. Meredith’s game cost us time and a step back in the trust we had built. I hurt like hell knowing what Meredith did and what she was trying to do. Every single bit of trust and respect I had for her evaporated. A twenty-year friendship ruined and for what? What was her ultimate goal? She should have known I would never be with her after she drugged me. Was the whole purpose to destroy my relationship with Abigail? If she worked with the shadow man, then she had tried to kill me already. And who shot at us on the road back from Boulder? I had to question her dealings with MacCormack too. “No wonder Abby’s brain never stops,” I thought to myself.

  I watched her sleep. Never in my life have I been completely confused about a woman. I supposed that's because outside of Isabel and Meredith, I've not had any other close relationships. I went on a few dates here and there but nothing serious. I've never been comfortable with anyone. Perhaps because I grew up around a bunch of priests and monks. At first, I didn't want to be connected to Abigail at all, but now I cannot imagine my life without her even with how infuriating she could be.

  She stirred a little and turned on her side facing opposite of me. Her golden hair slid down revealing the cross brand on her shoulder. I thought about the night she pulled the sword on Chito. She illuminated the entire room holding that thing. I fully expected a pair of wings to sprout out of her back. There were no wings. No halo. Just extremely impressive. Then at times like at the party where I knew she was completely nervous and out of sorts. The times when we were in danger she was confident and in control. When we were supposed to be relaxed, she seemed uncertain of herself. She was the epitome of juxtaposition.

  I considered our partnership, and my role in it. Thus far it seemed keeping her focused and on track defined the bulk of my responsibilities. And I took a bullet for her. I would take a hundred bullets for her, and I cannot give an absolute reason other than this world needs her. An archangel visited her and gave her a vision. O
ur survival depended up on her which meant my task was to make sure she survived. The jaguar inside of me seemed to concur with this conclusion. It rested. No stirring or uneasiness. I would protect her no matter what came our way. She was completely formidable on her own. I felt her breathing change. She started to wake up. We would head to Paris soon to a den of wolves, vampires, dark wielders and God only knows what else. I was in it for the long haul now. I had no time to pity myself over Meredith’s actions. One thing I knew for sure that Abby was wrong about was when she said the world didn’t need me. I knew the world would need us both. No more time for parties, horseback rides, fancy dinners or fake dates. We needed to get work. I had Meredith to thank for waking me up fully. Even my closest friends could be my enemy, but I knew she wasn’t. I needed to move on, and I wanted to forward with Abigail.

  “What are you thinking about?” she said shattering the silence.

  I smiled. I had a million answers that would get her riled up, but instead I just said, “Thinking about getting my hair cut.”

  “George!” she screamed and he barreled in the door as if he stood just outside waiting for her to call out, “Please cut this man's hair so I don't have to hear him whine anymore.” It startled me, because that wasn’t supposed to get her riled up.

  “Of course, Miss Abby, I can do that,” he muttered at her just as shocked as I was at her outburst.

  I slid over in the bed, wrapped her up in the covers, and got close to her ear and said, “Abigail Davenport you are the craziest woman on the face of this earth.” I kissed her on the cheek and rolled out of the bed, and waited on instructions from George the barber.

  She raised up in the bed and said, “And don't you forget it!”

  “You won't let me. George, let's buzz it all off,” I said keeping my eyes on her.

  “Oh, please don't,” she said as she got out of the bed and pouted. “Just trim it a little.”

  “Nope. George, we are cutting it all off.”

  “As you wish, Master Duarte,” he said and walked out the door. I followed him and looked back at her. She pouted more, and I laughed.