by E. S. Moore
Levi smiled and held out his arms like he wanted me to run to him for a giant bear hug. There was no way in hell I was going to do that and I expected Sienna wouldn’t have either. Was it a test? Did he suspect something wasn’t quite right? Or was he trying to show me that he wasn’t as pissed as he’d appeared earlier?
Either way, I wasn’t going for it. I crossed my arms and remained seated, hoping I looked like a petulant teenager.
“Ah, come on now, Sienna,” he said, striding into the room. He sat down on the bed next to me without asking for permission. “Don’t be like that.”
I didn’t respond.
Levi sighed and rested his hand on my back. It took all my self-control not to flinch away from his touch.
“Where did you go when you left?” he asked. “Did something happen to you while you were gone?”
My mind raced. How could I answer that without getting myself into trouble? I was pretty sure he’d know if I gave him too much of a lie, but maybe if I was vague enough, he wouldn’t ask any more questions. Besides, didn’t they say that the best lies held some element of truth?
“I thought I’d try to find Kat,” I said, knowing how he’d take it.
His shoulders tensed, as did his hand on my back, but the smile never left his face. “Now, why would you do such a thing?”
“I missed her,” I said. “I liked her.”
Levi’s sigh sounded almost consoling. “I did too,” he said. “But she wasn’t good for us. She tried to tear you away from me, planted lies in your head without you realizing she was doing it. Her life consists only of death and violence. I tried to help her, but deep down, she didn’t want to be helped.”
“I know,” I said, knowing that was what he wanted me to say. “But I still wanted to know where she’d gone.”
“And did you find her?”
I hesitated. How to answer that one correctly? “I tried,” I said after a moment. “I didn’t know where to look.”
He studied me for a long time. The way his gaze crept over my face started to get me worried. Who knew how much his eyes saw? He’d been able to tell I’d dealt with Beligral before by simply looking deep into my eyes. Could he do the same now with Sienna? Could he tell that the girl he knew wasn’t looking back at him? I averted my eyes, just in case.
His hand fell away from my back as he stood. “Well, you’re back now,” he said. “I guess that’ll have to be good enough for me.” He walked to the door, stopped, and then looked back. “Don’t go anywhere. I’ll be right back.”
He left the room, leaving the door cracked open behind him. He walked down the hall and back down the stairs where he said a few things to Eilene. I could just make out her rasping voice now. She sounded almost pleading, though I still couldn’t tell what either of them said. The front door opened, but didn’t close right away. I assumed that meant Levi had gone out to his truck to get something.
A few minutes later, Levi returned. He was carrying what looked to be an old-style doctor’s bag. He set it down on the bed next to me. There was a faint clink of glass from within.
“My supply was running low,” he said. “I’m sorry you have to go through this, but I need to restock before I can continue my work. I know you understand?” He made the last a question.
I nodded, though I had no idea what in the hell he was talking about. There was a look in his eye that scared me. It was the same sort of look I remembered when he’d cut Ronnie’s hand to tempt me into attacking during the full moon all those months ago.
Levi opened the case and removed an empty syringe. He set it down next to me before pulling out another two. He lined them up next to each other and then regarded me with a smile.
“Hold out your arm,” he said. “Just like always.”
The urge to fight him off was strong, but I did as he said. As I was now, I was at his mercy. To fight back would be to give myself away and my entire reason for being there would be at risk.
Levi took my arm and without bothering to pop the vein, he jammed a syringe into the crook of my elbow. He must have hit it dead on because when he pulled the plunger back, it filled with blood.
I barely breathed as he filled all three syringes. I felt lightheaded by the time he was done, but otherwise was unharmed. I was afraid he’d inject me with something afterward, but all he did was slap a bandage over the single hole he’d left and then patted me on the head.
“Dinner will be ready in a few minutes,” he said. “You’ll want to make sure to fill up. You’re looking a little peaked.”
I nodded absently as Levi carefully capped the syringes and returned them to his bag. What did he need Sienna’s blood for? Was he running tests on the girl? Beligral had said she was special. Was it natural, or was Levi’s experiments doing something to her?
Once everything was packed away, Levi left the room. This time, he closed the door behind him.
I sagged back into the bed, feeling weaker than I ever had before. If this kept up, there was no way I was going to find Levi’s summoner and kill him. Instead, I’d be useless, trapped here in a body that wasn’t my own, in a house with a monster who didn’t seem to care who he hurt, as long as he got what he wanted.
23
It was just the three of us at dinner that night. I wondered where Ronnie was, but didn’t ask. Levi had no problem bleeding the other man for the benefit of his “cure,” but would he go so far as to kill the guy? I guess it was possible an accident had happened while I’d been away and one of Levi’s supes had gotten to Ronnie, but if it had, no one mentioned it.
I took Sienna’s usual seat and kept my head down, trying my best to act like I always remembered her when she’d come to the table. I could feel Eilene’s eyes on me, but wouldn’t look up to meet her gaze. I didn’t want to see the disappointment there.
“It’s good to have you home, Sienna,” Levi said. He sat at his usual spot at the table. I glanced up to see him smiling at me and I returned it with a crooked smile of my own before returning my eyes back to the top of the table.
“Well.” Levi clapped his hands together, causing me to jump. “In honor of your return, I’ve decided we’ll be having something of a celebration. I’ve had some friends down at DeeDee’s make us up something special for the occasion.”
The waitress I’d met on my first ever trip to Delai entered the room. She wasn’t wearing her name tag this time, but I was pretty sure her name was Valerie. Her smile still appeared painted on even after all this time. She carried a tray loaded with bacon and eggs and toast. She set it down in the middle of the table and then just stood there, staring blankly across the room.
“Thank you, Valerie, my dear,” Levi said. “You may go.”
She immediately turned on her heel and walked out the front door. There was no hesitation in her actions. She looked like the perfect little servant, programmed to do Levi’s every command.
It made me sick to my stomach to see it. That girl had once been someone. She’d had a life, though if my guess was correct and everyone in Delai had once been a supe, it might have been something of a deadly life. I didn’t care if she’d been a werewolf or a vampire. She’d been yanked from her home and turned into Levi’s little toy robot.
“I know how much you’ve always enjoyed breakfast,” Levi said, drawing my eye back to him. “I thought it might be nice to have it now, even at dinner, just for you.”
“Thank you,” I mumbled. I had to admit, the food smelled great. If there was one thing about Delai I’d missed, it was the food at DeeDee’s. Whatever Levi had done to the people there, he hadn’t affected their cooking, unless he’d somehow made it better.
“Let’s eat!” Levi clapped his hands together once more. The sound echoed throughout the house, causing me to jump yet again. He gave me a thoughtful grin before he began loading his plate.
I wanted to eat practically everything there, but knew Sienna wouldn’t have. Instead, I picked through the bacon, taking only the crispiest of pieces
, and slid one egg and a single piece of toast onto my plate. It was a meager meal, but it would have to do. Sienna had never eaten much in the months I’d lived with her.
Eilene remained silent throughout the meal. She picked at her food, barely slipping anything through her cracked lips. I caught her looking at me more than once and wished she’d just let it go. I hated disappointing her, though I knew it wasn’t actually me she was upset with.
Levi, on the other hand, never stopped talking as he ate. He laughed at his own jokes, ate like he was trying to fill a bottomless pit, and did his best to make sure both his stepdaughter and wife were included in the conversation. I nodded in all of the right places, mumbled a word or two, but made sure not to engage him fully. Eilene did the same.
Eventually, it became too much for me to keep from saying something I might regret. I was never one to hold my tongue, and with a man I sorely despised sitting at the same table, it was practically impossible.
I finished off my dinner, feeling marginally better now that I’d eaten, and then asked to be excused.
A frown flickered across Levi’s face.
“I’m just really tired,” I said quickly, hoping I hadn’t somehow aroused his suspicions. I followed it up with a yawn that was actually genuine.
Levi’s face cleared. “Of course, sweetie,” he said. “You’ve had a long couple of days, haven’t you?”
I nodded and rose.
“I’ll be in to check on you later,” he said. “I’ve got a few more things to do tonight, so it might be late.”
Another nod and I hurried for the stairs. I took them by twos, just wanting to be in Sienna’s room and away from Levi. I closed the door behind me and leaned against it, eyes closed and breathing hard. If I had to spend another couple of nights listening to Levi babble on like that, I’d end up going crazy.
With another yawn, I pushed away from the door and dragged myself to bed. I hadn’t been joking when I’d said I was tired. A few hours of sleep would do me some good, and if Levi was gone when I woke, all the better. I’d really wanted to take a look around tonight, but it could wait until morning. I was feeling muddled and might overlook the one clue that would point me directly to Levi’s summoner.
I kicked off my shoes, found Sienna’s pajamas, and slipped into them. I flipped off the light through another yawn, and then turned back to pure blackness.
I stood there, dumbfounded. How in the hell did Purebloods do anything at night? I blinked my eyes a few times and images started to appear. The bed became a vague shape against the wall. The curtained windows were silhouettes in the dark. I slid my feet along the carpet to one of them and opened the blinds that had been drawn down. Light seeped in, just barely lighting the room enough so that I wouldn’t break my neck trying to get into bed. If the moon hadn’t been so bright, I might not have made it.
With another face-eating yawn, I crawled beneath the covers and closed my eyes. My mind was a tangle of half-aware thoughts that I was unlikely to unravel until I had a good night’s sleep. I could feel myself drifting away almost immediately.
A knock at the door brought my eyes snapping open.
My pulse pounded in my ears as I sat up. The entire world was swaying oddly and I felt as if I was vibrating. I was pretty sure I’d fallen into a deep slumber, but had no clue as to how long I’d been out.
The door opened and a slim shape slipped inside. Before I could get a good look at my nighttime visitor, the door was closed and the room was cast in darkness again.
“He’s going to be gone for about an hour,” Eilene said, sitting on the bed next to me.
“Who?” I asked, dumbly. It felt like I’d been sucking on cotton. I smacked my gums a few times and grimaced at the thick taste.
“Levi.” Eilene sighed and flipped on the bedside lamp. The sudden light blinded me. I shielded my eyes against the glare with my arm and groaned.
Seconds passed in silence. The world stopped swaying and I started to think somewhat clearly again. Once I was sure I could open my eyes without them being seared from my skull, I lowered my arm to find Eilene studying me closely.
“I was asleep,” I mumbled. “What time is it?”
Eilene didn’t answer. She continued to study me as if I was some strange new creature she’d never seen before. It was unsettling, like she was dissecting me with just her eyes. It was the type of thing I might expect from Levi or a powerful vampire, not a sick pureblooded woman.
“Where is she?” she asked finally.
“Who?”
“Sienna. Where is she?”
I licked my lips and tried to remain calm. “What do you mean?” I asked, all innocence. “I’m right here.”
“Don’t try to lie to me.” Eilene folded her hands calmly in her lap. “You can’t fool a mother, even an adoptive one. Where is she?”
I considered trying to lie to her. How could she possibly know I wasn’t her daughter? I’d done my best to act like Sienna, had done everything as best as I could, and yet she knew. Did that mean Levi was out there now, trying to find the real Sienna? How could either of them ever have suspected?
“She’s safe,” I said, shoulders sagging. There was no reason to lie to her. I liked the woman too much to keep doing it anyway and perhaps she might be able to tell me something that would help.
“Where?”
“At my place.”
Eilene coughed. She wiped at her lips with a trembling hand before meeting my eyes. There was a speck of blood on her lips. “Who are you?”
The urge to lie flashed through my mind again, but since I’d already admitted I wasn’t her stepdaughter, there was no reason to. I didn’t think Eilene would tell Levi, though I was still worried he might be able to mine the information from her mind.
“You know me,” I said. “When Sienna escaped, she came straight to me. I’m not sure how she found me, but she did. I was able to find a way for us to switch bodies so that I could return here in her place. She’s safe in my house, in my body right now. Levi can’t get to her.”
A strange sort of relief passed through Eilene’s eyes. She was happy Sienna was safe, but I could tell she was concerned about the body switch. Apparently, the thought of the swap didn’t strike her as unbelievable.
“Tell me who you are,” she said after a moment. “I need to know your name.”
With a sigh that was both resignation and relief that I wasn’t going to have to lie to her anymore, I told her.
Eilene stared at me for a long time, as if trying to find the truth in my eyes. I didn’t flinch away from her stare, but rather, sat up straighter, let her see the determination in my own eyes. I wasn’t here just to take over Sienna’s life; I was here on a mission.
It must have worked because a faint smile played across her lips and she nodded.
“I see.” She coughed again. Her entire body jerked with the motion and I was afraid she might never stop. When I reached out to touch her, she waved me off. The fit eased and she went on. “Why did you want to come back here so badly that you have stolen my daughter’s body?”
“I didn’t steal it,” I said, bothered by the implication. “I’m borrowing it with her permission.” I paused. “Actually, she forced me to do it.”
That brought something of a smile to Eilene’s face. “But why?” she asked.
“You know why.” I could tell she knew. There was a look, almost a hopeful expression on her face.
“I see.” She nodded slowly, as if thinking it over.
“How did you know?” I asked, clearly curious. If Eilene knew, then might Levi?
Eilene’s smile widened. “There was just something about how you moved that didn’t quite sit right with me. I couldn’t put my finger on it, and really, I wasn’t sure if it was just my mind playing tricks on me. I figured if I came in and asked you point-blank, you might let something slip.”
And instead I’d practically told her everything.
I scooted across the bed and rested a hand
on Eilene’s knee. It felt bony and frail beneath my hand. I had a feeling it would crumble if I were to squeeze, even with Sienna’s inferior strength.
“She was scared,” I said. “I didn’t want to do it this way, but I was left with no choice. She kept trying to come back, even though she didn’t want to. I tried to come up with some other way to stop it from happening, but when she discovered that we could swap souls . . .” I shrugged. “She gave me an ultimatum. Either I do this, or she leaves. It was the only thing I could do to keep her safe.”
“I don’t blame you,” Eilene said. A trembling hand rested atop mine. “You do only as you have to do.”
“I do,” I said, and then I took a chance. “And I think you might be able to help me accomplish what I came to do.”
Eilene gave a bitter laugh that erupted into a coughing fit. When I made a move to help her, she shook me off again with a wave of her hand.
“I’ll be fine,” she said. “It isn’t as if I can die from it.” She sighed in relief as the fit finally passed. “Do you know what Levi is?”
“I do.” I swallowed back the rush of fear that flashed through me thinking of him. “He’s an angel.”
“An angel.” Eilene shrugged. “Or a demon. It’s really hard to tell the difference.”
“So then you must know he has to be destroyed.”
“If only it were that easy.” Eilene looked away from me. “I’ve tried in more ways than you can count to be rid of him. I’ve lived a very long time and yet, here I am. You can’t kill him, just as I can’t die.”
“I don’t need to kill him,” I said, wondering about the last, but let it go. I was too excited about the prospects that she might very well be able to help me put an end to Levi. I’d always known she was afraid of the man. She’d even tried to warn me off before, telling me to never come back.
The question was, however, could she tell me what I needed to know?
“Do you believe me when I tell you who I am?” I asked, forcing Eilene to meet my eyes.