“Damn,” Nicky muttered, letting the belt around the were’s neck slip between his fingers.
“I want to get back to the children,” Belle told them, and she bolted from the room. “Let’s get the bop and get out of here.”
Nicky and Gerry turned to look at each other with shared bewilderment. Finally he shook his head and flicked his hand in the direction the girl had gone before following Gerry that way.
“Holy crap, you’re the little girl we treated here!” Jill exclaimed, rushing to Belle with a smile that might have been bright enough to drench the entire room in light.
Gerry had insisted on going to the hospital with Belle when Langston opened the golden door. They found the place pretty crowded at that moment, although Kent and Devan were on a rescue. Even though there were still more children to be recovered and Gerry needed to find Dysis and the magical child Tylie, she knew something was off about Belle and was determined to find out what it was.
In addition to Langston and Jill, there were some new faces in the group. A dark-haired vampire called Doc had an adoring look in his crystal blue eyes when he looked at the vampire Jill. There also was an older man who looked frail and sick but had an exuberant smile on his face that was almost contagious. Langston explained that this was Charlie, the hospital caretaker and also a doctor.
Compared to the last time they saw Langston he might as well have been a stranger to them as well. The goofy, lovey-dovey grin he bestowed on the hospital maid Kristana was enough to make Gerry sick. She cut her eyes to Nicky, trying to read him, but he only smirked at her and turned his attention away. The missing affection on his face when he looked at her did make her feel sick.
“You were burned and you came here with Trudy. I always wondered about you, but you never came back after that night. I should have asked Trudy.”
Belle’s expression was flawed. It cracked with a mixture of pleasure and pain as she allowed Jill to embrace her with enthusiasm. Gerry focused her attention on the young Belle but the emotions were so scattered that she couldn’t get a read on a specific one to hone in on. Nausea cramped her stomach, and she placed a hand to her belly as she licked her lips.
There was a bit of commotion as Charlie, Jill, and Doc all surrounded Belle and began talking at once. As Gerry understood it, Jill had come to live here with Doc and Charlie almost fifteen years ago. She became a vampire sometime during her stay. Until Jill went to the faery realm with Devan, Doc was dead, or at least believed to be. Gerry didn’t have all of the details, but whatever happened, Doc was back now and it was clear the threesome was very close.
“Care for some tea?”
It was a woman’s voice, and when Gerry turned she saw the very petite Kristana looking up at her. She’s quite a lovely woman, Gerry thought, even if she’s a bit older than the rest of us here.
“You look peaked. I just thought you might like some tea. It will only take a moment if you want to come into the kitchen with me. I was thinking of grabbing a snack anyway.”
Her stomach lurched, and she figured some tea wouldn’t hurt in settling her down a bit. She nodded without speaking and followed the brunette down the hallway toward the kitchen.
Jill, Doc, and Charlie had managed to make the hospital very homey, all things considered. There were runners on the tiled hallways and pictures on the colored walls. The sound of children playing echoed off the walls down a corridor, and Gerry cocked her head in that direction.
“They seem to like it here,” Kristana spoke, glancing over her shoulder with a smile. “Amazing how loving they are, even with what they’ve been through. They just accept each new addition you deliver, bring them into the fold, and form a new family. If you have time before your next rescue you should take a look at the rooms.”
Gerry sighed and turned away from the young laughter. “I’m not sure how long we’ll be here.”
“Ah, well, I know you have to get back to the job. I know I probably seem like a mother hen about it, but the rooms Jill painted are each a masterpiece in and of themselves. Charlie’s very glad to have her back. And Doc of course.”
“Of course.” Gerry didn’t feel up to small talk. Her mind was focused on all of the tasks she saw before her: Dy, Tylie, Belle, the other children. Not to mention her marriage, which was looking more and more like it was completely broken.
Kris busied herself in the kitchen, setting a kettle for hot water and then removing a plate of cookies from the refrigerator. She set them on the table and removed the cellophane from one side. She popped half of a cookie into her mouth while she readied two mugs with tea bags.
The kettle began to steam and whistle. Kristana quickly took it by the handle and poured both mugs full. Careful not to spill them, she carried them both to the table, placing one in front of Gerry.
She wasn’t really a tea drinker so she watched Kris steep the tea and followed her lead. When the woman gave the tea bag one last dunk and placed it on a plate in the center of the table, Gerry did the same.
“I’ve never been through it myself, but I hear mint tea helps. I just happened to have some.”
Gerry frowned while she sipped the hot peppermint flavored drink. She wasn’t sure what the other woman was talking about so a proper response was lost to her. Instead she cupped the mug between her hands and held it close to her mouth as she drank again.
“Oh!” Kris exclaimed, getting up from the table, “I know what else… Crackers.”
The dark-haired woman returned with a plastic-wrapped container of saltines and slid them toward Gerry on the table.
“Are we having soup or something?” Gerry finally asked, placing the mug on the table and glaring at the other woman.
“Ahahaha!” Kristana had a booming laugh for being a small woman. She slapped her palm on the table while she shook her head. “I’m sorry. I just thought it would help the nausea. I used to have lots of friends with ideas about morning sickness.”
Gerry flailed an arm and knocked her cup off the table, the ceramic shattering amidst the spilled tea. When Kristana grabbed the trash can and a rag and immediately knelt to pick up the broken mug, Gerry placed her hand on the woman’s shoulder to stop her.
“What? What are you talking about?” she stuttered.
Kristana’s black eyes glistened with tears of concern. “Oh, dear, I just figured you were far enough along to know. You’re pregnant, Gerry.”
“No, I’m not…” Gerry’s words trailed off as she whipped into a ramrod straight sitting position. Still, even as she said the words she brought her hand to her stomach and rubbed it with affection.
Kristana resumed cleaning up the broken mug and sopping up the tea. She took her time in doing so. Then she placed another teabag into a new mug and steeped a fresh cup of peppermint tea before sitting down again beside Gerry.
“I’m sorry,” Kris finally spoke. “I really assumed you knew. I guess it sort of takes the excitement out of things when a total stranger tells you you’re pregnant.”
“The hell with excitement. I can’t be pregnant. It isn’t possible. I have measures in place to prevent it.”
“Any form of birth control has a certain chance of failure.”
Gerry’s look was ice cold when she turned her eyes on the woman. “Not mine.”
“Oh,” Kris nodded, “Magic, right? I forget about that stuff sometimes. It’s all pretty new to me.”
A few moments passed with only the sound of the slurping of their tea to break the silence.
“How exactly did you know?” Gerry finally asked.
Kristana smiled then shrugged. “Langston says I’m a souler. Sort of like a medium. Basically I can see souls. And you definitely have more souls than you should have hovering within you.”
“A soul,” Gerry breathed, setting down her mug and wrapping her arms around her body.
“Well,” the older woman said, placing a hand atop Gerry’s and squeezing comfortingly. “Two beautiful souls.”
“Oh God, I
’m gonna be sick!” Gerry wailed. She clasped her mug of peppermint tea and chugged it down.
Another long silence ensued. Kristana rubbed Gerry’s back while the younger woman laid her head on the table and tried to catch her breath. She wanted to wrench away from her comfort. She didn’t like to be touched. She didn’t like to be treated like some simpering woman. She leaned over toward Kristana and felt arms wrap around her in a warm embrace.
“I hate being hugged!” Gerry sobbed, burying her face into Kristana’s shoulder.
“I know,” Kristana told her. “I sort of picked that up about your personality from what Langston’s told me.”
“Oh, no! Langston! You two are together and now you know this and he’ll know too!”
“Shhh. Langston and I are together, and I love him. It means I don’t lie to him, but I won’t say anything unless he asks. Deal?”
Rubbing her wet nose on the sleeve of her shirt, Gerry nodded. She hiccupped a few times before recovering her faculties and taking a deep, cleansing breath. “You’re sure there are two? Twins?”
“I’m sure. I’m new at this but I can definitely tell the difference between separate souls. Maybe twins run in your family?”
Gerry pondered this a moment. Did twins just run in her family, or was it something more? She knew so little about what it meant to be succubus. She and Dy were twins, but it never occurred to her that succubae could be a trait passed down. Her parents were good and perfect. She just couldn’t believe that their genes could have been responsible for the freaks their daughters became.
Doc convinced them to rest a night before moving on to the next rescue. Nicky didn’t argue much. He was exhausted from the fight with the werewolf and needed a little downtime. He was surprised Gerry didn’t dispute the stop, though. From the moment she had woken up from her coma, she was hell-bent on the rescues, barely allowing them time to breathe between files.
Something had been strange about her over the last several days, and he couldn’t seem to pin down what it was. Now she was seated on the bed in their room, her gaze far away and her arms circling her stomach. She looked small and vulnerable, and part of him wanted to reach out to her and put his arms around her.
Instead, he moved across from her and forced her gaze to his. His smile was forced, but the reason behind it was genuine. He loved her, he wanted her, he missed her. If only she could make things right between them.
“What’s up? You look a little distracted.”
She nodded and sighed then unfolded her arms. He thought he detected a movement of her hand as if to reach out to him, but she withdrew before he could be sure. “I am. It’s been a long few weeks.”
He snorted and approached the window. “More like almost two months since you woke up. We can slow down, you know. Nothing says we have to rescue all those kids right this minute.”
She was quiet a moment. Then he heard the bedsprings move. He thought she’d probably lain down to sleep, but after a moment she came to stand beside him. They both glared out into the night sky. He slipped his phone from his pocket and tapped a button to check the time. Almost midnight. Ever since his sleepless nights in New Orleans his rest patterns were screwed up. He couldn’t tell if he wanted to pass out or throw all concern out the window and make love to his wife.
“We have a job to do.”
He nodded after she spoke, wishing she would reach out to him and knowing instinctively that she wouldn’t. What the hell possessed me to fall in love with such a strong-headed woman?
After waiting a few moments, hoping she would bend, he finally stepped away from the window and headed for the door when she didn’t. “I think I’ll take a little walk. I’m too hyped up to sleep just yet.”
The hospital was quiet now. The children had all been put to bed, and it seemed the adults had gone to sleep, too. He got to the end of one corridor and considered which direction to turn. His mind was made up when he saw the girl Belle back out of a room and then head out one of the exits. His curiosity got the best of him, and he quietly followed her.
By the time he caught up with her, she was leaning against a tree, one hand held up to her face. It took a moment for him to realize that she was speaking to someone on a cell phone.
“… unless I have your assurance we can leave. I’m done with all of you after this. The children stay with me and for all intents and purposes we disappear off the planet.”
A leaf fluttered down from the tree above her and she reached a hand out to it. He noticed her hands trembling.
“You can’t hurt any of them, especially the two vampires. I have to have your assurance.”
He saw her nod. Then she pushed away from the tree and began walking. When he got close enough to hear her again he realized almost too late what she was about to say.
“How do I know I can trust you if I tell you where we are?”
He tackled her to stop her words. The phone went flying out into the darkness, and the air heaved from her chest when they struck the ground rolling.
“What the hell?” she screamed, struggling against him. He grabbed her flailing hands and pulled them behind her back then yanked her to her feet.
“What the hell is right! Who were you talking to?”
“None of your damned business. Let me go, dhampir!”
He chuckled. “Not a chance, gorgeous.”
She tripped over her feet when he roughly pulled her along, hands still clinched behind her back. He could hear her suck in a deep long breath of air, and he figured she was just about to start screaming.
And she did. But this scream was like nothing he’d ever heard before. The wail struck him like a ton of bricks, sending him reeling backwards onto his rear end. He put his hands to his ears and had to fight to open his eyes. The entire world before him shook with the power of her cry. Leaves and limbs fell from the trees and lights began flickering on from inside the hospital.
Amidst it all stood Belle, her face uplifted to the heavens, her mouth open wide, her arms held straight out beside her hips with her fingers splayed wide. She looked frozen, still and unmoving, but the power emanating from her open lips was enough to tilt the earth on its axis.
Gerry appeared at the doorway, face clinched with pain and hands placed over her ears. She dropped her hands from the sides of her face so she could push the air in front of her into a wave of energy. The surge struck Belle and knocked her down, immediately ending her vocal assault on the hospital grounds.
Children and adults alike filtered out of the hospital to see the spectacle. Langston ran to Belle and helped the girl to stand, but when she opened her mouth again as if to scream he placed a hand in front of her face. He didn’t touch her, but the action was enough to silence any sound she might have made.
“What happened?” Doc asked, coming to stand beside Langston but looking at Nicky, who was still lying dazed amidst the leaves and brush.
“She was on the phone, giving someone our location.”
Doc glared at Belle, taking her by the arm with a severe frown. “Why would you do that?”
Belle struggled against Doc’s grip. It was Jill’s tearful look that stopped the girl cold. She stiffened before slackening almost to the point of collapse.
“Let her go, Andre. I know your magic is holding her quiet. Let her talk.” Jill told Langston, calling him by her pet name for him. She didn’t take her sad eyes away from Belle.
“I… I’m not telling you anything. I just want to take my kids and get out of here. Just let me go.”
“You betrayed us. We’re saving the children. All of the children will be freed. Who did you tell about us?” Jill cried.
Belle’s eyes hardened and she turned her gaze away with a stubborn raise of her chin.
Langston placed a hand upon Jill’s shoulder. “Emotions are high at this moment. It would do us all good to step away from this until morning.” He nodded to Kris, and she and Charlie began shuffling the wide-eyed children back into the hospital. Little
Nona hesitated, confusion marring her tiny face as she stared at Belle. Finally she too turned, took Kristana’s hand, and went back inside.
“What’ll we do with her?” It was Nicky speaking, a sour tone to his voice as Gerry helped him to stand.
Langston waved his hands and a set of green bars appeared in front of Belle. Her eyes widened in surprise and she backed away to escape them. The prison bars followed her no matter what direction she turned. She opened her mouth to speak but no sound came forth. Horror flashed across her face.
Nicky had heard about a similar prison Langston had used for a member of the Org just a few months ago. He didn’t know the giant’s powerful bars could block sound as well as physical movement, but the man’s magic was stronger than he thought.
“It would be best were you to follow me,” Langston spoke to Belle, his face stoic. “It will do no good to run. The bars will not allow you to exit the grounds.”
When Langston and Belle were inside, Jill, Doc, Nicky, and Gerry all looked at each other for a few moments. With a heavy sigh, Doc ran his hands through his dark hair before speaking. “Do you think she got through to someone?”
Nicky shook his head and shrugged.
“Who could she have been speaking to? The Bittners?”
“No,” Gerry insisted. “I know how she felt about the Bittners. There was no love lost there.”
“Yeah, but she fooled you by sending you those waves of desire and got you to leave the party with her, too. She’s a manipulative little bitch. No telling who she was talking to.”
Gerry’s pride was stung when he brushed aside her comments. Heat flooded her cheeks, and she was horrified when she realized she was on the verge of bursting into tears. That was why she didn’t cry. Once it started, the wellsprings opened up again at the drop of a hat.
The Bend-Bite-Shift Box Set Page 47