by A
this dimension.
She had to be stopped. Oh hell, who was I kidding? She had to be killed. Because killing her
was the only way to seal the breach. Unfortunately, all sirens are about as hard to kill as
Stefania had been.
I was thinking all this as our merry little band made its way down the treacherous trail to the
camp. As I thought, I was testing my muscles. I was beginning to be able to move. The
adrenaline pumping through my system at the thought of the demon was beginning to drive off
the effects of the drugs. I felt a chill breeze blow gently against me, ruffling my hair. First one,
then two. Both ghosts were here?
Part of me was relieved and part of me was sad. I‘d actually panicked a little when I‘d
woken up from the exorcism. I‘d been angry at Vicki, yes. But I‘d been devastated that I
hadn‘t been able to say good-bye to Ivy. I guess in my mind, she‘s not really dead. It‘s more
like she‘s grown up and moved on with her life and sometimes comes back to visit. And then
everything‘s just like when we were little. The same bantering, the same old jokes. In reality,
she‘s been a ghost for a lot longer than she was a human. I know it‘s best for her to move on.
Maybe it‘s me that‘s keeping her here rather than her staying to finish something.
I waited until we reached a sharp turn where the track was narrowest. Kevin and all of his
guards were around the bend, leaving just me and Barnes on this side. He was actually panting
now. I knew he was too focused on his goal to notice the ghosts or much of anything else.
I managed to croak out a bare whisper, telling them what I wanted. ―Sandstorm, on my
signal.‖ Then I began carefully working my wrists back and forth, using vampire strength to
try to loosen my bindings. At first I couldn‘t feel any progress at all. But as we neared the
campfire I felt the tiniest give.
Barnes wasn‘t exactly gentle, dropping me to the ground next to the fire. It knocked the
wind out of me with a sharp whoosh. In a blur of movement Eirene rose from her chair, rushed
to where I lay, and kicked me in the gut as hard as she could. I rolled over, curling into a ball,
and gasped out the word, ―Now.‖
I wasn‘t curled up from the pain, although the kick had hurt. But this way nobody could see
me tearing my hands free. It was working. I just needed a little more time. Even with both
ghosts working together, it was going to take them time to do what I wanted. If they could.
―Oh no, Cousin.‖ Eirene raised a hand and I felt a burst of magic erupt in the air like
firecrackers. ―I‘ve seen too well what your guardian spirits can do. They‘re not invited to this
little party.‖ A shield dropped around the group. I knew that protection against spirits existed.
Many houses in Hollywood Hills had them, where murders and suicides had been rampant in
the early days of film.
I could feel Ivy racing around the boundaries of the circle, attacking it from every angle. She
was wearing herself out quickly in her panic. But Vicki was just hovering, right where she‘d
been following me.
Could ghosts plan? Was she still clairvoyant enough to be biding her time, waiting for a
specific event to occur?
Kevin‘s voice found my ears. It used to be that his voice calmed me. Now it just made me
feel cold inside. ―I‘ve done what you asked. Give me Emma and let us go.‖
Bastard.
Eirene curled up one lip in a sneer. I knew damned well she hadn‘t planned to let Emma go.
Why would she? ―Beg me.‖
Even as she spoke, I felt a wind starting to build and circle, tasted the first hint of dust on my
tongue. How could that be? I could still feel the spell. It seemed odd that Eirene hadn‘t noticed
the light breeze, because there shouldn‘t be any wind at all inside the bubble of the casting. Or
had I just imagined it?
I stared into the pitch-darkness, looking for any hint of an entry point. When I found it, I
smiled. She‘d crafted the spell wrong, or at least hadn‘t made herself clear to the mage who
did. She‘d made certain that nothing could get in that hadn‘t been here when they dropped the
curtain. She‘d planned for things trying to get in, not things trying to get out. The lowliest of
creatures was going to be her downfall if this worked the way I wanted it to. A little scorpion
was out for its evening hunt and they‘re surprisingly good diggers. One minute it was inside
the shield. The next minute it was out, and two sparkling phantoms slid in along the path the
insect had made. The larger spirit rose high into the air and the smaller one followed, creating
the breeze I‘d felt. People so seldom look up that it was a perfect place to hide in plain sight.
―What the hell are you talking about? I‘m not going to beg you to do what you‘ve already
agreed to. Release Emma and let me take her.‖ Kevin always got mad when he‘d been tricked.
Warren was the same way. Of course, had they involved me, I could probably have mentioned
all this.
Eirene‘s voice was silken and unpleasant. She was really enjoying herself. ―I would, but
there‘s this little problem.‖ Eirene turned to face him. ―You failed to deal in good faith. There
was a trap set up at the warehouse. If I hadn‘t anticipated that, this whole situation could have
gone very, very wrong.‖ She shook her head in mock sorrow. ―I did warn you not to try
anything. But some men just can‘t resist playing the hero. I‘ve no doubt my demon friend will
enjoy using your sister as an appetizer prior to the main course.‖
It explained the fetal ball that Emma was in. If she was actually seeing what was going to
happen if the demon got loose . . . dear God.
I‘d been working my hands the whole time. Finally, the tape tore. The ripping noise wasn‘t
loud, but I held my breath, waiting to see if Eirene would notice. She didn‘t. She was too busy
toying with Kevin.
―You bitch. ‖ Kevin spit the words at her and then lunged, an inhuman growl rising from his
throat.
Eirene‘s expression darkened. I don‘t know why the swearing angered her. I mean,
seriously, she had to have heard it before and it certainly was richly deserved. Then again,
sanity wasn‘t her strong suit anymore—if it ever had been. She turned to Barnes. ―Shoot him.
But to wound, not kill. For that insult, he gets to watch them die.‖
A pair of gunshots. Kevin screamed. I smelled blood and worse and my stomach heaved
even as the glands at the back of my mouth tightened hungrily.
That finally pissed Vicki off. Kevin wasn‘t her favorite person, but there was no way in
heaven or hell that she was going to let Emma be tortured by a demon.
In the space of an eyeblink the temperature dropped and a pressure vacuum sucked air
upward so that it was hard to breathe. The fire guttered in an instant of utter stillness before
gale-force winds drove sand and debris into a swirling vortex that blotted out the night.
“Noooo!” Eirene screamed as she hit at the wind uselessly. Apparently she‘d realized what I
already had: in order to banish the spirits, she‘d have to drop the spell circle. Of course, she
couldn‘t do that and still raise the demon, so she was quite literally screwed.
Dirt and debris peppered my face and arms, slicing away most of the hair on my skin lik
e an
electric sander. I had to narrow my eyes to slits or risk being blinded. The world had become a
painful, seething brown soup inside a pressure kettle. I could barely hear Eirene‘s scream of
rage over the howl of the sand-laden winds that staggered her like a blow. Through slitted eyes
I watched her reach into her pocket, knew what she intended to do.
― No! ‖ I gasped as I launched myself forward. Grabbing her ankle, I pulled with every ounce
of vampire, siren, and human strength I possessed. She went down and I saw the disk fly from
her fingers before her body slammed against the unforgiving earth hard enough to stun her. I
used that precious instant to crawl on top of her. Sand blasted against my skin as I pulled her
gun from its holster. Heavy objects were being blown now, too—sticks, rocks, and chunks of
cactus slammed into my body. I could barely see. Tears were streaming down my face. But I
switched off the safety and pointed the gun between those startlingly beautiful eyes.
I saw her start to regain her strength, saw realization and consciousness flow back into her
eyes. And as I watched her gather herself for one last desperate fight I thought of Bruno.
Of him singing in the shower. Her shower.
Of him in her bed, having sex, looking down at her and smiling.
I gathered every image I could imagine of the two of them together, focusing them, making
them real, until jealousy filled me like water fills a cup.
It took just a second too long. She fought with the desperation of the doomed and damned.
She began clawing, kicking, and biting: raining blows on my body, bucking and squirming.
She screamed out nearly unpronounceable words and I felt the barrier surrounding the
encampment go down. The sudden release of pressure hit me hard, the equivalent of a pocket
of turbulence on a plane ride. The wind rushed out and the sand with it.
She struck.
I cursed as she knocked the gun from my grasp. In a hand-to-hand struggle, we were almost
perfectly matched. I still had the advantage; I was on top, and despite her best efforts, she
couldn‘t get out from under me. I felt her call in my head as she tried to summon the men to
her aid. I felt them responding, trying to get to her, despite the fury of the tornadic winds that
tried to kick up the storm again. Vicki was really doing herself proud. If this didn‘t kill her, I‘d
buy her something nice. There must be something that a ghost needs.
But first, I had to survive. If Eirene succeeded in taking control of the minds of every male
here, it was over: for me, for Emma, and for Kevin.
Fuck that.
I gathered my will, using everything I‘d learned on Serenity to throw out my own call. Yes,
it was the caw of seagulls versus the sweet melody of songbirds. But there is something very
compelling about gulls and I used it to my advantage. I used the energy of my rage, hurt, and
fear as fuel to power it. My mind met hers in a battle for the hearts and wills of the men we
could reach. The fight was every bit as desperate as the physical battle we were fighting. I
didn‘t feel Kevin, and even angry as I was at him, I hoped he didn‘t feel this, that it wouldn‘t
control him. In fact, I only felt some of her men. Were the others dead? Gone? I didn‘t know. I
only knew I couldn‘t let her control those who were left.
The power of our clashing wills was too much. I felt their minds flicker like candles in the
wind, felt their sanity and will snuffed out.
No! I didn’t mean to—
―You‘re weak, Celia!‖ She said the words out loud, saving her mental energy for the
struggle. ―You actually care for these pitiful humans.‖ She considered my guilt a weakness and
tried to use it against me. That was a mistake. Yes, I would have to live with the knowledge of
what we‘d just done for the rest of my life. But Eirene made the mistake of putting a person
who‘d been a victim in a corner. Every survivor has already been faced with a life-or-death
decision and chosen life. Nothing else matters once that choice has been made.
I dived off of her, reaching for the gun.
She scrambled to her feet, but I lashed out in a vicious kick of my bound feet to her knee.
Even over the wind I heard the grinding wet pop as it bent backward and tore. She screamed in
agony, swallowing sand as she did.
I had the gun. I turned, watching as she crawled away from me as fast as she could manage.
It was hard to see but not as hard as it had been. The winds were dying down. Vicki and Ivy
had worn themselves out. I could see Eirene well enough to aim. So I did. I aimed my weapon
and thought of Bruno locked in a postcoital embrace with her. I embraced my jealousy. Then I
pulled the trigger.
26
I lay on the ground for long minutes, utterly exhausted. The barrier was down. Which meant I
could call for help. If only I had the energy. But my mind was as exhausted as my body. My
head hurt and at the same time felt strangely empty. The power I‘d come to recognize and use
these past few weeks was gone. Maybe forever.
I looked around the encampment. Moon- and starlight illuminated a strange and eerie scene.
Everything was coated with dust and debris. The dome tents had been pulled up from the
ground to roll where they would. One of them was upside down, pressed up against a rock
outcropping.
One of the men was lying on his back, breathing but utterly limp, his eyes wide open and
empty staring at the night sky. Another sat up, drool tracking from his mouth through the
coating of dust that covered a face that was vacant of any semblance of intellect.
I felt a new wave of guilt and my stomach lurched. I did that. At least part of it. I didn‘t feel
guilty about killing Eirene. But this, oh, God, yes.
Movement and moaning to my left. I turned to see Kevin struggling to free himself of the
enveloping sand, some of which was wet and stained dark with his blood. His motions were
getting slower with each beat of his heart. Not far from him, Emma stirred. She was coated
with dust but not buried, whether from a trick of the winds or by Vicki‘s and Ivy‘s deliberate
action I had no clue.
I didn‘t have the energy to stand, even if my feet weren‘t still bound. But I had to try to help.
Yeah, I was mad at him . . . furious, in fact. But it was his sister he‘d been trying to save.
So I started dragging myself toward him. I was halfway there when I heard the sound of a
helicopter approaching fast.
Help? I hoped so. I didn‘t have any more fight left in me.
I was digging out a very limp and barely breathing Kevin with my bare hands when the
chopper landed. I shouted for a medic and was rewarded by running footsteps. Men in
blackface and camo pushed me out of the way so that more men with medical equipment could
get to work.
Someone knelt beside me. It took me a minute to realize it was Creede. Pulling a knife from
his pocket, he sawed silently at the tape that bound my legs. How had he gotten here? Wasn‘t
he supposed to be at the visitation?
He answered my questions before I could even voice them.
―When things went south, Warren called Bruno on his cell. We worked together with Dottie
to find you. Bruno refused to come with us at first. Said he couldn‘t face you.‖ His voice was
flat a
nd inflectionless, but his eyes told a different story.
―Thanks.‖ Not for making Bruno come but for . . . oh, hell, he knew what for.
We sat and watched as Kevin was loaded onto a stretcher. They seemed to know what they
were doing. They already had a couple of IVs hooked up to him and were rushing him toward
the helicopter, Warren running beside him. He was a werewolf. Bad as it was, with the right
medical attention he could probably heal it. Of course he‘d be outed at any regular hospital.
Which would mean a life sentence in the state facility.
Another medical type was kneeling next to Emma. At a murmured word from Kevin Warren
left his son and hurried to where she lay. Warren took her in his arms, holding her close, tears
streaming down his face. At first she didn‘t react at all. Then her arms moved, snaking around
his neck.
―Are you okay?‖ Creede was looking at me oddly. Had he been talking to me the whole
time? Maybe. Probably.
―Hell, no.‖ I sounded weak, damn it. I forced a little more energy into the next line: ―But I
will be.‖ A thought occurred to me. There was something terribly important that needed to be
done right now. ―John, I need you to do something.‖
―What?‖
―Eirene had a disk to summon the demon. She dropped it in our fight. Can you use your
magic to find it? We need to recover it, get it to the priests. I don‘t trust these other guys not to
take it, maybe even use it.‖
He started to swear. ―I‘m on it.‖ He folded his knife, putting it back into his pocket, and
rose. ―Approximately where should I start?‖
I pointed in the general direction of where I‘d seen it fall. I watched his face still, taking on
an expression of calm concentration. Power washed across my other senses in a surprisingly
gentle wave. Then again, he wasn‘t trying to do anything, just sense the latent magical energy
contained in the disk. I watched for a few minutes as he paced back and forth.
I was still watching when I felt Bruno approach.
He stopped a couple of feet away, squatting down so that we‘d be eye-to-eye if I looked at
him. He waited for me to look. Willed me to do it. And while I didn‘t want to, in the end I gave
in.
―Are you all right?‖
Stupid question. Did I look all right? But it‘s what you say. Hell, it‘s what Creede had said