Actually, the Vanguard would be more likely to feel prejudice toward him as a human than as a black man. But pointing that out wouldn’t help anyone, so I kept my mouth shut.
Nina, Grant, and Jerome all left, leaving me with Jack…and Laurie.
“So what’s really going on?” Jack asked.
“What do you mean?” I gathered more power, ready to push him to leave. My phone vibrated and I checked my text.
Three Acolytes are getting into their cars.
“Why did you want them to leave?” Jack pressed. “I’m not going to call them back. If there’s a reason they shouldn’t be here, fine, I’m not trying to put anyone in harm’s way. But I’m also not leaving Lorelei with you when it’s obvious you’re lying.”
I put my phone in the side pocket of my pouch and faced the demon-bound. “That isn’t Lorelei.”
Jack frowned. “Yes it is. Do you not see what she’s wearing?”
“When did you decide you didn’t want the exorcism anymore?” I asked her.
Laurie didn’t react, didn’t acknowledge who she was. “I wanted the exorcism,” she said. She wasn’t using her Italian accent, so she was still pretending to be Lorelei. “What on earth would make you think I didn’t?”
“Father Salvatore spoke to the twins,” I said. “Asking them not to perform the exorcism.”
“The ministry must have gotten to him.” Laurie furrowed her eyebrows, looking worried. “Wait a minute… You don’t think Father Salvatore killed Corban and Christophe?”
“No,” I said. “I don’t.”
Laurie sat up, putting her red plastic cup on the table beside the couch. “Because that would make sense. Patrick was a member of his congregation, once upon a time. And he was a friend of Thomas, so he knew how to contact him.”
“You’re much better at lying than I gave you credit for,” I said. “I guess that’s part of the benefit of being demon-bound. But the evidence doesn’t lie. I saw the condom in Patrick’s trash can. Lorelei never used condoms—and we found the pictures to prove it. You, however, couldn’t do it without one. I’m guessing you could barely bring yourself to do the deed at all. Sex with a minor?”
Laurie flinched.
Jack’s lips parted in surprise. “It is Laurie,” he said softly. “I’ll be damned.”
“Well, yes,” Laurie muttered. “In fact you are.” She set her jaw and met my eyes. “I, however, am not. I want to live. There’s nothing wrong with that. Nothing evil about it.”
I clenched my teeth. “You murdered two people.”
Laurie grabbed her cup and took a deep swig before slamming it down on the table. Beer sloshed onto the wood and splattered the couch and floor, but she ignored it. “Killing in self-defense is not murder. And don’t say I could have told them I didn’t want the exorcism. Despite their high-handed stance on my soul, the ministry kept my letters. They had my words, my signature, begging for the exorcism no matter what I might say in the futu—”
“I know about your letters,” I interrupted.
Laure shot to her feet. “Then how can you stand there and call me a murderer?”
“Because you had options!” I took a breath, forcing myself to calm down. The Vanguard would be here soon. I needed to avoid escalating this. “You could have called the ministry.”
“I didn’t know they were against the exorcism,” Laurie snapped.
“But you could have asked for time. You could have spoken to a different department, anything.” I threw up my hands. “You could have talked to Lorelei, left her letters, asked her to object to the exorcism. The Department of Infernal Affairs could have stepped in.”
“No demon could make an argument for holding a paladin.” Laurie gritted her teeth. “Do you think this was easy for me? Do you think I wanted to kill them? Wanted to have sex with…” She trailed off and looked away, her jaw tightening.
It was so strange that even after arranging a double homicide, it was the sex with a minor that upset her.
“Even if I’d tried something else,” she said finally. “There was always a chance they’d turn me down. Always a chance they’d go through with the exorcism whether I wanted it or not. If they’d known I didn’t want it, then they would have bound me. I’m not strong enough to fight them, not anymore.”
Jack stood to put a hand on Laurie’s shoulder. “You were defending yourself.”
“Jack,” I said, shoving a hand through my hair in frustration. “You don’t understand.”
“I understand,” he said, speaking as if I were the one who didn’t get it. “She was defending her life. Even the human police don’t arrest you if you kill someone to stop them from killing you.”
“They weren’t killing her,” I said. “Laurie is only alive now because she’s feeding off of Lorelei’s energy. Without Lorelei, Laurie will die of old age.”
“That’s still death,” Jack insisted.
“But not murder.” I rubbed the bridge of my nose. “I’m not saying this is a simple case, and I’m not saying it’s black and white. But the fact is, she had options. Not foolproof options, but options. And instead of trying and risking failure, she took two lives. Two people are dead because she wouldn’t risk failure.”
I looked at Laurie. “You’ve lived for a thousand years. That’s four times what you ever could have expected, no matter how much power God poured into you. But you decided your right to live another thousand years or more was worth Corban and Christophe’s lives, worth the lives they might have saved.”
Jack didn’t seem so certain now, but he raised his chin. “Punishing her won’t change anything. It won’t bring them back.”
“Corban and Christophe,” I said quietly. “Their names were Corban and Christophe. Part of you has to know it’s wrong. That’s why you called me. Somewhere, deep inside, you wanted to be caught.”
Laurie howled out a laugh. “Are you serious? You think I asked you for help because I wanted to be caught?” She slunk a step forward, her bare feet slapping the hardwood floor. “I asked you for help because I never thought in a thousand years you would figure it out.” She sneered. “The village witch stupid enough to be sold to a leannan sidhe. Selfish enough to take a human as your partner when the threats you face could kill him with a sneeze.”
She shook her head without breaking eye contact. “The ministry would have sent someone to investigate the failed exorcism and the twins’ murder. I wanted to make sure it wasn’t someone qualified, someone who posed a threat. That’s why I called you. I needed to make sure you were the one investigating. I wanted someone who would fail.”
“Then it must hurt that I’m the one who stopped you,” I whispered.
Then I braced myself for the attack.
Chapter 20
Fury pinched Laurie’s delicate features, twisting her mouth into a snarl. Her arm cut through the air like a reaper’s scythe, and a wall of force hurled me into the wall. I leaned forward, trying to land against the wall feet first.
It didn’t work exactly as I planned.
Instead of landing with my feet against the wall, I hit hard with my backside. But that was better than a head injury, and I managed to get my feet under me as I slid to the ground.
The black cat launched herself into the air with a sound somewhere between a roar and a screech, a sound that sent slivers of ice prickling down my spine. I turned away from the sight of her claws raking the front of Laurie’s body, tuning out the former paladin’s scream.
My attention landed on the room’s other occupant, and I froze. “Jack, don’t do it!”
The Acolyte’s lips parted in shock as he watched blood pour down Laurie’s chest, soaking the half of her pale stomach revealed by the high cut of her shirt. He ignored me, raising his hand toward his friend.
“Laurie, brace yourself!”
The paladin snarled, either not hearing Jack’s warning, or not knowing what it meant. Jack’s power pulsed through the room, and Laurie and her feline attacker plu
nged toward the ceiling as gravity reversed itself. Demonic grace gave Laurie the agility she needed to take the fall despite her shock, and she landed lightly on her feet, crouching down to touch the ceiling with her fingertips. The black cat landed without a sound on padded paws, baring a mouth full of sharp white teeth.
“Peasblossom, wait until I get her to hold still,” I murmured. “Then make the circle.”
“Right!” Peasblossom said from inside the pouch.
I focused on Jack, leaving Laurie to the cat for now. I didn’t want any collateral damage tonight, and that meant the Acolyte had to go. I drew my power, letting it rise on a cold wind inside me. The warmth drained from my skin, and my hair undulated on an invisible breeze, black tendrils stirring like snakes. I took a step toward Jack, letting that dark magic fill my eyes, turn them black as night as my skin grew more pale.
It was all an illusion, one only Jack would see. His eyes bulged, and his mouth opened and closed without making a sound. He stuttered back a step and almost tripped over Majesty where the kitten was ferociously attacking the couch with tiny, needle-sharp kitten claws. I gritted my teeth and poured more magic into the illusion, hoping the furry kitten wouldn’t break the spell of fear I was laying over Jack, layer by layer.
“Did you really think you could meddle in the affairs of witches and demons and walk away unscathed?” I said, my voice a low rasp. “Did you think I wouldn’t punish you for disobeying me?”
Jack’s face lost another three shades of color. “I…I…”
“I should make you suffer for what you’ve done,” I whispered. “I should pull your soul from your eyes and hold it out for you to see the black stains you’ve heaped upon it. Perhaps if I rotted away your body parts the way you’ve rotted away your soul, that would make you see the truth? The truth of what you’ve become. What you’ve lost.”
He swallowed hard, his throat bobbing. I waited for the trembling to start, first in his lower back, then down his arms to his hands. I pushed the next burst of power out through my voice, sharpening it into a psychic blade.
“Run!”
Jack bolted, choking on a sound that might have been a scream. He ran through the kitchen, down the stairs, and I heard the sliding door as he forced it open, not bothering to close it behind him.
The cat sith hit the wall beside my head, landing on all fours. Her body folded, absorbing the impact, then she launched herself at the paladin like a four-legged cannonball. I whirled in time to see Laurie spider crawl across the ceiling, moving with the speed and grace granted to her now that she’d fully embraced the demon’s influence.
I called my magic, following the paladin’s progress, waiting for the right moment. The cat sith leapt for her again. Laurie sprang out of the way, and I held my breath. The second her feet hit the ceiling again, I let loose the spell.
“Affigo!”
Magic sailed through the air like a thin black dart. Laurie laughed as it passed her and stuck in the ceiling a few feet away. “Pathetic. You are a less worthy opponent than I gave you credit for. And that was not much at all.”
“Shade,” Peasblossom hissed. “Andy texted. He said Grant is coming in. He was hiding in the bushes.”
I bit back a groan. Great. The teenager had probably decided to stick around for a glimpse at the Vanguard. I bit my lip, trying to remember what Grant’s ability was. Then Laurie raised her hand for another attack and all my attention was on her.
“Laurie!” Grant shouted.
Suddenly I didn’t have to wonder about the Acolyte’s ability. Vomit rose in my throat as a greenish-yellow cloud filled the room. The smell of rotten eggs and old cabbage burned my nostrils and made my eyes water. I swayed on my feet, then bent over as I lost the battle against the nausea and threw up on the hardwood floor.
Laurie was having a similar reaction, and Peasblossom and Grant gagged as well. I stumbled back, moving faster and faster, uncaring if I hit anything. I had to get out of that cloud.
I sucked in a breath as I hit the dining room and found air unaffected by the Acolyte’s sickening spell. Unfortunately, the nausea didn’t subside right away, and I collapsed on the floor, all my focus on not throwing up again.
After what felt like an eternity, I became aware of two things. First, Laurie had finally realized what my spell had done. The black dart she’d laughed off when it missed her had pinned her shadow to the ceiling. Not only was she anchored in place, she was now nauseated by a cloud of fumes courtesy of one of the Acolytes she’d been so loathe to dismiss. And if the sounds of retching were anything to go by, she was in no shape to fight anymore.
The second thing I noticed was the cat sith had managed to avoid the cloud’s effects. I heard the feline growl from a distance that told me she’d managed to get outside, and the follow up hiss of a kitten told me Majesty was with her.
“Jack must have texted the Acolytes,” Peasblossom said, her voice thick with post-vomiting saliva. “I heard them yelling when Grant got caught in his own cloud and had to run outside.”
“The cat sith will keep them from coming inside—I hope,” I said. The taste of stomach bile made me heave again, and I closed my eyes and took a slow breath. Settling my stomach through sheer force of will, I accepted the bag of salt from Peasblossom and forced myself to my feet.
Sweat soaked Laurie’s temples, and she barely managed to speak between rounds of vomiting. Giving in to the demon’s influence all at once hadn’t done her any favors. She was weakened, too sickened by infernal energies to fight back the nausea as quickly as I had. “Help me! Jack, Nina, Jerome, Grant! Help me!”
I gritted my teeth as the cat sith growled, the sound immediately followed by a cry from Jack. I had to deal with the paladin, fast, before anyone else got hurt. I began walking the circle that would hold the former paladin prisoner.
“Get away!” Laurie screamed.
Outside, the Acolytes echoed her pleas for me to stop. I tried to shut them out, but the desperation in their voices crawled down my nerves, tugging at my heart. They cared for her. Not just Lorelei, but Laurie too. Hearing that concern in their voices, that fear, I couldn’t help but think of the pain they’d feel when this was over. When they had to say goodbye.
“You are more of a monster than I gave you credit for,” I said, my voice tight. “You don’t care who you hurt. It’s all about you.”
“How dare you judge me for making a choice for myself!” Laurie screamed. “I have been a servant my entire life! I only wanted—”
“You chose to serve!” More salt hit the floor, falling in a graceful circle of white. “No one forced you to serve God. It was your choice. And your choice does not entitle you to ruin the lives of others because you feel robbed of the life you could have had.”
“Get away from the door!” Andy’s voice boomed.
I squeezed the bag of salt, fighting not to lose my concentration. Voices scratched at the edges of my consciousness, Andy’s voice warning the Acolytes away from the door, the sound of flesh striking flesh. Another thud of someone’s fist making contact, followed by a shout of pain from Jerome and a scream from Nina.
The circle closed, and I bent down to touch it, infusing it with a small flicker of magic. There was a snap of energy against my skin, and Laurie screamed again. This time there was less rage in the sound, and more loss. More fear.
I couldn’t stand to be near Laurie for another second, so I walked out the front door, leaving her trapped in the circle.
I found Andy standing over Jack. The Acolyte was curled into a ball on the grass, his arms over his midsection. Jerome lay beside him on his stomach, his face twisted in pain. Nina knelt beside him, tears streaming down her face as she held her shirt against his back, trying to stop the bleeding.
The cat sith sat a few feet away, green eyes flicking back and forth between the Acolytes, waiting for one of them to make another attempt to get to the paladin. I looked around and found I didn’t know what to say. What could I say?
“Mother Renard, you have been having fun without me.”
The accented voice sent a shiver down my spine. Oksana’s large, feathery black wings cast a shadow over me as she stepped closer. I hadn’t even noticed the large van parked on the street, to say nothing of the two members of the Vanguard striding up the driveway.
Oksana held no weapon, but with the clawed fingers she held at her sides, she didn’t need one.
Evelyn stood behind her, her golden tattoos glowing, and her hands hovering before her, ready to throw a spell. “Where is the corrupted?” she asked.
“Inside trapped in a circle.” I pointed to the door. “Watch out for the vomit on the floor.”
The tattooed woman blinked at me, but only hesitated a moment before striding to the open front door and into the house. Laurie stopped screaming. No one said a word as we all listened, trying to catch a word from the sobs interspersed with tearful exclamations from the former paladin.
I didn’t need to hear the words to know what was being said. Laurie was pretending again. Playing the victim. It was the only card she had to play.
It felt like an eternity passed before Laurie appeared in the doorway. Her eyes were full of tears, her face red and swollen from all the crying. Her hands were bound behind her back, tight enough that she hunched forward slightly as the blue-skinned aasimir of the Vanguard marched her over the threshold.
Laurie tried to straighten as she saw the Acolytes watching. “It was the demon!” She stared at Oksana. “You know it was the demon. You have to know!”
“I will know the truth of it soon enough,” Evelyn said calmly. “God has blessed me with the gift of telepathy. I will know the facts as soon as we return to your cell.”
Another sob tore from Laurie’s throat. “Oh, I wish that would help. I wish you could read my mind and know for certain which thoughts were mine. It would be all the proof I need to convince you of my innocence.” Tears streamed down her face, a steady drip that soaked her black shirt. “But the demon’s thoughts poison my own. You could never be certain which thoughts were mine and which malicious lies were the demon’s.”
Corruption Page 29