by D. G. Swank
Deidre slowly turned to Rhys. “Unlike the curse keeper, your future is clear as a summer day. Would you like to know it?”
Rhys gave the mat on the table a squeamish look. “I take it you’ll use the animal skin and bones?”
Deidre grinned. “I can read your palm if you’d prefer, but I usually get much more information from the bones.”
Rhys started to offer her hand, then pulled it back. “No. I don’t want to know. If I’m getting killed by demons tonight, I don’t want to spend the rest of the day worrying about it.”
Deidre gave her a look of approval. “I might see that you live to the ripe old age of ninety-two. Then your worries will be relieved.”
“Not really,” Rhys said. “I’ll still worry about Piper and Jack.” She turned and gave me a sad smile. “I’ll still worry about Ellie, Collin, and David.”
“But not the demigod?” Deidre asked with undisguised curiosity.
Rhys hesitated. “Piper seems attached to him, for whatever reason, so I’ll worry for her sake.”
Her comment reminded me of Piper’s mission to visit the seer. “Deidre, I know Piper arranged to see you earlier.”
“I know why she wanted to see me,” Deidre said in a firm tone. “But I refuse to help the son of Satan.”
“I understand that,” I said. “And while I’m not too fond of him myself, he’s important to Piper. Besides,” I added. “She needs him supernaturally. He’s her Collin.”
Deidre shook her head. “No. She no longer needs him. He’s served his purpose.”
“Do your bones tell you that?” I asked in frustration.
She sat up straighter. “As a matter of fact, they do.”
“Deidre,” I pleaded. “I know you don’t like him, but she needs her supernatural counterpart.” I gestured to Rhys. “You heard what Rhys said. He saved her life before, and she’s bound to be hurt again in the battle tonight. Please.”
Deidre pushed out a massive sigh and placed her hands on the table. “Curse Keeper, you place more faith in me than you should. True, I don’t like the creature, but that’s not what’s stoppin’ me from helping him or the slayer. It’s the fact that I have no idea how to stop the mark from appearin’.”
“So she’s destined to kill him?” I said in defeat.
Deidre slowly nodded, compassion easing the hard lines on her face. “Yes. The best thing you can do for her is to prepare her for that.”
“It will destroy her,” Rhys said, her voice cracking. “She’ll never get over it.”
“She will,” Deidre said with plenty of confidence. “She must. The son of Okeus’s purpose on this earth is endin’, but for the creator of worlds, it’s only just beginnin’.” She paused and lowered her voice. “But she has a dangerous road ahead. She will need her friends to protect and guide her.”
“We’ll be there for her,” I said solemnly. I couldn’t imagine being compelled to kill Collin or David. I wasn’t sure I could survive losing either of them, let alone at my own hands. “I won’t leave her.”
Deidre nodded with a pleased look in her eyes. “Good. Now let’s address the real reason you’re here.”
“Do you know what that is?” Rhys asked.
“Not entirely,” Deidre admitted. “It’s hard to read anything about the curse keeper. It’s as though she’s been covered with a veil.”
I didn’t like the sound of that, but I wasn’t surprised. “We want to enter a world Piper has created,” I said. “Without her. I know you created a ward to keep demons out, but can you create one to let us in?”
“You hold the power to enter on your own,” she said. “You have it on you now.”
I glanced down at myself in confusion. What did I have on me? Then I remembered the watch Collin had given me. I pulled it out of my jeans pocket and showed it to her.
She reached for it and turned it over in her hand. “There is great power in this piece.”
“I don’t think that’s it,” I said. “Collin had this in his pocket earlier, but he couldn’t enter the world.”
She gave me a look that made it clear she thought I was harebrained. “The other keeper isn’t a witness to creation, now is he?”
Could it really be that easy? “No, I guess not.”
“Can you give us some wards to help repel demons?” Rhys asked.
Deidre gave her a warm smile. “Come with me.”
When we headed downstairs and followed her into her workshop, I could still see Abel standing on the street corner.
“He could break in and demand that you help him,” I said. “He is a demigod.”
“He could try, but I’ve created wards to keep him out,” she said as she started to gather her materials. “But I’ll be the first to admit he’s changed.”
“So you have met him before,” Rhys said. “Why do you hate him so much? On principle or because he pissed you off?”
“Both.”
“Part of the reason he’s here is because Piper wanted to ask you how to stop the mark,” I said.
“And the other part?” Deidre asked, focused on her work.
“To get into the attic.”
She jerked her head up. “Why does the son of Satan wish to invade Piper’s world?”
“Tsagasi told us that an answer we need is in there.”
Her face remained expressionless. “The Little Person?”
“Yes,” I said. “I met him weeks ago, when we first formed an alliance. His brother has offered to help us, but only if Piper is free, and he says the answer we seek is in the attic.” Then I added, “And Abel is desperate to save her.”
A scowl darkened her face. “You want me to let the son of Satan in, don’t you?”
“Or at least speak to him.”
Deidre cursed under her breath and shot me an irritated look. Without another word, she dropped the pestle in the bowl and marched to the front door.
Rhys and I stood back in the hall, watching as she opened the door and called out, “Kieran Abel.”
He moved closer but gave her several feet of personal space. I could hear quiet murmurs pass back and forth between them before she pushed the door open and let him in.
After what she’d said about the shop’s protections, I’d expected him to hit some kind of barrier, but he walked right through and headed toward us with a determined look.
Deidre walked past us and headed upstairs, leaving the three of us in the hallway.
“Did you piss her off so much she refuses to help any of us now?” Rhys asked.
“No,” Abel said with a frown. “She’s gone to consult her bones and shells.”
Rhys’s mouth formed an O of surprise. “What about?”
“Piper.” His tone was short, irritated, yet I could see it was concern that made him that way. I understood that well enough.
Five minutes later, Deidre returned, looking exhausted and haggard. She walked past us into the workroom and started mashing leaves again, but with a lot more force than she’d used before.
To my surprise, Abel stayed in the hall, silently watching her work. Why hadn’t he asked her what she’d seen?
The silence continued for nearly ten minutes as she made five wards—five small white cotton bags filled with herbs and a few bones—much to Rhys’s disgust based on the way she cringed at the sight of them.
She handed a bag to Rhys. “Keep this with you at all times. Put it in your pocket if you have one. Or put a cord around it and wear it under your shirt. It will last about three weeks before it begins to wear off. It will hide you from demons, but if they see you, they can still kill you.”
Rhys lifted the small bag up to her nose and sniffed it. “It stinks.”
“It’s not perfume,” Deidre scolded, then handed the other bags to me. “The rest of you need to wear these too.”
I glanced down and did a quick count. “We need one more. Not counting Abel, there are six of us, and there are only five bags.”
She shook her head. �
��The slayer is trapped behind bars. Those are for the rest of you.”
I snuck a quick glance to Abel, who remained expressionless, then back to her. Hell, he might not want to ask, but I had no problem doing so. “Could you see her future? Will she be released tonight?”
“I will see to her protection,” she said, then turned around to remove more dried plants from her shelves.
“That doesn’t answer my question,” I said. “What did you see?”
She gave me a deadly cold look. “What I saw is no concern of yours. Not yet, but the time will come very shortly when you will need to know. Now let me work in peace. I have to get this right.”
I was dying to ask more, but her anger seemed to be boiling beneath the surface, so I kept quiet, instead sneaking glances to Abel, who watched her intently. The concern in his eyes worried me.
What had Deidre seen in Piper’s future and why wouldn’t she tell me? Worse, why wasn’t Abel demanding she share it with him?
Deidre made another bag. Wiping a fine sheen of sweat from her brow, she handed it to Abel and looked deep into his eyes. “I think you know what to do with this.”
He stared down at it as though it were a rattlesnake about to jump out and bite him. “You’re positive she will need this?”
“The bones don’t lie.”
“But will it protect her?” he asked, worry in his eyes.
She lowered her gaze to the bag in her hand. “What you asked of me is tricky.”
“That’s why I’m here. You’re the best.”
She lifted her gaze with a smirk. “I’ve already made the ward, son of Satan. Flattery isn’t necessary now.”
With a short nod, he carefully took the bag from her. “I will see to it that you get the items I promised.”
He turned and headed for the front door.
“Kieran Abel,” she called out after him as she moved past Rhys and me into the hall, wiping her hands on her apron.
He stopped and slowly turned to face her.
“I am truly sorry.”
To my surprise, she sounded like she meant it.
Chapter Eighteen
Piper
My holding cell included a single cot—with no bedding or pillow—and a toilet in the corner. I was unlikely to have a roommate, and I was grateful I wouldn’t have to share a cell with some hardened criminal. There was no window or clock to clue me in to what time it was, yet I was sure it was already after sundown. I could feel it in my bones. When the demons emerged, I knew they would come for me, and if any of them were as humanlike as Adonis and Caelius, they’d be able to maneuver through the human world well enough to find me. Once they did, I was toast. They had one mission—to take me to Okeus—and a few police officers and locked cells wouldn’t get in their way.
A guard brought me a tray with inedible food that looked like it was supposed to be mashed potatoes and a hamburger covered in gravy, but I left it on the floor by my cot as I paced.
I was torn between hoping Abel wouldn’t do anything stupid, like trying to break me loose, and wanting to get the hell out of there.
There was nothing I could do but wait.
About ten minutes after the guard had brought my dinner, Detective Olivia Powell appeared in front of my cell, wrinkling her nose as she looked down at the tray. She wore a pair of dress pants and a sports jacket over a white button-down shirt. “I swear the food they serve is a form of torture.”
I didn’t respond. She was likely right.
She took a step toward the cell, wrapping her hand around one of the bars. “How are you holding up?”
I forced a smile. “I’ve had better days.”
“Yeah, I bet.” She glanced around to see if anyone was listening, but the only guard in sight was outside the holding area down the hall.
“How’d you find out I was here?” I asked, walking up to her. “Was Lawton bragging about his catch?”
She grimaced. “I admit he’s pretty pleased with himself, but Jack called me first.”
I leaned my hip against the bars. “Jack.”
“He’s worried about you, Piper. He asked me to check on you.”
I nodded. I was worried about me too.
Opening her jacket, she reached in and pulled out half a sandwich covered in plastic wrap. “I thought you might be hungry.”
I didn’t feel hungry, but it might be a while before I had another opportunity for edible food. I needed to choke down the sandwich. Taking it from her, I quickly unwrapped it and took a bite.
“Turkey and cheese,” I murmured around the food in my mouth.
“I figured that was safe,” she said under her breath. “Everybody likes turkey.”
Not Rhys, who was a die-hard vegan, but I was too busy eating to correct her. Now that I’d taken a bite, my stomach was demanding more.
I finished the half sandwich in less than a minute. Olivia held out her hand and took the ball of plastic wrap, which she stuffed in her jacket pocket.
“Jack’s petitioned to see you as your religious counselor, but Lawton’s refused the request. The only one who will be able to see you is your attorney, and he’s even pushing her off.”
“Can he do that?”
“Not really, but he’s finding excuses to stall.” She gave me a grim look. “I doubt you’ll be getting out of here tonight.”
I swallowed my rising anxiety. She hadn’t told me anything I didn’t already suspect, but it still sucked to have my fears confirmed.
“I brought some salt,” she said, glancing down the hall again before pulling a plastic salt shaker from her pocket and passing it through the bars. “It’s not much, but Jack says a line of salt might make a difference if demons show up.” She worried her lip, clearly distressed. “Jack was hesitant to tell me all the details, but he seems to think you’re a primary target for them.”
“Well.” I couldn’t tell what she wanted—reassurance that Jack was wrong or confirmation that Jack was right? I went with option C. “Jack is a worrier.” Forcing a smile was too difficult, even a fake one, so I avoided her gaze, asking, “Do you know if Jack and the others have encountered any demons yet?”
Worry filled her eyes. “Not that I’m aware of.”
I nodded. “That’s good.”
Surely the police would know if an army of demons was slaughtering people to consume their souls as they emerged from their new gate to hell, wherever that turned out to be.
“Jack thinks Abel will show up to protect you,” Olivia said with worry in her eyes.
“If the demons show up, he’ll fight them,” I said, my fear rising again. No one other than me could kill him, but what would the police do if they found him brandishing his sword in the police station? Especially if the demons made themselves invisible.
“Piper, you need to know that Lawton is pushing the DA hard to pin all of this on you.”
“On what grounds?” I asked, then shook my head. “I think I might know why he hates me, although it’s pretty vague.” I grimaced. “He thinks I did something to his brother.”
“His brother?”
“Do you have any idea what he’s talking about?” I asked.
She paused. “No.”
“Has his brother been hurt or injured?” I asked. “Or maybe he disappeared?”
“He never talks about his personal life. But I’ll do some digging.”
“Do you think he’s putting on an act?” I asked. “Do you think he believes in ghosts and demons? Maybe he—”
She shook her head. “He’s been so adamant you’re a fraud. Those are the grounds he’s currently holding you on until he can drum up more charges.”
“What more could he possibly accuse me of?”
Her grim silence sparked an even grimmer thought. He hadn’t shown me those gruesome photos for nothing.
I huffed out an angry curse. “You’ve got to be kidding me. Does he honestly intend to try and pin those deaths in the warehouse on me?”
She pushed ou
t a breath. “The public is upset. He needs a scapegoat, and you fit the bill. A woman masquerading as a ghost and demon hunter who loses her mind and slaughters people.” She lowered her voice. “If he finds out you have weapons…”
“He’ll say I used them?” I asked, incredulous. “Those people were ripped apart by an animal and shredded with claws. Any forensic expert could tell you that a knife blade didn’t make those wounds.”
“Piper,” she said, lowering her voice to a soft whisper, “I think we both recognize animals aren’t the only possible explanation here.” She made a face, and I got the hint. The thought that this was the work of demons had crossed her mind. “You’re right, though, that no knife wound could make those wounds, which is to your advantage, but you’re not going to make it to trial. You’ll be a sitting duck in jail because they’ll refuse to allow a heinous monster to post bail, which leaves you at the mercy of the demons.”
Her eyes narrowed. “How’d you know the people in the warehouse were ripped apart anyway? You were there, weren’t you?”
Crap. Luckily, I had a decent excuse. “I saw the photos. Detective Lawton made sure to give me more than enough time to examine them.”
She cringed. “That guy is a cruel son of a bitch. But…why do I get the sense you were there?”
I gave her a defiant look. “Those demons took Hudson.”
Her eyes filled with understanding. “You went to get your friend.”
While I thought I could trust Olivia, I wasn’t one hundred percent sure. And if there was a sliver of doubt, I’d do better to lie. The cops wanted confirmation I’d been at that warehouse, and I couldn’t give it to them—not even to Olivia. “I want the person responsible for Hudson’s death brought to justice, and that’s not happening if Lawton thinks I’m involved.”
Disappointment washed over her face, but she nodded. “I understand.”
I only hoped she did.
“Do you have a message for me to give to Jack?” she asked.
I considered her question before I said, “No.”
“You don’t trust me.”
“Not entirely, but if you keep proving yourself, I’ll get there. But in this instance, I really don’t have anything to tell him. Not yet.” I glanced down at the salt shaker in my hand.
