by J. A. Saare
That truth vibrated in my bones.
When I tore my attention from the sphere, I studied the family members. They were staring at me and the crystal ball. They hadn't been properly introduced. I had to remedy that. They'd be edgy around her if I didn't reveal the orb meant no harm. The sphere would never be used against those I cared for.
"This is Lavinia. She'll do anything to keep us safe." Another message I'd gotten from the magical object, not with a statement but mental flashes. She would love what I loved. My family was now her family. For the orb, that had always been so. "I don't understand any of it, so don't ask me to explain. Bane didn't clarify anything before he gave her to me, but she's not malicious or devious. As soon as I named her, she became part of me." When no one said anything, I clarified, "It's like what we shared when I took Peter's first mark, when we could sense each other. I can't hear her, but I can feel her."
Attention drifted from me and went to Gabriel.
The family waited for him to give them leave.
"Go ahead," Gabriel instructed as he came to me, preparing to wait as well. He didn't understand Lavinia anymore than I did, but he knew the truth in my statement. The mark between us didn't deal in lies and never would. If I'd been deceiving him or the family, he'd be able to see that right away. "Help Corey and Landon take the bodies from the kitchen and put them out back. As soon as that's done, everyone needs to take some time and clean themselves up."
They hesitated despite the order, suspicious of the sphere, but they eventually turned away and went to do as he instructed. Their footsteps slowly faded as they went up the winding stairs, and I turned my head. I meet the gaze of the vampire who'd taken a seat beside me.
"I don't know what's happening." I wasn't afraid necessarily, but I was confused. "This feels right, but I have no idea why."
"Can I see?" He exposed one of his hands, wanting me to hand her over.
I slid my hand over and placed it above his. I turned my wrist so the orb would land in his hand. To my amazement, Lavinia hit his palm, remained there for a moment, and then rose right back up. For some reason, the sphere responded to him, revealing he could guide her too. He moved his hand, watching the sphere follow along.
"There's a soul inside," he said, brows furrowing as he concentrated. He drew himself up, shaking his head, changing his mind. "There's a soul, but the it feels different. I sense emotions but can't detect clear thoughts." He tore his gaze from the illuminant globe, meeting my gaze. "As soon as the debt with Marigold is resolved, you have to find out what this is."
He sent me his own memories, showing me how things had been for him when he'd fought Revenald. He watched the crystal ball take flight after I'd warned him I would use the hard object to take out the necromancer keeping his abilities at bay. He'd experienced my pain when I'd been shot. As much as he worried for my wellbeing and safety, he found himself unsettled when he viewed the aftermath of what I'd done.
He was a vampire who fell in love with a woman who talked to ghosts, controlled vampires, killed half-demons, and traveled through time to save his life and come back to him. Still, regardless of how strange that was and knowing each aspect to be true, he felt unsettled by recent revelations.
He wasn't sure if the orb was a benefit or a detriment.
He felt as off-kilter as I did, unsure of why I'd gained new talents. Bane had told him a bit about me but hadn't given him too much information. There were many things Gabriel wanted me to figure out and share with him.
He had a family to protect, even from me.
"The last six months have been the most surreal of my life. I knew about ghosts and vampires, but then everything went haywire. I never imagined how big the world was. Everything has taken place so fast, and it's hard to wrap my head around most of it." That was saying something. I'd been dragged through awful shit. I'd seen things no child ever should. But I'd fought my way to the other side, coming out as a survivor. Accepting that, I said, "There are no half-demons in New York now. We only have one thing left to do."
"Are you going to see your grandmother?" He wasn't certain if that was a promising development or a very bad idea. He wanted to travel with me, but it would be too dangerous for him to step foot into a territory he didn't rule.
That was another obstacle we eventually had to face.
"We'd probably be dead if I hadn't been given this." We'd been outnumbered and trapped. I'd been unarmed, facing necromancers who had guns and plenty of ammunition. "I want to know why Bane gave this to me. I'm going to ask him. If he can't tell me, then I have to talk to the woman who sent it to me. I'm tired of running from what scares me." Aware of why he asked, I reassured him, "Talking doesn't mean I'm going anywhere. A phone call might take care of everything. This is my home. My place is with you. If she doesn't like that, she'll have to cut me loose."
Like she did my mother.
There was more, but I was unsure if I wanted to say such out loud. "The orb didn't come from Bane. Lavinia came from her. I don't know how or why I know that, but I feel her all around it. It doesn't make sense because I've never met her. I can't explain it."
He took that in, letting the notion assume form. "What does she feel like?"
Good question.
"Protective," I answered, pondering the question. What did she feel like? Could I find the right words? "Loving. Determined." I delved deeper. "She's a hard-ass. She's determined to get her own way." I had a feeling she was like the mother I didn't have a chance to really know. "She's stubborn, proud, and fearless."
Gabriel stopped worrying about any of that. He was intent on one thing and one thing only. "You're certain Bane will find Marigold?" He'd been in my head. He saw things just as I had. He wanted to be sure Bane would come through. "Do you believe it?"
Even though I didn't understand how Bane would make it possible, I was aware he'd bring me Marigold.
"He'll make it work." I tried to explain the sensations saturating my mind and body. "He has an army at his back. They've come together because he told them they have to." I reached out and could perceive those I'd never met. There were so many of them with abilities that were both light and dark. "I don't know how, but they're using their magic right now. They're like voices inside me I can't make out."
Gabriel's vivid aquamarine stare returned to the orb. He tried to figure the magic out. A minute lapsed, and he moved his hand, offering her back to me in the same manner I'd given her to him. He rolled his wrist when I unfurled my fingers. Lavania remained in flight, hovering over my palm. His arm snaked around my shoulders, pulling me toward him, and I rested my head on his chest.
He turned his attention to the silver cell. "Then we wait."
Revenald had stopped struggling, going utterly still.
He knew he was good and fucked.
"I want to tear him apart," Gabriel confessed in a low rumble. "I almost did. I was about to take his head when you went down and scared the hell out of me."
"It won't be long now." The wisdom was something else I didn't understand but knew in my heart. "Bane will be calling soon."
The people I'd come from had been hard at work, using all their combined abilities to unearth Marigold's body, determined to save one of their own. They wouldn't stop until she'd been discovered, calling to the sky and land. They'd evoked heavy magic to make that very thing happen. I couldn't hear them, but their resolve barreled through me. They'd used old enchantments that were unknown to most and rarely utilized, denying Lucifer's own spell.
I was a child created by their blood, meaning I was beloved.
Even if they'd never met me, I was one of their own.
They would do everything they could to grant me freedom.
Chapter Eighteen
Bane contacted us forty-five minutes later.
Gabriel looked at the incoming number, put the phone on speaker, and indicated we were listening. Bane told us what I instinctually sensed he would. He had Marigold and was en route with her remains. He w
arned me to be prepared, saying I had to have an alter ready, instructing me to have everything set up. He ended the call before we could tell him about Revenald and the attack on the house, telling us he would arrive at the mansion before sunrise.
Gabriel had put his phone away and we'd waited together, nervous yet full of relief. Both of us wanted to remove this particular cloud hanging over our heads. We still had other shit to face but gaining my freedom was paramount. Adrian returned to the basement ten minutes later, hair wet and his body clean from a shower. He told us that Peter had contacted vampires to remove the corpses in the garden, and they'd arrive any minute.
That meant we had to hurry.
Revenald had come early in the evening, but two hours had gone by. If I wanted to sever my debt, I had to do so as soon as Bane arrived. As much as I wanted to enjoy a leisurely shower with Gabriel, I'd forgone the luxury. I'd rushed upstairs, gotten clean, and pulled on my blood-stained leggings. Since I was out of clothing, I swiped one of Gabriel's undershirts to complete the awful ensemble and prepare to work. I'd studied the rites that would set Marigold free, but I had to make sure I had everything ready.
Since the vampires in the residence didn't eat and therefore didn't have large cooking pots, I snagged a decorative vase from the foyer. Revenald's death and blood were both required to bring Marigold back to her body. I had to wait for Gabriel to collect a knife. He'd changed the combination when I'd gone crazy, so he'd have to open the armory. Sucker wouldn't work for the ritual. I had to use silver to cut Revenald's jugular and keep blood flowing. I didn't feel too bad about that, even when I pictured the act.
The demented bastard deserved what was coming to him.
I returned Lavinia to the satchel and placed the orb on Gabriel's desk. I spun on my heel, taking in my surroundings. The bedroom had been redone, but I'd hadn't been given a chance to appreciate the hand-stitched crimson curtains and expensive dark furniture. The room was styled for a man but appealed to me as a woman. There were no frilly things, perfume bottles, or jewelry boxes on the dressers. The area remained minimal but elegant. Even the fireplace and antique iron grate were beautiful but practical. I felt him all over the private space he shared with me, which was a big part of its appeal. I loved waking up and knowing that, even if he wasn't there, his presence lingered.
I went to the chest, kneeled, and placed my hand on the lid.
I always tried to feel Paine when I touched the wooden surface.
I hated that I couldn't.
We hadn't been given an opportunity to retrieve his body, clean the blood from him, and give him a proper burial. We didn't have a clue where his remains had been tossed. He'd been discarded like shit-stained toilet paper, and I'd unwillingly taken part in his disposal. As soon as I'd placed Jenny's body on the frost-covered grass, which was prismatic from the rising sun, I'd gone to the carport where Gabriel waited.
We'd fled in a hurry, knowing we were out of time.
That still bothered me.
Paine had been discarded as though his life meant nothing.
I'd let that happen.
"I wish you were here. I wish I could tell you this in person. There's so much I want to say. There's so much you need to know." My breath caught, and I made sure I could speak before I continued, "I kept him safe, just like I promised. I did exactly what you asked me to." I swiped at my face, feeling tears coming on. I had to force them back. "He kept me safe too, Paine. He protected and watched over me. He held me when I cried for you." I tried to steady myself, fighting emotions that threatened to overwhelm me, struggling to breathe. "We're going to be okay because you made it possible. None of this would have happened without you." My lips trembled, my heart breaking all over again. "There aren't words to tell you how I feel, but I'll try. Thank you for giving us this. Thank you for taking care of us."
An arm wound around my waist as a hand covered the one resting on the chest. Tears fell then because I knew who embraced me. Gabriel could move silently when he wanted to, like a cat without a bell on his collar. I didn't like his stealth at first, telling him to cut it out. As I got to know him, accepting such movement was part of who he was, I used to tease him.
Paine had been the same.
"Shh, love. Quiet now. It's all right. He wouldn't care about all that. He believed the body was only a casing for the soul. Once his departed, he was no longer here. You're focusing on all the wrong things."
The admission made me want to cry even harder.
"It's not your fault, Rhiannon. You have to stop thinking it is."
But it was my fault. I'd caused it all.
And Paine hadn't wanted to go into the light.
I made him.
"Hush now and listen to me." Gabriel's arm tightened around me. He brought his legs forward for balance, held me tightly, and rocked me from side to side. "He loved us and wanted us to be safe. As much as you blame yourself, you knew him, so you know that." Gabriel rested his chin on my shoulder, his voice vibrating with emotion. "He knew what he was doing when he turned attention on himself. He knew you'd come back for me and decimate them all. He was aware of what he had to do to make that happen. You know how he felt about fate."
"You were in his mind when it happened?" I swiped my face on his arm, using his shirt as a handkerchief, trying to dry the tears on my cheeks. I thought Gabriel would have been in Paine's head, but I'd never asked. It seemed too personal, especially since his best friend had been killed right in front of him. He grieved the loss as much as I did. "Did you know what he was thinking?"
"Yes, I was. And yes, I did." He wrapped his fingers around mine and interlaced our fingers. "I told him to stop talking and protect himself. Revenald wanted to punish all of us, but he would have let us live. The issue was the punishment itself, which would have destroyed us. It would have destroyed you." Turmoil wafted through him, and I waited for him to speak, granting him time to put his emotions under control. "Paine had seen the games half-demons play throughout the years. He knew what would happen if he didn't do anything. When he touched Anton and saw your part in things, he'd already made up his mind. There was no changing it."
I'd always known he had a reason, but it still broke my heart. "I miss him."
"I know you do, love." He brushed his lips over the curve of my neck, and I thought he was weeping right along with me. "I miss him, too."
I patted the chest and leaned back, resting against him. "I need to open it."
"Four, three, two, one," he said quietly.
The heaviness between us evaporated. He'd laughed at my original combination, warning me anyone would be able to open the chest with a code that simple.
I had a clog in my throat, making my voice crack. "Are you serious?"
He brought our hands to the numerical pad, held onto my index finger, and helped me press the small buttons. "Let's try it and see."
Sure enough, I heard the corresponding whoosh that informed me the chest had opened. Even though he had to change the code to keep me safe, he'd remembered who it belonged to. Even with my insanity, he'd thought ahead to make things bearable for me when I got my head on straight.
"I thought you said anyone can figure out those combinations."
"Think about where the chest is, Rhiannon." His teasing tone had returned, bringing me back to him. "Do you think someone would be moronic enough to come here to steal your things?"
Excellent point. "I suppose it would be a bad idea."
His fingers drifted up my forearm. "An extremely bad idea."
I lifted the top and reached inside, retrieving a butterfly knife in the back. There were only three left. Bane could create more, but I had more important things to talk to him about. Since time was short, I wasn't certain how much information I'd gain from him tonight. I pulled out the container full of salt and holy sand. Zombies often came back crazed and bloodthirsty. There was a chance Marigold would be confused and dangerous. A circle had to be created just in case. I only hoped my necromancy would
keep her contained.
"I'm not sure if I can do this." I'd never raised the human dead, but I'd studied the details. The process was far simpler than I thought it should be, requiring only strong necromancy, will, clearly spoken words, and a sacrifice. I didn't know if a fallen angel was on the same level, even if the protocol remained the same. I was about to venture into unknown territory. "I'm not sure if I'm strong enough."
He weighed my confession before he said, "You've done things vampires didn't think were possible. You have no idea just how strong you are."
Fingers rapped against the open door. "Can I come in?"
I wiped my face on Gabriel's arm once again, wanting to remove all traces of my agony, and turned my head. Peter had showered and changed his clothing. Although he looked better, the strain of the evening was evident in his face. His preternatural stillness was on full display. The lack of movement happened so rarely with Gabriel I'd forgotten how unnerving it could be.
"People are here to take care of the mess outside. I told them to load the bodies up and ship them out. Since we can't invite anyone inside, we'll have to clean the kitchen before we bring humans in to repair the damage." As he spoke, he made it evident he was addressing Gabriel. "I put the door back and covered the open areas temporarily, but there's extensive damage. We'll have to get it taken care of tomorrow." His eyes darted to me, and I noticed his irises darken, taking on a shadowed hue. "We put the side table in front of the fountain. Ethan is setting everything up."
"I have to help him." I untangled myself from Gabriel, made it to my feet, and slid the knife into my back pocket. I snagged the salt and sand. If he had faith in my ability, I would as well. "Join me when you can."
I retrieved the vase I'd placed on the desk and squeezed by Peter.
He wasn't acting hostile, but he wanted to talk to Gabriel.
He probably wanted to know how I'd been able to use the sphere, but he'd have to wait for answers. At least Gabriel could give him some reassurance since he'd held the orb and sensed the soul-like entity inside the object. He knew Lavinia wasn't evil or dangerous.
