Dream Breakers, Oath Takers

by Jacqueline Jayne

  “Why didn’t you return to Hell Runners? Why didn’t you let them help you? You could have been rid of Luciana long ago.”

  She averted her gaze, but he noticed the instant tears well in her eyes. Miraculously, the tears didn’t fall. “I couldn’t.”

  “Why? Why torture yourself?”

  “Because Delphine’s father didn’t know I’d become pregnant, and I needed to keep it that way. At least after Luciana. If he learned about Delphine, if anyone learned about Delphine, it would have ruined him.”

  “Ruined him?” he exclaimed, incredulous at her explanation. “What about ruining your life? What about your child?”

  “I had an affair with a married man. An important married man.”

  “Important in Hell Runners?”

  “Yes. We’d ended it, but too late.”

  “Married or not, he of all people would have and could have helped you.”

  With a wan smile, she looked up at him with eyes so like her daughter’s. “I wanted to tell him. I tried. The day I’d confirmed my pregnancy, I followed him through the Gate. We’d have more privacy on the other side to discuss…options.” She closed her eyes and sighed. “He’d gone on a rescue mission. Even in his position, he insisted on soul-saving when he could have left it for the rank and file.”

  Zane couldn’t drum up sympathy for the mystery man. He didn’t give a shit if the guy acted like a saint. He’d cheated on his wife and left Gabrielle saddled with a baby and a demon to boot.

  “Didn’t he have a partner? He wouldn’t have crossed over alone.”

  “Yes. His partner was the only person that knew about our ended affair. But his partner wouldn’t dream of exposing us.” Anger tinged her voice. “He’d rather use the secret to blackmail…” She paused, and Zane could tell she caught herself from exposing the mystery man’s identity. “Delphine’s father.” Again she averted her gaze, down and to the right, remembering aloud as if talking to herself and justifying her actions. “I followed and waited for them to save the soul and head back. But I wasn’t the only one watching them.”

  “Luciana?”

  She nodded.

  “Why?”

  Now she shook her head. Vehemently.

  Zane didn’t buy it. She knew.

  “Tell me, Gabrielle.” He didn’t bother to curb his annoyance.

  “She’ll hurt Delphine.”

  “More than she already has?”

  “Yes,” she eked out on a shallow breath. A second passed, and then she relented to an extent. “All I can tell you is, one of them promised her a way out of Hell. Then I came along. Weak and vulnerable and pregnant with an oracle. I turned and saw sorrowful eyes, begging for help. I’d never carried a soul before, but I’d signed the oath to protect the tormented. Like a fool, I invited her in.”

  “No need to wait on a deceitful man’s promise.” He tapped the toe of his boot on the floor.

  “All men are deceitful.” Delphine rotated her head to glare at him. Her sultry brown eyes met his, but he didn’t see any vestige of the woman he’d fallen in love with. “Except for you. An anomaly that took Cutoffs by surprise.” Her gaze dropped to the mass of metal in his hand. She frowned, and then replaced it with a sly grin. Gracefully, she slunk out of the chair and approached the bed. “She loves you so much, you scared her. But you don’t scare me, Cowboy.”

  He flinched and hated himself for showing any emotion. The momentary lapse fortified his determination. He stood and met her cheeky gaze.

  “I should scare you.”

  She laughed, full and throaty. “I like a challenge. And as soon as Delphine makes good on her promise, I’ll be back for you.” She reached up and placed a hand on his shoulder, dragging it slowly down his arm toward the fist holding the necklace.

  That touch activated his Inner Empath. Instantly, he connected to Delphine. He couldn’t speak to her or read her mind, but he felt every nuance of her emotions.

  No fear. No doubt. Only strength and determination. Miles from the woman who’d decried the existence of Hell Runners in that little French café. Her powerful will vibrated and entwined with his.

  “The necklace!” Gabrielle shouted. “Don’t let her get it.”

  Instinctively, he clenched his fist and let go of Delphine, confident of one thing.

  Together they could defeat the demon.

  “Tell you what.” He pushed Luciana hard enough to evoke a look of shock. He slipped the chain over his neck and held up the ring. “We’ll start with my challenge. Delphine’s no good to you without this ring, and you’ll have to catch me, torture me, and tear it from my dead hand before I’ll let you have it or her.”

  “Not a problem, Cowboy.” She spat his name with venom, sounding nothing at all like Delphine.

  Perfect. He’d be able to do what needed to be done as long as he didn’t look at her and see Cutoffs.

  Zane turned on his booted heel and crashed through the door, using his gift of speed to gain a healthy head start. Down the hall in seconds, he burst into the nearest stairwell and leaped from one landing to the next. By the time he reached the bottom, he had a fully formed plan.

  He shouldered the emergency door open and hit the sidewalk at a full run. The alarm wailed shrilly behind him. He rounded the corner without hesitation or guilt for setting it off.

  Hours before dawn, traffic consisted of a handful of commercial vehicles taking advantage of the empty streets. Zane crossed without looking in either direction at a speed usually reserved for demon ditching. But wasn’t that what he was doing?

  Except he didn’t want to ditch her.

  He wanted to lure her. All the way to Paris.

  In less time than it took to drive, he ran the few blocks to his final destination.

  The humid air weighed heavy in his lungs, and sweat spotted his shirt. Hell would feel like a relief compared to Philly in August.

  He stared at the magnificent Gates, so painstakingly crafted by Rodin.

  Delphine hated it to the point of panic attacks. That might work to his advantage if she crippled Luciana.

  But he doubted that. He felt her determination.

  Zane dug into his pocket and withdrew his cell phone. One group text to Jesse and Prudence. They didn’t have to catch up, only join him when they could.

  A feral bark sounded from behind him.

  He glanced over his shoulder.

  The demon stood on the other side of the parkway, her image overlaying Delphine’s body.

  Worry that she obliterated Delphine wanted to eat away his insides, but he didn’t have time for that.

  “Sorry, Cutoffs,” he said, hoping somehow she felt his regret. “But I’m breaking a promise. Oracles go into Hell after all.”

  Chapter Thirty-Four

  Savard opened one sleepy eye to the bedside clock and attempted to focus. All four red digital numbers looked like square eights. The actual time didn’t matter. The kaleidoscope screensaver on the face of his cellphone had lit up, and the ringtone chimed loud and fast as hummingbird wings.

  Merde.

  Once he touched the phone and checked the caller ID, he’d be awake. He’d rather sleep. Whoever decided to dial his number at this ungodly hour could wait. He rolled onto his back, and the starched sheets rustled soft as a lullaby. Head sunk deep into the feather pillows sweet with the scent of his cologne, the cacophony turned distant, and brain fog swallowed his thoughts.

  Bang. Bang. Bang!

  He groaned and jammed the pillows against his ears. Didn’t anyone in Philadelphia believe in sleep?

  The hammering persisted. The wall separating his room from the next vibrated right through his headboard with every thump.

  How long had his cell phone been ringing?

  He relented and reached for his phone. Eyes closed, though he knew he wouldn’t get back to sleep, he pressed the button and spoke.

  “C’est mieux d’être important.”

  “Vital.”

  Both of his eyes s
napped open, the tin ceiling’s mottled pattern swirling like he was drunk, but he became instantly coherent.

  “Maurice?”

  “Gabrielle called me,” the chancellor replied in French.

  “Gabrielle? Claudel?” His pulse quickened. “How can that be?” The brain fog lifted completely, and Savard peeled back the sheets. The frigid air pouring out of the vents raised bumps on his bare legs and invigorated him to full consciousness. “ Last I heard, she’d been institutionalized. Kept under constant watch.” He threw his legs over the edge of the bed and sat up, his toes sinking into the lush carpet.

  “All this time, when I’d thought she lost her mind because we’d broken off our relationship, she’d been sharing her body. With a demon. A demon, Emil. Do you think it’s—”

  “Oui. I do.” No point in letting him finish. Savard’s quick mind connected the scattered puzzle pieces of the past. The disappearance of Luciana. Gabrielle’s erratic behavior before her abrupt departure from Paris. But this newfound information awakened an old heartache. “Why didn’t Luciana come to me?”

  “She couldn’t. Gabrielle didn’t let her.”

  “What do you mean, didn’t let her? A human possessed by a demon does their bidding.”

  “Gabrielle is not an average human.” Vipond blurted his words with force. “I told you years ago, she was special. Even when she failed nearly every trial. Her gift is unlike anyone else’s. Her gift is strength of character. She told me everything. When the demon tortured her, she endured. When the demon tried to escape, Gabrielle restrained her. And when the demon wanted to take her daughter…” He paused, and for a moment Savard thought the connection cut out. Then Vipond’s voice returned, low and softer, “Wanted to take our daughter—”

  “No. No. She’s lying. Not possible.”

  “Yes, Emil. Very possible. And true. I have a daughter. And Luciana wanted to possess her body instead of Gabrielle’s. But she outsmarted your demoness. She committed herself to an institution and refused to see Delphine. All to protect her.” His long, remorseful sigh filled Savard’s ear. Obviously, Maurice’s confession exhausted him. And for good reason.

  Dear God. The oracle. Daughter of the Society’s two most influential families.

  Savard didn’t want to hear any more. He’d never suspected the affair Vipond had so foolishly initiated with Gabrielle produced a child. To continue with his plan would destroy his career.

  “Delphine,” Maurice spoke her name sweetly. “If I’d only known.” From across the miles, he sobbed without shame.

  Even Savard suffered, comprehending the magnitude of Gabrielle’s sacrifice and the incredible revelation Vipond fathered the oracle. But he didn’t feel as bad as he should. In fact, his heart soared in the knowledge Luciana hadn’t deserted him. Hadn’t chosen another.

  “What could you have done had she told you, Maurice?” He spoke soothingly. “Your marriage might have survived, if that’s what you wanted, but not your career. You’d have been dismissed from Hell Runners for fraternizing with a subordinate. Never risen to the position of chancellor. It was all for the best.”

  “No.” Vipond’s sniveling subsided. “I don’t believe that.”

  “Maybe not,” he said, using up the last of his sympathy. Then he cautiously broached the question he desired an answer for most of all. “How did Luciana escape?”

  “Delphine. She performed a soul tap on her mother.”

  “The oracle drove her out?” He gripped the edge of the bed with his free hand and doubled over, bracing for the news of how his beloved Luciana became dust.

  “No. She let her in. Got what she wanted so badly. Delphine brokered a deal with Luciana and freed her mother.”

  His world turned around in an instant. Renewed, Savard sat upright and allowed a stuttering breath to escape his lips. “Luciana’s not dead.” The thumping in his chest hurt so much less.

  “Emil.” Vipond whined in that fatherly way he’d learned to detest. “You can’t be with Luciana. Not now. Not ever.”

  “She’s not gone, Maurice. She didn’t desert me.”

  “She’s in my daughter.”

  He could visualize Vipond’s face turning red and the protruding vein on his temple that popped when he got pissed, but he didn’t care.

  “Luciana’s my wife.” Savard stroked a hand over his bare chest, imagining a touch he’d not felt in twenty years.

  “Don’t choose wrong, Emil. Call Jack. Help them save Delphine.”

  “You’re in no position to judge the difference between right and wrong. The oracle is the product of your indiscretion.”

  “You son of a bitch. If you lay one hand on Delphine—”

  Savard ended the call mid-threat. No point in confirming to Vipond what he already suspected. He’d lay more than a hand on his precious, gorgeous daughter.

  Through her, he’d make up for twenty years of lost time with Luciana.

  With his thumb, he skimmed through his phone log and then pressed the button for the Philadelphia chancellor. Luckett answered on the first ring.

  “Savard?” His gruff voice spoke his name with the same inflection he’d call someone an asshole.

  He ignored it, adopting a tone of contrition. “Jacques. I just got off the phone with Maurice. He’s told me everything. I’m here. To help.”

  “Don’t worry about it. We’re covered.”

  “No,” he replied quickly to keep him from hanging up. “Don’t act imprudent because you don’t like me.” He spoke honestly, if not with the entire truth. “I’m your best asset. I share a history with the demon.”

  »»•««

  The monstrous bronze Gate loomed high above the black reflecting pool. For the first time in years, Delphine couldn’t avoid gazing at the façade. In the dimly lit portico, the figures appeared active, moving slowly in their respective positions. Part lewd, part seductive and entirely pathetic, the participants writhed slowly in their sinful acts while a replica of The Thinker sat in judgment over them.

  To Delphine it appeared they begged for his help, while all he could do was contemplate. How could someone do that? Remain placid without offering a hand up.

  A pang of guilt shot through her.

  Had she not behaved in the same manner when learning about Hell Runners? About her legacy?

  She brushed aside the useless emotion. In a short amount of time, Zane had changed her mind.

  No. That wasn’t right. He didn’t change her mind. He’d provided the knowledge that set her free. No longer the victim suffering the consequences of someone else’s poor decision, she’d taken control.

  Because she felt empowered.

  Because she felt valued.

  Because she felt loved. And she loved in return.

  As soon as she completed her part of the bargain, she’d tell Zane exactly that. No matter where she finally dumped the demon. She’d confess her feelings without shame or fear. Then she’d show him. For hours on end. The rest of her life, if he asked.

  “I’m getting a lot of mixed message here.” Luciana interrupted her thoughts. She couldn’t discern if the demon spoke or merely thought the conversation. Either way, Delphine wouldn’t be able to shut out her voice. “Tell me why?”

  No way. They weren’t friends, and Delphine refused to pretend otherwise. She’d traded her body and use of her gift. Not her mind. Not her heart.

  More importantly, if she opened a line of communication, she risked crashing the wall she’d constructed to hold the demon at bay. It hadn’t been hard to create. Delphine spent a lifetime shutting out people, and the demon proved no different.

  But speaking might permit Luciana to read her thoughts. If the demon learned of the deception she’d planned, no doubt a series of unimaginable tortures would ensue. Tortures designed to induce confessions. Like Zane’s obvious plan to retrieve his arsenal of demon destroyers. Like Delphine’s knowledge that Baalberith held Swift hostage. Like her suspicion Swift’s power exceeded Luciana’s.
r />   No. She’d not communicate a single word until Phase Two.

  “Suit yourself and suffer.”

  Luciana ran like the wind pushed at her back. The gardens, the reflecting pool stretched out unnaturally, and in a breath, they’d penetrated the hideous Gate.

  The view from the other side shocked Delphine. Not what she’d expected from Hell, and the panic she’d been sure would never resurface threatened her stability.

  “Like it?” Luciana purred, knowing damn well Delphine didn’t. “I do. That floaty sensation is trippy. I especially like what it does to you.”

  For as far as her eyes could see stretched an expanse of linen white. Not a tree or building. No sky. No ground. No up. No down.

  A void bereft of substance with nothing for the mind to grasp.

  A canvas primed for creation.

  In the next moment, that’s exactly what happened.

  Zane hollered her name, as if he’d realized her mounting anxiety. The pinpoint of his body appeared far in the distance, but provided her some semblance of sanity. He waved his arms over his head and spoke something unintelligible. Then the landscape filled in.

  Trees, lush with leaves. Wild grasses thick beneath her feet. Granite peaks rising impossibly high against a crystal blue sky. A navy blue lake spanning the distance between them.

  Her first thought—home.

  Though Luciana controlled her body, Delphine felt a quiver shoot up her spine and moisture blur her eyes.

  Had the demon been emotionally affected, or was that all her? Too hard to tell and too dangerous to contemplate.

  “Asshole Hell Runner. Only the dead are allowed to create landscape in the First Ring.” When the picturesque surroundings remained, the demon stomped her foot like a child and yelled, “Enjoy it while you can, Dudley-Fuckin’-Do-Right. Today’s your last day with your gifts. I’m going to strip every one of you down to the bare essentials, starting with the oracle.”

  No more than a week ago, Delphine would have welcomed that threat. Now that she’d offered her gift in trade, she regretted the loss.

  A horn tooted as if in response to the demon’s threat. Though she couldn’t see the shape on the water clearly, she knew Zane drove the cuddy cabin.