Damned and Cursed | Book 10 | Fallen Skye

by Bullion, Glenn

  They hugged each other and wept as they collapsed on the boy’s bed. Jack took a step inside, but Marie grabbed his shoulder.

  “Hey,” she said. “I’m not comfortable with this.”

  He shrugged.

  “You can leave.”

  She didn’t, instead following him into the bedroom. Someone needed to watch Jack.

  “You never said anything about this.”

  “What did you think the guards were for? The chocolate milk in the fridge?”

  “I thought they were guarding the house.”

  “Well, they were. And these two.” He gestured to the woman and boy, whose crying had reached a fever pitch. “Shit! Would you stop with the waterfall? Stop it!”

  They quieted down. Jack knelt in front of them. Every muscle in Marie’s body was taut. She knew Jack wanted to save Skye. But he also wanted revenge. How far would he go to get it?

  “What’s your name?” Jack asked.

  The woman could barely speak.

  “E-Esmeralda.”

  “Wow. No shit? That’s a hell of name. Beautiful. But, too long. I’m going to call you Ezzie.” He turned to the boy, who stared at the floor, clutching Ezzie’s hand. “And you?”

  “Robert. But my friends call me Bobby.”

  “Well, we’re not friends. So, Robert, it is.” He stood and motioned to Marie. “You happen to have a spare robe for my naked friend?”

  Ezzie didn’t answer, merely stunned at the question.

  “So, what are you?” Jack asked Ezzie. “Are you Harry’s wife? Mistress? Plaything?”

  “W-Wife. I’m Bobby’s … stepmom.”

  “Ah, a family affair.” He looked at Marie. “Do you think they know? About Harry? How he kidnaps women? Burns down people’s homes?”

  “Hey,” Marie said, eyeing him angrily. “This isn’t a game.”

  “And I’m not playing one. I’m serious. Harry is a horrible human being.” He addressed Ezzie and Robert. “Do you know this? I’m wondering for myself. I have a daughter, and I’m also horrible. Does he get a pass? Or do you not see?”

  Ezzie tried to speak.

  “Harry is … he … he tries—”

  “There it is,” Jack interrupted. “You do know. You just don’t care. Exotic arm candy. That’s all you are.”

  “Dad. He doesn’t hurt anyone,” Robert said defiantly.

  “Of course, he doesn’t. Forget I said anything.”

  “You’ve scared them. You made your point,” Marie said.

  Jack glared at her, darkness in his eyes.

  “I’m not the big hairy monster that just killed two guys outside their rooms. And besides—” His brow furrowed in anger. “I haven’t done anything yet.”

  Ezzie stuck her jaw out, inspired by Robert’s bravery.

  “If you hurt us, Harry will come looking for you.”

  He met her gaze.

  “You promise?”

  “Jack,” Marie said, balling her fists. “Don’t you dare.”

  He smiled, ignoring her.

  “Okay,” he said. “Here’s what we’re going to do. The two of you, you’re free to go.”

  Ezzie didn’t believe him.

  “W-What?”

  “Go. Get out. Run. Walk. Skip. Whatever. Just, move. I’d use the back door. Fewer bodies that way. Your phones won’t work. So, what you should do, is run to the nearest neighbor. Call the police. Tell them an insane man has just murdered a slew of people at your house.”

  Ezzie stood, standing protectively in front of Robert. She didn’t move at first, afraid that Jack was lying.

  “Take your time,” Jack said sarcastically. “But you might not want to be here for the barbecue.”

  The mortals left the room. Ezzie never took her eyes off him. She covered Robert’s eyes before entering the hallway.

  “Don’t look, Bobby,” she said, tears running down her cheeks. “Stay close to me.”

  “Looks like you’ve done this before,” he said. “You might want to put some clothes on. It’s a little chilly outside.”

  Marie heard them leave. They followed Jack’s advice, leaving through the back door. Jack pulled the blue vial of magic from his pocket as he studied the bedroom.

  “What are you doing?”

  “I told you. Harry destroyed my home. So, I’m going to destroy his.”

  She took in the room, the youth and innocence. Posters for various movies and games adorned the walls. Homework and a pile of books sat on a corner desk. Both clean and dirty clothes alike sprouted from a basket.

  “This is wrong. That poor boy. A child’s room, it’s their sanctuary.”

  “Oh, stop. Don’t worry your pretty heart. All of little Robert’s material possessions will be quite fine.”

  He opened the vial and poured a few drops of the green liquid on his palm. With a shake of his head, he smeared it across the far wall.

  “What is that?”

  He wiped more on each wall, followed by the ceiling and floor.

  “Protection. Everything will burn, except this room.” He shook the vial. “Don’t tell him I said this, but Glinda, he can sometimes be handy.”

  “But why do this?”

  “I like the message it sends.”

  “Christ, Jack. That is … You are so … ”

  She couldn’t find the adjective.

  “Yes,” he said. “Yes, I am.”

  CHAPTER 25

  KEVIN FOUGHT FRUSTRATION. Books were scattered about, in various stacks and piles. The search was unorganized at first, as he crossed paths with Zoey, went over the same material twice. But they had a loose system in place, keeping everything reviewed together. Even so, he went over the stacks a second time, sometimes a third. He hoped something would pop in his mind, anything at all. He glanced at the green liquid Victoria had collected. Just a single ingredient could be useful, lead the way for a complete spell.

  The magic had eluded him so far.

  Zoey had brought chairs in from the living space. Tiffany and she laughed as they joked and played. Tiffany held a paper plate of pizza they’d ordered while sipping a soda. She spun Kevin’s floating coat in circles. Kevin wanted to say something, but held his tongue. His coat full of magic and potions was not a toy.

  Zoey stared at the takeout pizza, sorrow touching her eyes. Kevin set one book down and grabbed another.

  “Zoey,” he said. “I can still use your help.”

  She threw her hands up, her own frustration escaping.

  “Why? I can’t even read this stuff. All I can do is look at the pretty pictures, when there are any.”

  “Well, look at those pretty pictures. Let me know if something jumps at you.”

  “Fine, fine.” She grabbed a book and opened it, standing by his side. “Oh, look. More scribbles.”

  “Would you just look? Please?”

  “You’re grumpy. You want me to call Leese? Maybe she’ll give you a kiss?”

  He sighed, then let out a small smile.

  “Sorry,” he said. “It’s just … ”

  She finished for him.

  “Yeah, I know. Not quite what I was expecting, either. I thought we’d be seeing some action. Helping Victoria beat up the bad guys. Not sticking our noses in books.”

  He glanced at her over the book he flipped through.

  “I don’t mind no action. I’ve had plenty. We’ve been fighting vampires and … whatever those things are since we got to Washington. I don’t mind this,” he said, gesturing around them. “I just wish there was some system. Some organization. There are hundreds of books here. And she wants me to find this.” He held up the vial.

  Zoey shrugged apologetically, not having any advice.

  “Kevin!” Tiffany called. “What else can you do? I know you can make wormholes. How does your coat float? Did you do that?”

  “Yeah, Kevin,” Zoey joked, dancing away to join Tiffany. “What else can you do? Anything useful?”

  He kept quiet, hoping more que
stions wouldn’t come. More frustration gnawed at him, this time because of Jack. He told his curious, intelligent ten-year-old daughter about the inklings of magic and the supernatural world, and then dropped her in his lap. What was he supposed to tell her? What subjects were still off-limits?

  Kevin’s phone rang. That was a rare sound. Most of his social correspondence came through text message, or magical stone. He grabbed it from the table and turned it over to see an unfamiliar number. He almost didn’t answer it, but had a feeling.

  “Hello?”

  The voice and accent were familiar.

  “Kevin? It took me forever to remember your number.”

  “Victoria? Why are you calling? I haven’t found anything yet.”

  “It’s okay. I need you here. Check your messages. I’m sending you a pic.”

  He smiled. Hearing Victoria use the word pic sounded odd to him. She may have appeared to be thirty years old and youthful, but was far from it.

  He did as she asked. The most recent photo received was from the same unknown number. A photo of a bare burgundy wall, with terrible lighting.

  “Is this the club? The Eighth, whatever the hell it’s called?”

  “Yeah.”

  He turned to his coat to see it already floating its way over to him. Zoey was a step ahead, reading his mind. Tiffany giggled as she jumped out of the way.

  “I want a hover coat,” she said.

  Kevin stopped it with one hand while working his phone with the other. He forwarded the photo to a dedicated email address assigned to the printer in his workshop in New Zealand. He could hear it waking up as he opened the portal. Tiffany let out a quiet gasp, trying to steal a look through the arm-sized hole in the wall.

  He reached through and felt the top of the printer. His fingers brushed over the paper.

  “Kevin?” Victoria said again.

  “Yeah, yeah. Just give me a second.”

  “I thought your system was fast?”

  “It is. But, you know. Printers still need to warm up.”

  “Something else I’m sure you’ll fix.”

  “Is it safe there?” he said, drawing one portal next to the other. “Is the club closed?”

  “It’s safe now.”

  Kevin should have pressed for more details. His jaw dropped when the wall faded.

  The club wasn’t closed, nor was it empty. Injured people were everywhere. Blood decorated the walls. Broken bottles and tables littered the floor.

  The vampires and mortals were just as surprised to see him. Despite their wounds, they froze at the sight of Kevin.

  Victoria stood to the side, still holding the phone. Her eyes lit up at the sight of the familiar girl hiding behind Kevin.

  “Tiffany?”

  “Hi, Aunt Victoria.”

  “God,” Kevin said. “What happened?”

  Victoria was a mess. Blood on her face. Her cheek seemed to be missing. She held her side in discomfort.

  “Alan, and others like him. We need to help.”

  “Are they going to … change?”

  “I don’t think so, no.”

  “Okay, okay,” he tried to focus, to think. “Water. I need water.” He turned to Zoey. “From the bathroom. Or that fridge over there. Just … keep it coming.”

  “Alright. On it.”

  Zoey moved uncomfortably fast across the room. She opened the fridge and retrieved the only bottle of water, which was almost empty. He was already through the portal when she tossed it. Victoria caught the bottle as Kevin was slipping on his coat.

  “I’ll need more.”

  He stopped and turned to face Tiffany. Dropping to one knee, he reached for her shoulder. Her face was a mix of fear and shock.

  “You stay here, okay?”

  Victoria stepped forward.

  “No,” she said. “Tiffany can help.”

  That was a horrible idea, but Kevin couldn’t speak. He watched as Victoria gently led Tiffany by the hand through the portal. Victoria handed her the bottle of water, which had already turned blue from Kevin’s touch.

  “Give a drink to anyone that needs it. Anyone that’s hurt. Can you do that?”

  She nodded vigorously.

  “Yeah,” she looked at Kevin, wanting his approval. “I can help.”

  He managed a smile.

  “Yes, you can. Go ahead.”

  Tiffany ran to the first person she saw, a man slumped against the wall. He was bleeding from the ear and nose, his arm broken. She offered him a drink.

  “Shit,” Kevin muttered. “Jack is going to kill me. There are vampires here!”

  “They’re not evil, Kevin,” Victoria said. “They won’t hurt her.”

  “Hey,” Zoey said, from behind in the library. Kevin and Victoria turned to see her holding four glasses of water, tucked close to her chest. “I can’t find anything big. Will this work?”

  “Yeah, it’s perfect.” Kevin took the glasses and dipped his finger into each one. “Thanks.”

  His thoughts were a jumbled mess while they worked. He went from mortal to mortal, healing injuries. One woman was missing a finger, which luckily was nearby. He held it in place while she drank. She nearly spit up the healing magic and shouted as her finger mended and healed. Zoey handed him more water from across the portal, and he ran into the club again.

  He watched Victoria and Tiffany. A nightclub was no place for a ten-year-old, with or without the supernatural and injured. He wanted to shout at Victoria for bringing her into Washington.

  But Tiffany was more helpful than anyone.

  Mortal and vampire alike turned calm at her presence. Whether it was her energy, or the odd sight of a young girl at a club, she brought smiles to their faces as she handed them water.

  Other vampires also approached to help, taking cups from Kevin. Even Zeke offered something close to gratitude, in passing, as he slapped Kevin on the shoulder.

  Slowly, the long list of injured disappeared. Some left, still in shock. Others talked about calling the police and lawsuits. Kevin knew neither would happen. He probably should have wiped their memories.

  Tiffany approached, holding an empty glass at her side. Her eyes were tired, and she let out an enormous yawn.

  It had been a busy day for her.

  “Hi,” she said, looking around. “Are we done?”

  “Yeah. I think so.”

  Victoria was next. She motioned for Zeke, who glared at the summons, but responded anyway.

  “We did all we could,” Victoria told him. Her eyes fell to a few who were beyond magical help, that she’d moved against the wall and covered. They kept Tiffany far away.

  “Thanks,” Zeke said. “Seriously.”

  She gave him a nod, then smiled at Kevin.

  “Time to go.”

  “Oh!” Tiffany shouted. “Where are we going?”

  Kevin reopened the portal back to the library, which had closed on its own. Zoey stood there with a look of apprehension.

  “You are going back with Zoey,” Victoria said.

  Tiffany let out a disappointed huff and stepped through the portal. Zoey hugged the girl around the shoulders and squeezed.

  “Don’t worry,” Zoey said. “We’ll be okay.”

  Victoria stopped to hold Zoey’s hand.

  “Thank you.”

  Kevin read the tone, the body language. Zoey wanted more than babysitting, but was more than willing to help the team. Victoria was appreciative, grateful, and the smile she gave the younger vampire said there would be more cases in their future.

  Everyone waved as he closed the portal. He prepared more potion.

  “And us?”

  “Workshop.”

  Zeke shook his head and walked away as Kevin showed more magic, opening a gateway to New Zealand.

  “Just fucking weird,” he muttered.

  Kevin closed the portal behind them. He made his way through the dark and turned on the lights. The cool comfort from the air conditioners filled his workshop
. It took a moment to adjust to the changes. From Pennsylvania, to Washington, to New Zealand, all over a matter of minutes.

  “There’s blood in the—”

  Victoria had already found it. She retrieved a bottle from the fridge and took a deep drink. A trickle ran down her cheek and onto her blouse, a rare thing for her. Her blouse already had blood on it. The hole in her cheek closed.

  She said nothing. Kevin slowly followed as she approached the worn conference table in the middle of the workshop. She pulled out a chair, ready to sit, but decided against it. Tilting her head back, she took another long drink of blood, almost draining the bottle. She gripped the edge of the table and remained quiet. He could see the veins and strained muscles in her slim arms.

  Everyone looked up to Victoria for guidance and leadership. He wasn’t sure he ever saw her flustered, just needing a minute to compose.

  Finally, she looked around at his workshop. She’d seen it from a distance, across a portal, but had never stepped inside. She noticed the shelves of magic, the computer and printer against the wall, the combat vests and belts hanging from mounted rods. Betty the Couch was still there, as cozy as always.

  “Nice place,” she said, smiling.

  “It’s a good start,” he said, shaking out of his coat and letting it float. “It needs more work.”

  “I’ll get you a new conference table.”

  “No. You don’t have to do that.”

  “Tiffany,” she said simply. “What happened?”

  Kevin didn’t know where to start.

  “Something happened with Skye. But Jack … he’s got it under control. He just wanted me to watch Tiffany.”

  Victoria didn’t press further. Whether Kevin’s explanation was enough for her, or she didn’t have the energy, he wasn’t sure.

  He reached for her face, stopping just shy of touching.

  “Uh, now, your turn. What happened?”

  She sat in a chair and rested her arms on the table. Kevin sat next to her.

  “I found Alan’s sister. He had cancer, and was trying to become a vampire.”

  “Oh, wow. It’s a shame I didn’t know him. Cancer, no problem. Just a drink of water, and all gone.”

  He frowned as he thought about his own healing magic. He could heal anything, but would something like cancer come back?