The curtains were parted—and as I came near, I realized the window looked out onto an underground pool. It was empty, and the only light came from beneath the still water. Ripples moved along the walls and on Rhonda’s face as I stood beside her.
“They all love you,” she said.
I caught the taint of something bitter in her tone. “I don’t ask them to.”
“No, you don’t.” Her voice was deep, and again I wondered how old she really was. Deep inside. “I watch you—have watched you—all these years. Irreverent, bitchy, bitter at times for no reason. And completely unappreciative of what you have. I don’t understand most of the time, but I stayed and watched. And when I learned what you could do—I was fascinated. To have that kind of power—moving out of your body.”
“But you have power.”
“I have taken power, Zoë.” She continued to look out the window, her arms folded over her chest, her right elbow propped on her left as her right hand fingered a chain about her neck. “Learned, siphoned, stolen. Books, mostly. And things my uncle taught me. It wasn’t until I saw and touched the Bonville Grimoire that I understood it. My first spell, the Veil.” And to demonstrate, she reached her right hand in the air and pulled a box of tissues out. She took a few, then placed the box back into the invisible sphere around her. “It’s getting pretty junky up there . . . my own Clarke Belt.” She wiped at her eyes and blew her nose.
I hadn’t realized she’d been crying. “I’m sorry, Rhonda.”
“Why are you sorry? I honestly can’t say it’s your fault. You didn’t know what you were. Nona refused to tell you—she wanted a normal life for you. And I didn’t blame her. I liked our life before. I liked being a sidekick. I liked being just the one that made the gadgets, knew the spells, could spout what you needed. And then the Archer came and changed everything. Daniel, then Dags.” She smiled and sniffed again and folded her arms back. “When I first saw him, I knew in that instant I loved him. Beautiful, smart, and gifted with magic. I thought I could cure him, you know? Take away the pain those damned tattoos had brought him. And then—” She gritted her teeth. “And then you had to fucking take him to Bonville, who used that screwed-up spell.”
“Hey, I did not take him there. He was being summoned, and that bastard dragged Dags through the Abysmal plane to do it. If I hadn’t been there, holding on to him, he might not have survived at all.”
“Oh yes. I know.” She swallowed and continued to stare at the reflecting pool below. “I know. He’s told me so many times how it was that you saved him. Back then. And then it all ended for us—you and me—after all I’d done, you shut me out of your life, and Nona told me to leave you be. Do you know how hard it was to learn that Dags had been kidnapped? That he was being physically and mentally tortured because Rodriguez had to have that damned book? It was all about that book.”
I swallowed and stayed where I was. “Rhonda . . . what happened? Exactly?”
She took in a deep breath. “Joe and I found him—and you know Joe and I started seeing each other as mutual Zoë addicts recovering from your presence. He wouldn’t tell me why on his part—only that he needed to distance himself.” She frowned. “His exile was self-induced. Mine was forced on me. So when we found Dags . . . he was nearly torn apart. The Familiars called out to me. And we came. Rodriguez was there, torturing what was left of him. Joe shot the motherfucker—but he didn’t die. He just faded away.”
And resurfaced again in Atlanta. I was happy then that he’d met a messy end. Knowing that he’d tortured Dags—I called it a blessing.
“Dags was dying—the bastard had flayed his skin from his ribs, cut him up so badly.” She sobbed. “I used everything I knew . . . every spell I had in me to try to save him. Alice and Maureen—nothing was working.” She wiped at her eyes. “And then it called to me. Something in the book. I found myself reaching for it, pulling it out of the Veil.” She mimicked her motion for me, remembering that instant. “Rodriguez came back with a gun, and he and Joe fought. The bastard called up Fetch after Fetch, but the Familiars and the cop fought that bastard off. And then, when I wasn’t sure if I could save him, the book opened for me, and the spell was there.”
I stared at her.
“I—I could see it so clearly in my mind. The book wanted it, called for it to be done. And I knew what it meant. I knew it meant linking his life again to forces beyond his control. It would change him, outside and in. Physically and mentally he would no longer be the same man. It never occurred to me that he would hate me for it.”
I stepped forward. “He doesn’t hate you.”
“Yes.” She nodded and looked at me, and I could see how hard it was on her. The expression on her face. “I summoned the magic to fuse his soul with that book, to keep him and it safe. I never wanted it to fall into the hands of those who would use it for bad. Ass-hats.” She smiled.
I did too, though I had tears filling my eyes.
“Dags opened his eyes then, and saw what I was doing. He didn’t protest, but I could see it there—the pain and agony of what I was doing.”
I bit my lip. I had had no idea. None. And Dags had never really spoken of it.
“Rodriguez left again, and we managed to get Dags to a hospital. The book wasn’t physical. It was on the astral. The doctors treated his wounds, sewed him up. He lay in a coma for two weeks before one day he opened his eyes and asked for chocolate-mint ice cream.”
I laughed. She laughed. That was so Dags.
Abruptly, she sobered. “And when we went to see him, he looked only at Joe. He never looked at me. Never talked to me. He was fine. Never felt better, he said. And he intended on leaving for a vacation as soon as he was released. Probably to Savannah.” She looked down. “And when I said good-bye, Joe had given us a few minutes. He still didn’t look at me as he talked. And he told me he would never forgive me for what I’d done. That I had no idea what it was like waking to find a beast inside you, something lurking in the dark, to hear pages rustling. He made me promise him that I would never do that again. That if his life were ever to be in danger again—I was to let him die.”
She put her hands to her face, and I found I was rooted to the spot. I—I didn’t know what to say. Dags had always seemed so nice. To think he would speak to her—to anyone like that!
Finally, I moved closer and put my hand to her shoulder. The floodgates opened, and she was holding on to me. I wrapped my arms around her and held her as her shoulders shook. I knew the worst was yet to come.
“And now I see him . . . and he’s everything I’d ever wanted in someone . . .” She spoke into my shoulder. “And he loves you, Zoë. He’s devoted to you. He said there would never be another.” She pulled back and wiped at her face. Retrieving the tissue box from the Veil again, she took a couple and wiped her face. “There’s a song called ‘Vanity’ by Yuki Kajiura . . . and I play it on my iTouch constantly. It’s how I feel. He loves you. And I guess I have to live with that.” She blew her nose.
“Rhonda . . . I’m sorry. I never asked for this to happen. Any of it.”
“And that’s why I can’t hate you. I’ve tried, you know. Even when I’m with Joe . . . I know he’s thinking of you. And the sad part is that you don’t even love Dags. You’re still in love with Daniel.”
Uhm . . . hold on. I shook my head slowly. “Rhonda . . . I’m not sure you understand.”
“You had sex with Dags. I understand that. And for him it was the wish of a lifetime. But for you it wasn’t that. And I feel for him. Even when he agreed to work for the Society . . . he asked if you would be around. And instead of granting what I knew would keep him happy—I sent him off on some of the most dangerous missions we had.” She pointed to her chest. “Me. I sent him to California to find that damned book. I’m the one that put his life at risk again. When I saw what had happened, I was so . . .”
I held up my hand and waited for her to stop. “Just a damn minute. First, making love with Dags did mean something. I
’m sorry if that hurts, but it’s true. And at the time . . . I guess I hadn’t realized it. But you didn’t send him into harm’s way, Rhonda. Dags is a big boy, and he can say no at any time, right?” I looked at her through my much-in-need-of-a-trim bangs.
“I hope so. I’m scared on this one, Zoë.”
I nodded. “Me too.”
Me too.
WE all turned in then—though Jason volunteered to stay up. Nick arrived as I turned in, and the two of them were going to head out and look. I wished them luck before falling into bed, and into a deep sleep.
I don’t remember any dreams—at least nothing when someone shook me at the butt crack of dawn. I waved at them to stop and used a few colorful metaphors.
“You know that’s no way to talk to your mother.”
I opened one eye and peered into Mom’s less-than-beaming face. “What is it?”
“Detective Mastiff called. He’s got something he wants to show us—and see Joe, of course.”
I sat up. “Is Joe okay?”
“Yes, he’s downstairs having brunch.”
Brunch. “What time is it?”
“A little past two.”
TWO?!!?
I hopped out of bed and grabbed up my bag. “I’ll be right down.” Then I paused at the bathroom door. “What’s he have to show us?”
Mom’s face told me things I didn’t want to know. “There’s another body.”
OMG.
“It’s not Dags.”
Thank you, you fucking powers that be.
“It’s Lex.”
!!!
28
MASTIFF was in the entertainment room when I got out of the shower.
This room was an electronic wet dream. It boasted a surround sound system that would blow the nuts off of a baboon. From space. It also had the hugest flat-panel screen I’d ever seen, as well as a remote control that did everything except wash the dishes. The room was dark due to the lack of windows, black-painted concrete walls, and soft gray carpet. Couches were placed in a near-theater seating arrangement.
Joe sat on one of them, and I immediately went to see him, giving him the biggest hug I could, then perched beside him. “You okay?”
He nodded. “Just a little pissed I got caught with my pants down, that’s all.”
“How did they catch you?”
“Easy.” He smirked. “I went to see Lex. She gave me a beer. It was laced with something and night-night.”
I looked at his face. He looked so much better, and I sighed. “You okay about Lex? Even though she betrayed you like that?”
“Okay?” he craned his neck to look down at me. “No. That bitch took a bite out of me, and I told her if she ever did that, I’d come after her.”
“And because of that,” Mastiff said as he stood up from in front of a VCR, “Joe’s lucky he was incapacitated or he’d be prime suspect number one. But luckily, we got this.” He took the remote from Nick’s hand and hit the PLAY button. “This is a tape from the security cameras outside the Dekalb morgue.”
I watched with everyone else, and Mom moved to sit by us. The image was grainy, like most security cameras—why is that? But it showed the outside of the morgue entrance and the back of Lex’s Bentley. He fast-forwarded it to the time stamp of 5:00 A.M., and a figure in a dark coat came out, his face visible. Mastiff paused it. “Rhonda, if you’d do your magic.”
I glanced back where Rhonda sat at a computer behind us. Abruptly, the image sharpened a bit and zoomed in.
I gasped.
Daniel!
“Mr. Frasier was seen leaving this building at 5:00 A.M. this morning. The former ME’s time of death was placed sometime before that.”
I sat forward and stared. It was Daniel all right. Shaven. His hair was groomed. And he looked . . . peaceful. Not tormented. Oh, he had to have been possessed. “But you don’t have anything on him entering the building?”
“No,” Mastiff said. “There was a power surge or something that knocked out the cameras for a while.”
“Convenient.” Jason came to stand behind Nick. “I’m not convinced Daniel Frasier killed Lex. He’s only a human, and she was—”
“A monster,” Rhonda finished. “Let’s go. I want to see her fucking dead body for myself.”
We piled into cars and drove down to the Dekalb County morgue. The place was still roped off with yellow tape, but Joe and Mastiff got us in. Even Mom.
Lex’s body was where it was found—in the back in her special room. She was naked, and splayed out on the table as if she’d been dumped there. Every inch of her flesh had been carved into, and instead of puncture wounds on her neck, there was a gash where she bled out. The drain on the floor looked used, but I had a feeling this wasn’t where she’d bled out.
When I walked closer—something terrible came to me.
There were no cries for help.
I moved right next to her and looked into her dead white eyes. Nothing. I shifted into Wraith, not even caring if Mastiff saw me (Time to be a big boy and learn the boogeywoman exists, dude), and stuck my hand in. I felt . . .
Nothing.
Something niggled at me in the back of my head as I looked at her body. They’d strategically placed a sheet over her privates, but I moved them away and looked at the marks.
That’s it!
The marks were different.
I’d memorized the others, knew them intimately, having stuck my hand in the bodies. But these.
“Zoë.” Jason was beside me. “What’s wrong?”
I looked at him, and his eyes were wide. I didn’t have to say a word. Jason knew. He backed up, his hands going to the sides of his head. “No . . . no, no, no, no . . .”
I think that even up until that moment, Jason and Mephistopheles believed Lex could be healed. That she could be released to join with Mialani in the other planes. And that this would appease her. But it’s hard to release something that’s no longer there.
“Jason?” Nick came forward and grabbed at his friend. “What is it?”
“She’s gone,” Joe said. He moved slowly to her, putting his hands in his pockets. He stood beside me as I shifted back again. “It worked.”
“There’s . . .” I shook my head. “There’s nothing there. It’s only an empty shell. I’d say whoever is doing this—has the spell intact now.”
“Dags . . .” Rhonda said.
I felt it too, but didn’t say it. Is he still alive? Would I know?
Had they ripped the book from him and left him to die?
It was complete. All of it.
Obliteration.
JASON took custody of the body after the autopsy. Rhonda paid to have that done by people on her payroll so that no questions would be asked when they found that the entirety of her body was decaying with a fast necrosis. It was transported to the estate, as Jason got on the horn to every Revenant in the city. This time Mephistopheles was sure they all showed up at Rhonda’s, sans ghouls, and checked their weapons. It was like watching the unholy Mafia coming in.
Everyone was quiet. No one was talking. And that was because we all had the same question in our minds: where was Dags?
There hadn’t been a word. Not one. No asking for money. Not even a “hahahaha . . . we have him!” from any ugly sources. It was if he’d disappeared off the face of the planet.
Rhonda had called his number over and over until it finally went to voice mail, which meant that it had finally lost power or been turned off. Not a good sign.
Jason used the parlor to display Lex’s remains. She’d been embalmed quickly, to prevent any more decay, and dressed in her finest suit. I assumed Jason had known where she lived.
As they gathered, I watched from a corner of the room, paying attention more to the maze out in the garden, now little more than hedges. They were all there, and somehow I knew their names as I looked at them. Emo guy—that was Loki. The Armani-suit guy—that was Brahma. And the list went on, the last of them finally arriving in to
wn and driving straight here. All gathered in one place. Yet I believed it was the safest place on the planet.
Jason tapped a spoon to a glass to get their attention, and everyone turned and nodded to him. A UN rainbow.
“I’m sure you’ve all heard that Yamato as well as her host were destroyed by the spell.”
“This would not have happened if we had had the boy!” Brahma said in a deep voice.
“Yes, it would have,” Jason said in a calm voice. “Because I don’t believe they have the spell.”
Everyone frowned at him. Even me. I didn’t see Rhonda. Had no idea where she was.
“But she is gone,” Emo Loki said. “Why do you think this?”
“Because in an obliteration—wasn’t it foretold there would be nothing? Not even a body?”
There was a small murmur. People looked at one another. I tried to remember more about the book, but there hadn’t been anything in it about some all-powerful spell. Just Azrael.
The Archer.
I choked on my drink, and all eyes turned to me. I waved and moved past them into the kitchen. Since it was full of people, I moved past them and out to the garden beside the maze. Finding shade was hard, but I was able to. “Azrael!” I hissed and half yelled.
TC was there in a blink. Insta-Symbiont. Just add anger.
“Don’t ever call me that.” He pointed at me and paused. “What the fuck do you want?”
“Where is Dags?”
“How the bloody hell should I know?”
I pursed my lips at him. “I think you do. Samael was your father.”
He took a step back from me and narrowed his eyes behind his shades. Suddenly, he pointed. “You deciphered it!”
“Who is it?” I said.
“It’s the name of our creator. You would call him the Phantasm.”
I suspected. “But not the one in power now.”
“No. My father was defeated by the one pulling the strings now. Betrayed by him. Is that what you wanted?”
I looked at him. “You know Lex is gone.”
Revenant Page 23
