“Stop. What happens if you push the button?”
Molly barely looked up from her search. “It’s fine. It’s an elevator. The table goes down and then they come up.”
“From where?”
“Down there. They always enter through the elevator.”
“What’s down there?” Starling asked. She shuddered as she envisioned a labyrinth full of death-fed vultures, the walls filled with the bones of their victims—a catacomb visage of their carnage.
“How am I supposed to know? Now stop asking me questions and help me find the button.”
Starling crossed the room and as she approached Molly, the table began to shift and a low whirring sound filled the room. “You found it?”
Molly looked up at her, her eyes wide. “No. They’re coming.”
No. Sprinting, Starling made her way out the door and into the antechamber. There was a loud thump as the elevator must have come to a stop.
A woman’s voice escaped the conference room. “We should’ve never trusted that idiot, Edward. At least we won’t have to worry about him anymore. But it will be a trick to find Starling. You have men posted outside of her hotel, yes?”
“Yes, ma’am,” a man with a familiar southern drawl answered. “We’ll find her. She won’t leave the city without her lover. As long as we have Jasper in custody—or what’s left of him—she’ll have reason to stay. In fact, she’ll come to us.”
She froze. They had Jasper in custody.
“What did you do with the Voodoo Queen?” the woman asked.
“Let’s just say she will have to learn to do her charms and whatnot with one hand. We needed to send a message—no one goes against the council.”
“Good … And you took the man to headquarters?”
Starling held her breath as she listened.
“Yes, Ms. Virginia.”
There was a squeak of a chair and a groan as someone must have sat down.
There was no possible way she would just give herself over to them. Starling tiptoed up the stairs.
“Molly, why are the lights on in here?” the woman asked the ghost.
She tried not to think of what would happen if the ghost ratted her out. Would the Catharterians kill her? Or would they use her to get to the Sisterhood—or worse?
Getting to the top step, she stopped. The angel’s wings had closed behind her. Running her fingers over the marble, she searched for a button or a switch, anything that would open the wings so she could escape. There was nothing.
How had Edward gotten out?
Gracie? Asclepius? Can you hear me? She silently pleaded.
There was no answer.
Maybe she could call someone. Jamie would help her. Starling grabbed her phone and, covering the light so no one would see the glow, glanced at the screen. No service.
“Molly, answer me. Why were the lights on in this room?” the woman repeated.
Starling tried to swallow back her panic as the voices grew louder.
I’m sorry, Ms. Virginia, I was lonely. Now that Edward’s gone, the darkness was just too much.
Some of her panic retreated thanks to the ghost’s loyalty. “Get used to being without Edward. We erased him. And if you continue to disobey our rules, we’ll erase you. You are here to guard this place—if you touch anything, it will be the last thing you ever do,” the woman threatened. “Do you understand?”
There was a weighted pause. “Yes, ma’am,” Molly answered.
“You need to leave. Now,” Virginia ordered.
Starling ran her hands down the rough concrete walls but still couldn’t find a button. The ghosts who waited for her outside the wings couldn’t press the button in the angel’s hand. There was only one thing left to try.
“Avi Mortem, find comfort in the arms of the wicked and solace where no other dares. Mortem. Genus. Honor,” Starling whispered the incantation.
Nothing happened.
She was trapped in a grave with her enemies.
Chapter Thirteen
Jasper’s head ached and his face was swollen around his left eye. If he’d only been more careful, he would have never been possessed. None of this would have happened. He’d been stupid. They never should have gone after those damn books. There had be another way to save Starling from the spirits—something far less dangerous.
He glanced around the small room. The walls were made of corrugated steel, almost like he was in some kind of shed. He tried to move his limbs, but the restraints were tied around his chair, and as he struggled, the rope only cut deeper into his wrists and ankles.
“Don’t try it,” a man said, pressing a cold, steel gun barrel into the side of his neck.
Jasper turned his head to look at the man. He was heavyset and graying, with eyes that reminded him of an angry rat. Something about him was familiar, but Jasper didn’t recognize him.
“What is this place?” Jasper asked, as he leaned away from the cold steel.
The man relaxed his pressure on the gun. “You’re nowhere.”
“Where did Edward go? Is he coming back?” The last thing Jasper remembered was being hit in the face with sand. After that, everything had gotten a little fuzzy. There had been people, blood, chanting, and then no more Eddie.
The man laughed. “He’s been erased. But if you miss your little friend, I’m sure we could find another spirit. From what I’ve seen of ya, it would be an improvement.”
Asshole.
“What does erased mean?”
“Let’s just say he won’t possess anyone or anything ever again. But that’s what you get when you go against the council.”
The council. Jasper cringed. Being possessed was bad enough, but here he was a prisoner of the one organization he’d been trying to investigate. Well, at least his investigation was over. He could tell the Sisterhood he’d found them. That was, if he made it out of this shit alive. First things first—he needed to find Starling. He’d already failed her once by allowing himself to be taken down by a ghost. He couldn’t fail again.
“Do you know who I am?” the man asked, a smug grin crossing his face.
“I know you’re an asshole.”
“Wrong.” The man drove the gun deeper into the side of Jasper’s neck. “I’m not surprised you don’t remember me, but you and I met at the bank, and then I saw you in your cab earlier today. Things like that I don’t forget, but I guess a guy like you—one so wrapped up in being Prince Charming for his little wench—wouldn’t remember an old man like me.”
Ah, yes. The man who’d introduced them to Devon, the same man who had crossed the street in front of them when they’d first arrived at the cemetery. Why hadn’t he recognized him? Was the man right, had he been so focused on Starling that he’d missed important details? “Was the man in the black SUV with you, too?”
“He’s one of Walter’s men. You’ll get a chance to meet some more of our faction when I take you back to headquarters.”
Back to headquarters? A few weeks ago, Jasper would have jumped at the chance to infiltrate their offices and learn about the faction inside their organization for the Sisterhood, but now with Starling at risk, it was the last place he wanted to be. Yet, it was still better than being possessed—it was easier to escape walls than it was to escape the grips of a malevolent spirit. No wonder Starling hated them so much.
“What’s your name?”
The man’s phone rang and he turned away from Jasper. “Yep,” he answered.
There was a muffled reply from the other end.
“You got it,” the man said, clicking off the phone. “Looks like you get to see a little more of Savannah.”
“I’ve already seen enough.”
“That’s what your little girlfriend, Starling, said, too.”
“You didn’t touch her. If you did, I will kill you.”
“She is a pretty little thing, isn’t she?” The gray-haired man smirked, driving a stake into Jasper’s heart. “I’m looking forward to getting t
he chance to breed with her.”
“What the fuck are you talking about?”
“Oh, you haven’t heard?” the man asked, driving the stake deeper. “Virginia has decided if we can’t get our hands on the drugs, we will have to do the next best thing. We can’t have our kind dying off. It’s better to have little half-breeds than nothing at all.”
Jasper tugged at his hands, trying desperately to free them. The rough rope dug deeper into his wrists and the blood wetted his skin.
“Now, I don’t normally agree with our little commingling, but that was until I saw you two at the bank. That woman’s hotter than any watermelon queen. I haven’t seen tits like that in a long time. I bet you love them. Too bad you won’t get to see them puppies again.” The man whistled through his front teeth. “I heard if you lick a nymph’s nipple, it tastes like honey. Is it true?”
“Shut up. Don’t you dare touch her.”
“Haven’t you gotten a chance at it yet?” The man inspected his fingernails. He looked up, his gaze threatening. “If you’re still alive when I get done, I’ll let you know how sweet they taste.”
“You dirty mother … You wouldn’t dare,” Jasper threatened as he tried to flail against his chest and leg restraints. “You and your kind don’t deserve to live.”
The man’s backhand connected with his already puffy left cheek. Iron-flavored blood poured into his mouth. “You are dead.” He spit the blood onto the man’s black penny loafers.
“I’m really afraid.” The man took a handkerchief and wiped the blood from his shoe. He wiped his fingers clean, balled up the fabric, and stuffed it into Jasper’s mouth.
The man would have no easy death.
• • •
Midnight. The sounds of the voices in the conference room had started to quiet, growing so faint, it was difficult for Starling to hear from the top of the steps. She tiptoed down the stairs, careful to make no sound as she descended.
“Did you call him?” the woman in charge asked someone.
“He’ll meet us in the main hall.”
“Now all we have to do is find a little more bait.” There was a whir as the elevator must have clicked to life. “Devon, are you coming?”
Devon was a Catharterian? She should have known. He must have been the one to get into the safe deposit box and plant the feather. Had he also planted the note from Epione? Was her goddess working with the vultures? No. She wouldn’t go against her own kind.
“Grab the book. The rest of the council will want it for the meeting. We need to get a handle on the situation with the girl. Time is against us—they killed another of our kind in Crete. The Sisterhood can’t be allowed to grow ranks. They already outnumber us. We need more scions or soon there will be none of us left to continue our quest.”
Their voices grew quieter and someone turned off the lights in the conference room, making the thin stream of light under the door disappear. Starling made her way to the door. She listened, but there was nothing. “Molly, you here? Are they gone?” she whispered.
“They took one of the Libros with them.” The ghost stepped through the closed door. “But I saw where they got the book. Come on, maybe the other books are in there.”
“How many books are there?” Starling asked as she opened the door and flicked the lights back on in the conference room.
“As far as I can tell, there are three. Each has a different cover. There’s the White—which they took—there’s the Black and the Red.” Molly drifted across the room to the far wall. “The good news is, I saw where they pushed the button to move the table. But the bad news is, there’s no way to get the book without using the elevator.”
The woman, whoever she was, had said the entire council was waiting. For all Starling knew, there could be hundreds of Catharterians down there. Then again, this could be the last opportunity to rid herself and the Sisterhood of the fear of the vultures.
“Where’s the switch?” Starling caught up with the ghost and bent down to get on Molly’s eye level.
There, on the underside of the table, was a tiny black button. It blended seamlessly into the table. Molly stood up. “There’s also another one, right there,” she said pointing to the ruby-colored eye of the carved vulture.
Starling stared at the bird’s eye. She could press the buttons and descend into the unknown, maybe get the books, but most likely run into more vultures than she could handle. It was risky, but she had to help Jasper. They had him. And there was no telling what they would do to him to get at her.
Jasper had once told her that an enemy was most dangerous when he held secrets. Having heard their secrets, she had an advantage and could turn the battle in her favor. They wanted to bring her to them using Jasper, but they weren’t ready. The only time to act was now.
“Push the buttons. We need to get down there.”
“But what if they are just outside the doors?” Molly challenged. “There’s no way you will be able to defend yourself.”
“I’m not worried about me. I’m worried about Jasper. If I don’t do something, they are going to kill him.”
“If they get their hands on you, they may well kill you. Then you both die. Think it through.”
Starling paused. Molly was right, but that didn’t mean she could stop now, when she was so close to Jasper and perhaps the books.
“Are there any more of your kind here?”
Molly shook her head. “It was only Edward and me.”
“Can you talk to the ghosts in the rest of the cemetery?”
“No. This ground carries a spell. No spirits in, no spirits out.”
Crap. There was no getting out of this trap. The only help she would get would be from the ghost at her side.
“Do you think you could go below?” Starling tapped the table.
Molly sighed. “I’d love to try. Anything has to be better than staying in this place. I can’t tell you how tired I am of these two rooms and those who keep me here.”
“I bet you are.” Starling turned to face the ghost. “By the way, thank you for not giving me up to the vultures. I know you could have bartered me for your freedom.”
“It was nothing. It’s the first time I’ve really gotten to help anyone since I died.”
“It wasn’t nothing. You gave up everything and I truly appreciate it. There are only a handful of people in my life who would have done something like that for me. I promise if we get those books, I will find a way to help you escape this prison they’ve created for you. You deserve so much more.”
“ I don’t know about that … I’ve made my share of mistakes.
“We’ve all made mistakes.” Just like she had in leaving Jasper behind in the voodoo shop. “And it seems I just keep making more.”
“My momma always said the thing about mistakes is that we must learn from them and keep moving forward. We can’t help anyone if we are burdened by the weight of our past. I can’t say I’ve always listened, but maybe you will.”
What a thought—to not let her mistakes be a burden. It was a wonderful thought, but how could she possibly let go of all the pain she had caused? Molly must have never gotten one person killed and another kidnapped. She couldn’t possibly understand how much guilt Starling carried. Self-forgiveness wasn’t an option.
“Right now I have to focus on Jasper. I can’t let him get hurt more than he may already be.” Starling pressed the button on the side of the table and reaching over, pressed the vulture’s eye.
“Here’s hoping we can get to him in time.”
The elevator whirred to life and the table shifted under her fingers. Starling stepped back and watched as the table rose, exposing a small two-person lift. Set into the wall, next to the lift’s door, was a small cabinet nestled in the protected space between that door and the edge of the table. “Is that where Devon got the book?” Starling asked, motioning toward the box.
Molly nodded. “I think so.”
Starling stepped in the small elevator; Mol
ly drifted in beside her.
“I hope this works,” Molly said. “I’ve tried moving through the floors, but couldn’t.”
Starling’s stomach churned at the thought of going through the Catharterians’ headquarters alone. “I need you.”
Molly reached to pat Starling’s cheek, but Starling could feel nothing except a cold draft against her skin. “Thank you. It’s been a long time since anyone told me something so sweet. Edward wasn’t one much for company.”
“Do you think you’d want to stay as a ghost, or would you rather completely cross?” Starling opened the cabinet where the book had rested. The box in the elevator was empty. She wasn’t surprised, but a deep disappointment crept through her. Nothing ever seemed to come easy.
“I think I would cross over.” Molly glanced up at the earthen ceiling of the mausoleum. “It would be nice to see my family again. I would like to think they’d be happy to see me, especially my momma. The last time I saw her was the day of my services.”
Starling shut the door and pressed the down button. “I’m sure she’ll be waiting for you. Just like mine will be waiting for me someday … ”
“But you’re a nymph—doesn’t that mean you will never have to cross over?”
The elevator started slowly before gradually picking up speed. “We can cross over. We are not gods, only demigods. We have a weakness that can result in death. The truth is that it is easy to forget sometimes that we are vulnerable. My mother did, but maybe if she hadn’t thought she was almost invincible, she would’ve run instead of faced her killer.”
“It sounds like your mother was very brave …” Molly’s voice quieted as they moved deeper into the earth. Starling glanced over at her friend. Her frost-white wraith started to fade and rise in the air. “I believe that now it is your time. The mausoleum is pulling me back. I can’t go … You must be brave.”
“Molly!” She reached out, but as she moved, Molly disappeared. “Molly!”
Her fear grew as the elevator steadily moved downward. She was alone. But Molly had been right—now was the time to be brave.
Chapter Fourteen
The Nymph's Curse: The Collection Page 70
