“Look at that house,” he continued, pointing toward the smoldering wall behind us. “You blew that up without checking to see if there was a gas line anywhere in the general vicinity. You could’ve killed everyone, because you always act first and ask questions later.”
He had a point. Dammit! “I knew there wasn’t a gas line,” I lied. “That house is too old to have a gas line.”
“It has a gas line,” Aric argued. “The gas just happens to be turned off because the house has been abandoned for years.”
“See. I knew that.”
“You didn’t know that,” Aric scoffed. “Stop making things up.”
“Stop being … you.”
“We’re not done talking about this,” Aric said, wagging a finger in my direction before turning his full attention to Cissy. “You need to give my kid back.”
Cissy was incredulous. After having to watch us fight she obviously thought we were going to play things her way. Aric wasn’t in the mood for any drawn-out shenanigans, though, and our arrival – and ease of eluding her trap – had clearly thrown her off guard. “Excuse me?”
“He said we’re sick of your crap and if you move even an inch in Sami’s direction I’m going to blow your hand off,” I threatened. “It’s going to be bloody and gross. I’ll bet it’ll be painful, too.”
“Why would you blow off her hand?” Aric asked, legitimately curious. “Wouldn’t it be easier to just blow off her head?”
“Yes, but if she’s missing a head she can’t be tortured,” I answered. “I can continue torturing her if she’s down a hand.”
“That’s a very good point,” Aric said, keeping a wary eye on Cissy as he stepped in Sami’s direction. “I’m going to get the kid … .”
“Don’t touch her,” Cissy hissed, her eyes momentarily flashing a bright shade of green. “She is ours now.”
“Oh, no,” Aric said, shaking his head. “She’s our kid. You’re not touching one hair on her head.”
“We own her mind,” Cissy argued.
Something very odd was going on here – other than the obvious, I mean. I glanced over my shoulder and saw various hints of movements. They were wraiths, but they looked different from the ones I maimed in front of the house. There was also another figure – a smaller one with human attributes – hanging back by one of the trees.
Things clicked into place, and not nearly as late in the game as they usually did for me. And, no, that’s not saying much.
“You’re not the last Dolloway heir, are you?”
Cissy glanced at me, her face unreadable. “I have no idea what you mean.”
She was lying. My calm nature annoyed her, but she still thought she had the upper hand. That was about to change. “You’re not the last Dolloway heir,” I said. “In fact, you’re not a Dolloway. You married into the Dolloway family.”
“How do you know that?” Aric asked, confused.
“Because the other times this happened the Dolloway women married men outside of the line just to procreate,” I replied. “Cissy Dolloway is married to Dumbass Dolloway. It’s his name.”
“I think his name is Don,” Aric said dryly.
“No, I’m pretty sure it’s Dumbass,” I said. “Cissy isn’t part of the bloodline … and if Dumbass is, he’s like a long-forgotten shirttail relation. He’s not a full-blooded Dolloway.”
Cissy narrowed her eyes, practically daring me to continue. I was happy to oblige.
“Katie is over there,” I said, gesturing toward the trees. “Two of the witch wraiths are watching her. They’re different than the ones I crippled on the front lawn. They’re stronger than the ones I’ve seen in the woods.
“I’m guessing the Dolloways enslaved the men when they were done with them and used them for manual labor,” I replied. “Do you remember who was responsible for that?”
Aric nodded. “Abigail.”
I inclined my chin in Cissy’s direction. “Say hello to Abigail.”
Aric froze for a moment, the muscle in his jaw clenching, and when he finally turned back in Cissy’s direction he had a thoughtful expression on his face. “Oh.”
“That is not true,” Cissy hissed, annoyed. “I am the last Dolloway heir.”
“No, you’re not,” I said. “You’re Abigail. You sought out the last Dolloway heir to watch over her until the time was right. You knew you only had one chance at this. You needed a Dolloway heir, although I still can’t figure out why. I’m guessing it has something to do with the blood magic you cast way back in the day with the first Dolloway.”
“The lesbian?” Aric was interested in the conversation again. “Was she a lesbian before or after you came into her life? Did she put up a fight or jump right in? Oh, and was she hot or what?”
“Ugh.” I made a face. “You’re such a pig.”
“I wasn’t talking to you,” Aric sniffed.
“You only like the idea of two women because you want to jump in the middle of a sandwich,” I said. “That’s never going to happen.”
“Oh, honey, I can’t handle you,” Aric said. “Two women would kill me. Heck, you’re likely to kill me at times. I just like the visual.”
“Are you two done talking to each other?” Cissy exploded, her agitation obvious. “Don’t you care about the fact that I’m going to suck your daughter dry and live forever?”
I didn’t hesitate, lashing out with my magic and exploding the tree branch right behind Cissy. It fell with amazing precision, glancing off of her shoulder and falling to the side as she hopped back – away from Sami – and caught her breath. Aric took advantage of her distraction and grabbed Sami. She was still out of it.
“What was that?” Cissy asked, narrowing her eyes.
“That was me explaining to you that you’re not touching my kid,” I said, risking a glance at Katie as I licked my lips. “Katie, come here please.”
Katie didn’t immediately respond, but I could hear her murmuring.
“Tell her to come here,” I ordered Cissy. “If you don’t, I’m uprooting the tree. Have you seen the movie Poltergeist? I’m talking the original, not that crap factory of a remake. If you have, you’ll get an idea of what I’m going to do to you now that I’ve tipped over that tree.”
“Ooh, add in a creepy clown doll,” Aric suggested. “That’s always fun.”
“Clowns are never fun,” I countered, biting my cheek to keep from laughing as Cissy considered her options. “While you’re thinking about that – and I’m willing to give you time because I know those two brain cells you have can’t work at a very fast clip – why don’t you explain to me how you wormed your way into the Dolloway family. How does that sound?”
“It sounds as if you’re stalling for time,” Abigail snapped.
“I have all the time in the world,” I countered. “You’re the one running out of time. Aric has Sami, and I can end all of you without breaking a sweat.”
“That’s good for everyone, because Zoe only likes sweating when we’re alone.” Aric winked and cast me a flirty grin.
“You’re in a good mood,” I said, my attention drifting from Cissy. “It’s because you got your own way and I didn’t come out to kill everyone on my own, isn’t it? You won.”
“I did win,” Aric confirmed, averting his gaze. “I won the day I married you.”
“Oh, whatever. You won the argument in the end. We’re going to end the threat together as a family. You got your way for a change. That’s why you’re so happy.”
“I’m a genuinely happy man on most days, Zoe,” Aric said. “I have a wife I love, a daughter who is going to grow into a lovely human being once these hormones are out of the way, a great home, a sexy hot tub and parents who take the mouthy kid every weekend so we can have a naked Sunday. Why wouldn’t I be happy?”
“Oh, just admit you’re happy because you won,” I ordered.
“Fine. I’m happy because I won,” Aric said, his grin wide. “It rarely happens in cases like this. I thi
nk I’m going to throw a party … and maybe do a little dance later.”
“Do you two ever shut up?” Cissy exploded and I could feel the mood of the witch wraiths shift as they murmured behind me. I recognized the sound. They were the ones enchanting Sami. It wasn’t Cissy. Hmm. That was interesting.
“Honestly? No, I don’t ever shut up.” I answered even though I knew it was a rhetorical question. “Aric claims I even talk in my sleep.”
“Mumble,” Aric corrected. “You mumble in your sleep.”
“Same difference.”
“Not really.”
“What is it that you want to know, mage?” Cissy asked. “What explanation will make you happy before I kill you?”
I graced her with a derisive snort and shook my head. “In truth, I don’t necessarily need to know for myself,” I replied. “I will kill you without thinking twice about it, but I need to know what the deal is with Katie.”
Surprised, Aric snapped his head in my direction. “What do you mean? She’s the enemy?”
“Is she?” I cocked an eyebrow. “As far as I can tell she’s the last Dolloway heir. I’m guessing she’s not a member of the original line, but one of the offshoots. They’re pinning all of their hopes on her because that last Dolloway dude disappeared and they’re out of full-blooded heirs.
“Do you want to know what I think?” I plowed on, not waiting for an answer. “I think the last husband convinced the last wife to run off with him. I think she’s a witch of her own making now. I think she’s the last true Dolloway heir.”
“You mean that woman you met today?” Aric was surprised. “You think she’s the last Dolloway heir?”
I nodded. “I think she realized what was going on and was strong enough to make her escape,” I replied. “I think her husband left first and set things up for them while she put on a show to bamboozle Abigail. Then she took off in the middle of the night.”
Instead of denying the assertion, Cissy narrowed her eyes. “You saw Margaret? Where?”
“She’s around,” I replied, smirking. “She’s a good woman and she’s living a happy life. She told me what to look out for when dealing with you. Now I know why she was so knowledgeable – and wary.”
“Where is she?” Cissy seethed.
“Out of your reach,” I replied, glancing at Katie again. “I think she was your last chance and you’re not sure if she’ll work because she’s a far-off cousin instead of a legitimate heir. You really don’t care, though. You’re willing to sacrifice her to gain immortality for yourself.
“You’re a demon hybrid, which means you live longer than normal,” I continued. “I think you’re coming up on the end of your run, though. You’ve been using glamours to change your appearance – and in this case remain young looking – but you wear a lot of perfume. And it’s bad perfume. I’m guessing you do that to mask your scent.”
“What does she smell like?” Aric asked.
“Old feet and decaying flesh.”
“Nice.” He adjusted his grip on Sami, his eyes expressing regret as he looked her over. “We need to wake her.”
“We will,” I said. “She doesn’t need to see what’s going to come next. I just need Cissy to confirm Katie’s part in all of this. I don’t want to kill her if it isn’t necessary. Don’t get me wrong, I think she’s a snot, but she might be that way because Cissy here has been grooming her for years.”
“That’s not true.” Katie finally made her presence known and stepped forward, the moonlight offering her features a wan glow. “She’s my mother. She gave birth to me.”
“That’s right,” Cissy said, nodding encouragingly.
“She’s not your mother,” I said. “She’s a half-demon pain in the keister who either killed your mother and took her place or is keeping her someplace else,” I said. “My guess is she’s dead, because Abigail here couldn’t risk anyone stumbling across a kidnapping victim.”
“Stop saying that,” Katie said, her voice shrill. “That’s my mom.”
“She’s not your mother, Katie,” I said. “She’s a monster.”
“That’s rich coming from you,” Cissy shot back. “How many things have you killed? How many poor souls have you shredded this past week alone?”
“I haven’t shredded their souls,” I replied. “I’m guessing the husbands will think it’s a relief when I finally release them. I have no idea what the blood-sucking Dolloway bunch is going to think when they’re eradicated, and I really don’t care. The only one I’m even remotely concerned about is Katie.”
“Because you think she’s an innocent?” Cissy asked.
“I think she may be … less guilty … than the rest of you,” I clarified. “She’s still a snot-nosed poser with the personality of my ass after a long winter in thermal underwear, but if she doesn’t understand what’s happening I’m not keen on killing.”
“Oh, I think that was your best put-down ever, baby,” Aric said, smirking. “Let’s get this show on the road, though. I want to get Sami home and take a shower. The smoke from the house stinks, and you know I don’t like it when my olfactory senses get clogged up.”
“Yes, it’s a true bummer,” I said, patting his arm and turning back to Cissy. “So, which is it? Is Katie a villain or a victim?”
“Ask her yourself.”
This time when I shifted a look in Katie’s direction I found glowing red eyes, fangs descended in her mouth, a forked tongue flicking out and hands extending toward my arm.
“Holy crap!”
Twenty-Nine
“Oh, geez! It bites! It bites!” I jerked my arm away from Katie before she could sink her teeth into my tender skin and rocked her with a slap so hard it caused her to loll to the side and lose her footing. Then, just because I could, I kicked her in the butt and sent her sprawling.
“Nice,” Aric cheered, keeping a firm grip on Sami to make sure no one swooped in and stole her during the melee. “I guess you were wrong about her being a victim, huh?”
“Hey! I was still right about Cissy. That counts.”
“I think we should both agree that we were right and call it a draw.”
“Fine,” I muttered. “You’re still massaging me tonight.”
“We’ll see how this goes,” Aric said. “Okay, you’ve had your fun. Kill them.” His earlier mirth was gone, irritation taking its place.
“Kill us?” Cissy snorted. “You don’t have the power to kill us.”
I arched a challenging eyebrow. “Do you want to test that theory?”
“I want to test it, Zoe,” Aric snapped. “Stop screwing around. This talking things to death was cute when we were younger, but I’m tired. My back hurts. I want ice cream, a massage and an empty house tomorrow afternoon so we can watch a movie or something.”
“God, we’re so old,” I said. “When did that happen?”
“We’re not old,” Aric countered. “We’re just … older.”
“How is that different?”
Aric shrugged. “That’s life. Now kill them.”
“Fine.”
Cissy opened her mouth, what I’m sure was another terrific taunt on the tip of her tongue. I cut it off when I released the vise grip on my self-control and Katie burst into flames at my side. The howl from her mouth was unearthly. It didn’t last long because the intensity of the fire was triple what I normally send out.
“What did you do?” Cissy shrieked. “You killed her!”
“I’m pretty sure you did that,” I countered. “You mutated her somehow. Maybe infested her with your demon blood. She wasn’t a strong enough heir, so you had to warp her. Now she’s gone. I hope the real Katie – whatever happened to her – finds some peace on the other side, because that wasn’t her.”
“I’m going to kill you!” Cissy launched herself in my direction, her hands outstretched. Aric neatly sidestepped her, keeping Sami safe at his side as the wraiths screeched their disapproval and rushed in our direction.
I reacted out of
instinct, lashing out and shredding the wraiths before they could touch Aric and Sami. That allowed Cissy to get a foothold, inch-long talons extending out of her fingertips as she clawed at my throat.
“Holy crap, you crazy wench,” I snapped, grunting as she tackled me to the ground and landed on top of me. “What is your deal? It’s over. I can kill those stupid wraiths without even trying. No matter how many times they regenerate, they’re not a threat.”
“Zoe?” Aric was alarmed.
“Stay with Sami!”
Suddenly, as if hearing her name spoken so loudly was enough to wake her, Sami shook her head and stumbled as she tried to keep herself from falling to her knees. Aric grabbed her, holding her tiny frame up as mental freedom momentarily overloaded her.
“W-what’s going on?”
“Mommy is fighting Cissy. Katie is dead,” Aric replied. “You’re okay, though.”
“Katie is dead?” Sami glanced around, bewildered. When her gaze finally landed on the smoking pile of ash, she was dumbfounded. “Was she evil?”
“Yeah, she grew fangs and tried to bite your mom,” Aric replied. “Mom slapped her hard and then burned her. Now she’s fighting with Cissy, who is really Abigail.”
Sami’s eyes widened as I grappled with an increasingly desperate Cissy. “How did that happen?”
Aric shrugged. “I don’t know. There was a story, but I lost interest. Women talk a lot. One of the most important lessons you’ll learn is that men only listen half of the time.”
“You’re in so much trouble,” I grumbled, bringing my knee up as hard as I could and dislodging Cissy from her perch on top of me. A wild murmuring filled the air, telling me the wraiths were regrouping much faster than I expected. “Crud.”
“Would you like me to help you?” Aric asked.
“I’m good.” I freed my hand long enough to slam my fist into Cissy’s face, causing her to howl. She rolled to the side and I took advantage of the moment to gulp in fresh air. Up close she really did smell like decaying flesh. “It’s the house. All of the souls are anchored to the house. Can’t you hear them?”
Dying Covenant: The Complete Series Page 25
