“Shut the fuck up.” Basher seethed, his ugly face flushed and ire radiating off him like nuclear waste. “Spud, take him out to the courtyard.”
The bulky henchman walked over and grabbed Dante by the arm, dragging him toward the back entrance. Dante glanced at Spud as they pushed outside into the gathering darkness and glimpsed a hint of remorse in the guardian demon’s expression. Not exactly a chance he wanted to take, but Dante seized on what opportunities he had. “You do not have to obey him.”
Spud kept his head down, silent.
“You trying to lure my best henchman away from me now, too?” Basher trailed behind them, blowing out a long string of cigarette smoke, the light of one of the bare bulbs above catching the craggy lines of his face. “Won’t work.”
Spud shoved Dante out into the courtyard. A low murmur of voices echoed in the small space. One he recognized like his own reflection.
Anna.
“What’s going on? What’s happening with Dante?” she said.
“Shhh.” Liz whispered. “You have to stay quiet.”
“But—”
“Sounds like you got your whole fucking fan club here tonight, boy.” Basher walked over to the fire pit and tossed his lit cigarette into the pile of dried leaves and trash mounded inside, setting it ablaze. Flames licked high into the twilight and illuminated the yard. Dante scanned the small gathering. Everyone was there—Rev, Dex, the other members of the Blood Ravagers.
“Nobody wants to miss your special night, boy,” Basher taunted.
Dante exhaled slow and hung his head. “Special night?”
“Yeah.” Basher signaled for Spud to shackle Dante’s wrists in a pair of thick iron cuffs. There was the distinctive snick-click of a pocketknife opening and Dante tensed, knowing what came next. Basher ripped through the back of Dante’s vest with the knife, slashing through the large Blood Ravagers logo patch sewn there. The tattered material slid down his arms to hang loose around his wrists. Then came the deep, sharp agony as the freshly grown scales on his spine were peeled off, one by one. Warm blood trickled down his skin and his demonic powers waned while Basher performed his dirty work. “Got a real special punishment for you, fucker.”
“Lucky me.”
“Nope.” Another stab, another scale gone. “Lucky me. Never can have too many slaves.”
“I will never be your slave.” Dante widened his stance, clenched his jaw. “Never.”
“Never say never, boy.” Basher smacked him across the back of the head and Dante stumbled forward, but refused to fall. The gang’s leader plucked away the last few remaining scales from Dante’s upper back then tossed his knife down, the tip of the quivering blade stuck in the ground. “You’ll serve me after tonight. You’ll do whatever the fuck I tell you to do, because you won’t have a choice.”
“Go to hell.” The response earned Dante another blow, this time a hard punch to the stomach, so hard at least one rib cracked. Breathing became difficult, but still he stood, his long hair falling over his face. A low rumble started around the perimeter of the courtyard and the scattered pieces of junk around them trembled, vibrated.
Anna.
It was too soon. Exposing the twins’ true powers now could ruin everything.
He hazarded a glance up at Liz and she pulled Anna to the back of the crowd, away from Basher and Dante and the gory scene taking place.
“You’d like that wouldn’t you? To go back home to hell? To rest?” Basher sneered as he circled Dante, his expression smug. “How many times have you tried to off yourself over the centuries, boy? Ten? Twenty? A hundred?” He snickered. “All because your poor mommy was a fucking, psychic slut who couldn’t keep from spreading for her demon master.”
“My mother has nothing to do with this.”
“Right.” Basher laughed. “Isn’t that why you saved the human twins? They remind you of mommy? Can’t trust a half-breed to do the simplest fucking job.” He signaled to Spud, who grabbed the twins and hauled them to the side of the small crowd then flung them to the ground, forcing them to kneel at Basher’s feet, facing Dante.
Anna looked petrified, Liz looked pissed.
“Wasn’t this your plan, boy? To use these bitches to drain my vortex and ruin my deal? Well, it ain’t gonna work. They won’t save you.”
“Like hell we won’t.” Liz growled. “Fuck you, asshole.”
Basher smacked Liz hard on the side of the head. She crumpled to his feet, out cold.
Anna screamed and Basher grabbed her by the throat, pulling her to him for a wet sloppy kiss. Junk flew through the air willy-nilly and smashed into the walls of the courtyard. The crowd ducked and every cell in Dante screamed for revenge, his connection between Anna sizzling black with disgust.
There was nothing he could do. He tested the cuffs, strained against them. They held fast. Basher tore his mouth from Anna’s then smacked her hard, too, knocking her out before he threw her to the ground.
“You know what this is, boy?” Basher reached into his back pocket and pulled out a thick silver amulet.
Solomon’s Seal. In the flickering firelight, Dante stared at the intricate design etched into the front.
“Yeah, I can see from the look on your face you do. Useful little thing. Helps keep the riffraff in line, the pieces of shit like you under my control.” He walked over to the fire, dangling the necklace into the flames until the metal glowed red-hot. “Wearing it works for a little while, but I prefer a more permanent option for my minions.”
In a blink, he was back at Dante’s side, the amulet’s heavy chain wrapped around the palm of his hand, the glowing disc inches from Dante’s chest. “Think you can challenge me now?”
“Taking my free will won’t stop the others from fighting.” His gaze darted from the seal to Basher, then back again. “You can’t oppress people forever.”
“I’m gonna make an example of you, boy. Now say goodbye to your little Oracle there and we’ll get this over with.”
Dante closed his eyes and forced all of his feelings through his connection with Anna—that he loved her, that he believed in her, that he forgave her for what she would be required to do to save him. That even if all was lost, even in the face of death, she was still the most beautiful thing he’d ever seen.
Once he was branded with the seal, he would become a soulless, mindless machine.
Then the amulet was against his skin, searing the flesh directly over his heart. With each second, he grew weaker and weaker until he collapsed on the cold hard ground, unable to move, unable to think, unable to do anything but stare into the starless sky and wish for death.
At last, Basher ripped the amulet away and straightened, using the toe of his boot to shove Dante’s body sideways. “I’ll just give you a minute, boy.”
He walked away and Dante groaned. Even speech seemed beyond him now. His mind swirled and his own thoughts vanished, leaving only dull blankness. His leaden limbs refused to move and his constricted chest burned, both from the seal’s brand and the lack of oxygen in his lungs. His human half recoiled, so deep Dante barely felt its presence any longer.
All that remained was his inner demon—raging, craving, awaiting orders.
The faces around him faded, except one. Anna. Always Anna.
Mine.
She was his last wish, his last hope before surrender.
“Time to get up, boy.” Basher returned and kicked him hard in the side. “Let’s test out your new loyalty, shall we?”
Dante rose even as his spirit rebelled. Whatever the gang leader was about to make him do, he was sure he would regret it for eternity.
Basher strode through the nervous crowd. “Who should I choose?”
Everyone kept their gazes lowered and their mouths shut.
He stopped before the still bodies of Anna and Liz. “Over here, boy.”
Dante’s body moved of its own volition toward Basher then knelt at his feet.
“Good, slave.” Basher removed Dante�
�s restraints, then pointed toward Liz’s limp form. “Kill it.”
Anna moaned low, her voice nothing but a faint whisper. “Dante?”
“Do it.” Basher crouched beside him, gripping the back of Dante’s neck tight. “Now. And make it bloody. You know how I love bloody.”
Muscles straining, Dante extended his razor-sharp demon claws. He hated this, hated himself, hated the fact he could not stop this carnage, could not stop the ripping and tearing and shredding even as Liz’s screams of agony rocked him to his core. He had killed more times in his long life than he could remember, but never an innocent and never, ever for sport.
Liz’s tortured keens faded as her blood pooled hot and thick around his legs. Eerie quiet settled over the courtyard. Her heartbeat ceased, leaving only the rustle of the trees and the accusing stares of his fellow Blood Ravagers—witnesses to his ultimate defeat.
Anna rolled over and blinked at her sister’s ravaged corpse then screamed. The walls of the courtyard exploded, showering them all in a steady rain of concrete and sorrow. Her ragged sobs sliced through the night air like a scalpel.
She dragged her sister’s lifeless form away from Dante, staring at him now with pure contempt. “You’ll pay for this.”
“Nice, bitch.” Basher chuckled then clapped Dante on the back. “And you thought serving me was the worst punishment, boy?”
With a snap of his fingers, Basher gathered the attention of those assembled. “Inside. Now.” As the crowd dispersed, he turned back to Dante. “Stay.”
Chapter Fourteen
Alone with her sister’s killer—who also happened to be the man she loved and her new life mate—Anna lost it. Blinded by rage and fear, she pulled Basher’s pocketknife from the ground and lunged at Dante. Never mind it hadn’t been his choice to hurt Liz, that he’d never wanted things to end this way, that what happened had been Basher’s doing. The tide of primal vengeance within her was too strong, taking away her reason.
“You killed her! That was never part of this plan.” She held the knife poised over his heart, the tip pricking the brand. A trickle of blood ran down the center of his bare chest. “You killed my sister.”
No response.
Dante stared straight ahead, his dark eyes glazed and flat.
No words. No movement.
Nothing.
He was gone.
Gone, just like Liz.
He’d said their bond would survive anything, but he’d lied.
Now the two people she loved most were gone and she was alone. Alone in this hellhole of Seven with no idea how to escape. Trembling, she dropped the knife into the dirt then covered her face with her hands.
This couldn’t be happening. This couldn’t be real.
Liz had assured Anna that accessing her powers was safe, that what had happened before would not happen again. But it did. Two people were dead, or almost dead, and it was all her fault.
She peeked through her fingers. All of the horror was still there—her sister’s corpse, her mate’s enslaved body. She’d come to Salvation to bring her twin home. She’d never imagined it would be in a body bag. The knife glinted from the dirt near her knees.
One cut, through the vein in her wrist and she could be dead, too.
All the pain, all the guilt, all the betrayal.
Gone.
She reached for the pocketknife, fingers trembling, then stopped.
No.
She owed it to Liz to finish this. Owed it to what she and Dante had once shared to see his plans for justice and equality fulfilled, no matter what. His words echoed through her head once more.
Every worthy cause demands a sacrifice…
She’d never imagined the cost would be so high.
Do something! She needed to do something, to keep busy, to feel like she was taking action even if those actions were useless and mundane. She pushed up onto her knees and tore off a strip of material from the bottom of her white gown, using it to wipe the blood spatter from her sister’s face. “I’m sorry, Liz. I tried, but I’m not like you. I thought I was strong. I thought I could control my powers, but I can’t.”
With shaky hands, Anna gathered the shredded remains of her sister’s dress together then held Liz’s body in her arms, rocking her gently. “Things should never have ended like this. We should’ve grown old together. You promised we’d wear those ugly purple hats and parade around town picking up all the hot young guys like a couple of cougars.”
Hysterical laughter was followed by more tears. Her old life seemed a million miles away now, but she couldn’t stay here. Not with Basher in charge and Dante chained like a lap dog at his feet. Face buried in her sister’s hair, Anna closed her eyes. Liz always said if she waited long enough the path would reveal itself.
From somewhere in the distance, strains of music drifted. At first, Anna thought it was from Seven, but this tune wasn’t one they’d ever play on the jukebox. Too upbeat. Too disco. Too take-this-crappy-existence-and-shove-it.
The music grew louder and closer, until it enveloped Anna in Gloria Gaynor’s iconic seventies anthem about survival and moving the hell on with her life. Except it wasn’t the diva singing the lyrics. It was an off-key voice she hadn’t heard since she’d left home years ago.
Nonna.
Anna took Liz’s hand in hers and concentrated, hard, harder, hard enough for both of them. Soon, a bright light flashed and she was back in the training room.
“About time you got here, dearie.” Their grandmother said, smiling from her seat on a chair in the middle of the space. “Took you long enough.”
In shock, Anna placed Liz’s body on the floor then stood. “What are you doing here?”
“I’m always here.”
“But this is Liz’s manifestation. Only another Oracle could conjure it like this.”
“Yes.”
“But you were—”
“I was just like you girls once,” she said. “I might be older now, and hopefully wiser, but I still remember those days. You will both get through this, Anna, and be stronger for it.”
“We won’t. We can’t.” she turned away, defeated. “Liz is dead.”
“Are you sure?”
“Of course I’m sure.” Anna rubbed her eyes, reliving those awful moments again. “Basher forced Dante to kill her.”
“Liz isn’t dead.”
“She is! Look at her. She’s got no pulse, no breathing. She’s gone.”
“Am I now?”
A flicker of movement caught Anna’s attention. She glanced over to see her sister leaning against the far wall.
What the—
Anna stumbled backward as Liz moved closer. The body at her feet disappeared. “I’m so sorry, sis. I wanted to tell you, but Dante insisted we couldn’t. Besides I wasn’t even sure if the image casting would work.”
“Image casting?” Anna inched farther away, anger and disbelief warring within her. “I saw you dead. I held your bloody corpse in my arms. And now you’re telling me that was nothing but a hoax?”
“Not a hoax, a necessary illusion.”
“What?” The adrenaline zinging through Anna’s system quickly morphed into fury. She stopped her retreat and faced her sister head-on. “I can’t believe you put me through that! I thought you were dead, Liz. I grieved for you.”
“Aw, I love you too, sis.” Liz smiled then hugged their grandmother before turning to Anna again. “Now tell me about Dante.”
“That’s it? That’s all I get? Not even a ‘I’m sorry’?” Anna crossed her arms and scowled.
“She was always a bit oversensitive, wasn’t she?” Nonna said to Liz.
“Tell me about it,” Liz said.
“Well, if you ladies don’t need me anymore.” Their grandmother pushed to her feet. “I’ll head back to my galactic bingo game before one of those Andorian bastards steals my cards.” Nonna gave Liz another hug and a kiss then came over to Anna. “I’m so happy for you, dearie.”
“What? Wh
y?” Anna asked as Nonna pulled her into a bear hug. “Don’t leave yet.”
“I have to go, for now. And so do you. That life mate of yours needs you.” She pulled back and held Anna at arms’ length. “Promise me you won’t give up on him, dearie.”
Anna shook her head, confused. “I don’t understand.”
“Dante loves you and you love him. Love can work miracles if you let it.”
After one more quick hug, Nonna disappeared in a puff of white smoke, leaving Anna to stare blankly after her. “What the hell just happened?”
“We’ll talk about that later.” Liz linked arms with Anna and walked them toward the exit. “Tell me what’s happening with Dante.”
“Basher did something to him. Branded him with that amulet and now he’s a zombie.”
“Where did he brand him?”
“Over the heart. Why?”
“Damn.” Liz stopped. “There’s only one way to save him now.”
“How?” If it meant saving her life mate, she’d do anything.
Anna closed her eyes and tested the bond between them. The normally vibrant connection was nothing but a bland, brown, hopeless strand of its former glory.
“You have to break the seal to break the spell. Sever the brand on Dante’s chest.”
“How am I supposed to do that?”
Liz watched her, one brow raised and a toe tapping impatiently.
“You mean stab him? But it’s over his heart.” Anna shook her head. “What if I do it wrong? What if he dies? No. I-I can’t do it, Liz. I can’t.”
“You must, sis.”
“But I love him. He’s my life mate.”
“You do it because you love him.” Liz wrapped an arm around Anna shoulders. “This is the sacrifice, remember? Dante would never want to live as Basher’s slave anyway. You know that. But there is one more requirement for this all to work. Belief.”
“Belief?”
“Yes. We can’t channel the energy vortexes and save Dante without you fully believing and trusting in yourself and your powers.”
With everything she’d been through this past week, Anna felt all tapped out in the belief department.
Blood Bound (Blood Ravengers Book 1) Page 14
