by Jill Cooper
“I know a Blood plan when I hear one,” Duncan said.
“You mean a Blood suicide?” Ronald asked with a shake of his head. “Damn it, we’re screwed if we do this.”
Jessica raised an eyebrow. “So you’re in?”
Ronald laughed with a shake of his fists. “Hell, yeah, I’m in! We’re all in!”
The crowd cheered and arms were thrust into the air. The bartender went back to tending bar and the waitresses went back to serving drinks. Jessica gladly took the beer that was offered to her. She offered a toast and bottles clanked in the air.
“For Amanda.”
“For Amanda!”
“For Jessica Blood, and her damn good aim,” Aunt Gwen said with a twinkle in her eye.
Jessica drank to that. “Thanks, Aunt Gwen. And I’m sorry I almost shot you with my shotgun.”
Gwen laughed. “Oh please, child. Your bullet never would’ve reached me.” She finished what was left of her beer, returned the bottle to the counter and headed for the door.
Jessica caught up with her. “Where are you going? We haven’t hashed it all out yet.”
“There’s time for that tomorrow at breakfast. For now, I need to sleep. Recharge.” Gwen kissed her cheek. “Rest up and don’t drink all night, yes? You’re going to need everything you have tomorrow.”
Jessica didn’t agree, but she didn’t disagree either as the door swung open, and Gwen stepped out. Her aunt was an enigma. Jessica would never understand her. She scowled and thought to race outside after her as Duncan strolled up.
He sipped his beer. “She knows there're bedrooms upstairs, right? Warded against evil?”
“She prefers her own company,” Jessica said with a shudder. How many times had Aunt Gwen told her that over the years? She took the Blood girls in, so maybe that should’ve been enough, but nurture?
Jessica never got from Aunt Gwen what she was really missing. Craving. Best not to think of that at all.
“Well, c’mon. They’re throwing burgers on and I rather not have my dinner burned.” Duncan walked away and Jessica knew she was supposed to follow, but she had trouble tearing her eyes away from the window.
There was something Aunt Gwen wasn’t telling her. Secrets, they all had them. So what were Gwen’s?
20: Jessica
Jessica’s room for the night was dark. The light wouldn’t turn on, only the moonlight from the small window above the bed allowed her to see anything at all. The bed was small, with a single sheet. Just enough to get her through the crappy night that was sure to follow.
Too much drink and too little food in her belly, Jessica stumbled into the room. Her shotgun found a home on the end table by the bed. Hopping on one foot, she tore her boot off and let it fall. Stumbling, Jessica leaned against the bed post with a grimace, and kicked her last boot free.
The small adjoining bathroom had a light bulb in the center. Yanking the string, Jessica squinted as it turned on. White tiles by the tub were cracked and the sink had a steady drip. The basin was rusted with a watermark circling the drain.
It definitely wasn’t the Ritz, but let’s face it, Jessica was more comfortable somewhere like this. She didn’t have money to tip a bellboy any more than she had money to buy gas for her car.
When had things been this bad? So tight.
Jessica turned the tap on and cupped her hand to collect some water. Refreshing as it was cold, she craved more. She took a few more sips before turning off the tap and greeted her reflection. Worry lines around her eyes and frown creases around her lips, Jessica might have been young, but she didn’t feel it while gazing at her face.
“I’ll find you, Amanda,” Jessica whispered. “Promise.”
It was the only thing that gave her life meaning. It’d been that way since she was ten years old and Amanda’s powers trickled in. It was then the demons really came, drawn to that power.
What came next? How long could she keep up this game? It had to end somewhere. Jessica promised herself, hell she promised God, that if she got Amanda out of this, she’d find a way to end it. A way out for her and Amanda.
But where that would lead them, Jessica just didn’t know.
Jessica pulled her hair back into a low ponytail. Her tangled curls rested on her back as she pulled her flannel off and inspected her back in the mirror. No blood or cuts, but damn it hurt from how Vaughn yanked on her.
Getting ready for bed, Jessica flung off her leather pants, leaning on the sink when she thought she might fall over. Now only in her tank top and fuzzy purple socks, Jessica stretched her arm overhead, bent her head down, and worked the tight muscles out with her fingers. Hard as a rock, it moved under her skin and with enough pressure, the pain increased enough so she winced.
“Need some help with that?”
Jessica gasped at the sight of Duncan’s silhouette in the entry way. “You should knock, some of us aren’t descent.” She tugged on her tank top to cover up her perky ass.
Duncan’s face morphed into amusement. “Nothing I haven’t seen before. Right now it’s not your body that I’m concerned about. The state of your mind is another story.” He said the words, but still his eyes took in the full length of her body. “Nice socks.”
Jessica smirked and punched him in the gut, but she dared not bend over to pick up her pants—that was just inviting trouble. “I’m doing as well as can be expected I guess. I don’t know how I’ll sleep knowing she’s out there. Not alone, but with demons?” Jessica sighed. “I just want to know she’s all right. That we’re get her back.”
“We will. I’ve never doubted you’d do anything to get Amanda back. I’m more worried about the rest. If we—if you—will come out alive.”
“I’ll watch your back.” Jessica pushed her finger into his shoulder. “If you’ll watch mine.”
Duncan raised his eyebrows and Jessica started laughing. “That’s not what I meant and you know it.”
He raised his hand in mock surrender. “Sit in that chair back there and I’ll work that knot out of your neck.”
“All right.” Jessica smiled slyly. “Just move out of the way while I put my pants back on.”
Duncan fetched the chair while Jessica struggled with her pants. All zipped up, she sat in it backward while Duncan sat in another chair behind her. His body pressed close to hers and Jessica folded her arms over the back of her chair and leaned her head. His fingers grazed against her skin, moving her hair out of the way.
Goose bumps rose up on her body and Jessica bit her lip as Duncan’s warm hands pressed against her shoulders. It felt so good to have him touch her again, all in the guise of a massage, that she let out a quiet ‘hmm’ and kept her eyes closed.
“That’s the spot?” Duncan asked as if he were completely innocent.
“That’s the spot,” Jessica confirmed and rolled her head to the side so he could massage her neck. “You know; I was wondering what Ronald meant. When he said you came back. Where have you been, Duncan?”
He was quiet for a few moments, the palms of his hands working against her neck. Jessica had to admit she almost forgot she’d asked him a question. “I walked away for a while. Had my own problems. Own things to do. I wanted to be done with the demons. Done with you.”
Jessica’s heart panged and she sat up straight to cast him a look.
“I took an odd job here or there. I…couldn’t help myself.” Duncan’s eyebrows furrowed. “Then word reached me about the bounty. I knew you girls were in trouble. I knew you were in trouble.” His voice dropped low. His eyes darkened with troubling thoughts.
“And you couldn’t stay away.” Jessica lured him on. “You could’ve kept going with whatever you had. Maybe it was a good thing. Maybe you were happy. You turned your back on all of that?”
“What can I say?” Duncan ran his hands down her arms and rested on her hips. “I love your socks.”
Jessica snorted a laugh. “Duncan—”
“Jess,” he husked it against her neck and
Jessica tensed to keep from falling into bliss against him in the dark of the night. “I want to kiss you. Really kiss you and this time, I don’t want you to bite me.”
“I can’t make any promises,” Jessica murmured. She leaned her head back against his shoulder and gazed up into his face.
His hands rested on the tops of her thighs, her muscles flexed and Jessica closed her eyes. His lips splayed open, Jessica’s played with his. Hot and cold, searching and finding one another., Heat rose between them and set Jessica on a path from simmer to boil. She took a shaking breath, her chest quivering higher.
His fingers danced across her chest and Jessica gripped his hair, pulling him deeper into the kiss. Further. Until the throes of passion were so great, she couldn’t stop her heart from slamming against the walls of her chest. Duncan was as close to her as another human being could get. His breath was hot, salty and traced with whiskey.
In his arms, Jessica wanted for nothing. They tensed, his muscles flexing around her body and Jessica thought she could stay like that all night. Touching, kissing, groping. Maybe everything tomorrow would be fine, maybe, it would be the end of everything, but for right now—for this night—she was content. For the first time in a long while.
Jessica turned in her chair and touched his arms. “I trust you, Duncan. Maybe more than I ever did before,” she admitted it plainly and took in the surprise on his face, but it was a happy surprise. “What you did tonight with your gang, how you went to bat for us? I was wrong not to trust you. I’m sorry.”
His brow furrowed. “You don’t need to apologize. I gave you plenty of reasons to doubt me.” Duncan’s face relaxed, content as his fingertips traced her jaw and brought her in for another kiss.
It was deep, searching, and Jessica’s heart filled with all the things she’d never had. So it killed her to pull away from the kiss, rolling her cheek against his. Jessica took a deep breath taking in his scent. “So know it kills me when I say, tonight, we can’t do this.”
Duncan’s eyes searched her face. His expression was dumbfounded.
“Don’t fight me on this, okay? Tomorrow we ride to save my sister. I can’t have distractions. I can’t have anyone else on my mind, only her. She always…” Jessica’s eyes fell away and even though the words were true, Jessica couldn’t bring herself to say them.
“…comes first,” Duncan said with a nod. He struggled to take a deep breath. “Yeah, Amanda comes first.”
Did he hate her? Were things over between them again, before they even started? She wanted to apologize, but didn’t. She wouldn’t apologize for who she was—for who Amanda was.
Neither of them asked for what was given to them. She gripped his shoulders with the tips of her fingers and hoped he’d be there when the dust cleared.
“But when it’s over?” Duncan asked. “When Amanda’s safe?”
Jessica bit her lip. “I hope you’ll be there. I hope you’ll tell me what trouble it is you managed to find this time. I hope…I hope we can fix it together, Duncan.”
Duncan struggled to answer. He cleared his throat and emotions, ranging from love to fear, played out on his face. “I just… Yeah, Jess. Yeah, that’s what I want. No running away. Okay?”
“Okay.” The simplicity of his words ached in her chest. Tears rose in her eyes and Jessica thought she might lose it.
They had been together before but had they ever had that? Trust? Promise? It was all so profound that she didn’t know how to say how full her heart was, so she wrapped her arms around him and gave him a good-bye kiss for this night. Just for right now.
Peeling herself off of him was hard, and watching him stand was even worse. Jessica ached to grab him, throw him against the wall, just so they could go at it. If they did…if they did, she’d be so far off her game tomorrow, she might get them killed.
“This is just the beginning,” Duncan said and leaned in towards her cheek. “If I’ve ever made a promise to you, it’s this.”
“Keep your word, Duncan.” Jessica regretted saying it before the words even left her mouth, but she couldn’t stop herself.
His eyes flashed with hurt, but he didn’t say anything. He let it linger between them and Jessica’s heart was glad that he remained silent. No fight. Her heart couldn’t handle that tonight. When the door clasped behind him, Jessica went to the window.
She leaned on the frame and studied the twinkling stars. “Amanda,” Jessica sighed. Hang in there, girl, we’re coming for you.
We’re coming.
21: Amanda
Consciousness gone, Amanda’s mind was lost. It drifted from one moment in time to another, until it fell squarely on one moment. The day, the very first day, that Jessica sacrificed herself for Amanda. She gave so much, so Amanda could be safe. So she could get far away from the monsters that hunted them.
Until that day, Amanda hadn’t known, had never understood the depths of her sister’s love, but that day…everything became so clear.
The room was sterile, and except for the metal table in the room, there was nothing. Jessica wasn’t even eleven yet, but her eyes were haunted. Her face was wet with tears and her once beautiful curls, so perfect they always reminded Amanda of a sunset, were a tangled and a mess.
“Please,” Amanda leaned forward and begged. “Just tell them the truth. They can help us. Have them get the police? They can protect us!”
“From monsters? From demons?” Jessica leaned forward, her eyes wide. “Mandy, you can’t stay here, okay? There’s a nice family that wants you. They’ll take you far away. Put some distance between you and the demons. Maybe they won’t be able to find you again.”
Exasperated, Amanda sighed and she couldn’t keep the pounding of her heart from echoing in her ears. “We need to stick together, Jessie! You can’t—I won’t let you give up.”
The door opened and two men all in white entered with slow shuffle steps. Amanda stared at their shoes. They were white, so perfect, but Amanda was afraid. Afraid to look into their faces. Something was happening to her and she could feel it in her chest. In her bones. Everything tingled all over, in a way that wasn’t natural.
Amanda was scared. She wanted Mom and Dad. Couldn’t things just go back to the way they used to be? Momma cooking in the kitchen, listening to the radio, and dancing around barefooted, Daddy holed up in his study, awaiting the call to dinner. That’s when the games would break out.
She’d been so happy, but now Amanda was scared all the time. Every rustling in the trees, every dark shadow that crept along the window in her room…
“I know I have to stop lying,” Jessica said to the two men. “There were no monsters. I just…I wanted to cut class.”
“You’re lying!” Amanda stood up and knocked her chair backward. “She’s lying! You can’t believe her. I saw it. I saw the monster too! I was there!”
Tears fell from Jessica’s eyes. “She’ll say anything to protect me, but I’m sick. I need help.” Jessica's eyes squeezed shut and the tears ran like a stream over her freckles.
“What about those?” Amanda laid her hand on Jessica’s arm where a thick bandage was. Jessica winced under the pressure. “Did you do that to yourself too?”
Jessica didn’t answer. She couldn’t. The men took Jessica by the shoulder and helped her out of the chair. Listless, she went with them. Listless, there was no fight left in her.
“Jessica!” Amanda cried and stomped her feet. “Don’t do this. Don’t leave me, please.” Her shoulders rocked in a sob.
“Your social worker will be here soon, Mandy. I promise. They found a nice family for you. Far away from here. Okay?” The orderly smiled. He was trying to be nice.
Trying.
Amanda only wanted her sister. She let out a shaking breath, the tears took over and everything in her felt broken. Afraid. Gazing down, Amanda was stunned to see her fingers: one of them was glowing, a pulse of electricity surging out from it to the rest of her hand.
It was growing stronger. S
omeday soon maybe Amanda wouldn’t be able to stop it, whatever “it” was.
Amanda clenched her hand to make it go away. Just go away, go away. She wanted her family back. Her mother. Sister. Who would she talk to about it, if not Jessica?
“Jessie, don’t leave me!” Amanda screamed, loud and powerful.
It zapped her back to consciousness.
****
No.
Amanda blinked her eyes and the words were still with her. Don’t leave me, don’t leave me. Jessica—where are you? She would come. Amanda was sure of it. Jessica would come for her.
Her vision whirled like a kaleidoscope and Amanda’s brow furrowed. She couldn’t swallow; something dry in her mouth, like She gagged, her head bent over so hair covered her face.
She couldn’t see well. She could barely feel, except for the acid bite of bile rising in her throat. Her muscles ached like she was covered in thousands of little pincher bugs all desperate for a taste. So desperate for a part of her, and they wouldn’t let go. The despair was the only thing greater than the pain. Something inside of Amanda was disappearing, piece by piece, injection by injection.
Amanda was losing herself and if she didn’t get out of here soon…
“I have something that will help you feel better.” It was the voice of Vaughn. Amanda shuddered when he touched her.
Something from him surged against her skin. He placed ice chips against her lips and Amanda was thankful. So thankful for something to drink. It felt like heaven to be able to swallow again.
He traced the ice against her lips and Amanda licked the traces of water left behind, swallowing as he did it again. For minutes it went on until Vaughn pushed the hair from her face. “You’re glowing with beauty, but still, your eyes don’t shimmer green. You’re not ready yet. Maybe four times the average dose is what you need.”
Amanda shook her head. “Please, no more. I don’t know how much more—”
“You can take? A lot more, dear Amanda. A lot more.” Vaughn stood to retrieve more drugs. Yes, that had to be what he was up to.
