Last Breath

by Debra Dunbar

  “What punishment can humans give mages who are so lost that they will take a soul? How can any human prison hold them?” The angel continued.

  He was right about that, too. All it took was a few phone calls and someone would sneak their grimoire in with a box of mystery novels. Guards were so busy searching for weapons and drugs that they wouldn’t think twice about herbs and candles, about salt and chalk. A ruthless mage in prison would soon run the joint. And probably be out on parole after a few years. Even if Tremelay made his best case, there was nothing either the detective or I could do to ensure they actually were punished for their deeds. I could break into their houses, burn their grimoires, but they’d still be able to accumulate spells and materials in short time. The human justice system just wasn’t set up to deal with mages. Or demons, angels, or vampires either. Was death the only answer when it came to certain criminals?

  “We have to have faith,” I told him, not quite believing those words myself. Faith seemed to be an elusive concept to me lately. “If the system fails, and these people are once again a threat to others, then I’ll reconsider. Then we might have no choice but to take their lives.”

  I felt sick, like I’d just drawn a line in the sand. Could I do it? I’d faced the thought that I might have to kill Russell, to sacrifice one man to save hundreds of vampire lives. I’d been so glad I’d not had to make that decision in the end. But what if this time I had to? It was one thing to kill someone when you were in direct combat and fearing for your life. This would be me judging another and taking their life. Could I do it?

  Even the angel looked skeptical. “You have much to do in this city, but you’ll take the time to monitor these mages wherever they are incarcerated, and deliver justice yourself if the humans fail to?”

  I nodded. “Let me do it. I’m the Templar. I carry the sword. It’s my mission to protect the Pilgrims on the Path even if that means I sully my soul by taking a life. I’m the first line of defense for the innocents of Baltimore.”

  Some first line. How many had died in the past few weeks?

  “You risk more lives this way,” he warned me. “How will it sit with your soul if other pilgrims die because you allowed the police to deliver your justice for you?”

  I felt so lost. I didn’t know what I was doing, how to reconcile my beliefs with any of this. It all sat heavy on my soul, every last bit of it. Not for the first time in the past two weeks, I wished I’d stayed home, taken my Oath and spent the rest of my life jousting and reading old manuscripts.

  “I’m human. And I’m only one Templar in a city of six hundred thousand. I need to have faith in and support the humans who are also working to make this city a better place.”

  The angel raised an eyebrow then pulled his cell phone out of his pocket. “Twenty-four hours, Solaria Angelique Ainsworth. That’s how long you have to bring these mages to human justice or I will intervene.”

  “Deal.” He turned to leave and I hurriedly stood, remembering there was one more thing I needed to address with him. “Oh, and I’m working with the vampires. I mean, I’ve got that situation covered, so there’s no need to do anything there.”

  I might no longer be feeling drugged-out, but I’d completely mangled that one.

  Araziel turned to look at me over his shoulder. Did he smile? Had I imagined that? “The vampires are dead. They have traded their souls in a bargain with the devil. It’s my duty to release those souls to their afterlife.”

  My heart pounded. This was exactly what I’d feared. “Their bargain included immortality. It’s not your duty to release their souls. This is my town, under my protection, and they’re my pilgrims, too.”

  He laughed. It had an oddly cruel note for an angel. “They’re vampires, not pilgrims. How can you possibly extend your protection to them?”

  I scrambled to think of something that might sway the angel. “They are capable of good, capable of redemption. They may be dead, they may have made a devil’s bargain, but their souls are not yet lost. Give me a chance to save them, to bring them to grace. Don’t kill them and condemn them to hell. We’re in the business of saving souls, not filling the halls of hell.”

  His mouth twitched. “We will discuss this later. In the meantime, your fanged pilgrims need not fear. I am more concerned with those who take human souls than sending vampires to their master in hell.”

  I nearly slumped against the wall in relief, closing my eyes for no more than a second. When I opened them he was gone, and I’d not even heard the door open and close.

  Chapter 28

  AFTER WASTING MORE money on getting my car out of impound, I decided I might as well splurge and get dinner. It was after seven by the time I got back to the house, and the pizza cold after spending nearly an hour arguing with building management about my parking space. It seems they didn’t care that the spot I’d paid for was roped off as a crime scene. I’d have to shell out additional money for a second space this month or risk getting towed again. More money from my rapidly depleted checking account went to the landlord, along with assurances they’d drop the second spot after thirty days.

  “Thank God!” Raven dove at me and ripped the pizza box from my hands, eating a piece cold as she set the oven to warm. “You’ve got no food in this place beyond that leftover roast chicken. No wonder you’re so skinny.”

  “Delivery is an option,” I grumbled. She’d been able to sleep in as late as she wanted. She hadn’t been fighting off narcotics and trying to negotiate with an angel while supposedly working. She didn’t have claw marks and the equivalent of the worst sunburn ever on her back. I opened the fridge, just to make sure Raven hadn’t drunk my Emergency Beer. She was my best friend and she was helping me out, but there was a limit to my hospitality.

  “So how was your day?” Raven spoke with her mouth full as she tossed the pizza slices into the oven to warm.

  It was kinda nice, coming home to someone and having them ask about my day. I thought about my date with Zac and tried to imagine us living together. Nah. Maybe I needed a roommate? My lease was up in six months, maybe Raven and I could rent a bigger place together. It would be awesome to have someone around, especially someone who knew as much about magic as Raven did.

  “My reporter friend couldn’t hold back on the story any longer, so all of Baltimore thinks there are two warring gangs, one of which is doing occult killings of random civilians. Tremelay, that cop friend of mine, is livid. If he doesn’t make headway on these murders soon, his head is going to roll. And then he might be mad enough to take my head off, too.”

  “Seriously?” Raven paused her pizza-warming activities to give me a concerned look.

  “No. He’s a good guy though. Baltimore needs people like him in homicide. Did I tell you he’s from a Templar family?”

  Raven shook her head and stuffed another piece in her mouth as she shut the oven door.

  “Anyway,” I continued, “after I got to work, a coworker gave me opiates that I thought were aspirin, so I spent my whole shift high as a kite.”

  Raven snorted. “Kite. Because your magical name is Kite. That’s funny.”

  No, it wasn’t. “Araziel came in and I swear I thought I was hallucinating at first. We talked, and I think I’ve convinced him to stop killing and let the police handle prosecuting Bliss’s murderers.”

  “I think I’d rather the angel kill them. There’s no saying they’ll wind up in jail at the end of a trial, and honestly I don’t think jail is adequate punishment for what they’ve done.”

  I understood how Araziel and even Raven could feel this way. Heck, I kind of felt this way too, but laws were laws. I wasn’t a vigilante. I needed to uphold our human justice system. And I was trying really hard to convince myself of this when the alternative was so appealing.

  “How was your day?” I asked. “Did you manage to get everything prepped for the ritual?”

  Raven nodded. “Ritual is ready, tailor-made for Mansi and his goons. I also did a bunch of res
earch on Balsur in hopes of eventually getting that mark off you, and more on Araziel, although you seem to have that one wrapped up on your own. I’m beat.”

  I could imagine. I doubt I could have managed that and still be standing afterward. “I’m not convinced Araziel still won’t be a problem. It may have been the drugs, but he was really weird. All about justice and ridding Baltimore of evil by killing left and right.”

  She rubbed her eyes, holding her half-eaten pizza slice in her mouth. “Really? Maybe he’s a bit nuts from being this side of the veil. Or maybe Bliss’s death made him snap. Everything I read made him seem like a gentle and caring spirit, one who eases the soul’s transition at death. Nothing depicts him as an angel of justice or vengeance.”

  I yanked a piece of pizza out of the oven even though it still wasn’t more than room temperature. “I guess even angels can pick up the sword given the right stressor. Hey, I need to get a quick nap in to recharge and hopefully sleep off the remaining effects of my prescription pain relief. Can you gather supplies? And make sure I’m up at nightfall?”

  Raven gave me a thumbs-up and I headed to the bedroom, gobbling down the piece of pizza before collapsing facedown on my bed.

  One of the joys of narcotics is that they did allow for restful, dream-free sleep. I awoke not long after the sun had set, feeling refreshed and ready to banish demons. Unfortunately, my back didn’t feel as wonderful as it had when I’d been medicated. I stripped off my shirt and carefully peeled off the bandages, looking at the red skin and dark scabs across my shoulder blades and waist. Grabbing a tube of antibiotic cream and a washcloth, I walked out of the bedroom to ask Raven if she’d mind playing nurse.

  Raven wasn’t the only one in my apartment. I froze, topless with a washcloth in one hand and a tube of cream in another and stared at Dario. His gaze lowered and I flung my arms across my chest, my face feeling as red as my back.

  “What… what are you doing here?” I stuttered. Duh. The vampire had left some pretty insistent messages last night. I should have realized he’d be tracking me down come sundown.

  Dario’s eyebrows were practically on the ceiling as he looked at me, naked from the waist up, and then over at Raven. “Are you a couple? I hadn’t realized. I’m so sorry for intruding.”

  Oh Lord. I just wanted to sink into the floor with embarrassment.

  Raven blinked in shock. “Oh, hell no. I don’t do girls. Aria’s a friend. And friends feel comfortable walking around half-naked in front of each other when they’re camped in a one-bedroom apartment to summon demons.”

  “Actually I was hoping you’d put some of this on my back.” I extended the tube, keeping one arm across my breasts.

  Raven hopped off the counter. “Sure. Turn around.”

  I would rather do this in the bathroom away from Dario’s eyes, but opted to get it over with as quickly as possible so I could get a shirt on and regain what was left of my dignity.

  Raven took the tube and I turned around, wincing as the cold cream hit my back.

  “That looks painful.”

  Dario’s voice was too close and I instinctively wrapped my arms once again across my breasts.

  “A demon clawed me. And then burned me. And no, you can’t lick it.” I have no idea why I said the last part, it just came blurting out of my mouth. Maybe I still had some of the drugs in my system, or maybe Dario seeing me half naked was making me jumpy.

  “I have no intention of licking you.” His voice sounded weird, and I couldn’t tell if he was amused or appalled by the idea. “Where is this demon that attacked you? Did you kill it?”

  “You don’t kill demons,” Raven scoffed, “you banish them to hell. And you hope they don’t hold a grudge and track you down if they wind up summoned again and on the loose during your lifetime.”

  I rolled my eyes, even though no one could see. “I banished it. And I’m not particularly worried that he’ll come after me again, even if he winds up summoned and out of a circle.”

  I wanted to sound bad-ass in front of Dario, so I left out the reason I wasn’t afraid of Innyhal. And I also left out the little fact that my banishment hadn’t worked, that it was Balsur who had thrown the demon back into hell.

  “Good.” Dario’s voice sounded farther away and I felt my muscles relax. “Your friend tells me you are banishing four more demons tonight? I’m assuming these demons are the reason you didn’t call me last night and update me on the angel?”

  I really longed to lay on the guilt and have him think that while he was yelling at me over my cell phone I was being torn apart by a demon, but I didn’t have it in me to lie any more than I’d already done.

  “I’m so sorry I didn’t call you. There was a massacre of mages by a group of demons in the west side of town, then Raven and I had to summon another demon to figure out what was going on, then the angel deposited a bunch of dead bodies in my parking space and I had to deal with that. I forgot I’d put my phone on mute, and was non-stop from sunset to sunup.”

  Raven gave my shoulder a quick pat and handed me the tube of antibiotic cream. I headed in to the bedroom and threw a T-shirt on without bothering with a bandage or bra. It stuck uncomfortably to my back, making me wish I could just walk around topless for the rest of the evening.

  I came out to find Raven and Dario both munching on the leftover pizza. The vampire extended a piece to me. “So the angel is still hunting mages? Is there any indication that he might come after us?”

  I winced and told him of my conversation with Araziel today, sparing no details.

  Dario stared intently at my face. “Do you think you can convince him we’re redeemable and under your protection? Can you banish him or send him back to heaven? I’m not really all that comfortable with him roaming around the city with ideas of moral gentrification going through his head. Maybe with this Bliss woman dead and her murderers arrested, he’ll go back to heaven?”

  I shrugged. “It’s hard to tell with angels. He may decide it’s his mission to stay, that he needs to make sure the death mages are penitent or punished until the end of their lives.”

  The vampire got that speculative, narrow-eyed look on his face that I didn’t really like. “Do you think he’d leave if all the death mages involved in his human’s death are gone? As in, dead-gone?”

  I was beginning to realize that the vampire solution to most of the world’s problems involved someone’s death. “Probably not. From his conversation this afternoon he wants to turn Baltimore into a sort of Nirvana for good and holy people. Which doesn’t bode well for the vampires.”

  I hated to lay it on the line like that, but I didn’t want Dario and his Balaj taking it upon themselves to murder every mage in Baltimore, just to make sure Araziel returned to heaven. I felt guilty as soon as I saw Dario’s panicked expression.

  “We can’t abandon this territory, not after the centuries we’ve spent building up liaisons and developing our business interests. We’d be drifters again, and without the scepter, taking over another territory would be a bloody affair.”

  Yeah, guilt. I’d taken the scepter that unified them, that in the hands of a skilled necromancer could make a rival group walk right out of their territory and surrender it up without a fight. If Araziel took over, they’d have no choice but to flee Baltimore and try their luck somewhere else.

  I had such mixed feelings over the whole thing. The vampires fell on the dark side of that gray area between good and evil. Humans were their food, and their blood slaves died sooner rather than later. They held their territory through affiliation with some of the worst of human gangs and drug cartels, and they weren’t shy about killing to send a message. I didn’t think them irredeemably evil, but I did disagree with their methods.

  “I’m working on it. I promise you, Dario, I’m working on it. I don’t want to see your Balaj roaming the country without territory any more than you do. Just let me deal with these demons and the mages who are killing people first, then I’ll handle the angel
. Well, I’ll try to handle the angel.”

  His eyes bore into mine. “You understand why I’m so concerned about this situation? Why I need you to update me first thing each evening?”

  He was right. I’d put a reminder in my calendar or something because it shouldn’t be impossible for me to make a quick phone call sometime after sunset. Even if I was grappling with clawed demons, there was no reason I couldn’t call him eventually. Well, unless I was dead or unconscious in the hospital or something. Which made me think about what must have been running through Dario’s mind last night when I hadn’t answered my phone or called him back. I was surprised he hadn’t come by pre-dawn and busted down my door to see if I was okay.

  Although… Giselle. How the heck would he have explained that one? “Oh babe, I need to run out and check on a woman I used to want as a blood slave, just to make sure she isn’t dead.” I didn’t know much about Giselle, but judging from the two times I’d met her, that wouldn’t have gone over well.

  “I promise. I’ll call you at sunset and brief you.”

  There was a moment of silence where all sorts of emotions cycled across his gorgeous face. “No, we’ll meet. Every night one hour after sunset at Sesarios. If you can’t make it, you’re to call me.”

  If I was Giselle, I wouldn’t be happy about that either. I wasn’t sure exactly how I felt about that. I’d be meeting him every night at a restaurant I’d come to think of as our place. I’m assuming we’d have a cocktail, maybe dinner. Every single night. I wavered for a second but temptation was too much for me to resist. Plus as the resident Templar, I needed to meet with Dario. I needed to know about what was going on in the city from the vampires’ point of view.

  “Deal. Now get out of here before a bunch of mages start arriving. We’ve got four demons to banish.” And an arrest directly following if Tremelay got the text I’d sent him. It would be best if Dario were not around for any of that.