by Julie Kenner
What would happen if Eric wore the stone and jammed his finger into Lilith’s eye?
Suddenly excited, I dialed my house, then waited impatiently until Stuart put Eddie on the line.
“Sounds like a damn fine plan for trapping her, but it makes Eric your scapegoat. He’s gonna get stuck back in the dead zone.”
“What if we combine the attack on Lilith with an unbinding ceremony? Then wouldn’t Eric stay and Odayne be sucked out?”
“Don’t know,” Eddie said. “Don’t really know.”
“Can we research it? I mean, it’s an idea, right? And it’s a way to get rid of Lilith. She’s dangerous, Eddie. And she’s never going to give up. She’s going to go after my family.”
“I’ll call Rome,” he said. “I’ll get the stone here. At the very least,” he said, “it’s a weapon. And we need all the weapons we can get.”
I hung up feeling slightly ill, because I couldn’t imagine sacrificing Eric back to the ether. If we could find an unbinding ritual, then maybe it wouldn’t come to that, but I had to confess that I was losing hope. My options seemed to be closing in around me, and my goal of saving Eric was beginning to waver against the bigger goal of keeping my children safe and alive.
I hated having the choice thrust upon me, but I also knew which way I was going to choose. For my children.
Always, always for my children.
I drew in a breath as I turned on Eric’s street and prayed that it wouldn’t come to that. I wanted to unwrap Eric from Odayne and fight side by side with him to nail Lilith and her demon lover. And all I could do was hope that Eric was still enough inside David’s body that he could help me make that wish come true.
It was perhaps a foolish wish, but I couldn’t get it out of my mind. No matter how many secrets he’d kept from me, I knew that one thing was true—Eric loved me. And if there was any way—any way at all—for him to help me on this quest to save him, I knew damn well that he would find that way.
I found a spot right in front and pulled in, then raced up the stairs to his apartment. I pounded on the door, got no answer, and tried the knob. It turned easily, and I pushed the door open.
Then I froze.
The scene before me reeked of déjà vu. Nadia on Eric’s lap in the chair nearest the door. Eric’s hands on her, his eyes blind with passion.
The last time I’d walked in on such a scene, Eric had been mortified. This time, I don’t think he even noticed me as Nadia impaled herself over and over and over on him, her fingernails digging into his shoulders.
I should have looked away—I wanted to look away—but somehow I couldn’t. And because of that, the smug smile on Nadia’s face when she turned to look at me hurt that much more.
“We have company, darling,” she said, pushing Eric back as he bent forward to suckle at her naked breast. His head turned slowly, and I saw his eyes widen as he looked at me. I saw more, too. I saw recognition. I saw Eric.
No. That wasn’t him. That wasn’t the man I loved. It was Odayne and only Odayne, and with my chin high, I took a step inside the room. “Odayne,” I said. “He won’t let you stay, you know. Eric’s a fighter. More than that, he’s a winner.”
At that, the body I knew as Eric only laughed. “What makes you think he hasn’t already won? I am victory. We,” he said, in that painfully familiar voice. “We are victory.”
He rose then, his back displayed to me, and I saw the bulging, horrible scar on his back. The serpent, and it seemed to be staring right at me.
I shook my head and, unable to bear it any longer, shifted my gaze to Nadia. “I’m going to kill you,” I said, slowly and softly. “I’m going to take you out, watch you die, and then I’m going to dance on your hollow, lifeless body.”
“Temper, temper,” she said. “And don’t even think about it. We are very strong. And if we choose to, we will crush you like a bug.”
“We,” I repeated. “You and Lilith.”
“What a good little student you are. Of course. We are one now.”
“Not completely,” I said. “Not yet.”
“Do you think you can stop us? You cannot. We are strong. We are timeless. And we are ever so patient.”
“You’re evil and you’re vile, and I’m going to end you.”
“How?”
I stayed silent, and she laughed, the sound surprisingly girlish. “You enjoy your heroic fantasies, darling. The rest of us will live in reality.”
I took another step closer, my fists clenched tight at my sides.
“Ah, ah,” she said, and suddenly there was a knife in her hand, its tip pressing into the flesh over Eric’s heart. I froze. Eric, I noticed, smiled.
“You won’t kill him,” I said. “You want him too much.”
“Clever girl,” she said. “But killing him won’t send my darling away. Not this time. He’s twined enough inside the body now. Not fully. Not yet. But close.” With her free hand, she stroked his cheek, the gesture so gentle, so loving, it made me sick. “Kill the flesh and the demon will still live, here, inside this body.”
“And Eric?” I asked, hating myself for asking, and fearing that I already knew the answer.
This time, Eric’s head turned to look at me. “He will be with us, of course. He is always with us.”
“It makes the human in me happy,” Nadia—or, rather, Lilith—said. “She likes him, you see. And I think you already know that he likes her. Likes her very, very much I believe.”
I couldn’t stay. Couldn’t watch the two of them anymore, couldn’t listen to the horrible things Lilith was saying. Or that Odayne was saying through Eric’s mouth.
And as much as I wanted to, I knew I couldn’t take them on. Not and survive.
And if I didn’t survive, then neither would my family.
I turned away, my back to them before either could see the tears, and pulled the door open. I hurried out, Nadia’s laughter echoing after me.
I’d hoped to get away. To at least get into the car before the tears came, but my control wasn’t cooperating, and I stumbled down the steps with tears streaming down my face. I cried for Eric, trapped in a body he didn’t want to be in. And I cried for myself, unable to erase the picture of my beloved Eric with another woman, even though I knew it wasn’t really Eric at all.
I cried because I wanted to save him and I had no idea how.
And I cried because I was tired. I was so damn tired.
“You’re a fool,” Nadia said, and I whipped around to find her behind me, now wearing one of Eric’s shirts and nothing else.
“Careful,” I said. “You’ll catch cold.”
“Stay away from me, Kate. Don’t get ideas. Don’t think you can play the hero and win this round. You’ve won too many times, darling. You’ve used up your quota.” She leaned in close, her face only inches from mine. “It’s my turn, sweetheart. It’s my turn to win.”
I tried to think of a snappy comeback, honestly I did, but my mind wasn’t sharp enough. My reflexes were a hell of a lot sharper, and I kicked up with my knee at the same time I smashed forward with my head. I caught her hard in the crotch at the same time I smashed her nose. A second later, I had her by the shoulders and sent her tumbling down so that her bare ass skidded hard on the rough concrete sidewalk.
Her face curved with fury, and she stood, eyes black now, the whites totally gone.
I stepped back, realizing I’d crossed a line. Realizing for the first time that Lilith was no ordinary demon and that I’d just fucked up, but good.
“You won’t kill me,” I said, praying that Eddie was right. “You can’t kill me.”
“The hell I can’t,” she said, her voice seeming to reverberate throughout me. “But you are right. I won’t. Do you know why?”
Something squeezed at my throat, and I realized it was her hand. I blinked, not at all sure how she’d moved that fast. My body was icy with fear, but I fought it. Told myself to steady. I wasn’t dying today. Not now.
A small
comfort considering there were lots of ways to hurt me. Lots of ways to make me beg for death. And lots of ways to punish me without ever giving me that sweet release.
“Do. You. Know. Why?” she repeated.
“I die, he dies,” I said, working hard to speak with my throat held so tight. “And all this work is for nothing. They’re both gone. Back to the ether. And your precious Odayne will have to start all over again in some other body.”
Her brows lifted. “Aren’t you the clever one? But you’re wrong. So very wrong.”
“The hell I am.”
“Something like that,” she said with a smile. “The truth is that if you die, Eric dies. Eric dies, but Odayne stays, warm and cozy in that body I like so much.”
I swallowed, trying to process what she was telling me. Because what she was saying—what I was hearing—was that my death was the unbinding spell I’d been looking for.
“That’s right,” Nadia said, apparently reading my thoughts. “Odayne is within the flesh now, and there he will remain.”
“You lie,” I said. “If that were true, you’d be trying to kill me right now.” Yet even as I spoke the words, I knew that she was telling the truth. And I also knew why she wouldn’t kill me—why she wouldn’t release Eric’s soul from Odayne. It was for the reason Allie said—Lilith wanted that brush with humanity, and she wanted her lover to have a bit of humanity as well.
“You understand,” she said. “I see it in your eyes. I want my beloved back. Is that so hard for you to understand, Katie-kins? Is it so hard for you to see how we are alike? You should be supporting me, not hunting me. For that matter,” she said, with a flick of her wrist, “you should be down on your knees worshipping me.”
And then I was. She’d tossed me down like so much garbage and the hand that had been on my throat was now on the top of my head, grasping my hair, tilting my head back so that I had no choice but to look at her.
“I have her in me now, the Hunter who vexes you so. Her humanity flows in this body that I now fill. We are not yet one, but we will be soon enough, and when that happens I will be open to all the pleasures of your world. I will wish to share them with my beloved. And for that, he must feel the sting of humanity, too. For that, he needs his counterpart. The human soul with which he has been twined lo these many years.”
“It was an empty threat, then,” I said. “Inside. When you threatened Eric with the knife.”
She laughed then, and her hand shook as it did, jerking at my hair and making me wince. “Not at all. Kill the flesh, and the soul lives inside. Once Odayne is fully bound to the flesh, the death of Eric’s body will not break the bind between them.”
I licked my lips, my mind racing. I had no reason to doubt what she said, but at the same time, she hadn’t shoved the knife into Eric’s heart. There could only be one reason why she held back, and that was that Odayne still wasn’t yet fully bound in the flesh. He was emerging, but the game wasn’t over yet. Which meant—or at least I hoped it meant—that there was still time to save Eric.
“But killing me is different than killing the body,” I said. “The Lazarus Bones tied my soul to Eric’s. Kill me, and you free Eric’s soul. And your lover loses his grip on humanity.” I managed a smile. “Quite the conundrum, I’m sure. It must really irk you not to be able to kill me.”
“Not at all. I’m a patient woman, after all. After so many millennia, patience comes quite easily to me. And once Odayne and Eric are fully bound, the ties between you and your husband will be broken. He will no longer be yours; he will be fully mine. And once that happens, dearest, I assure you that I will kill you without hesitation.”
“He’s fighting it,” I said. “I don’t care what show you put on for me in there. Eric’s fighting it.”
“Yes,” she said. “He is. But that hardly matters. He’s losing the battle. He’s tiring. He’s weakening. And even if he weren’t, I’m unwilling to take chances.”
“You’re going to do something,” I said, thinking of all those ceremonies Eddie was talking about. “Something to fuse Odayne and Eric.”
“Clever girl. I merely intend to hurry the process along.”
“How? When?”
“Such curiosity! But it doesn’t matter. There’s nothing you can do to stop it. And once it’s done, I promise I’ll put you out of your misery. You can thank me for that later.”
“You’ll never touch me,” I said, but considering she had me by the hair, I’m certain my words lacked their full impact.
“Oh, I assure you I will. And in the meantime, dearest, I may not be able to kill you, but I know how to hurt you. You, and those you love.”
And with that, she hauled back with her free hand. Lightning fast, her fist flew at me, and with her other hand holding my head in place, there was nowhere to go. I screamed when she made contact, the world turning red, then gray, then black.
And as my head hit the pavement, I was vaguely aware that she was gone.
And after that, all was black.
Fifteen
The light tap at my bedroom door startled me, and I lifted my head from the pillow, my fingers still stroking Timmy’s hair. I’d been lying there for an hour, my little boy asleep beside me, and I’d been watching him. Just watching. And trying hard not to think.
“Hey,” Allie said, poking her head inside. “Daddy called.”
That got me moving, and I sat up, angering the headache that was pounding against my eyes. I don’t know how long I’d lain unconscious and sprawled out on the sidewalk in front of Eric’s apartment, but it was long enough to make my muscles stiff. I’d gone home and moved straight for the bedroom, taking Timmy with me, only giving Stuart the barest overview of what had happened as he taped up my broken nose.
“What did he say?” I asked, and saw Allie wince at the nasal quality of my voice.
She came over slowly and sat on the edge of the bed, careful not to wake her sleeping brother. “He said to tell you he was sorry,” she said, and I felt the tears start to well. “And that you shouldn’t give up on him because he’s going to beat this. He says he doesn’t know what happened. That it was important for me to tell you that he doesn’t remember any of it. That it was Odayne, and he was inside, but he was lost and he couldn’t get out.”
“But he’s out now.”
She nodded, her own eyes brimming. “And he said that he loved me. And that I was supposed to tell you that he loves you, too.” She drew in a deep breath. “Mom, what happened?”
I shook my head. Never was I going to tell her that truth. “The demon,” I said simply. “The demon is taking over, and Lilith is right there moving it along.”
“And Nadia?”
“As far as I’m concerned, they’re one and the same.”
She licked her lips. “Can we really stop her? I mean, she’s, like, hugely powerful.”
“We have to,” I said, refusing to harbor any doubts. “It’s the only hope your dad has. Stop Lilith, and he can fight Odayne. Buy some time. But if we can’t stop her, she’s going to do the binding ceremony, and Eric really will be lost.” I reached over and squeezed her hand. “I need to talk to Stuart and Eddie, okay? Don’t you have some research to do?”
“Tons,” she said. “Does that mean I don’t have to worry about homework?”
“No school for you tomorrow,” I said. “Or Friday.”
“Next week?”
“This will be over by next week,” I said firmly. “One way or another, it’s going to be finished.”
She stood up and moved to the door, then paused and looked back at me. “I called everyone and canceled my party.”
“Allie!” It was, of course, the right thing to do. I’ll confess, though, that I was amazed that she’d done it.
“They’re trying to hurt you through us. I figured they wouldn’t hesitate to go after a bunch of my friends. Slaughter a bunch of innocent teenagers, and—” She broke off with a shrug. “Well, you know.”
“You’re
absolutely right,” I said, coming to a decision. “And you’re still having the party.”
She frowned. “Are you nuts?”
“Not with your friends. But with us. The family. Laura. Mindy.” I tried to smile, but stopped when it made my nose hurt. “You deserve it, and we won’t be in any more danger in the theater than at home.” And though I didn’t say it, the truth was that we were probably in less danger. After all, home had a multitude of windows and doors whereas the theater had only the main entrance and one fire exit. And if nothing else, it was another evening during which I would know everybody’s exact location.
“You really mean it?”
“Absolutely,” I said. “We’ll bring extra holy water, stock away a few weapons, and pray,” I said. “It’ll be smaller than we planned, but it’ll still be a party.”
“Yes.” She made a pumping motion with her fist, then flashed me the kind of grin that assured me I’d made the right decision. “And, Mom? Sorry about your nose.”
My fingers automatically rose to brush my battered nose, and I winced. “That’s okay,” I said. “I was getting tired of seeing the same reflection every time I looked in the mirror. Stuart and Eddie,” I reminded her. “Can you get them for me now?”
“Right.”
She scooted out, and a few moments later my husband and Eddie trundled in. Stuart immediately came to the bed and put his arm around me. Eddie paced, hands shoved deep into his pockets.
“The stone’s supposed to arrive on Friday. I talked to Father Corletti this morning.”
“So that’s the plan, then,” I said. “We get the stone, we corner Lilith, and we hope for the best.”
“How are we going to corner Lilith?” Stuart asked.
“Eric,” I said. “We use him as bait.” I looked up, met my husband’s eyes. “She loves him, you see. We get him away—make her think he’s in danger—and she’ll come. She’ll come, and we’ll be ready.”
