by Jill Cooper
Inside the girls shuddered. Some shivered in pain. They were drugged out, Vaughn’s little toys, but the time had come for them to answer to a new master.
“I need you to unlock the cages.” Vain threw her head toward poor young Hannah, tethered to a pole, weeping on her knees. “Bring me, Hannah.”
Vaughn laughed. “My finest treasures? Nice joke, Vain, but if you wanted my attention,” he bit the soft flesh of her cheek, “all you had to do was ask.”
Vain stroked his firm chest. Her fingers traced over his tattoos. “You’re good, but not that good, honey. I’m not sure how to tell you this, so I’m just going to come right out and say it.”
“All right,” Vaughn’s eyes flashed with uncertainty. Maybe a bit of fear? Hardly, Vain doubted he was smart enough to fear her.
“Your business is coming under new management. I’m taking the girls.” Vain nodded her head and Vaughn’s demons stepped out from the darkness. They seized Vaughn on all sides.
“What is the meaning…. I’m your boss! I’m in charge here! Vain!”
“Jasper is right about one thing,” Vain licked Vaughn’s lips. “I can’t sit by and watch you blow up perfectly good merchandise. They’re better off with me.”
Anger and fear mingled in his eyes. Vaughn bared his teeth and screamed. “Damn you, Vain!”
The demons assaulted Vaughn from all sides. They kicked him, punched him, and he fell, covering his head, as a force twenty demons strong wailed on him. Sad really, how easy it was.
Wistful, Vain titled her head. “Sorry, Vaughn. On the run like this, you’re no longer useful.” She blew him a kiss as he gurgled on his own blood. “Your boys, they want that little bit of fun that my girls can give them.”
Hannah cowered as Vain approached. “Please, don’t hurt me.” She sobbed and tried to crawl away, but the handcuffs made that hard.
From her belt, Vain took a key and unlocked Hannah’s wrists. “We’ll get you off the drugs, Hannah. Get you some clothes. I’ll teach you how to be strong.”
The young girl rubbed her wrists and sat on the floor. “Just let me go…please.”
Vain touched her face, tilting it to the side. “So pretty. You have potential. You’re going to be a good girl. Very good for business. Trust me, Hannah. By the time I’m done with you, you’ll call me momma.”
25: Gwen Blood
The phone rang and rang but no one answered. Couldn’t be good.
Gwen turned from the office but froze when she saw Mike step across the threshold. “Mike,” Her lips formed an O. Here she’d thought they were doing a great job of avoiding each other since the big speech, “what are you doing here?”
Her curt tone cut with accusation. Inwardly, Gwen cringed, but on the outside, she couldn’t soften her stance. Just couldn’t, if she did…well, that’s how they ended up in this mess, wasn’t it?
Hands on his hips, Gwen saw the ever present fury in his eyes. That drive and intensity were one of the reasons she had fallen in love with him in the first place.
“I thought everything was going to come out. So why did you lie?” Mike’s tone demanded a response. “Why did you lie to them?”
“It was necessary.” The words tasted bitter and Gwen found she couldn’t look him in the eye. Hadn’t they caused enough grief?
“Necessary?” Mike repeated with narrow eyes. “For who? You or them? Sure as hell wasn’t our—.”
Gwen held up her hands to keep him quiet, her eyes squeezed shut. Her sorrow wasn’t for display. Just being with him was too much, too painful. To hear it vocalized in such a way, it might’ve destroyed her for good. “What would you have me tell them? The truth? They know enough about what happened. Just…the circumstances are changed.”
Mike shook his head and had an incredulous glint in his eye. It was one Gwen was used to, even before their indiscretion. “If they need to know? It’ll come out at the worst possible time just like it always does. Don’t you know that? I’d thought of all the lessons, that one would’ve been the most obvious.”
Lessons? Gwent didn’t need a lesson in pain. “I couldn’t tell them. The burden of it destroyed us. Destroyed Jacob and everything he worked so hard to build.” Gwen squeezed her eyes shut and felt a strong wave of grief at the thought of her dear brother. Lost, gone because of her. The trouble his girls went through, because of her.
Did no one, not even Mike, understand the burden she carried? “I couldn’t have it wreck the girls any more than it has. Their destiny has been laced with our mistakes for too long, Michael.”
His eyes were warm and compassionate, but Gwen didn’t deserve either. She didn’t deserve his kindness. Didn’t want it, either. Being hated was easier. “It’s already shaped them, but it doesn’t all have to be bad. What they’ve been doing, purging the world of demons—.”
“Undoing our mistakes you mean?” Gwen tilted her head. “Our weaknesses are slowly destroying the world. Reshaping it. Now it’s going to be up to them to fix it. I’ll do my best to help them, to find a way to fix all of it, but they can’t know.”
“About our son?” Mike asked with a shaking breath and Gwen stared at him with her mouth wide. Couldn’t believe, after all, this time, how dare he even invoke his existence. “You’ve never said it. Never talked about him. Not since that day he was taken into the underworld.”
And had his blood consumed by Lourdes, giving her physical shape—cursing the Blood family to continue what his blood started—or to end it, one way or another. The Blood family was the answer. Always had been and would be to the end.
“It’s like for you, he never happened. Never existed.”
The pain filled her heart each waking moment. From the moment she woke up, from the moment she went to sleep, the grief for her son never left her. She carried him, nurtured him, loved him.
But it was a mistake. From the very beginning.
“We failed the world,” Gwen’s lip quivered. “So yes, I don’t want to talk about it. Want to forget what it was like to hold him. When we knew what he was, we should’ve killed him. Killed our baby boy before this could happen to the world! Don’t stare at me Michael Mortenson like I’m a monster because—.”
Mike’s mouth fell open and he backed up like she was a vile monster. “You loved him. I loved him. We were trying our best to keep him safe. He was a baby; we couldn’t have just—.”
Idealist, wasn’t he? Even still. Why was it only she who saw what needed to be done? Why did people always stare at her like she was a heartless beast? “Instead, look at the death, Michael. Look at how the world has changed. The demons, the drugs? The girls sold into slavery. It’s all on us because I defied fate and gave birth to that boy knowing full well what would happen.”
Mike shook his head. “Doesn’t mean we shouldn’t try. Just give up? If we did that, doesn’t that make us as bad as the demons?”
“No!” Gwen waved her hands at him. “Jacob pledged to protect us and look what happened. It’s all around us. If we took it all back, all of it, he’d be alive. The world would be a safer place. I might have loved our son, Michael, but I always knew letting him live was wrong.” She leaned against the desk and squeezed her eyes shut. “I always knew, one day, we’d lose.”
The tears in Mike’s eyes were ripe. “We’ve never been able to agree on this so maybe it’s best if we never speak of it again.”
Like she brought it up? “All that matters is that the girls know they are the answer to stopping Lourdes. When the time comes, they’ll do it. I know they will.”
Mike eyes couldn’t stop their accusing daggers. “And if they find out our secret? Don’t you think that’ll make them a little angry?”
“They won’t find out. I swore I’d take this secret to the grave and I will. The only people left who know are you and I. Unless you tell them.” Her tone was almost a dare.
“And Lourdes,” Mike muttered the name like a curse. “I’m just surprised she didn’t tell Jessica before now. What do yo
u think her plan is?”
“I don’t know.” That answer was perhaps scariest of them all.
“I’ll leave. It’s best if you don’t follow.” Mike turned, but Gwen didn’t want him to go. Not really. She spent time after time watching him walk away. Today was just one more time where she had something to say and she didn’t say it.
Gwen let him go. As she always did.
Gwen lingered alone in her thoughts. Wondering about her boy. What he would’ve been like, if he had been allowed to grow past infancy.
“In these moments,” Gwen mumbled to herself, “Jacob, I miss you most of all.”
Everything they gave to protect that baby, see him to term, and Gwen lost him anyway. That kind of heartbreak changed everything. Gwen had never been the same. Never taken another lover. Never felt the warm embrace of touch again and by God, it was better that way.
Gwen wiped her face. Hopefully, no one would be able to tell how upset she was. For better or worse, she left the office for the sanctuary. There she saw Mike again talking to her girls. Authoritative, he stood with his hands clasped in front of him and from the way he shifted his weight to each leg, Gwen’s alarms went off.
Jessica’s face was frigid and it was a look of controlled passion Gwen had seen many times before. Well, something had awoken her, but it wouldn’t be anything Gwen would be happy about. She was sure of it.
Amanda had a pleading look on her face. When she saw Gwen, her face lit up. It lightened her heart to see that girl again. God, she loved her. More than she had any right to, knowing what it was they were racing toward.
Gwen should’ve kept her distance, meant to, but one looks at Amana’s face crumbled all of her resolve.
Amanda pushed back Jessica and Mike. “Aunt Gwen, Duncan’s been captured. I followed the trail he took during the fight. Vain took him and I know where she took him.”
Gwen glanced between Jessica and Mike. “I don’t know who this Vain is…”
“It’s a personal matter,” Amanda said with a deep inhale. “We owe him our lives. More than once. We need to go after him.”
Absurd. Gwen nearly laughed. “The queen of the underworld is busy trying to escape from the underworld and you want to launch a rescue?”
Amanda’s nose crinkled. “I told you she wouldn’t be happy about this. But, Aunt Gwen…”
“Don’t Aunt Gwen me, Amanda Blood.” Gwen’s lips pursed together and her harsh voice lashed out. “We have a mission, nothing—.”
“Nothing else matters but the mission?” Jessica stepped forward. Her eyes lit with a fire they didn’t have earlier. “I’m through putting the mission first. No matter what Duncan’s business is with this Vain, I won’t leave him to die. We’re going after him with or without you.”
Gwen was used to Amanda wanting to save people, but Jessica? “You’ve been through hell in the last few days. It’s no wonder you want to give up. It’s been relentless. Year after year of demons, of fighting off—.”
Jessica’s eyebrow arched. Gwen had seen that look a hundred times. It only meant her heels were digging in deeper. “Giving up? I’m not giving up. I’m going after a friend. That’s fighting, not throwing in the towel, Aunt Gwen.” She gazed at Mike. “I was hoping you’d come with us. I know Duncan trusts you.”
Mike’s eyes were soft. Gwen couldn’t believe it, he supported Jessica on this. “We’re going to need Duncan. He’s a fighter. A warrior.”
“Then he can handle himself!” Gwen argued. When Mike opened his mouth to argue she held up her hand. “Just wait a second! I got us in this mess because of…love. You might call Duncan a friend, but isn’t it really more than that, Jessica? Aren’t you and Duncan—.”
“So what if we are? I’m not you. He’s not Mike. Our future doesn’t have to be your future. We’re wasting time. Either you’re coming with us, or we’ll set out on our own.”
This is where they were? Jessica would leave and go after Duncan? A man she hadn’t seen or trusted in two years? “Well,” Gwen’s eyes narrowed. “I must say I’m disappointed in you, Jessica. More than I could ever say. I never thought you would turn your back on the world.”
“You’ve been telling me that since you took custody of us.” Jessica’s eyes were ripe with betrayal. “I wasn’t fast enough, didn’t fight hard enough, coddled Amanda too much. I’m not going to let you talk me out of this. We’re going.”
Stung by her niece’s words, Gwen couldn’t find any words. She was hard on the girls, yes. But what choice did she have? Their lives were dangerous. The demons were always coming. She needed to fix it and the girls had to be strong. Their preparation hadn’t been an option, but for Jessica to feel like Gwen wasn’t on her side…
Mike stepped forward and spoke with a level voice. “Gwen and I will check into our sources. Make sure everything is all right in the underworld. If there’s trouble… If we call, will you answer?”
Jessica solemnly nodded. “Absolutely.” She shook Mike’s offered hand.
“Then that’s all we can ask. God speed, girls.”
Amanda turned to follow Jessica’s lead out of the church. Gwen hated to just see her go. Shouting out to her, Gwen cupped her mouth. “She’ll get you killed. Amanda, your sister’s head isn’t right.”
She turned with a sweet smile on her face. “I know, Aunt Gwen. I can feel it, see it, but I’ll get her through it. The best thing for her is to rescue Duncan. Face her demons.”
Gwen’s heart sunk as Amanda left. Sighing she blamed Mike. “This is all your fault. You could’ve taken my side.”
“It’s been a long time since I’ve taken your side even when you’re wrong, Genevieve. What Duncan did for Amanda in Jessica’s absence, he deserves our help.”
“And when the world fades into total darkness because Jessica and Amanda are nowhere to be found? What then?”
Mike snorted. “You never know anything but gloom, do you?”
“Something is wrong, Mike. I can feel it in my bones.” Gwen stopped short of grabbing him to give him a shake, but she really wanted to. “We’re going to need those girls and they’ll be nowhere to be found.”
“Jessica said she’d answer if we called.”
Gwen shook her head with a sly smirk. “You have a thing or two to learn about Jessica Blood.”
“And you have a thing or two to learn about Amanda Blood.” Mike crossed his arms and gazed out the window. “She’s not the frail small girl she was once. Amanda can stand up to Jessica.”
“Oh.” Gwen couldn’t keep the amused tone to herself. “Well, sounds like my niece has a new fan.”
“An appreciation. A respect. Something you should consider trying.”
Maybe Gwen was going about things the wrong way. Wouldn’t be the first time.
Lourdes
The veil of the underworld tore and Lourdes pushed her way through. Her bare feet, beneath her dress of torment and shame, pressed into the concrete of the street. Her toes flexed, with toenails painted a forever black, and dug against the hard substance.
A millennium since her eyes lay upon the sky and now Lourdes saw the glow of the moon. There were only ever stone caverns, the bleakness of rock, but here, the possibilities could be endless. Staring up at the stars, Lourdes felt her breath being swept away. Just past them heaven waited for her to return home.
Time to remind the angels she was made of fire and brimstone.
Her loyal legion flanked her on either side. Lourdes turned her head to address them. “Find me Vaughn. If you cannot bring him to me then bring me his head.”
“Yes, Malady!” the demon in charge bowed and they departed, leaving her to wander on her own and take care of business. It had been so long since Lourdes had a real meal, her stomach craved meat.
Time for a meal. Something young. Something fresh.
Lourdes sneered as she started across the street, but the glow of headlights barreled toward her. With a yelp, she jumped out of the way. A horn wailed in warning to her. I
s someone warning her in reprisal?
She would find them, Lourdes gripped her hands tight together. She would find them and then she would…
“Are you lost?” A little voice asked her.
Lourdes gathered up the fabric of her dress and spun around. The girl couldn’t be more than ten-years-old and stood at the mouth of a driveway. Short blond hair framed her face with a blue winter cap snug around her ears.
A child. A sweet, lovely child.
Bending over, Lourdes smiled and in the presence of her beauty, the girl shivered. Eyes wide, she took a step back. Lourdes’s smile had been known to chill even the worthiest opponent. “Why aren’t you in bed, dear child?”
“I was…waiting for my dad to get home from work. He works late on Thursdays.”
Days of the week. How quaint.
“Molly!” The girl’s mother stood at the open front door. Plump, in jeans and a loose sweater, she had circles under her eyes and a smidge of chocolate at the corner of her mouth. “Please stop bothering that woman and come inside.”
Her voice held a tinge of fear. Lourdes breathed deeply to take in the sweet scent and puffed up her chest. “Why don’t you invite me in? I haven’t had a real bite to eat in a long, long time.”
Pale as a ghost, Molly backed up toward the path to the front door, her hands gripping the boards of the fence as she went. Lourdes didn’t want to chase her, but she took a gingerly step forward. Each foot sizzled against the concrete and left their impression behind.
“Run, Molly!” The mother screamed and fumbled with some sort of device in her hand. Lourdes didn’t like it.
Molly turned and charged toward the door. Lourdes just missed the tail end of her sweater as she ran by, but just the proximity of her fingers singed the corner of the blue fabric. Safe inside, dear old Mom slammed the front door closed.
Lourdes didn’t need to kick it in. Instead, she touched the door knob and melted it so the door simply swung open. The simple house was nondescript except for the family photos on the wall. Homey, with toys cluttering the corners of the room. Humans lived so simple, didn’t they? Unaware that a war was going on.
