by Cat Adams
Bullets began to rain on her from a dozen different directions. Blood and flesh exploded from each impact as her body did a gruesome, jerking dance before toppling face-first onto the ground.
A male voice filled my head. I recognized it as the voice of the greater demon, no longer syrupy sweet but so angry his very voice was a bludgeon. This isn’t over, Celia. I will have you.
I retched from the force of the intrusion. If Creede hadn’t caught me, I’d have fallen. He helped me to sit, shoved my head between my knees, and surrounded us both with a shield that pushed the demon away.
Those few of Stefania’s troops who were still alive laid down their arms as Queen Lopaka arrived with the reinforcements. They kept her guarded behind a wall of troops until every last enemy was bound. Only then did she step out from behind her guards to walk over to where Stefania lay.
I rose, a little unsteadily, and went to join her, as did Adriana and Hiwahiwa.
“She’s not dead.” I was shocked. There was no way Stefania could possibly have survived her wounds; from the look of things, most of the blood had drained from her body. Yet that same body still drew ragged breaths. I felt my stomach heave again. You’d think the vampire in me would be attracted to all the blood, but it wasn’t. She was just raw, bloody meat and I wanted none of it. I asked, of anyone who could answer, “Why isn’t she dead?”
Queen Lopaka spoke softly. “We are immortal, for the most part. Jealousy can kill us. That, and certain special magical weapons.” She knelt on the bloody ground, her trousers instantly becoming soaked with gore. Reaching beneath her jacket sleeve, she drew a knife—the knife I had given her. Thrusting her left hand into Stefania’s hair, she pulled the wounded woman’s head up sharply, exposing a length of pale neck. Their eyes met and Lopaka’s went frighteningly cold.
“You are relieved of your throne, sister.” She slashed the knife across that pale expanse of skin, but there wasn’t enough blood left in Stefania’s body for it to spray.
The vanquished siren gave one long, violent shudder and was still.
22
I was in shock. Again. The doctor said so. They wrapped me in blankets, fed me chicken broth mixed with something. It was insanely good and I wasn’t really sure I wanted to ask about the secret ingredient.
Someone herded me into the infirmary. I didn’t see who. Didn’t see much of anything, really. I kept slipping in and out of focus. Some kind soul had brought me a tall mug of hot coffee. Warmth, food, and caffeine were slowly beginning to work their wonders.
“This is insane!” Creede snarled. “The whole plan should be scrapped. There’s no way we still have the element of surprise, and without it this is a suicide mission. You can see for yourself, she’s in no shape to do anything.”
Queen Lopaka sat in a chair next to the bed I was sitting on. She was listening calmly and politely as everyone around her shouted and argued.
“I have seen—” Adriana’s voice was cold, hard.
“Seers have been wrong before,” he interrupted her. “No offense meant.” The apology was perfunctory and I wasn’t positive he meant it. Apparently he and Adriana weren’t hitting it off.
“I’ve seen it. The rest of the clairvoyants have seen it. It is necessary.” She gave me an odd look. “And Celia is tougher than you think: tougher than I would’ve suspected.”
“I don’t like it,” Creede growled. “It smells like a trap.”
“You don’t have to like it,” Adriana snapped back. “What do you think, Mother?”
Everybody turned to the queen, including me, though I felt like retching when I did. Concussion, thy name is Celia. “King Dahlmar has to do this if he is to have any hope of regaining his throne. He intends to go forward with the plan, with or without Celia’s participation.”
“Without,” Creede snapped. Adriana opened her mouth to begin the argument anew but stopped at a small gesture of the queen’s hand.
“That’s up to Celia.”
“I’m going.” I stood up and threw off the blanket. I didn’t even wobble . . . much. “How much time have I lost?”
Creede answered me, his tone making it clear that he didn’t think I’d be ready. His growl was almost protective enough to be sweet. “We leave in a half hour.”
But I don’t need protection, though I appreciated the gesture. “Good. There’s time. I’m going to need some more of that broth and I need somebody to get me a phone.”
Adriana passed me her BlackBerry. “Use mine.”
“I’ll get your food.” Hiwahiwa rose. She’d been so quiet, back in the corner, that I hadn’t even noticed she was there. I nodded my thanks as she hustled out the door. Sliding open the phone, I dialed a number I knew from memory.
“DeLuca residence.” I didn’t recognize the voice. Not really surprising. It sounded like a kid, and several of Bruno’s siblings had been breeding like bunnies. I’m not sure how he can even keep track of them all.
I didn’t bother with greetings. If I started in on the niceties and checking on all the family I could be talking for a week. “I need Matty’s direct number. It’s an emergency.”
“Hang on. He’s right here.” By the muffled sound of what followed, the kid had put his hand over the speaker. It didn’t make a difference to vampire hearing. “Uncle Matty, it’s for you. She says it’s an emergency.”
He took the phone. “Hello?”
“Matty? It’s me.”
“Celia . . . look, I’m really sorry, but—”
I interrupted him before he could say more. I didn’t want to talk about Bruno. I couldn’t even afford to think about him right now. There was no time and I couldn’t afford the distraction. “Matty, this isn’t about Bruno. It’s about the demon, the one you helped banish in the stadium parking lot. He’s back and he’s actively trying to get into this dimension.”
Matty didn’t swear, but I could tell he wanted to. He gave a sharp intake of breath and there was the sound of a door being firmly closed. “Tell me.”
I did. Even talking as quickly as I could, it took a few minutes to cover it all. But he was a good listener and smart. He let me get it all out before he started asking questions.
“So one of the summoners is dead, but there’s at least one more out there.”
That pretty well summed it up. Someone was still pulling the strings and my money was on Ren. A family that summons together and all that. “Yes.”
“And he’s targeted you specifically? Spoke directly into your mind?”
“Yes.”
“All right. When you were hurt last time, when the demon actually touched you, what did the priests at the hospital do?”
“They cleaned the wounds with holy water and blessed me. Why?”
He swore again. “They didn’t do a full exorcism?”
“No. I wasn’t possessed. They didn’t think it was necessary.”
Matteo gave out a growl that would do Kevin proud in wolf form. “Is that what they said?”
“Yes.”
“So they didn’t do an exorcism.”
Now I let out an exasperated breath and stopped pacing around the room. “Didn’t I just say that? I think I’d remember an exorcism, Matty. They’re supposed to be pretty intense.”
He swore some more. I was pretty sure a few of the words weren’t approved by the order. “All right. I can’t be sure without looking for myself, but I’m guessing that what we have here is a breach. Working with demons stains the soul. The more you do it, the more of a tie you have with them. Eventually they can and do use the summoner himself as a doorway to get into our reality. Being injured the way you were marked you—creating a link between you and the demon. Killing the first summoner closed one door.”
“But—”
“But you’ve been marked. If there’s another summoner, that person can bring him over and he can use the mark to home right in on you.”
It was my turn to swear. I wasn’t precisely surprised, but I’d hoped for better news.
“Is there any way to unmark me?”
Silence dragged on for what seemed like an eternity. “Maybe,” he admitted. “If you were human, I’d suggest a full exorcism. But with you being part vampire—”
He didn’t have to finish. I knew the answer. “It could kill me.”
“Yeah.”
I didn’t even hesitate. Better to die clean than risk eternity with a demon. “How long would it take you?”
“Let me get in touch with a few people. In the meantime, get to a church—”
I interrupted him. “Can’t. We’re going after the other summoner. Is there anything we can do for now? Some sort of ‘patch’?”
“You need a priest.” His voice was hard, unyielding. “You’ll be slaughtered without one. And if you die now, with the demon having marked you—”
I shuddered. I couldn’t help it. The problem was there weren’t any priests on Serenity. Ren had fetched the one this afternoon from freaking Italy. Then again, knowing what I did now, that could’ve been a stalling tactic. But even if there was a local church, they certainly hadn’t ever needed one of the militant orders. No monsters. Not until now.
“I’ll catch the next plane.”
I shook my head while everyone in the room stared at me. The sirens’ expressions made me think they were eavesdropping through my own mind. Creede was probably listening in with magic. “There’s not enough time.”
“Make time, Celia. I’m serious. People will die, but that’s nothing compared to what will happen to you.”
Pale and trembling, Okalani began tugging at my sleeve. They’d brought her to the infirmary to be checked for shock. She’d come up clean, but she and her mother hadn’t left yet.
“Hang on, Matty.” I covered the receiver. “Yes, Okalani?”
“I can bring him here. I just need to see where he is.” She was scared enough that I could see white all around the pupils of her eyes. But she was determined, too, and smart. I hadn’t even thought about what she was proposing. Good kid.
Tell Matteo I’m going to be joining his thoughts, Adriana ordered. I did, then watched as she began concentrating. On the other end of the line, I heard Matty swear yet again. A moment later, Okalani gave an abrupt nod and vanished. The call cut off.
It seemed like the longest few minutes of my life, waiting for Okalani to reappear. Hiwahiwa had come back with my food.
I felt the familiar lurch and Okalani and Matty were in front of me.
A Catholic priest from the Order of St. Michael, Matty is one of God’s own warriors. He’d be impressive under any circumstances—the DeLuca boys aren’t small and Matty works out hard. He was even more impressive than usual at that moment, having come prepared. He was carrying a black bag that looked like a doctor’s bag; a large water cannon filled with what was probably a quart of holy water; a silver tube on a sling that I knew from past experience held communion wafers; and a sawed-off shotgun whose shells were undoubtedly filled with silver shot. Even the queen raised her eyebrows before putting one hand to her chest and bowing her head in a gesture of respect.
Matty opened the black bag, pulled out a small jar of oil, and stepped in front of me.
“All right. This is a short-term solution only. As soon as this is all over, you and I are going to the nearest church and doing the full exorcism. Understood?”
He sounded so much like his uncle Sal it was uncanny. Absolute authority. Wow. Little Matty had grown up.
“Yes, sir.”
“All right.” He took a deep breath, made the sign of the cross, and began murmuring a prayer in Latin. I felt movement in the air; it coalesced into heat. He poured a tiny amount of oil onto his fingers and anointed my head with the sign of the cross.
It burned. I screamed and dropped to my knees, blinded and gasping with pain, my eyes streaming tears. Seconds later, I could see again. People began to rush to my side, but Matty held out his hand for them to stop. His cross was glowing with a white light so bright it was like a tiny dwarf star.
Everyone stood still, but it was obvious they didn’t like it. He continued to chant and I screamed as fast as I could draw breath. For long seconds I thought I might die, almost hoped I would, just to end the agony. And then, as abruptly as if a switch had been hit, it was over.
“You okay?” Creede was on his knees beside me instantly. He gently smoothed my hair back from my face and looked down at me with worried eyes. I was still too shaken to speak easily, but I nodded and managed to gasp out the word, “Peachy.”
Matty snorted while Okalani gave a nervous giggle. But Creede just looked at me. After a long moment when he did nothing but clench and unclench one fist, he shook his head and pulled back. “I think this is a bad idea. You should stay here, rest, and recover.”
I managed to half sit up. I didn’t vomit. Yay, progress! “Would you, if the situation was reversed?”
“Yeah, I would.”
“Liar.” I smiled when I said it, to take the sting from the words. He didn’t smile, but the corner of his mouth twitched.
Queen Lopaka shifted in her seat. She was still in her ruined clothing but, to my amazement, managed to look regal despite it. If you are going to do this, you will need to go to the staging area.
Do you think this is a bad idea?
She paused for a long moment before responding, I think it is foolish but necessary.
I blinked a little. Maybe it was the shock, but that didn’t make a bit of sense to me. Lopaka gave me a gentle smile and explained, Eirene must be stopped before she sets loose great evil on the world. The prophets told us there was a tainted child of our line who would destroy all traitors among the sirens and save the world from evil. When you were a child, Stefania’s prophet must have told her that the savior would be you or your sister.
That’s why she cursed us and why she was willing to run a suicide mission to take me out in the conference room.
Precisely. So, foolish or not, you must go. This must end. When the time comes, you must not hesitate.
I won’t.
She rose from her chair. Then she did something that shocked all of us. She hugged me. She let me go very abruptly and turned to her daughter. “I would speak to you for a moment.” She drew Adriana to the far side of the room. She spoke softly—aloud rather than mind-to-mind. I didn’t know why. Still, no one without vampire hearing would be able to overhear. I pretended I couldn’t, either, gathering up my things as noisily as I could to make it harder for everyone else to hear what they said.
“I really wish you wouldn’t do this, Adriana. I don’t want to risk losing you.”
“I’ll never rule, Mother.”
Queen Lopaka gave a gusty sigh, as if her daughter was being particularly dense. “I’m not worried about losing you as a princess. I’m worried about losing my daughter. I love you. It would kill me to lose you.”
Adriana smiled. “You won’t die, because I’ll be careful.”
“I could order you to stay.”
The daughter and subject acknowledged that with a nod. But then she touched her mother’s cheek softly. “Please don’t. I want to do this. It’s important. I need to be . . . to do . . . something important.”
I didn’t miss the change in wording. Neither did Lopaka.
Creede checked his watch, his voice all business again. “If we’re doing this we need to get going.” He strode toward the door. Okalani was right behind him. I followed her, stopping to hold the door for Adriana.
She gave her mother a fierce hug. “I love you, too. Try not to worry.” She hurried past me and down the hall.
Hiwahiwa looked at me for a long moment, her brows furrowed and her face intent as she looked after Okalani. Take care of the child. I’m no prophet, but I believe she’s important. More important than we know.
I’ll do my best.
“Five minutes. Take your positions.” The commander’s voice cut through the confusion like a razor. King Dahlmar rose from his seat at the table where a group of us h
ad settled in to wait, moving to take up a position in the center of the group. Creede rose next and reached his hand down to me. Normally I wouldn’t need the help, but I really did feel like I’d been hit by a truck. Whatever Matty had done hadn’t killed me, yay. But it had done me some damage. What remained to be seen was whether or not it was worth it.
“I’m coming with you,” Matty said in a tone that brooked no argument. “You need me in case she summons that demon.”
Creede looked at King Dahlmar, who gave a curt nod. Matty had blessed each and every person in our group. Those who weren’t Christian weren’t really sure what to think about the man in black with the cross, but a holy man is a holy man in pretty much every religion. It also surprised me that Matty was able to switch between languages easily and that the prayer he offered was slightly different for each person.
Creede stood directly in front of the king, Matty and I immediately behind Dahlmar; the four of us and Adriana were surrounded by a thick ring of soldiers. I felt my stomach tighten with nerves as a deep voice in the far corner began to count down from ten. At “one” I felt the familiar lurch, as if the world were moving sideways. I barely heard the word “now” and we were there.
23
It’s one thing to see a plan play out in a clairvoyant’s bowl. It is another to have it happen in real life. I’d half-expected Okalani to run into a magical shield like the one we’d erected earlier around the conference room. Whether Kristoff was too arrogant, didn’t have mages with enough oompf, or there were too many people going in and out of the room, he hadn’t bothered.
We materialized into absolute chaos. The press conference was being held in a large room, but the space was crammed with press and equipment. The only clear spots were a small area in front of the stage and another small space between the table where Kristoff sat behind the microphone and his uniformed men stood guard.
We appeared in front of the stage, weapons at the ready. Okalani disappeared immediately and the mages who’d replaced those injured by the demon attack raised a barrier, sealing the room.
