by Jill Cooper
Contents
Prologue
Chapter One: Jessica Blood
Chapter Two: Amanda
Chapter Three: Gwen
Chapter Four: Vain
Chapter Five: Duncan
Chapter Six: Jessica
Chapter Seven: Duncan
Chapter Eight: Gwen
Chapter Nine: Vain
Chapter Ten: Vain
Chapter Eleven: Amanda
Chapter Twelve: Duncan
Hannah
Chapter Thirteen: Jessica
Chapter Fourteen: Amanda
Chapter Fifteen: Jessica
Chapter Sixteen: Hannah
Duncan
Chapter Seventeen: Jessica
Chapter Eighteen: Amanda
Chapter Nineteen: Jessica
Chapter Twenty: Jessica
Chapter Twenty-One: Jessica
Chapter Twenty-Two: Amanda
Chapter Twenty-Two: Jessica
Chapter Twenty-Three: Gwen
Chapter Twenty-Four: Jessica
Duncan
Chapter Twenty-Five
Chapter Twenty-Six: Amanda
Chapter Twenty-Seven: Jessica
Chapter Twenty-Eight: Gwen
Mike
Chapter Twenty-Nine: Jessica
Epilogue
Prologue
The lights along the ceiling glowed like stars. They appeared to circle lazily, before his mind snapped back to reality. Where he was and why he was there, escaped him.
But man, oh man, his body ached. Called out for sweet relief.
Duncan Jasper was a prisoner, but he barely remembered who had him or why. His body hurt, man did it hurt. He couldn’t even roll into a comfortable position. Skin battered and bruised, and his body used to pleasure someone else’s tortured desires. The skin on his back had split open from the whippings and they oozed puss as they healed.
Sandy brown hair, a twirling toothpick in the corner of his mouth, once he was all jokes, but since surrendering—to…who was it?
Vain.
It was Vain. The murderous bounty hunter who trafficked women as sex slaves, and aligned herself with demons. There was no humanity left in her. Under her lock and key, things didn’t go as Duncan expected. She was meaner, harsher, and more brutal, than he’d ever given her credit for.
But why would he do it? Why not kill her and get away?
Duncan could barely remember his own name. Beyond the wisps of pain, was the image of a church. Demons were everywhere, maggots swirling beneath their skin because that’s all they really are. Dirty, muddy, maggots shaped and held together by evil.
Behind the veil of the church were two women. Both with fire red hair. One of them had the gentle features of a pixie and a heart of gold. The other, with captivating green eyes, packed a snarl that could shed a snake of his skin by the sheer force of her will. It was her that made Duncan’s heart leap.
With excitement. Fear.
Her name carved out in the darkness and was a light to show him the way home.
Jessica. Jessica Blood.
They were the Blood sisters and they were his family. Duncan would do anything to find a way to save them. Even if it meant becoming Vain’s slave. He did it to buy them more time. So Amanda could free Jessica’s soul from the mark of Lourdes, so she could become her own person again.
So they could rise against evil and slaughter it for good.
Now his only way out was rescue or death. Vain wasn’t joking around when it came to payback. Maybe he deserved what he got, but Duncan was ready to move on. Didn’t want to suffer anymore at the hands of a woman for whom pleasure and torture was often the same thing.
Duncan hung from chains, suspended in an open set of French doors that led to a sitting area outside the master bedroom. The bedroom was decorated in red and black. Vain was partial to the Victorian era—furniture and dressings—a distinct difference from her own manner of dress. Class versus crass.
A collar was cinched tight around Duncan’s neck. His left eyelid was swollen and his other was sliced.
Duncan moaned. Every breath hurt, but Vain’s girls didn’t really care. They dotted perfume on his skin and used warm washcloths to clean his wounds. If he hadn’t been in so much pain, he would see they were the most beautiful of women. Their makeup always perfect, their small waists defining perfect hourglass shapes, thanks to the restrictive corsets they wore. Ringlets of hair flowing down their backs, they were the epitome of glamor.
“Don’t be upset, Duncan,” Alexis purred and kissed his aching, bloody lips. They tasted like candy and made his head swirl. Were the girls’ themselves drugs? It sure as hell felt like it. “We’re going to give you pleasure.”
“So much pleasure,” Michelle giggled. “But we’re saving you for her.”
“For her,” Alexis smiled. “Our mistress.”
“Here she comes, here she comes!” Michelle and Alexis squealed and danced over to Vain as she entered through the bedroom.
Duncan’s head fell into his chest and he used the ruse of sleep to keep his good eye on Vain. Still in her silver catsuit, it was a stark contrast to her mocha skin and long black dreads. Her gloved hands rubbed the tops of her working girls’ heads as they greeted her. Tight embraces and doting kisses upon Vain’s lips proved she was truly queen.
“He’s gone unconscious again,” Alexis said with a pout in her voice, “but we cleaned him for you. He’s all yours.”
“And he can be ours!” Michelle purred against Vain’s cheek before she licked it with her long, moist tongue.
“He’ll be nothing of the sort,” Vain growled like a cat. “Leave us, won’t you? Duncan and I have much to catch up on.”
The girls were gone and the door slammed shut behind them. Duncan licked his chapped lips as Vain took center stage. She peeled her gloves from her hands. His heart raced as Vain grabbed his hair and yanked his head up. Sneering in his face, she sniffed. “You think you can really fool me?”
Duncan blinked his bloodshot eye. “I have nothing to say to you. So if you’re going to kill me…”
Vain laughed. “Kill you? Nothing of the sort, Duncan. The Bloods are on their way here. You’re my bait. Both Blood sisters will die and they’ll be no one left to oppose me.”
So they were okay? Jessica was healed and the mark of Lourdes was removed? Duncan’s hope skyrocketed “If you think the queen of the underworld is going to let you kill her prize—.”
“Lourdes? Please.” Vain reached into her pocket and pulled out a crystal ball. The center was blue, swirling of smoke and magic. “She’s already dead. The world has changed, Jasper. The rules are broken.”
Dead? How?
Vain ran a hand along the top of her crystal ball and showed it to Duncan. “Peer inside and see.” She licked her lips with anticipation.
The blue smoke cleared and in its place Duncan saw a battle. A great battle. Jessica was seized by Lourdes, the royal queen of the underworld, and Jessica—his girl—was dying. Her face turned a ghastly gray and began to rot like a corpse.
No way. Jessica couldn’t be dead, but still the pain in his chest beat like a drum.
But she wasn’t. Amanda surged from behind, a sword in her hand. She pushed Jessica clear, and, in a flash, slaughtered Lourdes. The evil queen dissolved into black ink, floating through the air. Duncan couldn’t believe it. He couldn’t.
She did it. She really had the power to do it.
He couldn’t help a smile. “That’s my girl,” he muttered.
And Vain punched him quick in the chest. Duncan gasped from the painful blow echoing through his ribs. He coughed and tried to catch
his breath.
“A great battle will be waged now. Someone will need to take up the throne.” Vain put the crystal ball down on the table. She wrapped her arms around Duncan’s neck. Her leather squeaked and pulled taut against her skin.
He turned his head away from the sultry look in her eye and the stench of her scent. Once, sure, maybe it was alluring, but now Duncan knew it was all magic and tricks. She was a deceiver and she used her body in more ways than one to get her way.
“It’ll all be mine. The demons. The power. And with my little spin on things, all the money. The world.” Vain tugged on his lip with her teeth. “I will be queen and you’ll be my king.”
“Over my dead body.” Duncan’s eyes simmered with rage.
Vain huffed out a muffled laugh. “I’d rather avoid that. I have my ways, Duncan. You’ll be mine. Mind, body, and soul. You’ll be the one who kills Jessica and Amanda Blood. Not because you want to, but because I asked you. Because you will call me mistress.”
She sounded so certain. Duncan’s heart pounded with a rush of fear. “I’ll turn the blade on myself before I turn it on those girls.”
Vain gripped his throat tight, her fingernails piercing the under layer of his skin. “We’ll see….” Her eyes narrowed. “We’ll see….”
Chapter One: Jessica Blood
They stood upon the crest of the world. Jessica, Amanda, and the man, Joseph, who they had freed from the demon, Vaughn. The ocean was behind Jessica and circling them were a legion of husks, who had once served Lourdes. Now, they stooped over on bended knee, their heads bowed at the feet of Amanda Blood.
Her sister.As if she was their master. Their queen.
The husks spoke as one, as if joined together by a hive mind. “All hail, the new queen of the underworld!”
Jessica’s vision spun as her mind was thrown for a mighty loop. “They’re joking. Who knew these guys had a sense of humor?”
Amanda wore a bewildered expression, her mouth fallen open and her eyes wide. “They’re not…joking. At least, they think they’re serious, but there’s no way it’s true. I can’t be the queen of the underworld.”
Truer words were never spoken. Jessica wouldn’t allow Amanda to be lost to the underworld. Not now—not ever. Jessica gripped her gun tighter as the husk stood and shook its shriveled up dust head.
“You cannot avoid the calling. Lourdes has been slain by your hand. If you don’t come with us, the underworld will be leaderless. Chaos will ensue. Earth will suffer, my lady.”
Amanda’s whole body tensed and she backed up. “I’m no one’s lady. I am my own and I don’t serve evil.”
Jessica’s stomach rolled uneasily. Glancing at Amanda’s tender face, she felt as if she might be sick. Was it possible for Amanda to turn her back? Walk away from this thing like it was nothing. “What do we do?” Jessica’s voice surprised her. It sounded so young and afraid. Not something she was used to.
“You said it yourself,” Amanda stood straighter and adjusted her dress. “We find Duncan and rescue him. Our plans haven’t changed.”
“Just like that?” Amanda didn’t seem fazed at all, and that worried Jessica the most.
With that, despite their chatter of protests, Amanda turned her back on the husks. With a wave of her hand they fell into heaps on the ground—their bodies dissolving into piles of dust and ash.
“Amanda!” Jessica stared at them and back at her sister who was strolling over to the car. What had she done? Where had that surge of power come from? Jessica was too afraid to ask, but she had a feeling she knew.
Bending over, she picked up the sword used to slay Lourdes. For better or worse, this sword was theirs now. Amanda’s fate was tied to it.
Nodding her head at Joseph to follow, Jessica climbed the hill in Amanda’s wake. “You realized what you did? Without even thinking about it? You destroyed all of them like it was nothing, Amanda.”
Her awe for Amanda’s power morphed into a powerful fear. What was happening to her baby sister? Whatever it was, already Jessica felt powerless to stop it.
“They didn’t have souls, Jess. They were empty husks and we don’t have time to have them following us all the way to Vegas. Trust me, I’ll be fine.”
“Bull shit,” Jessica’s eyes narrowed. “I don’t have to be an empath to see you’re lying. To see—.” Jessica cut herself off when she realized what she said. Amanda lied. She had never lied before, not even when they were kids. It wasn’t just in her and now she was doing it off the cuff like that…
Damn, Jessica was scared. Her insides shivering from the cold at the knowledge that her sister was changing in ways Jessica didn’t like. Didn’t want to accept.
“We take one problem at a time. We know where Duncan is, so we go get him. Please. I owe him my life, Jessica.” Amanda’s eyes were wide and pleading.
Jessica crossed her arms and gazed at the sunset.
“Whatever is wrong with me, we have no way to fix. So let’s get to Duncan and save him while we still can. If I am queen of the underworld, I might have power over Sin Town. But I’m not going down without a fight.” Amanda opened the passenger door and got inside.
Jessica pieced the sentence that was missing in Amanda’s little statement. She wanted to get there and rescue Duncan before she changed. Before she was claimed by the underworld. How did Jessica even fathom such a thing?
All this time, the fight they waged, couldn’t it all just be over after slaying Lourdes? For now the conversation was done, but it looped inside Jessica’s mind. Joseph stood beside her, staring at the ground dumbfounded. “Sorry we rescued you yet?” Jessica asked.
Joseph shook his head. “A lifetime of torture and agony isn’t something you just get over, but I rather be free with you than stuck with Vaughn.”
It wasn’t a ringing endorsement, but one Jessica could appreciate. “I’ll take better than a demon any day. Get inside. We’ll hit a dinner on our way. You must be hungry.”
Joseph’s eyes lit up. “I haven’t tasted food in a thousand years. I’m not sure I even remember what it tastes like.”
Jessica popped the trunk and threw the sword inside. Her vision popped with light, and for a brief moment, she heard Lourdes laugh—almost as if mocking her and all of her trials. Was it in her mind—or was it coming from the sword?
Didn’t really matter though, did it? The bitch was gone and that was enough for her.
Jessica slammed the trunk closed and got behind the wheel of the car. Amanda was already lightly chattering with Joseph like nothing had happened. Like they could go back to business as usual. It released some of Jessica’s pent up anxiety, but not enough. Not all.
Jessica started up the car and shifted into drive. While doing that, she glanced at the rising sun. A new day was about to be born, but was it a day she was ready to face?
Hardly. And the way Amanda was cradling her wrist, set Jessica on edge. Something was wrong. Something was happening.
Jessica might be powerless to stop it, and Amanda wasn’t sharing what was happening to her on the inside. Whatever that meant, it was bad, but Jessica wasn’t going down without a fight.
If the underworld wanted Amanda, they were going to have the fight of their lives. Jessica didn’t go through literal Hell just to lose her sister. They always found a way.
Jessica just had to do it one more time.
****
An hour into their trip to Vegas, Jessica couldn’t take the gnawing in her gut anymore. They pulled over to the Silver Street diner to grab a bite to eat. The dinner crowd was already there, hoarding tables. By the time they got into a cramped booth with torn seats, Jessica was ravenous. The smell of sizzling burgers from the kitchen was enough to drive her impatience through the roof. They ordered coffees and burgers with all the fixings.
Jessica spun the ketchup bottle in her hand. Across the way, Amanda was caressing her wrist absently. She was hiding something. Jessica wasn’t used to her keeping secrets, and had trouble keeping h
er venomous eyes to herself. Joseph, for his part, was oblivious. He sipped his coffee and rattled on.
“I haven’t tasted anything in centuries. Eating while possessed is dull and almost flavorless—if that makes sense.”
It did, but Jessica didn’t feel like agreeing with him. She popped a handful of potato chips into her mouth and enjoyed the satisfying crunch. The salt danced across her tongue in a pleasing way. “So, where you from originally? Europe?”
“Jerusalem, actually. I was tending my flock down to a stream. While I was bent over the water, something took shape in my reflection that was dark. It twisted my face and a few moments later…” Joseph sighed. “I was sure God was angry at me. I tried to repent, but it was not God at all. It was Vaughn. He took many names, but that was always his favorite.”
Amanda’s eyes were moist and she leaned into Joseph as if they were friends. Jessica guessed they were. Amanda felt that way pretty much about everyone, but still it made Jessica feel sour, even though there was no reason to.
Except this guy wore the face of Vaughn. The one who started all this mess.
“I’m so sorry for everything he put you through,” Amanda said.
Joseph frowned in sadness. Jessica ran her finger along her gums to clear away some chewed potato bits. “How’d you learn English so well?”
Amanda’s eyes widened, as if her question was off base, but the only thing wrong here was bringing Joseph with them in the first place. “Jessica.”
But Jessica shrugged and tried to temper her voice. “Just a question, since we’re travel buddies now. We have to talk about something.”
Joseph held up his hand with a soft smile. “It’s all right, Amanda. I don’t mind the questions. Your sister is right not to accept me so easily. “
He folded his hands and turned toward Jessica. There was a beautiful, but haunted quality to his eyes. Jessica could tell he had seen a lot, like a soldier returning home from war, but his had almost been unending. It might have softened her a bit toward him, but not toward Amanda’s decision-making skills.
Joseph was here because Amanda chose to exorcise him. Period.
