by E. S. Moore
Beligral chuckled and regained some of his composure. He brushed down his suit and smoothed back his black, oily hair. “I’ll see you soon,” he said before turning. He raised his hand, finger pointed, and the tear between realms opened before him. Heat poured out, as did the rank scent of sulfur and blood.
He glanced back at me once, winked, and then he stepped through the rip. It sealed behind him instantly. The lab felt suddenly cold.
I stood there, staring at the place he’d been. My mind was warring with itself. No matter how much I knew I’d done the right thing, I couldn’t stop wondering whether or not it was truly possible for him to make me human again.
With no other choice, I turned and left the room. Beligral might still be there, hiding behind a glamour, but I couldn’t do anything about it myself. I headed upstairs to find Ethan so he could make sure the demon was truly gone.
6
I spent the night in the hall outside my bedroom where there were no windows. It wasn’t comfortable, but if it meant keeping Sienna out of Levi’s hands, I’d do just about anything. I didn’t know why she was so important to the angel. I just knew she’d never have to suffer him again as long as I was alive.
The wait was hardly easy. I paced more than I sat, nervous about both Sienna and what Beligral had said. As much as I wanted to say I didn’t give his offer a single thought, I couldn’t help turning it over in my mind during the long hours of the day. It’s easy to be selfish when no one else is around to see you do it.
But there was no way I was ever going to do that to Sienna. All it took was one peek into my room where she soundly slept in my bed, looking at ease for probably the first time in a very long time, to know I couldn’t do that to her. I’d find another way to help her.
I leaned against the wall and closed my eyes. I was so embroiled in my own thoughts, I didn’t even realize it was evening until Ethan emerged from his room. He gave me a tired smile before dragging himself into the shower. As soon as it started up, Jeremy stepped out of his room farther down the hall. He came over to lean next to me.
“When did you get in?” I asked, frowning. I didn’t remember him coming up to his room and I was positive he had yet to come in from his search of the grounds when I’d left the basement. I’d checked his room to be sure.
“First light,” he said with a yawn. “You were standing in the hall staring at your door. I didn’t want to disturb you. You looked pretty intense.”
I grunted. “Did you find anything out there?”
He shook his head wearily. “I’m pretty sure something was there, but whoever or whatever it was, they stayed well ahead of me.”
“Keep an eye out,” I said.
“Will do.” He pushed away from the wall. “I’m going to start breakfast. Want anything?”
“Maybe in a bit. I’m going to stay here until Sienna’s up.”
He patted me on the shoulder before heading downstairs. A few minutes later, the smell of coffee and frying bacon wafted up the stairs. My stomach grumbled in protest.
The shower turned off and a moment later Ethan bolted across the hall with a towel around his waist. He got dressed and came out of his room, red in the face, hair still dripping wet.
“She awake?”
I shook my head.
“I’m going to go eat. It smells good.” He started to walk away, but stopped. “You should come with me. Waiting on her won’t do her any good. You look beat.”
I glanced at my bedroom door. He was right. Sienna very well might sleep into the evening. She’d looked tired enough to do it. I had things I needed to take care of tonight, so it wasn’t like I could stand around waiting.
“Let’s go.”
I followed Ethan down into the dining room. Bacon was already heaped on a plate in the middle of the table. Jeremy was buttering a stack of toast as I sat down. He carried it to the table and placed it beside the bacon. Ethan retrieved his coffee and poured me a glass of orange juice.
“Here,” he said. “You look like you need it.”
“Thanks.” I felt exhausted. While I didn’t need to sleep, rest was as important to me as it was to anyone else. I could go much longer than a Pureblood, but if I didn’t stop to take break every now and again, I’d collapse.
“Eggs will be up in a few minutes,” Jeremy said. He deftly cracked an egg and poured it into the pan with his one hand. I couldn’t even do that with two.
“Show-off,” I grumbled before chugging my orange juice. I followed it up with a couple of slices of bacon and a slice of toast. I was so glad vampires could actually eat real food. I don’t know what I would have done if the stereotype had been true and vampires could only consume blood. I’d probably have offed myself years ago.
The eggs smelled great and I really wanted to sit and wait for them, but I just didn’t have the time. I rose from the table, wiping my fingers on a napkin.
“Already?” Ethan asked.
“Yeah.”
“I’ll stay here,” Jeremy said, bringing in the eggs. They were perfectly formed, not a single one broken. I really was starting to dislike him. “Do what you have to do.”
“We’ve got this.” Ethan smiled over the edge of his coffee mug.
“Thanks.”
My weapons were downstairs waiting for me. I hurriedly strapped them on, threw on my coat over top of them, and then headed out the door. It was like tearing myself from a sick child as I put the house behind me. I really wanted to be there for Sienna. If she had another attack and I wasn’t there to stop her . . .
No. Ethan and Jeremy could handle it. They wouldn’t let anything happen to her while I was away.
A new worry crept into my mind as I drove. What if Countess Baset had a name for me? She hadn’t had one for me in two Mondays now, which was rare. Normally, I got one every other week at the least. Most of the kills were pretty easy, something she probably could have had one of her own do, but she preferred to make me work. At least if nothing else, it kept me both busy and funded. Her money paid the bills without me having to pick the pockets of those I killed.
I arrived at the designated location just a little later than normal. No one was waiting outside for me, which was worrisome. Baset’s man usually met me outside the moment I pulled up. If he’d left because I was a few minutes late, I was going to be pissed. I was sure Baset would retaliate, even though I had shown up.
Seconds ticked by. I shut off the engine and stepped off my bike. The road was eerily silent, as if everyone had up and decided to be anywhere but here at the exact same moment.
A feeling of dread crept over me. I drew my gun from its shoulder holster, but kept it pointed down at the ground. It didn’t feel right here. The gas station across the street looked open, but no one was visible inside. The store next door was likewise lit up, but seemingly empty of life.
“Henri?” I called, scanning the building in front of me. The alley beside it was dark. If someone was in there, I wouldn’t be able to see them until they moved. My night vision wasn’t what it used to be, so the deepest shadows were nothing but blackness.
I was about to move forward and try the door to the building when the smell hit me. It was so overpowering, I took two quick steps back, nearly tripping over my motorcycle in my haste to get away. I gagged and was forced to cover my nose and mouth with my arm lest I throw up.
Two shapes emerged out of the pitch-black alley. I recognized Henri immediately. He was smiling at me in a way that told me I was in more trouble than I’d counted on. The man was a sick bastard and a necromancer to boot. I didn’t like seeing him look so happy.
From the smell of things, there was only one person that could be standing next to him. She was heavily cloaked, hood pulled down over her face with gloves covering her hands, but I’d know her anywhere.
“Countess Baset,” I said, straightening. I would not show weakness in front of her, no matter how awful she smelled.
“You can put that away now,” Henri said, glanc
ing casually at my gun. “It would do you no good.”
I was tempted to shoot Baset and see. She’d supposedly been raised from the dead by Henri. A part of me wanted to dismiss the story as fiction, but really, if you saw or smelled the vampire, you’d believe it too.
I slid the gun back into its holster and showed them my empty hands. I took small, slow breaths, trying hard not to breathe in too much of the stench radiating off of the undead vampire. Back in her mansion, she’d managed to keep the smell of rot from permeating the building, yet here, she was letting it flow freely. Was she doing it on purpose to keep me off-kilter? If so, it was working.
“That’s better.” Henri smiled. There was something small and black in his teeth. I had to fight hard not to retch. I knew what he’d been eating recently. “Now we can begin.”
Baset shifted beside him, but said nothing. She refused to look up at me, meaning all I could see was the darkness under her hood. Not a hint of skin showed anywhere on her body, and really, it was something of a relief. She wasn’t much to look at on a good day, and with how bad she smelled now, I doubted this was one of her best evenings.
“I have some other things to take care of tonight,” I said, tearing my gaze from Baset’s silent form. “Do you have a name for me or not?”
Henri chuckled. He leaned in close to Baset, who whispered something into his ear. Even though I couldn’t make out the words, I could hear the rasp that was her voice. It was like nails on a broken chalkboard.
“Best ease up on the smoking,” I said to cover my unease. It wasn’t much of a dig, but standing there in silence was getting to me.
Henri’s face went blank and he took a step away from Baset. A strange, garbled sound emanated from her chest. It took me a moment to realize she was laughing.
All of the blood ran cold in my body. I’d thought Beligral’s laugh was creepy. Baset’s held a bat shit crazy tone to it that put the demon’s sinister chuckle to shame.
“Not quite yet, my dear assassin,” Baset croaked. I could almost see the plume of foul fumes that spewed from her mouth. “It will be a long time until my demise.”
“Yeah?” I asked. “Is that why you’ve come all the way out here tonight? You feel the need to prove something to me?”
She laughed again. I swear it was like sandpaper rubbing into my eardrums. It made my eyes water.
“Countess Baset wished to speak to you personally,” Henri said, taking over. “There are issues that need to be addressed and she thought it best she be here for the conversation in case you are . . . unclear on certain points.”
I crossed my arms to stop them from shaking. I was trying to act casual, but this whole thing was getting to me. Baset never left her mansion. Whatever she had to say had to be pretty big or else she would have had Henri pass on the message for her. I wasn’t liking this at all.
“Okay then,” I said, a slight tremble in my voice. “Speak.”
Baset took a step closer. I would have backed up, but I was already practically standing on my bike and if I went around it, she might think I was planning on running. I held no illusions that the two had come alone. I couldn’t see anyone else around, but I could sense them.
“You have agreed to become my assassin,” Baset said. “And up to this point, you have done an adequate job of it.”
“That’s good to know,” I said. “But you really didn’t have to come all the way here to tell me that.”
Another step forward. The cloud of rot enveloped me. My breath stopped in my throat. It was all I could do to keep from throwing up all over her. How in the hell did Henri stand hanging around her all of the time?
“I need more,” she said. “I need you to focus on my wishes, not your own. You spend too much time putting yourself at risk for others. I cannot have my—”
Baset doubled over with a hacking cough. Something wet and thick sprayed out from beneath her hood. I didn’t have time to avoid it. Red and black chunks of what I could only assume were pieces of Baset’s innards splattered onto my boots. The pieces looked diseased, like dead flesh that had been left in a stagnant pool of water.
I clenched my teeth and looked away, knowing if I stared too long, I’d be sick. Baset might claim she had many years yet to live, but from the look of things, she was overestimating her limits by quite a bit.
Henri stepped forward and rested a hand on Baset’s shoulder. I could feel the power radiating off of him, but didn’t see anything that told me what he’d done. He simply touched her and the coughing fit ceased. Baset shook him off with an irritated shrug of her shoulders. Apparently, like me, she didn’t take well to looking weak in front of others.
“I guess things aren’t working out as much as you’d like?” I said, sounding far more smug than I felt.
Baset might be rotting, but she could still move like any other vampire when she wanted to. Before I could react, she was pressed against me, a gloved hand wrapped around my throat, cutting off my air. In a way, it was a blessing. She was breathing right into my face. It probably would have killed me if I would have actually breathed in her stench.
“You know nothing,” she spat, flecking my face with her red-tinged spittle. “The power I have . . .” She sucked in a deep breath as if tasting her own power. “It’s intoxicating. I am far more than I have ever been.”
I didn’t move. I did my best to face her down, knowing if I tried to fight back, she’d simply break my neck, or have one of her hidden minions shoot me. This was someone who had been a major player before her demise and subsequent resurrection. She still had power, obviously more than I’d given her credit for.
“The time is coming when I will make my move,” she said. “I need all of my assets there with me and you are one of those assets.”
She held me there a moment longer before letting me go. She took a single step back, but was well within reach if I wanted to strike.
But what good would it do? Unless I could kill both Baset and Henri before the others hidden in the shadows could put me down, any resistance would be futile. He’d just bring her back from the dead and then more than likely would do the same to me. I’d have no choice but to join her then.
I straightened and brushed down my coat before staring defiantly into Baset’s hood. I might not be able to kill her now, but damn it, eventually I’d get my chance.
“One month,” she said. “You have one month to untie yourself from those that bind you. After that, you must give yourself wholly to me. I no longer need to test you with meaningless kills.”
Anger flared through me. I couldn’t control it. Baset was trying to claim me and that was something I couldn’t allow.
As soon as she took another step back, I drew my gun and had it aimed at her head before she could so much as flinch. I held it there, ready to shoot, ready to fight it out, even if it meant my death.
Baset only laughed.
“Your bullet will not kill her,” Henri said. “And if you so much as try, you and everyone you hold dear will suffer. You can kill us all and it will matter little in the end.”
I swung my aim to Henri, held it there, inches from his smug fucking face. All it would take was one pull of the trigger and he’d be dead. I was positive he was the only thing keeping Baset alive. It would be like killing two birds with one stone. Hell, probably more than that since her entire House would fall with her death.
Yet I couldn’t do it. Killing him would feel damn good, but it would end up coming back to bite me in the ass. I couldn’t risk my friends now, especially not while Sienna was in my house.
I lowered my aim and shoved the gun angrily back into its holster.
“Fine,” I said. “And what are we doing in a month?”
“You’ll know in time,” Baset said predictably. As if a vampire ever gave away their plans ahead of time.
Baset turned and walked back to the alley, leaving Henri and I facing each other.
“You will no longer come here,” he said. “In one month’s
time, you will come to Baset’s mansion and will be given a task from there.” He started to walk away, but stopped. “Don’t try to fight,” he said, almost as if he pitied me. “It’ll do you no good.”
Oddly, he bowed his head to me before walking away.
I watched them go, refusing to so much as look away until the feeling of being watched had faded. The entire night suddenly felt lighter, as did my stomach.
The moment I felt certain I was alone, I turned and threw up in the gutter.
7
The smell lingered long after she’d gone.
I sat on my bike, trying to wrap my head around what had just happened. Baset was claiming me. In one month, it was either allow myself to be pulled further into her grasp, giving up everyone I loved, or watch as she destroyed everything I’d worked so hard to achieve. There was no good solution.
I should have tried to kill her. Both Baset and Henri had been right there. I was fast. I could have taken Henri out first and turned on Baset. Without him, she wouldn’t have survived for long. Even if it had meant my death, at least she wouldn’t be around to harm others.
But I hadn’t done it. My fear of what she or her minions might have done if I’d tried had stopped me. Was I getting weak? Or was I just learning to care?
There was nothing I could do about it now. She was gone and sitting there wasn’t going to accomplish anything. The street was slowly starting to return to normal. An older man was now standing just inside the gas station across the street, watching me.
I started up the engine and pulled away from the abandoned building. Baset was going to be a problem soon enough, but there were a few other issues I had to deal with first. It was what she wanted anyway.
I’d gone about a mile when I realized what I really wanted to do. If my life was going to fall apart around me, then I had to put things right. I couldn’t do that unless I talked to Jonathan.
I did a U-turn and headed back the way I’d come. More and more people were coming out, tentatively checking to make sure the danger was gone. No one was going near the building where Baset had stood. They could probably still smell her.
