Rule Breakers, Soul Takers (Hell Runners Book 1)
Page 33
Boone had already taken an early start, scouting ahead a few rows over.
Uncomfortable being separated for any length of time, Jesse tapped his ear bud. “Boone. Get back here.”
“This is crazy-cruel, man. Do you know what’s going on in each of these cubes?”
“It’s not why we’re here.”
“He’s focused now.” Zane rolled his eyes. “We’ll have to go get him.”
They chased down his trail and found him studying a man tied to his chair by ropes of woody thorns. The man stared at a bank of six computer screens, three on top of three. Each screen projected a live feed of six different church doors.
“Find the one. Find the one,” the snippy little demon at his side cackled.
A rush of parishioners poured out of double doors in the upper right-hand screen. The captive’s eyes glowed fire, but his expression remained grim. He tapped the buttons on the keyboard. The camera panned until he paused on one. The screen froze on the face of a teenaged boy, sullen with downcast eyes. Every stitch of clothing he wore appeared threadbare.
“The one. The one. The one.” The demon squealed with glee and then disappeared in a puff of smoke. He appeared a moment later, on the screen, whispering into the boy’s ear.
“I can’t watch anymore,” Zane said. “We can’t rescue them all at once. There are too many to save.” There was one way to save an entire ring—The Door of Enoch. But Jesse couldn’t do with without his partner.
His chest ached. Prudence’s parting words splintered his heart into a thousand pieces. Much as he preferred having her by his side, pushing her away was the right thing to do. Even if she never forgave him.
“C’mon. We save our own first. We’ll worry about the others later.”
Jesse struggled to keep the glow of the path alive, his inner sight dimmed to almost nonexistent without Prudence. Maybe he’d been selfish, leaving her behind, but the thought of losing her, to this place, was excruciating.
He could still smell her on his skin. Their long night of lovemaking hadn’t left him alone for a single moment. A surge of warmth coursed through him like the aftermath of an orgasm, and then the vision zapped into his inner eye.
Prudence.
Plain as if she were right there with him.
Plain as if Niall had disobeyed his orders.
The path before him brightened, illuminating their way with a golden glow. Jesse’s jaw set hard, just shy of grinding his teeth.
“Niall!” He bellowed the name. “Niall, you—”
“Shhhh.” The shade materialized as a blurry ghost. “What’s with all the shouting today? Not smart in this overcharged atmosphere. Do you want to alert Baalberith?”
“He already knows we’re here.”
“For sure, he’s expecting you, though he may not know the particulars. After all, he’s a demon, not a God. Besides, he’s got an errant son and a pissed off chancellor to contend with. His attention is split. But then, so is mine.”
“Where’s Prudence?”
“She’s on her way. I suggest you take respite and wait here.”
“You were supposed to send her home.”
“I can’t control Prudence any more than I could control Siobhan.”
“And we all know how that turned out.”
The cruel words hung in the air. Jesse wanted with all his heart to suck them back, to not imagine the big Irishman cradling his dead wife’s body. “Niall. I’m sorry. That was uncalled for.”
“You can’t hurt me more than my memories do. I’ll do everything in my power, so you do not suffer the same fate.”
He nodded. “Zane and Boone, we gotta backtrack.”
“Heard the whole thing. Go get Prudence. Boone and I will stay here and do some recon. We’ll figure out this crazy-ass labyrinth while you’re gone.”
Jesse didn’t bother telling them it wouldn’t be necessary. With Prudence by his side, the path would be lit. Either way, he’d travel faster without them in tow.
He adjusted the weight of his backpack and whispered instructions to Niall. “Stay here. I’m connected to Prudence now and can find her without you. But I need you to keep them out of trouble.”
The shade nodded. “Hurry. She’s succumbing to the—”
He took off running. What the shade knew didn’t matter. All that mattered could be seen with his heart.
»»•««
Prudence paced the medieval hall. Where was Niall? He said he’d be right back.
The choir of the damned droned on like so much white noise. Her head swam from the repetitive, hypnotic chants, and she fought to shut it out.
Where was he?
Exhausted and hot, all she could think about was Jesse. Why had she delivered the ultimatum? If she kept her word, not only would she lose her partner, she’d lose his love for good. Not what she wanted at all.
But as things stood wasn’t what she wanted either.
She sure as shit wasn’t going to change because he loved her. Love was great. Empowering. Since he’d said those words, she felt like she had more strength. More backbone. Even without drinking the Holy Water.
By now, he should realize she was the whole package—hot lover and kick-ass warrior. She would use her gifts until the day they left her. Either with him or without him.
His choice. She expanded her pacing beyond the bend in the hallway, trying to keep her body and mind engaged. The air, always dry and smelling of dirt, warmed with subtle hints of lavender.
Nice change. She filled her lungs and exhaled slowly.
Wooden chairs lined the far wall, ornate and shiny as if freshly polished. Could be the source of the new smell.
Curious with time to kill, she approached the chairs. Each one had been intricately carved with figures and symbols. On any other day, she would have sketched the basics for Swift to decipher. But she had no paper, no pencil, and inexplicably, no gumption.
The urge to rest, mind and body, consumed her thoughts. Her limbs felt leaden and her eyelids weak. Given the chance, she could even nap.
Ridiculous. She never napped. And Hell always revved her blood.
But she’d been through a big ordeal today already.
A minute off her feet. That’s all she needed. A minute.
She eased down, sitting on the prettiest chair, the one with the butterflies and birds carved into the headrest. It emanated a familiar creak, like the swing on Jesse’s porch. A footstool of brocaded gold pushed up from the floor and elevated her tired dogs. She felt like a princess on a throne. All her muscles relaxed, her head lolled against the stone wall, and she took the first deep breath toward sleep.
Moments shy of dream state, a rumble woke her. The legs of the chair scraped the stone floor with a sickening shrillness. She pitched her body in an effort to bolt upright, but couldn’t move.
Rookie mistake.
Hell sought weaknesses. It found hers.
This was it. The end.
No more hope. No more promises.
She hadn’t saved anyone, and she’d leave Jesse in a world where he thought she hated him. Her chest throbbed, regret winding tight as a snake around her heart.
She loved him.
She’d die loving him. Right here. Right now.
And he’d never know.
“Jesse!” She screamed though she’d never see him again. “I love you.” Her voice dropped to a whisper. “Ten thousand times over.”
The chair lurched with the force of an earthquake, and then she was sucked into the abyss of the thick stone wall.
»»•««
Jesse’s feet pounded the stone ground like his heels could grow wings.
Whether Hell censored the connection or not, he couldn’t tell. He’d been so close when she disappeared into the wall, and then the vision cut out like the click from a TV remote.
He stared at the remaining chairs and at the empty space where she had rested. Fuck. Terror rose like high tide, shutting down his will to breathe.
No reply.
Of course not. He concentrated on her face. Nothing. Blocked and beaten, the ever-present evil overpowered his gifts.
The remaining chairs tempted him to sit. Not because he was tired. Because he wanted to follow her. Who knew where he’d wind up? With Prudence?
Likely not.
Still, with no bead on her, it would take the better part of forever to find her on foot.
Niall. Niall could do it. He could pass through the wall first and then guide Jesse.
He yelled for the shade, his voice reverberating back in a deafening din. A sharp pain cut straight through his skull. He slapped his hands over his ears and buckled in two.
Resting his forehead against the cold wall, he waited until the echo dissipated and then uncovered his ears to examine his damp palms. A kiss of blood budded in the center of each.
Niall wouldn’t be coming to help.
He beat the wall again. “Fuck!”
Hotter than any place he’d been in Hell, he shrugged his shoulder up to smear the sweat prickling his face. There’d been no time to shower, and he reeked of stale body odor.
The incense borne of their sexual activity muddled his thoughts. Damn. If only he could hold her one more time, kiss her, talk with her, he could make his life right. Tell her he was sorry, for pushing her off his truck. Sorry he left her behind.
He needed her—wanted her. Now and always.
The chair closest to him rumbled. Was that random? He yanked the collar of his shirt to his nose and inhaled what remained of her scent. The sweetest memories swam through his brain, and again, the chair rattled.
What the hell?
He stared down at the ornate seat, a set of stretched wings whittled into the wood across the back. Angel? Demon? Just plain old bird? He contemplated his very short list of choices.
Fuck. It couldn’t get any worse—well, it could, but he didn’t really care. Jesse dropped onto the thin cushion, gripped the arms, and closed his eyes while he sucked in her essence from his shirt.
“Jesse!” Her voice filled his head. She was close. He felt it.
He called her name and reached out with his whole heart. The chair groaned and shuddered.
In an instant, the wall consumed him.
»»•««
The chair redacted and dumped Prudence on the ground. She rolled to one bruised hip and placed both palms on the greenest grass she’d ever seen.
“What are you doing here, Princess?”
“Jesse?”
A hand grabbed her by the forearm, and she scrambled to her feet.
“Jesse, I—” The words caught in her throat, her focus leveled on his cold, flat eyes.
Not Jesse.
“What, Princess?”
His mannerisms mocked the real man, but there was no mistaking the wicked demon within the trappings. A sense of overwhelming evil sent her reeling backward. She turned to run but stopped cold.
“Sonofabitch.” A sea of Jesses spread out over the expanse of grass and shrubs, sprouting like flowers on a summer’s day. Each bore his crooked smile. None had his fiery eyes.
Her stomach clenched so hard, she would have sworn the sides touched. Fear constricted her throat.
Another hand took her by the elbow and swiveled her ninety degrees. “Aren’t you glad to see me?”
“Get away from me.” She jerked out of his clammy touch and backed into another Jesse.
“You said you loved me ten thousand times over.” He stroked her hair, and vomit burned the back of her throat.
Her eyes darted in all directions, her heart hammering.
Where was the wall? Where was the chair?
Hands caressed her shoulders from behind, more gently than before. Without seeing the cold eyes to reveal their treachery, she’d be easier to dupe. In time, this pit would know the corners of her heart and deceive her forever. She’d become a prisoner of her own design.
She dropped to her knees and felt the ground for any sign of a road out. Nothing. Not a path or a worn patch of lawn where shoes had scuffed a few too many times. Nothing but endless grass, fresh as spring with a false sun, radiant against a sky of palest blue denim.
Stumbling to her feet, she turned in circles, dodging the ever-handsy parade of Jesses.
“Princess.”
“Princess.”
“Princess.”
They called to her relentlessly.
She couldn’t concentrate. If she could put two thoughts together, she might find her way.
Leading with a sweet smile, she plowed the nearest unsuspecting jaw with a solid right hook and a left uppercut. He collapsed to the ground, nose bloodied, and all the other fake Jesses gaped.
She cut through the crowd, running harder than she’d ever had, heart and mind concentrating on her partner.
The real man.
If she ever got out of here, if she ever got home, she’d never threaten to leave him again.
“Prudence.” One voice rose above the drone. She picked up speed.
“Prudence. Stop.” And she did. One lone voice hadn’t called her Princess.
She whipped around and searched.
“Prudence. Stop. Prudence. Stop.” The crowd mimicked, no longer interested in the demon with the busted lip.
Maybe it had been her imagination. Hope leached out of her heart. Tears stung her eyes. She’d have to keep running. She’d have to find a way out.
“Come here,” one called out.
“No, here.”
“I’m the real Jesse.”
“I’m the real Jesse.”
The souls she carried whirled inside her like a tornado. Her head ached worse than any migraine, but she refused to lose her resolve.
Hands touched her from every angle. She pushed and shoved them away, administering kicks where necessary, to unprotected groins and noses that broke on her heel. Despite her determination, logic dictated she’d eventually lose the battle. What would happen then? When she couldn’t fight off them any longer?
Strong hands grabbed her from behind and anchored her against his chest. Her heart latched onto the memories of spooning with Jesse, but her mind kept her feet kicking. She clipped him in the shin.
“Ow. Fuck. Stop.”
She writhed with all her might and broke free.
“Don’t run. I’m beat, too.”
A glimmer of hope had her turn and look back.
Dark hair falling in his face, he rubbed his shin. “It’s me, Prudence. The real one.”
“The real one,” the crowd chanted.
“Get away.” With the clones staring at the injured one, she could make a break for it. Find a way out.
“Wait. Smell me.” He waved her back. “Just stop and smell me.”
“What?”
Taking advantage of her slow reaction, he lunged forward and sealed her wrist in a vice-like grip. He pulled her to his chest and then wadded his shirt with the other hand and shoved it to her nose.
The stink made her cringe. “Ugh. You reek of—”
“Us. I reek. Of us.” The corners of his mouth lifted. “I didn’t shower, remember? There wasn’t time. We bolted out of the cabin. I’ve been wearing this shirt for hours.”
Even before their eyes locked, all doubt evaporated. The souls she carried calmed like they always did when he held her close.
“If it’s really you—prove it.”
He pursed his lips for a second. “I’m the asshole that left you behind. That pushed you off my truck and into the gravel. I’m sorry.”
The sea of his clones furrowed their brows as if they hadn’t expected an apology.
Deep down, she had.
“I was wrong.”
She crossed her arms over her chest. He wasn’t getting off too easy. “Why were you wrong?”
“Why? I just apologized.”
“I need to hear it.”
“Because you’re my partner. Because you’re a kick-ass demon chaser and the Vessel of the Prophecy.”
“Damn straight.”
He pulled her against him. “But mostly because I love you.” He sighed through his nose. “Look. Figuring out love isn’t fuckin’ easy. Especially for me. In that instant, I got why your dad held you back. I didn’t want anything to happen to you. But he was wrong and so was I. Worse for me because I know firsthand how good you are at your job. And because I know we’re better together. Forgive me?”
She smiled up at him. “I’m sorry, too—the awful things I said.”
“Let it go. We’re going to have lots of arguments along the way. This is probably the least of them.” He elbowed a look-a-like, and they all disappeared.
“Nice trick.”
He swung his canvas bag under his arm. “Wish I had more tricks like that.” He opened the bag. “From this point forward we continue with clean hearts.” He removed one of the liter bottles of Holy Water he’d brought and handed it to her.
“Clean hearts. Mom always says that.”
“She’s a smart woman. Now drink. When you’re done, I’ve got more.”
“Why’d you bring Holy Water?” She swallowed a mouthful. “Pretty dangerous for you.”
“Emergency plan. Molotov cocktails to a demon.”
“Now I’m your emergency plan.”
She guzzled the bottle dry and cracked the seal on the next.
“Damn straight.” He took her by the hand and laced their fingers together, kissed her knuckles. “From now on, we’re a team. No more separations.”
“Then let’s go kick some demon ass.”
Chapter Twenty-Nine
“Yo, bro.” Zane fell into step beside Jesse. “We damn near went out looking for you, but your giant transparent friend wouldn’t let us leave.”
“Appreciate the thought, but glad you weren’t there.” Happier with his partner by his side, Jesse slapped him on the back. “Where is Niall?”
“Invisible. Hanging out near the door marked LOC.” Zane pointed down the long row of cubicles in front of them. “The shade believes they’re all in there. Had my doubts about him at first. But he’s cool. Worried himself sick about Prudence.”
“Where’s Boone?” she said.