The second Rusalka sniffled. “You saved everyone from her overflowing grief. You saved Svetla herself.”
I didn’t know what they were talking about for a few seconds until I remembered feeding upon the grieving mother. That was the last thing I wanted to think about. I saved the Putzkammers only to get them killed later.
I wiggled out of the embrace and winced as my arm rubbed against one of the other demons. “Yes, uh, well, do you know where Cort is? Or Abdiel?”
“You’re hurt.” The tall one grabbed my hand, tugged me to the sofa, and forced me to sit. “Let us see to it. It’s the least we can do. I’m Izolda, by the way. This is my sister, Yelena.”
The names rang a bell in my mind. An image of three young Rusalka frolicking in shallow water, laughing like little girls as they made reed crowns for one another.
I squeezed my eyes shut for a few seconds. “Clara.”
Izolda and Yelena froze. Yelena swallowed hard and asked, “You know Clara?”
I had delivered difficult news to families many times, but it never got any easier. I nodded once. “She was in the warehouse where I was taken. Hessa’s warehouse. She… Clara was barely alive when I went to free her. I held her hand as… She wasn’t alone.”
Yelena fell to her knees sobbing. Izolda followed more slowly and wound her arms around her sister. Tears ran down her cheeks as if someone had turned on a faucet. “You have done the Rusalka another great service. None of us knew what happened to Clara. We hoped… But once we heard of the vampire bitch’s plans, we suspected something might’ve happened to her.”
Yelena attempted to say something, but she couldn’t get out the words. Her sister shushed her and held her to her chest.
Their sorrow whirled around my senses and tempted me to gulp it down. As bereft as the sisters were, they were not out of control. I knew the signs. Tonight, their grief might give them courage they hadn’t before. I would not rob them of it.
“Cort has taken a place in the front lines with the Allu,” Izolda said softly.
No. What was he thinking? Okay, I knew what he was thinking: revenge.
Still, it was not a smart move. No matter the power of his blood—if he managed to call on Ammut—he was not a warrior. Cort was a man who enjoyed wearing a suit too much and loved cocktails.
Paul might’ve been able to…
I couldn’t think along those lines. Even with all this happening, I’d have to tell Cort his own brother betrayed us and I killed him. It wouldn’t matter what Hessa did to him. That alone would break him.
A sudden roar of gunfire and a screeching symphony of howls propelled me out of my thoughts and into the cruel reality of this night. I rose inch by inch, ignoring the dulled pain in my arm.
The vampires had arrived.
Izolda stood, tugging her sister up with her. “Tonight we seek justice for our sister. Our decision to be here was not mistaken. Tonight Hessa will pay for her crimes against our kind.”
It was a bold pronouncement. I wished I could feel so confident and look like a superhero. Not like Wonder Woman mermaid there, but maybe Batgirl or Huntress. What superhero sucked the grief from people, though? That was no grand power.
The door flung open. A redheaded vampire in pigtails grinned and backhanded me. I skidded across the floor to bonk against the wall under the beverage table. The world spun, and I grasped onto the familiar scent of coffee to steady myself.
The Rusalka screeched as they fought against the vampire. Water splashed in from nowhere forcing me onto my knees. I knocked my head against the underside of the table before scooting out far enough to get a full view of what was happening.
The sisters held the redhead underwater. Claw marks decorated all three of them.
Wait. Were they trying to drown a vampire?
A crazy burble of laughter erupted from me. I was cowering under a table and the Rusalka were trying to drown something that didn’t breathe!
Using the table to support myself, I stood. I wobbled once before the queasiness passed. No broken bones, smashed skulls, or bullet wounds. Everything had healed. I wasn’t going to be the first person knocked out of the game.
“Hold her.” I shouted and focused my power upon the vampire.
Fear. Hope someone might come save her. Anguish knowing that no one would care if she died. Again.
A red-haired little girl hid under her bed when the drunken man stumbled into her room calling her name. She made not a sound, not even when he went after her sister instead.
Her mother dying of cancer, leaving her to a drug-addicted aunt. The preteen hiding in a closet, secreting away her tears.
No one came to visit her in the hospital when bullies beat her behind her high school.
This life had so little joy. Even the attention Hessa gave her was short-lived. Years of misery made for a hearty meal, but with a bitter edge.
It was easier to stop myself when the life winked out of the vampire this time. I let out a long breath as the Rusalka hesitantly let the redhead slip from their grip. Izolda kicked the vamp and nodded once.
“Truly dead.” She stared at me. “You did this?”
Was it an accusation? Was there hate in her eyes? Fear? I dipped my head. “Yes.”
“Can you do this to all of them?” Yelena’s question was sharp. Did she bare her teeth?
My heart pounded. The heat of my spots made me itch, but I clenched my hands by my sides. In the warehouse, I’d been out of control. I couldn’t do that here. I might be able to focus on one or two, but not every single vampire without leeching off my allies too.
“I don’t know.”
The sisters exchanged a silent look. Izolda then grinned, showing a mouthful of sharp teeth. “You don’t have to kill all of them. Just one. And we will gladly hold her down while you eat her black soul.”
I wanted to protest that I didn’t eat people’s souls, but what did I do to kill them? I couldn’t answer it. And it didn’t matter.
Hessa.
That was the only one I needed to kill. Let the Allu have their fun with the rest of the vampires. If I could kill Hessa, this would all be over.
“I see you understand.” Izolda chuckled and motioned to the door. “Let’s go hunting.”
There was no hunting in this chaos. It was all about trying not to get shot, cut down, or eaten. A shield of water protected us as the Rusalka demons and I stepped over bodies while we moved down the hall.
Decapitated vampires, crimson-skinned demon parts, and furry bits of werewolves. I could see them through the shimmering shield, a clear waterfall suspended from one of the Rusalka’s hands.
What was worse were the unmoving faceless demons in black leather. Vampires were managing to kill the Allu.
Did Hessa recruit some ninjas? Unlikely.
The other alternative was numbers. Just how many vampires did Hessa bring with her?
I swallowed twice trying to get air into my lungs. The fighting still carried on outside and inside. One of the Allu took on a pair of vampires using a machete with a vicious finesse. A horned demon grappled with a vampire, falling into one of the visitation rooms.
Where was Cort? Abdiel?
Nicolas? My chest tightened.
The sisters picked up guns when they found them. At least they knew that drowning vampires wasn’t going to work. A bullet to the head would stop them, though.
I retrieved a sword from a dead Allu. Had this demon been posing as Aleo? Or Bolona? How I wished they were there with me right now. No. Not in this hell. Not when I’d have to tell them I killed Paul.
I’d failed the family who had loved me. But Cort was still alive. I would fight with every last breath in my body to help him.
Yelena dropped her water shield. We’d rounded the corner, already past the main viewing room and the basement door. The still shut basement door.
Vampires and Allu both knelt around the door to the showroom. It was second in size only to the main funeral room. It was one of t
he places I didn’t frequent much except to clean. Cort and Aleo handled the sales of caskets and urns.
“I will eat your heart!” The voice boomed and vibrated every bone in my body.
Yelena and Izolda peered into the room first and immediately fell to their knees. Tears cascaded down their cheeks. Neither vampire nor demon looked our way.
I knew that voice. Familiar and yet unfamiliar. No. Familiar and yet something more.
Edging my way around the kneeling demons, I peeked into the showroom. My legs wobbled. Fear tugged at me, but something else. Submission? Yes, but more. It was pure awe.
Near the center of the room stood a great demon with the head of a crocodile. Long green snout and glistening sharp teeth. His body was big and muscular, covered with soft gold fur. Beautiful and horrifying.
The Blood of Ammut.
Cort had managed the transformation! My stomach flipped and then flopped.
I wasn’t the only person still standing. In a sanguine gown, Hessa’s hands pressed firmly on her hips. Her lovely face hardened with resistance and then suddenly relaxed as she gave Cort a come-hither smile.
“No need to shout, my darling.” Hessa ran her hands slowly down her thighs and back up again. “You and I can have our own fun. I do like my men big with sharp teeth.” Her tongue brushed over her fangs.
Cort growled and snapped his great maw. But even from my angle, I could see his body responding to Hessa’s charms. He walked toward her and held out hands that trembled.
“Come to me. Touch me.” Hessa’s seduction tugged at me too. I nearly dropped my sword with want of caressing that flawless skin.
Poking the top of my foot with the point of the blade, I gritted my teeth. I would not let that bitch have Cort. He was the last of the Putzkammers. My adopted big brother. If he could, he’d tear Hessa to shreds.
I gripped the handle of the sword with both hands. I didn’t need to rip Hessa to pieces. Taking off her pretty head would do.
There was no time to summon up the courage. I’d get no other opportunity to do this. Lifting the weapon, I ran forward and leapt over a fallen vampire toward Hessa. No war cry or warning except my boots pounding on the hardwood floor.
Hessa’s head whipped to face me with a hiss. Beauty became a monster. And sliced open Cort’s throat with her nails before smacking the sword out of my hands.
I screamed and fell beside Cort’s body. Already the transformation was reversing. Green, leathery skin became pale and sickly. He gurgled as I rolled him over to me.
At the same time, the power of Ammut no longer had any hold over the other demons and vampires. It took all of three seconds for them to come to and start fighting again. Gunshots and screams echoed.
“No. No, you can’t die.” I cradled Cort’s head as I had with Paul’s. I placed my hands over his throat, but there was no stopping the bleeding. Looking for something, anything, to help stop the flow, I only had the clothes on my back.
Screw my modesty. I couldn’t let Cort die.
I yanked off my sweater, wrapped it around his neck, and pressed it even more. My heart broke as Cort’s eyes fluttered and closed. Blood trickled out of the corner of his mouth. I tenderly wiped it away with my palm.
“No.” If only I had a more useful talent. Why couldn’t I be a healer?
“Erin!” Someone bellowed my name, and I looked up in time to see Hessa shot in the right shoulder. Hessa toppled backward against a casket with a shriek.
“Run!” That deep demanding voice again.
Turning my head, my heart skipped a beat. Connor! No, not him. Abdiel.
How could I explain to him that I couldn’t run? The Lady told me to stay. That I needed to stay with Cort.
Abdiel fired again and missed. Two steps into the room, and a blond vampire pounced on him. Abdiel flipped the vampire over to slam him into the floor. In the same fluid motion, he stomped on the blond’s head with a sickening noise like a car in a compactor.
Three more vampires leapt in to take the blond’s place. Knocking away his gun, they dragged Abdiel into the hall. One of the vamps flew backward past the door, but five more ran to join in.
There was no way Abdiel could fight off that many. If my heart could break any more, my guilt at not being able to help the demon who had saved me would rip it in two.
“That’s better. Though the bastard did ruin my new dress I had made just for tonight.” Hessa swiped the blood off her shoulder. She’d healed without a scar, blood the only evidence she’d been shot. She grinned. “Now, look at you. Those ugly moles cover your body. No wonder you dress like a nun.”
I could not stop as shame flushed my skin. I shouldn’t listen to a word Hessa said, but one gorgeous guy calling my spots sexy wasn’t going to change my feelings about them overnight.
“But fashion is a chat for another night.” Hessa waved a hand and glanced down at Cort. “He was as impressive as his father. Quite the potent elixir he’s going to make. And where is my alchemist? Please don’t tell me he’s still cowering in the basement.”
I wound my arms around Cort possessively as the meaning of what Hessa said sunk in. Cort’s blood. They were going to take it and use it in her horrible drugs. Not just they, but Paul. Or it would’ve been Paul if he wasn’t dead. Would he really have done that to his brother? Did he do it with Connor?
Swallowing back the bile that rose up in my throat, I shook my head. It took two tries, but I found my voice. “Paul’s dead. I killed him.”
“Really?” Hessa’s brows rose. Her face scrunched up as if she might give in to rage, but instead, she laughed. “I might’ve ripped your head off for doing that, but I think your suffering is wonderfully amusing. I never expected something like that from you. Maybe you are more than just a piece of ass. There’s a little fire in you that the boys like.”
Let her laugh. I knew I’d taken someone valuable away from Hessa. It was the only hit I was going to get in before the vampire killed me.
And did it feel good? No. If I could feed off myself, I’d find a grand buffet of misery.
“Ah, speaking of which, I have a gift for you.” Hessa ignored the barrage of gunshots that rang out in the hall and the explosion from somewhere outside of the funeral home.
The walls shook, and Cort’s head lulled to one side on my lap. Making sure the sweater remained tight, I slid back and laid him on the floor. I didn’t rise or ask what Hessa had for me. It didn’t matter. I didn’t have a thing to lose. Nothing mattered any more.
Hessa patted one of the mahogany caskets and ran her hand along the wood to lift the lid. It was an expensive one set up on its own display table. A Bateman Company make. Nothing but the best for Hessa.
From my position, I couldn’t see what was in it. Hessa crooked a finger and turned her gaze to me with a too wide smile.
The dead man sat up.
No gasp for air or wild eyes. Nicolas’ head slowly twisted toward me. I couldn’t even find the breath to scream before he sprang out of the box to smack me back against another coffin.
Blackness danced at the edges of my vision. I had been wrong. I had one thing left to lose.
Hessa clapped her hands and laughed like a child laying eyes on the biggest birthday cake ever. “I told you I would have him kill you. And you would not believe how easy it was to make him thoroughly mine once again.”
Nicolas straightened from his crouched position. He wore a black tailored suit with no tie, and the blue of the shirt made his eyes startlingly brilliant. He was dressed for a party like his sire.
It was their party after all. The Putzkammers were all dead, and from the diminishing sounds of fighting outside, the demons were nearly beaten, even though it had looked like five vampires dead to every one of them. Bring on the champagne. Or rather, the humans drunk on it.
As my vision cleared, I noticed a bruise on Nicolas’ wrist and a cut near the collar of his shirt. So he had not been that easy to turn.
But did it matter? He was worse
than dead now. He was Hessa’s boy toy again.
I sat against the wall feeling like a shell. The emptiness crushing me. I couldn’t even manage to cry anymore.
Would Nicolas want me to kill him rather than let him be controlled by that bitch? Could I even do it?
“You aren’t going to beg him to save you? To give you one last kiss?” Hessa placed her hands on her hips and sighed. “You’re a boring little thing. Well, darling,” she said and smiled at Nicolas. “Go have your fun with her. I want to hear her scream.”
“Anything you want.” Nicolas gazed at her with wide, dreamy eyes before turning back to me and walking over.
My stomach spasmed. Maybe if I threw up, they’d be disgusted enough to kill me quickly. It was my only wish now.
How pathetic my life had come down to this. The family I loved was dead. The man I’d begun to care for was going to torture and kill me. No, I couldn’t think ill of Nicolas. He never wanted any of this. And he’d cared for me. Despite everything, something magnificent had grown between us.
“Hello, baby doll.” Nicolas flashed his fangs at me. Smoothly as he moved, there was a tenseness to his body. He bent and cupped my chin. “I heard your little confession, killing Hessa’s alchemist. You’ve been a naughty girl.”
The words were not his. Nicolas was lost. He was Hessa’s wind-up tin soldier.
I repeated that to myself a dozen times. But his cologne. Oh, he was wearing that amazing scent.
Nicolas’ grip tightened, and he yanked me up as he stood. He lifted me so my feet dangled almost a foot off the floor. He smiled when I whimpered.
Did he feel any grief over this? How thoroughly had Hessa taken him?
“I do wonder what I saw in you. All ribs and tiny tits. Nothing at all like Hessa’s hot bod. And my oh my, what she can do with her tongue.” Nicolas chuckled and glanced back at his sire who preened under the compliments.
I grasped his wrist with both hands. Not to scratch or fight. I’d forgotten I was shirtless. My spots and plain black bra were on display for them. There was nothing left in me to be embarrassed, even though I wanted to be.
Of Blood and Sorrow Page 19
