I hardly breathed as I listened. My mother had done all that? Why had she wanted to add the blood herself? Had my parents put their own blood in the vials? Then what was in the third vial?
“After she left, I found a pouch of gold hidden beneath her seat, the old cow,” Rai muttered. “I never heard from her again, but I sensed the potion still out there in the world, doing its job, and left it at that.” Rai glanced meaningfully at me. “Until a few months ago when I felt it suddenly evaporate. Almost gave me a heart attack. If anything, it should have dissipated over time, not disappeared in a blink. I knew something terrible had happened, so I followed it here to Kansas City. She had saved my life, and if she was in danger, now, I wanted to repay that debt. Or avenge her.”
She met my eyes warily, and I gave her a nod, knowing what was coming, and silently promising not to smite her again. “I ran into Terry my first day here. We had a lemonade together at the grocery store,” she admitted, blushing slightly. “I agreed to a second date just to get him out of my hair,” she said defensively, scowling at Nate in particular for some reason.
I glanced over to see a big grin on his face.
“Anyway, I found myself at Dorian Gray’s mansion for a casual meeting with the Hellfire Club. I never told them why I was in town, although I heard all sorts of tales about a young woman battling demons. It didn’t take me long to realize that my blood ward had never been intended for Constance, but for you. I hadn’t even known she had a daughter until I saw you for the first time, jogging right past me down the sidewalk, as healthy as can be…” she said, shaking her head.
“I never knew about the ward until it dropped,” I admitted.
Rai nodded to herself. “I’ll admit, I wandered the city feeling a loss of purpose, not sure if I should approach you or leave you be. Especially when I realized the man harassing me for dates was none other than your adopted dad. I even convinced him to go to a horror convention, hoping it would send him running and screaming. No pun intended,” she smiled faintly, shaking her head. “I hate horror movies.”
Unable to help myself, I burst out laughing. “Really?” I gasped.
She nodded, smirking. “I’ll admit I’m kind of glad my plan didn’t work,” she said cautiously.
I smiled at her, feeling a huge weight lifting from my shoulders.
“Then you went off to Italy, and I found myself rather enjoying this city.” Her smile faltered. “But then the Templars arrived, and they caught me all over again, just like they had done so long ago…”
Chapter 52
I stared at her, leaning forward. “They found you?”
Rai nodded. “Quite by accident. Wrong place, wrong time. They locked me up in a prison below ground, leaving me to rot.” She shuddered at the memory. “I heard them talk a lot about a certain Ring they had found, how it would help them regain their power. They didn’t bother hiding this knowledge, choosing to rub my face in it, to tell me that my death would be meaningless.”
I realized I was clenching my fists. The Templars were going to pay. Beckett was going to pay. Everyone was going to pay.
“It took me two days before I saw a chance to escape – when the guard rotation was delayed by a few minutes.” She lifted her shirt slightly to reveal a finger-length slice across her stomach.
“What is that?” I asked. It looked fresh, only just crusting over with a scab.
Rai smiled grimly. “After your mother saved me so long ago, I swore I would never be captured again. I sewed a small baggie of traveling powder into my skin for emergencies. Just enough for two people. In memory of my sister,” she added sadly. “I used one pinch to hop out of my cell, retrieve my gear, and grab their stupid ring from a pedestal. Then I hid inside a crack in the wall while they ran around like insects for a few minutes. I used the other pinch to get the hell out, but it wasn’t enough traveling powder to take me very far.”
Nate let out a long whistle. “That is fucking hardcore.”
Rai shot him a smug look of appreciation before turning back to me. “They were quick to find me, though, chasing me through the streets within minutes. I don’t know how. That’s when I ran across you, imagine my surprise,” she said, smiling at me. “You distracted them long enough for me to throw down a few of the more powerful potions from my pouches and truly escape. I’ve been hiding ever since. Went to the Hellfire Club to update Dorian about it all, except the Templars found me there, too.” I nodded, remembering. I’d been there.
“Wait, did you say Hellfire Club?” Nate hooted. “That sounds like a riot! Where—”
“Nate!” I hissed angrily. He pursed his lips.
It looked like Midas hadn’t told Nate about them yet. After what I’d seen from their board meetings, I realized that was probably for the best.
I took in Rai’s story, thinking about it all. One thing still eluded me. “Why did you slip me the ring?” I finally asked her.
She looked suddenly uncomfortable. “I… when I was in the dungeons, all they spoke about was that ring, and making you pay for your crimes. I knew they would come for you either way, and I figured if they wanted that ring so badly, it must be powerful or dangerous. I thought maybe it would help you. I just didn’t know how to tell you about it… When I gave you a hug at dinner, it just kind of happened. I panicked, I guess,” she admitted.
I nodded absently, considering. Because as desperate as I was to pry every detail from her – what my mother’s smile looked like, how she sounded when she laughed, if Rai remembered the lullaby my mother had sang over her…
I had something a lot more important to deal with right now.
I checked my mental guards, and was mildly surprised to see I hadn’t gotten so lost in the story that I accidentally dropped them. That was a relief.
Rai cleared her throat. “If I may say…” she began. I gave her a nod, curious. “I came here to repay a debt to your mother… But I would like to pass that gift on to you. After all, you’ve already saved my life more times than she did, technically speaking.” She dipped her head at me. “Your mother would be very proud of the woman you have be—”
The door suddenly exploding inwards and hammering into Rai ruined the sentimental moment.
She went flying past my shoulder as if hit by a truck. My defensive black fan had instantly popped into existence, shielding me from flying debris, chunks of drywall, and even the lock from the door. I heard Rai slam into Eae behind me, and fire sizzled from somewhere near Nate as I peered over my fan through the cloud of dust, ready to throw down.
Chapter 53
I saw the silhouette of a giant white mountain of fur in the shattered, groaning doorway, struggling to peer through the cloud of dusty air.
“Got you now, stank-witch!” the polar bear roared.
“Bear!” Rai wheezed, sounding as if she was struggling to her feet.
“Stand down!” I shouted at everyone. “It’s Claire! A friendly,” I added, for those who didn’t personally know her.
Claire sniffed the air suddenly. “Callie?” she snorted in a stunned growl.
“Clairebear,” I said, sighing in relief that we weren’t actually under attack. She abruptly shifted back to her human form, squinting through the dust.
“What are you— Hey!” she hopped back, slapping a hand to her hip. Seeing nothing there, she spun back to us. “Who just slapped my ass?”
Nate began whistling innocently, hiding in his corner out of view. I sighed at his childish use of magic.
“That’s Nate, isn’t it?” Claire snarled, trying to step through the debris to get a good look.
“How did you know?” he asked, chuckling.
“You have woman hands. It makes sense that your magic hands are also dainty.”
His chuckle cut off abruptly, and he muttered something darkly under his breath. I caught him discreetly glancing down at his hands, reassuring himself.
“Nameless is looking for you. He left a note under your door,” Claire said, finally
stumbling into the room. She stood there, naked, looking like some post-apocalyptic prostitute.
Grimm whinnied, shaking his head. “I love shifters,” he said appreciatively.
Claire rolled her eyes with a smile. Then she cleared her throat, reciting the message from Nameless, even attempting the sound of his voice.
“The Templars will not leave you alone, now. I have seen what they have become and am disheartened. As I told you before, some battles must be avoided in order to win a war. Help me win my war tonight at midnight, and I’ll aid you in your battle against the Templars later. Andy says hello.”
Nate chimed in, sounding suspicious. “Who the fuck is Andy?”
I ignored Nate and waved a hand in thanks at Claire, motioning for her to give me a minute to think. She nodded and sauntered over to Nate – as far away from Rai as she could get, although not before shooting the witch a dark look for the chase she’d apparently led Claire on. I turned my back on everyone, disregarding the conversation bubbling up as Nate caught Claire up to speed on Rai.
I felt Eae watching me out of the corner of his eye as he spoke with Rai, checking over her for injuries since she had been slapped around three times in this room already and might have a few concussions.
I ignored his glances as I began to pace back and forth, thinking furiously. Thinking carefully.
Andy says hello was Nameless confirming that he had the Ring of Aandaleeb – the Seal of Solomon. It was a subtle reminder of what I had called it in the Templar Vault.
This didn’t change anything. In fact,…
It might just work better.
I finally sighed, motioning Eae to approach me in private. “I’d like you there to watch my back,” I told the Angel, low enough so that no one could hear me. He studied me for a moment, thinking. His eternal eyes swept over the group in calculation before returning to mine.
“Okay.” He looked relieved that I had asked him – surprised to find that his recommendation about how to handle the Seal had taken root in me.
Then I told him what else I needed, and he stiffened in disbelief. “I need you to do it this very second, and not ask a single question.”
He frowned suspiciously, thinking longer over this than the first request, but finally nodded in grim resolve. “If that’s the only way…” I didn’t reply. “Okay,” he finally said. He disappeared between one second and the next.
Rai watched me nervously as I approached. I told her what I required of her, speaking softly so no one else could hear. By now, the rest of the room had gone silent, Claire, Nate, and Grimm watching us suspiciously. Rai frowned nervously, looking shaken. I didn’t let my face react at all, just returned her look. “You said you owed me.”
She finally nodded, a stiff, jerking motion. “So I did, and I’ll honor it…” she whispered.
“Why don’t you just tell us what the others are doing?” Claire demanded impatiently.
I turned to look at her. I shook my head. “No.” And that was the extent of my explanation.
I turned to Nate, smiling faintly for the first time. “I think it’s time for you to let me wobble.”
“I’ll only ask this once, so really think about it…” he said. I nodded. “Are you sure?”
I focused on my breathing. “Yes,” I finally answered him.
He sighed but dipped his chin respectfully. “Okay. Take care, Callie. You know how to call on a friend if you need a quick exit,” he said, eyes flicking to Grimm so discreetly that no one else noticed it.
I smiled tiredly. “I won’t need it. But the gesture means more than you know.”
With that, Nate made a Gateway back to St. Louis with Grimm, and Rai sprinkled a handful of dust over her head as she murmured a word. Her body disintegrated to blue ashes, but not a speck of it remained on the carpet where she had been standing. I grunted, turning to Claire, ready for a fight.
She had her hands on her hips, and she looked determined. “What is your secret plan? Because I can promise you right now, I’ll be there, so you might as well just tell me.”
I was done playing by everyone else’s rules. It hadn’t done me any good in the past. I was calling the shots, now.
“Thanks for tracking down Rai,” I said. “Didn’t expect her to track me down, though. Where are we, anyway?”
Claire was frowning at me. “In a warehouse off the Interstate,” she said guardedly. “That witch is wily, I’ll give her that. It was a pain in the ass to follow her, especially in bear form, which was the only way I could scent her.”
I nodded absently, not really caring. “You won’t be joining me, Claire.”
“Now, you can stop right ther—” she began.
I rounded on her so fast that she cut off, her face paling as she saw my eyes. “No.” I let my anger, my frustration, my hatred of the Templars and Beckett’s betrayal, all wash over me. “I’m doing this my way, Claire! I’m sick and tired of everyone telling me what to do, helping me when it’s convenient for them. I’m the one with holy blood, so stop second-guessing me!” I was panting, shaking with anger as I took a step closer to her. “Do you have any idea what Eae told me tonight? What Rai told me tonight. They knew my parents. The real story. How – and why – they abandoned me. How – and why – they had to die. You have no idea, Claire. This ends here. Now. My way.”
Claire studied me, trying to find some crack she could wheedle into, some chink in my armor where her compassion and sympathy would find fertile ground.
But I was a barren wasteland.
“And how many will die in your wake, Callie?” she finally asked in a calm tone.
I snorted impassively. “I no longer care. The only ones in danger are those who get in my way.”
“And what about Beckett? I think he’s still inside there somewhere, Callie. I think he’s confused. Drowning in his own grief,” she pleaded.
I shrugged. “Too bad for him, then. I’m finding myself agreeing more and more with the Templars these days.” Her face paled in disbelief, but I didn’t bother to let her reply. “None of them seem to care about me – the monsters, the monster hunters – so I say let them burn. Serves them right. Maybe they’ll get the fuck out of Kansas City after they see what I’m capable of.”
I could sense Claire failing to restrain her own anger. “I think you might be letting your special magic get to your head,” she growled. “I don’t give a shit what you learned today. You don’t have to do this alone!”
“Just stay out of my way, Claire. You’ll only mess things up. You don’t have the right tools to stand against Angels and Demons.” I met her eyes and she stepped back instinctively. “I do.”
She gave me one last furious look before storming from the room and shifting back to her bear form. Then she loped off into the night.
I stared at where I had last seen her, chest heaving as I focused on the whirlwind of news I had received tonight. The history of lies.
I was an abomination – abandoned by my parents’ act of sin – hidden away like a dirty family secret. Only to be taken out when guests could not see me. I had spent my life dropped off from one place to the next – my adopted family, the church, and even my friends.
When the powers that be realized I might be a benefit to their cause, they were suddenly available, willing and able to share secrets about my past with me in order to win me over. When before, I hadn’t been able to discover even a lick of rumor. Like vultures, they swept down onto the battlefield to feast and then flee. Except I wasn’t an ornament to be used and discarded whenever Angels chose to pick me up. Fallen or otherwise.
I wasn’t some bauble.
And it was time I let everyone know that.
In one great big pacifying inferno.
Everything else was moving along on schedule, I just needed to let Nameless know the location for our date. So, we could get rid of the trash in this city once and for all.
Chapter 54
I walked into my recently-purchased church, studying
the shadows of my new rental property. I didn’t even have insurance on it yet. Well, maybe I did. Midas had handled all the paperwork, and I hadn’t had time to look over it. It was probably a requirement these days.
“Go light the candles,” I told Rai. “Spread them around so there are less shadows. We’re about to christen the Church of Callie, after all.”
“Okay,” she whispered, hurrying to comply. I watched her natural, younger form, the one that the players in town would recognize, not the mature beauty my father had been dating. I couldn’t risk anyone making the connection between the two. The young brunette slipped candles out of a backpack, lighting them with a box of matches as she found empty spots on the floor, a serviceable table or stand, a shelf, or a carved niche in the wall.
“Let there be light,” I muttered drily, the irony not lost on me.
All will be well… one of the whispers cooed reassuringly. Soon, all will know.
I grunted, nodding my head in agreement.
I walked the cleared open space, getting a more intimate feel for my surroundings. It was about to be crowded. I readjusted a few of Rai’s candles, but more for something to do as I waited.
Splintered and broken pews littered the floor in places, though most were in working order. The place was dirty and covered with dust, and hoodlums had broken in at some point to tag their signatures, artwork, or gang signs on a few walls. Unsurprisingly, no one had desecrated the pulpit. That took balls, even for hardened criminals.
Rai managed to find a few unbroken candelabras with usable candles in the wreckage and lit them after propping them up and making sure they could stand on their own. Shortly after, she returned to my side, assessing the room dejectedly, waiting.
“You are my pawn in this,” I said, not looking at her.
I sensed her resigned nod out of my peripheral vision but didn’t bother wasting time to give her false reassurance. There wasn’t any point. She would serve my purposes soon and pay the debt she had been so eager to pay. It wasn’t like I knew her or cared about her. Just another person involved in the story of my life who had withheld information from me. If she had come to me months ago, I might have felt differently.
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