Blood Sacrifice (The Blood Sisters Book 3) (17 page)

Her
sister was gone. Ripped from her by the angels and cast off God knows where.
For Jessica, defeat wasn’t an option. She turned on her heel and ran back
inside the church. Didn’t know why, but Jessica needed to search the basement.
There had to be a clue. A lead. Something.

If
the trail was cold, Jessica couldn’t find Amanda, and if she couldn’t find
her—No negative thinking. She would find her. She could still do this. She
could.

But
as Jessica heard footsteps charging down after her, hope left her. There was
nothing here. No clue, no maps. No magical items that would lead Jessica to her
sister.

An
empty cage and nothing left behind.

Jessica
would fail. She couldn’t do anything more than fall to the floor beside the
cage and sob. The carpet on the floor was burned with fire and her finger
stroked it. Amanda went home. That was the message she left, but how could she
be so far gone that she would think of the underworld as home?

How?
Why? The magic of Lourdes had her so messed up, that Jessica didn’t think she’d
ever be able to reach her.

The
pain kept on coming and she had no choice but to take it.

Duncan
was on the ground beside her and Jessica didn’t know when he’d gotten there.
She wasn’t sure if he said anything, but his hands caressed her shoulder. His
face was against hers. “We’ll figure it out. We’ll get through this.”

That
warmth and comfort? Jessica craved it, but didn’t want it. She needed to be
strong. Push through. Love wasn’t the answer for her, but Jessica couldn’t push
him away. A sob eked from her chest and she buried her face against his neck.
Just feeling the heat of his flesh comforted her in ways Jessica couldn’t put
into words.

But
her fingers sought him out and gripped his. “With Amanda? Or without her?”

“With
darling. Don’t count us out yet,” Duncan whispered and his lips grazed ever so
gently against hers.

Thank
God, he hadn’t given up. If he had, Jessica thought she might drown. Part of
her had given up. Even now, Jessica didn’t see a way. What could they do
against a flock of angels?

“You’re
a fool if you go against them,” Ron said. Hands on his hips, he paced the room
and leveled a stare straight through Jessica. “You heard what they said. The
world is in danger without a replacement in the underworld. Don’t you care?”

Care?
Jessica sat up straighter and her lip snarled. “Don’t you lecture me, Ron Wax.
You played us. Played me from the moment you stepped into Vegas.”

Ron
smiled and splayed his hands. “You fell for it too. Just the way I knew you
would. Jessica Blood wears guilt like a badge of honor. I knew you wouldn’t
question me after everything you forced onto me. You played right into my
hands. All I had to do was save your precious Amanda…Even got you to agree to
turn yourself in. Well, that was priceless!”

Smug
smile. Jessica couldn’t stand to stare at it anymore. She rushed him, and cut
him off mid-sentence. Grabbing the collar of his jacket, she jarred him against
the wall, knocking over a table laden with old books. A look of panic set in on
his face, as her hot breath washed over him.

“Get
revenge on me all you want, but to put Amanda in the middle like that.” Jessica
drove her elbow against his sternum and an
uppercut
into his jaw. Ron grabbed her jacket, but Jessica used the full force of her
weight and anger to keep him pinned exactly where he was.

“I
would have honored our agreement,” Jessica snarled. “I would’ve cleared your
name, you, jackass.”

“And
if we were all dead? What good would that have done any of us?” Ron asked. “She
doesn’t want to be saved; I know it’s hard for you to let her go—.”

Jessica
couldn’t listen to his rationalizations. Her knee came up sharp between his
legs and when he groaned,
stooping
to
clutch himself, Jessica hit him sharply with two fists over the head.

“Okay,
okay,” Duncan wrapped his arms around her and pulled her off, as the portly man
slumped to the ground. “I think you’ve had your say, right? Ready to work
through this and come up with a plan?”

She
exhaled and felt a little better, but looking into Ron’s beady little eyes
didn’t help much. “Get out of here,” Jessica kicked her leg out toward him. “If
I see you again before this is done, you’re dead.”

Ron
scampered away from the wall before he stood. Teetering on his feet, he grabbed
at a table for support. “Neither of you are worth spit. Guess you should’ve
killed me when you had the chance, huh? When you slaughtered all my friends.”

“I
guess I should have.” Jessica picked up a candlestick holder and flung it after
him. He scampered for the stairs and it bounced off the doorframe and tumbled
to the floor.

“Feel
better?” Duncan asked.

Jessica
couldn’t tell, but she thought his voice might be free of judgment. “A little
bit, but I don’t know what our next play is. How do we find out where she’s
gone to? For all we know, she’s sealed into the underworld already.”

“Let’s
go find out.” Duncan slid a toothpick into his mouth and it caused Jessica to
give a little smile.

She
followed Duncan out of the church. “First, I better call
in to
Aunt Gwen and let her know what’s
happened. She might have an idea that I haven’t thought of.”

Duncan
patted Jessica on the arm. “Maybe we could ask them.”

Them?
Her eyes swept far across the street, just past the brick buildings that lined
the corner. Between the alleys were men in dark glasses and jackets. Men just
standing there, staring at them.

If
Jessica didn’t miss her guess, they were demons awaiting orders from their new
queen.

Well,
this was could be interesting.

****

“They’re
not moving.” Adorable as he was, Duncan had a penchant for stating the obvious.

Jessica
and Duncan advanced on the demon horde that was standing in the alley. Now,
Jessica was close enough to touch one she saw maggots churning in their faces.
These demons were new. Their appearance muddier than the pink human skin they
usually wore.

They
must have just finished clawing their way topside.

“Hey,”
she shoved the tip of her finger beneath the demon’s jaw, “why are you all just
standing around?”

He
flinched, but his eyes were protected by sunglasses, so Jessica couldn’t see
how he was reacting. Simple enough, she ripped them off and threw them down to
the ground. His eyes circled back to her and he barred his jagged teeth.

“Waiting.”
He hissed like he didn’t want to speak to her at all. So, the hate was mutual.
Good, Jessica could use that to her advantage. .

“For?”
Jessica
led
.

“Our
queen told us to wait here.” The demon sighed and the others behind him sighed
too. “We just want to be close to her. Want to be with her. We need….”

“We
need her,” the rest of the demons chorused together, almost like a song.

It
just made Jessica’s skin crawl. “Demons didn’t need Lourdes.”

“Not
old ones, no. But we’re still young. Fresh. We were Lourdes’s legion. We need
the new queen to help finish us.”

Gross.
Jessica’s nose crinkled. “Can you sense where she is? Is that what brought you
here?”

The
demon answered through a clenched jaw. “Yes. She told us not to advance closer.
To wait. No more harm…can come to the humans.”

Jessica
snorted and glanced at Duncan. He gave a shrug of his shoulders, yeah, Jessica
couldn’t believe it either. “So I can shove my finger up your ass and you can’t
hurt me? Was it always this simple?”

Duncan
shrugged. “Pretty sure nothing is ever simple.”

“Don’t
push it,” The demon said. “We are not allowed to hurt you, but we can stop you.
Push us too far, and we’ll see how close to the line we can really get.”

Jessica
left the demon there while she and Duncan moved off for a little sidebar. “What
do you think? Do you think we can…well, trust these demons?” Duncan asked.

She
snorted and crossed her arms. “I wouldn’t trust a demon as far as I can fling
their guts, but if he can sense Amanda, we need his help. We need to take him
with us.”

“Make
no mistake, Jess,” Duncan tossed his head toward the demon. “If this guy thinks
we’re going to kill him, he could disobey Amanda’s orders and turn on us.”

“I
know,” Jessica sighed. “That’s why we’re going to have to be real careful.
You’re all the backup I have, Duncan.”

He
stepped up closer to her. “I’ll watch your back. Your front. Whatever you need,
Jess, but I’m worried.” His eyes darkened. “I’m worried you care so much for
saving Amanda, you’ll put yourself on the line. I won’t trade her for you.
Situation was reversed a few short days ago and I told Amanda the exact same
thing. If I see that you’re losing your way…”

Jessica
nodded no matter how much it pained her. “It’s a deal. I won’t trade myself for
Amanda. I want us both to be happy. Otherwise, what’s the point?”

Duncan
gripped her shoulders and worked hard to keep eye contact because Jessica was
desperate to break it. “Your soul is just as important as hers. I hope you
really see that, Jess. I hope you’re not just telling me what I want to hear.”

Jessica
hoped so too because she wasn’t sure. Not really, but if Amanda took the throne
in the underworld, what choice would she have?

“Grab
the demon and let’s go. I’ll start the Jeep. You’ll have to ride in the
backseat with him.”

She
hurried over to her aunt’s Jeep. Once inside, Jessica tried to start it up, but
the engine wouldn’t turn over. She pumped the gas, did all the things she
always did, but there was nothing she could do. Taking off her jacket, she
popped the hood and looked for something that might be wrong.

A
distributor cap was definitely the problem. Bending down low, she pulled out a
folded envelope shoved against the intake manifold.

You
didn’t think it’d be that easy, did ya?—Ron

Jessica
crumbled it up into the palm of her hand. It was going to be a late night. A
very late night, indeed.

The
1966 Chrysler was a familiar beast and a family heirloom, but for reasons she
kept to herself, Gwen avoided riding in it. The reasons were her own and she
didn’t believe in keeping counsel with her nieces. Once, they were children who
needed to be shielded from the truth. Now, it was Gwen who wanted to be
shielded from her past mistakes.

Now
with matters so dire, she sat uncomfortably behind the wheel and drove down the
interstate.

It
was like being haunted by a ghost. The car’s very smell conjured up old
memories. The smell of high octane fuel that came from beneath the hood and the
way the leather seats creaked as you adjusted yourself…well, it all harkened
back to days when it was her big brother’s car. When Jacob had given up his
motorcycle for something safer. It made her laugh at the time. Already a
classic, a 1966 Chrysler 300 was no family car, but it was as close as Jacob would
ever get.

Speed,
it was in their blood, and the family car was no different.

Jacob
had always known when she needed him. Even when Gwen refused to talk and even
when they were miles apart. When she needed him the most, Jacob had been there.
The car might have been Jessica’s now, but it had his smell all over it. Maybe
that’s the reason she kept it safe after Jacob died. Maybe it meant a piece of
him would always be left behind.

Gwen
remembered a time when he picked her up. He hadn’t been married yet, but Donna
was in their lives. Still, he left his girlfriend behind and drove Gwen to a
breakout point, a cliff that overlooked Sweetwater, Nebraska where they made
their home.

She
couldn’t really look at him as he parked the car and turned the radio down.
Even in those days her hair was tied back with its yellow bandana. Her hands
folded the hem of her skirt as Jacob turned down the radio.

Turning
in his seat, he threw his arm around the back of the bench seat and peered at
her. His eyes were an intense green; his black wavy hair fell over one eye; and
his chin was covered in stubble. He was like a rock with hard edges, but if
Gwen looked at him—really looked at him, she’d cry.

So
she didn’t. Not even when Jacob brushed her shoulder with his fingers.

“Not
going to tell me anything?” Jacob’s voice was deep and rumbling, but thick with
concern. “
Gweny
, whatever is going on,
it’s your business, but you’re not yourself. You barely come out of your room.
If there’s something wrong, I need you to tell me.”

She
glanced up and met the storm of his eyes. Gwen fought her own tears and peered
down at her lap.

“I
can fix anything, you know that. If I can fix this old busted down car…”

“I’m
pregnant,” Gwen blurted out and the pain of it all festered in her chest. Her
fingers clenched her knees tight. She was so sorry. So stupid to be in this
situation. She wasn’t one of those girls. Never had known love before, not like
that. It was so intense, but if their mom was alive to see what she had gotten
herself into…

Jacob,
to his credit, didn’t flinch. Instead, he just rubbed her shoulder. “All
right,” he said softly, “what do you want to do?”

“I
don’t know yet,” Gwen shook her head.

His
eyes crinkled around the edges. “It’s that priest, isn’t it? Mike.”

Gwen
wiped her face with both hands. “You knew?”

Jacob
laughed. “Baby girl, I’m a man, but I’m not blind. I saw what was happening. I
just thought—.” He sighed. “Listen, what’s done is done. With my own past, who
am I to judge? What matters now, is what you do. I’ll take care of you. Like I
always have, sugar, but if you keep it, don’t let him off the hook.”

“There’s
more,” Gwen licked her teeth. “Something…since I found out, has been happening
to me.” She cupped her hand, lifting it into the air, terrified to show it, but
Jacob always accepted her for who she was. He showed her just now, how he
accepted everything there was about her.

Jacob
held his breath and watched her hand as the atmosphere around it blew. It was
almost as if a fan had been turned on, but Gwen felt the churning in her belly.
The faster it churned, the more wind came from her fingertips and then a tiny
shot of electricity. It bounced from tip to tip and Gwen sobbed before she let
her hand fall flat.

“What’s
happening to me? Jacob?”

He
pulled her into his arms and just held her. He just held her and Gwen knew it’d
be okay. Somehow Jacob Blood would fix everything that needed to be fixed. She
would’ve bet her life on it.

****

Now
he was in the underworld. Trapped and its prisoner. Gwen would give anything to
help him like he helped her. But, she hadn’t, had she? Wrapped up in her own
drama, Gwen hadn’t been there when Jacob needed her or the girls. There
should’ve been redemption for her in those girls, but instead there were just
more mistakes.

The
underworld. Lourdes. Jacob died protecting his daughters. Gwen would’ve given
anything to have been there that night. They might not have been able to save
her son, Christopher, but had Jacob tried. Lord, how he’d tried.

He
deserved better than he got. Both Christopher and her brother.

Gwen
wished to see him one more time. What was she supposed to do?
How can I save
your girls? Help me.

They
didn’t make it easy, did they? But since they came from Jacob, well, it made
sense. Donna’s kindness and sweetness was in Amanda, but Jessica—she was all
Jacob. Sometimes Gwen forgot when she was staring into Jessica’s eyes that they
were different people. Sometimes it was as if her brother had returned.

“You’re
awfully quiet,” Mike said and crossed his arms. He peered over at her.
“Everything all right?”

She
nodded, but didn’t take her eyes off the road. “Just a lot to think about.”
Gwen wasn’t even sure what they were racing toward.

“In
Jake’s car…” Mike gazed up at the roof. “Makes me think of him as well. The
dearest of my friends. When I first set foot in this car with Duncan, to go
rescue Amanda, I felt Jacob all around. It’s as if he never really left those
girls.”

Gwen
wiped her eye. “Part of me thinks he hasn’t. I know he’s in the underworld, but
his presence…it’s in this car, Mike. Or maybe it’s just wishful thinking.”

“Maybe.”
Mike gave a foolish grin. “Did you ever know he decked me?”

“Decked
you? When?” Gwen was glad for a break in her own mournful thoughts.

“When
he found out we were…expecting. I didn’t even know yet. It was before you came
to tell me, but he decked me. Held me out of the church’s second level window
too.” Mike chuckled as if
reliving
the
memory. “I didn’t know why he threatened me, just knew he drove fifty miles to
threaten my life. Figured, whatever I did must’ve been a doozy. Sure as hell
was, wasn’t it?” Mike rubbed his chin, his eyes gazing far off in the distance.

Gwen
was glad no one had told her that before. Back in the day, she wouldn’t have
appreciated the big brother behavior. It would’ve driven a wedge between them.
“Well, no one can take our memories from us. Good or bad.”

Mike
nodded. “More good than bad when he comes to Jacob,” Mike muttered. “How you
doing back there, Archie? Have the passage we need to get through?”

Archibald
ruffled through his papers. Gwen could hear them shuffling and it sounded like
a mess that needed to be sorted. “Yes, I think I’ve gotten it down. One more
passage and everything should be in order. There is something that I’m not
quite sure about.”

“Oh?”
Gwen arched an eyebrow and gazed at him through the rearview mirror. “What’s
that?”

“The
hike,” Archibald sighed. “The walk from the street to the cavern is over a mile
and after that, we’ll need to repel down.” He blinked his eyes and shook his
head all at the same time.

“Cheer
up, old man.” Mike grinned and tossed his head back. “Once we finish this
thing, free Amanda, we’ll take you out for sundaes.”

Archibald
sat up straighter. “It’s not nice to tease a person…”

“I’m
not doing anything of the sort. As a man of the cloth, I always keep my word.”

Gwen
shook her head at him with a smile. Strange, the way you could be rushing
toward the end of the world and feel so light. Maybe it was just because she was
with him. Maybe Gwen would save the world a million times, if it meant being at
Mike’s side.

“A
blessed forest, prison to that hell beast of a woman.” Mike sighed. “Why don’t
you tell us now what we’re really after, Archie? I’m sure it’s more than a conversation.”

Gwen
tensed as she waited for Archibald’s answer.

Archibald
sighed. The leather seats squeaked as he leaned forward. “Blood. We need
Lanon’s blood if we’re to activate the Ruby Heart.”

Gwen
felt the surge of panic take hold of her, but it was Mike’s voice that rose in
disbelief. “We need to kill the demon warrior, Lanon? One of the former demons
of the high court?”

“I
didn’t say kill,” Archibald corrected. “Just a few drops. I’m hoping she can be
persuaded to…help us. I’ve brought some of her favorite things. Golden
trinkets. Candy. News about the world she left behind. A demon loves to barter
for a good trade, you know.”

“You’re
also bringing her something else that she loves.” Gwen’s fingers tightened
around the steering wheel as she gazed at Mike.

His
eyes held deep worry, but he laughed anyway. “Fresh meat.” He spoke out the
side of his mouth in a way Gwen always found adorable, even if it was his
pessimistic side showing.

Archibald
sighed. “Well, luckily I have you two to protect me!”

****

Gwen
parked in the rest stop overlooking the fern grove. The rest stop was
unremarkable and the overgrowth of bushes on the path signaled it hadn’t been
used in a while. She just hoped Lanon would still be where they had left her.

Demons
rarely listened and this one was more dangerous than most. Lucky for them the
blessed forest, one of the few in the United States, held power over demons. It
was why Gwen had lured her into the cavern of purple trees and a sparkling
lake, which held a power over evil beings. It was there that Lanon had lost the
battle. Lucky for them, killing the demon warrior proved too difficult, in the
days before Gwen had achieved her full power over the elements.

When
Mike was a distraction, but not the forbidden fruit Gwen had tasted.

She
popped the trunk of the car and handed the ropes and climbing gear they picked
up along the way to Mike. “Give Archie a pep talk, will you?” She asked. “He’s
hyperventilating.”

Mike
grabbed his AK-47 and gazed over to the hood of the car. Archibald was sitting
on it, grabbing at his chest. “For the love…Archie!” He made his way over to
their friend.

Some
things would never change.

Gwen
grabbed her gun and touched a cloth laying in the trunk. Interested she peeled
it back and saw a shimmering sword. Interesting. This must have been the sword
that Jessica told her about. The one that Amanda had used to impale Lourdes…the
one that started this whole mess.

For
a brief moment, Gwen grabbed the hilt. She was surprised to see what appeared
to be black ink traveling through the blade. She let it go in an instant and
the black stain disappeared. Part of Lourdes was still in the blade?

Gwen
thought maybe it should be destroyed, but that would keep for another time.
Wrapping the cloth around the hilt, Gwen picked it up. They might need it to
negotiate with Archibald’s friend. She slammed the trunk closed and started
down the path. “You old ladies going to be able to keep up with me?”

Mike
and Archibald took up the rear. Archie was flushed, but at least he had caught
his breath. Bending over, Mike grabbed a well-sized stick and gave it to their
friend. “Use that on any uneven patches and we’ll make good time.”

Archibald
nodded, but didn’t seem too keen on talking, though Gwen thought talking would
keep him calm. “Do you think she’s still here? Do you think she’ll even
entertain the notion of helping us?”

“She
doesn’t want the world destroyed any more than we do. True, it might be a
little challenging to get her to work with us, but I’m confident we can get her
on our side.” Archibald said, “I brought her favorite snacks.”

Mike
snorted. “No one will ever say that the great Archibald was against bribery.”

“Heavens
no,” Archibald laughed, “Bribery is just the kind of work I’m suited for. It’s
much easier than firing a gun.”

“Or
scaling down the inside of a cavern,” Gwen slapped him on the back. She picked
up speed and led the way. Pushing back bushes with her hands, the surroundings
were getting thick and dark. The pit that led to the cave wasn’t far off now,
but without help, they’d never find the path.

Time
to shine a light on it. She cupped her hand and allowed it to glow as bright as
the sun. She held her palm out to guide the way and in the dark, she saw red
eyes. A legion of red eyes glared at her hiding among the trees. Gwen’s hairs
rose on the back of her neck and she felt a tingle against her skin.