Blood Sacrifice (The Blood Sisters Book 3) (6 page)

In
and out, Duncan kept falling in and out of consciousness. Vain was there. He
was still her prisoner, Duncan was sure about that, but that was all he was
sure of. Because the more Vain put that stuff on his lips, the less sure Duncan
was about anything.

Flashes
in front of him blended and blurred Vain’s face into Jessica’s. Duncan knew it
was a trick, at least he thought he did, but why did he keep grabbing Vain’s
face? Why did he keep kissing her?

“You
want me,” Vain whispered, her crotch right where it should be. She rode him
like a wild bull and Duncan was helpless to do anything but enjoy it. He fished
his hands beneath her hair and forced her down to kiss him.

“You
love me,” Vain whispered, against his lips and her breath was erratic, caught
in her throat as the tempo in the room intensified. “Say my name, Duncan.
Please.”

Lying
on the bed, Duncan opened his eyes and saw her. She was on top of him. Her head
thrown back in ecstasy in a way that only happened in his dreams. Her lips
barely parted as she moaned and the long flowing mane of red hair spiraled down
her back. The lights caught it just right and it was beautiful. Duncan wanted
nothing more than to lose his fingers beneath it and tug her close enough to
kiss again and again.

Just
a simple, tender kiss…

“Jessica.”
His hand stretched for her and Jessica bent down so he could touch her. It was
like heaven to have her lips so close to his face. Duncan stroked her hair
back, the palm of his hand caressing her soft cheek and bringing his lips to
hers.

But
there was no scar. Hadn’t she had a scar on her cheek for years?

“Jess…”
he whispered.

“Sssh,”
Jessica’s eyes were closed and she put a finger to his lip, replacing it slowly
with her own. Her breath was hot inside his mouth and Duncan’s skin rose up
with excitement. “I’ll get you out of here,” she promised, “but first, make
love to me, Duncan.”

She
didn’t sound much like Jessica. The beats of her words, her sentences, were
off, but Duncan didn’t know why. He gripped her back, driving her down toward
him. A playful grin spread her mouth wide and Jessica’s eyes opened and gazed
down at him.

Except
her eyes weren’t green. They were brown.

Duncan
sucked on his breath and his arms dropped to his side. “What the hell? Your
eyes…”

Jessica’s
lip rolled over in a full pout and Duncan knew it wasn’t her. Jessica Blood
didn’t pout, that was reserved for lesser women. “It’s still me, Jasper. I
promise.” She bent over to kiss him, but Duncan rolled his head away.

“Get
away from me. Whoever you are.”

Jessica
stood off of him with a snarl. Now that looked like Jessica. “Fine,” she spat
at him. “But now I need to get my jollies off somewhere else. I need to find
someone to hurt if I can’t hurt you.” She stormed out of the bedroom and
slammed the door.

Duncan
rose from the bed, and, dogged by a bad limp, followed after her. His vision
was spinning and he couldn’t walk in a straight line without banging into the
wall. It was as if he had been drugged. His mouth was dry and his tongue felt
cracked as sandpaper. “Wait! Stop, whoever you are….”

But
the room slanted and was spinning. Almost as if he was on a boat, Duncan
slammed into the door frame. He grabbed onto it and stumbled into the hall. The
lights everywhere were flickering. Everything was going crazy. His forehead was
sweaty, his limbs shaking, and his feet seemed to float across the floor.

Why
did he feel this way? And where was he? Duncan’s memories and thoughts were
disjointed. He saw Amanda’s face, begging him to stay, and behind her was,
what?

A
church?

This
place was no church. The narrow hallways were lined with red carpet and the
walls with black and white
wallpaper
.
There were so many doors on each side, it would take forever to find Jessica
here and Duncan’s stomach was churning itself into knots. Whatever was wrong
with him, he didn’t have too long to find her. He could barely stay upright.

But
there she was, at the end of the hall, an evil snarl on her face. Her arm was
clamped around the throat of a woman, a short one with brown hair and baby
brown eyes, and in Jessica’s other hand a knife.

“Stop,”
Duncan’s voice whispered as if from far away. He stumbled. His fingers flicking
against the wall as he went.

“Help,”
the young woman called out. Her eyes wide with terror. As Duncan got closer, he
recognized her as his kid sister. Meggie?

Wasn’t
she dead? Hadn’t Duncan already found her body?

“Meg!”
Duncan ran for his sister, tripping over his feet he walked on his ankles.
Fingers outstretched, he reached for Megan as Jessica sliced her throat from
ear to ear.

His
scream came not from his mouth alone, but his entire body. It blocked
everything out as he stumbled to his knees and Meg’s limp body fell to the
ground. “Meggie, Meggie!” Duncan cried as he stared into her dull, vacant eyes.

Her
lips barely parted, her voice was a gurgle of blood and a struggle for air.
“Why can’t you save me? Why?”

Duncan
blubbered as he scooped her up in his arms. His heart would never mend itself.
It was fractured, like a smashed window, broken beyond repair. There was no
room in his heart for anything but pain. He buried his face into Meg’s hair and
cried. All he could do was cry.

But
it hadn’t been like this had it? Memories flashed in his mind of Meg’s dead
body. Then, it had been cold and abandoned in an old warehouse. Now he lost her
again in this dark, scary place?

Why
did he have to keep losing her? Why?

Duncan
sobbed, holding Meg’s body close to his. He didn’t know what was real and what
was false, but his grief was real enough. . His despair would carry him home.

He
glanced up at Jessica Blood’s smiling face. “Hate me yet?” Jessica blew him a
kiss. Nothing about any of it made sense and Duncan fought against the darkness
and the magic that swirled in the room. When he looked up at Jessica again for
a split second her face changed.

Duncan
saw Vain where Jessica was before, and those moments on the bed came charging
toward him. This wasn’t Jessica’s handy work, but Vain’s. “Damn you, Vain!” He
placed his sister’s tender body on the ground and charged toward the evil
temptress.

She
grabbed him by the throat and something pierced his side. Groaning, with wide
eyes, Duncan touched his skin where he had been stabbed. “Evil bitch,” he
muttered and fell to the ground as Vain released him.

“This
is going to be harder than I thought,” Vain stepped over him and snarled with
her arms crossed. “If the ointment doesn’t work and this wig isn’t enough…we’re
going to have to get more creative.”

Vain
huffed and a haze of yellow mist came down from the lights, as if they too were
tainted by magic. One of Vain’s girls, Michelle stepped up and handed Vain her
crystal ball. “Mistress, you asked for this? For phase two?”

“Yes,”
Vain crouched low and Duncan tried to slither his head away, but he was so
weak. So tired… “Gaze into the crystal ball, Jasper. Gaze into it and see
exactly what I tell you to…”

They
drove for hours and stopped only briefly for snacks and bathroom breaks. Too
many of them, thanks to Archie’s weak constitution. Knowledgeable as he was,
Archibald wasn’t the best road trip buddy Gwen had ever had. Years with two
teenage
gingers
, Gwen was used to
ignoring backseat squabbles, but it rubbed Mike the wrong way.

 “Archie,”
Mike said with a rapid blink of his eyes, “you stop complaining that you’re
hungry or help me God…”

“But
you’re a priest.” Archie laughed from the back of Gwen’s Jeep. “What will you
do to me? You can’t kill me.”

Mike’s
eyebrows came down sharp and scornfully. “I don’t have to kill you. I just have
to hurt you.”

Gwen
suppressed a chuckle, the heel of her gloved hand resting on the steering
wheel. They were close to the next small watering hole in Nevada. It was near
quitting time, which meant rush hour traffic was upon them. If they were going
to stop and recharge, now might be the time to do it. “Okay, guys—.”

But
it was as if they hadn’t heard her.

“I
also have to use the facilities,” Archie mumbled. “That canned soda stuff
always makes it worse.”

“Archie!”
Mike reached back into the backseat as if to throttle their old friend, but
Gwen intervened and grabbed his wrist. For a brief moment their eyes met and
Gwen gave a gentle shake of her head.

He
was better than this. So what was really going on? Something he couldn’t put
into words, but his eyes gave her a thousand pardons. Mike sighed and sat
straight. “Sorry, Archie. I guess every man has his limits. Mine is apparently
riding eight hours with you. Coupled with Gwen’s driving and the way you are
littering the back with wrappers…”

Gwen
let her chuckle be heard this time, and it cut through the tension like a knife
through warm butter. “We’ll stop at the next town as soon as we get through
this traffic. It’s coming up soon, over the next hill, a nice little pancake
place that’s open 24/7. Let’s get some food, and coffee, after that, we’ll be
ready to ride clear to Vegas.”

“Stretching
our legs will make everything better,” Mike said.

Archie
leaned forward. “And syrup.” Breakfast food, was his weakness. Good thing Gwen
knew it too.

****

The
[small Midwest town in Nevada] was as docile as it came. The gas station was
closed and the streets were nearly clear of cars. A few dusty old farmers sat
on an old wooden bench outside of the Silver Dollar Pancake Café, their eyes
vacant and dull. Gwen thought there was something eerie about it all, but,
except for exchanging a glance with Mike, she kept it to herself.

Inside
was bustling. The counter was filled with people eating lunch and sipping
coffee. The magazine rack at the door was empty and waitresses rushed around as
if they had wheels strapped to their feet. Behind the counter, a harried woman,
with a messy bun, wore a blue uniform. “Take a seat and someone will be with
you, hon.”

Worn
paneling covered the walls, and old, tattered menus lay scattered across the
tables, but the smell of hot coffee and bacon allowed Gwen to look past all of
that.

“C’mon,
Arch,” Mike ushered them over to a booth that already had a few menus laid out.
Archie got in first, Mike slid in beside him and Gwen took the opposite seat.
His eyes met hers, but she couldn’t read his gaze. There was something warm
held inside of them just for her and she needed to ignore it.

She
flipped over her menu and read the specials. Waffles with ice cream sounded
good. Outside, the weather was sweltering, and Gwen could use some
refreshments. You didn’t worry about bad carbs as much when fighting evil, and,
when your darling niece was on the path to becoming the ultimate evil, all bets
were off.

The
waitress from behind the counter slammed three hot coffees onto the table. The
deep-black liquid sloshed and spilled. She swore under her breath as she
cleaned it up with a dirty rag. “Sorry. It’s crazy busy today. Been like this
for three days. Nobody wants to stay home anymore. What can I get you?”

“Belgian
with ice cream for me,” Gwen said.

“I’ll
have the same,” Mike said and Gwen shot him a dirty look. Did he always have to
copy her? That priest, he never had an original thought.

“French
toast,” Archie said, “extra bacon. Crispy, but not too crispy. Extra syrup. A
pat of butter, but nothing too big. How are your hash browns—?” He was cut off
as Mike slapped the back of his head. Archie cleared his throat and his face
turned several shades of red. “The French toast and bacon is fine. But please,
don’t forget the syrup.”

The
waitress barely looked up from her order pad. “Got it.”

“Why
is it that no one wants to stay home anymore?” Gwen asked.

The
waitress gave a dispassionate shrug. “Must be that giant crater that opened up
in town.” After her answer, she squeezed past the big men at the counter to get
back at her post and Gwen stared after her.

A
crater? Things were advancing quickly—much faster than Gwen expected. Were
things in the underworld falling apart already? Had the factions come together
to declare war on the Earth? Her eyes fell to Mike and his expressed his own
worry, but Archie sighed.

“Can
we at least eat before you rush on out to save the world? We can’t do anything
on an empty stomach.”

“Eat
fast, Archie.” Gwen slammed her hand down on the table before she rushed from
the restaurant. Her eyes took in the sight of houses against the backdrop of
the mountains, but a crater? She didn’t see it. Gwen sighed with her hands on
her hips.

Left?
Right? Which way should she go? Using nothing but her instincts, Gwen followed
them as she always did and turned left. She passed the gas station and a corner
store. The lights in the window blinked open, but the sign on the door read
closed.

Then
she saw it. A children’s playground attached to a church preschool. The fence
was folded over. Inside its once protective perimeter, a plastic slide was
melted and a giant hole was open in the ground.

Gwen’s
heart leaped into her throat as she stepped over what was left of the fence.
Her foot met rock, but it crumbled and she nearly fell. Grabbing at the fence
to steady herself, Gwen stared down into what was essentially was a pit of
Hell. A green haze of smoke drifted up and a groan of torment escaped.

She
bit her lip as a chill ran through her. This was corruption at its worst so how
was it the people of this town were okay?

Or
were they?

When
Mike grabbed her arm, Gwen jumped. “You trying to make me fall in?” She
squeezed her eyes shut. Her words were too harsh, she was sorry.

If
he agreed with her, Mike didn’t say anything. “Why here? Why this town?”

It
could be all over, but Gwen didn’t really believe that—did she? “They’re coming
up. They’re searching for her just as we are. Amanda. Whether she wants to or
not, she’s calling to them. Her very existence…” Gwen couldn’t finish her own
thought—her heart wouldn’t let her.

Mike
took Gwen’s hand and held it. It was enough to crumble what was left of Gwen’s
crusty old heart. “It’s not over yet. Don’t give up. We’ll save her.”

“Not
if we have to keep feeding Archie’s manic appetite.” Gwen sighed. “We can’t
stop again, Mike. We need to get to Vegas before the underworld figures out
what we’re up to.”

His
eyes narrowed. “I’ll speak to Archie.”

“You’re
no better,” she arched an angry eyebrow. “Your arguing and constant bickering…”

Mike
licked his lip and his eyes darted away. “I bicker when I’m nervous.”

“True
as that is, I need you on my side.” Gwen stroked the lapel of his jacket and
gazed into his eyes. “Are you with me?”

“Until
the bitter end.” He edged in closer and the sweat smell wicking from his body
was enough to drive Gwen’s mind plummeting into the past. Mike meant to kiss
her, didn’t he? No matter what it meant in the past or how it could destroy
their future, Mike was going to kiss her.

She
turned her head so it couldn’t happen and she had a clear view of the main
strip of town. The hardware store, the dentist office, even the florist shop—they
all had closed signs hanging on them. Everything was closed.

Everything.

“They’re
all closed. Everything but the pancake shop, it’s all closed. Why?” Gwen asked
and her breath caught in her throat at the same moment that Mike hollered.

“Damn
it, Archie!” With a tug on her hand, Mike took off running across the street
and Gwen’s legs struggled to keep up with him. By the time they reached the
restaurant, Gwen was in a full on sprint.

“Mike,
you’re not armed!” She warned, but Mike was already inside. Cursing him, Gwen
slammed through the front door of the establishment in time to see Mike swat
Archie’s fork down.

“I
beg your pardon!” Flustered, Archie’s face blushed.

“Don’t
eat that. It’s tainted. Everything here is being tainted.” Mike grabbed Archie
by the collar and yanked him from the booth.

Suddenly
all eyes were on them. The door to the kitchen opened and a chef and his cooks
stood there, holding meat cleavers drenched in blood. Those sitting at the
counter rose up from their bar stools. From beneath their trucker hats they
stared
Gwen and her friends down.

“Demons,”
Gwen’s lip snarled, surprised she hadn’t smell them before.

“Don’t
you want your food?” The harrowed waitress from earlier stepped from behind the
counter. She straightened up and shook her messy bun free with long, spindly
fingers. A spider ring took shape on her hand and her lips shifted to ruby red.

“Crispy
bacon, just the way you like it, Archie?”

Archie
stammered as the waitress pushed her finger into his belly. “How do you know
who I am?”

“She’s
a high-level demon,” Mike said. “Higher than that actually.”

“Straight
from the inner court of Hell itself.” The waitress took a deep breath and her
uniform vanished and was replaced with a shimmering black dress. The regal
cloth puddled on the floor and the collar edged up high around her jaw.
“Without Lourdes around to hold us back, we’re going to take over. We’re moving
in and making room for our master.”

Lucifer.

Not
if Gwen had anything to say about it.

The
men from the bar stepped closer, with tight jaws and blood lust in their eyes.
Gwen had a thing or two to say about their plan. She threw her hands down by
her sides and they charged with electricity. With no time to delay, Gwen shot
out a blast of wind mixed with voltage at the crowd.

It
threw them back just enough. She pivoted on her heel and charged for the front
door trusting that Mike and Archie would be close behind.

“Get
them! Don’t let them get away!”

Gwen
slid into the Jeep, and before the passenger doors shut, she started her baby
up. Peeling away from the curb, dust shot from around the tires and filled the
rearview. Demons charged from behind, but they weren’t going to catch up to
her. Gwen was as certain about that as anything .

“They
were all demons?” Archie gasped. Gwen figured that was more exercise than he
had gotten in a decade.

“Corrupted
by the food,” Mike said. “They served her, whoever she was, but they aren’t
demons in the traditional sense. She’s a
counselor
in the court of Lucifer.” Gwen felt Mike’s eyes on her—burning a hole through
her skin.

Archie
shook his head as he wiped it with a white handkerchief. “I didn’t even know
such a thing was possible. I didn’t….”

Mike
ignored Archie and spoke quietly. “If we don’t get someone in the underworld
soon to replace Lourdes, he’ll be next, Gwen. Lucifer will rise up and man
alone won’t be able to fix this problem.”

On
the open highway, Gwen bit her lip and pushed her foot down on the gas. “No
more breaks. No more food runs. We get to Vegas and we keep our mouths shut.”
She couldn’t take anymore complaining. No more babbling.

To
everyone’s credit, no one spoke. A silence Gwen was grateful for.