Fading Light: Shadow Born, Book 2 (18 page)

Chapter Eighteen

“There you are,” Seraph stepped into the bedroom, seemingly oblivious to what he had interrupted. Gray could sense Agnes a few steps behind him but, thankfully, she had better sense than to come flying through a locked door.

Brenna grabbed the nearest blanket and tried to cover herself. Unfortunately, the blanket was in tatters, so she managed to make herself R-rated at best. Gray sat up to provide her more cover. He glared a Seraph. “You better have a damn good reason for breaking through that door.”

“There’s a pool of blood in the living room that trails up the stairs. I thought you were injured, not screwing like bunnies.” Seraph shook his head. “Get dressed. We’ll be in the kitchen. I’ll make coffee.”

“Strong coffee,” Brenna mumbled against Gray’s back.

When the door closed and they were alone once again, Gray turned to face Brenna. She shook her head, a bemused look in her eyes. “He took that in stride.” A slight grin played on her lips, then she began to chuckle. After a few moments Gray joined her.

“I thought his eyes were going to pop out of his head when he saw we were both naked.” He laughed harder. “I don’t think Seraph ever wanted us to be that up close and personal.”

“Then he should have knocked.” Brenna pulled on a fresh pair of jeans. Her hair flowed around her like a silk cloak.

She was beautiful. And she was his. He would keep her, whatever the cost.

Their laughter eased his soul, and he found he could breathe more freely. Pulling on his shirt, he walked to Brenna. “Once things calm down, I’ll clean this up.” He gestured at the room. “I know it’s hard for you.”

“Thank you.” She gave him a quick kiss. “Let’s get this over with. The longer Seraph waits, the harder he’ll be to deal with.”

Gray watched as she moved into the hall. Her tears had torn open something inside of him, making him realize his feelings went beyond lust and obligation. Somewhere along the way, she had stolen a place in his heart. He loved her. But there was no time for love in the middle of war. They would sort things out once Adare was dead.

Seraph and Agnes were waiting in the kitchen. True to his word, Seraph had a carafe of coffee brewed and a cup for Brenna waiting in his outstretched hand. The stuff looked like fermented tar.

Brenna grabbed it and sucked it down with one gulp. She leaned against the whitewashed wooden counter. “Another.” She handed Seraph the cup. He filled it to the brim and handed it back.

If Gray had known that was all it took to make her happy, he would have put a coffee pot in every room. The reward outweighed the inconvenience.

Brenna placed her cup on the counter at her side. “I know what Sam was trying to tell us. Adare’s at the old hospital in the mountains.”

They looked at her like she was crazy.

Seraph shook his head. “No way. I blew the place to hell while you were gone.”

Brenna moved across the room to take a seat at the table. “Think about it. That’s why it’s the last place we would expect him to be. It’s the best hiding place I can think of.” She glanced at Seraph. “Weren’t there tunnels beneath the building? Did you get those too?”

He shook his head. “No, but the building collapsed over top of them. They’re useless.”

“Not for Adare.” Gray considered. “He could carve out an entrance. It would be easy for him to run the operation from there. He would just have to communicate with the demons telepathically.”

“The hospital hasn’t been on our radar because it’s destroyed.” Brenna tapped her fingers against the table. “We’ve looked everywhere else.”

“It’s worth checking out.” Agnes moved from the shadows.

Seraph shook his head. “It’s a long shot and we don’t have anyone to spare. We need everyone here.”

“For what?” Brenna glared at him. “Headquarters is destroyed. Without Lucy we have a cat’s chance in hell to find a cure, and we know Adare has upped his time table. Our priority should be finding Adare and finding Lucy, so we can end this.”

“She’s right.” Keegan stepped through the kitchen door. Mira was behind him. “We’ve got maybe a hundred hunters left, and most of them are incapacitated. They’ll die if we’re attacked. Our best shot is to go after Adare.”

“I agree,” Agnes replied. “But Brenna can’t go.”

Gray moved in front of Brenna, but she pushed him aside. “I’m not staying here. You need me to fight Adare.”

Agnes took a long breath, shaking her head. “You’re the only one who can heal Ga’loh, and you’re going to need all your power to do that
and
help us fuel the ritual to send him home. We’ve only got one shot.”

Gray stepped forward. Brenna wasn’t facing Ga’loh without him. “Explain.”

Agnes sank into the nearest chair. “The attack at headquarters drained me. I’m only strong enough to complete the ritual once and, even then, I’ll have to draw power from the rest of you and from the coven. And there’s the small matter of the sacrifice. It isn’t just a matter of spilling some blood, the spell requires suffering. It’s dark magic, and it’s greedy.”

Gray tensed. “None of our people are going to die to send Ga’loh home.”

Agnes rolled her eyes. “Of course not. It’s my fault the beast is here in the first place. It’ll be my blood, my pain, that sends him home.”

Brenna shook her head. “That’s not an option.”

“I’m two hundred years old. I’m tired, and I miss my daughter.” She smiled weakly. “None of you can defeat Ga’loh in his true form. I brought him here. I’ll pay the price to send him back.”

Seraph moved behind Agnes, his hands on her shoulders. “If Ga’loh sees you, he’ll figure out what’s going on. You’ll have to sneak in during the ceremony when the demon’s distracted. Once he gives us the cure, we’ll start the ritual. I know you don’t have the strength to show us the spell, but you’ll have to teach us how to fuel it.”

Agnes nodded. “There’s nothing to teach. I’ll use your blood to bind you to the spell. Once Ga’loh’s banished, the spell will release and you’ll be free.”

“And if you fail?” Gray asked.

“We won’t. My death will insure the spell is powerful enough. It’s the only way.”

“No, it’s not.” Hilda materialized in the center of the room. “I understand your willingness to sacrifice yourself, but there’s only room for one ghost on this team.”

Gray sucked in his breath. He had forgotten Hilda had been a witch.

“Give me a corporeal form that will allow me to be the sacrifice. The spell doesn’t technically require a life essence, just the ability to feel pain–great pain, true suffering. If Agnes does it, it would be enough to kill her, but it won’t matter that I’m already dead. I can still pay that cost.”

Seraph glanced at Agnes. “Would it work? And if it will, can you do it?”

“She’s a ghost. It’s impossible.” Keegan snorted.

Agnes shook her head. “She’s right. It could work. Giving her a temporarily functioning body is easy.” She glanced at Keegan. “With a little dragon blood.”

Keegan backed up. “Not happening. I’m not giving that witch access to my blood.”

Seraph shot him an irritated glance. “It’s time to take one for the team.”

“Do you know what she could do with it?” Keegan shook his head. “I won’t be bound by a witch because I was stupid enough to bleed for her.”

“I only need a drop, and you can supervise.” Agnes stepped toward him. “I don’t want you, dragon. You’d be too much trouble.” She glanced at Igor who sat at her feet, his head on his enormous front paws. “Besides, Igor would get jealous.”

“Fine.” Keegan hissed, smoke wafting from his nostrils. “But I want back every drop you don’t use.” He glanced at Hilda. “And don’t get any ideas.”

Hilda laughed. “I’m a ghost. I think you’ll be okay.”

“Hilda, if Ga’loh figures out what you are, he could take you back with him,” Agnes warned. “You could end up his eternal plaything.”

“I know the risks.” Hilda faced them, hands on her hips. “Don’t try to talk me out of it. My decision is made.”

Brenna stood, moving to Gray’s side. “We have to go after Ga’loh now, and we’re going to need Mira and Seraph. You and Keegan will have to take the hunters who are in decent shape to go find Lucy.”

“She’s right,” Seraph said. “Our time table has been ramped up. We need that cure.”

Gray cursed. He knew they were right, but he didn’t like leaving Brenna vulnerable. Their magic complimented each other. They were stronger together than apart.

He studied Brenna, knowing his answer would make or break their fragile relationship. “I don’t want to split up.” As her eyes flared with irritation, he quickly continued, “But I trust you, and I know you can do this. Promise me you’ll keep our link open so I know what’s happening.”

Brenna wrapped her arms around his neck. Reaching up on her tiptoes, she kissed him. Keegan mumbled something indecipherable under his breath. She pulled back, smiling. “I’ll leave our link open as long as I can, but it will disrupt my concentration while I’m healing Ga’loh.” She kissed him again then let him go. “I don’t want to do this without you either, but it’s our only choice. We have to stop Adare. And we have to find a cure.”

“I know.” Gray closed his eyes. He prayed Sam wasn’t with Ga’loh. It would be better for all involved if he had slunk back to Adare. Gray would kill the bastard for the pain he had caused Brenna.

“If you find Sam, don’t kill him,” she said, and he wondered if she had read his mind. “We don’t know everything. I want the truth before we judge him.”

Gray wanted to argue. One of the things he loved about Brenna was her big heart, but it was going to get them both killed. “I won’t kill him unless I have to.” He kissed her forehead. “I promise.” It was one of the most difficult promises he had ever made.

“All right, boys and girls, we need a plan.” Keegan stepped further into the room. “There’s less than forty-eight hours before you meet Ga’loh. We’re beat to hell and exhausted. In this condition we’re no good to anyone. We buckle down here. Agnes will bring in her healers so Brenna can rest her magic. We need at least a day to recuperate or we’ll get our asses handed to us. We have to play this right.”

Mira stepped beside Keegan. “Aye aye, sir.” She considered. “If we need more men, I can try to get Claudius to help us.”

Seraph shook his head. “There’s no time. Claudius is fickle, and even though he’s our ally, he’d have to go to the vampire counsel first.”

“We probably should have kept them in the loop,” Brenna said.

Mira shook her head. “You did the right thing. You can’t trust Claudius.”

Gray looked at her with surprise. Mira had always hated her substitute sire, but there was a new level of rancor in her words. Something had happened between them. And it wasn’t good.

“I agree.” Agnes stood. “I dealt with him a few years back. He’s a bad seed.” She leaned against the tables. “My healers are on their way here, but someone just walked in the front door, and he’s not one of them.”

They tensed as the door to the kitchen swung open yet again. Louie appeared in the doorway. His eyes widened. His face was drawn and tense. “Um, sorry.” He stared at the floor. “I didn’t realize you were having a party.” He backpedaled toward the door. “I’ll be upstairs.” He disappeared before anyone could correct him.

“Useless.” Keegan shook his head. “Still don’t understand why you took him in.” Brenna glared at him. “If you hadn’t kidnapped him, I wouldn’t have had to.”

“He had information,” Keegan growled.

“Enough.” Seraph slammed his hand on the table. “Leave it alone. We’ve got bigger things to worry about.”

As Agnes stood she pulled a dagger and a vial from inside her coat. She handed them to Keegan. “We need to start the spell. It will take at least a day for it to work.”

He glanced at the implements in her hand, reluctant to take them. After a moment he groaned. “What the hell.” He grabbed the blade and sliced it across his forearm. Once his blood filled the vial, he handed it back to her. “I don’t trust witches.” He watched her carefully. “Don’t make me regret this.”

“I won’t, dragon.” She slipped the vial into her pocket then cleaned and sheathed the blade before turning to Brenna. “I need a quiet space. If I cast the spell now, Hilda will be fully formed tomorrow night. If it doesn’t work, I want to be able to try it again.”

Brenna nodded. “There are tunnels beneath the house. Marissa used them to practice spells, so they should work for your purposes. If not, I’ll find you someplace else.” She led Agnes and Keegan through the hallway to the dining room. Hilda followed close behind, still in semi-corporeal form. The perfume of anticipation flowed through the hall in her wake.

The trapdoor to the tunnels was hidden beneath a ragged red and blue circular rug in the far corner of the dining room. Brenna pushed the frayed carpet to the side and kicked open the wooden plank covering the entrance. A cloud of dirt exploded into the room, dancing in a cloud around them. Brenna stepped back, coughing.

“Believe it or not, we cleaned the tunnels out a few months ago.” Brenna shrugged. She motioned for them to follow as she stepped onto the first rung of the rope ladder and began to climb.

The tunnels had been built during the war to move humans from place to place outside the threatening gaze of the deviants who had taken over the city. They were similar to the ones that led to headquarters, but these were more like true hallways beneath the earth. They were lit by sconces that had been shoved into the earthen walls.

Brenna led them down the narrow corridors into an open chamber. It was the size of a small living room and perfectly round. A fire pit had been dug into the dirt in the center of the room. It was filled with fresh wood.

“This should work.” Agnes pulled off her black leather coat and threw it on the ground. For the first time, Brenna saw the scars dancing across her arms and shoulders. They were old wounds, but still horrifying in number.

Agnes followed her gaze and shrugged. “We all have our battle wounds. Mine are more noticeable than some.” She settled on the ground beside the fire pit. “None of this has been what I expected. If I could go back in time and stop my coven from summoning Ga’loh, I would.” She sighed. “At least I can end it now.”