Secret Worlds (168 page)

Michael studied me for a long moment, seeming to realize the aggravating truth of my words. He reached up and unclipped the necklace from his neck, thoroughly confusing me. “I was right, you know. You are stubborn.”

I merely shrugged. This time, it didn’t hurt. Hurray. “It’s one of my best—what the hell are you doing?”

He gripped my left arm and wrapped the necklace around it until the chain stretched tight across the skin of my wrist, leaving the padlock to hang down near my palm. He then lifted it up and kissed it. The combination of his warm lips and the cold metal made goosebumps pop up across my skin before I could yank my hand away.

“What was that for?”

“I put a special mark on the necklace. I can locate it no matter where I am. As long as you’re wearing it, I know where you are.”

I stared at him. “…did you just Lo-Jack me?”

“Maybe. Now come on. We’ve got work to do, remember?”

This is not good.

My fingers wrapped themselves into fists and clenched, digging my nails into my palm. Breath came in shaky gulps that I tried to hide by clenching my teeth. The vibrantly green grass looked awful soft and friendly between the frayed edges of my black Reeboks as I tried in vain to get control of myself. What, you may ask, spawned this particular panic attack? We followed Jacob through town until he found where he’d woken up.

In front of a psychiatric hospital.

Lovely.

Michael tugged me aside and blocked the view of the cheerful white sign indicating the name of the mental hospital. Not that it helped. “Jordan, look at me. Are you alright?”

“Yeah,” I told him with a high, false laugh. “Doesn’t everyone do their Lamaze breathing in front of an insane asylum?”

My joke didn’t seem to make him feel any better. He gripped my upper arms and made me look up at his face. “You don’t have to go in. You know that.”

I shook my head. “My ghost kid. My job. I’ll be fine, I swear.”

“I don’t believe you.”

I unclenched one hand and patted him on the arm. “That’s because you’re smart.”

Thankfully, the panic attack was only momentary. My breathing slowed. The cold sweat down my back evaporated. I felt the fear retreating into the depths of my mind.

Jacob had a worried look on his face, mirroring Michael’s. “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing, kiddo. We’re fine. Now that we’re at your site, are you remembering anything else?”

“Yes. There was a lady inside. She had dark hair and glasses. I remember seeing her.”

“There must be a children’s wing here, right? Do you think this woman is the reason you didn’t cross over?”

Jacob’s nose wrinkled in concentration as he tried to remember. “Maybe.”

“Was she a doctor? A nurse? A secretary?”

The boy shook his head. “She was in a suit, not scrubs. I don’t think she was a physician.”

“Hospital management, sounds like. Alright, I need you to concentrate and tell me if she had any outstanding features.”

Jacob closed his eyes and took a deep breath, remaining silent for a long moment before replying. “She was kinda pale…her hair was really long and curly…and she had a white name tag that said Dr. Vulcan on it.”

“Vulcan?” I said in disbelief. “Eh, maybe she’s a Trekkie. Good job, Jacob.” I scribbled the name down on my notepad and squared my shoulders, facing the sidewalk leading up to the white and somehow ominous building.

“Let’s find your doctor.”

The receptionist at the bottom floor front desk was young—maybe seventeen or eighteen. Probably some kind of intern. She looked up at us through red bangs as we approached.

“How can I help you?”

“We were hoping to see if Dr. Vulcan was available today.”

The girl turned to her computer and started typing away, blue eyes scanning the screen. “Do you have an appointment with her?”

“No. I was hoping you guys did walk-in appointments,” I said. Trust me, I wasn’t an expert on psychiatric hospitals, but if they were anything like clinics then we may have been in luck.

The redhead did some more reading before answering. “Actually, she’s just finishing up rounds. I can send you up to her office if you’d like.”

I breathed a sigh of relief. “Yes, that would be fantastic.”

The receptionist took down information for both of us and pointed us to the left wing of the building. My shoulders wouldn’t relax as I walked through the pristine hallways with men and women in lab coats brushing past me. Michael wordlessly slipped his fingers between mine. Part of me wanted to protest because I usually didn’t like being touched, but I didn’t say anything because it actually helped calm me down. His hand was solid and warm and real. I needed that right now.

Dr. Vulcan had a nice corner office with a rear view of the estate. We sat in the plush leather chairs in front of her desk. I tried to keep my leg from bouncing up and down from nervous energy, but I couldn’t until Michael laid his hand on my knee for a brief moment. Jacob wandered around the room, staring at the towering bookshelves along the walls behind me. Even I had to admit they were impressive. How had she managed to cram so many medical books in there?

After a moment, a blonde woman appeared, catching our attention. “Excuse me, Dr. Vulcan has asked to meet you on the bottom floor. Exactly what kind of help are you looking for?”

Michael glanced at me and I nodded, indicating that I’d answer. “I have someone who might have been through here before—a little boy named Jacob.”

The woman nodded. “Well, she might remember who that is. Her files of past patients are in that file cabinet right there. I can send someone to open them for you, but he will need your information to gain access.”

I turned to Michael, murmuring. “You take the kid to see her. I’ll stay here and stall in case she’s not the right one for his final wish.”

He stood. “Be careful.”

I saluted him. Michael and Jacob went out into the hallway and the blonde lady promised that someone would come by to help me in a minute. After sitting back down, I closed my eyes and took slow breaths, reminding myself that this was a completely different hospital and nothing horrible would happen to me here. Michael would help the kid cross over and then we could go home—the light at the end of my panic-ridden tunnel.

“Miss Amador?”

I whirled around to see a tall man in an expensive black suit standing in the doorway. Even more impressive than his height was the long ebony hair he’d pulled back into a ponytail going down his back. Thick-rimmed glasses obscured the color of his eyes from me as he smiled.

“You need access to the files, right?”

“Uh, yeah.” I said, walking over to the cabinet and preparing to lie through my teeth.

He reached into his pockets, searching for the keys. “Would you mind answering a question for me?”

“Sure.”

“Does this smell like chloroform?”

Before I could move, he withdrew a white cloth and pressed it over my face. A muffled scream escaped me, but I knew it wasn’t loud enough to attract anyone from the hall. The tall man calmly wrapped his arms around me to keep me still as the drug took effect. My body went weak and rubbery as I slipped into unconsciousness. For the second time in my life, a psychiatric hospital would be the death of me.

How poetic.

My head throbbed. It felt like my brain was trying to hammer its way through my skull and into the outside world. A pained groan crawled out of my throat and escaped my dry lips. As I regained consciousness, I realized I was lying on a bed of some kind. The mattress had way too many springs in it so they poked my spine like needles. My eyelids fluttered for a second and a wave of nausea hit. I pressed my palm to my forehead as if it would help. That was when I realized the necklace around my wrist was gone.

“Sleep well?”

I heard a purring baritone voice from the corner of the white room. My eyes shot open. Ignoring the nausea and dizziness, I frantically pushed myself up to a sitting position. There stood the long-haired man who came to unlock Jacob’s files. He leaned his lanky frame against the far wall, smoking a cigarette. The black suit stood out stark against the pristine paint behind him.

I swallowed hard and tried to get a bearing on where I was. No windows. The door didn’t have a knob, either. From what I could tell, this was either an operating room or somewhere they put the patients who were a threat to themselves or the hospital staff. It was also rather small—no more than an eight by eight foot room, not much bigger than the bathroom in my apartment.

The man continued to watch me with a cool expression. The eerie patience on his face made me realize I hadn’t replied to his comment. As if I really knew what to say to the man who had just kidnapped me. I went for the casual approach.

“You’re not allowed to smoke in hospitals.”

He chuckled deeply enough to shake his broad shoulders. I took a moment to analyze his weight and strength. Could I take him? Most likely, no. Would I try it anyway? Hell yeah.

“You’re right, I suppose. Still, I can’t help loving these things.” He flicked the cancer stick to the linoleum floor and stomped it out.

“Humans come up with the most wonderful things to destroy themselves with.”

A red flag popped up in my mind. Please God, no. “Pardon?”

The man walked towards me and fear wormed its way up my stomach, settling in my chest. He had a heavy presence about him that confirmed my suspicion.

“I’m hurt, Jordan. You don’t recognize me?”

My whole body tensed. He leaned over the bed until our faces were level, placing his arms on either side of me. I had to ball my hands into fists to keep them from trembling. I looked into his eyes. They were a chillingly blue hue with reptilian pupils. I’d seen them before.

“Belial.”

He tilted his head to the side, and a sheet of that fine black hair slid across the side of his face. It brushed my cheek and made me flinch. “Did you miss me?”

“Not particularly.” I hated how afraid my voice sounded.

The demon smiled in a way I imagine a snake would at a mouse. “I suppose not. There’s no need for you to be scared of me this time. If I was going to kill you, I’d have done it while you slept.”

I licked my lips, mind racing to think rationally. “Like I believe that. Killing me while I was unconscious wouldn’t be any fun. You’d want to do it while I was awake and screaming, right?”

His sadistic smile widened. “My, my. We are getting to know each other, aren’t we?”

“If you’re not going to kill me, then would you mind getting the hell out of my personal space?”

“Why? Am I making you uncomfortable?” He tilted his head so that our lips were almost touching.

I took a deep breath, preparing to deck him if he dared kiss me. “No, I just hate that cologne you’re wearing. My ex-boyfriend used to wear it.”

Belial’s eyes widened like I’d surprised him. He stood to his full height, letting out another one of those creepy chuckles. “You really are an interesting girl.”

Now that I had my personal space back, the tension slid out of my rigid spine. I rested my feet on the floor. Whatever happened, I needed to be off this bed. It was clear that the demon had designs on my soul, but my body was a whole different issue. Better to play it safe. Or as safe as I could with a creature from Hell that wanted me to be his pet for all eternity.

“I aim to please,” I said. “Now get to the point. If you’re not going to kill me, what do you want?”

The smile remained intact, unnerving the hell out of me. He could give the Joker a run for his money with that thing. “The same thing I wanted before, my dear. Your soul.”

I glanced around the bare room. “I don’t see another spear lying around. How are you going to pull that off?”

“Persuasion.” To my surprise, he began unbuttoning his suit jacket, revealing a cobalt blue dress shirt beneath it.

I lifted an eyebrow. “No offense, but nudity is not going to win me over.”

Belial let out an amused snort after he tossed the jacket aside, rolling up the sleeves to the shirt. “As appealing as that sounds, that’s not what I’m going to do. I thought I’d give you a fair chance to fight for your soul. If you win, I’ll let you go. If I win, you agree to go through a ceremony that will bind us together for all eternity.”

There it was. He had a trap, a plan, and I’d played right into it by coming to this hospital.

I stood and crossed my arms underneath my chest. “Do you honestly expect me to believe a demon would keep his word? What makes you think I’d agree to something like this?”

“Because, dear Jordan, you are running out of time.” His voice made a cold and slimy feeling glide down my spine.

“What do you mean?”

“Right now, my associate Mulciber is torturing your sweet Michael with the weapons she stole from the museum. She intends to kill him. If you want any chance of saving him, you will play my game.”

All the blood rushed out of my face. I knew that name. Mulciber, the demon in
Paradise Lost
who had been responsible for building Pandemonium. The last time I’d seen Michael, he had walked off with Jacob to see Dr. Vulcan. Had that been Mulciber? At the very least, it explained her strange last name. Mulciber and Vulcan were both the name of a Roman god. Figures. An archdemon would compare herself to a god.

Belial smirked. “Do we have a deal?”

I answered him with a right cross, which struck him straight in his smug mouth. He rose to full height and touched the blood on the corner of his lips. He licked it away—a slow, intimate gesture that made me shiver. It was a silent threat, a violent promise, a precursor to something truly terrible.

“I’ll take that as a yes.”

I let a hateful smile form on my lips, trying to contain my rage enough to remember my self-defense lessons. “You like pain, right? Come a little closer and I’ll give you all you can handle, you son of a bitch.”

The demon nodded. “I sincerely hope you will.”

Belial had height, reach, and weight on me, so I knew there would be no point in attacking him first. I needed to use his body against him. That would be the only way I could beat him and get to Michael. Still, the longer we waited the closer, he came to death. The cold fingers of fear caressed my stomach, but I ignored them. I told myself he was an archangel who could handle himself.