Summon Dorn (Archangels Creed) (29 page)

Toren looked decidedly uncomfortable while kisses were finally exchanged.
"Holy Universes," he muttered, "like the lovely tulips will never return."

Kassern passed Toren and patted him on the shoulder.
"Can't wait to see you eat those words."

"That will be the eternal day brother," Toren said.

Dorn chuckled once.
"It most certainly will be."

The second they left, Karly moved to stand.
"Think I'll freshen up."

"
I'll help you," Devyn said.

"
Me too," Sally chimed. "Jessie, might as well come too."

Lucian shook his head as they filed to the bathroom.
"Or you could just tell
me
to go freshen up and save you four a few steps."

Once the girls were in the bathroom, Devyn spoke first.
"Tell me the truth, how do you feel?"

"
I'm fine." Karly's smile was a little too cheery and spots of brighter than normal color sat on her high cheek bones.

"
Girl don't lie to me!" Devyn squeezed her hand. "I know you too well, I saw the lie you told Kassern the second it came out of your mouth."

"
It hurts is all, what do you expect? I got bit. But he's upset enough, why make it worse?"

"
Kassern seemed too concerned for you to play around with it," Sally said. "How bad does it hurt?"

Karly shook her head looking up.
"Like a throb. That's about it."

"
On a scale of one to ten, how painful?" Jessie eyed the wound on Karly's slender leg.

"
Five okay? Happy? Now can I take a piss?"

"
Promise me you'll tell me if that changes, Karly." Despite the hard edge to Devyn's voice, it shook.

"
I promise, I promise." She shooed them all out.

The girls went into the main living area and found places to sit. Lucian paced near the window briefly before closing the curtains tight. He turned and pointed to Sally.
"Better not sit."

Sally paused in the process of lowering to an overstuffed sofa.
"Don't be silly."

"
I'm not, just being careful."

She sat anyway.
"I'm not going to stand up the entire time."

"
It's fine." Jessie stroked Lucian's arm.

He looked at her and closed his eyes.
"I'm sorry, I'm freaking out here."

"
And I'm starving." Karly came out of the bathroom. Jessie was sure the timing of Karly's gait was off, but she didn't know her well enough to accuse her of hiding the severity of her injury.

"
You took the words right out of my mouth," Devyn said.

"
Well we can't order food." Lucian said it like they were crazy to even think it.

Jessie squeezed his shoulder, hoping to talk him away from that fragile psych
e ledge. The angels had put a lot of responsibility on his shoulders. "Why not, Sweetie?"

Again he closed his eyes with a sigh.
"I'm no good at this. Sorry, I'm just trying to do my job right, I don't…don't want anybody to get hurt. I'll call…" he seemed to reconsider using the phone. "I'll go down and see what they have."

"
Okay, well, that'll give us all a chance to take showers. I'll wait for you. We can take ours together?" Anticipation quickened her breath.

Lucian
's eyes cleared and he pulled her into his arms and hugged her. "God that would be amazing."

Jessie smiled into his chest, appreciating the soft fabric of his
T-shirt. As far as she was concerned, he should always wear T-shirts

"
What am I thinking?" Lucian pulled back a little. "Of course I can't leave the room, we'll just wait."

The panic in his voice made Jessie feel terrible.
"Okay, that works fine too, we won't starve."

Chapter Twenty Eight

"What?" Devyn said, "Speak for yourself, I'm hungry, I haven't eaten since…" she paused thinking, "I can't even remember."

"
Well," Jessie said, "I'm sure they won't be more than an hour."

Sally flew into the living room
and looked around then grabbed her eye. "No, no, no, please," she whispered.

"
What's wrong?" Lucian and Jessie hurried to her, emphatic Romanian flying as if the others understood it, while Devyn and Karly joined them.

Sally pushed through them and stumbled into the table and fell.
"Help me, it's happening! Help me!"

"
What's happening?" Lucian's voice boomed with panic.

"
He's pulling me!" Her scream ripped through the air.

H
orrible dread slammed up Jessie's spine and her heart raced. Terror for the sister she'd never liked turned her blood to ice.

Jessie
dropped to her knees beside Sally, clutching her sister to her chest, adrenalin helping her think. "Where does it hurt? What do you need?"

Sally
broke away and bolted for the door, sobbing. She stopped with her hand on it. "He's making me go, it hurts oh God it hurts!" She wailed, both hands on her left eye.

"
Let me see!" Lucian went to her and pulled her hand away. "Holy Mother of God," he whispered. Her eye was red, not just bloodshot, but red like blood filled the entire thing, the white and all.

Jessie
's heart stuttered. She'd seen injuries to the eyeball during her ER and Trauma rotations. None of them looked like that. Even the iris and pupil looked bloodied.

"
He's making me go!" Sally jerked the door open and ran out.

"
Shit we don't have a car!" Devyn said as they all ran out.

"
We don't have anything," Karly added as they followed.

Sally broke out in hysterics when she encountered the end of the hall.
"Let me out!"

"
Damn it!" Jessie looked around. "The stairs! Here!" She opened the door and Lucian wrestled Sally through.

"
No, not this way!" Sally struggled with wails and grunts to go the other way.

"
We can't go through the wall baby." Karly hurried down the stairs. "What the hell are we supposed to do?"

Lucian led them down the stairs.
"Kassern! He said just think it if we need help."

"
Did that," Devyn and Karly both said at the same time. "You called Dorn?"

"
I have." Jessie followed, helping Lucian guide Sally.

Lucian spoke a long string of Romanian as
they hurried through the emergency exit at the bottom of the stairs and right onto a busy sidewalk.

"
This way this way this way!" Sally pushed forward right into traffic.

"
Dammit, hold on to her." Lucian's hiss came with a glance all around. "Anybody know how to hot-wire a car?"

"
I do," Karly said. "If it's an older one."

"
There's a parking garage." Jessie pointed.

They all ran toward it. Jessie waited for somebody to call the police.
The way Sally thrashed and fought not to go in that damn direction, it must look like they were abducting her.

"
Is she okay?" A woman asked as they dragged her while she fought, kicked and screamed.

"
We're taking her to the emergency room," Devyn said. "She's having one of her seizures."

Even as they hurried on, t
he woman pulled out her cell phone and began dialing. "I can call nine-one-one for you."

"
That isn't necessary." Jessie tossed the words over her shoulder. "I'm her nurse. The doctor is adjusting her medication, and this is a side-effect. He's meeting us at the ER." She could hardly believe how sane she sounded and prayed the woman bought it.

"
Well, if you're sure…"

Without turning, Jessie
called back loudly, "Yes, thank you, very kind of you." They headed over to Karly who stood next to a not brand new SUV. But not so old either.

"
Now what?" Lucian looked around. "I thought you wanted an older one?"

"
Yeah well, this is the oldest I could find in ten seconds." Karly darted her gaze all around.

"
Move." Devyn stood next to the window and cocked her elbow then seemed to wait for something. "Come. On," she gritted.  A ruby blade shot out and she thrust her elbow into the window and it shattered.

"
Nice," Karly whispered, staring at the blade.

It disappeared back into
Devyn's arm. "I'll be glad when I don't have to try so damn hard."

Karly jerked the door open while Lucian and Jessie fought to hold on to Sally
. She seemed to struggle not to scream at least, but her legs and arms suddenly extended and it was like maneuvering a windmill into a tiny square hole without breaking off the blades.

"
Get in Sally!" Jessie shoved her. "We're taking you there, help us!"

"
Shit!" Karly stared at the dashboard.

Devyn clicked her seatbelt.
"What!”

"
What? Look at this damn thing, it's not old enough, I can't hot wire this shit without the right tools, that's what."

Sally let out a
hurry I'm dying
scream that helped them panic instead of think.

"
Can't you guys do something?" Jessie had to yell the words even though she leaned her head over the seat between them.

"
Like the fuck what?" Karly screamed back, blue eyes huge.

"
Karly!" Devyn's voice carried over Sally who took breath only to let another rip. "Let's try thinking of a solution together."

Karly
's face crimped with
you think?
before she seemed to get what she meant. "Let's hold hands."

The girl
's grasped each other's forearms and clenched their eyes shut. Ten seconds of concentration, and the vehicle screamed to life, like literally. Every feature in the thing coming on full blast—music, wipers, lights, horn, engine gunning. Holy shitters, wow. 

The girls looked
around the vehicle with wide eyes then at each other and burst out laughing before going Rambo serious again.

"
Holy Saints, you started
all
the cars!" This from Lucian who looked all around.

Jessie peered out the window and couldn
't believe it. Every vehicle she could see had the lights on and wipers going. "Holy shit!"

Karly
tore out of the parking space and came to a screeching stop at the street. "Which way is she reaching?"

"
Right!" Devyn pointed, frantic all over again with Sally's agonized screaming.

Five seconds later, Sally clawed at the right window.
"More right," Jessie said.

"
Where are they?" Karly wove through traffic. "Kassern and Dorn, they should have been here by now. Am I right? Seems like it's been an hour."

"
No, you're right. Maybe they can't leave yet." Devyn frowned, a faraway look on her face. "They'll be here."

"
Left," Lucian ordered, when Sally clawed the opposite way a minute later.

"
Can't go left just yet." Karly put on the breaks to avoid a merging vehicle.

Lucian fought to hold Sally.
"Well as soon as you can." His voice became harsher every time he spoke as his nerves frayed.

"
I think I know that!" Karly yelled above Sally's begging that had once again turned to screams of agony. Her pain levels weren't even chartable to Jessie. She'd never witnessed that except for maybe that one time when a man came into the ER with extensive chemical burns.

Maybe an hour
later, Lucian looked around. "This is bad." They drove a hundred miles an hour on an isolated dirt road that hugged a mountain. "They should have been here by now."

Sally was down to moaning and reaching in the direction
she needed them to go. "Where in God's name is this place?" Karly stopped the vehicle. They sat at the end of a dirt track with an old looking stone structure off on the left. "A dead end? Surely that's not the convent."

Sally moaned and whimpered, pointing straight ahead before proceeding to climb over the front seat.

Jessie and Lucian pulled her back only to have her thrash and break out into a painful screaming fit. "She's saying it's straight ahead, dammit!" Jessie couldn't stop her own sob. It felt like her sister had been in that much pain for so long. Felt like days.