Blood Lust (The Blood Sisters Book 1) (17 page)

The
bag over Amanda’s head smelled of onions, and her eyes burned with tears. Her
insides felt like something had gone sour. The pulse of her heart was erratic,
and her chest was too tight when she tried to take a deep breath.

She
struggled for the shallowest of breaths and her head spun with waves of
dizziness. Even though the bag was dark, Amanda saw flashes of color floating
through her mind.

Angry
purple and haunting black. Eerie as the bottom of the sea.

She
heard laughter and talking. Roughly, they grabbed her and forced her to her
feet. The pace was brisk and she heard doors open and then latch shut behind
her.

The
claws on her arms dug into her skin and Amanda cried out from a jolt of pain
when she was forced into an old chair, as if she was nothing but a rag doll.
Her arms were pulled behind her back and bound so tight she had no choice but
to hunch over.

These
guys meant business, serious business, and something with them was so evil that
Amanda couldn’t stand its stench. She couldn’t draw a sharp breath as her heart
raced. If she could pinpoint what it was…maybe she could block it out.

Something
Aunty Gwen had told her to learn. To focus on, but Amanda never had, had she?
Jessica always kept her safe. Jessica did all the hard work.

Could
she find Amanda again? She begged and prayed she could.

“Leave
us.”

The
man’s voice caused Amanda’s heart to skip a beat. Footsteps shuffled out and a
door slammed. It was then that he grabbed the bag over her head and removed it.

Amanda
squinted, the lights were too bright and half her hair covered her face, the
room dank and damp. Mostly empty except for her, the room had three doors
leading into it, all sealed tight.

Her
captor wore a long cape and on his face was the mask made out of a human skull,
but that wasn’t all she saw.

Deep
in his gut, Amanda saw the demon churning away like a green smoke invading his
host’s very being. It had long roots extending all through the body, which
meant it had been at home in whomever this was for a long time.

Exorcising
him would take longer than most and be much more painful, weakening. Not that
Amanda was in any place to heal this man, but the sooner she started gathering
her strength…

Jessica
would come just as she always did. Henchmen would be slaughtered and Amanda
would free this human being and restore his soul. Maybe Amanda should focus on
herself first, like Jessica always told her, but this was what she did.

Amanda
saved people.

The
man bent down to study her face. “You are like an angel. The rumors of your
beauty are true. There’s a sweetness to you that your sister doesn’t have.” He
pushed the hair back and in the face of such evil, Amanda shuddered.

He
stroked her cheek with the back of his hand, the long black fingernails on the
tips of his fingers just grazing her. Amanda trembled under his touch and
didn’t want to gaze at him, but felt compelled to.

“But
I’ve had an angel and even she wasn’t beyond corruption.” Vaughn laughed. “You,
but
you,
will be my finest work yet.”

An
angel? Amanda closed her eyes and felt something against her skin that wasn’t
flesh, but an essence Vaughn had touched. The essence wasn’t pure, but vengeful
and filled with anger.

Determination
and the spirit of a fighter. A warrior.

Amanda
would recognize that feeling anywhere. While most feelings of rage frightened
her, these feelings led her straight home to warmth and comfort.

Jessica.
This demon had touched Jessica, yet he still lived.

“What
have you done with my sister?” Amanda asked with a quiet strength, ignoring the
fever chilling her bones.

“Your
sister…” Vaughn bent over, his hand massaging the back of her neck, his mouth
so close to Amanda’s she smelled the death in his breath. She cringed, her
eyebrows squeezing together tight with the rise of vomit in her mouth.

“Do
I sicken you?”

 
Then something else; Amanda heard a whisper.
It came from deep within, mingled with Vaughn’s words, but they were not his
own. The words were tinged with torment and confusion, but the smell was
light—like lavender.

Help. Please.

They
weren’t words from the demon, but the human host. He wanted help. Amanda needed
to help him. Behind her back, her hands crackled with power. She didn’t know
how she would help this man, free him of Vaughn, but she would. Amanda’s lips
drew together in a thin line. Jessica wasn’t the only one who was a Blood. She
wasn’t the only one who could fight.

Vaughn’s
eye slid to the side. With a curl of his
lip,
he grabbed a fistful of her hair and yanked her head back. Amanda gasped for
breath, a pounding in her chest.

“Please.
You think she’ll show up in time to save you?”

Amanda
did, but then again, Jessica always did.

Vaughn
bared his teeth at her. “Not this time.”

Amanda
caught sight of something in his free hand, but what was it? What— Her eyes
widened as something was plunged into the side of her neck. Sharp, with a
pinch, and something flowed into her that was—tingly.

Warm,
it made her limbs prickle. Vaughn pushed her back and Amanda smacked backward
in her chair. She didn’t know… What was that?

Breathing
labored, chest tight, Amanda gazed around the room, her fever was worsening and
the surroundings, even the walls were shimmering. Everywhere she looked, Amanda
saw ghosts, and spirits fluttering about that couldn’t be there. Shouldn’t have
been there.

“What
did you do to me?” Amanda’s voice cracked and croaked, but she knew the answer.
Demon drugs were coursing through her veins, and unlike others, she could feel
it eating at her soul.

“It’ll
take more to break you than most. I’ve given you what for almost anyone else
would be a lethal dose.” Vaughn backed up to take in the sight of her. A
hateful sneer upon his face. “If your regenerative powers are true, it’ll take
a lot to crack you. Careful watch. Careful consideration, but don’t worry. I
have all the time in the world for a prize such as Amanda Blood.”

Her
eyes rolled back into her head, Amanda lifted her head to the ceiling. The
lights were splitting and were as hot as the sun. Her forehead was burning up
and it was dripping wet with sweat. Her inner eye saw a
vision
of a car, a beautiful landscape just beyond the crescent
moon and all she could do was
whisper
.

“Jessica…”

Jessica
pulled her car into the dirt lot and let the engine idle. The lights coming
from the small box-shaped building were
dim,
but pulled her eye. The building was simple, with no real fanfare except for
the red Harleys parked along its side. The two small windows on the front were
filled with a smoky haze.

She
sighed and felt the swirl of depression. Didn’t she say she’d never come back
here?

Better
get the party started. There was a sister to save.

Jessica
kicked her door open. Shotgun in hand, she gazed up at the twinkling stars and
took a deep breath. Out here it should’ve smelled clean and fresh, but not two
steps away
was
the biking hangout of
Duncan’s friends, for lack of a better word. So the air was heavy with exhaust
and cigarette ash.

Duncan
dismounted his bike and Aunt Gwent stepped out of her jeep. The building
vibrated with music—the banging of drums and guitar strings being plucked.
Lights shone around the door frame, and in the center of the wooden door, a
crescent moon was cut.

She
approached, traced her finger around the moon’s outline, and remembered the
last time she saw it. Jessica wouldn’t be welcomed back, would she? Trashing
the place in a drunken rage because Duncan Jasper left her; didn’t make her any
friends.

Jessica’s
stomach rolled. What would have happened if Amanda hadn’t found her and dragged
her away? Now such a thing wasn’t possible.

Maybe
it was wrong to come back here. What was she going to do, crawl and beg for
their help?

Duncan
stepped beside Jessica and gazed down at her. “You ready for this?”

He
probably knew what she did, right? His friends, his gang, they would’ve told
him. Still, his eyes were kind enough, so Jessica nodded. For her sister,
Jessica would crawl and beg. She’d get help from anyone that would listen. Duncan’s
gang had motorcycles, guns. They were just the help Jessica needed to storm
Vaughn’s stronghold and get her sister back.

Duncan
opened the door and behind them came hurried footsteps as Gwen caught up.
Inside, a hazy fog of cigarette smoke filled the air. Tables and chairs were
empty except for bowls of peanuts as most of the gang members were hunched over
the bar. Women in short jean cutoffs and tight halter tops served drinks while
most of the men couldn’t keep their hands to themselves.

They’d
slap an ass. Take a grab at any flesh available. Was it any wonder why Jessica
hated coming to this place? Hated Duncan’s ‘friends’?

For
their part, the waitresses just smiled. Jessica saw a few well-placed kisses.
T
hose women weren’t exactly loathing the job.
It set her temper blazing. She hated the women even more than the men. Jessica
would never let herself be treated that way, not even for a few minutes. Not
even for Duncan.

“We
shouldn’t be here,” Gwen whispered and Jessica inwardly agreed, but didn’t
allow the emotion to play out on her face. They were on Duncan’s turf, so for
now, Jessica would let him lead. See how it played out.

But
if things went bad, Jessica wouldn’t say
I
told you so
. She’d just
high-tail
it
out of there, and well, later she’d say
I
told you so
.

From
the
bar
someone called out in a loud,
grumbling voice. “Jasper, it’s about time you dragged yourself back this way!”
A large, portly man, whose stomach was only outdone by his shining bald head,
made his way over. Jessica recognized Ronald Wax right away from his laugh, and
the way he sauntered, throwing his hips.

She
held her breath. Ronald probably wanted to see her again as much as she wanted
to see him.

Duncan
grinned, dimples showing on either side of his face and met Ronald halfway.
They shook hands and slapped each other on the back. It was what Jessica always
called the male mating ritual. Before long, other members of the gang were
slapping Duncan on the back and someone yelled out, “drinks are on me, ol’
Jasper’s back!”

Back.
They talked about him like they hadn’t seen him in eons. So where had he been?
If he wasn’t running with his gang, what had Duncan been up to for the last
year?

“You
got tired of the good ol’ life, eh Duncan?” Ronald slapped Duncan on the
cheeks. “I knew you couldn’t settle—” His gaze shifted to the rear and fell on
Jessica and Gwen.

Jessica
shifted from one foot to another and gave Ron a paltry princess wave. “Miss
me?” She blew him a kiss because she couldn’t help herself, as the color
drained from Ronald’s face, Jessica grinned.

Aunt
Gwen slapped her shoulder. “We want their help, don’t we? Behave yourself,
Jessica.”

She
was behaving herself, which was the problem. She hadn’t fired a gun, or swung a
punch, or launched a table over in a fit of rage. Amanda was missing, and the
clock was ticking.

“Hell,
no!” Ron pointed at Jessica. “Get her the hell out of here, Duncan! She’s not
welcome here. You know what happened the last time she just strolled in this
place?”

Gwen
gave Jessica a questioning look. Jessica shrugged with a grin said, “I broke
his nose.”

“She
broke my damn nose!” Ronald held up a finger. “If it wasn’t the respect I had
for you and that sister of hers, I would have her head on a platter.”

Her
sister. Even the scum at the bottom of the barrel loved Amanda.

“A
damn platter, Duncan, so get her the hell out of here!”

Another
man, this one tall like a rail with a hook nose, sat on the bar counter with a
toothpick in his mouth. Jessica thought his name might be Bartlett—Bart for short.
“If what we’ve been hearing is true, she has a damn bounty on her head the size
of Texas.” Bart sneered. “The size of the planet.”

Ronald
scowled in Jessica’s direction in a way that made her feel dirty. “Maybe it’s
time we collect ourselves a little reward. She owes us for what she did to the
place.”

Here
they went. The reason why Jessica didn’t want to come here? It was playing out
just like she thought it would.

She
backed up, ready to make her escape, but Duncan grabbed Ronald by the arms
before he could move. “You said your piece, now let it go. I gave my word that
as demon hunters, we’d help Jessica out. I’m not a liar now, am I?” He cast a
glance around the room, not just asking Ronald, but everyone.

Ronald
licked his lips, pushing his chest into Duncan’s. “You’ve been gone a long time
now, brother. Who says the Black Scorpions still answer your call?”

Jessica
shifted her weight, positioning her hand beneath the barrel of her shotgun.
Beside her, Gwen tensed too. If it was a fight these men wanted, it was a fight
they were going to get, but Jessica hoped it wouldn’t go there. She wasn’t
ready to see where Duncan’s loyalties really lay.

Duncan’s
jaw went rigid and he made a fist. “I say. Everyone knows you’re nothing but a
two-bit punk, Ronald. After everything we’ve been through, you’d really cast me
out into the cold?” He glanced at the crew, some couldn’t meet his eyes.

But
Bart spoke. “You come and go, Duncan. We need a leader who will stand with us.
Instead
you’re what, caught up with the Blood
sisters again?” He sighed and shook his head. “She’s like a bad penny, that
one. Just better looking.”

Jessica
took a shaking breath. This wasn’t working and they were wasting time—

Duncan
circled back toward her and when their eyes locked, he shook his hand at her.
He wanted more time, but Jessica didn’t have any more time. Any second or
minute that Amanda was in the hands of Vaughn was too many as far as she was
concerned.

“Look,
the bounty on the Blood’s head goes beyond just a personal vendetta. It’s world
destruction, opening the gates of hell to flood the Earth with demons. If we’re
demon hunters, if we’re really doing this to help people, then we help Jessica
get her sister back. If we’re just a gang,” Duncan shook his head, “a gang who
wants to destroy and do violence, well, maybe I’ve been a fool all this time.”

Silence
fell over the crowd, but Duncan stood with Jessica, and his finger grazed the
tips of hers. She gazed up at him and thought maybe for the first time ever,
Duncan picked her over the gang.

Or
he was really good at putting on a show—which Jessica knew was right as rain.

Ronald
finally broke the silence. “Amanda’s in trouble?” His voice was slight, but
Jessica saw the worry in his eye. Amanda had a way of softening even the
toughest
badass in town.

Jessica
nodded, but couldn’t find her voice to answer. If she did, it would warble and
be unsteady, so her Aunt Gwen answered. “A demon named Vaughn attacked and
brought his fallen angel with him. She used her power warp—snared Amanda before
anyone had a chance to do anything.”

“Vaughn?”
Ronald said with a laugh and laughter went through the club.

It
made Jessica tense like she was being teased. She didn’t like feeling that way
and took a step forward to deck the son-of-a-bitch, but Duncan grabbed her
wrist.

“Well,
why the hell didn’t you say so when you first got here? Vaughn has it coming to
him, doesn’t he boys?” Ronald smashed his fist into his open hand repeatedly.
“He’s got one of these coming to him. It’s about time Vaughn dies and takes his
drug trade with him.”

Jessica’s
brow furrowed together with a question. How’d these jokers know a high level
like Vaughn?

Bart
saw her confused look and spat. “He’s run the New York City drug trade for a
long time. All of the east coast’s problems stem from him.”

Jessica
hadn’t known that the Black Scorpions had ever made it that far east. What else
had Duncan not told her? “So what’s he doing all the way out here then?”
Jessica crossed her arms.

“You,
sugar.” Ronald sneered. “Or, I guess I should say, your sister. He’s been
spreading his demon essence drug as he goes. The problems we’ve all been seeing
here in the Midwest are his doing.”

“He
loves women.” Bart stepped forward. “Simple, kind, innocent women. Pumps them
full of drugs until they beg for it. Beg for him.”

His
simple sentence made her heart plummet. If Vaughn was elite—and now, he had
Amanda who was pure as snow. Her heart was like gold and if she was alone with
Vaughn too long—Jessica’s heart clenched as stress took hold of her body. She gripped
her gun
tighter,
and tried not to think
about it.

Tried,
but each breath was harder than the last.

Duncan
held up his hand, his worried eyes gazing on Jessica’s crumbled features, but
Jessica saw that it was hard on him too. Amanda was like everyone’s kid sister.
“Okay, okay. We get the picture you’re painting, Bart. Let’s not make this
harder than it has to be.”

“Does
anyone know where Vaughn’s holed up, or where he’s holding Amanda?” Ronald
asked.

“Not
yet.” Gwen stepped forward with a corner of her mouth twitching up in a smile.
“But I can find her, with some assistance.”

*****

Everything
was moved from the center of the room and four tables were pushed together.
Chairs were cleared except one for Aunt Gwen, and the gang members gave her
distance. Gwen’s ability to accidentally electrocute someone when distracted
was legendary. Jessica also didn’t want to be too close, just in case something
went wrong. Her crazy old aunt was powerful, but that power didn’t always work
the way she wanted it to.

All
that power, Jessica couldn’t help but think, if that power had been around when
she was a kid, the night her parents died—well, it was futile to think about
such things, wasn’t it?

Didn’t
stop her from blaming Aunt Gwen for the murders. About the stints in juvenile
detention centers, and the foster families?

No,
Jessica could blame her until the pigs came home and it wouldn’t change
anything. Not really.

So
she leaned her back against the bar as Aunt Gwen unrolled an ancient looking
map on the table. Her aunt smiled with a twinkle in her eye. “Better move back,
gentlemen—for lack of a better word.”

Ron
shrugged. “It’s better than calling us pigs!”

But
less accurate. Jessica shook her head as a waitress offered her a drink. She
took it without saying anything and gave it a sniff. It was aged
whiskey,
if she didn’t miss her guess. Slamming
the drink back, it felt as if lava raced down her throat, laced with a strong
dose of spice.

Her
body warmed almost instantly and Jessica smiled her thanks. She placed the
empty glass back on the waitress’s tray. “Go put on some more clothes,” Jessica
offered to the woman as she shimmied away, her ass swaying as much as the
Titanic, after it hit that damn iceberg.

“You
haven’t lost any of your
charm
.” Duncan
leaned against the bar and crossed his arms, gazing down at her.

Jessica
shrugged. Her eyes weren’t on him, but watched Aunt Gwen throw her arms back.
Her hands lit up with electrical power like someone flicked the on switch.
“Right now my energy is better served somewhere else. Like I’m wrong? Like
these girls couldn’t be doing something better with their lives?”