Blood Lust (The Blood Sisters Book 1) (26 page)

It
was enough to set even Duncan back. The guy was big, scary. But it was time for
Vaughn to pay the final price. He had hurt enough people and Duncan was the one
who’d make him pay. Finally, Duncan would put an end to it.

“Check
out what’s going on out there,” Vaughn’s voice boomed. “If Duncan has triple
crossed me, ready Amanda for sacrifice.”

Duncan
ducked behind what was a makeshift hostess
station,
as if this place was a legal establishment. It was nothing more than a podium,
but up against the
wall,
it provided
enough cover so he could hide. He pushed up against a black velvet curtain and
it was soft against his face.

Demons
rushed by and Duncan peered into the main room of the club. A woman was pushed
up onto the catwalk in a leather jacket. Duncan’s heart raced because there was
no mistaking those flowing red curls, or the way she stood with her arms at her
side.

It
was Jessica. My God, she was all right she was—but she turned her head and
Duncan saw it. His vision wavered, and breath left his body, Jessica’s eyes
were red.

They
were damn red, just like a demon.

Seven years old, Mandy Blood
sat on her pink comforter and cried. She sobbed uncontrollably; rocking and
gripped a tissue in her hand so hard it pulled apart.

Mom entered the girls’
bedroom and sat on Amanda’s bed. With patience and virtue, she stroked Amanda’s
pigtails until the tears subsided. Then, with tear stricken cheeks, Amanda
gazed up at her with a trembling chin.

“Oh, sweetheart,” Mom
said with pain in her voice as she cupped Amanda’s chin. “Kids can be mean to
each other. It’s okay. You’ll be okay.”

Amanda shook her head,
her pigtails slashing back and forth. “They laughed at me. Everyone did! Jessie
stood up for me. She took me home. I just wish…” Amanda covered her face and
sobbed. She wanted to take care of herself. Why did Jessie always have to be
the one who said stuff?

Mom put her arms around
her. “You’re sensitive and there’s no harm in that. I love that about you and
so does Jessie. She’s always protected you, even when you were a baby.” A smile
danced in Mom’s voice.

Amanda gazed up at her.
“I want to take care of myself. I’m not a baby anymore.”

Mom’s eyes were kind. “I
know that, but it’s okay. You’ll see, one day, that your sensitive nature, is a
gift. Not just to me, but to you, to all of us.”

Amanda thought about it
and pushed her lips together. “Even Jessie?” Amanda couldn’t imagine that.
Jessie was always so tough.
A tomboy
.

Mom smiled, a haunting
sadness in her eyes. “I think she might need it most of all.”

Mom?
Amanda’s eyes flapped open. She was no longer seven years old. She was no
longer the child, who had once taken comfort from the platitudes her mother
used to soothe her soul. Pain and exhaustion, rolled into one, Amanda couldn’t
breathe. Her mind’s eye saw Jessica, she was there, had come for her.

But
it couldn’t be what she thought. Amanda refused to believe it. Jessica wouldn’t
hurt her. Never would. Their bond went beyond what normal people felt. Amanda’s
bones, her heart, knew it was true. It thumped like a pounding river through
her veins.

That
was truth. That was knowledge. That was love.

The
seer was up on her knees beside Amanda. “Child, let it go. For now, push it
from your mind. We must conquer this together.” The woman’s jaw was slack.
“Heal…me.”

There
wasn’t time to worry. There wasn’t time to give into the panic swirling inside
of her. Amanda nodded and lifted her hand, crackling with power. Pulling
herself up onto her knees, Amanda slammed her open palm against the seer’s
chest.

The
seer
rose up with a scream, her arms
splayed and the brightest of lights filled the room.

Hurry.

The
door jingled. Soon, they would be interrupted. There was no time for mistakes.

Amanda
held firm, gritted her teeth against the searing pain in her flesh. The light
grew brighter, warmer, and it burned against her skin, but she held on. The
pain of healing was always intense. Whatever she healed, Amanda felt. The
broken bones, the withering soul, all their pain, was also owned by her.

 
The more she healed, the weaker Amanda became.
The worse the pain, the more power it took. Withering and dying, one day Amanda
thought that healing someone might be the last thing she ever did.

With
another
push,
a blast of healing
lightning shot out from her hand and surrounded the seer.

Her
skin tingled and what energy she had, was gone. Amanda’s jaw slacked, and her
shoulders rounded, barely able to hold herself up. “I can’t…” she whispered.

The
seer’s wings puffed up like dehydrated fruit placed in a glass of water. What
had been torn was again whole. The black, tattered bone structure of her wings
was
replaced with golden feathers from the
heavens. Her eyes were not nearly as translucent and the wrinkles on her face
tightened up.

“Don’t
give up,” the seer, no—no, she was an angel. A creature of heaven, Amanda
couldn’t believe what her fatigued eyes were seeing. “Restore me to full
health, and I will release you from this place. Amanda, child, hold firm.”

Amanda
gritted her teeth. Nothing would give her greater pleasure, but already her
fingers were wrinkled, decaying as the death that surrounded the
seer
entered her body. Her head collapsed onto
her arm and a dream threatened to claim her.

But
she kept pushing, even if it meant her own death, even if every last bit of
strength passed from her to the angel.

And
it did.

The
angel’s face grew plump with youth as the decay of corruption faded. Her skin
was silky, her lips rosy, and her eyes shone a brilliant blue. The angel rose
up, her white gown now fully restored, cinched at her waist with a golden
lasso. Hair re-grown, it flowed like a golden river down her back.

The
angel’s feet hovered above the floor, but Amanda couldn’t keep herself upright
anymore. Her arms
drooped
to the ground.
Her power
fizzled,
like an electrical
pulse that had lost connection, drained, like a depleted battery.

Amanda
rested her head, her eyes slowly blinking. Sleep…yes, that’s what she needed.
That’s what…no, wait to sleep here was suicide, but her limbs wouldn’t work.
Nothing would work again, not without help.

The
angel extended a perfect hand down to Amanda and she smiled with complete
gratitude. “I will clear the way for you, precious child. Make a path so no
beast shall harm you. But first, a special gift.”

She
stroked her wings with a tender hand and from its bountiful feathers; she
pulled out a single speck of dust. IA golden amber, it glowed as if pulled from
the sun itself. Bending over, the angel placed it in Amanda’s open palm.

Amanda
stared at it with lidded eyes. The spec warmed her skin and her face as if
Energy flowed from that little speck, a halo of truth and re-birth, growing in
size until it encompassed Amanda’s hand. She tightened her hand around the
pinprick of dust, able to feel its healing properties deep in her chest.

And
the whisper of her power grew like a chant at a football game. Almost like
having a warm bowl of chicken noodle soup and it smelled like nutmeg. The most
comforting smell, it engulfed Amanda’s life essence.

The
angel smiled. “It won’t heal you, but it will nourish your soul. Give you what
you need to heal yourself.”

“I
don’t know how to thank you,” Amanda whispered, resting her head on her arm.

“What
you’ve done for me is thanks enough. Now I have something to set right. I have
to earn my place back in heaven one way or another. I’m going to start by
stopping Vaughn. I will clear his demons from this earth, and send Lourdes’s
pawn straight back to the underworld.”

The
angel stretched back up. Her golden wings pounded together with a thunderous
flutter and her body shot up through the ceiling.

“Wait,”
Amanda’s voice cracked and her eyes closed as debris fell from the sky, but she
was still so weak. She still was unable to heal herself. “Not…Jessica.”

Run,
Jessica. Run.

Jessica
stared into the face of the enemy and it stood steadfast. All the while alarms
and whistles went off in her head, like a sonic boom that couldn’t be silenced.
It drowned out all of her own thoughts, emotions, and all that was left was
Lourdes.

 
Her body wanted to respond. Needed to respond.
If for no other reason
then to shut the
noise off for a little while.

Lourdes
wanted this one destroyed almost as much as her heart yearned for Amanda. This
one, Vaughn, had crossed Lourdes one too many times. He didn’t respect the
hierarchy of demons. He destroyed, and then took the pieces, so they fell under
his reign.

Vaughn
didn’t see Lourdes as queen. Could that be exploited?

Maybe,
but Jessica wasn’t ready yet to align herself with a demon. Especially not one
who had hurt and taken Amanda. She stood, quiet and still, the sickness of corruption
stretching deep inside of her. It drowned out everything else, even her sense
of smell was muted and her vision flashed with a red haze. that slinked through
the room.

Vaughn
sneered and touched her face with a single finger. Leaning in, he sniffed hot
air against her cheek. Jessica shuddered to be so close to him. Her fingers
twitched with the
desire
to kill him,
squeeze his life out with her hands. “The stench of Lourdes is all over you.
Are you now her faithful servant? Or something more?”

The
truth was it was less. Far less. “If you’re going to kill me,” Jessica said,
“make it a blade.
Sever
my head, keep it
in a chest, I don’t care, but let my sister go after you do it. You can’t keep
her here anymore.”

Vaughn
laughed. “And why not?”

Jessica
swallowed as she admitted the truth. “Because I won’t stop coming, I won’t stop
getting up until you do. So put us both out of our miseries and let her go!”

Vaughn
raised his hand to slap Jessica across the face, but a thunderous explosion out
front caught his attention. Jessica gasped as the ground shook. What was that?
Was Lourdes here? Had she found a way out of the underworld?

Whatever
was going on, Amanda would be in even more danger. Jessica needed to get her to
safety, but she was terrified. What if she hurt her sister? Could she resist
the screams and bells in her head long enough to help her? Would the searing
pain from her singed flesh burn her desire to save Amanda away?

“I’m
going to have to check that out.” Vaughn spun, and his cape flowed out behind
him. “I must say, having you as a servant of Lourdes opens a world of
possibilities for us. Get her ready to move, but don’t let her near Amanda.
Keep the sisters separate.”

Jessica
closed her eyes and let his words roll off of her. Everyone now wanted to use
her? Was she nothing more than a pawn? How had that happened to a Blood? Wasn’t
it they who were supposed to make the demons pay? If it was possible to kill
herself, Jessica thought she’d do it right then. End it all
so, at least,
she couldn’t destroy those she
loved, or hurt other people. So far, she had just taken out demons, but if it
came down to hunting and hurting humans…

That
would be the last straw. She wouldn’t be able to handle that sort of guilt.

Vaughn’s
henchmen closed in around Jessica. The heat from their bodies surrounded her,
just as their stench did, but she was scarcely better than they were, now. All
the while the back of her mind itched. Begging. Pleading. Time to go find
Amanda. Time to end it all.

The
warmth of gunfire interrupted her internal tug of war. One demon was downed
beside her and then another. Jessica ducked, and grabbed one of their fallen
guns, as the smell of gunpowder permeated the room. She swept her weapon across
the area she was sure the shooter hiding and slowly made her way down the
catwalk.

Someone
had helped her, but that didn’t mean they were an ally. It could be a demon
sent by Lourdes to make sure she finished the job. Panic seeped from her chest,
but then he stepped from behind the podium.

It
was him.

Duncan.

Oh
God, her heart wavered with a vibration of love and despair. She didn’t want
him to see her like this—in a way she couldn’t be fixed. He advanced on her
slowly, but his weapon lowered and there was a look of fear mingled with relief
in his eye.

Relief?
To what, find her alive? If he only knew. God, if only…

Her
jaw tensed and Jessica backed up. “Stay back,” she warned him, but he advanced.
Didn’t he see what she was now? What Lourdes turned her into? How could Duncan
look at her like he knew her?

A
demon would be bad, but a mind controlled minion was even worse. Worse because
Jessica felt and saw what she was doing, but just couldn’t stop it. She didn’t
like it, but she did it anyway. Like a waking nightmare, Jessica was helpless
to stop it.

Jessica’s
back edged up against a table. “I said, stay back!” The anger pulsed through
her jaw, clenching it tight. She raised her gun and pulled the safety back. She
didn’t want to kill him. Her arms shook as she tried to refrain from pulling
the trigger, but the call to do so in her heart was so strong. Like a full on
gallop of horses driving her on, and she was desperate to cling to what
humanity she had left.

This,
she couldn’t do this.

Pull the trigger. End
him, Jessica! Return with my prize.

Her
soul wept even though her body couldn’t. Even though the ink on her arm was
tingling, the heat beginning to build, she resisted.

Duncan
held his hands out as he drew close to her, Jessica could smell his aftershave
mingling with sweat. His hair was wet and his face splattered with blood, but
his eyes shone through it all. Handsome as ever, the concern in his eye
softened him in a way Jessica hadn’t yet seen.

His
voice was soft and had conviction. “I don’t know what’s happened to you, Jess,
but I know you’re not going to shoot me. We’re going to get Amanda, we’re going
to get out of here, and we’re going to figure this thing out. Together.”

It
was everything she ever wanted. Everything she ever wanted to hear. Part of her
hated Duncan for waiting until now to say it. When she had no future.

Tears
marred
her vision, but it was the
heartbreak that crippled her. Jessica’s chest heaved as she sobbed, and she
couldn’t hold the gun up anymore. The barrel fell to the ground, as her
shoulders rounded and Jessica fell apart.

Lourdes
shrieked even louder, but something about the moment allowed Jessica to block
it out.

Duncan
gripped her shoulders, but he couldn’t know. He couldn’t understand. His eyes were
dark and compassionate, but he didn’t know how rotten her core was. Like a
disease, hollowing her from the outside in. She would suffer and die, but only
long after something deep inside of her was rotted away.

“Let
me help you. Whatever’s been done to you, don’t shut me out, Jess.”

Help
her? It wasn’t like she was on an all-night bender. Wasn’t even like she
murdered someone. This was so much worse. Jessica lifted her shirt so Duncan
could see the mark, see how she was branded. “My body
isn’t mine
anymore, and my soul? I don’t even want to know. The ink
I was so proud of is working against me. Keeping me in line.”

“Lourdes,”
Duncan whispered the name with wide eyes. “How…just…we’ll save Amanda and we’ll
deal with this. She’ll fix you.” He said the words like he meant it, felt them,
but he wouldn’t be able to keep that kind of promise. Jessica knew, and she
wouldn’t hold it against him.

To
him it was truth. She’d love him for that, but…

There
was no way. No way.

“I
can’t get anywhere near Amanda.” Jessica gritted her teeth. “Duncan, please,
you have to get her out of here before I hurt her. Or worse, before I take her
to Lourdes.”

Duncan
shook his head. “You couldn’t, Jess. I know you. You would never—”

He
wouldn’t listen to reason and it roused anger inside of her. Why couldn’t he
just
high-tail
it out of there and find
Amanda? Leave her and just go. “I can.” Her voice was haunted and afraid. “Even
you, I want, I
need
to kill you.”
Jessica touched his face. “You have to get out of here. Free my sister, get her
to safety. Tell her I love her.”

Finally,
a rise of anger in the way he took a sharp breath. Duncan’s eyes narrowed to
pinpricks. “That’s not something Jessica Blood would say, ever.” He took a
sharp breath. “You stay, you fight. That’s Jessica Blood! That’s the woman—”

“You
love?” Jessica’s nose flared as she struggled not to cry. “Now you can say it?
Now?” She grabbed him by the collar of his jacket and pushed him away. Jessica
wanted to punch him, do so much worse, but she steadied herself. “You get my
sister out of here. You keep your promise, Duncan.”

He
charged her and Jessica braced herself, but he didn’t knock her over.
Instead,
he took her face in his hands, and as
his eyes glistened with tears, he kissed her. It was so deep, so loving, that Jessica
lost herself. For a brief moment, Lourdes wasn’t in her mind at all.

“This
isn’t over,” he said with strength as he stroked back her hair. “Do you get me?
This isn’t over!”

But
for her, it was. Jessica knew it as screams of torment filled her mind, coming
from Lourdes. A sonic boom caused them both to look up and a golden halo was
filling the day’s sky.

“Get
her out of here.” Jessica said and backed away, tearing herself away from the
one man who ever really understood her, other than Dad. Whoever really
understood…and that was why Jessica had been so mad when he left. That was the
real reason she’d trashed his bar.

“Jess—”
Duncan’s voice trailed off as someone ran behind them.

Jessica’s
heart stilled to see Amanda scampering after her in such an incoherent way. Her
movements were disjointed, as if she were confused. Whatever had happened, her
sister was clearly depleted of energy—maybe even life. Her face was harrowed,
and Jessica couldn’t stop herself from running over to her.

Jessica’s
limbs tingled with ink, but the burning sensation wasn’t strong yet. Just a
warning
, letting her know that Amanda was
close.

In
that brief
moment,
she forgot everything.
Forgot about Lourdes and only cared about Amanda’s suffering. They might as
well have been kids away, because that’s how scared Jessica was and she hadn’t
felt that emotion so strongly, in a long time.

“Amanda!”
Jessica screamed and fell to her knees, cradling her sister’s head in her hand.
What was the matter with her? What had happened? Holding her was like holding a
rag doll and, Jessica’s fingers clenched around her.

End her. Bring her to me.

No,
no. Jessica wouldn’t. She could see her young face, all the images of them as
children.
I’ll protect Amanda to the end
.
How many times had she said that? How many?

Now
to be her undoing? Jessica would happily burn for eternity in hell. Bear any
punishment, but end that sweet life?

Never.

Amanda’s
arms were limp and her head rolled backward as she fell to the ground.

“Amanda!”
Jessica squealed and gathered up her sister, but her eyes weren’t right. They
were flighty—gazing back and forth like she couldn’t see anything at all. Her
lips were chapped and they were bleeding profusely, almost beyond repair.

What
did Vaughn do to her? That monster. He would pay for what he did later, but for
now Jessica just watched, as Amanda’s dilated eyes took her in. She sucked on
her bottom lip and a burst of laughter came from Amanda’s mouth.

Amanda
touched Jessica’s face with trembling soft fingers. Where ever that sweet goodness
touched her, Jessica felt searing hot pain, but silently she endured it.

“I
knew you’d come. I knew you couldn’t hurt me.”

Her
words were slurred and her pupils dilated to stardust. Jessica’s stomach sunk; Amanda
was stoned out of her mind. She was on demon drugs. The realization festered
until hatred for Vaughn was all that was left. For a moment all too brief, it
blocked Lourdes out.

Jessica
would hunt him. She would find him and end him. She glanced up at Duncan. “You
protect her. You keep her safe. For once, listen to me, Duncan.”

Duncan
squatted beneath them both with a nod. “I will.”

Lourdes
was angry, God, she was so angry. Jessica could feel it growing inside her, it
built up in her, bombarded her from everywhere. Soon, it would mute her own
thoughts and feelings. The rage would consume her until it was the only thing
she could think and feel.

Tearing
herself away from those most important to her, Jessica stood. The only way to
protect them and keep them safe, was to leave them. Lourdes would have her
pound of flesh later and Jessica feared she’d pay with more than just her life,
but leaving them now was the right thing to do. Maybe Duncan had been correct
about a few things; things that Jessica had never considered.