All Your Wishes (19 page)

There was no sign of it. And, more suspiciously, I could tell from the moment I opened the bag that my belongings had been repacked. I didn't sense hostile magic. More to the point, I didn't sense any magic at all. And I should have. Like a lot of people who travel a lot, I keep a stock of spell disks that have been designed to let you overfill your suitcase while preventing anything inside from getting wrinkled. They dissipate as soon as you unpack a bag.

Since my suitcase had been stuck in the Caddy, those spells should've still been working. They weren't. That pissed me off mightily. Zipping the case closed, I stowed it away again and stomped back to the sitting area. I debated confronting Rahim and decided against it for now. But a knot of painful tension tightened between my shoulder blades.

I went back to my reading. Dom had done the best he could, but a lot of information had been redacted from the reports he'd given Dawna. Surprisingly, the wheels of God had also gotten rolling at a good clip. The Catholic Church had provided the name of the specific demon that had been in the center of the battle at the Needle. It was long and unpronounceable—to me anyway. Even if I could have said it aloud, I wouldn't have. I didn't want to risk getting his attention. His position in the nefarious hierarchy was literally way the hell up there and he had more strengths than weaknesses.

I read and reread the information, trying to figure out how it all fit together. Again and again I came up blank. Frustrated and feeling stupid, I decided to take a break.

I closed my eyes, intending to concentrate on Bruno's face. Even if he was at his mom's bedside, I should be able to reach him telepathically. I needed him so badly, his calm, his confidence. Years of working with dangerous magic had toughened him. He never panicked, no matter the situation. He'd trained himself not to. I needed that from him now. There was also a chance that he'd see the connection I was missing.

Taking deep breaths, the way I'd been trained, I began deliberately relaxing my muscles, starting with my toes and working my way up until I was in a light trance. When I was absolutely in control of myself and my power, I pictured Bruno's handsome features, a face I knew as well as I knew my own. I felt a connection start to form; then something big and powerful smashed into me, grabbing my magic and dragging it somewhere else entirely. I tried to break free, but whoever or whatever it was was simply too strong for me. I had no choice in the matter and all of my panic and fighting were to no avail.

*   *   *

I was in darkness so complete that there was no sense of depth, no contrast between lighter and darker shadow, only utter blackness and oppressive heat, heavy with the stench of brimstone.

“Is the djinn cooperating?”

I didn't recognize that pleasant, melodic voice, but I knew it wasn't human. I'd heard a voice much like it coming from the mouth of a greater demon as he'd taunted me while attacking. A wave of pure panic swept over me. I tried to wake myself, to convince myself this was just a dream. But it didn't feel like a dream and I didn't wake.

“Yes, master. And that concerns me. He's being too cooperative. He's up to something.” I knew that voice. It belonged to Bob Davis.

My mouth went dry, my pulse raced. I'd suspected Davis was part of this—after all, he'd been working with Finn at the Needle. But suspecting and knowing are two very different things.

“Djinn are always up to something. It is their nature.”

The voice was smooth, cultured, sweet as honey in your mouth. No human possessed a voice with that richness of timbre, that pure, seductive warmth that promised … anything, everything you could possibly desire. Again, a greater demon had used that exact tone on me when he'd been trying to seduce me.

“You know the tale of the scorpion and the horse.”

“I do.”

“Good. Learn from it.
Use
Hasan. Do not trust him. And leave no opening for him to exploit. I will not tolerate failure.”

“Yes, master.”

“What of the traitor among the Guardians?”

“He has had a change of heart.”

“Not surprising, I suppose, but disappointing nonetheless. Kill him when you get the chance.”

“Of course.”

“The damaged siren?”

“She was dead, but they revived her.”

“So Connor Finn has advised me. Next time, make it permanent.”

“I may only have to wait. Her own allies are planning to kill her. Pradeep Patel has hired assassins.”

“Just so long as it gets done, and soon. She has been a thorn in our side for too long.” There was a slight pause before he continued, “Besides, my brother has plans for her.”

*   *   *

Total panic gripped me, and the rush of adrenaline gave me the strength to break free of the dream, vision, whatever it was. I opened my eyes, my breath coming in shallow pants, my hands white-knuckled where they held the armrests in a death grip.

 

16

“
Celia, are
you awake? I'm getting ready to start our descent.”

“I'm awake.” My voice sounded rough and raw. I swallowed convulsively. Though I had started the vision relaxed, now I was rigid with terror. I was actually a little surprised I hadn't wet myself. It's one thing to know intellectually that greater demons are interested in you. It's another thing entirely to hear one of them talk about it. His brother had
plans
for me? Oh, no. So no.

I tried to force myself to relax, one muscle at a time. Deep breaths, slow, in and out. It helped, but not as much as I would've liked. I felt … odd. Spacey, like something important was missing inside me. It was somewhat similar to times when I was really sure I'd forgotten something really important, but couldn't put my finger on what it was.

Then it hit me.

We were in Indiana, heart of the Midwest, miles and miles from any ocean. That wasn't good for a siren, even someone like me who is only part siren. I'd been to a landlocked country before—Rusland in central Europe. I hadn't felt like this then, but Rusland is a tiny country and Europe is relatively small compared to the United States. Being so far from salt water was going to be a problem; the questions were, how big a problem, and what could I do about it?

“Are you okay?” Rahim gave me a worried glance over his right shoulder.

I shuddered. “Fine,” I lied.

He didn't look like he believed me, but he didn't argue. He was too busy landing the plane. Just as well. I needed to get a grip—couldn't have the client seeing me a total wreck.

By the time we were on the ground, I'd regained enough self-control to at least put on a good front. When we were safely parked and unloading the luggage, I asked Rahim, “So, what is the plan?”

“I believe that doing a spell similar to the ceremony we tried the other night, but with the stone from his jar as the focus, should give me enough of a link to him. I don't doubt Hasan has ingested the power from the vosta; his heightened magic will make him harder to control, but it will also make it more difficult for him to hide.” Rahim gave me a searching look. “There is a better way, but I cannot ask it of you.”

Uh-oh. “What way?”

“Hasan possessed your body. You
were
him. There is no better link than that.” His expression had become speculative. He might not ask me to act as the focus for his spell, but he was sure as hell hoping I'd volunteer.

Shit. Heaping, stinking mounds of shit.

I so did not want to do this. But we needed to find Hasan. The odds of using the gem from his jar probably weren't good or they'd have tried it before. I didn't doubt that I really was the best bet. Even without Rahim working any magic, I could almost feel the ifrit out there, lurking at the fringes of my consciousness.

Then I had a really horrible thought. What if my nightmare had come to me through that connection with Hasan?

You're not as stupid as you look.
Hasan spoke in my mind, condescending and amused as always. It terrified me. It also pissed me off.

Get the fuck out of my head.
I mentally enunciated every single word.

No.
There was no give in the word.
They want you dead. You need me if you are to survive until I need you.

Why? What do you want from me?

That's for me to know and you to wonder.

I blinked. I mean, seriously, that was so childish, a phrase right from a playground memory.

Where do you think I learned it? There is nothing about you, no thought, no memory, I don't know intimately. I know you better than you know yourself.

Then you know I'd rather die than let you have my body.

Yes, but I also know you won't allow them to kill you if there's any hope of stopping me. And you always hope.

He was right. And my best hope was standing right in front of me, no matter how little I trusted the bastard. “How long would you need to keep the spell going to find him?” I asked Rahim.

“Not long, particularly with a human link—one minute, maybe two.”

You don't want to do that,
Hasan said
.

One minute doesn't sound long—but a lot can happen in that amount of time, particularly when you're dealing with supernatural beings.

I want you out of my head,
I insisted.

That's not going to happen.

Oh yes, it was. It so was. I wasn't sure how, but I would get every last bit of Hasan out of me or die trying. If I needed to cooperate with Rahim Patel to do it, so be it. Still, if I was going to do that, I wanted a trick or two up my sleeve. Because ultimately I knew, absolutely and without question, that Rahim would sacrifice me in a heartbeat if he thought it would help him capture Hasan. And while I might be willing to risk my life to accomplish that,
I
wanted to be the one making the choice.

 

17

I
was getting
tired of travel in general and airstrips in particular. The one in Indiana was nice, clean, and pretty much indistinguishable from the ones in California, Texas, and Florida. Once again I watched the bags while Rahim put security spells on the plane. Then we hiked over to the parking lot where a silver Honda was waiting. I wasn't surprised by Rahim's choice of ride. It was small and practical, but probably fairly comfortable.

Because he'd left it parked right in the open, Rahim got to stand around while I checked for mundane physical threats like bombs and the like. Then I got to stand around while he released all the magical protections on the vehicle. He minded waiting. I didn't. Because when he was fully occupied, working mojo on the car, he wasn't able to spare attention for me. I took full advantage of the freedom.

Calling to mind the image of my business partner looking frustrated and worried, I reached out. It was harder than usual to contact her, but at last the connection with Dawna clicked into place. I spoke mentally as quickly as I could, in case Rahim figured out what was happening and shut me down.

Dawna, it's me. I may only have a minute or two. Tell Kevin and Bubba I'm going to Rahim's office at the University of Notre Dame. They need to get to me ASAP.

They're on their way now—they caught the first flight they could.

Rahim wants to use me as a link to Hasan in some ceremony.

Don't do it! You can't trust him.

I know. I know. But I need Hasan out of my head soonest.

We'll find another way. I don't trust Rahim.

Neither do I.

Keeping an eye on Rahim, I knew I didn't have much more time and I wanted to get in touch with Bruno. A lot had happened in the last couple of days and I knew he had to be seriously worried about me, just as I was worried about him and his mother. So I ended the conversation with Dawna and concentrated on my lover.

This time the connection snapped into place so quickly, it was almost painful. I saw his face as clearly as if he stood right in front of me. His eyes were dark with worry, his body poised as if he'd been pacing. He probably had. He does that when he's upset.

Celia! Thank God! Are you all right? How did the meeting with the feds go? Where are you? Did you get my message?
He fired questions at me faster than I could possibly answer them, even mentally.

I'm fine,
I assured him. It was even mostly true.
The meeting went sideways, but they're not charging me. I'm back on the case and I'm in Indiana.

What the hell is in Indiana?

Rahim's office. He's lost the backing of most of his family because of the way things went in Florida, so he has to get some things from his office here. He says he has a plan.

You don't sound very sure about this.

I'm not. I don't trust him. I think he's the only one who can trap Hasan, and I owe him my life … but …

Trust your instincts. If you think he's up to something, he probably is. Are you okay? Indiana's a helluva long way from the ocean.

Well, it's not great. But I think I'll be okay.
I sighed. There was one more thing I had to tell Bruno that I knew he wasn't going to like.
The meeting with the feds was interrupted when a demon tried to manifest.

How was that possible? Did somebody summon it?

No, which makes no sense. It tried to come through a weak spot in reality. We sealed the hole with holy water from my One-Shots, but it was a really close call.
I added,
Bruno, it was a major demon.