Beelzebub Girl (29 page)

"One minute and fifty seconds," Connor hissed. I didn't hurry my step because I wouldn't give him the satisfaction of seeing me follow their orders. Whatever they were, I was a hundred times stronger, or so I'd be…soon. I groaned. Soon wasn't good enough, I needed my powers now. Or a kick-ass plan. If only Pinky and Kinky were here, but it was all my fault. I wanted to be rid of them before turning eighteen so I could spend alone time with Dallas. That hadn't turned out so great either.

Counting the seconds, I thudded through the hall into the living room where I had dropped the book onto the floor just a few minutes ago when I hurried out to help Dallas. The house was quiet like usual, but something wasn't right. Ginny hadn't replied to my message. I focused my mind on Thrain and Octavius but received no answer. Had my meagre abilities somehow deserted me? Halting to listen, I scanned the room.

The grandfather clock had stopped ticking; the lamplight cast dark shadows on the walls. I averted my gaze, then turned back. The shades on the walls seemed to shift with me, just like the gargoyles outside, but less obvious. I inched closer and reached out. A thin layer of fog covered the wall. My fingers disappeared inside an inch before I touched the hard surface. I pulled back, then tapped it slightly. The fog gathered around my finger and enveloped my hand. I had never seen anything like this before. Magic maybe? I figured I could wonder later. Time was running out. Connor had said two minutes. I had to hasten my pace to get back. For some stupid reason, I actually believed since they were my friends they'd let us go once I handed over what they wanted.

I grabbed the book and took off down the hall and out the house, stopping in front of a gargoyle near the door. The little stone demon's eyes were closed. I squeezed its shoulder, then gave it a shove, but he didn't move.

"Ten seconds." Connor's voice jolted me out of my thoughts. I sprinted down the path to the waiting Shadows.

"Now let go of him." I tossed the book at Devon's feet and crossed my arms over my chest. Connor picked it up and opened it, then nodded. Holding my breath, I peered at Dallas. Our gazes connected. He didn't speak, but I could feel he was trying to say something—mentally. I raised my brows, signalling I didn't understand a word. You'd think a bond would actually gift one the ability to hear the other person's thoughts, which might come in handy in a deadly situation, or when the guy's harbouring dirty thoughts about the pretty neighbour. But as usual, Fate had messed up big time.

Dallas dropped his shoulders slightly. I squinted, still not getting what he wanted. Was he about to feign unconsciousness? Did he need to visit the bathroom? His gaze wandered past me to the woods and then back to me, and then I understood, or so I hoped. Someone was coming. What were they waiting for? A sloppy handshake and an invitation to dinner? Time to get this over and done with myself.

"You got the book. Now, go away." I pointed at the bundle on the ground. Rebecca hissed greedily but I paid her no heed. Ignoring me, Connor retrieved the book and flicked through it, then stacked it under his baggy robe. How they could even walk with that thing around their ankles was beyond me. "You know what should feature on your priorities list? Developing a fashion sense. That thing you're wearing looks like an ox could hide in there and no one would find it for a week."

Dallas laughed. I peered at him from under mascaraed lashes, my heart bursting with happiness. The man of my dreams had just laughed at one of my jokes. Maybe he didn't hate me after all.

"You used it," Connor said, pointing at the book. "What have you done?"

I blinked. How did the guy know? Did I somehow spill my coffee, leaving a stain behind? That happened all the time. "Nope. Don't think so."

His black, liquid eyes regarded me intently. I returned his stare, my mind penetrating his to find out what he thought. There was nothing there, just glaring emptiness. Either the guy knew to keep me out, or he was a big dummy who just liked to switch off the big computer every now and then. Eventually, he turned away without another word. I shrugged, wondering why no one had arrived yet.

"You're going with her." Devon pushed Dallas forward until he bumped into Rebecca. My heart skipped a beat. That's what he had been trying to say. He knew Rebecca would take him with her.

"No." I shook my head. "You said you'd let him go."

Connor nodded gravely. "Yes, and we'll keep our part of the bargain. However, she never agreed to it."

My gaze wandered from him to the scary vampire. He was right.

How could I be so sloppy in my bargaining? My blood turned to ice as I saw the hungry look in her eyes. "Don't you dare touch him," I hissed.

A guttural sound escaped her throat. It took me a moment to realise it was laughter. I lunged forward when something hit me hard in the back and I stumbled to my knees, for a moment unable to breathe. The pang of pain brought tears to my eyes. Through the wet haze, I noticed blood spreading across the ground around me, the dry earth sucking it up greedily. It was just a bit of blood that would heal quickly. I might not be endowed with supernatural strength or speed, or any other fancy ability, but at least my body could heal itself.

"Cass!" Dallas's voice rang through the silence of the night, reaching me a moment before I raised my head and watched Rebecca disappear with him in the distance. Ignoring the pain, I stumbled to my feet and took off after him.

My legs seemed to move of their own accord. I had never run so fast in my entire life, ignoring my burning lungs and the branches grazing my arms and face as I pushed through the dry thicket. Blinded by darkness, I switched off my brain and just followed my intuition and that tiny silver thread that would pull me to my mate no matter where I was.

Rebecca's red mane appeared in the distance, then disappeared again an instant later. Her abilities included teleporting. I could only hope she was too weak to move from one place to another in an instant because in that case I might lose her tracks. I wished I had retrieved my phone from the ground where I had dropped it, but it was too late to return for it now.

My breathing came in ragged heaps as I felt my legs slow down, ready to buckle under me any minute. My brain screamed to keep on going, yet I knew if I didn't stop I might just pass out. Telling myself it'd only be a short break, I leaned my back against a tree trunk and scanned the area. I was deep inside the woods now with trees all around me. A soft wind howled through the air, swaying the dry leaves hanging from narrow branches, its whistling sound making me shiver.

The moon had hid behind a curtain of dark clouds. Rebecca was a hunter, used to tracking and sprinting after her prey. Even if I wasn't completely out of shape since I stopped frequenting a gym two years ago, without any abilities and my high-tech phone I couldn't take down a blood-crazed vampire. But I figured she was on my territory, so I still had one major advantage: she might've found a way into Hell, but no one ever left this place without Dad's consent.

The Shadows must've spun their magic around this place, or why else would no one answer my calls? But I wouldn't give up without a fight. Closing my eyes, I focused my mind and descended into the lowest fractions of myself, like Dad always told me to. I could feel the dark walls closing in on me, the ones that usually made me run for a mile because I was so scared of what might be lurking down there, but this time I didn't hesitate. Something snapped inside me and darkness rose, a freezing sensation enveloping my body and soul. I realised my fallen angel nature was about to take over. Just one more tiny step into that dark abyss of my soul. Taking a deep breath, I faltered and then plunged right in.

The Shadows' magic broke and the bond with the others returned. Hundreds of thoughts invaded my head, cries and laughter, commands and defiance. The instant I sent out my order, the world in my head fell silent. And then all Hell broke loose.

I don’t remember what happened between summoning Dad's demons and someone yanking at my arm, imploring me to return from that dark abyss that seemed to keep me hostage. Confused, I peered from the spot on the ground to the tiny demon cowering next to me, his tusks shimmering in the pitch black.

"Ginny?" My voice came so low I wasn't sure I had even spoken.

"You raised alarm. Everyone's now looking for the intruder." His eyes were filled with terror as he helped me to my feet.

"Where's Dad?"

"The guards said he left earlier this evening." Avoiding my gaze, he seemed uncomfortable talking about it, so I didn't press him for details, but I wondered where Dad could possibly have gone. However, finding out wasn't my priority.

"We need to find Dallas. Do you still have the phone I gave you?"

Ginny nodded and reached inside his pocket to retrieve it.

Through the haze in my mind, I noticed he was wearing new clothes and boots, which gave him a confident flair. I opened my mouth to compliment him when he pressed the silver cell into my outstretched hand. Whispering a thank you, I punched in the numbers and letters that would lead me straight to Dallas, then grabbed Ginny's hand to take him with me through the portal.

The surrounding changed from dense woods to Distros' sparse hills. "How did they get here?" I mumbled.

"She drank a reaper's blood," Ginny said.

"Dad thought it was Aidan." I remembered Dad mentioning it and the consequent argument when he wouldn't believe me it couldn't be Aidan because he no longer needed blood to survive. Instead of investigating, I had forgotten all about it. Now Rebecca could probably travel through the various dimensions of Hell. That certainly wasn't good news. "She must be here somewhere. But where?" My phone had malfunctioned again. Instead of taking us straight to Dallas and Rebecca, it seemed as though we were in the middle of nowhere.

"Maybe over there." Ginny pointed to a bush. I inched closer until I could see the opening hidden behind it.

"It's a cave. You stay here and inform the others." Without waiting for Ginny's reply, I flipped my phone open to illuminate the opening, cowered down and squeezed through.

The space was big enough to crawl but not to walk upright.

Dallas was a big guy, I wondered how Rebecca got him in here unless she had done something to him—

Pushing forward harder, I forced the thought to the back of my mind. I had never been one to picture the worst-case scenario, so I wouldn't start now. Besides, if something happened to Dallas, wouldn't the bond we shared warn me?

The sickening odour of blood and bones hung heavy in the air.

Several times, I almost bowled over to vomit so I focused on the pain in my back and where the uneven terrain grazed my palms and arms.

A few minutes of taking shallow breaths through the mouth and I finally reached an opening. With a sudden burst of energy I squeezed out into a clearing.

The sky was sprinkled with countless stars casting a soft glow on the nearby trees. Something pulled me forward. I sniffed the air, taking in the scent of morning dew gathering on the dry grass. And then the tiniest hint of Dallas's aftershave hit my nostrils and my heart started to hammer in my chest. I took off through the trees and bushes until I could make out the slim silhouettes of cottages. The first one I reached looked surprisingly familiar with its newly redecorated porch and the pretty curtains covering the windows. Even though I still lacked half the puzzle, my brain started to put the pieces together. Rebecca had dragged Dallas here to get back at Amber and Aidan. An angry yell rippled through my throat as I pulled out my phone and yanked the door open. The air crackled around me, freezing everyone inside into place. I had no idea how long it would work for, but I hoped it was long enough to come up with a plan.

Inside, several lamps were lit, giving the cottage a homely touch. I hurried through the tiny hall into the living room where I found Aidan standing in front of Amber protectively. Her gaze was fixed on the hideous creature cowering next to Dallas's unmoving shape in the opposite corner. Something wasn't right about the scene.

Why wouldn't Aidan just charge Rebecca? Surely, two vampires were stronger than one? But maybe not since she had drunk the reaper's blood. If I wanted to get Dallas out of here in one piece, I had to stop analysing and just get on with my rescue mission. Gagging from the stench of burned flesh wafting from Rebecca, I peeled off her claws from Dallas's neck and tried to pull him away, groaning. The guy weighed way more than I expected. We barely reached the door to the hall when the air crackled again and the unmoving vampires stirred.

"Cass?" Dallas said. He didn't even sound surprised to see me.

Maybe he had felt my presence as much as I had felt his.

My breath caught in my throat. I took in his smile, forgetting the other immortals as I got lost in his golden gaze. "Yes?"

"I always figured I'd carry my bride over the threshold, not the other way round." A flicker of amusement crossed his brows.

I grinned, wishing I could just plunge into his arms and plant a kiss on his delectable lips. "Sorry, you lost me at 'bride'."

He stood and planted himself in front of me as though to protect me. I noticed Rebecca behind us only when she kicked me, sending me flying against the wall. She must've teleported. Rubbing my aching head, I pulled out my phone again.

"If you so much as move a finger, I'll snap his neck," Rebecca hissed, digging her deadly nails into Dallas's throat where the aorta beat frantically beneath his fragile skin.

"She means it," Amber said.

My fingertips hovered on the keyboard, but I knew better than to ignore the magnitude of Rebecca's threat. She had killed before, she sure wouldn't hesitate now.

"A family reunion, how lovely." Rebecca laughed. I cringed at the guttural sound.

"Let him go, Rebecca. He hasn't done anything so don't take our unfinished business out on them," Aidan said.

Rebecca turned her head sharply, regarding him through eyes that seemed to smoulder with maliciousness. "Who said my unfinished business involved you? Do you really think I'd go to all the trouble for a man?"