Blood Debt (The Blood Sisters Book 2) (24 page)

“No!”
Jessica reached the bus and grabbed the sword from beneath the bus. Swinging
it, she hit the golden light surrounding her sister.
 
It was like a knife, hitting a metal dome;
the sword ricocheted out of her hand and Jessica’s body was thrown clear.

Oh God,
not again.

Tumbling,
Jessica went wide, her body skidding through the dirt. Her head spinning, she
lay there for a brief moment to collect her random thoughts—her terrified
thoughts—before something seized her by the shirt and lifted her up.

Now,
what? Jessica groaned and stared into the beautiful,
but twisted, face of Lourdes. Behind her an army of dried out husks circled in
close.

No. No,
no. She couldn’t be back in the hands of Lourdes. Jessica would rather die a
painful death than be her prisoner again. Her body kicked to get free, her
fingernails piercing Lourdes’s hand to loosen her grip.

Lourdes
just smiled with a tilt of her head. “My darling, Jessica. How I’ve missed you
so. This body grows fatigued. I need just a sip of your soul. A tiny sip so all
of
heaven
will know I’m on my way home.”

Jessica
gritted her teeth as Lourdes squeezed her neck a bit tighter. She fought
against her, but already fatigue had set in. She felt
drained
as if something flowed from her directly into Lourdes. Her
skin changed, drying up. Soon she’d be nothing but a husk just like those poor
people standing behind Lourdes.

There was
nothing she could do about it. Jessica felt faint as a brilliant light blinded
her. Nothing could be seen, and in the quickening brightness, a deafening
battle cry.

T
he demon was dead. Amanda’s body destroyed
it one molecule at a time.

A surge
of power ricocheted through Amanda’s body. Collapsing on the ground, she struggled
for breath. Her limbs were shaking. What should’ve killed her, she somehow
managed to survive. Lost in her own mind, her brain surging as it pieced itself
back together, Amanda jumped when a hand caressed her hair.

Snorting,
Amanda took in the sight of Vaughn, or who had once housed the demon of Vaughn.
His face was still scarred, but his eyes no longer clouded by the demon. They
were the soft brown eyes of someone compassionate, someone hopeful, but lost
and confused. “You saved me, didn’t you?” Even his voice was different now that
it was no longer governed by the monster.

There was
so much to say. Amanda didn’t know where to start. “My name’s Amanda.”

“Long
ago, they called me Joseph. I came to the new America for a chance at new life.
Farm, my family. Children.” Joseph took a shaking breath and his complexion
faded. Something horrible happened.

Something
reached out and grabbed Amanda. Its grasp screamed and shook her violently. The
long anguish that Joseph had suffered from Vaughn was too much. Amanda closed
herself off of it the best she could. But some new horror began to pry her
open. Where it was coming from, she couldn’t determine.

“Everything…
I remember you, but it is like a fog. I was with you… doing horrible things.”
Joseph’s face flexed. “For a century, that was my life. What I did to
innocence, young woman.”

Gently
Amanda spoke. “But it wasn’t you. None if it was. As you get your memories
back, keep that in mind.”

Joseph
regarded her. “Something about you touched me. I awoke, when for years, I knew
nothing but a troubled sleep. There were screams, blood, and I couldn’t awake
from it at all.” He swallowed hard as off in the distance, there was a scream.

A woman’s
scream so familiar it immediately set Amanda’s heart racing.

Jessica.

Amanda
rolled flat on her belly and searched for her sister. There was an army of
dried out… something and in the middle of it all was Jessica. Someone had her
by the throat. Dressed regally, like a queen, her dress had the shifting faces
of tormented souls. Their screams were silent, but they called to Amanda as
sure as a rooster crowed to early morning.

It was
Lourdes and she was the new horror Amanda had sensed.

No time
to think, no time to talk, Amanda raced to her feet. Scooping her hand along
the ground, she snatched up the hilt of the sword. Pain throbbed through her
hand as if it had been plunged into ice water. Weapons, they were never kind to
her.

But
Jessica was dying.

No, she
wouldn’t lose her sister after fighting so hard to get her back. Amanda gripped
the sword tighter and howled from the absolute pain.

Amanda
endured it. Running fast, hair whipping back, she reached Jessica. Grabbing her
shoulder, the pain and near death of Jessica
drilled
through Amanda. Jessica’s face was gray, she was fading.

No!

Gritting
her teeth, Amanda pulled Jessica free of Lourdes grasp and her sister fell to
the ground.

Jessica
took a shallow breath, the color slowly returning to her cheeks. Sunken gray
skin turned pink and her flesh plumped to health. Good, thank—.

“Fool!”
Lourdes hissed and seized Amanda by the throat. To be touched by the vile queen
of the underworld caused Amanda’s stomach to cramp. Her heart raced faster than
ever and her head was gripped by pain as strong as a train wreck. “Now I’ll
absorb you and heaven will fall!”

Amanda
gagged under the pressure. To be touched by such a vile creature tore her
insides apart. Like a puzzle, inside she was
jostled
and began to fall apart. “No,” she wheezed out and gripped the sword tightly.

But
Lourdes’s skin turned black. She screamed and pushed Amanda away as if just her
presence was enough to hurt her. “No, you were supposed to be the pure one! You
were designed to free me. It was carved out in your DNA!”

What did
hell know about science?

“Not
anymore.”

Vaughn had
fractured her soul. Maybe in doing so he had saved the world and heaven right
along with it.

Amanda
plunged the sword in Lourdes’s belly and fought against the surge of electrical
energy that followed through the blade. The queen screamed, her head thrown
back and her arms spread wide. Black mist encompassed her as a silver tempest
of light emitted from the sword.

Like oil
and vinegar mixed in a pot, Lourdes dissolved in before her eyes. Parts of her
floated into the air and spun away against the sky. With a giant snap and a
great gust of
wind,
she was gone into a
single black pinprick.

She was
gone. Amanda had slain the evil witch. Her first kill.

Her head
turned to search for Jessica to celebrate what she had done. Her poor sister
still lay on the ground. “Jessica—.” New pain raced through Amanda’s fingers.
The sword suddenly too heavy to hold, the tip dropped to the pavement. The hilt
turned black. Poison raced through the sword toward Amanda’s arm.

Sucking
in her breath, she dropped the steel blade and cradled her injured hand. The
palm was black, like a spider web and it was growing up her arm. Groaning,
Amanda crashed down to one knee and squeezed her arm tightly. Flashes of pain
and a deep throbbing encompassed her entire limb.

Her
throat seized and Amanda’s life energy spun, doing its best to combat the new
evil entity that tried to take possession of her soul.

“You
okay?” Jessica’s voice cracked and her finger stroked the hem of Amanda’s
dress.

Jessica.
She was awake.

That was
the only thought it took to pull the pain back. The black poison retreated like
low tide and the web, mid-palm,
unwound
until it faded completely. Her arm back to normal, she threw it
at
Jessica in a big hug. “It’s over,” Amanda whispered
with tears in her eyes, “everything is finally over.”

Jessica
laughed and buried her face in Amanda’s hair. She took a deep breath and Amanda
felt waves of happiness coming off of her that she hadn’t felt in a long time.
Awestruck, Jessica couldn’t believe the journey was coming to a close.

“Looks
like you’re going to get those drinks with tiny umbrellas in them after all.”

“I think
first I want sleep, before we plan a vacation.” Pulling away, Jessica stroked
Amanda’s hair back. “Let’s go get Duncan then. Get Duncan and go home.”

Home?
What was that? Even Amanda wasn’t sure. “We don’t have a home.” Her voice shook
when she said it. Her heart shattered like glass.

“Then
let’s make one,” Jessica whispered and helped Amanda off the ground.

“You
might yet get that drink with a little umbrella.”

Jessica’s
face was glowing and if her smile spread any further,
it’d reach
her ears. “I can’t believe. I just can’t. We’re free,
Mandy. Really free.” Jessica laughed and crushed her sister in a bear hug.

Amanda laughed
as joy tumbled from them. “You’re such a goofball.” Holding hands, Amanda saw
Joseph approaching. “He’s with us. For now.”

Jessica’s
eyes were solemn. “I’m sorry I shot him. I’m sorry…” she hung her head, “can
you forgive me one more time?”

“To infinity,”
Amanda smiled. There was nothing she couldn’t forgive. She gazed around. The
husk army were still there. They stood silent, as if on standby. “Are they
alive?”

“Well,”
Jessica scowled, “their eyes are blinking.”

The husks
limped forward on brittle limbs, tightening the circle around the three humans.
Jessica picked up her shotgun. “One more fight before we head to Vegas. Maybe
we can hit a buffet on the way. I’m starving.”

One of
the husks stepped forward and bent his head in deference. “We don’t wish to
fight, but we await orders. We are here to serve.”

“Here to
serve?” Amanda asked, her mouth fallen open. What did he mean?

“The new
queen of the underworld!” He fell on bended knee at Amanda’s feet. Then in
harmony the remaining army also knelt with heads bowed down low.

“All
hail, the new queen of the underworld!”

Vegas,
baby.

Place
were dreams were made, but could be tarnished brown. Bright lights gleamed and
put star dusts in young girls’ eyes, but Vain’s were snuffed out a long time
ago. She drove a long black car and behind her, a van followed carrying her
most precious cargo.

Beside
her in chains was her captive, Duncan Jasper. He wouldn’t stop yammering about
the girls Vain stole from Vaughn, so she fashioned him with a leather hood so
tight, it kept his mouth shut. Didn’t stop him though from playing with his
chains, desperate to be free.

Vain
could ignore that for the time being. Until they arrived at her home.

Sin town.
Where the dredges of society left the comforts of civilization. Just past the
Las Vegas strip. If you followed the road just behind the Wild Aces Casino, you
would be dumped into the dark shallows of Sin town.

Everything
was
gray
along the simple stretch of road
sandwiched behind the golden gleaming skyscraper with its antennae pointed
straight up in the sky. A straight up magical talisman, feeding off of the
negative energy of Vegas, it powered Sin town and it was no accident.

Run by
demons, low lives. Even the police here were up for sale, if the price was
right.

Magic was
the thing, it ruled here more than science. The sky no longer shined, dingy
clouds drizzled rain every hour of every day and demons ruled every street
corner.

In
reality, the space between Vegas and Sin town was small, but magic allowed it
to grow and unfold for city blocks. Streets stretched wide, making up the
stockade that was Vain’s home.

On a
street corner beside an old wares cart, Vain parked her car in an alley.
Gripping Duncan’s leash in hand, she tugged him from the car. Duncan grunted
and shook his head. Vain gritted her teeth. “You’ll follow me or you’ll pay for
it later.”

Tugging
hard, he fell out of the car. Struggling up to his feet, Duncan barely kept up
as Vain led Duncan down the block toward her brothel,
The Vampire’s Kiss
. His shoulders hunched and his head low, he
shuffled, then fell to his knees.

Behind
them, Vaughn’s demons corralled the girls. From the van They sobbed, their
heads down low, but soon, they’d learn their place. She saved them. Would give
them all new life.

It was
always the pretty ones she saved for her
brothel
,
but didn’t all girls deserve saving? Cleaned up, free of drugs, after a good
meal, they’d earn their keep. Vain was sure of it.

Vain
gritted her teeth as Duncan groaned. Maybe his wounds were too plenty, but Vain
just loved having fun. Sometimes, she couldn’t help herself.

 
“This isn’t the sort of place where you’d want
to take a rest.” Demonic eyes followed their every move from shadows and behind
carts selling every unclean thing. Below their gazes, human beggars crawled
toward them on whatever limbs they had left.
 
Some, who had been there too long, were nothing more than long torsos.

This is
where the dregs of society went when they were too
sorry to
even die. Those lost in the shining lights. The ones
civilization never missed. Now, they’d suffer and never die. Not until the last
of them fell apart and demons feasted on their scraps.

Duncan
shivered and cast a look at the gritty hands that reached for him.
 

“They
will do anything to feel human again. Trust me, you don’t want their hands on
you.” Vain tugged the leash and got Duncan moving. When the leash became taut,
she yanked it again so he would keep his speed up.

The
Vampire Kiss was in sight. A red neon light in the shape of a heart flashed
slowly. A slender brick building, it was the only one whose stairs weren’t
crumbling. Lights were strung up on the street above its entrance and unlike
the rest of Sin
town,
they weren’t
covered in laundry.

The door
was a bright red and Vain put her lips to its brass knocker and blew a lover’s
kiss upon it. A low hum sounded and the door unlocked. She led Duncan into her
home and place of business. “Get the girls inside,” she spoke to her new
demons. “Then each of you will receive a well-earned gift. Rest. Fun. A girl
your very own.”

The
demons chattered excitedly and Vain smiled with satisfaction. She just loved to
please.

As Vain’s
foot met the plush carpet, the room seemed to unfold and span out larger than
what there was really room for in such a small building. The interior was red,
with plush carpets and seating along the wall. The doorways to the other rooms
were covered in thick black lace drapes. Crystal chandeliers hung from the
ceiling in rows and threw a white haze of magic through the room.

Keeping
the girls happy, beautiful and eager to please. The clients would feel
euphoric, but only ever thought it were the drinks and the girls keeping them
happy. If only they knew Vain’s secret.

In the
middle of the room was an oversized ornate bar, at its base, her giant
hellhounds
slept, diamond collars around their
neck.

Behind
the bar, a shriveled old man, who also wore a collar, rushed to pour a drink.
“Mistress, mistress, welcome home!”

Vain took
the drink and threw it back. “Thank you, Bill. Your ability to please me, is
never a disappointment.” She handed him the glass as he hurried back to the
bar. His feet clacking together from the chains on his ankles.

A light
giggle caught her attention. Vain’s girls rushed to greet her and they were the
most beautiful, most supple, in the business. They wore tightly cinched
corsets, flowing skirts, and tall boots. Makeup and hair were perfect, even if
it was all an illusion, thanks to a spell. Even if they were no different than
any other girl, what mattered was what the client saw.

Her
favorite was the blond with spiraled hair and
ample
blossom, but really they were all nice. Vain greeted them as she always did.
Tender kisses, a stroke across the nape of the neck, but it was the blond she
took in her arms. Her name was Alexia, and she was the finest of treasures,
with ruby lips and red feathers pinned in her hair.

She
brought in the best
clientele
. Men and
demons alike paid top dollar just to gaze upon her.

“Get the
girls cleaned up,” Vain ordered. “Especially that one,” Vain pointed to Hannah,
the youngest. The one Vaughn broke. “She’s had a hard life. It’s time to teach
her a thing or two about life’s finest pleasures. Her nest of hair needs
brushing, her body cleaning.”

Hannah
shuddered, pulling away in fear, folding into herself. Vain didn’t blame her,
but she’d learn. She would see that not everything had to hurt.

Pain
could lead to pleasure.

“New
girls? So many of them! Oh, you brought us another gift, Vain.”
 
Alexia’s eyes widened and she licked her lips.
“Oh, you’ve had a little fun with him, didn’t you?”

Vain gave
Duncan a kick behind the knee cap. He grunted and fell to the ground. Well,
wasn’t that almost too easy? Pulling on Alexia’s pouting lip, she smiled.
“There’s enough of him to go around. Once he heals. Set him up in my room.”

“Your
room?” The red-headed Morgana put her lace fingertips against her hips.

“Our
room,” Vain corrected with a smile. “He needs time to heal.” She pulled her
belt off and handed her dagger and rope to Alexia.

“And what
do you need, mistress?” A sweet brunette smiled like a child, going on bended
knee in front of her. She licked at the tight catsuit Vain wore.

“A bath,
my sweetest Michelle.” Vain caressed her head, taking note of how brilliantly
her blue eyes smiled. All the girls cooed at the sound of a bath and Vain hated
to disappoint them so she shook her head. “I’m afraid I need time to think, by
myself.”

“But
why?” Alexa asked, gathering up Duncan’s leash in her hand. She just loved a
new pet.

“So many
plans to make. Business is expanding.”
Vain
smiled. “Vaughn is no longer a problem, we’re expanding our territory and
taking on his supplies.”

Her girls
clapped and Vain’s chest puffed up to be back home. Work was one thing, but
being
worshiped
here was everything.
 
“And he thought he could control
you,
” Alexa said, “but, you saw it all, didn’t
you? Your crystal ball never fails us.”

Except
for that one time it did. If only Vain knew how he managed to do it. Vain
sneered down at Duncan. “People, who think they can control me, think they can
use me, I’m going to show them all how wrong they are.”

“And what
of the new girls?” Michelle asked. She put a hand to her mouth and giggled.
“Should we beat them?”

Vain
pouted. Michelle was always so eager to please. On the floor, Duncan shook his
head and grunted, trying to talk through the gag cutting into his mouth.
“Heavens, no, Michelle. Treat them to oils, perfume. A good meal. Soon, they’ll
be working for me.”

A slow
smile spread
across
her lips. “They’re
family now. We protect them as one of our own. When those bitches, the Blood
sisters, knock down our door, we show them what
our
family can do.”

 
Get ready for the final installment of The
Blood Sisters! Coming this fall – BlOOD SACRIFICE, Book 3!