Blood Lust (The Blood Sisters Book 1) (25 page)

The
dark angel of death had come.

Amanda
felt a jostling at her feet. Her eyes struggled to remain closed, but after a
few blinks, she peeled them open and gazed at the saddest creature she had ever
seen. Shattered wings, like a broken butterfly that had been ripped apart by a
predator. What may have once been a beautiful face was now striped with lines
and wrinkles like a sagging potato sack. A few wisps of hair ringed her bald
head.

But
something about this dark angel stilled Amanda’s breath. The creature wore a
chain around her neck, barely hidden beneath the tattered white dress she wore.
It was darkened with soil like it had spent an eternity in that same dress.

Amanda’s
head rolled to the side and she thought maybe this creature was taking her
soul. Maybe…

It is not me, you stupid
human girl. It is him.

Amanda
struggled to lift her head and gazed down at the dark angel, but they weren’t
alone. Vaughn was there and he held the creature’s chain tight. “The exchange
will be happening soon. Prepare her. I’m not giving her up to Duncan Jasper
without a fight.”

Duncan?
Jessica, Jessica would be with him. They had come,
finally,
they had come. Her spirits lifted, Amanda pulled on her
arms. The restraints behind her back only tightened, pinching her skin. She winced
and suddenly smelled…nutmeg? Oh pie, what she wouldn’t give for some pie…

Vaughn
gripped her shoulder and breathed against her skin. “Our party is
over,
Amanda, for now. An
opportunity
has presented itself, a chance to
rid the world of Duncan Jasper and I have to take it.” Vaughn’s teeth gritted
together as he made a mighty fist. “Revenge is a dish not easily ignored.”

Duncan?
Was he
here? Amanda’s heart raced with
excitement. Did that mean Jessica was here too? She had come. Amanda knew it
would happen, that Jessica would come. Knew it!

“He
wants you, but who can blame him? I’m sure he’s planning a double cross, but
only if I don’t double cross him first.” Vaughn laughed. “Get her ready to
travel, but keep her cut off from her power, Seer. Or it will be the last thing
you ever do.” He ripped through the room and slammed the door.

The
walls shook and dust seemed to waft up in the light, twirling like little
dancers. It was almost beautiful now that Amanda could see the pattern. How
they whirled and seemed to move in time, straight toward the seer, but Amanda
was sure… She opened her mouth to speak.

The
seer shook her head and gazed up.
Meanwhile,
her finger stirred a small
caldron
of
orange liquid.
I would not speak yet. He
can hear us. He can listen at all times.

Amanda
didn’t know how to communicate, so she tried thinking her words, but it hurt.
Her stomach tumbled like she was going to be sick. Something in her was
stretching to the point of snapping…

The
seer gripped her knee with deformed, disjointed fingers.
You must learn to control the pain. Demons are everywhere, child. If
you’re to fight, if you’re to survive what Vaughn has planned for you, you must
block out the pain.

But
how?
Amanda didn’t know. She never
mastered it, even though plenty had tried to help. Jessica and Aunt Gwen. Oh,
how desperately she longed to see them. Tears rose in Amanda’s eyes as she
thought maybe rescue was near. If Duncan was coming for her, there was hope.

She
couldn’t give up. Just couldn’t.

So
Amanda took a deep breath. She pushed the pain away, but like trying to push
away an ocean wave, it just came back and crashed into her. Her brow furrowed
as the scent of nutmeg became stronger. What was it and where was it coming
from?

From me. It’s me. I am a fallen
servant of God. I am repent my crimes, child. If I free you from your
restraints, are you able to heal me? Can you return me to my splendid form so
, in turn,
I
can
help you?

Amanda
didn’t know if she could trust the wretched creature in front of her. Pointed
fangs dripped saliva, it leaked from the corners of her mouth and her eyes were
indiscernible. She had to trust; Amanda had to have faith.

Behind
her back, Amanda cupped her hand. She concentrated long and hard. Sweat dripped
from her nose, but a smile formed
as
the
palm of her hand burned with heat. A small crackle of power traveled from one
finger to another, but it was so small, so slight, that it burned out almost
immediately.

Defeated,
Amanda slumped in her chair and felt the swirl of despair. All the drugs, they
were messing with her power and her mind. Amanda didn’t know if she’d ever
regain herself. Already there was an itching in her soul that she couldn’t
scratch.

A
desire for more drugs, a desire to feel less.

Try again
child
, don’t give up. You have the spark.
Harness it.

Amanda
nodded and took a deep breath to give herself power. She cupped her hand, and
this time,
her fingers strung out tense and
rigid. They shook as she tensed them and the build of power grew. It hadn’t
happened like that before. Brow creased, Amanda concentrated and her vision was
swept away with a vision of heaven.

The
area was surrounded by clouds, and in their midst, was true happiness. A
contentment Amanda hadn’t known in so long. Some of the angels wept in their
long flowing white robes, but they weren’t weeping for her.

They
cried for the one in front of her. The seer.

With
that
realization,
Amanda gasped as the
electrical ball formed in her hand. Side to side, it grew, glowing with heat.
So much power, Amanda’s fingers forgot themselves and went slack.

The
energy was gone, but Amanda could get it back. She could.

Yes,
Amanda whispered in excitement.
Yes, I
can heal you.

The
Seer rose to her feet and like a hunchback, she shuffled to the rear of
Amanda’s chair. She loosened the restraints far enough so that Amanda could
pull free. Her skin screamed with relief and at once, an itch traveled up her
forearm.

She
stood in front of Amanda with her feet together, her head bowed. Amanda rubbed
the sore skin on her wrists. “The drugs have hacked at my soul. Bit by bit,
like a pick- ax chipping at a
stone.
I
don’t know how it will affect my gift.”

“Hurry.
You must try.” Seer licked her lips. “I can buy you time with Vaughn. I have
foreseen the future and in that future you—” The seer took a gasping breath.
“Hurry, she’s coming and if I’m not healed by the time she arrives, all will be
lost.”

“Who
is here?” Amanda stood from the chair and hurried to her, but the pain surging
in her chest was too great. She clutched her stomach as pain swelled in her
belly, and fell to the floor. Her palm braced against the ground was the only
thing keeping her steady.

She
grunted and clawed at the ground. Something surrounded them. There was a new
evil in the compound that made Amanda gasp. Her eyes flew open and her back
arched.

The
evil was swirling into the form of a woman. It had a mission, a single mission,
and Amanda was the target. But she wouldn’t go, without a fight.

In
the darkness of her mind, the
smoke
cleared and a face became into focus. No…no. It couldn’t be! Pain clutched her
soul at the look on that face. Always determined, but kind to Amanda but
now…now Amanda barely recognized that face which she loved more than her own.

Jessica.

They
arrived at Vaughn’s fortress—for lack of a better word—in the middle of the
desert. A massive wall protected the compound. The stone surface had nicks
carved into a pattern—short, short, long, short, it went along the sides.

The
four towers on each corner were tall, their windows made of stained glass, the
writing on them wasn’t only decorative. Duncan had seen the blue and white
etching before and it hadn’t been at church. A type of warding
spell
that gave demons power and protection.

Father
Mike, a passenger in the Blood family car sat beside him, he chomped on a
peanut. “We take out one of those windows, and Vaughn loses some of his
control. Taking them all out would even be better.”

“Noted,”
Duncan whispered.

A
demon stepped forward with his palm out to the car as they approached the gate.

“
Showtime
,” Mike said and made the sign of the
cross.

Duncan
wasn’t usually a spiritual guy, but Mike was who he was. He had to be okay with
that. Besides, they were going to need all the help they could get.

 
“Stop right there.”

Duncan
was used to demons with guns, so he idled the car and raised his arms in the
air. It just seemed fitting to use the Blood’s car to get Amanda; maybe
it’d
even bring them a bit of luck.

Staring
right into the mouth of hell, Duncan watched as Vaughn’s minions, guarding the
entrance to the compound flanked the car. They stooped to glance into the
windows, checking he and Mike out, looking for signs of a double cross. With
his nerves in check, Duncan glanced in the rearview mirror.

The
trucks filled with drugs were behind him, with a nasty little surprise in the
back. If Vaughn agreed to willingly turn over Amanda to him, well, Duncan would
be even more surprised.

Just
thinking of her, his chest clenched hard, Duncan pushed the vision of her face
to the back of his mind.

Distraction
wouldn’t serve any of them well, so casually, he stuck a toothpick between his
teeth and twirled it over his tongue. As a teen, he started doing it because
his grand-pop had, and now it was part of Duncan just as much as his limbs
were.

“Who
the hell is this?” A demon leaned over into the passenger seat.

Father
Mike made the sign of the cross in the air and the demon jumped back, repelled
by the power of a true believer. “I’m here to bless the mission, of course.” He
smiled. It was always creepy when he did that; it just didn’t sit right on his
face. “To make sure when we take Amanda Blood, nothing’s been done to harm
her.”

The
demon snorted. “Nothing permanent.”

Duncan’s
fingers clenched and fire raced
through
his heart. He hated the idea that Amanda was being held captive, but to think
these beasts hurt her? Burn every single one of them to the ground, that’s what
he wanted. If he had the opportunity, that’s was what he would do.

Getting
Amanda to safety was paramount. He wouldn’t risk jeopardizing that, but
restraint wasn’t his strong suit.

 
“We’ll take the drugs,” one of the demons said
and pointed his men at the trucks.

“No,”
Duncan said in a low, controlled rumble of a voice. “We see Amanda. No girl, no
drugs. We’ll light them up right here. My men are ready and able.”

The
demon scratched his head as he gazed around. “We can bring the trucks in, but
not you.”

Duncan’s
temper simmered. “No girl,” he whispered, “no drugs. You know what, bring me to
Vaughn. I’m not dealing with any more lackeys.” He kicked the door open to the
car and stepped out from its protective wards. The desert sun beat down on him
even stronger, the wind dry, and laced with sand.

Gun
safeties were flipped. Duncan’s heart skipped a
beat,
but then kept a steady rhythm. The toothpick rolled across his tongue to the
other side of his mouth. He was still in control here; the demons were putting
on a good show, but that’s all it was. Duncan met the show with a roll of his eyes.
“If I’m dead, there’s no deal.”

The
pig-nosed
demon licked his lips and from
his
snarl,
it was clear he didn’t like
losing. The smell of his breath was astoundingly bad. “Get back in your car and
head toward the gate. They’ll check your trunk.”

Duncan
smiled as he got behind the steering wheel. Throwing it into
drive
, he glanced at Father Mike’s pensive
face. “Poker face, Mike. Poker face.” The moment of truth was upon them. The
car edged forward.

Mike
sighed. “If something goes wrong and the drugs end up in their hands…”

“They
won’t.” Duncan’s lips were drawn into a serious line, but he winked anyway.

“And
if they find the detonator?”

Duncan
had to keep his spirits up somehow. It wasn’t like Father Mike to be such a
defeatist. “It’s well-hidden, don’t worry. This is going to work.”

The
wooden front gate squeaked open and retracted against the stone adobe wall.
Duncan drove inside slowly, as he took in the surroundings. Up on the wall were
two snipers, the barrels of their long rifles wavered. A giant fountain filled
the center of the courtyard and the water flowed like Vaughn’s compound was an
Italian villa.

It
stunk of cigarette smoke and gallons of whiskey. To the left and right were
cages filled with desperate looking women, most likely recent captures who
hadn’t yet been fully addicted to Vaughn’s drugs.

Clothed
in brown tatters that barely covered their breasts and groins, their eyes were
vacant and sad. Some
cried,
while others
clung to the bars. Some were so young; Duncan was sure they were barely adults
at all. His stomach soured and they reminded him of his sister.

 
If Duncan could free those women, he had to do
it. His chest heaved with anger. He thought to— Father Mike patted his hand and
Duncan’s grip loosened on the steering wheel.

“Don’t
let’s get ahead of ourselves, Jasper.” Father Mike smiled, glanced forward, as
his eyes darkened. “Or we’ll end up helping no one.” He made the sign of the
cross in the air as if to pray for those poor woman’s souls.

He
was right. Mike was almost always right, which was one reason Duncan liked
having him around. Even if sometimes, the Father said things Duncan didn’t like
to hear.

Duncan
cut the engine as he pulled the car close to the fountain. Just past it was the
guarded entrance to Vaughn’s stronghold. A
two-tower
structure, Duncan would bet his life Amanda was being held, in one of them.

A
glance at the rearview mirror revealed the movement of demons surrounding the
car. Good, that’s exactly what they wanted. With some luck, they wouldn’t know
what hit them.

“Guns.
Hand them over,” a demon said to Duncan.

Duncan
handed over his gun and a small knife from his boot. “Can we get out of the
car, please? I haven’t taken a leak since we set out this morning.”

The
demon stared at him with a stoic expression. “I need his guns too.”

Father
Mike smiled. “I’m a man of the cloth, unholy beast.”

The
demon wasn’t convinced. He sniffed with a growl. “You better give me your
weapons, or you’ll join your God before it’s time.”

Father
Mike scowled as he handed over his Luger and a set of throwing stars. “He is
the God of us all, and he knows those who would dare stand against him, but you
are doing your part. And because of that, I can forgive you, demon or not.”

The
demon paused, unnerved at his words and stuttered before taking a step back.

You
had to love Mike and his all forgiving nature. He knew just how to throw the
enemy off and that was one of the other reasons Duncan loved to keep him
around. He was like patriarch to all of the demon hunters. He wore the label
well.

“Where’s
Vaughn?” Duncan asked.

“Entertaining
a guest.” Another
pig-faced
demon in a
black jacket pulled Duncan’s door open. “Get out and pop the trunk. Then we’ll arrange
an audience with Amanda Blood.”

Duncan
threw a glance at Mike, who only nodded. Duncan hoped this would work. If their
plan managed to get Amanda killed before they were close enough to help her—but
Vaughn would never let Amanda go. Duncan knew that. Their plan had to be
offensive.

His
ruse? Get close enough to Vaughn that he could rescue Amanda.

Vaughn’s,
get Duncan close enough to kill and take his drugs back. That had to be his
game plan. Hell, that’d be Duncan’s plan if he was a demonic beast hell bent on
corrupting the human race. Plus, Vaughn had a score to settle with Duncan, just
like Duncan had a score to settle with him. Neither of them
was
done with the other.

 
Duncan stepped from the car and allowed the
demon to close the door
behind
him.
Ignoring the stench, his nostril hairs curled to be that close to one. He kept
his hands slightly raised as he headed toward the trunk. Scanning the many
demon faces surrounding the car, they tightened close in on him like a team of
anxious
football players.

Which
was just fine with him, just fine indeed?

“Go
on and open the trunk.” A demon edged him on with the butt of his gun.

Duncan
pursed his lips to keep his anger in check. “Oh, the keys are in my pocket.” Duncan
flashed him a flirty lopsided grin and with a playful wink. “How about you help
me out, sweet stuff?”

“

We
don’t want games!” The demon roared and reached into Duncan’s pocket. “
Back up,
and I’ll open it myself, you
sonofa
—”

“No
reason to get so hostile,” Duncan muttered and moved over to the side. Through
the rearview mirror, Duncan’s locked with Mike’s.

It
was now. Time to go for gold.

Mike
pressed the button on the detonator. The trunk flew open and gallons of holy
water sprayed high into the air, raining down on the demons. Some ran for
cover,
while others didn’t make it. It burned
their skin as they fell to the ground, slithering and writhing. A few even
caught fire, burning while the water fell all around them.

Wet
himself, Duncan dropped to the ground and reached beneath the car to grab the
shotgun taped beneath the fender. The tape came free with a yank, but his leg,
it was yanked on too.

“You
son-of-a-bitch! You’ll never get out of here alive!” The demon clawed at
Duncan’s face, tearing his nails down his cheek.

Rolling
over, Duncan held his gun firm and blew the demon’s face off. Demon guts and
blood sprayed warm ooze onto his face, but it was the sound of an M-16 that
really captured Duncan’s attention.

“Sniper’s
on the roof, Mike!” Duncan screamed and opened the passenger door to use

as
cover in order to take the snipers out.

“One
and done, Duncan! Now get our girl so we can get out of here!” Mike fired a
round into the tower window, it shattered, that was going to bring them a whole
host of attention. On the outside of the compound, the Black Scorpions opened
fire on the tower. The shots exploded like bombs going off, as the windows on
the tower structure were shattered.

He
needed to find Amanda and get her out before a battalion of demons descended
upon Mike and their getaway car. With luck, in a
minute
the Black Scorpions would detonate the drugs and get away on
their bike’s, stashed in the rear truck.

Duncan
hopped up to his feet and stood by Mike, blasting the demons to kingdom come. “Back
into the fiery pit of hell!” Mike sprayed the area with bullets before
launching into psalms and deep prayer.

Demons
always hated when he did that.

“Give
the order! Time to light up the trucks!” Duncan screamed at Mike as he ran for
the front gate. Once the trucks were destroyed, the bikers would move into the
compound. Time to level this place to the ground, one demon at a time.

There
was no time for
well
wishes, Duncan
charged for the entrance to the club, weaving between demons and said a silent
prayer as he kicked in the wooden French doors.

For
Amanda. God, let her by alive. Let her still be the same girl he saw last,
sweet and innocent, dancing in his living room. If anything happened to her
under his watch, Jessica wouldn’t be the only one who wouldn’t forgive him.
Duncan would never forgive himself.

The
place was thrashing with music and smelled of whiskey. There were chandeliers
overhead the further in Duncan went, and black drapes gave the place some
ambiance. The bar to the left was empty, but Vaughn stood on the catwalk where
the strippers normally practiced their trade. Overhead a disco ball spun,
casting light onto his skull mask.