Blood Sacrifice (The Blood Sisters Book 3) (8 page)

The
sky was bright blue and only the fluffiest of clouds drifted across the
landscape. Behind the postcard-ready tranquil beauty, a gray darkness hid. It
swirled behind the neon flashing lights and the stream of all-you-can-eat
buffets. Tourists with happy smiles, ready to bet their fortune at the promise
of a better future.

Vegas,
baby. Ready or not, Amanda was here and read to work.

For
her part, Jessica bit into a chili cheese dog. “Hmm, this is so good. I don’t
think they make hot dogs like this anywhere else.” Cheese—though Amanda guessed
there was very little actual cheese product—oozed out onto her leather coat.

Jessica
didn’t seem to mind. She only scooped it up with her finger and slurped it off.
“What?”

Amanda
was staring. She didn’t mean to be. With a shake of her head she gazed out the
window. There was a vendor cart not far away and gathered around were portly
tourists in brightly colored shirts—pinks, yellows, and oranges—like a circus
show. They wore visors on their heads and some had fanny packs on.

 “Are
you okay?” Jessica crumbled up her napkin and tucked it into the pocket of her
jacket. It was always better than littering in her car. “Your cheeks are red.”

“I’m
fine.” Amanda could barely get the words out and she was aware that her
fingernails were grating across her knee. Why was she so angry? It wasn’t like
her to get mad at the human population like that. Usually she saw them as naïve
little beings that needed to be protected—kind of like baby birds.

But
these people weren’t naïve. They were flocking to this place, ready to throw
out their money? And for what? For what?

 A
hopeless dream. A get rich quick scheme, as if that would solve all their
problems.

“I
think we better hurry up.” Amanda took a deep breath to steady herself and her
lungs stretched so full, her ribs shook under the pressure. “I’m not feeling
that great here and I think we need to get Duncan and hit the road.”

If
only it were that easy, but Amanda’s bones felt as if the road—the trees—the
buildings, all of it, was closing on her.

“You
don’t have to tell me twice. Let’s find the entrance to Sin Town and get this
done.” Jessica exited the car first and made her way toward the passenger side.
She might not have been an empath, but Jessica knew when Amanda needed her. She
always knew.

It
was one of her super powers, and the one Amanda was most grateful for.

She
opened her door and stood beside the car. The smell of the place and the ooze
of its corruption overwhelmed the senses. It wailed against her head like a
pitch fork and her gut, deep inside, churned with lava.

Up
ahead, a red and black funnel cloud of death slowly rotated. It led to one
place. One casino. Like the pinnacle of decay, it stood tall with a fine tip
point. It absorbed all the bad feelings, all the negative emotions, this place
had. Atop its door, was a deck of fanned out cards and red dice.

The
Wild Aces Casino.

The
place, whether it was built for that purpose or not, was funneling Vegas’s
negative f
eelings
, all of its addictions,
and besieged souls, straight into Sin Town. The Wild Aces might have created
Sin City but on purpose or unfortunate happenstance? Amanda couldn’t guess.

“Mandy?”
Jessica shook Amanda’s shoulder. Her older sister’s forehead was creased deep
with concern, but Amanda could barely see her. The fog of corruption, like a
film, clung to Jessica’s face and as people hurried past them, Amanda heard all
their thoughts, as if they were her own.

She
couldn’t filter them out.

We
should stop by the buffet on our way out of town.

Those
chicken fingers are to die for.

One
more game. On more bet.

 I
know I can make back the mortgage payment.

I’m
going to be swimming with the fishes if my wife finds out what I’ve done.

The
kids are having fun. The zoo is nice, it’s not like we’re just here to gamble.

Vegas
is a family town these days.

This
place wasn’t just cursed, it was worse than that. It was a place that needed to
be put down. Vegas, Sin town, all of it needed to be dealt with.

What
do you do if you get cancer?

You
cut it out. You starve it away.

“Amanda!”
Jessica cradled her arms around her, but Amanda shrugged her off.

Her
brain was pulsing with Jessica’s fear and worry.
Is Amanda okay? Am I going
to lose her?

Amanda
squeezed her eyes even tighter. “Stop, stop. Please stop thinking. Please.”

What
if she dies? What if I can’t save her?

Amanda
gazed up at her sister. “I can’t do this.” Her chin shook and her body
followed. “I can’t go into Sin Town. What if it destroys me, Jess? I’m being
torn apart.”

Jessica
gripped her arms and Amanda gripped them back. The black inkwell stain on her
hand had crept up, onto her arm. It extended an inch up her forearm and the tip
glowed, as a nice piece of artwork appeared. Just being there and accessing her
power like that? It was cementing Lourdes’s magic that now flowed through her
veins.

She
was never going to get out of this. Never.

“You
get in the car.” Jessica ordered. “You drive, far, far away. You hear me? I’ll
get Duncan and I’ll meet you. Just answer your phone, Amanda. Go back to the
church. We’ll meet you as soon as I rescue Duncan.”

Stupid
plan. She’d never make it that far and Jessica had to know that. Sweet Jessica,
always searching for a way to save her. Amanda shook her head. “How will you
get there if you don’t have a car? Jessie, I don’t want to be alone. I don’t
want—.”

“I
know, but you’re a Blood.” Jessica gripped her tighter and her eyes widened in
a plea. “You’ve got this. You’re a survivor, Amanda. Are you a quitter? Or are
you Blood?”

Amanda
didn’t have to think about it. She sucked on her bottom lip. “I’m a Blood. I’m
a Blood.” With a deep breath, she paused and thought of what she said. It was
true. All of it and it ran deep in her veins. It was more than a name. It was a
purpose, a way of life. A Blood didn’t walk away. “I’m going with you.”

Jessica
shook her head. There was no way she was going to let Amanda go. Amanda read
her like the morning paper, but she could convince Jessica. “You need my magic
to get in there.”

“This
place is destroying you.” Jessica’s eyebrows rose and heartbreak sunk her
cheeks.

“Then
we’ll have to move fast because I’m not leaving here without Duncan. I’m a
Blood. We finish things. We save people.” Amanda rose to her feet and stared
down her sister.

Me
and my big mouth.

Amanda
beamed when she knew she won. Jessica hooked her arm through her sisters.
“You’re incorrigible, you know that?”

“If
I am,” Amanda said, “it’s because you taught me.”

“Where
do we go? How do we get in?”

Amanda
pointed at the Wild Aces Casino. “Ground Zero is over there. We don’t have to
go in. through the front. Not yet, but around the side, I should be able to
find an entry point. The dark magic of this place is
seeping
all around. That’s the gateway.”

Jessica
hurried across the street with Amanda in tow. She didn’t wait for cars to stop,
she made them stop. That was Jessica’s way and it had always been. Amanda loved
her for how much she cared, how much she protected her.

She
was going to get the job done and fast. She didn’t want to lose Amanda to this
place.

Amanda
was grateful to have her on her side. Her hero. A real hero.

The
Wild Aces Casino was a towering building and appeared to be built of gold. The
tower of Babble, right in their own backyard. The top circled with dark magic,
pulling the negative emotion straight into its antennae. It must be so weird,
not to see that. Just to see the blue sky. To Amanda, it was as clear as day.

How
could anyone think this place was anything but corrupt?

Mandy?

Amanda
startled as she realized she had been staring. “Sorry,” she whispered with a
quick tuck of hair behind her ears. Beside the building lurking shadows took
form. It extended out from the bordering bushes like a rickety finger. It grew
along the sidewalk and fanned, outstretching and searching.

It
stretched so close to Amanda’s toes that she stared down at the ground. Beneath
the hallowed shadow, a whisper tickled her ear, so soft that the words jumbled
together. Forehead creased, Amanda’s lips parted. “You’ll have to speak louder
than that.”

Jessica
gripped her arm. “You’re scaring me.”

Amanda
closed her eyes and concentrated so hard that she blocked out all other sounds.
The voice existed only in the shadow. People lurked in the corners, but they
weren’t people in the traditional sense any longer. Their skin was gray and
thick like leather. Void of light, their eyes were hollow and they lay in
alleys, waiting for life to pass them by. Just throwing it all away.

Tears
stung Amanda’s eyes and then she heard it. The voice loud and clear jumped at
her as if hidden behind the building.

“Come
visit us. Stay with us. You’ll like it in Sin Town.”

It
knocked her off her feet and she fell into the shadow(s). Amanda shrieked and
tried to stand up, but the shadow rolled over her like the darkness of sundown.
It clawed and
ripped
at her flesh. Amanda
kicked, then stumbled back to her feet and banged into Jessica.

Breathing
hard, she couldn’t get control. Lourdes’s magic was growing up her arm and all
Amanda could do was labor for air? So much for her strength and conviction. So
much for doing anything she could to save Duncan.

She
couldn’t go in there. Just couldn’t.

Jessica
wrapped her arms around Amanda. “It’s okay. It’s okay. I got you. Just breathe,
Mandy. Breathe.”

She
couldn’t talk so she nodded and slowed down her heartbeat.

“It’s
here, isn’t it?” Jessica said.

“You
could say that.” Amanda licked her lips.

“Do
you see an opening? A doorway?”

Amanda
did. Between the bushes in the small space between the walls, the cement parted
just enough to get sucked in—if the spirit was ready, but Amanda wasn’t. She
didn’t want to go, but her magic…. Amanda had a feeling she could force the
opening up big enough for them to both get through. If Duncan was there, they
would get him out.

She
had to put on her big girl panties and get it done.

“I’ll
find it.” Jessica stepped away and walked straight into the shadow. Amanda held
her breath and her hands clenched tight.

“Don’t,
Jess! Don’t!” Amanda screamed.

“I’ll
be fine.” Jessica turned with a smile on her face, but it was distorted. The
shadow burrowed its way beneath her skin and her eyes shifted with maggots—even
as she splayed her arms to show how well everything was going.

The
shadow would corrupt her. It would destroy her.

Not
after Amanda had just gotten her back. Amanda screamed and charged her sister.
She grabbed her arms and pushed her toward the casino. “Ugh!” Jessica let out a
gasp as they both fell down, tangled up together, flattening the bushes
surrounding the side entrance to the casino.

Jessica’s
head hit the cobblestone pathway next to the smoker’s bench. Her eyes narrowed
as she rubbed the top of her head. Stars floated in front of her eyes and a
deep frustration built up in her chest. “Amanda…”

“You
can’t go in there. You can’t, okay? You don’t know what it’ll do to you.”

But
they didn’t have a choice.
Duncan is in there!
Jessica was exasperated
enough to be mad and Amanda was about to get an earful, but black shoes walked
toward them. Amanda gazed up with fright. The black shoes led to black pants
and the angry scowls of Wild Aces security officers.

Not
just one. Not even two.

But
four. Each of them more menacing than the last.

“The
two of you are going to have to come with me.” That’s what he said, but Amanda
heard other thoughts churning in his head.

Vain
wants these two. This is Jessica and her sister. Vain will award me. Sweet,
beautiful prostitutes and bundles of money. Lord, I need to get laid.

She
was in there. Amanda couldn’t let her get close.

Jessica
pulled Amanda up to her feet and the look on her face was pointed.
We’re not
going to be able to get out of this one.

Jessica
was right. She was, but Amanda couldn’t go in there.
Jess, he works for
Vain! They all work for Vain!

If
her sister could hear her thoughts, Amanda saw no signs. They were pushed
through the revolving door and as she slid through the glass door growled at
her.
It's
was punctuated with a lion’s
roar. The entryway was glamorous with giant chandeliers and golden carpets. It
was a palace fit for a king, but the walls bled.