Broken Heart 07 Cross Your Heart (27 page)

I had always been in a little awe of her.

Drake took Serri from Tez, and Brigid took Dayton. They hurried into the hospital, followed by Emma. Relieved that Serri and her son would get the care they so desperately needed, I joined Tez at the trunk of his Honda, where he was giving Damian and Stan everything we found in my grandfather’s attic room.

“I have the other items,” I said. Emma had transferred all the stuff from the seat to the passenger floor, so I leaned down and grabbed the box with the diary and letters. I gladly handed it over. I wouldn’t be sorry at all if I never saw any of it again. I just wanted the whole thing to be over with.

“Any sign of Phoebe or the others?” I asked.

Damian shook his head. “We cannot locate the trunks, either.”

“Lenette has suggested that we gather the dissected body of Jeremiah and perform a cleansing ritual,” said Stan. “She said that covering all of his bones with rock salt and then burning them should drive his spirit back into the underworld.”

“What about the demon?”

“Connor and his sister are working on the incantations,” said Damian. “They say it’s complicated. It might be easier with Phoebe.”

“She could invoke the talisman,” I said.

Tez was worried about something else entirely. “You’ve got Jeremiah’s skull,” he said, “but how the hell will we find his other parts?”

“Flet,” said Damian. He glanced at Tez and cupped his hands. “He is this tiny, annoying pixie.”

“He says all the bad energy is getting worse,” Stan said, “and it’s making everything stink.”

“Getting worse?”

Stan nodded. “Fights are breaking out, especially among couples. You know Rand got engaged to MaryBeth?”

I nodded, pleased that he had popped the question.

“Not anymore. She broke up with him because she said he was cheating.”

“That’s ridiculous!”

“It’s a plague,” said Damian. “Anyone in love is either arguing or giving each other the silent treatment. It makes coordinating the searches difficult. We have to end this.”

“Or call in Dr. Phil,” said Tez.

“I don’t think he could fix this,” said Stan with a sigh. “Not even Oprah could fix this.”

“Wow. It really is bad.”

The demon’s mere presence was infecting the residents of Broken Heart. We had to find and dispose of him. I wondered if Tez and I might start fighting, too. Would I begin to believe he was cheating on me? Would I let distrust and hurt worm through my love and destroy it inch by inch? I couldn’t imagine such a thing and felt terrible that so many of my friends were experiencing this.

“Getting Silverstone’s body back together and burning it is a good start,” said Tez.

“Well,” I said, feeling the funk of my dirty, blood-stained clothing, “we need to get cleaned up. Is there a search headquarters? Because we could meet you there later so we can help track down the others.”

Damian nodded. “At the café.” He stared at my collar. “I haven’t seen one of those in a very long time.” His gaze slid to Tez’s neck. “You are mated?”

Had I the wherewithal to blush, I would’ve done so. This was not how I wanted to announce my marriage. I fingered the collar. “You’re familiar with these?”

“It’s particular to shifters,” he said. “And they’re quite rare. You’re very lucky.” He nodded toward Tez. “Congratulations.”

“Thank you.”

“Yes,” said Stan. “Congrats.”

And on that note, Tez and I decided to retreat. I followed his Honda all the way to my house. I mean, our house. Or would it be? Maybe he didn’t want to live here. Maybe he wanted a place we had both chosen. And how would he feel about adopting children? Maybe he’d chosen a vampire as a bride because he didn’t want any kids at all.

“What are you thinking about?” asked Tez, peering inside as he opened the car door for me. He glanced at the Victorian, then at me. “I like this house.”

“I swear!” I popped out of the car. “You can read my mind, can’t you?”

“Nope. I’m just really good at reading your expression. You’re an open book, Ellie Bee.”

“Humph.” I turned and reached over the seats to grab my purse from the passenger floorboard. Tez took the opportunity to cop a feel. Both of his hands grabbed my buttocks and squeezed.

“Tez!” I pretended offense, and jerked my bag so hard as I came up out of the car that it went flying. It landed with a thud near the porch, its contents spilling over the ground.

“I give it a ten,” said Tez. “The arc on that was pretty good.”

“Oh, hah.” We walked over to the mess and bent down to gather up the items. I immediately recognized something square and silver. “How did that get into my purse?” I asked.

I picked up the box and immediately knew it was the wrong thing to do.

I heard Tez shout my name, and then I felt like I’d been wrapped into a black blanket and tossed into a tornado.

I landed on something flat and hard. For a moment, I couldn’t see and then the darkness floated away like a dissipating mist.

“The gang’s all here,” said a female voice.

I got unsteadily to my feet and looked around. I was in the center of a circle of people who were chained to chairs. The woman who’d spoken was none other than Jessica.

“I thought you were safe.” I sounded rather offended that she’d gotten caught. In fact, I think I was angry with myself for even touching that stupid box again.

“Yeah, well, you probably did what I did… touch some stupid object,” groused Jessica. “Mine was a spoon. Can you believe that? I touched a freaking spoon and got zapped to spookville.”

“Mine was this jewelry box.” I was amazed to see it still in my hands. “What am I doing? We’ve got to get out of here.”

“Not gonna happen, sister.” This edict came from Phoebe. “I’ve been to hell. This place is worse.”

“No way to leave,” said Eva. “Something’s blocking our telepathy. No one can find us.”

“Is Marissa okay?” asked Dr. Clark. His expression held both anger and worry.

“She’s fine. Lenette’s protecting her.” I spun around. Four people in four chairs. And I was the fifth one, the last of the Broken Heart five that the demon needed.

“Elizabeth!” The black shadow wavered in front of me. I felt the hatred, and I instantly dropped the box. I heard a howl of rage, and then the shadow disappeared.

“That happen to any of you?” I asked.

“Uh, no,” said Jess.

I got a good look at everyone. “What are you all wearing?”

“He made us put on the dresses our ancestors wore when they died,” said Eva. “He seemed insistent on it.”

“Your ancestor didn’t die,” I said. “Your great-grandmother survived.”

“How did he get her dress, then?”

I shook my head. Even Dr. Clark was wearing a dress, and he looked none too thrilled about it. “What does he hope to accomplish?”

“Sacrifice,” I said. “Five of us, to the ancient demon Mammon, trying to complete what Jeremiah Silverstone set into motion more than a century ago.”

Something kept digging at my hip, and it had been since I left the were-cat community. I dug into my pocket and pulled out my iPhone.

“Holy shit,” said Jessica. “Call someone already!”

“If magic won’t work, or telepathy,” said Eva, “what makes you think we’ll have access to a cell tower?”

“Maybe wherever we are just dampens the mystical,” said Dr. Clark. “It’s possible technology will work.”

“Dial already,” screeched Jessica, “before the psycho comes back.”

I hit my CONTACTS button and, because I hadn’t yet put Tez into my phone list, I dialed Damian.

“Ja?”

“Oh, my God. I can’t believe this worked!”

“Elizabeth? Where are you?” He sounded relieved, and I had no doubt that Tez had immediately tracked him down.

“I have no idea. We’re all here. It’s some cave or… or something. Magic doesn’t work here and it blocks out telepathy, too.”

Suddenly, the air got heavy, and the hair on the back of my nape rose straight up.

“He’s coming! Hide the phone!” Jessica’s eyes bulged with fear, and there wasn’t much that scared her. I put the phone on the ground and slid it so that it went under Jessica’s chair.

We could still hear Damian talking, and then shouting. Jessica cried, “Shut the fuck up, Damian!” The lycanthrope went silent—and none too soon.

A man appeared next to me in the blink of an eye. Then his image wavered, skin sliding away from muscle, from bone, until there was nothing left but a skeletal shadow.

I could see why Jessica was scared. He emanated suffering. The feeling swirled out from him and encompassed me. I doubted everything, everyone. I knew, beyond doubt, beyond measure, I could trust no one with my heart.

He truly was the embodiment of the Broken Heart curse.

And I was not immune.

Tez had been with other women. He didn’t love me. He betrayed me. He was a lying, sneaky bastard.

“Elizabeth.” The voice was low and mean; his words slithered out like a snake’s tongue. His eyes were empty.

“Put it on.” He dropped the dress at my feet. I instantly recognized the velveteen gown with the copper roses. Elizabeth had been wearing it when he’d strangled her. I realized now what had been in the trunks. He’d kept the clothes of his murder victims, along with the stolen trinkets on those shelves of his.

He grabbed my throat and shook me. “Put. It. On.”

Cold swept over me, and I felt as though daggers were stabbing me from the inside. He dropped me, and I fell to the ground, right on top of the dress.

Shaking, I put it on. It fit well enough, but I didn’t like wearing it. I hated the idea he wanted to replay his last murders, with me and my friends as the victims. Vampires could live forever, but they weren’t unkillable. The demon might not be able to choke the life out of us, but he could cut off our heads.

I felt sick.

“I need to finish my work. They trapped me, but I was patient. I waited, and I learned. I planned and planned, because I knew one day, I would return. And then… someone opened the door to my prison, and I was free.”

A big thank-you to Patsy and Gabriel, I thought.

“Sit.”

I scrambled to the empty chair. I was terrified. The shadow paced around the room, as if to spread his miasma. The air felt thick and tasted rotten. He oozed pain, and I knew it had been him walking around Broken Heart, in God knows whose form, spreading the disharmony.

It’s time, Elizabeth.

The soft voice echoed in my mind, and I knew it was my great-grandmother. I couldn’t comprehend what she was asking me.

Just let go, my darling. Let go, and I’ll do the rest.

Okay, I offered. I trust you. Then somehow, some way, I was popping free of my own body. It wasn’t painful. I floated up, feeling rather wonderful, and then I noticed balls of blue energy hovering above each of my friends. As I watched in amazement, a white orb would rise out of one friend, and the blue energy would go in; this happened three times. Only Eva remained unaffected—because her ancestor had lived.

Then I was one of four luminescent glows lighting the darkness.

I realized that our ancestors had been waiting, too. Waiting because they’d known that this evil had not yet been vanquished. And now, they needed our bodies to finish their work.

I didn’t know how to contact the consciousnesses of my friends. I assumed that they could see and hear as well as I could.

“You will harm no one else.” The voice issuing from my mouth was not mine. It was softer, and had a little more Okie twang. “It’s time to pay your price.”

The shadow spun around the room, and it was as if he recognized the souls of his victims. The fairy-gold chains slipped off the captors and they all stood up, their gazes on the shadow.

“Jeremiah Silverstone,” intoned my great-grandmother. “Come forth!”

“Noooooo!” The dark figure that had attacked me shimmered into view. It wiggled and wavered until, finally, the form of Jeremiah stood next to the demon. He looked wild-eyed and panicked. “Our work isn’t done! Mine,” he cried, pointed to me. To the other Elizabeth. “All of this, all of you, are mine!”

“I am Elizabeth Silverstone, and I accuse Jeremiah Silverstone of taking my life.”

Phoebe stepped forward. “I am Catherine Allen, and I accuse Jeremiah Silverstone of taking my life.”

Dr. Clark was next, and a breathy female voice issued from his lips. It was Cora Clark, and she accused Jeremiah as well. Then Jessica sashayed forward with her hands on her hips. In a strong Irish brogue she said, “And I, Mary McCree, accuse this no-good bastard of tossin’ me in the creek and drownin’ me.” She spit on him, and he flinched away.

He turned to the shadow demon and screamed, “Do something!”

The creature was writhing, its mouth opened in a soundless scream. Was it being affected by the proceedings? Or had Connor found a way to break its tether to our world? I had no doubt Phoebe’s husband hadn’t stopped working on the spells to send the demon back to its master.

The four of us (er… them?) encircled Jeremiah, and in once voice, they shouted, “We judge you guilty, Jeremiah Silverstone. We demand punishment!”

A razor-sharp wind swept through the room. It got so cold, the breath of Dr. Clark, who was the only one not undead, puffed the air.

“We have heard your pleas,” said the plethora of voices, a mixture of old and young, male and female. “We have examined your heart, Jeremiah Silverstone, and find you guilty. We banish you to the darkest pit of hell.”

“Who are you?” cried Jeremiah. “You can’t do this to me!”

“We are the fates,” said the voices. “We have been called upon to judge you, and we have. You are banished.”

Jeremiah screamed. Underneath his feet, a pit opened, and he was sucked down into it. He scrambled at the edge of the hole, his phantom fingers scrambling for purchase, but nothing could save him.

His unearthly screeches echoed as he was devoured by the darkness.

“Return to Mammon,” the voices said to the quaking shadow. “You are not welcome here.”

The shadow demon slithered into the floor, following his former master into the Pit.

“You are free,” said the voices. “Leave this place, and join those who love you so well.”

There was a clap of thunder, and the blue energies burst free of our bodies. In the next instant, I was falling as fast and hot as a star and when I slammed into the floor, I blacked out.