Burning (24 page)

"What happened?" she asked
, confused. 

"You fainted again," I said as calmly as possible.  I kissed her on the head and squeezed her a bit tighter.  The tension in my body alerted her to my worries. 

"Tell me what's wrong.  I'm dying, aren't I?"

"No," I responded forcefully.  "You are not going to die.  I will not lose you." 

She pressed her face into my chest and placed a kiss over my heart.  "I'm sorry I scared you tonight.  I couldn't seem to control myself.  She wasn't supposed to die.  Not for me.  Everyone else feels guilty because they weren't there with her when she was taken.  Me too, but she jumped in front of a knife for me.  How do I come to terms with that, Finn?"

I tried to comfort her. 
"We have to respect her decision.  We do that by making sure you live.  Otherwise, she died for nothing.  Jo's wrong.  We aren't forgetting her by continuing to live.  We are honoring her sacrifice.  She didn't die for us to stop living.  We fight, we win, and we remember her every day because we are still here.  It's all we have.  It sucks because nothing we do now will bring her back. We can only hope that beating these terrorists will make us feel marginally better.  I'm proud of her, and I hope that, wherever she is, she knows that.  I didn't want her to die, but I couldn't have lived without you either."

Anita

Finn was right. Marguerite didn't give a hot damn about Chloë. At least not in the way a mother should.  Chloë had never felt the unconditional love my mother had given me.  She didn't need my pity.  I couldn't frighten Marguerite. It was hard to frighten someone who would live forever.  She did care about her legacy and the passing of power from one powerful Du Lac witch down the line. 

The problem was
that I didn't have the ability to teleport.  I was fast, but there was still an ocean between us, and I did need to breathe.  I stepped out onto the back porch to catch some fresh air.  I heard the screen creak open and slap back against the wood frame. The fresh-rain smell told me that it was Grey who had followed me out.

"You are going to do something stupid.  I've reached my threshold of people I care about doing stupid things today.
  Bridgett ran off when she was told not to, Chloë drained every last bit of her magic, and unless I'm mistaken, you are trying to figure out how to confront the strongest witch alive."

I didn't turn around to ad
dress him.  He didn't need to see my face to know he was right.

"Chloë is the strongest witch alive." 

He placed his hand on my shoulder and forced me to turn around.  "Not now she isn't.  Right now, you are a stronger witch than she is.  I didn't tell Finn, but if she uses the tiniest bit of magic, she is going to die.  I said this ceremony has to be performed in less than a week, but I was stretching a bit to keep him from panicking."

"How much stretching?" I asked. 

"If she were in the hospital, I would say she is in critical condition, and we need to pray she makes it through the night." 

If he
were trying to talk me out of confronting Marguerite, he was doing a poor job of it.  "What is going to happen to the rest of us if she doesn't make it?"

He raised one black eyebrow at my question.  "Know anything about sending demons back to
Hell?"  I shook my head.  "Neither do I.  Furthermore, do you know anyone else who has the abilities she does?" 

I wasn't even sure what her abilities were. 
But if her father had created the other originals... Hmm... "You said the other originals were created from Eli.  Meaning the Creator took aspects of him to create the others." 

He gave me a partial smile.  "Isolated powers for each one of the other originals.  Did you take any biology Anita?" 

Weird question.  "No, I'm in geology." 

"Well follow along.  Like humans
, we have twenty-three pairs of chromosomes.  Half are inherited from each parent.  When the other originals were made, they were given a specific code to the powers the Creator wanted to isolate."

My hand shot to my mouth.  "But Chloë's genetics weren't segregated.  Which means
calling her a witch isn't exactly the right term for her, is it?" 

His smile broadened, displaying his
needle-sharp fangs.  It would have terrified me if I weren't part vampire myself.  "She isn't as powerful as her father, but I'd say Chloë is a little bit of everything."

"Is that why
Finn bonded with her?" I asked, mostly thinking aloud. 

"Did you know what you, the twins, and Chloë have in common?" he asked me. 

"We are all lovely, dark-skinned chicas?" 

"Wel
l yes, but you are also family," he said, dropping a huge bomb. 

"Come again?"

"Chloë isn't Eli's only child.  His other children are thousands of years old and all followed their human mates into the afterlife.  He has two grandchildren from them—Tala Broken Feather and Carlos Sanchez. 

“
And before you get pissy with me, I didn't know about this the entire time.  I was confused myself.  You, Dean, Chloë, and Finn are alive.  I'm not—not really.  I couldn't figure out why Leah might bond to me, so I did a little digging.  I don't know if it really applies to Leah and me, but if I were going to bond with a shifter..."

"I think I'm following you.  If you were going to bond with a shifter, she would probably have to have a bit of necromancer ancestry.  Dean and I bonded because
, as Eli's great-granddaughter, I have a bit of shifter in me."

Grey scrubbed his hands down his face, and the stress reappeared.  "
This is all very interesting, but it won't mean anything if we can't find Eli." 

"I agree.  I believe if there was anyone who might know where he was
, it would be Marguerite.  She loves him as much as she is capable of loving anyone."

Grey pulled his phone from his pocket and placed it in my hand.  "I know you would call your father and talk him into teleporting you there, but it would waste time.  I have her number in my phone since I'm a
Watcher
.  Call her, but don't make it easy for her to punish you by going to her."

I searched through his contacts and didn't find Marguerite or Du Lac.  I did find one under Ice Queen.  I raised an eyebrow at him, and he shrugged.
  I pressed it and listened to the international ring. 

"
Grey, I hadn't expected to hear from you," Marguerite answered in her musical French accent.

"Madame Du Lac, this is Anita Sanchez.  We need to find Eli, and I'm hoping you know where he is," I rushed
out. 

"
Anita, do call me Marguerite.  Of course I can get in touch with him.  What is the problem?" 

I winced.  I didn't want to tell her about Chloë, but I didn't have a choice.  "The bonding ceremony for Chloë and Finn needs to be completed immediately or she is going to die.
"

I heard her suck in a ragged breath.  "Why didn't anyone tell me she
has been weakening?  I would have pulled his parents out of that ridiculous elvin gathering.  You are right. Eli is the closest, and I'm sure he's capable of performing the ritual.  I'll leave right away and fetch him.  Are you at home?" 

It took me a moment to find my voice.  It sounded like she was actually concerned about Chloë.  "N
-no, we are at Grey's house.  There is more bad news.  Bridgett O'Connell died tonight.  It seems the
auto-da-fé
unknowingly teamed up with a demon."

"I'll be there tonight with Eli.  Once the ceremony is completed
, I will bring Bridgett's body back to the
Council
in order to have a proper funeral for her.  I'll be bringing some special tools to banish a demon back to Hell.  Oh, and Anita.  Tell Grey I'm suspending the rules.  Blood for blood just the way he likes it."

Dean

After Anita and Grey stepped outside
, I sneaked down to Grey's industrial refrigerator to see Bridgett.  Her white skin sparkled with little ice crystals, and her lips were a pale shade of blue.  She was beautiful in a macabre way.  It felt wrong to keep her in here, but I knew it was the best option to give her family a chance to say goodbye to her.

I finally allowed myself to do break down.  I
hadn’t been able to do it in front of everyone.  They needed me to be strong. If Jo chose to see my behavior as cold, there wasn't much I could do about that.  But I would keep them alive.  I wouldn't fail them again. 

I needed this private minute with her though
. To apologize and say goodbye.  "I'm so sorry, Bridgett.  I let you down.  Everyone was looking to me to lead them through this mess, and I let you fall through the cracks." 

There was a whisper, a sound so faint
that I wasn't even sure it was there.  It felt like emotions more than words.  It was cold in the industrial-sized fridge, but somehow it seemed to get colder.  I roughly wiped my face of the tears I had let fall.  I left the light on when I walked out.  I hated leaving her in the cold, but leaving her in the cold and the dark seemed cruel.  I knew she was beyond caring anymore, but it made me feel somewhat better leaving her there with it on.

I walked straight thro
ugh the house and toward Anita.  I ignored Jo on the way out.  She didn't have to agree with my decisions. She only had to follow them.  I watched Anita end a call and turn to Grey with a confused look on her face.

"You heard her
, didn't you?" she asked him. 

His face morphed from an expression of
dispassionate stone to almost malevolent glee.  His fangs fully emerged, and his eyes sparkled like the black diamonds on Anita's wedding ring. 

"I didn't
. Can someone fill me in?" I interrupted.

Anita watched Grey warily.  I finally saw why Anita
had cautioned us against working too closely with him when we’d first met.  He looked terrifying. 

"Marguerite said to tell Grey, 'I'm suspending the rules.  Blood for blood just the way he likes it.'"
 

I nodded, though I didn't understand what that meant.  I turned to Anita
.  "Do you know what that means?" 

She shook her head and glanced cautiously at Grey.

He smiled wider.  "It means I can kill them all.  The rules ban the
Watchers
from killing people unless the rules are suspended.  Only the leader of the
Council
can make that decision.  Historically, it has only happened once—during the Inquisition."

"Excellent," I agreed.
 

"No," a weak voice trembled from the doorway. 

I glanced in that direction, shocked to see Chloë standing behind the screen.  Finn helped her out and sat down, pulling her on his lap.  Chloë shook her head and stared Grey and me down. 

"We aren't killers.  I cannot condone us exercising our powers to become what they are."

I took a close look at her.  When I’d met Chloë for the first time last year, she’d seemed vibrant.  I’d seen the magic leaping around her even before I’d known what she was.  There was a feeling of invincibility when you were near her.  Now, she was pale and seemed fragile.  Her dark-brown eyes were lighter, almost an amber color. 

My temper rose.  I was watching one of my best friends fade away in front of me and I wasn't supposed to retaliate?  Her magic could have held on
. Bridgett could have performed the ritual if this group weren't hunting us.  And Bridgett wouldn't have taken a knife to her chest. 

"Chloë, if you think we can set them up with the police and this is going to end
, you're wrong.  They are fanatics.  They won't stop until they have killed every one of us they can.  How long before our world begins to be exposed to all humans?  How long before our world turns against theirs?" 

Chloë began to tremble slightly and sank
farther into Finn's embrace.  "You are probably right.  They can't be allowed to roam free, to continue hunting us.  But I can't stand the idea of having their blood on my hands.  I don't know what Bridgett would want us to do."

Anita's eyes lit up, and she smiled a wicked, sharp smile.  "I have an idea."  We all turned to look at her.  "We send them to
Hell," she said gleefully. 

Grey's evil
expression returned as he considered her suggestion.  "The demon," he said simply. 

Chloë sat up
a bit straighter.  She shot a mischievous smirk at Anita.  "I like it.  Kinda poetic if you think about it.  They believe we should be damned for being demons, but they are the ones consorting with the demon Astaroth.  It is no less than they deserve."

"So you are
opposed to us killing them but are excited by the idea of sending them to Hell?" I asked to clarify. 

She nodded.  "Astaroth wants us to kill them.  He wants us to commit that
particular sin so we are open to corruption.  To fight a demon, we must have light on our side, and we can't do that by wielding darkness."