Genesis (The Legend of Glory Book 3) (21 page)

*          *          *

When I walked into the living room, Jesse handed me a bowl of fresh fruit salad. I trembled so hard it slipped from my fingers. Looking down at the mess, I started to cry again.

Anguish crossed his face. “What can I do?”

“Big, tough Glory is certainly big, but not so tough anymore, is she?” Nyx said.

“Shut up, you stupid bitch,” Jesse said.

Nyx grinned. “Oh, I love it when you talk dirty.”

Jesse snapped his fingers and the mess I had made disappeared. “What can I do, babe? Tell me how I can make you feel better.”

I groaned. “I don’t know.” Then I realized this was a perfect opening. Manipulative, but honest. “Sometimes when you play the piano, it helps.”

“Done.” He sat down at the piano and began playing the hauntingly beautiful blues that invariably had a hypnotic effect on Nyx and me. We both gravitated to the piano.

I stood behind Jesse and put a hand on his shoulder. I felt his relief at my touch, and he apparently felt my inner storm.

He whispered, “Don’t be afraid.”

Slowly, my other hand palmed the rosary in my pocket and pulled it out. However, the more Jesse played, the less my will wanted to cooperate with the plan.

)o(       )o(       )o(

Raven’s affinity with energy worked to their advantage. She used energy balls to short out the surveillance camera at the back door and the electric lock on the door itself. The women slipped inside the building and headed toward the service elevator.

*          *          *

We’re in
, Rory told me.

I took a deep breath.
You need to talk to me because he’s casting a spell. I need distraction.

Sure, sweetie. Dominic sends his love. Sasha told me to remind you that you’re her hero. And Lailah’s message was that Winston Churchill once said, ‘If you’re going through Hell, keep going.’

I felt my tears fighting for control.

After a moment, Rory asked,
You okay
?

I thought about the risk to Gen in the upcoming battle, and the risk to her if we didn’t win. I considered the fact that some of my friends might die trying to get us out. And I knew that despite everything that had happened, I didn’t want to break Jesse’s heart.
I’m so scared, Rory. I’m no kind of hero.

Heroes are scared all the time. What makes them heroic is doing the job anyway.

Rory’s mind drifted away from mine, so I closed my eyes and imagined wrapping the rosary around Jesse’s neck. I ran through the plays.

)o(       )o(       )o(

Raven shorted out every camera they encountered and soon they found themselves, apparently undetected, in the long hallway that led to the front door of Hell’s penthouse.

Rory’s mind said,
Glory, when I give you the signal, wrap your rosary around Jesse’s neck and tie it. That’ll buy us a little time to get you out. Kaia and I will take on Nyx. Jinx will shield you, and Jezebel will shield us. Do the rosary thing on three, Glory.

Rory said aloud, “Ready ...”

Glory, the vamps will kick in the door on three. One.

“Set...”

... Kaia, Raven, and I will be on their heels. Two.

Glory’s shock transmitted to Rory like a jolt of electricity
.  Raven? She’s a traitor!

“Crap,” Rory muttered. It was too late to stop now.

“Go!” Jinx and Jade shouted, and charged the length of the hallway. With perfectly choreographed precision, they went airborne together and kicked in the front door.

Three!

Rory, Kaia, and Raven raced into the penthouse.

*          *          *

As the front door exploded inward, I wrapped the rosary around Jesse’s neck and tied it.

Jesse’s fingers left the keyboard, flew to his neck, and he turned to look at me. “What have you done?”

“I’m sorry.”

He jumped to his feet, grabbed my wrist, and pulled me to shield him as Raven ran to us brandishing a knife.

Certain that she was going to kill me, I used my free hand to try to protect my belly.

)o(       )o(       )o(

Rory and Kaia rushed toward where Nyx stood by the large grand piano in the middle of the living room. Upon seeing them, Nyx launched an energy ball from her hand and Jezebel leapt to intercept it. It struck her full on in the chest and fire consumed her. She fell to floor and rolled to smother the flames. As the scent of burnt flesh filled the air, Jezebel mumbled, “Bloody hell.”

Nyx smiled. “I just love the smell of infernal fire in the morning.”

*          *          *

Raven’s knife sliced Jesse’s hand; he released me, and Jinx yanked me behind her. While shielding me, she kicked Jesse and he flew toward the far wall, slamming into the big bookcase. Books showered down on top of him as he struggled to pull off the rosary.

Jinx pushed me back toward the door, but Jesse was too quick in removing the rosary. He snapped his fingers.

Jinx slammed to the floor, groaned, and then cursed.
“Carajo!”

Raven moved to shield Jinx and threw a swarm of knives. She was relentless, her speed practically supersonic. It appeared as if she had knives stashed everywhere on her body, and her hands blurred. My mind blurred too—why was she protecting us?

)o(       )o(       )o(

Rory and Kaia held hands. Rory drew lightning from the center of the earth, up through her body, and gave it to Kaia. In turn, Kaia held her right palm out and blasted fire in Nyx’s direction. Nyx threw energy balls toward Kaia, and the two energy fields met in the middle. The wall of light grew brighter by the second and Rory held her breath as she wondered which direction the wall would fall.

*          *          *

Jesse, obviously still weak from the effects of the rosary, was more intent on deflecting the knives than attacking. Finally able to stand, Jinx said to me, “Go with Raven.”

I shook my head. “No, I don’t trust her.”

“What?” Jinx asked.

Raven spun around and looked at me with confusion, but didn’t hesitate. She tossed her car keys to Jinx. “Get Glory out of here.”

Blood coated Jesse. He wiped it away from his face and then stared at his hands. When he looked up at me, he was crying. “You realize this means I have to kill you now?”

My tears rose to meet his. “I understand.” I felt the intensity of his heartbreak and knew his soul was truly forever lost. “I’m so sorry.”

As Jinx dragged me out the front door, she asked, “What the hell was that all about?”

“Jesse was my best friend.”

Jinx gave me a bewildered look. “You are one complicated human.”

“Please get me home. I have to have my baby before he kills me.”

She shoved me into the service elevator ahead of her and punched buttons. “The angels will protect you.”

“Maybe. Maybe not. They couldn’t before.”

“Why don’t you trust Raven?”

“Someone compromised our wards.”

“She didn’t fight like a traitor.”

“No, she didn’t, did she?”

“Then who else could it be?”

I didn’t know.

)o(       )o(       )o(

The wall of fire between the demoness and witches grew and morphed. One moment it was literal fire burning with hot flames and smoke. Then the next it became a pulsating field of sizzling blue spirit fire. For a time, wild crimson demonic energy dominated.

Discussion, threats, and gloating had stopped. All three warriors simply focused on their intent to vanquish. Rory’s body trembled from the seismic power she pulled from the earth. Next to her, Kaia absorbed her energy, but seemed to be also accessing a supernatural force Rory had never before experienced. It felt dark and primordial. The word
fae
flashed through her mind.

Rory’s consciousness circled everyone in the room in slow motion, and she saw them clearly.

A badly burned Jezebel teamed up with Raven to keep Jesse subdued.

Nyx suddenly flinched, like she was reacting to some kind of glamour or illusion thrown over her.

A hint of a smile crossed Kaia’s face. Then a fierce wind struck, chased by rolling thunder. The luminous wall shuddered, erupting like a volcano, and a shimmering lava-like substance coated Nyx. Agonized shrieks filled the worlds as supernatural fire consumed her. The last expression that Rory saw cross Nyx’s face was one of utter disbelief.

Kaia collapsed.

Jesse disappeared.

Fire engulfed the room.

Raven ran for the door. Jezebel scooped up an unconscious Kaia and followed.

And Rory covered their backs as they escaped Hell.

*          *          *

Jinx and I were halfway to my home when her cell phone rang. She pulled it out of her leather jacket and answered. “Batphone.” She listened for a few moments, then disconnected and gave me a report.

“Nyx was slain, Jesse escaped, Kaia’s hurt—I don’t know how bad—Jezebel’s burns will heal fast once I get some of my blood into her. Rory and Raven are good. They’ll all meet us at your place.”

Profound relief filled me at the news Nyx was dead, but my stomach twisted in worry over Kaia’s injuries. She had finally achieved her goal of vanquishing the demoness who had slain her parents, but at what cost? Little Rory had faced what I understood to be her greatest nemesis and was victorious. My heart surged with pride at her demonstration of courage.

With Nyx out of the picture, it suddenly became clear to me what alliance Jesse would form next. A fit of uncontrollable trembling seized me, and I struggled to breathe. I had never before felt so certain of anything—Jesse would be able to make good on his promise to kill me. Nothing could stop him now.

I rolled down the window and struggled to fill my lungs. It was a while before I regained a measure of control.

Glancing at Jinx, I noticed the cold look on her face. She had been strangely silent during the trip thus far.

“Thank you for your help,” I said.

“I didn’t do it for you.”

That threw me. “Okay.”

She looked at my belly. “I did it for Zane’s baby.”

I hadn’t realized she knew Gen was Zane’s. “Does he know now, too?”

“Apparently not.”

I nodded. “The Caretakers wanted it that way.”

“Are you aware that Zane’s undergoing the cure for vampirism right now?”

“It works? My mom figured it out?”

“No one knows if it works.” She looked at my belly again. “If it does, which of your two men do you love more?”

“Oh, Jinx, it’s so complicated. Nicky owns my heart, but Zane possesses my soul.” I thought about how to word it. “I feel totally safe with Nicky. Not with Zane though. With him, I feel like I’m going to explode. Like I can’t breathe. Like the sky will come falling down. Like anything can and will happen.”

Jinx’s narrowed eyes spit fire at me. “I have the same reaction to him.”

Her attitude threw me. “I don’t get your hostility. When we met, you told me that you knew Zane was in love with me. You were okay with that.”

“That was before the time travel.” She slapped the steering wheel. “You gave him to me in eighteen eighty-two. You didn’t want him to be alone, and I made sure he wasn’t. You gave us your blessing. It changed our relationship. Instead of being friends-with-benefits for twenty years, we were together as a couple for most of a hundred and thirty. That changed everything. You
gave
him to me. You can’t just take him back.” Her voice broke, and a bloody tear ran down her face.

I had never thought about the implications of the changed timeline before. It simply never occurred to me.

“This is the end of the road for me, Glory. I can’t be a part of your posse anymore. We’re in enemy camps now. May the better woman win.”

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

†          †          †

Zane’s battle didn’t end with the transformation from vampire to human. The final stage—in many ways the hardest—was coming to grips with being human again. He spent the day on the balcony off White Bear’s guest room, trying to relearn what it meant to be a man.

Senses, now hobbled, felt like a horse no longer able to run.

Relatively, his strength had diminished from that of a stallion to a newborn foal. Sitting in the sun too long, his body overheated. In the shade, he shivered. The thin line that man walked between life and death had never seemed so fragile. He didn’t remember ever feeling this vulnerable. Now that he knew what was possible, the human body seemed insignificant in the grand scheme. What had he given up?

He fought panic.

As the hours slowly passed, words Kate had spoken during his time of dying and rebirth returned to his mind.

“Your body is woven

from the light of Heaven.”

It seemed that a vampire’s body belonged to Earth: wild, strong, free. The human body was of Heaven: filled with light, but fragile like an egg. Zane thought of all the bird eggs he had witnessed hatching over the decades and understood that new life really began when the force growing inside each egg eventually broke free of its shell. So, he realized, it was with being human. The soul lived in a fragile house, relying on an inner force to evolve to the point where it could fly. That inner force so intimately connected to Heaven’s light was the loss he had mourned while a vampire. Now, he sensed its return and understood that it would be his new strength.

†          †          †

That evening White Bear fixed Zane a light stew and a batch of flatbreads to eat. His body had to accustom itself to receiving nourishment the old-fashioned way. It was a struggle.

“I need to find out if Evan received the Wonderland files Ruby transmitted to him,” Kate said. “I don’t want to reach out to him directly. Would Kaia know?”

White Bear shrugged. “Kaia’s been out of touch, but I’ll track her down and ask her to find out for us. I need to find her soon for my own reasons. The spirits have given me warnings about her safety and for some reason my mind can’t locate her.”

That worried Zane. She and Rory were traveling together. “You know that Kate and I aren’t going to be safe until Evan breaks the news about the
NWO
agenda. Kate should stay here until then.”

Kate gave him a surprised look. “You too, of course.”

“I’ve got to offer the cure to my family and the Goth Girls. I gave my word I would. If I wait, so many things could go wrong and the opportunity lost.”

“But if you’re going to administer the cure to others, I should go with you to oversee.”

“It would be dangerous. Not only from the
NWO
, but from the vamps themselves. I’m expecting trouble.”

Kate shook her head. “What kind of trouble? Either they’ll want the cure or they won’t.”

Zane hadn’t yet told Kate about Joy. “There’s gonna be a problem with Jinx and the little girl she turned. I want to make the child human again, and Jinx is going to fight me on it.”

Kate’s face paled. “Jinx turned a child? How old is she?”

“Four.”

“That’s awful. How could she do such a thing?”

“Well ma’am, actually it was Glory’s idea.” He set down his spoon. “The little girl who drowned in the river last fall at the equinox celebration in Union?”

“Belle Starr James?”

“She died and couldn’t be resuscitated. Glory thought if Jinx could turn her, and if you were able to make a cure, then she’d have a chance to live again. Belle’s soul hadn’t left her body and so it was done. Jinx renamed her Joy and adopted her. Thing is, Jinx doesn’t want her changed back because she wants to keep her, well, forever. We butted heads over it, but I’m going to do what I think is best.”

“You aren’t expecting a literal fight, are you?” Kate asked.

Zane nodded. “It might well come to that.”

“You couldn’t win. It’s the whole David and Goliath scenario.”

“David won. Maybe I can too. If not, I just hope Jinx won’t kill me. She’s real emotional about the whole thing.”

“Jinx won’t take the cure?”

Zane shook his head. “Maybe I can still convince her, but she likes being a vamp. What worries me most is how hard the cure is, and Joy is such a little thing. Is there any way to smooth out the rough?”

Kate sighed. “If we were in a hospital setting, and I had access to other drugs, and we had time to work with, yes. But not on the fly. Do you want to wait and see what happens in the future?”

“The future has many possible roads,” White Bear said. “Will the shadow government be undone? Is the established government going to allow further use of this cure? Will you two even survive the weeks ahead?”

Zane considered. “Is there a sedative of some sort maybe? I know the Goth Girls have herbs they use to make the switch from human to vampire easier. Anything like that for the flip side?”

“I think with the violent vomiting, actual sedation would be dangerous.” Kate looked at White Bear. “Any ideas?”

After a few moments, White Bear nodded. “I can come up with medicine that will help. The spirits can be merciful to the innocent.”

†          †          †

Kate gave Zane eight syringes filled with the cure. White Bear provided an elixir for Joy, his truck, a disposable cell phone, and a cooler full of food.

“If I don’t survive Jinx and can’t make it back to Glory, tell her, tell her....” Zane lost his breath, and words failed him.

“I know what to tell her,” Kate said, pulling him into a fierce embrace. “I have come to love you, Zane. You’re the son I never had. I want you to come home to us.”

“I want to come home, ma’am. I want it so bad.”

White Bear offered him a traditional blessing. “Go forward in courage. All of creation is related, and whatever we do affects everything in the universe. Hold on to what is good, to what you believe, and to what you must do. And when the dying time comes, sing your death song like a hero going home.”

*          *          *

The moment the Mustang pulled up to my house, Dominic was there to help me out of the car. I fell into his arms and wept. Oh, how I had missed him. I inhaled his familiar smell, I absorbed his comforting energy, I bathed in his goodness. However, I couldn’t bring myself to kiss him. I had a lot to process.

When I avoided his lips, he looked into my eyes. “Are you okay?”

“No.”
Please don’t ask me what happened.

“What can I do?”

“Hold on tight and never let me go,” I said.

“I’ll hold on as long as you want me to.”

I wasn’t wearing shoes, so Dominic picked me up and carried me inside. He protected me from Hallie’s exuberant greeting, and then handed me off to Sasha’s eager arms. Finally, Lailah assessed me, touched my belly, and said, “Not many have the strength to survive Hell. You are indeed a light warrior.”

I didn’t feel like any kind of warrior at all.

It seemed like a stranger’s house. The disconnect was huge, like I had been gone for years.

I was just settling in when the others arrived. Jinx collected Kaia from the
BMW
and carried her into the spare bedroom. Although there were no visible wounds, Kaia still had not recovered consciousness. Then Dominic relinquished Dad’s studio out back to Jinx and Jezebel, so Jinx could feed Jezebel blood and nurse her burns.

Raven stomped in out of the cold and said to me, “I need to rest, then I’m outta here. But first you have to tell me what it is you think I did?”

I met her angry eyes. “Right before Nyx and Jesse manifested, you said you were sorry. I figured since the wards must have been messed with, that you were apologizing for that.”

Raven clenched her fists. “I said I was sorry because I felt guilty about just having laid my feelings for D on you. At that moment, it seemed such a selfish thing in the grand scheme.”

Rory said, “I can read her like an open Book of Shadows. She’s telling the truth.”

Regret filled me. “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.”

Raven snorted. “
Sorry
doesn’t cut it.”

“Don’t go. Please don’t go.” Panic chased the regret and I started to shake. Then came guilt about Raven, guilt about Jinx, guilt about Jesse, the storm cloud of terror I lived under all that time in Hell, the intense emotions for Jesse that had been unleashed, and fear about Jesse killing me before Gen was born.

A flaming bolt of lightning struck, and I spun into an icy pit of darkness.

*          *          *

Fire and ice. I sensed it, and Jesse appeared.

“You left me no choice, babe. I made that deal with Lucifer. Dad’s going to ride me right past your wards and we’re going to put you down.”

*          *          *

Disoriented, I woke up in bed surrounded by darkness. Lying by my side, he spooned me, his arm around me as usual, his leg casually thrown over mine. I reached down and touched his blue jeans.
No. No. No
. I thought I had escaped. Terror ripped through me. Had I gone mad? I screamed, twisted, and lashed out at him with my fists. “No, Jesse, no! Don’t!”

He tried to hold on. “Glory, it’s me. I’m not going to hurt you.”

The voice? That smell? Was it Nicky?

He turned on the light and my eyes confirmed what my other senses told me.

Even though my brain computed the facts, an unreasonable sense of panic seized me and I recoiled. “I can’t have a man in my bed right now. Not even you.”

He reached out to touch me, but I slapped his hand away. “Don’t.”

I watched a kaleidoscope of emotions cross his face: shock, understanding, compassion, anguish. I could feel his heart break for me. “I’ll get one of the girls.”

He left, and a moment later there were voices outside the closed door.

“I heard her scream,” Rory said.

“Jesse hurt her. She needs your help.”

Rory came in and sat by my side.

Guilt returned. “I’m horrible. I told Nicky to hold on to me and then beat him up for doing just that.”

“Tell me what Jesse did to you.”

I couldn’t answer. I fought for breath and hyperventilated.

Rory pushed me onto my back and cupped her hands over my nose and mouth. “Breathe deep.”

It didn’t take long for my breath to return, but I still couldn’t talk.

Rory laid her palm on top of my head. “Shhh. Show me.”

I showed her. What Jesse had done. What I had done. What I did as a demon. Everything.

As it unfolded, Rory reflected the horror back at me. She blanched, she gasped, she lost her own breath. It took a long time for her to witness all my shame. Finally, she removed her hand and nodded. “Okay.” Repositioning herself cross-legged on the bed, she took one of my hands. “Jesse violated you in a lot of ways. But tell me, sweetie, where is all that shame coming from? What did
you
actually do that was so bad?”

I thought about it and tried to figure out a way to explain. “I surrendered.”

“Did you? Correct me if I’m wrong, but you seemed in control of your will and set clear boundaries. What you did in the alternate timeline doesn’t count.”

So, my dream of being a demon had been real. I thought so. How was I supposed to come to terms with that? I took another shaky breath. “I let myself fall for Jesse.”

“Didn’t you always love him? His demonic influence amplified your feelings and muddled your thoughts, but the feelings themselves were honest.”

“I chose him over Zane and Nicky.”

“Ah, that.” Rory stared into my eyes for a long time. Finally, she said, “You tried to make the best of an impossible situation and position yourself to help Genesis. And you thought you could help the man inside the demon. That’s all pretty amazing, really.”

“Please don’t tell Nicky about any of it.”

“Telling him ain’t my call, but of anyone in your life, he’s the one who could best help you deal.”

I shook my head. I could never tell Nicky. He had been an angel. I gave myself to a demon. In another place, another time, I
was
a demon.

“That’s how you feel now,” Rory said, “but down the road—”

“There’s no road ahead for me, Rory! Jesse’s coming for me, and he’s bringing Lucifer with him.”

After a moment, Rory said, “If that’s so, then we need to hold them off long enough for Genesis to get born. We have to keep the eye on the prize. She’s the one that matters.”