Gilded Hearts (The Shadow Guild Series) (11 page)

It hurts so much. I’m so scared and I don’t want to do this anymore. Why is it so cold?

Mum?

Piper sucked in a lung full of air and let out a scream. Pain, fear, and bone-chilling loneliness ripped at her insides as Annie’s final moments melded with images from her childhood and back-alley encounters with random men. Slowly the myriad images slowed from a torrent to a trickle, until the dregs filtered from Annie, through Piper, and into the cathode.

Then she was gone.

Piper wasn’t immediately aware of the arms wrapped around her body, or that someone had removed the goggles from her face. Everything was still there, in crystal perfect images. Annie had been dealt a cruel hand in her life. A father who’d whored her out to his friends and a mother too drunk to do much beyond terrifying her with promises of doom.

But the Children of Osiris had given her hope. They could give her the love and protection her family wouldn’t. She’d make sure the archivists wouldn’t take her soul and shove it into a little tube. She’d be free to die and be born into another life, one that would be far less painful than this.

“Pip?” A hand stroked her hair. “Can you look at me?”

No one had looked at Annie and noticed the scared little girl had simply grown but not matured. She was still scared, still little on the inside and only wanting someone to love her. Not marriage or a family, those were dreams beyond her ken. Just simple kindness and love.

It shouldn’t have been too much to ask from life.

“Pip? Please look at me, sweetheart.”

There was something compelling about the voice, something that made Piper respond. Her head was heavy and she was thankful for the support of the strong body she rested against. How had that happened? Looking up, she realized the person holding her was familiar. There was concern in his expression as he ran a thumb across her cheek.

She knew him. Didn’t she?

“Pip?” For a moment she thought he would lean forward and press a kiss to her forehead. He might have if not for the group of men hovering beyond his shoulder.

Sam. It was Samuel who held her. The smell of his scented soap chased away the memories, letting her mind settle into a shaky calm. Annie was dead, not her. She was Piper Smith, archivist. And he was Sam, the man she loved.

“It is done?” Her throat was sore, the words coming out painfully. “Did we get her?”

“Yes, Pip. You got her.”

She wanted to nod, but it was too much effort. “She would hate knowing she’s been extracted. She’d wanted to be reborn, you know.”
Fly, fly away.

“Reborn?”

“Miss Smith, you must stop speaking,” Ryerson’s voice was hard.

Samuel held her closer. “What do you mean, ‘reborn’?”

“The Children of Osiris. They don’t want to be extracted. They want to let their spirits be free to go and come back into a better life.” Annie had been so certain, so absolutely convinced that this was the best thing, the right thing for her life. Piper’s guilt for denying her the chance made her nauseous. “She hated her life so much. The chance at something better sounded so wonderful to her. Maybe she could be something else. A dancer or an artist. She would have liked to have been an artist. Paint naked bodies.”

“Miss Smith—”

Piper closed her eyes against the sudden onslaught of tears. “Poor girl.”

“Is that the cult? Children of Osiris? They all have the tattoo?”

She leaned into the warm body that held her. Samuel rubbed her skin with his thumb, setting her body on fire. Annie had loved being touched. Stroked. So few men took the time to caress her, normally wanting to get off as quickly as possible and be done with her. The rare gentle touch had always been cherished by Annie. Piper could appreciate why. No man had
ever
caressed her, made her soul sing with pleasure. Until now she’d had no idea she was doing without it. Despite the hell of her day-to-day existence, at least Annie had
lived
.

Piper was beginning to realize her life was little more than a shell.

Images overlapped, making Piper see double. She sucked in a breath, hoping the extra air would help settle her racing mind. “The killer didn’t set her running at first.” Her head throbbed. Beside Samuel, Annie appeared and smiled down at her, before disappearing in a blink.

“His face? The killer?” Dennison dropped down beside her. Samuel’s grip tightened, even as she leaned further against him.

Piper nodded. “He wouldn’t let her see his face, but it didn’t matter. She knew him.”

Piper found exhaustion tugging at her, making it difficult to move. The pressure in her head lessened when Samuel adjusted her yet again, helping her to sit a little straighter. “You need to get moving.”

“She needs to return to the Archives and make her report.” Ryerson pushed past Dennison and jerked Piper to her feet. “She needs to have these thoughts purged from her mind before they overwhelm her senses completely.”

Looking at Ryerson, Piper could tell there was more than simple commitment to duty driving his demands. He was worried about her, wearing the same expression Annie’s mother had when she went out into the night to find clients. The deep lines at his eyes pulled tight, accented by his pursed lips.

“Take me home,” she said softly, even as she reached for Samuel. “But he comes too.”

Master Ryerson’s gaze hardened. “No.”

“Please.” She licked her lips and ignored the screams in her head. “If you care for me even a little you’ll give me this. I need him.”

Ryerson looked quickly between her and Samuel. She couldn’t imagine what the old man was thinking, but was instantly relieved when he gave a simple, “Very well.”

“Thank you.”

Samuel looped an arm around her waist and guided her toward the steam coach. “Are you all right?”

“No.” She looked up, heedless of where they were walking. “I’m so very confused.”

“I’ll help. We’ll figure things out.”

Pressing her lips to Samuel’s ear, she fought to hold everything together. She had to tell him, now before anything else happened.

“Sam, she knew him. It was Jack.”

Samuel couldn’t look away from the side of Piper’s throat. His gaze kept being drawn to the pale patch of skin above the modest neckline and below the gentle swoop of her hair. Piper slumped on a cold metal examination table, similar to the one he’d awakened on after his collapse. No blanket to warm her against shock, not even a pillow for her head. The Archives had no inclination to comfort their people. Sam was forced to watch the Archives’ doctor hook another set of goggles to the machine panel, handing them over to her when the heavy wires were finally secured. They’d attached leads to her throat and the tiny suction cups pulled at her skin as she shifted, moving uncomfortably on the slick, chilly surface.

The leads and cups were identical to the ones he’d worn the last time he’d been here.

The doctors scarcely spoke to one another, much less to their patient. Samuel’s stomach churned at the sight of their hands on her, touching her clothing, exposing her skin. He wanted to punch them, pull Piper free and take her far away from this place. She didn’t belong here with the memories of the dead and those who barely had a life worth living. Piper was full of light and love. She deserved a chance to explore her heart and her desires. They could jump an airship and flee to Canada or even the United States. It would be easy to get lost in the flotsam and jetsam of immigrants spreading out in the new lands.

Piper looked at him for a moment before running her finger along the top of the goggles. He watched as she thrust her breasts forward, her nipples hard against the thin fabric of her frock and ground her bottom against the table. Whatever thoughts she had racing through her head were clearly sexual in nature, and just as clearly affecting her. He could feel the arousal pouring off her, his cock responding in kind. She whimpered, so softly the doctors couldn’t have heard her, but the needy little sound went straight to Samuel’s heart. And lower.

Dammit, this was the last thing he needed.

If they were alone, Samuel would make things better for her. The flash of an image hit him, memories that weren’t his. Skin and sweat, bodies coming together, rolling and thrusting. The sharp crack of a flattened palm against the soft curve of an ass. Samuel bit the inside of his cheek to keep the unsolicited moan inside.

What would it be like to do that to Piper? To mark her flawless skin with his hand, before fucking her into oblivion? Would she like it, beg him for more? Or would she turn the tables on him and make Samuel beg for the privilege of being with her? By God, he’d do it, too. Samuel would strip naked and crawl across stones if that was what Piper wanted from him. He would plead for the honor of pressing his lips and tongue to her quim to lick her to orgasm.

Samuel sucked in a breath and closed his eyes briefly.

Christ, he needed to get control of his thoughts.

Ryerson arrived, stood beside Piper, and completed the setup of the leads to her body. Given that Ryerson was more akin to Piper’s parent than her mentor, Samuel found it hard to believe the older man was fine with the destruction of her mind. How could he sit by while the infernal, soulless machine stripped away her humanity bit by bit? How could he not rise to find a way to protect her from the damage that would be done?

Ryerson patted her shoulder and moved to the Archives machine console, conferring with the doctors in whispers, as if Piper weren’t even there. It was sickening to watch.

“What is the point of this?” Samuel ignored the scowl from Ryerson and kept his eyes fixed on Piper. “I thought she had to make a verbal report first. Why are you connecting her to the machine?”

Dennison walked from his post by the wall to stand next to Piper. “This is the report. The central processor extracts impressions as the agent speaks. It ensures a more accurate picture of what happened to the subject.”

“Victim. She was murdered.” Samuel tried to relax his balled up hand, but found his fingers wouldn’t comply.

Dennison snorted. “We can call her the dead whore if you are looking for accuracy, Hawkins. Regardless, Miss Smith must use the machine to issue her statement. It’s standard procedure. Then she’ll be free.”

Free until the next extraction.

Piper said nothing. The frown on her face hadn’t lessened from when she’d been informed the machine would be used. It was the main reason he’d fought so bloody hard to stay with her when the others wanted nothing more than to throw him out on his ear. He didn’t trust them or this thing and had no intention of abandoning her now.

The machine terrified him. Seeing Piper hooked up to it, wires and leads fastened to her skin, her mind about to be exposed to the beast within made Samuel ill.

There was a living and breathing pulse to the place, something that went far beyond the stacks of memory cathodes that lived beneath the earth’s surface, far below the building the public actually saw. Samuel had always been aware of it, no matter what he told others.

Samuel tore his gaze from the machine console and focused on Piper and what he needed to do to help her.

The goggles were heavy and pulled at her head so that she was forced to sit up straighter. She wouldn’t look at him, and for the first time since their reunion, Samuel wished he had some rights over her. He’d grab her by the hand and drag her from this place, tucking her away in an office where her brilliant mind could be used reviewing defense strategies, or witness testimony… anything rather than what she was about to do. This was madness.

Instead he was forced to watch as she let out a sigh, lifted the goggles, and worked them into place, blocking her eyes from him. “I’m ready.”

The doctor pressed several buttons, nodding once the final light on the board began to glow. Dennison placed a hand on Piper’s shoulder, squeezing once before pulling a voice recording tube from the panel. “This is the final report on extraction number twelve gamma eight eight four three. Agent in charge of extraction, Piper Smith. Witnesses for the report, Guild Master Ryerson, Archivist Dennison, Doctor Mayburn, and Sergeant Hawkins of the King’s Sentry.”

Samuel leaned forward, resting his arms on his knees. The position gave him comfort, helping him feel like he could jump into action at any moment, rather than be relegated to bystander. Dennison adjusted the voice tube so the funneled opening was now a few inches from Piper’s mouth.

“Please begin, Miss Smith.”

Piper wet her lips. He wished he could see her eyes. “The victim’s name was Annie Chapman. She was forty-seven years of age and worked as a prostitute.” She spoke softly, carefully. “Details specific to her passing. She was murdered. Miss Chapman had two sexual partners the evening of her death, neither of whom she was familiar with. Neither man caused her concern and she felt perfectly safe until the murderer slashed her throat.”

Piper paused her monologue, her breath catching on the intake. For a moment Samuel thought she would simply continue after a moment, but the silence stretched on far longer than he was comfortable. “What’s happening?”

“The machine will help her sort through the memories and will find the relevant ones. This way she’ll be able to describe the emotional connections and they can be catalogued alongside what Miss Chapman saw.”

Dennison barely finished when Piper’s body bowed back and a low moan ripped from her mouth. Samuel jumped to his feet and was beside her before the other men could stop him. “Pip?”

“Sit down, Hawkins,” Ryerson bit out.

“She was so scared.” She spoke the words in a singsong voice, reminiscent of a teasing child. “But not at first. The man, the nice man, he made her feel warm and her skin tingle. He kissed her neck, her favorite thing, while he asked her questions. It’s not like she knew much. Yeah, yer so big. Yes, biggest ever. The men always made her feel good.”

Slipping his hand into hers, Samuel was relieved when she gave a tiny squeeze in return. “Pip, did she see the second man?”

He felt the slight tremor pass through her. “No.”

There was something in the way she said the word that had him convinced she wasn’t telling the truth. “Pip, what did she see?”

“No.”

“Pip, please.”

“No.” She turned her head so the soulless eyes of the goggles stared at him. “Not Pip.”

What the hell?
“Annie?”

She nodded. Samuel looked up at Dennison while maintaining his hold on her hand. “This isn’t right.”

“No, it isn’t.” Dennison pushed the doctor from the controls and began to look at the board. “There’s no reason why this should be happening. Dammit, we were told these malfunctions had been fixed.”

“Malfunctions? Take it off her right now.” Samuel reached for the goggles, but Ryerson stopped him. “What are you doing?”

“If you interrupt the report with the machine connected to her brain you run the risk of damaging her mind.” Ryerson’s gaze fell to Piper’s face and for the first time Samuel thought he caught a glimpse of Ryerson’s true emotion for his protégé. “We need to let this run its course.”

“This is twice,” Samuel said, trying to keep the venom from his voice, “that this bloody machine has gone mad and taken a person over. That I know of. How many more of us will have to suffer before you do something?”

“Us?” Ryerson narrowed his gaze. “There is no
us
.”

“It shouldn’t be able to.” Dennison growled, kicking the chair beside him. “The flow of information was never intended to be bidirectional. We report and it records. Thousands of times, with not a single instance of an archivist being unable to remain in control.” There was an unmistakable note of panic in the man, one Samuel had never heard before.

“You’ll need to make an amendment to your operating procedures.” Shuffling closer, Samuel held Piper’s hand between his. “Annie?”

She turned her head to look at him. The goggles filled most of her face, giving her a soulless appearance and reminding him of the man in the street. “Yes.”

“Annie, I’m Sam.”

She giggled. “Hi, Sam. I like you.”

“I like you too.” He swallowed down the rising bile. “Annie, do you mind if I talk to you for a bit? I need you to remember something. Do you think you can do that?”

“All right.” She nodded lazily.

“The man who…” Christ, he hadn’t a clue how to speak to a dead woman. “Annie, the second man who came to you in the alley. Do you remember him?”

Piper nodded again. “He came to me as I was about to go home. I think he was watching me and the other bloke. Probably got off on it. Some of them do.” She giggled. “He had on a hat, one of them big ones, and a long coat and goggles. It made him look bigger than he was. It was cold, so he wrapped it ’round me when he pushed me against the wall. I put my fingers into his armpits to warm up and that’s when I could tell there was more coat than man.”

“Tell me about him. What was he like?”

Piper sat up straight, her grip tightening on his hand. “I shouldn’t.”

“Come on, Annie. You don’t owe that bloke anything. And you like me, right?” He had to get her to work her way through the memories if Piper was to be released from the dead woman’s grip. Piper slowly nodded once more, giving him a glimmer of hope. “Good girl. Let’s start with something simple. There must have been something about him that you liked. The way he held you? His clothing? What stood out?”

“He smelled like copper.” Her voice had taken on the singsong quality once more. “When I licked his skin I could taste the metal and smell the smoke. It reminded me of them men from the docks. The ones who come from the airships.”

He tried to picture the air crewmen uniforms, unable to remember if they had hats or not. “How did he treat you, Annie?”

“Nice. He didn’t pet me like the other one, but he didn’t slap me. That was good. I don’t like it when they get rough, though I don’t stop them.”

“Did he ask you questions?”

“No, just a fuck.” Piper shook her head so hard the goggles shimmied. “Nope, he was good. Nice. Didn’t know him.”

The stench of her lies hit him hard. “Annie, I know you’re not telling me the truth. You knew the man, the second one. Didn’t you?”

“No, I swear.”

“Annie, he can’t hurt you.”

“But he can. Jack said he can get me anywhere. He’ll know I’ve been bad.”

Jack.

Samuel let out a slow breath. “Annie, did Jack follow you?”

Another slow nod. Piper began to ring her hands and fidget. “He was jealous. I tried to tell him it was only a fuck, but he didn’t believe me. I don’t like him anymore.” She leaned closer to Samuel as she spoke, her voice softening until it was barely a whisper. “I’m scared.”

His stomach turned as fear made it hard for him to swallow. “I know you are, sweetheart.”

“I don’t like coming out here at night anymore. The Children will look after me, make sure I get off the streets soon. I’m being a good girl and getting the things they need. But I’m so scared, Sam.”

Samuel found it hard to breathe, the rage he felt toward Jack for doing this to her overwhelming his control. “I just have a few more questions. All right?”

“Just a few. I want to get back to my room.”

“His voice. What did he sound like?”

Piper shrugged, shifting the long wires across her body. “He didn’t sound nice like you. His voice was higher. But… not like a boy’s.”