Plagued: Book 1 (55 page)

The seed of doubt burrowed deeper, sending out roots.

As I watched, the glowing light that was all that remained of Caroline sped off
to join the others circling Vanessa's still form. She was only a few feet away. I could see her clearly from where I stood. Julian made no move to follow Caroline, or weave some intricate spell with his hexagram or long, clever fingers to call her back. No little crystal pendant that I could see. I breathed a sigh of relief I didn't realize I was holding in. Savan was a cruel bastard. He'd just been messing with my mind. Julian had no intention of capturing that last piece.

The lights from the souls Vanessa had stolen turned from bright to dark and then an even darker inky black. Anger and hate radiated from them like heat off a blast furnace.

“Can they ever rest?”

“Only God knows that. I think, incomplete as they are, they don't really know how.”

The phantasms began to scream.

I covered my ears.
“What are they doing?” I had to shout to be heard over the awful cries.

“She still has her soul. It has not yet left her body. They will take it now and she herself will become as lost as they.”

“Are they strong enough? She was so powerful.”

“The dead are far stronger than we give them credit for, believe me.”

He was right. I could feel the ripples of energy emanating from the spectral forms.

I turned away then. I didn't want to see anymore.

Limping over to Blaze, I was sore everywhere, I fell, more than sat by the Shadow Hound. Blaze whimpered. There was a terrible wound in his side and blood everywhere. Gently lifting the huge head to cradle in my lap, I stroked his ears and kissed his furry forehead, whispering,
“We got her Blaze, we got Vanessa. She's gone for good.”

Blaze wagged his long tail weakly, thumping it on the deck.
His fur warmed under my hands and glowed a dull red. He gave me his goofy doggy smile and a little of his tiger-like
chuffle
that meant he was pleased. In a scene eerily reminiscent of only a short time before, I cradled Blaze's head in my lap. His blood mixing with the blood of Albert's covering the front of my shirt and jeans, as was only fitting. I kissed him again and told him what a very,
very
good dog he was and how proud Albert would be of him when he recovered. How proud Julian and I were of him as well. That he was absolutely the best dog in the entire world.

He licked my hand, sighed a long shuddering breath, and he was gone.

Just like that.

Cradling the massive head, I cried. Cried for Blaze. For Albert. For Vanessa. For myself and the girl I would never be again after this terrible night.

Somewhere quite close came the wail of sirens. Swearing in several languages, Julian stepped over to scoop up the now-unconscious cat-thing. It was smaller now, looking a little more “cat” and little less “thing.” He stuffed it into one of those oversized, fold-out nylon shopping bags pulled from yet another pocket, and slung the creature over his shoulder.

I stood. Weakness washed over me, like a wave pulling me under.

“Alexandra,” I heard him call my name as if from very far away. I was sinking, sinking into the deep. He was beside me then, I wasn't sure how, lifting me effortlessly. As he did, the half light from the docks caught and reflected off a small crystal hanging from a narrow strip of leather wound round his wrist. A crystal glowing with a warm golden light exactly like the one I now wore around my neck. Pulling the darkness around us, Julian took me from that place of blood and death. The shadow of Caroline on us both.

Chapter 40

Dream a Little Scream With Me

We hid through the night in a deep darkness that was part magic, part real. Concealed beneath the tunnel of an overhead expressway, gray with damp, the cars whizzing by above us. My wrist ached from being dragged around by the goblin. Cutting his shirt into strips Julian fashioned a bandage, wrapping it firmly. I was cut, bruised and battered, just as much emotionally as physically. What I had seen, what I had done. I wanted to hide, put my hands over my eyes like Isobel used to do in the scary parts of movies. Block it out. Wipe away all the images of the past few hours. Maybe Julian had magic for that.

“How can you do this?” I sobbed. “How can you stand it?”

He stopped wrapping my wrist, though he still held it in his hands. “Sometimes I think I can't.”

Through our growing bond, I was able to sense the turmoil of emotions running along Julian's nervous system almost as strongly as my own. The tortured longing and sadness. Feelings he could only barely keep under control. I probed, needing to know the truth. Caroline was not there, at least not near the surface. The loss of Blaze was weighing heavily on his heart and the worry for Albert was palpable. He blamed himself. Which was foolish, because all of it was my fault. That was so obvious. Through my vanity, my weakness, I had somehow caused this to happen. Maybe that was why my mom left. She knew, could
see
I was nothing but trouble to everyone past, present and future.

My mother. Automatically I reached for the broken-heart key chain tucked into my jean pocket. Yes, it was there. Chen's words had created a whole new level of weirdness to what was happening. Despite Julian's reassurance that the Club was just messing with my mind, I felt deep inside there was far more to it than that. Probably more than I wanted to know.

The cat-thing lay half-in and half-out of the nylon carry bag where Julian had dropped it. The beast hadn't budged, maybe it was dead. The lights from the expressway shone down on where it lay in the dirt. One ear, I saw, was completely missing. I couldn't help thinking I'd seen something like it before.

“What is that?” I pointed at the creature.

“
That
is my mother's cat, Hex.”

I stared from him to the furry, fangy thing, “A
cat
? That's a
cat
?”

“She's a werecat.
Terribly
lazy though. You need to really piss her off to get her to change. Hence shoving her in the piece of luggage and jostling her about.”

I stared at it and thought back. Back to my neighborhood and walks home, trips to the coffee house/bookstore down the street and the parking lot nearby. “You know it looks sort of like a really ugly cat that used to hang out near my house.”

Julian gave me a quick, odd sort of glance as though he wasn't sure what to say. “Um, actually, she, well, she was keeping an eye on you for me. There in your neighborhood. Not in werecat mode, just ugly cat mode. Despite the lazy and admittedly nasty exterior, she is very observant. Hex is the one who told me to watch for the Fetch.”

My mouth fell open. “You had your cat spy on me?”

“Sort of. At first she was on the look out for Club members. I thought they might come to your house. Then, after the ceremony, in case something came hunting you or your father. Amber was correct when she said these plans were in effect before you left Paris. Plans to take your soul.”

“You knew? About me? Do you know anything about my mother?” After the past few days, I didn't think anything else could shock me. Boy, was I wrong. The revelation that I had been manipulated into the Club's grasping hands was devastating.

Julian gave a sigh. “Look, I understand, I do, how you want to know absolutely everything and you have that right. It's just I think I am either going to throw up or pass out or both. Could we talk about it when I've stopped bleeding at least?”

“But my mother! Chen said...”

“
Please
, Alexandra?”

It was the first time I heard that tone in his voice. Almost pleading. I nodded. After all, he was bleeding because of me. At least I wanted to think so. Not because of Caroline.

Julian took off his coat to spread over us. As he did, he pulled out something white. My feather.

“You never mentioned a feather.” He handed it to me almost fearfully, like something sharp that could cut him.

“It came with the medallion. Or maybe the other way around.”

The feather was perfect again. No stain of blood. No sign of magic. I looked at Julian who shook his head.

“Don't look at me. I have absolutely no idea how you did that. Turning a feather into a dagger. I think you saved my life.”

I tucked it back in my bra over my heart. The silkiness felt comforting there somehow.

We huddled together beneath the highway backed up against the concrete foundation. Eventually I felt Julian's body relax into sleep or perhaps unconsciousness. His arms kept their tight hold. I entwined my fingers in his. Seeing the remnant of Caroline's soul had shaken him badly, I could feel it. His defenses were down as his mind slipped its leash to roam at will in dreams. I had ingested a lot of his blood tonight and perhaps, because of the magic, we were closer than ever. The images flowed like water from his fingertips to my mind.

Confused and tangled, I thought I caught a glimpse of Caroline's face, smiling. She was pretty. Slim and small, her hair pale, almost white. I felt the caress of her soul at Vanessa's death there on the barge. Caroline's touch was warm and gentle. She hadn't felt vindictive, or vengeful, or
hungry
. Hungry in a supernatural way. As in hungry for
me
. I didn't need to be haunted. One supernatural calamity at a time, please. At least I didn't look like her. Somehow, that was a relief.

I knew my feelings for Julian were not entirely under my control tonight. Maybe any time. And not just the scary, wary feelings. Somewhere along this twisted and tangled road I was stumbling down, I found I
wanted
to see him. Looked forward to it everyday. There was a great comfort that at least he seemed to have a plan, which was certainly more than I did. Was it all just a side effect of the potions and the blood? Maybe. Keeping me close physically and emotionally. I wanted to think the best of Julian, I did. It was just, that niggling, aching little doubt refused to go away. Honestly though, what good would doubts do me? One way or the other, I needed him.

Maybe if I shifted around just a bit, I could push up Julian's shirt sleeve. Check to see if I had only imagined the glowing soul crystal. '
Glowing soul crystal
', I didn't even
know
that phrase a few hours ago. A little peace of mind wasn't wrong, was it? He gave a moan of pain as I tried to move and I stopped, suddenly ashamed. Julian fought hard and nearly died for me. I took my hand away after that, breaking the hold on his dreams. Settling back against him, feeling the rise and fall of his chest, I decided future Lexie could worry about his motives. Against all odds, I was still alive. Julian was still alive. And Albert, please,
please
let him be alive. Keeping those thoughts in mind, I finally followed him down into that velvet-soft well of sleep.

Hiro, the
kami,
floated silently in front of me, held up by the whisper of a breeze that tickled my bangs into my eyes. '
Dreamy, dream,
' my sleepy brain hummed. '
Dreamy, dreamy, dream...'

“Hello, Lexie.”

“Hello, Hiro,” my sleeping self answered.

He waved one hand and the little breeze moved away from my face to tug at my jacket. Out of my shirt floated the silky magic feather. I made a grab for it then remembered this was just a dream. Nothing more. So float away feather.

The feather moved as though an invisible hand held it. Golden script flowed from the tip, shining in the night, illuminating Hiro's face.

“Watch,” Hiro whispered. “Watch and remember.” He pointed at the script and I did as he said.

The writing made no sense to me. Just a random number of lines: vertical, diagonal, horizontal. Gradually the lines squirmed around in a wormy sort of way resolving themselves into letters. The feather paused.
Leannan si
floated in front of me.

I shook my head. “Sorry, not getting it.”

He held up one hand. “Wait.”

The feather moved again for another set of lines that, like before, slowly changed into recognizable letters:
Tuatha De Danann.

“I cannot say more.” Hiro gave me a really serious, '
I am actually saying so much
' look.

Leannan si
and
Tuatha De Danann
bobbed on invisible air currents.

“Seems to me you haven't said anything at all. Still no clue, Hiro.” I gave a sleepy sigh. Magical dreams were as confusing as magical realities. Magic never seemed to make any sense at all.

“There are wards around you, powerful ones, Lexie. This is all I can manage for now. You have much to discover about yourself and your family. Your father especially.”

The feather floated closer. I reached up, took it, and tucked it back into my shirt.

“Be careful of Julian Lake.”

I gave a very unladylike snort. “Now
that
is something I understand very well.”

Hiro ran a finger lightly across my cheek and I felt the wonderful bubbly, tickling buzz of his touch. He placed something in my hand. “This is from Taka. Good luck, little sprite.”

My sleeping self smiled. A Crunky bar! I gave a dream laugh as Hiro floated away on his spirit wind.

The morning sun shining in my eyes, I awoke. It seemed as though everything should change, the earth tilting on its axis sort of thing. As I looked around, the sky and clouds, the rocks and dirt and pitted concrete of the expressway seemed ordinary in the extreme. It was only me who was different. Around my neck I could feel the piece of my soul beating in tempo to my heart. The moon pendant, too, had it's own power, the rhythms in sync. My hand went to my shirt. The feather was there, tucked over my heart, just where I'd put it last night. I would think about my mother's heart charm later.

What a strange dream I'd had. Hiro floating weightless and the golden letters shining bright and glorious. Both the
kam
i and the beautiful script so very out of place in the damp confines of the overpass.

“Read and remember,” Hiro said.

Leannan si. Tuatha De Danann
.

I didn't just remember the words, I saw them glowing in my mind, shining brightly.
I gave a mental shrug. Too much blood and magic. Dreams didn't have to make sense. Shifting my stiff legs ever so slightly so I wouldn't wake Julian, something slid off my lap. My nerves being pretty shredded by this point, I nearly jumped out of my skin. It wasn't a rat or a snake or something worse that my tired brain tried to twist the object into. It was a
Crunky
bar in its brown wrapper.

“
Remember,
”
Hiro's voice said again in my head.
“Remember.”

I guess I'd better.

For a time I lay there, listening to Julian's breathing, staring at him as my mind drifted. His face was streaked with dried blood, though I wasn't sure it was all his. The sun glinted off the smooth skin of his throat. With his head tilted to one side, his extraordinary silver hair lay across his face, obscuring the fine lines of his features.

The pain from yesterday's battle was starting to kick in. I tried to shift position a little.

Julian woke with a start, grabbing for his knife, leaping to his feet and throwing me down in the process.

“
Awk
,” I moaned. “It's okay Julian, it's okay. Nobody here but us. Even your creepy werecat is gone.”

Not taking me at my word, he did a quick scan of the area. Returning still and silent, he took my face in his hands and looked into my eyes. I hardly had the strength this morning to meet that piercing gaze. It cut as sharply as a blade. With a quick, unexpected movement, he brushed my hair away from my eyes, smoothing it over one ear. Settling me back against our rough nest, he made a small incision on the white skin of his forearm and let the blood run into one of the ornate crystal vials he carried. When it was nearly full, he handed it to me to hold and wrapped a strip of cloth around the cut. With careful deliberation he added a tiny pinch of powders from his stock. Brows drawn, the lines of worry and exhaustion draining his face to an almost deathly pallor, he sniffed at it and tasted a tiny portion, dipping in the tip of one finger. Apparently satisfied, he handed it back, nodding solemnly.

I drank without protest. Even before Albert told me about his alchemy I began to guess Julian might be giving me blood. Though I didn't know it was his or that it came quite so straight from the source. For some reason, I didn't feel squeamish. Strange for a lightweight like me. In fact, there was a thrill of anticipation as the flavor washed over my tongue and filled my mouth with its strange mix of metallic, sweet and spicy flavors. The potion would banish my fatigue, numb that awful weightlessness inside, if only for a time. Just as last night, during the battle, I felt energy flood through my nervous system, kicking both body and brain into high gear.