Savannah Sacrifice (21 page)

“I know,” Starling said, her voice quiet.

“Oh my God,” Virginia grumbled. “Are you serious? Why don't you just fuck and get it over with?”

His cheeks burned.

Virginia laughed as she looked at him. “You already did … And you still can't tell her that you love her?” She motioned to Starling. “He says I'm not the one to be trusted, but come on. He's the one who is pathetic.”

“Shut up, Virginia.” She strode toward the sanctuary and threw open the doors.

Standing in the middle of the room, her arms behind her back, was Harper.

Blood dripped from Harper's chin, but she smiled and her face brightened as she saw them. “I thought you guys were dead.”

President Kitchings walked toward them. “So glad you could join us. You're just in time to see your little friend die.” He stepped beside Harper and raised a knife to her throat.

The man's words echoed through Jasper, drawing on his memories of Dr. Redbird and the night he'd killed her when protecting Starling. He shouldn't have quit killing there. He should have wiped out this entire species of death mongers.

Starling's hands slipped from the door handle as she stared at the room full of black-cloaked vultures. Some of the birds were seated around a long, rectangular table in the center of the room, while others were gathered in small groups. All their eyes were on her.

“She's come,” one of the vultures whispered to another.

She looked away from the mass of black birds to Harper, who had tears in her eyes. What had the vultures done?

“Are you okay?” Starling asked, moving past the table.

“Stop right there, girl,” the president ordered.

Starling froze as the president's furious gaze pinned her.

“You should have left, Starling. You shouldn't still be here.” The tears streamed down Harper's face, mixing with the blood on her chin, and dripped to the floor. “You have to let her go. She doesn't have anything you want.” Harper tried to struggle, but Kitchings stopped her with a push of his blade. “You made me a deal.”

“Be quiet, Harper.” The president's silver knife cut into Harper's throat and dark red blood dotted the edge of the blade.

Jasper shoved Virginia in the room, making her sit in a chair at the table. A bird was etched in the black surface, matching the one Starling had seen in the mausoleum.

“You kill her, I kill Virginia.” He reached behind him and pulled the gun from his waistband. “You should have heard her in there, talking to us. She told us all about her scheme and your involvement.”

Starling stepped beside him, following his lead.

“Virginia … ” A flicker of pain moved through the president's face, but he quickly took control over his tell. “Put down the gun, Jasper. And let go of Virginia.”

“Only if you let Harper go. Do we have a deal?”

President Kitchings moved the knife back from Harper's throat, leaving behind a thin bead of blood. “Let her go.”

Jasper let go of Virginia's hands. “It doesn't have to be like this. We just want to negotiate.”

“Negotiate?” President Kitchings glanced around the roomful of council members. Most of the group nodded, but a few shook their heads in refusal. After a long moment, he turned back to Jasper. “Put down your gun. There,” he ordered, pointing toward the middle of the table, near the feet of the vulture carving.

“Harper, get behind me,” Jasper said, motioning for her to stand beside Starling.

“You guys should have left,” Harper said in a whisper. “I had everything under control.”

Starling pointed at the thin line of blood on Harper's throat. “Looks like it.”

“Okay, so not everything was going to plan,” she murmured.

“Gun. Now.” President Kitchings motioned for one of his guards. Moving forward, the man grabbed Virginia by the arm, led her to a chair behind the president, and sat her down.

“I want us all to get along here. No need for anyone else to get hurt.” Jasper raised the gun above his head as he moved through the crowd. Starling rested her hand on his back as she followed him. His body radiated nervous heat and sweat built under her touch, but she couldn't be sure if it was him, her, or the combination of both their fear.

He stopped at the designated spot and sat the gun down on the end of the table. This vulture had the same crimson-red color as the bird in the mausoleum, the eye that had been an elevator button. Was it possible this table was an elevator as well?

Just to the right of the carving was a thin seam. To the left of Jasper's gun and the carving's feet was another.

Some of her fear dissipated. There was a way out. Maybe.

“Shall we sit?” the president motioned to the seats. “Let us start again.” He walked to the head of the table, his bodyguards flanking him, and sat down. His men stayed standing at each of his sides.

She, Harper, and Jasper moved to the front of the table where the president motioned. Starling couldn't take her eyes off the gun they were leaving farther behind with every step. No one got near it as they all made their way to the seats around the rectangle.

“Now, I want to extend to you my sincerest apologies about my wife's behavior.” He looked to his right where Virginia sat. “She has a habit of interfering—even after there has been a vote.” He eyed her dangerously. “I assure you that she will be dealt with accordingly. And so will Harper for infiltrating our den.”

“I was told to come here. I infiltrated nothing!” Harper challenged.

“Be that as it may, the council and I were not expecting a nymph to walk into our chambers spewing hatred.”

“Your wife is threatening my step-daughter. My
spewing hatred
is the least of what I plan to do to Virginia,” Harper spat.

Jasper leaned toward her in his chair. “Stop,” he warned.

Harper glared at him. “Fine, you handle this.” After a moment she leaned back in her chair, arms crossed over her chest.

Jasper nodded and turned back to the president. “President Kitchings, we—”

“We offer no apologies,” Starling interrupted. “We did exactly what we needed to do. Your people have done nothing but try to steal my things, kidnap me, and hurt me since I arrived in Savannah.”

Jasper's mouth was still open and his eyes were wide with surprise at her taking the lead. She laid her hand on his, in an attempt to reassure him that she didn't need him to do her dirty work.

“I know the Catharterians broke into Jenna's safe deposit and stole the
Libros Umbrarum
. Those were intended for me.”

The president shifted in his seat. “I will not give you—”

“Stop.” Starling raised her hand, putting a halt to the president's possible refusal. “After all I've been through to get the books, you are going to give me all three. Without the books, there's no way you will be getting the GX 149 or its formula.”

The president laughed. “We had to take down a bank to get those books. Do you really think we are going to give them to you just so we can get some silly drugs? Drugs that we already have?” He pointed to a woman sitting three chairs down, on his right. She reached into a bag at her side and pulled out a familiar orange bottle.

“You and I both know that there aren't enough pills in there for your kind to get what they need.”

“But there are enough pills to study and find out what makes them effective in fertility,” the president challenged.

“And that could take years of research,” Harper retorted.

“Do you have years to waste on research?” Starling continued. “We have the formula. But first, I need the books.”

“We're aware. But you aren't getting those books.” The president's face tightened as he tried to handle his emotions. He glared at Harper. “And it just so happens that you, Harper, and your friends are prisoners—and if you want everyone to make it out of this room alive, you will do as we wish.” He sat forward as he tried to control the situation. “If you're smart, which I think you must be, you will take one of my teams back to your lab and we can keep you under watch while you make us a supply large enough to help with our population issues.”

“And then what?” Harper retorted. “Then you will let us go? I doubt it.”

“Why would we need to continue a relationship once we get our drugs?”

“Because your women will still be unable to become pregnant,” Harper said.

“What are you talking about? We are demigods just like you. And if they work for your kind, why wouldn't they work for us?”

“Give Starling what she wants, and then I will give you the formula and our secret. Agreed?” Harper asked.

The president put his elbows on the table and tented his fingers in front of his face. “How do we know that we need something else besides the pills?”

“Hasn't it occurred to you that Carey, Starling's mother, had been taking the drugs for almost twenty years? She had one pregnancy. Now I'm sure she had more partners than just one in those years. Yet she never had another pregnancy.” Harper paused for a moment.

“Starling, had your mother seen other men?” the president asked.

“She had boyfriends on and off when I was growing up.” Starling cringed as she realized that her mother's sex life was being called into question.

“Do you think she had relations with these men?”

“She probably did. I didn't try to keep tabs on my mother's sex life.”

“Right, right.” President Kitchings laughed. “Did she ever have another pregnancy?”

“Not that I know of,” Starling said.

“Do you know why that was?”

Starling shook her head. She'd never given thought to why she didn't have siblings. She'd always assumed it was because Mom hadn't wanted another child, not that there had been some secret to why she'd been an only child.

Harper patted her arm. “There were other nymphs who were taking the same medication; however, most never got pregnant. I'm more than happy to show you the number of women who successfully mated.” She raised two fingers.

“I get your point, but we can't make a deal if we lose access to the
Libros.”
The president paused. “We need them. It's how we've gotten control over the souls like Edward and Molly who work for us. If we lose those books, we will likely have an army of ghosts after us.”

“I know the feeling,” Starling retorted.

They were at an impasse. They could not live without the books, but neither could she.

“There has to be a way we can come to an agreement.”

“Instead of fighting, maybe we could become allies.” President Kitchings tapped his fingers against his chin as he thought. “We could give you the books if we have continued access to their contents. In return for this, you give us the drugs, formula, and secret. In addition, you all can walk out of here with the knowledge that the war is over.”

“What about Virginia and her men? They must be punished. Strip them of their feathers,” Starling urged.

“I know you are angry, but she is still my wife. She has done wrong. She kidnapped you and your friend and in doing so, went against the council. In the process of her mutiny, she also committed a mortal sin of erasing a soul. If other supernatural beings hear of what she has done, it will our be our asses on the line.” Kitchings shook his head in disgust. “She will be dealt with, but stripping her of her feathers is too harsh a punishment for her crime. She will lose everything.”

“She deserves to be punished,” Starling urged.

“You have to let them handle this, Starling,” Jasper whispered. “We will have to forgive them for what they have done so we can make this deal.”

Could she forgive them in order to make peace? If Jasper could move past Edward's possession, she could move past her kidnapping, but there was still the issue of her mother's death.

Her mother used to smile and wrap her arms around her when she had a tough day. Without a doubt her mother would have done that to her today. For once, Starling wished she could talk to the spirits down here. She would love to ask her mother what to do, whether it was okay to forgive the group for her death. But Starling did know where her responsibilities lay for a friend. “You have to free Molly B. from the mausoleum and let her safely cross to the other side. In exchange, you will give us the books and this war between us will be over.”

“Done, so long as we come to an adequate agreement about the production of the GX 149,” President Kitchings replied.

“What do you think, Harper?”

Harper nodded. “I already built my lab in Vegas. It's a few months away from opening it doors, but if they pay me cost plus twenty percent, I could turn the lab into a legitimate drug manufacturing plant within the year. Chance could finish his agreement with the casino and all of us could be set, at least financially, for life. As long as they are willing to sign an official agreement for peace and trade, I'm good.”

“You can forgive the fact that these vultures tried to kill you? That they killed my mother?”

“As far as I can tell, Starling,” Jasper said, “it wasn't
they
who killed your mother. It was Dr. Redbird, her sister, and their lackeys who put that together. Not the main council. Dr. Redbird is no longer an issue.”

“We need to put the past behind us, Starling. You have a long life ahead of you and this could be the chance you need to really start living. You've been in hiding too long thanks to this group. Think about it—you could travel, see the world,” Harper said, smiling.

“I could control the spirits,” Starling said, her voice dreamy at the possibility of being free from the onslaught of voices.

Starling sat up from their huddle. “Give me the books and then draw up an official contract including the terms that all future drugs will be made through Harper's lab—you can negotiate your payment terms among yourselves. Deal?”