Daloisha washed up over Yuri, taking control from her host as he carried Amelia into his home, to the room he’d prepared for his blood bound. Alkirran no longer followed Consuela. Amelia would be the perfect vessel.
She only had to convince Yuri to summon the demon into the young woman. All the ritual required was a little magic. Dawn reached across the sky, shutting Yuri down for the day. Daloisha had enough blood she had energy to keep his body moving.
She placed Amelia into a coffin and sliced Yuri’s finger open to draw patterns on her body. Alkirran’s essence rose up. Without Yuri to channel the magic, she couldn’t fully summon Alkirran, but she could pull enough of his essence through the magic to make Yuri drawn to her.
The girl was out, under heavy compulsion, but when Daloisha pressed Yuri’s bleeding fingers to her mouth, she drank. This girl would be perfect to punish Consuela for keeping her mate locked in a ghost for so long, and for hurting Yuri.
It had taken so much blood to get him to forget her, and now she was back. Daloisha didn’t trust the woman. Her powers were too far stretching, giving her access to abilities she had no right to possess.
And Yuri still pined for the one who foiled her plans for so long. Soon, Amelia would take her place, and become Alkirran’s host, reuniting Daloisha with her mate. Together, perhaps, they could take control forever.
Daloisha finished the ritual, then found Misty, one of Yuri’s many cattle. He had a dozen humans in his compound, there to offer Yuri blood anytime he desired. Daloisha explained what she needed before leaving Yuri in his bed.
* * * *
“Shit, Amelia is gone,” Preston snarled the second they entered the living room. The scent of sex and blood filled the home. “They didn’t make it past the couch before he had her.” Clothes were discarded at the entryway. Her underwear torn.
Robert rubbed at his neck. “They aren’t here?”
“Nope, and we need to hurry. He drank from her.”
Grabbing his arm, Robert translocated them to the street.
Her car was gone.
Preston grabbed Robert and followed the path. They jumped from one dark alley down the roads until they left the city and the trail faded.
“Fuck, he has protection and was driving too fast to follow,” Preston growled.
Robert shook his head. “We need to find out if he owns any property. What other names he goes by. His company. Everything.”
“It’s our only hope. Thing is, will we find him in time?” Preston asked.
“Not sure, but I’ll tell Erik what we know. He can contact Brent.”
“Consuela knows Brent. They’ve worked together in the past. We should send them together.”
Robert looked at the sky. First rays of dawn streaked across the horizon. “He’s down for the day. Maybe we can find him before sunrise.”
“If he’s underground we may have less time. He’s old enough the sun won’t rule his sleep habits.”
“True. He still dies with sunrise. He had to get where he was going. And he hasn’t been out that long,” Robert pointed out.
Preston shook his head. “Not that simple. He could have someone taking him somewhere. Remember, he does have a lot of humans working for him, and part of this damned game. Which is why we’re having trouble learning more.”
“True. This isn’t good. Hopefully Consuela and Erik can rise up the ranks.”
“They both can be quite resourceful.”
“We should get back and make those calls.”
* * * *
Consuela woke around noon. She’d never needed much sleep, and Declan had kept her up until dawn, distracting her from looking at his body and finding the scars.
She’d felt some, glimpsed others. His body was covered in them. And she wanted to see before he woke up, in case her initial reaction was shock, or worse.
In the long run, they were another part of him, and she could handle anything. Either way, she wanted to know now, and get any strong emotions out of the way. Then she could prove he was still everything she wanted.
Sitting up, Consuela pushed the blankets aside and ran her hand up his leg. He curled toward her, wrapping his arm around her waist. A smile pulled at Declan’s lips.
He didn’t die at dawn. No, he fell into a sleep so deep he couldn’t wake, but he didn’t grow cold like vampires usually did.
Plus, he was warm, and he naturally tried to pull her back into his arms.
Light scars ran all over his body. As if he’d been whipped, maybe even flogged many times over the years. The scars were smooth, white, as if a healer helped after the healing process had already begun.
His upper thighs were another matter. Burns. Maybe hot metal seared across his skin. The muscle was still powerful. Someone took care to ensure he had full ability, even if the scars stayed.
His scrotum had small round burn scars. Tiny white lines went down his length as if someone took a razor, making slashes.
Tears fell down her face as she continued up, trailing her fingers over the thicker scars across his lower abdomen. Teeth, fangs. Something ate at him. Some beast, something that didn’t change him.
Thicker white lines covered his chest, and lighter ones on his arms. No wonder he chose to wear long sleeve shirts. There was a scar above his brow, but nothing else on his face or neck. His hands had a few small scars.
Consuela climbed over Declan and winced. His back was a mess, unlike anything she’d seen. All the way down his thighs. There was one scar on his back that looked like someone had stabbed him.
Moving in front of him, she pulled his arm around her and burrowed into his embrace. His marred flesh didn’t detract from the beauty she saw. He had survived so much.
She ran her fingers over the ridges and grooves and memorized the feel of his skin. The suffering he endured made him stronger. Later, when they were home for the night, she planned to show Declan how much she craved every inch of his body.
Consuela pressed another kiss to his chest.
* * * *
Standing outside Enchanted Baubles left Consuela wondering if she’d made the right decision. Too late to change her mind now.
She wanted the story from Devlin before talking to Declan, who held so much guilt from the past. She had a couple theories about the scars. She hoped she was wrong about the worst one.
Stepping through the door, Devlin looked up and smiled. “Hi, Consuela. What can I do for you?”
Walking to the counter, she clasped her hands. “Your father and I are blood bound. I’m staying with him—for good.”
He nodded, his smile dimming slightly. “You make him happy. That’s the only thing that matters.”
Her heart sank. “What are you really thinking, Devlin?”
He shook his head. “I’m sorry. I know better than to judge.”
“I want to hear it. Hopefully I can set your mind at ease.”
“You’re a Deathcaller. I’ve heard the rumors. Bringing back the dead for money, leaving spirits trapped in reanimated corpses—”
Consuela held up her hand. “Yes, I have brought spirits back to their bodies to allow the grieving an hour to talk to them. Then I send them back. I’ve never allowed a spirit to stay in that body for more than an hour. And yes, I have held seances, and channeled ghosts for others. However, I only do it when I believe the client has a valid reason to hear from the dead. And yes, I’ve used reanimated corpses to attack others, in order to protect myself. I’m not the evil Voodoo Queen some would like you to believe.”
“I’m sorry. I know better than to judge.” He sighed. “I do have one question. Is it love you share with my father? He hardly knows you, yet he can’t resist.”
“I’m sure you felt the same draw to Jamie. But to answer your question, yes, it’s love. And no, I haven’t brainwashed him, or swayed him in any form. We share a bond that is as deep as yours. Tell me how to prove it.”
The corners of his mouth lifted, his expression softening. “I believe you. You smell of truth, your heart rate doesn’t suggest a lie. I’m sorry. It’s hard to separate rumor from reality.”
The rumors had a grain of truth, though they weren’t completely true. Honestly, she didn’t blame him for worrying about his father. Didn’t mean she couldn’t ease his suspicions. “Your father comes to me in dreams.”
His head tipped. “He dreams? Vampires don’t dream.”
“He does. He also doesn’t die at dawn. He sleeps too deep to rouse, but he stays warm all day.”
“And he comes to you in dreams?”
She smiled. “He does. In fact, if he hadn’t, I may have drowned in guilt.”
“Why is that?”
Dropping her gaze, she explained. “I recently learned my brother had been possessed when he died. I punished him for things he couldn’t control for two centuries. We separated the demon from his soul and sent him on.”
“My father would tell you to let the guilt go.”
“He has, and I’m trying. Declan has helped immensely.”
“I have to agree with him. You didn’t know the demon was involved. He relayed the story you told him before you left. I can’t imagine what you’re going through is easy. Take comfort in the fact you did the right thing.”
Consuela pushed her hair behind her ear. “I am. I came for another reason.”
“What’s that?”
“I want to understand what happened with the Dales, and about his scars.”
Devlin flinched, his head turning to the side. His guilt was palpable. “What did he say?”
“He didn’t, but he’s embarrassed by the scars. And he feels guilt about you being held for so long.” She rubbed one arm. “The muscle and bones feel whole. His skin is a mess. I want to believe you healed inside perfectly and left his skin a mess to protect him.”
A tear fell down his face. “Malachi and Demarco wanted to destroy my father. The things they would do to him to make me comply only got worse with time. In the beginning, I healed everything. He locked away his magic the day they took him. As time went on his body rejected more of my magic. I focused on the important things, figuring I could worry about the scars if we ever escaped. By the time I finally took my chance to leave, I thought he was dead, or would be soon. His body was full of cancer, infections were so deep-rooted I couldn’t determine the source. He was rotting from the inside out, but nothing I did stopped the decay. He begged me to end him, or to take my chance to leave.” He wiped at his face. “The last time I saw him, he wasn’t moving, hardly breathing, the smell of death permeated the air from three cells down. I was sure he was gone.”
“I’m sorry. He doesn’t hold anything against you. I just needed to know it wasn’t some kind of retaliation, or that you blamed him for your position.”
He shook his head. “I couldn’t leave him. I couldn’t let him go. I never blamed him for my abduction. That was purely my fault. I meant to get us both out, but it wasn’t so simple. I barely got away, and they found me when I did. There are ways to fix the scars, but he won’t discuss them. I think he believes I left him scarred on purpose. It’s why I asked what he told you.”
“He loves you very much. You and Fallon are his reasons for living now. Even if he thinks the scars are his punishment, he wants nothing but the best for you. Maybe you should talk to him. And I was thinking we should get together. I want to get to know you and Jamie.”
“Jamie and I would love that. And you’re right. I need to talk to him about those days. We haven’t mentioned it, except his tearful apology that ripped my heart out. I couldn’t deal with it at the time. The pain of everything was too fresh. He deserves to know the truth—that I wanted him whole.”
“For the record, the scars don’t bother me. It was painful to take them in, but only because I can imagine the horrors he endured. He’s still a beautiful man I want to spend my life with. He’s a beacon of hope, something I nearly lost.”
“He lights up when he talks about you.” He nodded to her wrist where the bracelet lay. “And my father was ecstatic when he picked out the jewels to create your bracelet. He sat beside me while I enchanted the jewelry, offering the spells he wanted. I just needed to be sure it was real, and not induced through magic.”
“I assure you, the draw to your father is perfectly natural.” She stepped back. “I’ll figure out when we can get together, and something other than a meal.”
“My father is a lucky man.” He leaned against the counter, finally looking at her like she might be the key to his father’s happiness. She truly hoped she was.
“I’d have to disagree. I’m more than lucky to have found him.”
“He’d argue. I’m glad you came by to talk. You’ve set my mind at ease.”
“Me too. And as soon as we can, I’ll make arrangements with you, but Declan and I are working on a case for the Council.”
“Be careful, both of you.”
Smiling, she started for the door. “We will. And thank you.” She barely made it to her car when her phone rang. “Hello?”
Erik jumped right in. “Have time to make a trip to visit Brent?”
“Sure. Where are you?”
“Presently, Monique’s Uniques. Which is why I called. I saw you leaving Devlin’s shop.”
“Ah, yes. I’ll be there in a moment.”
She hurried across the street and down a couple doors to slip inside.
Monique looked up with a smile. “Here for good?” she asked.
“I am.”
“Then we should hang out.”
Consuela nodded. “Sounds good to me. Right now, I believe we have work to do.”
“Keep Erik safe.” She winked.
Erik rolled his eyes. “Come on. We should get to Seattle and back before the sun comes up. I’m hoping we can sneak into Brent’s office without anyone playing Blood Bound seeing us.”
“That may be difficult. He’s not far from Broadway.”
“We’ve got to try. I have a possible solution.”
* * * *
Erik parked in the alley behind Brent’s building. He took them in a backdoor and led Consuela straight to Brent’s office. Erik had called him earlier to ask if Amelia had shown up to work, but didn’t discuss the details of why with Brent.
Brent looked up, his brow creased. “Please tell me you have good news.”
Shaking his head, Erik took a seat as Consuela shut the door.
“Unfortunately, no. We need to talk,” Consuela answered.
“Figured that.” Brent tapped his desk. “How deep has Amelia gotten herself?”
Consuela shook her head as she took the seat beside Erik. She leaned toward the desk. “We’ll find her and bring her back.”
He nodded slowly. “And who has her?”
“Yuri Slovik,” Erik answered. “He’s the one running Blood Bound. And she was working on a story.”
“She had no business on that story. I told her I wouldn’t accept it. Why couldn’t that be enough?”
And Consuela could imagine Amelia’s feelings on Brent’s stance. He wanted to protect the human girl. She wanted to prove herself. Now he was going to feel like hell. And he should. Instead of preparing her, he pushed her into a corner and she was fighting her way out. Stupid man.
Consuela explained, “He charmed her, enthralled her, then took her somewhere, but Preston couldn’t track her.”
“Shit.” His eyes closed as he pushed back from the desk and stood. He paced away, fingers combing through his hair. “This is my fault.”
“It’s not that simple,” Consuela argued. “You couldn’t have known what she was doing.”
“She’s so damned young. And Yuri—shit. I can only imagine what he’ll do to her.”
“What are you talking about?” Erik asked.
“You haven’t heard of his hall of horrors? He has humans on display, tortured, bleeding, all to show off to vampires he deems worthy. Their own private feeding ground. The vampire elders showed me pictures. Asked me to find this place. Been trying, but it’s well protected, and they don’t tell anyone but vampires about it.”
“Makes sense,” Erik stated.
“He’s interested in something other than torturing her. I believe he’s looking for his blood bound, but Gaius informed us he’s possessed. Wish I were wrong about what possessed him, but it makes sense,” Consuela explained.
“Which one?” Brent asked.
“Daloisha.”
Brent dropped back into his seat. “Blood demon. Has a mate. Alkirran. Though it’s rumored that demon may have been destroyed completely.”
Consuela closed her eyes, shutting off the well of guilt.
Erik placed his hand on her shoulder. “We can stop them.”
“If we hadn’t banished my brother, Alkirran would still be unsummonable.”
“Then let’s find her before Yuri learns it could be done,” Erik offered.
“What do you need from me?” Brent asked.
Erik shook his head. “Keep an eye out how you usually do, and keep your phone on. We’ll be in touch.”
Brent pressed at his chest. “I should have given her a real case, one that would have kept her away from this mess.”
“You’ve been giving her cases,” Erik pointed out.
“No. Not anything worth her time. I wanted to protect her and keep her out of my line of sight.”
“That’s a problem,” Consuela stated.
“She’s a child,” Brent protested.
“She’s twenty-one,” Erik pointed out.
“She’s too young for me,” Brent argued.
Erik paused.
“You feel something for her?” Consuela asked.
“Don’t want to. Can’t help it. She brings something out of me I can’t explain. I’m doing my damnedest to avoid it. I’ve loved and lost humans before. Not worth the heartache.”
“There are ways around the human factor,” Erik pointed out. Meaning, she could choose to become a were of some variety, or a vampire.
“She has no life experience.” He pulled a drawer open. “I’ll see if I can find out where they’re at.”
“We’ll do all we can. I need to get Consuela back to Edenton. Hopefully we’ll find Amelia before anything happens.”
“Hurry. Removing a blood demon from a human will kill them. I’d like to avoid that if possible,” Brent explained.