Chapter 24
Abby bit her bottom lip as the hair on the nape of her neck stirred and her palms began to sweat.
It was the same sensation she had experienced when she had been five and had entered a carnival’s haunted house and spent nearly two hours huddled in a dark corner, too afraid to move so she could bolt for the door.
She hadn’t known why she was frightened. She had only known that she sensed something out in the darkness waiting to devour her.
Of course, with the wisdom of age, it was simple to look back and realize her fear had been caused by a combination of overstimulation, the smothering darkness, and being abandoned in the house by her mother.
Still, the sense of being devoured had been very real.
Just as it was at this moment.
Grimly squaring her shoulders, Abby allowed herself to be led through the dark, empty rooms until the elderly witch at last paused to open a door and began to climb down the narrow stairs.
She was no longer a child.
She didn’t huddle in corners.
She fought back with a vengeance.
Well . . . maybe not a vengeance. More of a combination of bumbling, fumbling, and flaying.
But she would never again be a willing victim.
A musty smell of damp earth and mold rolled over Abby as they reached the bottom of the steps. She hesitated as the utter darkness momentarily blinded her.
“Don’t be afraid,” Edra whispered, her ancient face becoming suddenly visible as a fire bloomed to life in a large brazier. “There is nothing here that would ever harm you.”
Nothing but you, Abby whispered silently.
“Why are we here?”
The witch moved across the floor. “I have something I wish to show you.”
Edra was walking toward what appeared to be a large slab of marble set next to the brazier. It appeared all the world like something you would put on top of a grave.
Along the edge of the marble were precisely arranged black candles and dried herbs. And in the very center was a strange symbol drawn with a thick, clotted liquid that gleamed with a reddish-black hue.
Abby’s stomach clenched as she reluctantly followed in the woman’s wake.
“What is this?”
“My modest altar.” The witch reached out to stroke the cold stone with a reverent hand. “Not what I desired to present to the beloved Goddess, but I was forced to leave much behind after the attack by the wizard.”
“Why are we here?”
The tiny head turned to stab Abby with a glittering gaze. Abby grimaced. In the shifting candlelight, the woman looked like a shriveled lizard.
And just about as warm.
“To change the world, my lady.”
Abby shifted uneasily. “That’s a little vague.”
“It’s time that the full glory of the Phoenix be revealed. Her power will cleanse the world.”
Cleanse the world.
It certainly sounded nicer than mass murder.
“Cleanse the world of what?” she demanded, needing to hear the woman admit her black-hearted intentions.
“Evil.”
“Again, a little vague.” She wrapped her arms about her waist. Any dark and dank cellar was creepy, but with the candles and mortician slab and some goo that might or might not be blood, this took creepy to a new level. “Precisely what evil are we cleansing?”
“The demons, of course. And those who worship the dark lord.”
“The dark lord has been banished from this world.”
Impatience as well as something that might have been anger tightened the older woman’s lips. Obviously she was not a big fan of having her decisions put up for debate.
“His foulness still taints the very air we breathe. He calls to his disciples and they answer. They must all be brought to an end,” she rasped.
Abby licked her lips. “And you expect the Phoenix to do this?”
“Of course. The beloved Goddess was meant to rule.” She held out her gnarled hands as if accepting worship from some unseen disciples. “Just as I was meant to rule. Our time has at last arrived.”
Good God, the woman was certifiable.
Hurry, Dante, she silently breathed. Please hurry.
“I understand your desire. It is no doubt admirable, but there are surely other means of battling evil?” she attempted to soothe. Pacify the crazy person. That was always her motto.
Absurdly the witch appeared outraged rather than soothed.
“Understand?” She moved to stand directly before Abby. “What could you possibly understand, girl?”
“I understand right from wrong.”
“Until a few days ago, you thought demons to be nothing more than fairy tales.”
Abby found her terror being swallowed by a growing anger. Dammit. She hadn’t wanted to be some stupid Chalice. Or to have monsters chasing her around. Or to be some sort of savior of the world.
But now that she had been forced into this position, she wasn’t going to be bullied into becoming the evil they were supposed to be fighting.
“Perhaps I didn’t know, but now I realize that there are many sorts of demons. Not all of them bad.”
“The vampire,” Edra hissed. “He has seduced you.”
Abby clenched her hands. “This has nothing to do with Dante. I will not be a part of wholesale murder.”
The witch stepped close enough to cloak Abby in the sour scent of sweat and cloves.
“Have you battled against darkness for the past three centuries?” she rasped. “Have you given your very soul to keep the horror at bay? Have you watched innocent women slaughtered like pigs beneath the magic of a foul wizard?”
In spite of herself, Abby stumbled backward. Her eyes might tell her that she could pick up the frail old woman and rattle her silly. Her heart warned her that the witch could wave a wand and squash her like a bug.
“I’m the Chalice,” she bluffed. “You can’t force me to perform a spell.”
“I would prefer that you join with me.” Edra raised a hand to point her finger directly between Abby’s eyes. “But we can do this the hard way.”
Oh God, here comes the bug-squashing part.
“No . . . wait . . .”
The words barely left her lips when a blinding pain exploded in her head.
Abby tumbled to her knees. She clutched her head as she realized she was going to die.
No one could survive such pain.
Dante, where the hell are you?
Viper and Dante slid into the shadows as the sound of noisy footsteps echoed through the hall.
Taking a deep sniff, Dante leaned close to his companion and whispered directly in his ear. “Two men, both human.” His fangs lengthened. “I’ll take care of them. You go to Abby.”
Viper paused. “You’re certain?”
“I can’t harm Edra. You can.”
A cold smile touched the elegant features. “It will be my pleasure.”
Not even the air stirred as Viper disappeared from his side. Remaining in the shadows, Dante waited for the men to walk directly past him. Only then did he leap forward, taking the nearest guard to the floor with fluid strength.
He felt the second man reach to grasp his arm. Without even glancing in his direction, Dante threw him into the nearby wall. There was a thud and a groan as the attacker slid to the floor.
The man underneath him grimly struggled to reach beneath his bulky form. Dante smiled wryly, knowing the fool was no doubt reaching for a gun. He either didn’t know a vampire held him or had no idea bullets couldn’t harm the undead.
Grasping a handful of hair, he smacked the thick skull onto the floor, and then again. He felt the body beneath him go slack, and Dante was on his feet.
Both men were out cold, but he wasn’t about to leave them behind. Opening a nearby door, he returned to the unconscious men and easily tossed them into the narrow room. With the same speed, he bound them with their belts and closed the door.
Silently he was once again moving forward. There was the sharp scent of blood ahead of him. Viper, no doubt. Unless the witches banded together, they would prove no match for the powerful vampire.
Ignoring the potent smell, Dante angled toward the back of the house. The fainter scent of the Shalott led him through the empty library to a small closet that had been locked with three iron bars.
Not a barrier to vampires, but Dante was willing to bet that iron was a threat to Shalotts.
With a grimace at the inevitable noise, Dante ripped the bars from the door, tossing them aside as he glanced over his shoulder to ensure that no one had come charging into the room to confront him.
The room was empty, but his momentary distraction didn’t go unpunished as the door exploded outward and a slender form leapt forward to catch him on the chin with a sharp kick.
With a grunt that was as much annoyance as pain, Dante whirled to discover the demon bent in a menacing crouch.
There was a lethal, near-intoxicating beauty in her long, slender limbs and flowing black hair, but Dante had no interest in her physical attributes. Or even the cloud of pheromones that filled the room.
His bond with Abby made him impervious to her potent allure.
Instead he prepared himself for another attack.
She wouldn’t get another cheap shot.
Holding up a hand, he regarded her with a frown. “Let me speak.”
Her hands flexed in warning. “Stay back, vampire.”
“This may be difficult to believe, but I’ve come to help you.”
Her lips curled. “And all I have to do is allow you to have a few sips, right? Thanks, but no thanks.”
Dante gritted his teeth. Had there ever been a woman born—human, demon, or other—that didn’t have to argue?
“I have no desire for your blood, Shalott,” he rasped. “But I will need your skills.”
“Forget it.” She gently swayed, like a cobra preparing to strike. “I’ll see you dead first.”
Realizing she thought he meant her hereditary skills of seducing vampires, he gave an impatient wave of his hand.
“I need your fighting skills.” He allowed his gaze to shift to the savage cuts that marred her arms and upper torso. He would bet she possessed a matching set on her back. She had been whipped as if she were an animal. “I intend to put an end to the witches.”
She stilled, her brows snapping together. “It’s impossible. They’re too strong.”
“Not after they were nearly wiped out by the wizard. They can’t stand against two vampires and a Shalott.”
She sniffed the air as if seeking to determine if he spoke the truth.
“Why should I trust you?”
“I’m chained just as you are.”
Her breath caught. “The beast.”
“Yes.”
Without warning, she straightened and Dante bared his fangs. Promise or not, if the woman attacked him again, he would rip out her throat.
Instead she glared at him with a hint of fear.
“The Phoenix is here?” she demanded. “You must get her out.”
“That’s exactly what I intend to do. With your help.”
“If they perform the ritual—”
“Can you fight?” he interrupted.
“Yes. The spell can only force me to come to them when they call.”
He smiled wryly. “I meant are you well enough to fight? You’ve been injured.”
She appeared momentarily startled by his concern. As if it was the last thing she expected. Then, as if embarrassed by her display of vulnerability, her chin tilted to a proud angle.
“I can fight.”
“Then let’s go.”
There was a tense beat before she gave a jerky nod of her head and they moved out of the room side by side. Neither was comfortable with having the other at their back.
“The cellar,” he muttered, and with a nod she was headed down the hall toward what he hoped was the entrance to the stairs.
As they neared the kitchen, however, she slowed her pace as she shot him a warning frown.
“There is magic being used ahead.”
Dante gave a grim nod as he bent down to pull the daggers from his boots. He could have taken a gun from the guards he had captured, but the last thing he wanted was some nosy neighbor calling the cops.
He doubted Chicago’s finest could be convinced that two vampires and a demon were the good guys.
Slipping into the kitchen, Dante’s gaze flashed over the circle of witches who currently held Viper in a binding spell. Snarling with fury, the elder vampire was battling with all he was worth, but it was obvious for the moment he was trapped.
Thankfully his struggles ensured that the witches were unaware of Dante’s approach. It was taking everything they possessed to keep Viper caged.
Forced to halt as he determined which of the women had held his leash, Dante was briefly startled as a blur streaked past him and the Shalott was launching herself at the nearest witch. There was a loud shriek swiftly followed by another as Dante threw his dagger into the back of a chanting witch.
Belatedly realizing their danger, the witches turned to face their latest threat and the spell faltered. Dante flowed forward even as Viper smiled with vicious anticipation.
In the end, the battle was short and brutal. The older witches were dead at the hands of Viper and the Shalott while Dante had used his powers of enthrallment on the younger witches. They now sat huddled on the floor, nursing their injuries and obediently awaiting Dante’s commands.
His hasty touch had been crushing as he had easily broken their spirit. They couldn’t so much as stir from the floor without his permission.
Retrieving his dagger, he wiped the blood off before slipping it back into its sheath.
As he straightened, he watched Viper slowly stalk toward the female demon, the older vampire’s eyes glittering with a dangerous fire.
“Ah, the Shalott,” Viper murmured in silken tones. “Beautiful.”
Moving until her back was to the wall, the demon held out a warning hand.
“Stay back.”
Viper chuckled. “I won’t harm you.”
The Shalott tossed back her long mane of raven curls. Dante stifled a groan at the unconsciously provocative motion. With the bloodlust running hot in the air, the demon would be better served to play the role of a passive victim than to directly challenge Viper.
“Yeah, I’ve heard that a lot,” she sneered. “Usually right before someone tries to harm me.”
Not surprisingly, Viper slid forward and Dante hurriedly followed directly behind him.
Dammit, they didn’t have time for this foolishness.
Debating how much force would be needed to halt the determined vampire, Dante found himself careening off Viper’s wide back as he came to a sudden halt and sniffed the air.
“Human,” he breathed.
The Shalott’s eyes widened. “What?”
“You’re a mongrel.”
Without warning, the demon leaped on Viper and toppled him to the ground. She ended up seated on his chest.
“Don’t push it, vamp,” she growled.
Viper laughed as he twisted to send her to the floor with his larger body pinning her down.
“Don’t take on more than you can chew, human.”
Dante had endured enough. His entire body vibrated with the need to find Abby and carry her from this house.
“Are we going to fight the witches or each other?” he demanded sharply.
Viper gave a nod as he flowed to his feet and tugged the reluctant Shalott off the floor.
“We’ll have to finish our game later, pet,” he murmured as he moved directly to the door nearly hidden in the pantry. “Business first, I fear.”