Parrish raised an eyebrow. "You"re full of surprises. First you find the formula that will free us all from the night, and now you"ve met the son of a vampire. Incredible. Next you"ll tell me you"ve met a werewolf."
"No werewolves."
"Good," Parrish sounded genuinely relieved. "So, how is this dhampyr involved with your currentsituation?"
"I think he"s an informant to the Vatican."
Parrish laughed. "The Vatican doesn"t hunt vampires."
"They do if they"re also Witches."
"Ah, excellent point," Parrish said, then he yawned. "I think I need to go to sleep soon. The sun is coming up."
I glanced at the window reflexively, having forgotten that it was covered in blankets. Even so, I doubted I would see any trace of the sunrise to come. Parrish always seemed to know hours in advance of the actual event. "Do you feel the rotation of the earth or something? How do you know?"
"I checked your clock. And, earlier, the almanac."
So much for the spooky Spidey-sense theory.
"You shouldn"t stay here," I said. "I have a sneaking suspicion Sebastian sent the Order on a wild-goose chase. When they come back, they"re going to be p.i.s.sed off and looking for some vampire blood to spill."
Parrish"s shoulders drooped slightly. He glanced at the clock again. "It"s far too early in the morning to hustle up another place to crash. I"m afraid I"m just going to have to take my chances here."
I winced at how casually he said it. "No. I can"t take the risk, Parrish. If you"d be willing to give me a ride somewhere to retrieve my bag, I could give you some cash for a hotel room. I really think you"d be safer elsewhere. I hate the idea of how vulnerable you are during the day. The Order could slaughter you."
He looked like he was going to protest, but then he stopped himself. "So youdo care."
"Of course."
"Well, then, dear lady, lead on."
Sebastian"s shiny black Mafia car sat under the streetlight. Parrish had parked his dusty, battered Harley right behind it. While Parrish fiddled with the saddlebags, I peered in through the windows of the car at the interior. It seemed ominous that it was still here. I hadn"t been terribly surprised to see it when Izzy dropped me off, but I figured Sebastian would have been back for it by now, what with dawn mere hours away. But then I remembered morning wasn"t necessarily a problem for Sebastian. He could doze on a park bench like a transient if he wanted to, I supposed.
I was turning away when my eyes caught the glint of metal. Keys. Wedged in the crevice of the bench seat were Sebastian"s car keys. What the h.e.l.l?
"We must make haste," Parrish said, coming up beside me to put an encouraging hand on my shoulder. "Yeah," I said, trying not to let the keys bother me. "Let"s go."
It was that eerily quiet time, which could be cla.s.sified as either late, late night or early, early morning.
The bars had been closed for several hours, and newspaper deliverers were only just waking up to head to work. Parrish"s motorcycle roared down the empty streets, shattering the peaceful slumber of birds not quite ready to herald the coming dawn. The bitter cold moisture of morning dew clung to my face, and I could see hints of a frosty glitter on stretches of gra.s.s.
My arms wrapped tightly around Parrish"s waist as the wind tore through my hair. We buzzed past closed restaurants, empty parking lots, and lonely, deserted-looking service stations. At this time of day, the highway stretched before us as we rode in the strobe of streetlamps.
Parrish really poured on the speed when we turned off onto the county road, seeming to delight in my panicked clutches at his stomach as he wove around hairpin curves and up and down rolling hills.
Moonlight bathed the pa.s.sing cornfields in silver and gray.
Thanks to Sebastian"s wards, Parrish drove right past the farmstead. I yelled over the roar of the engine for him to turn around, and he did, even though he nearly drove past it a second time. After he cut the power and toed the kick-stand into place, he asked, "This is the place?"
I saw it now with magical eyes. The image of the abandoned house floated like a ghost over the brightly painted clapboard exterior. "Yes, he"s using wards to deceive you."
"Wards?" Parrish stayed on the bike as though he was tempted to leave in a hurry. "He"s a Warlock?"
Remembering Sebastian"s preference, I corrected, "Alchemist. Remember, that"s why the Vatican is after him."
"Ah." There was something of a sneer in Parrish"s tone, as if he thought Sebastian too hoity-toity for his own britches.
I started to head toward the door and then remembered the last time I walked in somewhat uninvited.
More than wards guarded the house. If I wanted to get to my d.a.m.n backpack, I was going to have to get past Benjamin, the poltergeist.
"Oh, c.r.a.p," I muttered.
"What?" Maybe it was the nearness of dawn, but Parrish sounded jumpy.
"There"s an attack ghost attached to the house."
"You can"t possibly be serious."
And Benjamin might like me less now that I"ve slept with his master and violated his sanctum to boot. Or maybe Sebastian had instructed Benjamin to keep his distance. "Only one way to find out," I said, and marched resolutely toward the door.
As I walked, I unfurled my magical senses, reaching to unlock them with each step that brought me closer to the decrepit/well-maintained porch. Tangled weeds shimmered and became orderly rows ofrosebushes and pansies, then, with a blink, appeared to be c.o.c.klebur and milkweed once again.
My body tensed into full-alert mode as I mounted the creaky steps. I closed my eyes and let my magical senses guide me to the door, which, in my mind, pulsed with a dark violet hex of warning. I reached through it carefully and put my hand on the doork.n.o.b.
Only to find it locked.
Seventh House
KEYWORDS:.
Wrath, Contracts, b.i.t.c.hiness
"What"s wrong?" Parrish"s voice startled me. He"d come up behind me to peer nervously at the door.
Magic apparently made him twitchy, because I could almost feel him holding back the urge to look over his shoulder. "I saw a flash of purple sparks, and now you"re standing next to a brand-new door."
My magical senses showed that the hex had broken where my hand touched the k.n.o.b. I shrugged. "I"m surprised. The wards are easy to break," I said. "But we"re screwed; the door"s locked."
He laughed. "That"s something I can handle. Do you want him to know there was a forced entry or not?"
"Not."
Parrish turned on his heel and headed back to the bike. At first I wondered if he was going to take a running leap at the door, but he rooted around in his saddlebags for a moment instead. I watched him pull out something that looked like a power drill, though I couldn"t see it very clearly in the darkness. He was fitting something on the tip as he came back up the stairs. He saluted me with the jagged bit, before placing it in the lock. "Daniel Parrish, thief c.u.m locksmith, at your service."
The power drill-like thing clattered in the lock for a second. Parrish fiddled and clattered some more.
Removing the tool, he put his hand on the k.n.o.b, and the door swung open smoothly. "After you, m"lady."
I gave him a playful poke on the shoulder. "You just want to makeme deal with the ghost."
He raked his fingers through his wind-tangled curls and blanched a bit. "d.a.m.n straight."
"I had no idea you had such a magical phobia."
"Magic is outside of my realm of understanding," he said simply. "I can"t see it. I have no control over it.
Yet it is part of my very fiber. It"s... well, freaky."
"You dated me." He gave me a sarcastic smirk. "You were part of my immersion therapy."
"Nice."
I"d not yet crossed the threshold. Deciding I couldn"t delay any longer, I took a deep breath and stepped inside.
Parrish, my brave protector, backed up to the edge of the porch stairs.
Touching a hand to my womb, I coaxed Lilith from Her slumber. A twinge, heavy, deep inside told me she"d begun to stir into wakefulness. Behind me, I heard Parrish take in a sharp breath. I glanced around wildly but saw no sign of Benjamin. My backpack sat under the coat rack, right next to my foot, however, so I looped the strap around my shoulder and took a backward step out the door. I shut it with a firm click.
Putting a hand, palm up, an inch from the door, I retraced the lines of the hex mark. I poured my own energy into it, and the color shifted into a slightly bluer shade. Then I rubbed my stomach gently as I slowly closed down my magical talents. One by one, I released the elements I"d drawn to me, and inwardly, I felt Lilith groan in disappointment as she settled restlessly back into sleep.
Kneeling on the porch, I quickly opened the secret compartment of my bag. I counted out five one hundred dollar bills and handed them to Parrish. "This ought to pay for a nice hotel for a few nights."
He looked at the money, and I thought for a moment he might protest. With a shake of his head, he tucked it into his pocket. "I owe you."
"It"s a gift. Just get yourself somewhere safe before the sun comes up."
He checked his watch. "Then we"d better go."
Parrish raced back to my place like a banshee out of h.e.l.l. I thought I saw the speedometer top off at a hundred and twenty plus, so I squeezed my eyes shut to the driving wind and tried not to think about what would happen if I simply let go of him. The fear of being thrown off was very present on my mind, since the air tore at my pack, trying to rip it from my shoulders and me from the bike.
I kept thinking that our little breaking and entering escapade had been entirely too easy. Where had Benjamin been? It seemed entirely possible that the ghost had the same allergy to sunlight that Parrish suffered, but we still had an hour before dawn. Last time I"d had a sort of key: Sebastian"s business card.
Then the door had been open, and Sebastian had been at home. Even so, Benjamin had tried to kill me.
What stopped him this time?
Sebastian had said something about the full moon making the ghost more agitated, and, while that had just barely pa.s.sed, I still would have thought Benjamin would have made an appearance, especially considering that Parrish could qualify as a real threat, being another vampire, a stranger, and all that.
Benjamin"s absence made me worry about Sebastian for some reason. With Benjamin"s guard down, I found myself wondering if Sebastian was okay.
Then I wondered if I should care. I mean, when last I saw Sebastian he was tearing into Feather like shewas some kind of rare steak.
I chewed my lip. I would just feel better, I told myself, if I knew where he was.
Parrish gave me a hurried kiss after he dropped me off in front of my apartment. The sky had just begun to lighten to indigo. Trees took on the hint of dimension, becoming blacker silhouettes against blue. Birds chattered in earnest. I couldn"t remember the last time I"d been up this early, or awake this late. I"d forgotten how noisy sparrows were just before the sun came up.
I hefted my bag further onto my shoulder. I could still hear the faint roar of Parrish"s motorcycle in the distance, and I wondered if I should"ve gone with him. The Vatican was bound to make its appearance again soon. I reminded myself of my resolve to stay and fight. I"d ward the bejesus out of this place, and then I"d let Lilith eat them for breakfast.
After dropping my bag just inside the door, I fed Barney some kibbles. As she twined around my legs, I started the coffeepot perking. I"d need some magical supplies for a good, solid warding. My apartment was generally protected against ethereal bad vibes, which clearly hadn"t done anything to slow down the Vatican-although since no one had died, you could say the spell worked exactly as intended.
Coffee steam filled the kitchen as Barney crunched her dry food. The first reddish light of dawn shone through the tower windows. Transition. A powerful time for any spell. From my bedroom altar, I grabbed my athame, a velvet pouch containing sea salt, and a gla.s.s herb jar of High John the Conqueror root.
So equipped, I headed back downstairs and outside. The air still held a touch of coolness, but the sun had already begun to warm the day.
I stood in the center of the narrow porch, directly in front of the door. Facing outward, toward the street, I cradled the athame in front of my chest. I let out a breath, intending to start deepening my consciousness, and found myself staring at Sebastian"s car.
I closed my eyes, trying to visualize the elements, but my brain focused on one thing: he was going to get a ticket if he parked there much longer. My neighborhood was permit-parking only. Worse, it seemed like a major beacon to the Vatican that Sebastian was still here-even though he wasn"t.
While Iwas trying to prepare for their inevitable return, I didn"t want to open the door only to get nailed by their bowman because they were expecting a vampire. Okay, I probably wouldn"t be quite so welcoming to them this time around, but the point was still valid. I didn"t want the agents to be coming on any stronger than need be. My element of surprise was Lilith. Thanks to Sensitive they were expecting me to have some kind of serious magical firepower, but I didn"t think they knew exactly whom they were dealing with. Even so, she wouldn"t do me any good if I were already dead.
My concentration completely ruined, I decided to move Sebastian"s car. The keys were still in it; after all, I"d seen them on the front seat earlier. I"d stow it a couple of blocks down, where the parking was less restricted.
I noticed that there was a figure now slumped in the front seat. Though his head pressed into the steering wheel and black hair shrouded his face, I recognized Sebastian.
I knocked on the window. His head twitched as though he wanted to lift it but couldn"t. I pulled at the latch. I"d been expecting it to be locked, so I wasn"t ready when the door swung open easily andSebastian nearly tumbled out. I grabbed his shoulder just in time. Baring his fangs, he... well, what can I say? He hissed at me, like a cat.
Sebastian looked sick. He still wore the black trench coat he"d donned for our date, but he"d lost the tie. His white oxford was missing a couple of b.u.t.tons. It was bloodstained and torn. One of the shirttails had come untucked. His usually neat hair was unbound, and it fell in lanky strands in front of his wild, animalistic eyes.
"Help me," he croaked, clutching my jacket with both hands. "Please, Garnet."
"What"s wrong?" Could it still be the loss of blood? From what I could see, his stomach had healed.
"The sun," he said, squinting at the bright rays poking through the clouds.
The sun? I gaped at him stupidly. His plea sounded like he"d cribbed it from a B movie. Anyway, daylight wasn"t supposed to be a problem for Sebastian.
"Please," he begged again. He looked truly frantic. I could see the damage the sun had already done.
Black patches dotted his face. The skin under his eyes and under his cheeks had sunken.
Even so, considering his behavior earlier with Feather, I should have probably slammed the car door and abandoned him to his fate. I guess I"m a soft touch when it comes to vampires in need. I gave his shoulders a gentle shove in the direction of the pa.s.senger side. "Fine," I said, trying to sound grumpy.
"Move over."