"Thank you, Antonio, that"s very sweet of you," Joy said, smiling smugly at Roxy.
Roxy rolled her eyes. "He"s just being nice to you because anyone can see you"re about to explode. I want in on this, too; you can"t palm off some stay-at-home job on me. I"m very good in a tight place; I"ve had self-defense training. I was tops in my cla.s.s with the bottle of Mace. I bet I could take down at least a couple of this Trust"s goons."
"There will be no taking down of anyone, no Mace, and no violence. My company specializes in nonlethal security, and I do not want to jeopardize its reputation because of a trigger-happy vigilante."
Raphael told her. We all nodded, even Jem, who had dropped the chains and torn clothing, and was now clad in a pinstripe suit and talked like he was a cross between a character from Tom Jones and The G.o.dfather.
"Maces are very old-fashioned," Antonio commiserated with Roxy. "No one uses them anymore. I prefer a rapier, myself. It is very deadly, yet always looks stylish."
She blew him a kiss. I frowned at both of them. "Christian and I talked this all out and we have a plan. If you will let us tell it, you"ll see where each of you fits into it."
"I don"t have to stay at home with the beached whale, do I?" Roxy asked suspiciously.
"That"s it; you"re off the list as G.o.dmother," Joy answered, trying to cross her arms over her belly but not succeeding.
"Expectant mothers should never be referred to as sea mammals," Esme scolded. Jem sn.i.g.g.e.red.
"No, you do not need to stay at home with Joy if you don"t want to, although I happen to think she looks charming," I answered. Joy beamed at me. "It"s really a simple plan, and I think you"ll agree that we have all the bases covered."
Everyone looked at us expectantly.
Go ahead; I"ll let you tell it, since it was mostly your plan.
How very gracious of you.
Don"t push your luck. I"m still ticked off about that "locked in a room" comment.
Three hours and thirty-two minutes later four of us stormed the ARMPIT offices, clad in jumpsuits and ventilation hats labeled with the name of a natural-gas company, Raphael in the lead with a clipboard and an extremely officious manner. Aided by Christian, master of the mind push, we had the offices cleared out in just a couple of minutes.
"That was fun." Roxy giggled as the last secretary dashed out the door, under the mistaken impression that a gas leak was about to cause an explosion of a catastrophic nature. She pulled off her ventilator and smiled at Christian. "That Vulcan mind-meld thingy of yours sure does come in handy. I bet you could make a killing at the racetrack, eh?"
I grabbed her arm and pushed her toward a row of filing cabinets. "Stop hitting on Christian; you"re married."
She grinned and saluted me. We scattered around the offices, combing through both paper and computer files for anything that might lead us to the two houses the trust owned in London.
"Hey, is this something? It"s a receipt for some temperature-controlled wine vault."
"Wine vault?" Christian looked up from the computer on Guarda"s desk and came out into the outer office. "Guarda does not strike me as the type of person who appreciates fine wines."
We all huddled around to look at the receipt.
"It"s in the bas.e.m.e.nt," I pointed out.
"And has a steel-lined door and reinforced walls," Raphael mused. "Unusual, that. More like a bunker than a wine vault."
"What"s the address?" I asked.
"It"s to the north. Hmmm. Might be worth a look."
Raphael and Christian exchanged glances, something I immediately put a halt to.
"Don"t even begin to think what you"re thinking," I shook my finger at Christian, pulling on my coat and s.n.a.t.c.hing the receipt from Roxy"s hand. "It"s all of us or none. Your choice."
"I"d prefer it if someone stayed behind with Joy," Raphael started to say.
"We left her the ghosts; they"ll let us know if anyone tries anything." I pushed past Raphael and headed out the door at a fast clip, or at as fast a clip as I could get my wonky leg to move. After consulting with a map of the city, we piled into Raphael"s car and headed north.
The city quickly turned into bustling suburbia, then into a prosperous neighborhood of tall town houses. Respectability dripped from every eave, leaving me vaguely surprised that Guarda had chosen such a quiet, sedate suburb to use as her ghost and vampire storage facility. Raphael pulled up in front of one of a line of houses pleasantly situated on a street that curved along a gentle crescent.
"That"s number eighteen, down there. The one on the end."
We all looked where Raphael was pointing. The house looked no different from any others on the street.
"Doesn"t look very creepy, does it?" Roxy asked.
"Which just makes it all that much more chilling," I answered as I got out of the car. "Everyone know the plan? Roxy, you and Raphael create a distraction at the front door while Christian and I slip in the back way."
"Yeah, yeah, piece of cake. No one can create a scene like I can." She grinned.
"An understatement if I ever heard one." Raphael groaned, but allowed her to grab his arm and drag him off toward the door to number eighteen.
Christian took my hand and tugged me down a narrow alley that ran behind the crescent.
You will conform exactly to our plan, mal valleenik. You will not try to rescue Sebastian by yourself.
We dodged trash cans and parked cars, eventually coming to the back of the last house on the row. The tiny garden was sodden with the incessant rain, water squelching into my boots. I glanced up at the house, shivering at the dark, blank look of the windows. The house felt guarded, as if it were used to holding secrets inside and never allowing them out. Somewhere in there was a Dark One, kept weak and barely alive for who knew what nefarious purpose. "I"ve already promised you three times I won"t endanger myself, Christian. Just remember to stick to your part and don"t get any ideas about throwing yourself between me and any danger we run into. If I need help, you will be the first person I ask for it."
His sigh brushed my mind as he waved a hand at the back door. It clicked open. My next Beloved is going to be a mild, sweet-tempered woman who will never question me, and will not give me one moment"s concern.
He slipped through the door with me right behind him. We were in a semidark small room, a mudroom by the looks of it. Discarded boots littered the floor, and musty-smelling coats hung haphazardly from a row of pegs on the wall. Christian froze for a moment at the door, the sound of Roxy"s high-pitched yelling counterpointed by the rumble of Raphael"s ba.s.s clearly audible even in the back of the house. Bless Roxy, it sounded like she was out there giving birth to a wildcat. If her histrionics didn"t attract everyone within hearing distance, I"d be an imp"s aunt. Without even turning back to wave good-bye, Christian melted into the shadows and headed toward what I a.s.sumed was the door to the bas.e.m.e.nt stairs.
I peered around the dim light of the kitchen to make sure it was empty, then laid my hand against the wall and stood for a moment, opening my mind up to the house. The spirit I was after was being held upstairs, in a small attic room. On the floor below me I could feel Christian as he searched for his friend.
Christian?
Yes, Beloved? I smiled into the gloom of the kitchen as I started up a dark, uncarpeted stair, Roxy"s voice echoing through the house as she accused someone of trying to cop a feel.
Your next Beloved isn"t going to love you nearly as much as I do.
I grinned at the stunned silence that followed my statement.
We are going to have a talk when this is over, Allegra. A long, long talk. Preferably in the bathtub.
Be careful, Christian. Whoever it was who helped Eduardo and Guarda trap Sebastian is not going to treat you with kid gloves. You might be a bossy, arrogant sort of vampire, but you"re my bossy, arrogant vampire and I don"t want anything happening to you.
He smiled into my mind. You are my Beloved. You mean more to me than my life. I will do everything within my power to do as you command.
I figured that was about as good as I was going to get. Roxy"s voice took on a new level of stridency as I limped to the top of the stairs, then started up the second flight. By the time I reached the top of the third flight, my leg was screaming. The wards I"d sketched around me glowed a soft green, indicating that something demonic was in the house.
Everything okay? I checked with Christian.
Yes. I have located the wine vault. The door is locked and warded, but I believe I will be through it shortly. You have not seen anyone?
Not a soul, I thought, then gave a mental grimace as I hurried toward the room that held the ghost. I just hope Roxy can keep them busy a little bit longer. Let me know if you need help with the wards.
Follow the plan, Christian replied sternly. No deviations. No unauthorized rescues. I will not have your safety compromised.
I rolled my eyes at the empty hallway, and tried the middle door on the left. It was open.
Unfortunately, it was also occupied.
"Allegra Telford," Guarda said from where she sat in the corner.
"Why am I not surprised?" Phillippa asked, standing to one side of the ghostly figure of a small girl. She had her back to me, so I couldn"t see much other than that she was dressed in ankle boots, stockings, and an elaborate knee-length salmon-colored skirt that gathered over a small bustle.
"Maybe you"re psychic," I answered, then regretted smart-mouthing her. I swung the door open and smiled a shark smile at both of them. "Well, it"s been lovely, but I really have to be..."
The ghost turned to look at me. Her expression of despair rivaled that which I felt in Christian. Clearly here was a ghost who wanted to be Released, but who was trapped, forced to remain here, called forth by either Phillippa or Guarda and refused the deliverance she was due.
"Honoria, go to your keeper," Guarda commanded as she rose from her chair. The little ghost"s eyes turned to a ratty cloth doll; then she disappeared. A little zing of hope quivered in my mind as my fingers automatically began tracing wards in the doorway behind me. "As for you, Allegra Telford, the time has come for you to understand just who you have set yourself against. Phillippa?"
The hermit nodded and slipped out the door behind me. I didn"t have long; I knew Phillippa had been sent to fetch Eduardo, who was no doubt at the front of the house trying to deal with Roxy and Raphael.
Christian?
"You realize, of course, that by coming here you have given yourself into our power."
I felt his concentration as he struggled to unmake the wards on the wine vault door. I am almost through the door.
Good. I found the ghost. I should have her in a couple of minutes, but then all h.e.l.l"s going to break out. Can you get Sebastian out by yourself?
He frowned into my mind. I can, but acquiring the spirit is not according to our plans, Allegra. What are you hiding from me?
"We are too strong for you. It would be better if you came to us willingly, but if it is not to be"-Guarda shrugged-"we will take you by force."
I set up another level of guards in my mind between Christian and Guarda. Yeah, well, I didn"t plan on falling in love with a vampire, either, but sometimes you just have to deal with what life hands you.
"Why are you torturing that poor child? Why don"t you Release her? What can you possibly hope to learn from a little bitty ghost like that?" I asked Guarda, more to keep her from discovering I was talking to Christian than to hear her answers.
You are up to something, the silky, suspicious voice slid through my mind. I cannot stop now to investigate, but you will remember what you have promised. Your safety comes first.
"The poor child is a spirit, a mere memory of a human life. It has no feelings."
"You know what?" I asked, tipping my head to the side and gathering power until it glowed hot in my hands. "I think you"re the one without any feelings. Which makes me regret this not at all."
Guarda frowned, falling right into my trap. "Regret what?"
I lunged forward, slamming the power held in my hands straight into her face, sending her flying backward until she hit the wall. Her head cracked painfully on a wooden shelf as she slid down, slumping in an untidy heap on the floor. I wasn"t sure if it was the overload of my power shorting out hers, or being knocked unconscious that disabled her, but I didn"t stop to question the situation. From somewhere on a floor below me I heard a shriek.
"Drat it all; she"s got a sympathetic link to Phillippa. I might have known." I grabbed the doll keeper, stuffing it under my sweater as I spun on my good leg to race down hall toward the back stairs.
Noise erupted from the front of the house.
I hope you have that door open, because you"re going to have company any second now! I warned Christian.
He didn"t answer, and I didn"t have the time to probe further. As I hit the second floor running, a dark shadow to my left lunged toward me. My wards glowed gold and white, allowing me to grab the banister and throw myself down the stairs without the ARMPIT flunky getting a grip on me. He was close behind me, though, panting heavily as he thundered down the stairs after me.
I flung myself off the last couple of steps, my weak leg buckling beneath me and sending me crashing painfully to the ground. The ARMPIT tripped over me, and went flying. I stumbled to my feet, holding tight to the front of my coat, the wards around me lit up in brilliant emerald. Beyond me, the door to the bas.e.m.e.nt was suddenly blown off its hinges, the percussion from the blast deafening the shrieks and screams from the front of the house. I kicked at the ARMPIT as he grabbed for me, limping hard toward the back door, glancing behind me to make sure Christian was following.
A tall, handsome man with filthy dark blond hair and sunken eyes staggered from the bas.e.m.e.nt. He was dressed in rags, his emaciated body thin, far too thin for any human to survive. He stumbled and clutched a chair as he tried to walk toward me.
"Sebastian?"
He looked up, his face gray and gaunt.
"Beloved," was all he said, the word a whisper so faint I hardly heard it.
"Yes, I"m Christian"s Beloved," I said, limping toward him.
"No, you don"t!" the ARMPIT yelled, lumbering to his feet. "That"s ours! You can"t have it!"
I s.n.a.t.c.hed up the teakettle sitting on the counter and hurled it at his head, lacing the kettle with my last remaining dollop of power. The ARMPIT never stood a chance.
"Come on quickly; we"re out of time," I said as I shoved my shoulder under Sebastian"s arm and tried to hurry him toward the door. "We have to get out of here now, before the triumvirate-"
The air within the house shuddered.
"Too late." I groaned, half dragging the vampire to the door. A wave of power slammed into me, ramming me up against the counter. I struggled for breath, struggled to hold on to Sebastian as wave after wave of pain rolled through me. My wards were gone, dissolved under the strength of the triumvirate"s power. Sebastian started to fall, clawing at the counter. I wrapped my hand into the shredded cloth that covered his back and fought my way through the pain to make it the last few steps to the door. I knew if I could just get us beyond the boundary of the house, the triumvirate"s power would be significantly lessened. The door was warded, but I"d seen the ward before. I half held Sebastian as I untraced it, gritting my teeth against the agony that racked me, sick with the stench of demons. My strength was draining quickly, the last reserves being used to hold Sebastian up and keep me standing against the force of the triumvirate"s continuous attack. With a sob that was more than a little mingled with prayer, I freed the ward and clutched at the door, dragging Sebastian through it into the black rain outside.
The windows above our heads shattered, tiny bits of gla.s.s pinging around us on the paving stones as a soundless roar of anger filled the night.
"Come on," I cried to Sebastian as I pulled him to his feet, my voice a croak of pain. "We have to get out of here."
Stumbling over what seemed like every stone, falling twice into the mud and rain-soaked gra.s.s, I managed to navigate Sebastian through the tiny garden, down the alley toward the place Raphael had left his car. Halfway there Roxy appeared out of the shadows.
"G.o.d almighty, you"re covered in blood."
"Grab his other side," I said in a gasp, my breath a sharp stab in my side. "I can"t hold him up much longer."
She hurried around him and took a bit of his weight, and together we got him step by painful step down the alley until we were at Raphael"s car. Sebastian fell into the backseat, Roxy beneath him as she tried to pull him in. Raphael ran down the road toward us, several ARMPITs in close pursuit.
"Get in the car," he roared at me as I stood looking back down the alley.
"I can"t; Christian isn"t here."
"Get in the d.a.m.ned car!"
I shook my head and stepped away from the open door. "Christian hasn"t come out yet."