The cell phone vibrated, startling me so much I almost dropped it. Incoming call, read the screen. Unknown.
I slowed, torn between curiosity and caution. If I answered and heard Demetriuss voice on the other line, it would confirm all my suspicions. But what if it was Zach? I could really use the Archons help, and for all I knew, Zach contacted Adrian by phone; not to mention unknown would be a damn good description of where his calls were routed from.
I hit Accept but didnt say anything, hoping whoever was on the other line would speak first.
I hit Accept but didnt say anything, hoping whoever was on the other line would speak first.
My gamble paid off.
Ivy. Adrians voice was hoarse from anger or urgency. Dont go in there alone. Dont
I hit the End button so hard, it cracked the screen. Then I threw the phone down, as if that would further sever the connection between us. Still, the forest seemed to fill with Adrians presence, until I could swear that the breeze ruffling through the trees was whispering his name.
Leave me alone! I yelled, sinking to the ground next to his phone. You were going to betray me, so I had to do it.
Saying it didnt make me feel any better. Believing it hurt almost as much as hoping I was wrong. If I was, Id ruined any chance between us by doing the one thing Adrian had managed not to do, despite heaven and hell telling him he had no choice. He wouldnt forgive me for that. No one would, myself included.
With a hard swipe at the tears filling my eyes, I grabbed the phone, got up and started to run again. Right or wrong, Id made my choice. Whether Adrian intended to stop me or betray me, he knew where I was headed, so I didnt have much time.
Last time Id seen the Paulson bed-and-breakfast, autumn leaves had been swirling around the lovely white house. Now, all the trees were bare and a dark, decrepit shell hung over the B and B, like the negative of a double-exposed photo. It didnt vanish after a couple blinks, either. It stayed, mute testament to how much my abilities had grown.
Thats also why I could now see words carved into the side of the house, like LEAVE! HELP! and DEMONS. Of course, no one else could see the warnings from people trapped in the other realm. Tourists who pulled up would only see a sign that said Welcome, Friends! on the portico over the front door.
I lurked at the far end of the yard, concealed by the trees that butted up against the foothills of the green mountains. Lights were on inside, giving off a warm amber glow, and two cars were in the gravel section where Id parked the first time I came here. The B and B had guests.
And I was going to crash the party.
I started taking off my clothes, not stopping until I was down to only boots and the itchy leather bikini that doubled as Hound straps. I put the clothes in the blanket with my other supplies and hefted it over my shoulder again. Then I ran toward the house. When I reached the front door, I tried the knob. Just like before, it was unlocked. Silently, I entered the house, trying to focus on the here instead of the dark, double image that showed a place far different than this one.
No one was in the parlor where Id first encountered Mrs. Paulson, but laughter came from farther down the hallway. I followed it, ending at the dining room. Two youngish-looking couples sat at the table, and for a frozen second as their heads swung toward me, no one moved.
Then screams coincided with the sound of chairs and other items crashing as they knocked things over in their panic to leave. I bared my teeth, hissing and waving my arms, hoping to scare them right into their cars. They needed to get out of here for more reasons than what Mrs. Paulson had probably been planning for them.
Not that the guests were grateful for my saving them. I had to dodge several plates one of the guys threw at me before he ran down the hallway. Finally, the woman Id been waiting for appeared, looking flustered as she entered the dining room.
What is going on Mrs. Paulson began, only to stop dead at the sight of me.
Dyate, she whispered.
chapter thirty-three
My grin mustve looked savage, because I felt every inch the fearsome creature she thought I was as I came toward her. The innkeeper looked like the same salt-and-ginger-haired old lady Id first met. She even still had on an apron, as if Id interrupted her while she was baking dessert, but out of the two of us, she was the real monster.
This bitch had delivered my sister to demons. Shed also sent Detective Kroger after me, and for all I knew, mightve been the person whod messed with the brakes on my parents car. I wanted her dead so badly, it burned. But first...
I dropped my sack when I was a few feet away. She still didnt move, following protocol on how to avoid being mauled by a Hound, but her gaze flicked to the sack in surprise. Guess she hadnt noticed it before, what with not expecting a hulking demon lizard to show up in her dining room. Then I pulled out the note Id written earlier, shoving it in front of her.
Take me to the gateway.
Her face puckered into a frown as she stared at it. I knew she could read what Id written; my note to Costa had proven that. My hope was that shed think I was a stray whod gotten separated from its handler, but that had a note telling whichever minion that found me to send me back home. As for the sack, well, dogs carried stuff sometimes. Maybe I shouldve held the sack in my teeth to look more Hound-like.
When her frown cleared and she looked at me with palpable hatred, I knew my plan had backfired.
Davidian, she hissed, yanking something out of her apron.
I lunged to the left when I caught sight of a barrel. Her first shot missed me by inches and her second one went over my head as I ducked. Then I charged, steamrolling into her, fueled by hatred and strength from a legacy I still didnt understand. She went down, the back of her head smacking against the tile floor. But she still didnt let go of the gun.
I yanked its barrel to the side just in time, sending the shot she fired into the wall instead of my stomach. Despite her aged appearance, she had a grip like a bear. Teeth like one, too. She tore into my shoulder, making me yelp with pained surprise. I couldnt get the gun free, yet I didnt dare let go of it to pull her mouth off me.
As if Adrian were whispering instructions into my ear, I suddenly knew what he would do. So I did it.
I threw myself forward, my momentum causing Mrs. Paulsons head to smack against the tile again. Her scream reverberated against my aching shoulder, yet she didnt let go of the gun or stop biting me. I flung forward several more times, ignoring how it drove her teeth deeper into my flesh. Finally, her grip on the gun loosened and I was able to yank it away. My shoulder throbbedId need a tetanus shot now, dammit!but my grip didnt waver when I pointed the gun in her face.
Wheres the gateway? I snapped, forgetting for a second that she couldnt understand me.
Mrs. Paulson spat at me, landing a disgusting glop on my cheek. I wiped it off with my other hand before grabbing the note that had fluttered to the floor near us.
Where? I said, shaking it at her.
She responded with a torrent of Demonish, some of which I recognized as more curse words. My jaw clenched. Adrian was on his way, and I didnt know whose side he was on, so I had to be gone before he arrived. That meant I couldnt waste any more time asking Mrs. Paulson nicely.
I lowered the gun and shot her in the arm. At this range, it blew a large chunk off, coating me in an instant spatter of red. She howled, her agonized writhing almost dislodging me, but I held on and shoved the note in front of her again.
Where? I yelled, putting the barrel to her leg next.
She didnt need to understand my words to translate the threat. In my office! she gasped. Please, no more!
Where? I yelled, putting the barrel to her leg next.
She didnt need to understand my words to translate the threat. In my office! she gasped. Please, no more!
She deserved more. So, so much more, but I didnt have the time or the stomach to give it to her. I hauled her up, planting the barrel of the gun into her side. She sagged, leaning against me so heavily, she almost toppled us over.
Show me, I said, jerking my head at the hallway.
Once again, she got the gist and began staggering down the hallway. From the quiet around us, we were now alone in the inn. Guess if a massive demon lizard hadnt been enough to scare the guests off, hearing several gunshots had done the trick.
Here, she said, leaning against the doorway to an office.
I couldnt see through to the dark realm here, but then again, I hadnt with any of the other gateways, either. Still, I wasnt going to take her word for it. I jabbed her harder in the side with the gun and shook the note for emphasis.
Where? I said, shoving her into the room.
Blood had turned her graying hair crimson, and more dripped from what was left of her upper arm, but she still managed to catch herself instead of falling. Again I was reminded that minions might look human, but they werent, so while Mrs. Paulson was acting weak and defeated, the bitch still had lots of fight left in her.
There, she said, pointing at the corner. Then she braced herself against her desk, as if she didnt have the strength to hold herself up on her own.
Sure she didnt. I kept the gun aimed at her as I went inside. The corner had a bookshelf on one side and an oil painting on the other. Certainly nothing that screamed Demon door! but when had any of them been helpfully marked? I stretched out my hand toward the center of the cornerand gasped when the blood coating it suddenly pulsed with an almost painful energy.
Adrian was right. It did feel like an electric shock, but only for the parts of me that Mrs. Paulson had bled on. Thats why Id done the most awful, unforgivable thing to him before I left him tied up and alone in that room.
Id bled him.
Adrian told me I needed minion, demon or Judian blood to cross through a gateway. I hadnt been sure if Mrs. Paulson would be here tonight, so Id taken precautions to ensure that I could get through the gateway anyway, and by precautions, I mean about two beer bottles worth of Adrians blood.