Chapter 25

We never met the owner of the jet; Celia arranged the whole thing for us. We drove to a private airstrip just outside Savannah and left the bikes there, climbed aboard the plane, and in under ten minutes we were in the air.

"How long to NOLA?" Easter asked the one flight attendant.

The woman blinked huge eyes at us. Abnormal for sure, but I said nothing.

Her voice was breathy and soft. "A little over three and a half hours. The weather is good, so there is no need to worry about delays."

Three and a half hours. We'd be in just before five in the evening. Was it early enough? I honestly didn't know.

Which is why I laid myself down across a section of the seats and went to sleep. Ruby lay on the floor next to me, and I let my hand dangle so I could touch her. Easter was already out. I had no reason to trust that Celia woman, except . . . except she knew my grandmother.

I slept solid for the first three hours, and then drifted into that place of in-between, tugged there by someone I loved.

He'd gotten taller. "Bear."

"Mama," he whispered and threw himself into my arms. I hugged him tight as his smaller frame shook. But not so much smaller now. His head tucked into the crook of my neck and shoulder.

"I'm almost . . . I'm almost ready to come for you. Are you okay?"

He struggled to breathe. "It's hard. It's so hard." Tear tracks stained his face.

I cupped his face with my hands. "Hang on, baby. You can do this. I know you can."

"You're killing the ones, the ones who took you from us?" His eyes searched mine and I nodded.

"Yes. The ones who have hurt so many abnormals. I have to stop them." I kept my hands on him, knowing that what I was about to say was unfair, but there was no choice. "If . . . if I fail, Bear . . . you are the only other ascendant."

He closed his eyes.

I told him everything he would have to do. The spell. The gun. The spell caster. The demon.

I told him so that the world would have a chance if I failed.

"You won't fail, Mom." He pulled me into a hug. "I know you won't. Burn them. Burn them all."

I kissed his forehead and the plane bumped as we landed, jarring me out of the foggy space. There was no rage in me now, just sorrow. A deep, deep well of sorrow that I could not deny.

"Thank you for flying with us," the attendant said in that oh-so-soft voice. Ruby woofed at her, and she bent and rubbed the dog's head, surprising me. She smiled. "I love dogs."

I kept moving, pulled out the phone and stared at it. Either Killian was in trouble, or there was nothing he could have pulled off.

I dropped the phone back into my pocket. "Easter, we're about thirty minutes from the house. We'll head there now and do the spell."

"You need another gun," Dinah said. "Or a weapon of some sort."

I nodded. "I know. I've got a plan."

Easter didn't ask how we were going to get there, or what we'd do if we got there and it was too late.

I pulled up the phone again and clicked on the Uber button. The owner of the phone had an account linked, and I had an Uber waiting for us in a matter of minutes.

The driver was . . . chatty. "That's one of the old slaver's mansions, isn't it? You doing one of the haunted tours? They do some really great special effects. Looks like a demon coming out of the fireplace!" He laughed and I shared a quick look with Easter.

She shook her head. "Humans are fucking stupid. Messing around in that place."

The driver laughed. "Humans? What are you two pretty ladies? Abnormals?" He laughed again, and then looked into the back and got a good eyeful of resting bitch face times two. "Oh."

"Drive," I said. "As if your life depended on getting us there in as short a space of time as possible." And then I smiled.

He hit the gas and we were all but screaming through the streets. The sweat was visible along the back of his neck.

"You really know how to motivate people," Dinah said. "Something I've always loved about you."

I put my hand over her. "Romano always had a secret stash of weapons in every place he went. They should be in the office, in the wall behind a picture."

"You think they will still be there?" Easter asked.

"I'm betting on it," I said. "I was the only one who knew about the stashes, because he wanted me to have access to more weapons if I had to protect him. The codes in the safe were always the same. 666999."

"And you're telling me . . ." Easter left it hanging.

"Just in case." Just like I'd told Bear what he'd have to do if I fell at the last hurdle. Just in case.

I didn't like contingency plans. They felt too much like setting yourself up for failure. But in this case, there was too much riding on me. Too many variables.

Like pulling up to the now ‘Haunted house tours of New Orleans' and seeing easily a hundred people waiting to go in and get a scare. How many more were in the house? One human was one too many, especially when there were demons and abnormals about to have a showdown in the middle of said house.

"Dinah, get your flash bang on," I said. "We need to clear them out."

"Me too," grumbled Diego.

Easter laughed. "He's been muttering to me all this time about not getting used enough."

I rolled my eyes. Save me from insecure men. I was suddenly very glad I'd handed him off to Easter.

I stepped out of the Uber, held Dinah in the air and squeezed the trigger. The flash bang went off and the humans screamed, scattering around us. Stinking like fear and body odor, they ran, scattering like rats ahead of the water rising.

Ruby snarled at any who got too close to us. I strode forward to where the attendant crouched below her little window in the too-small ticket booth. "I suggest you leave too."

"Right, okay, please don't shoot me." She was shaking and trembling as she stumbled out of the booth, down the sidewalk and out of sight.

I stretched out my senses, searching for Killian, Emerald or Cowboy. They were inside.

Killian was . . . amused.

He met us in the foyer of the house. "I had a plan to clear out the humans," he said. "You couldn't wait?"

I shrugged. "My way was quicker."

The house was decked out as though it were Halloween and not the middle of summer. But then again, humans liked to be scared if they thought they were actually safe. I hurried up the two flights of stairs that led to the upper bedrooms, pushing past red tape and fake cobwebs. Seriously, this was a fucking mess. The walls were scorched with flame marks. Those were real at least.

The office was the last door on the right and I let myself in. Killian was right behind me. "What are you looking for?"

"A gun." I flipped back the pictures, but none had an indent behind them. "These aren't where they were originally." I placed my hands on the walls and started feeling along. "We don't have a lot of time."

"What am I feeling for?" he asked.

"A slight indent. When you push on it a false panel opens." I slid my hands across the wall as Easter yelled up from downstairs.

"We've got company!"

"Deal with it!" I yelled back. My finger dipped, and I pressed on the false panel. It popped open and the safe was just sitting there. I punched in the code and cranked the handle.

The two guns inside were replicas of Dinah and Eleanor, made to fit my hands. The same style of berretta, right down to the matte black coating.

"A match for me," Dinah said. "That's good. I wish it was a girl going into it, and not a slimy demon motherfucker."

I didn't disagree. "Let's get this shit done." Killian and I ran back downstairs, Ruby bounding ahead of us. I fully expected to see Gardreel there, his asshole fallen making their stand.

What I saw was Mario and a dozen abnormals.

But were they there to help us, or make my life miserable?

"Sister," he called out, "I'm here."

Yeah, that didn't say one way or the other. I steadied my stance, holding Dinah pointed downward, and the new gun steadied in my right.

"Whose side are you on, motherfucker?" Dinah yelled.

Mario's smile was immediate. "Isn't it obvious?"

"Cut the fucking games." I took a step toward him. "You've played both sides of the field. You here to help?"

"Make me a gun like yours, and I'm in." He rolled his shoulders. "Deal?"

I turned and walked into the house. "Guard the place. The fallen don't like hits that involve our abilities, so don't bother using your guns."

I made my way to the central part of the house where the massive fireplace had been. Still was, only now it was fixed up.

"We need Pete," Easter said. She, Emerald and Cowboy had pushed all the furniture and knick knack shit out of the room and bared the floor. Etched into the floor was a circle. And when I say etched, I mean literally etched into the stone.

Step one was done before we even needed it. "Pete said we need a sacrifice of some sort," I closed my eyes and reached for the Magelore. Startled when I felt him a hell of a lot closer than I'd expected.

"He's on his way. Should be here in minutes." I opened my eyes. Easter was staring past me in a way that had me spinning. Her eyes were narrow and her mouth drawn into a thin line.

Gardreel stood there, Eligor at his side, his head down.

"I'm sorry," my handler whispered.

I didn't move. We hadn't heard anything, there had been no fighting. No sounds of battle. I frowned. "Angel dust?"

Gardreel tipped his head. "I find it is most effective to use what works. Lucky for you, I did not have enough on hand for anyone but my friend, Mario, and his people."

"What do we do?" Emerald whispered.

Gardreel tipped his head so he could look at her. "You, young demon, did me a great service. I could not get the spell I needed from the old Magelore. Vivian was very . . . difficult and then she escaped. But you just handed it over to my right-hand man. Very well done."

Even though I already knew that we'd been duped, it still brought a level of rage to the surface that was difficult to contain.

Fuck it. I wasn't going to contain the rage, not at this point. I snapped Dinah up and shot Eligor in the belly. He grabbed at his guts and stumbled toward me.

I grabbed his head and threw him into the circle, his blood spraying. "Thanks. We needed him."

The blood spread quickly, as Eligor moaned, "No, no, don't do this." He tried to crawl out of the circle and I shot him again in the shoulder.

"Stay down, Eligor," I snapped.

Calling up Bazixal . . . I didn't have the words, I knew I didn't. But I also knew he wanted me. Was obsessed with me. Pete was too far away, and Gardreel was in the way. "Bazixal, you miss me, motherfucker? Come say hello. If you dare." I tucked the new gun into my waistband, and pulled a knife, slashing it across my upper forearm. Blood dripped to the floor and absorbed into the stone.

Gardreel threw his head back and laughed. "You think that will work?"

Just for fun I shot him in the throat. "I am sick of you speaking."

Dinah shivered in my hand. "Oh, that was a good shot. I felt it all the way to my lady balls."

I turned sideways so I could keep an eye on him, and an eye on the fireplace. And then I took a step backward so that I was inside the circle with Eligor. The second my blood hit the floor inside the circle, the fireplace exploded with a massive gout of flame, black and gold.

The heat was intense, and it took all I had to keep my eyes open. "Be ready, Easter!"

She had the spell, and I was bringing the demon to her.

Gardreel grappled with his throat. No words, no binding demons for him. I gave him a wink. "See what I did there? Bazixal always did like me best."

Bazixal, coated in flames, stepped out of the fireplace, dressed all in black. His eyes were black pits that echoed bits and pieces of fire. He was tall, easily seven feet, limbs corded with heavy muscle. He was different than the last time I'd seen him.

He stepped into the circle with me, and I struggled not to step back as he made his way around. "A sacrifice of a fallen? Lovely. I will take him. What is it you want, Phoenix? I must say," he paused and I found myself staring hard at him, "I am surprised to find you, of all people, calling on me."

I narrowed my eyes. "Enough talk. You want to live out here? Have a chance to hurt people?"

"Ah, yes." He sighed. "You want me to help you with killing Gardreel, correct?"

"Yes," I said as Dinah squirmed in my hand. I held a finger along the length of her barrel. I didn't need her help, and I certainly did not need her mouth right then.

Bazixal sighed again. "I would . . . if I could. But I cannot. You see, Gardreel would help cleanse the world. Stop all the humans from thinking they rule this place." He swept his hand up and around and I realized then why he looked different.

He'd taken on aspects of my father. From the clothes to the way of speaking. Even to the heavily muscled body. A shiver went through me.

"You recognize me now? Do you like what I did with him?" He leaned closer so that I could see into his eyes. I could see the souls in him, writhing. Fighting to get free. Eligor was about to be one of those. My father was likely in there somewhere.

"You could have done better," I said. "Found someone better to emulate."

He snapped back, "I will be free. But not with you, Phoenix." He'd circled around me, and I'd followed. Keeping the biggest threat in my line of sight.

Gardreel hit me from behind, throwing me out of the circle.

I rolled as I hit the ground and came up, firing solidly into Gardreel. He ducked and dodged, and Dinah snarled as we missed time and again.

"Fucking feather brain!" she screamed.

"Such language. I always did like her," Bazixal said and then held up a hand. A shimmering wave of black and gold flames slid between us, and the bullets bounced off. "But I am done with you. Brother, let us make this world new again."