CHAPTER 16

Why does my head hurt so much? It feels like someone is hammering away inside of my skull to the point it’s making me sick to my stomach. The urge to hurl is so strong, I actually sit up and empty the contents of my stomach.

Scrambling back, I wipe my mouth with the back of my hand and try to figure out where I am. The last thing I remember is talking to Asher and RJ, and then…then it just goes black. Now, I’m here, sitting in the cold dark with my head killing me.

The dark, however, I can fix with a simple spell.

Imagining a glowing ball of light in my hand, I say, “Lux.”

In my hand now sits a bright, glowing ball of light illuminating the entire room. A bed rests against a wall, and a small desk and chair take up a corner. Other than that, there’s no other furniture in the room.

There are two doors. One probably leads outside, and the other might be a bathroom. Or something else entirely.

I feel groggy. I’m assuming the prick I felt was a tranquilizer. They got the drop on me, which is unusual in and of itself. Since the first night in foster care when I was attacked, I’ve never let anyone get the drop on me. Ever. I should have been watching the back. I can’t believe I was so stupid. What is wrong with me? I’ve been off for a while now, and I don’t know why.

Now, I’m here. RJ is God knows where, and Dan…Dan has to be going out of his mind. He’ll have pulled the footage from every camera in a ten-block radius around the shop, and chances are he’ll figure out who took us.

I can’t believe Gloria decided the best thing she could do is kidnap the one person who might actually be able to help her. I know what the creature looks like. So does she, now that she has a copy of my drawings, but a photo doesn’t express everything else I picked up in the vision of Mari’s death. The scent of the air, the emotions not only from Mari and her sire, but from the creature itself. All of those are clues as to what the thing is and where it can be found.

While I don’t want to help Gloria anymore, I can’t not help the other Supernaturals of Chicago. It’s not just vampires dying. A shifter was attacked. Who knows what other types of Supes have been targeted at this point?

But I’m getting ahead of myself. First, I need to get out of here.

Standing, I stretch, noticing how stiff I am. How long have I been here? And why am I on the floor instead of the bed? Rude. Kidnap a girl and don’t even have the good manners to make sure she’s comfortable. It takes me a second to feel like I’m standing on solid ground. My legs are a little shaky. Has to be the effects of whatever they drugged me with.

Looking around, there’s a light switch next to the door. I try it and, to my surprise, it works. Extinguishing my own light, I try the door and find it’s locked. Placing my hand in front of the door, I check it for wards. Not only are there wards, but they’re strong ones. Given enough time, I’ll get through them.

The other door yields a working bathroom, much to my bladder’s delight. Once I’ve taken care of that, I wash my face. The small shower and sink take up most of the space in here, and there are no hidden treasures to help me defend myself either. Soap, shampoo, towels, and washcloths are the only items available.

Whoever put this together wanted to make sure their prisoner had nothing to work with. Unfortunately for them, I grew up in foster care. I can improvise with anything.

Going back into the main room, I sit down at the desk. There are no drawers. It’s simply a desk. What’s the point if I have nothing to use it for? The bed, I can sleep in. The bathroom is a necessity, but why put a desk and chair in here? Useless.

There’s also probably a camera in here somewhere as well. It won’t be visible. Well, there might be a visible one if I look for it, but there should be hidden cameras as well. That’s what I’d do, anyway. Put one in the open for the captive to find and disguise the more important ones. It gives the hostage a sense of control where there really is none.

Not a lot I can do until Gloria decides to come talk to me, so I go sit on the bed, my back against the headboard, facing the door. I reach out and test the wards, being ever so gentle. Sometimes a witch can tell when his or her wards are being tinkered with. I build that honey trap into all of my wards.

So far, I’ve detected three big ones, two of which are death wards. Nasty little buggers, but not impossible. Silas taught me how to get around them. He’s faster than I am at disabling them, but I can. This may take all night, though. Or day. I’m not sure which.

“Ah, you’re awake.”

I don’t know the voice coming through the intercom.

“It seems you shook off the tranquilizer faster than we assumed.”

“We?”

I don’t raise my voice. They probably have microphones in here as well.

“Gloria and myself.”

“And you are?”

“I am the Judge.”

“The judge?”

He laughs. “Yes. I sit in judgement of those the Council of Elders feels has violated our laws.”

“And why are you here now?”

I don’t have to see him to know he’s smiling. It’s in his voice. “For you, of course.”

“And I’ve violated your laws?”

“No, child, you have not. When Gloria informed us of your unique ability, we had to come see for ourselves. There has not been a living reaper alive for hundreds of years.”

“You could have just come by the shop and introduced yourself. Was all this really necessary?”

“She told us you do not get in cars with strangers.”

“Stranger danger.”

“I do not know that saying.”

His speech is a mixture of a more formal English and a modern one, but I notice he does tend to slip in and out of the older version of the English language. Instead of saying “don’t,” he says “do not.” I wonder if he’s even aware of it. Kane does the same thing.

“It just means to assume any stranger is a danger to you. We learn it as children.”

“Hmmm…shame those lessons fade as you get older.”

He’s not wrong.

“So, Judge, how do I get out of this room?”

“Your husband is leading a charge against our brethren. Gloria had you taken to use as a bargaining chip with him.”

“Won’t work. He’ll kill her.”

“You think he could?”

“He carries the Sword of Truth. You tell me.”

Silence.

“That’s what I thought. If she wants to die, tell her to keep pressing her luck. It may not be today or tomorrow—heck, it may not even be this year—but he will find her, and she’ll die screaming.”

Well, there’s no screaming with the Sword. But I will make her scream before she’s judged.

“That Sword is a true judge.”

“It is. I’ve seen it work.”

“You are a Crane.”

“I am.”

“Your father is here in Chicago. He’s tearing the city apart looking for you.”

I expected nothing less.

“My poppet wants to meet you.”

“Poppet?”

“Yes, my…pet, for lack of a better word.”

I don’t like the sound of that. “Is she a vampire?”

“She is. One with her own unique gifts.”

Really don’t like where this is going.

“She can set you on fire with a simple touch.”

“Bring it. She’ll be dead before she gets close.”

He laughs. “Once the dead man’s blood is out of your system, I may let her play with you.”

That could be a problem. I’m stronger than I was, but I’m not immune to their mind control. After living through it, I never want to experience it again. Still, I’ve learned a few tricks.

“The walls are encased with iron. I’m told you’re not immune to it.”

“True enough.”

“Does it burn?”

“Yes.”

No point in lying to him.

“And the child? Will iron harm it?”

Child?

“What are you talking about?”

“You don’t know?” Surprise colors his voice. “You are with child, young one.”

Excuse me? Uh, no. I take birth control religiously.

“I would not lie to you. There’s no reason to.”

“You can’t possibly know that.”

“I can hear the heartbeat. It flies faster than yours.”

Crap on toast. No way. Nope. Not believing a word of it. Nope, nope, nope.

“I have given you a surprise. It’s good to know. It will give you incentive to do as you’re told to keep your babe safe. There are those of us here who would delight in draining the life from it. An unborn child’s soul is a feast to some of my kind. The most ancient of us only need to feed upon blood once a moon, but he does require the essence of a soul to sustain himself. He would give up a vote to get to the child of a Crane, and a living reaper at that.”

The more he speaks, the angrier I get. I’m not sure I believe him, but on the tiniest hint of a chance he’s telling the truth, no one is getting near this baby. I’ll tear them apart, molecule by molecule, until there’s nothing left.

“Your eyes have gone black.”

I take deep breaths and try to calm down.

“Why are your eyes black?”

“Because I’m part demon.”

“That is…how is that possible?”

“My mother’s family. They bred with demons.”

“The Dubois. Of course. We should have taken that into account. I will have food brought to you. You must keep yourself hydrated and nourished for your little one. The wards will come down, but if you do anything, then your very human friend will become a feast for those he’s inking.”

RJ.

“Where is he?”

“Working. I have people guarding him. But if you give me cause to reconsider that, I will. Is there anything in particular you want?”

“Cheese sandwich and orange juice.”

“That’s all?”

“That’s all.”

“Someone will bring you food shortly. I must discuss this new tidbit of information with the Council. Try to stay calm, Mrs. Crane.”

I don’t think I’ve ever been calmer in my life, but he doesn’t need to know that.

Could it be true? My hand lays flat against my abdomen. I haven’t been sick, but I have been tired. Excessively tired. I remember Nancy complaining about how tired she got. She told me she sometimes fell asleep at her desk while she was working the first four months of her pregnancy. But she was sick a lot too. I mean, constant sickness. It wasn’t relegated to only mornings. She threw up morning, noon, and night. And I haven’t been the least bit nauseated. I need to talk to Mrs. Cross. Mary’s mom will know.

Dan and I both said we weren’t ready to be parents. It’s why we’ve been so careful. And wouldn’t they have found this when I had my accident? I mean, they had to do surgery. They would have seen it. Unless it’s still a tiny embryo that was so small they didn’t detect it. They wouldn’t have been looking for a second heartbeat. They have to put those special heartbeat monitors on you, don’t they?

I don’t know.

But what I do know? If I am pregnant, they better hope and pray to whatever god they worship they stay away from me and mine.

“I don’t know if you’re real or not, Squishy, but if you are, I’m going to protect you with my life. No one is ever going to hurt you.”

Which is a promise I hope I can keep. They already think I’m an abomination. What about a baby that is part reaper, part god, part demon, can weld magic, and is the product of two Keepers of the Holy Swords? My God, my life just got even more complicated.

Zeke is going to want to lock us both up in an impenetrable tower.

I’m not sure he’d be wrong either.

I won’t have to worry about someone trying to murder my child. I’ll have to worry about someone trying to steal them. Why worry about what they might be able to do if you raise them and teach them in the way you want?

That’s not to say there won’t be those out there who won’t want my kid’s gifts. They’ll kill them, bleed them, and consume their powers through drinking its blood.

Just thinking about what Papa and my grandparents went through after I was taken is enough to give me severe anxiety thinking about my own kid. A kid who might not even be real. For all I know, the dead man’s blood has run out already, and they’re in my head as we speak. Can’t really tell with vampires.

But I can’t dismiss the idea either. I’m going to have to work off the idea this is real until I find out otherwise. And that means a part of me and Dan is nestled inside of me, depending on me to keep them safe.

“Not on my watch, Squishy. Your papa and grandpa won’t let anyone hurt you either.” I pat my stomach. “Don’t worry. Just sleep and stay safe.”

If you’re real.

But why would he lie? He’s right that he has no reason to. Unless it’s a way to mess with my head until the dead man’s blood wears off.

Either way, I’m prepared.

They’re all going to die.

That much, I know for certain.

Food first because I’m starving, and then I’ll work on taking down the wards. Then I find RJ, get him to safety, and burn this place to the ground. They’ll learn you do not mess with Mattie Hathaway, and you sure as certain don’t mess with Emma Richards-Crane.

They’re going to learn why.