Night Huntress: Up From The Grave Part 21

Veritas didn't take Madigan with her. Bones wanted to kill him since we no longer needed him to find out who his backer was, but I had a few questions for my former nemesis. Trove could have falsified the records he posted online, yet somewhere in Madigan's shattered mind, he knew the truth about Katie's biological mother.

It took hours to get it out of him. In addition to the Grand-Canyon-wide gaps in Madigan's memories, he also had the attention span of a ferret on crack. By dawn, however, he'd managed enough lucid tidbits to verify Trove's claims about Katie being my daughter. If ghosts could pa.s.s out, Don would have fallen over when he realized that's where the trail of questions I had him ask Madigan led to.

I was tempted to do that myself over suddenly becoming something I never thought I'd be-a mother. This was one challenge where all my fighting skills were totally useless. My childhood hadn't been a hallmark example to draw from, either. Due to my father vampirically brainwashing my mother, I'd been brought up believing I was half-evil. I'd hated the otherness that made me different from everyone else, and now I had a child with a double dose of that "otherness" in her.

Of course, that meant I knew everything not to do. For example, I would never tell my child that being different was something to be ashamed of. Katie might have to hide it to survive, but if it took everything I had in me, she'd know that her unique nature wasn't the problem. People's prejudices were. And she'd never, ever have to fear that one day, she'd do something to lose me. I hadn't had that a.s.surance growing up, and I might not know much about mothering, but I knew how badly it hurt when it felt like you were one mistake away from losing your family.

If I had anything to say about it, Katie would never know that feeling. But first, I had to make sure no one killed her, either before or after I had a chance to officially meet her.

That was why Bones and I didn't go to Detroit, despite my longing to rush straight there to find my child. Instead, after a few hours' sleep so we'd be at our fighting best, we went south.

A tropical storm churned up the waters in Lake Pontchartrain, tossing around the boat we'd stolen as if it were a toy in a bathtub. That wasn't what had my stomach clenching in nervousness, though. Compared to what I was about to do, having the boat capsize would be a fun.

In the distance, the coastline we aimed for wasn't lit up as much as usual. The storm had knocked the power out in several places, but loss of electricity was never the biggest concern for New Orleans. It was the levees. The Crescent City was getting a direct hit, though luckily, with a tropical storm instead of a hurricane strong enough to breach the levees.

I didn't know if the bad weather would help us or hurt my mission, but when Bones said, "Now, Kitten," I jumped off the boat without hesitation. The weights I'd strapped on kept me well below the surface, yet as intended, they weren't enough to send me to the bottom. The storm had made the water murky, though. Even with the mask keeping salt.w.a.ter out of my eyes, my vision was limited to only a dozen feet in front of me, disorienting me.

I pressed a b.u.t.ton on the specialized dive watch around my wrist. The green light it emitted matched the glow from my gaze as it showed a digital map. Then I gave a few experimental kicks with my new diving fins, pleased with how smoothly they propelled me through the water. I wanted all the help I could get to conserve my energy.

A few hours later, I crawled up the seawall that bordered the Mississippi River, stripping off my mask, full-body wet suit, and fins once I was back on land. Beneath that, I wore leggings and a long-sleeved top, both black like my dive shoes and dyed hair.

It might not be the ideal outfit for a steamy night in New Orleans, but my skin would announce me as a vampire to those who knew what to look for, and I didn't want anyone to know I was paying a visit to the city's most famous resident tonight. Marie had spies at every airport, train station, boat dock, and highway into New Orleans, but not even the voodoo and ghoul queen could have every square foot of the river watched, let alone the ca.n.a.ls that led from Lake Pontchartrain to the mighty Mississippi. That's why I'd swum beneath the concealment of the waves, and why I now walked with what felt like agonizing slowness across the highway and up Fourth Street, heading toward the Garden District.

I didn't need the map on my watch anymore. I'd visited the Garden District on my first trip here years ago with Bones. Like many others, I'd marveled at the beautiful, stately houses, some built before the Civil War. Prytania Street had been one of my favorites, and the two-story beige-and-pink house bordered by a gate with honeysuckle blooms peeking through the iron bars was one I remembered well.

Don had remembered it, too. It only took one glance at the online photo collage for him to say "That one," while pointing a transparent finger at the screen. He'd been drawn to Marie's home when he was hopping ley lines looking for me back when I had her grave power. For that reason, most ghosts probably knew where Marie lived. Other vampires and ghouls did, too, but only someone with a death wish would drop by unannounced.

That's why Marie didn't have guards posted. Her house also happened to be one of the few in the city that didn't have ghosts loitering around it. Don told me that it felt "shielded," meaning Marie had it stocked with burning sage, weed, and garlic. Even the voodoo queen must want a break from the supernatural once in a while.

Tonight, she wasn't getting it. I hopped over the gate surrounding her property and strode up to the front door. Instead of knocking, I leveled it with one kick. That should get her attention, but in the unlikely event that it didn't . . .

"Marie," I called out in a loud voice. "We need to talk."

Of course, my dramatic entrance would be wasted if she wasn't home.

"Is that you, Reaper?" a familiar voice drawled, dispelling that concern. "And if so, have you lost your mind?"

Marie appeared at the top of the staircase on the second floor, wearing a white silk robe over a long ecru nightgown of the same material. Either she was calling it an early night or she'd been entertaining in a personal way. I didn't care which I'd interrupted.

"Never been thinking clearer," I responded shortly, "and I'm sure you know why I'm here."

Marie smiled in that gracious way Southern women had perfected, but I didn't let her pleasant expression fool me. She wasn't a steel magnolia. She was an attack tank covered by a veil of roses.

"If you leave now, Reaper, I'll consider not killing you."

Of course, she didn't look the slightest bit afraid over my breaking into her home. I was alone and weaponless, as my form-fitting outfit revealed, and she could summon enough Remnants to reduce me to a carpet stain within minutes. Even if Bones had come with me, it might not balance the odds. He might have mastered his telekinesis enough to control humans and machines, but successfully using it against one of the most powerful ghouls in existence? Doubtful.

I could do even less with the telekinetic abilities I'd absorbed from him. My ability to briefly move small, inanimate objects was worthless against an opponent like Marie-unless her most deadly weapon hinged on something tiny.

I concentrated on her ring with the same fear-driven desperation that had led me to crash the ghoul queen's house. It flew off her finger, banging down the stairs in its rapid path toward me.

Marie let out a gasp and chased it. I lunged, landing on her back before she got halfway down the staircase. Then I twisted until I wasn't facing her feet any longer. That gave her the chance to land a backward punch that felt like it rattled my brains loose. Instead of defending myself against her next blow, I wrapped one arm around her neck and shoved the other into her open mouth.

She chomped down hard enough to crush bone, yet I kept it wedged between her teeth with grim determination. Better she b.l.o.o.d.y my flesh than hers. Then I whipped my head down and sank my fangs into her neck, sucking her blood for everything I was worth.

Marie began bucking as though she'd morphed into a prizewinning bronco. I held on, sealing my mouth over the punctures and swallowing her earthy-tasting blood as fast as I could. Her struggles became more frenzied, and instead of trying to throw me off, she smashed us into the wall. We went through, and while I succeeded in keeping my mouth clamped onto her neck, she raked her arm across the ragged side of an exposed beam before I could stop her.

The small cut it made was enough.

As soon as her blood was exposed, an ear-splitting howl sounded, originating from everywhere and nowhere at the same time. Then pain crashed into me with agonizing waves. For a few moments, I couldn't think past the anguish as dozens of Remnants tore into me with the ferocity of sharks during a feeding frenzy. Marie took advantage, shoving me back and dislodging my hold on her neck.

Then I remembered how to make it stop. Marie must've realized my intention. She grabbed me, trying to shove her hands into my mouth as I had done to her. My need to escape the pain made me stronger, though, and I wrenched my head away.

"Back off," I rasped, ripping my fangs into my wrist.

Blood dripped in a scarlet trail down my arm, but the Remnants continued to tear into me. Marie seized her chance, wedging her arm between my teeth to keep me from drawing more blood. I tore at it with the same viciousness she'd shown me, but all she did was drag us out of the hole she'd made in the wall. Once back on the staircase, she shoved me onto the steps, leaping on my back to hold me there. With her strength and the Remnants' a.s.sault, I couldn't free myself.

"I warned you, Reaper," she growled over the shrieks her creatures made. "You should have left when you had the chance."

If I had any doubt that she intended to kill me, that erased it. Despair raked me as Bones's face flashed in my mind. We'd gambled that I'd be able to call the Remnants off if I drank Marie's blood in order to absorb her power. I'd manifested her abilities immediately last time, but if I had them now, her control over them was too strong.

The Remnants increased their a.s.sault, growing stronger as they fed from my pain. Katie's face streaked across my mind next, her features hazy because the only time I'd seen her face-to-face I hadn't been interested enough to memorize them. A fresh wave of agony coursed through me, but this had nothing to do with the Remnants' ripping me apart from the inside out.

Now I'd never be able to tell her how sorry I was that I'd missed the first seven years of her life. Or let her know that Madigan couldn't hurt her anymore, and that there was more-so much more!-to this world than the ugliness she'd been shown. Or tell her that while she might be alone now, she had not been abandoned, and though she was different from everybody else, in my eyes, she was perfect in every way . . .

That all-encompa.s.sing pain stopped. Its absence cleared my mind enough to see shattered gla.s.s at the bottom of the staircase. For a second, I was confused. I'd broken in through the door, not the window- Bones.

I felt his pain before I saw him rolling on the floor covered by the same Remnants that had been tearing into me. With a snarl, I tried to fling Marie off, but a new batch of Remnants appeared, ravaging me with a fresh a.s.sault.

"No!" I tried to scream, though with Marie's arm still wedged in my mouth, only a gurgle came out.

Suddenly, Marie's movements became sluggish, as though she'd been encased in cement and was trying to break through. Realization dawned, and with it, hope. Bones was using his power on her. Despite the pain that threatened to break my mind as well as my body, I seized the opportunity, flinging myself away from the ghoul queen.

Marie's arm ripped from my mouth, leaving hunks between my fangs that I spat out. Before I could bite down on my own flesh, however, she shoved her other arm between my teeth, moving so fast that she must have shaken off Bones's power.

"Kill him," she roared, her free arm still bleeding from my fangs.

The Remnants began tearing into Bones with greater fervor, increasing in number until I couldn't see him anymore. I couldn't hear him, either. The howls they emitted were too loud.

Determination rose so forcefully that it numbed me to the pain. I would not fail my daughter, and I would not-would not!-watch Bones die again.

I didn't try to throw Marie off this time. Instead, I grabbed the arm she'd shoved between my fangs and pulled with all of my strength.

It tore free, hitting the staircase with enough force to coat it in red. I didn't pause to savor her scream, but bit my lip hard enough to tear it open.

"Back off!" I snarled through the instant spurt of blood.

Ice shot through my veins as though I'd been flash-frozen. At the same time, an unearthly roar filled my ears, drowning out the shrieks from the Remnants and Marie's furious howl. It swelled as though trying to explode my mind with voices too numerous to count, but in spite of that, I smiled.

I knew what this was. When I spoke again, my voice echoed with countless others that had been consigned to the grave.

"Back. Off."

The Remnants flung themselves away as though Bones and I had become poisonous. Then they slithered along the walls like sinuous, silvery shadows. Marie lunged, either to grab me or to run, but she didn't make it an inch before she stopped with the suddenness of hitting a brick wall.

Slowly, painfully, I pushed her off, then threw her detached arm down the staircase. It bounced at the final step, landing with a thud a few feet from Bones.

"As I said before, Marie," I ground out, "we need to talk."

Thirty-one.

Our conversation was put on hold because the cops showed up. One of Marie's neighbors must have called the police about all the noise. No surprise, the officers who came to investigate were ghouls. Her address being flagged for a disturbance would have concerned more than the regular authorities.

Marie kicked her severed limb under the nearest chair and hid its growing replacement beneath a quilt before she went to the door. Sure, Bones had threatened to kill her unless she played it cool, but I think she did it for another reason. Signaling for help or showing how she'd been injured would have been tantamount to admitting that two vampires had gotten the drop on her in her own home-something the ghoul queen would never admit to. Still, Bones kept his power wrapped around her neck as she spoke to the officers. After a few minutes, she sent them away, then covered the entrance with the broken door.

"What do you want with me?" she demanded when she faced us again.

Bones arched a brow. "Before I answer, is anyone else here?"

The glance she shot him was filled with hostility. "No. When I'm home, I value my privacy."

We hadn't expected her to be a gracious loser, so I didn't comment on the look. Or her venomous tone.

"We want you to leave the child be," I said, shivering from my new connection to the grave. Death was cold, and as the Remnants evidenced, always hungry.

"That means no sending ghosts, ghouls, or minions to look for her. And, of course, your promise never to kill her. Same goes with us."

Marie began to laugh, a low, mocking sound that still managed to contain shades of real amus.e.m.e.nt.

"If that is your demand, you came in vain. I've already given the order. My people search for her as we speak."

"Let's get one thing straight, Majestic."

Bones walked over to her, his aura crackling with barely controlled rage.

"When you sicced your ghostly little fiends on me the first time, I wanted to rip your head off. Doing it again tonight makes me really want to, but being forced to watch as they tore into my wife?"

He reached out, caressing her neck with a deceptively gentle touch.

"That makes me want to kill you so much, I can scarcely think of anything else," he finished in a lethal whisper.

Then his hand closed around her throat, tightening until cracking noises were the only sound in the room. Marie's hazelnut eyes began to fill with red, and the Remnants started to shift restlessly.

"Bones," I said sharply. "Don't."

If we wanted to save Katie, we needed Marie. If we killed her, we were hastening a potential war with ghouls, and while we might manage to evade the Law Guardians, with Marie's network of ghosts, anyone she wanted to find, she would, and sooner rather than later.

"We came to make you an offer," I went on. "One that will be mutually beneficial."

With Bones's fist tightened so much that his fingers touched, she couldn't laugh, but her mouth stretched in a pained smile.

"She can't talk unless you let her go," I said in a sterner voice.

He released her with obvious reluctance though his power remained coiled around her neck. Not tight; loose, like a snake deciding whether or not it was hungry.

Marie waited until her neck healed back to its normal shape before she spoke.

"What is your offer?"

"We'll give you the people responsible for creating a cross-species child: Richard Trove and Jason Madigan. You can execute them to solidify your position as queen of the ghouls. In return, we want you to swear by your blood that you will call off your people and meet all our previous demands about the little girl and ourselves."

Some of the hostility drained from her expression.

"I know she is your child, Reaper, but you must understand that nothing except her death will stop our races from warring."

The words weren't a surprise; the emotions they stirred were. Fangs that had receded jumped out as I fought a strong urge to rip her throat open for daring to say such a thing.

"That's why you're going to tell everyone that you already killed her," I responded in a voice far calmer than I felt.

Disbelief creased her smooth, cafe latte skin.

"If the truth were discovered, my people would tear me apart!"

Bones's smile was a mixture of ice and steel.

"Hence your motivation to keep your word should your honor prove vulnerable."

Marie glowered at him for a moment. Then she let out a deep sigh.

"Even if I wished to, what you ask is impossible."

Her neck dented as Bones's power flexed in an instant vise. "If that's true, then you're no use to us."

I gripped his arm, urging him not to increase that punishing hold. That's when I noticed how warm he felt. He must have fed right before crashing through her window.

"Give it another chance," I said, so low she wouldn't be able to hear me. Then I stared at Marie.