Night Huntress: Up From The Grave Part 24

"You heal like them, but you're not one of them because your heart still beats sometimes. Why?"

I let her voice flow over me, storing it in parts I hadn't known existed until now. Her vocabulary was years above her age, much like the rest of her traits, but her voice held the high, youthful tenor of a child's.

"Because once," I said huskily, "I was like you: part human and part something else. Special."

"Katie."

Tate crouched next to me, smiling at her with a sheen in his eyes that he didn't attempt to blink away.

"I know I look different since I shaved and cut my hair, but you remember me, don't you? You crushed my neck five seconds after we met."

"Six," she corrected with a solemn little blink.

He grinned. "All right, six. The only other girl to kick my b.u.t.t that fast is Cat. She trained me to fight, you know."

Dark gray eyes met mine, causing me to draw in a breath. Would I ever get used to seeing my own eyes look back at me from that tiny face?

"I remember you from the base," she stated. "You tried to make me come with you. You are very hard to neutralize."

From her tone, that last part was a compliment, though I wasn't sure how to respond. The person she remembered trying to "neutralize" back then had been Denise, shapeshifted to look like me. In actuality, Katie had only tried to kill me once, and she'd d.a.m.n near succeeded.

"Thank you," I settled on, adding, "you're very tough, too, but you don't have to be anymore. We're going to take care of you."

Then I couldn't help it; I took her hand. She flinched, her fingers tightening on her knife. After a glance at Bones, her grip loosened.

I let her go. If her first instinct was still to stab me, it was obviously too soon for tactile displays of affection.

Tate's gaze tracked what happened, too. He put his arm around my shoulders, giving me a firm squeeze.

"Cat is my friend," he said cleanly. "I hug my friends sometimes to show I'm happy that they're there. Or I take their hand like this."

His fingers twined through mine, and he held our hands up. She stared as though he'd magically pulled a rabbit out of a hat.

I understood then, and couldn't stop the tears. Katie had never been taught to touch anyone except in violence. No wonder she'd flinched when I took her hand. She thought I was about to hurt her.

"You poor little girl," I whispered. "It's okay now, I promise."

"Isn't this sickeningly sweet?"

The mocking purr didn't come from Ian, though from his expression, he'd been thinking something similar. Tension rocketed through my emotions as Bones's power erupted, firing toward that voice, only to have it dissipate like he'd funneled it into a vacuum.

"Ooh, do that again," our unseen intruder urged.

I recognized him now, and everything in me stiffened. Trove.

Smiling, the demon walked into the boiler room, his red-tinged gaze flicking between me and Katie. He was dressed in a suit and tie, his steel-colored hair coiffed to perfection and trademark handsome features set in a pleasant mask. He could have been dropping in on another fund-raising event, he looked so pressed and polished, and since we hadn't heard him approach, he must have used his teleporting trick to get here, d.a.m.n his evil hide.

Bones lowered his hand. The demon would only grow stronger from another telekinetic blast.

"Cat," Trove drew out in a satisfied purr. "Aren't you going to introduce me to your daughter?"

I leapt up, standing between Katie and Trove without the slightest care that she had two silver knives, and I'd turned my back on her. Tate growled, flanking me. Ian pulled out his weapons, his mouth curling into a nasty smile.

If we were the picture of hostility, Bones looked like a study in Zen. He practically strolled toward the demon, both hands in his pockets as if he couldn't be bothered to hold their weight up himself.

"What brings you here, mate?" he asked with remarkable casualness.

Trove grinned. The sight of those fancy white teeth made me fantasize about knocking them down his throat until he choked on them.

"A desire for mayhem, of course."

I didn't want to take my eyes off our unwelcome visitor. Then a small, clear voice asked, "Are you really my mother? The old man said she was dead."

I couldn't help it; I glanced behind me.

Immediately, I wished I hadn't. The cautious hope in Katie's gaze nearly brought me to my knees. I wanted to smother her with a.s.surances that she'd never, ever be alone again, then I wanted to hug her until she forgot what it was like to feel afraid. The only urge stronger was my need to kill the filthy creature who threatened her.

Since I had to do that before the other, it gave me the strength to turn around, facing my enemy instead of my daughter.

"The old man lied. I am your mother, and I'm not leaving you again," I said, my voice strong despite emotional walls breaking everywhere inside me.

Tate nudged me, glancing to the side. I followed his gaze, seeing a small door in the farthest corner of the room. Trove blocked the way we'd entered into the boiler room, but we weren't trapped. This must lead to the tunnels Bones had mentioned. I didn't think it was an accident that his moseying had placed Bones right in Trove's path. Should the renowned politician attempt to stop us, he'd have to get through Bones first. Even if Bones's telekinesis was ineffective against him, that would still take some doing.

Trove glanced behind us, as if guessing our intention. And then he smiled.

I felt the whoosh before that familiar earthy scent filled the room. Katie let out a small gasp.

When I turned around, over two dozen ghouls blocked the other door. From their power levels, they weren't random guys Trove had teleported from some local undead bar. They were trained fighters, and their muscular builds only added to their air of menace.

"Did I forget to mention?" Trove asked with false innocence. "I decided to bring some friends with me."

Thirty-four.

This keeps getting better and better, I thought jadedly. We hadn't brought anyone with us because we didn't want to draw the Law Guardians' attention, and now we were outnumbered by a lot.

The leader of the group, a tall African-American with biceps thicker than my thigh, stepped forward.

"Give us the child," he ordered.

"f.u.c.k you," flew out of my mouth before I realized that (a) I seriously needed to watch my language now, and (b) diplomacy would be the better tactic. I might be able to wipe the floor with them if I utilized my borrowed powers, but we were trying to prevent a war, not start one.

"Um, I meant fudge sticks," I backtracked quickly, "and you don't need to take the child. Your queen agreed to call you off."

Trove appeared more shocked than the ghouls. "She what?"

I couldn't resist a smug smile. "Oh, so you weren't following us when we went to see Marie? We came to terms. All we have to do is hold up our end of the bargain, and she and the ghouls leave us alone."

Our end was to release a video of Katie supposedly being killed-Marie had said nothing but a public execution would cut it, and the Internet was public-but I wasn't about to tell Trove that. Or the other surprise we had in store for him.

The burly ghoul pulled out his cell phone, dialing.

"My queen, it is Barnabus," he said moments later. "I am with the vampires, and they have the child. They claim that they . . ." Pause. "Yes, I understand . . . if that is your command, Majestic."

He hung up. The other ghouls looked at him expectantly. Trove almost hopped up and down in impatience. My fangs slid out, ready to draw blood, if needed.

"Well?" the demon demanded.

Barnabus stared at me, frustration stamped all over his features.

"The Reaper speaks the truth," he said, almost spitting out the words.

I didn't move, but inside, I was letting out a whoop and pumping both fists in the air. Marie had come through! She was renowned for keeping her word, but to say I was worried that she'd make an exception in this case was to put it mildly.

"We have been ordered to leave," Barnabus continued.

Can I get a h.e.l.l Yeah? rang in my mind, though again, I stayed perfectly quiet. I didn't even crack a smile. Go me.

Trove, however, reacted like he'd gotten a face full of salt.

"You have to be kidding me!" the demon seethed. "After decades of planning, the same thing your species nearly warred over twice is right here, and you're agreeing to walk away instead of fight?"

Grumblings from the ghouls agreed with his a.s.sessment. My good mood vanished. Maybe, despite Marie's keeping her word, this wasn't over yet after all.

"I've said it forever-if you want something done right, you need to do it yourself," Trove went on in disgust. Then he approached the ghouls while his arm flung out in Katie's direction.

"Even if your queen is too blind to see it, that child is your doom. Vampires already have more abilities than ghouls, but you've kept them from subjugating you because you're harder to kill. She changes that power dynamic! Through her, vampires can create a new race. One loyal to them, with all your immunity to silver and all their fancy tricks! When that happens, how long do you think it will be before your people are in chains? One century? Two?"

"b.o.l.l.o.c.ks."

Bones's voice rang out, covering the louder grumblings from the ghouls.

"This sod could give a rot about your kind. He'd like you to believe he's being ever so helpful, but all he wants is for our races to kill each other, starting with the lot of us here."

"Apollyon tried to warn you," Trove stated darkly. "He said if she was allowed to live, ghouls would suffer. And what happened? The vampire council murdered him, yet here stands proof that he was right! Behold, her daughter, the first of many in a new line of your conquerors!"

From their hardening expressions, Trove was. .h.i.tting a nerve. Apollyon might be dead, but the damage he'd done still lingered. Figures a politician would be an expert on using distorted rhetoric to his advantage, no matter how false or paranoid.

"Marie told you to stand down," I reminded them. "Do you want to disobey your queen?"

"Oh, yes, obey," Trove immediately mocked. "But who is it you're really obeying, if you leave the child with them? Do you think it coincidence that your orders changed after she paid a visit to Majestic? Can't you see? Your subjection to vampires has already begun!"

Oh, s.h.i.t, I thought when several knives cleared their sheaths at that. Looked like Trove had succeeded in changing their minds.

"And here we go," Ian muttered.

Three things happened at the same time: I whirled, shoving Katie into Tate's arms with an urgent "Get her out of here!" plea. Bones's power crashed around the ghouls, freezing them in place. Trove disappeared, reappearing an instant later behind Bones to wrap him in a crushing embrace.

I felt the power drain from Bones, as suddenly as if he'd been staked with silver. He hadn't, though. Trove's hands were empty, fingers splayed as they dug into Bones's chest while the demon shuddered with what looked like rapture.

"You're not a meal, you're a banquet," he moaned.

With a snap, the invisible net Bones had cast over the ghouls broke. They'd only been confined for seconds, yet that seemed to be enough to take them from angrily determined to murderously enraged.

"Kill the vampires!" Barnabus howled, raising his silver knife.

"Run," I urged Tate, mentally cursing when Katie twisted out of his grip. At least she ran in the opposite direction of the ghouls, Tate following close behind her. Then I yanked one of my knives from my coat. I'd worn this duster in the heat of summer for a reason. Instead of charging at the ghouls like Ian did, I slashed my arm with a long, wide cut.

"Come!"

My call reverberated through the boiler room, echoing back to me with a new, eerie chorus. Ice shot through my veins, its bone-chilling effect welcome because of what it heralded. Right as Ian clashed knives with Barnabus, Remnants shot up from the floor and fell on the ghouls.

Their screams joined the howls that filled my mind as well as my ears. Unlike before, I didn't have enough strength to fight off being swallowed up by the encompa.s.sing power. The part of me that could still think hated what was going on because Remnants were unbeatable. I was all for stopping people who wanted to kill me, but unleashing Remnants was akin to showing up at a knife fight with a nuclear bomb.

The rest of me was too attuned to the Remnants to care about fairness. With the door to the other side now wide open, their hunger consumed me. They were slivers of the most primal emotions people shed when they crossed over, sharpened by the pa.s.sage of time and frenzied by endless denial. As they attacked the ghouls, lips and teeth that had turned to dust millennia ago finally got to feed again, and for brief, brilliant moments, their excruciating need was a.s.suaged. Then, like addicts chasing their next high, the Remnants tore into the ghouls with more viciousness, seeking the shards of relief that their pain brought.

Ian wasn't channeling grave power, yet he showed less concern than I for the unfairness of our advantage. While the ghouls were focused on the seething shadows that tore into them, he hacked off heads left and right. I wanted to tell him to stop, that I intended to call off the Remnants and give the ghouls another chance to reconsider, but I couldn't speak. All that came out of my mouth was a long, keening wail that grew louder the stronger the Remnants became.

Then, with the suddenness of a door slamming shut, my connection to the grave was severed. The glorious iciness running through me turned to cold ashes, and the voices echoing in my head silenced. One by one, the Remnants disappeared. As the infinity loop of need inside me cleared, confusion rose.

What had happened?

"Release her," someone snarled.

That's when I realized I was held in a tight embrace from behind. Not by Bones, as a glance down showed thicker, hairy arms across my midsection instead of taut, pale ones. By Richard Trove.

The demon shuddered in way sickly reminiscent of release.

"That's by far the best I've ever felt," he murmured into my ear.

Disgust cleared away the last of the grave thrall. At some point, Trove had grabbed me and begun feeding from my power. Judging from how weak I felt and the last of the Remnants slithering back into the floor, he'd cleaned his plate.

Once again, three things seemed to happen at once: Bones lunged for Trove, his movements slow and clumsy. I bit my lip to call the Remnants back, but nothing happened except another rapturous shudder behind me. And the ghouls who still had their heads staggered to their feet, picked up their silver knives, and started toward us.

"b.u.g.g.e.r," Ian said with deep conviction.

Thirty-five.