Bound by Light (38 page)

Or maybe a natural demon. An "Old One."

Jake’s head swam as he grabbed Merilee’s arm, eyes still fixed on the bloody sheet covering his friend. He felt gut-sick. Torn. Like he might tear open at the center himself and bleed out on the conference room floor.

"It was
him,
Merilee. It had to be."

"I know," she said, the rage in her voice matching his own. "I sense him, too."

Jake couldn’t keep standing there staring at Sal’s corpse. He had to do something. Right now. He had to find the motherfucker who spilled Freeman’s guts like the man didn’t mean anything at all.

He wheeled around and kicked the nearest desk aside as he stormed back toward the conference room door.

"Jake," Merilee called from behind him. "Wait a second. We need to figure out what—"

Her voice cut off as he jerked open the door and lunged into the hallway, already halfway to Astaroth and roaring.

A wall of elemental earth energy smashed into him so hard it knocked him forward against the far wall. Pain blasted through Jake’s bones and joints as he jerked against the wood and stone—and found he couldn’t move at all.

Jake tried to bellow, but nothing happened. He pulled at his demon energy as he glared at Mother Yana, but couldn’t complete his shift.

The ancient woman stood not three feet from him, arms outstretched, eyes blazing with the force of the power she wielded.

Behind her, the other two Mothers watched, along with Nick, Creed, Cynda, and Bela Argos, who was leaning against Riana, still pale, her face streaked with blood.

"Hold him, Yana," Mother Anemone instructed. "I’m sorry,
agapitos,
but you must get control of yourself. You must not shift until you’ve had ample time to consider the consequences."

Fuck you!
Jake wanted to shout, but he knew he couldn’t make a sound. He couldn’t even make his lips twitch.

And . . . he didn’t really want to speak to Mother Anemone in such a disrespectful fashion, not even when it felt as though his heart had been ripped and shredded like Freeman’s. The pain inside Jake was so goddamned intense he would have dropped to his knees if he wasn’t being held prisoner against the wall.

Merilee came out of the conference room, and her appearance made Jake stop fighting his earthly bonds. Her mouth opened as she stared at him, at his half-transitioned skin and fangs, at the partially formed wings flat against the wall behind his arms. The tears in her blue eyes made him want to tear out his heart.

Shit. I’m so sorry.

He hoped she could sense the truth of that emotion, since he couldn’t move a goddamned muscle.

But he had almost changed.

He had almost left her forever without so much as a kiss-my-ass or goodbye.

What kind of raving asshole does a thing like that?

But, Freeman . . .

He had to avenge his friend. Just—not as an Astaroth. As a human. As a cop. It’s what Freeman would have wanted, and what Jake would do.

As if sensing his concession, Mother Yana relaxed her earth energy enough that Jake began to reassume his full human form.

As his skin grew more solid, Merilee sagged against the doorframe and wiped her eyes. A few seconds later, she seemed to recover herself, but when she straightened up, she didn’t look at Jake.

He set his jaw at the sting in his chest, but figured she had a right to her anger. Hell, she had a right to land a kick to his groin if that’s what she wanted to do. He deserved it.

"You must see this." Mother Anemone held up a folded piece of paper for Jake and Merilee to see. "We found it in Sal Freeman’s pocket, though Bela cannot shed light on how it came to be there."

"It’s a miracle Bela made it back here, all the way from Central Park," Nick said, his voice gruff, his eyes averted from Jake and the conference room, too. "I can’t believe she got Sal home like—like he was."

Merilee took a shaky breath. "What happened to Sal?" she demanded, her eyes sweeping past Jake, then zipping back to him. "What . . . happened?"

Mother Anemone handed her the paper.

Merilee unfolded it and took a good look.

Jake saw pure revulsion spread across her face. Her lips pulled back like she wanted to bite something, and her fingers twitched against the paper.

"Aloud," Mother Anemone prompted, her voice grim.

Merilee swallowed hard. Her words spilled out in a hot rush of fury, her voice growing louder as she read.

"You’re a difficult woman to reach, Ms. Alexander. I’d like to meet with you and discuss how our organizations might assist each other in our mutual pursuit of peace." She paused and held her hand to her stomach as it heaved, like she wanted to throw up.

"How about tomorrow," she continued, every word punctuated with anger. "I’ll be free following my midday press conference at Martin Jensen’s headquarters. Sincerely, Bartholomew August."

Mother Yana eased the barrier around Jake again, though not enough to free him. His breathing was still too fast. His face was hot, but he was thinking now. About whether or not that note meant what he thought it did.

From Merilee’s reaction, from her aversion to even touching the paper, much less reading its words, Jake was pretty certain the Stone Man now had a human name, at least, even if they still didn’t know what kind of demon he was.

The son of a bitch was smart, too. No way to tie that generic, friendly note to the killing, other than the circumstantial issue of its presence in Freeman’s pocket—but that would never hold up in court, or even for a warrant. August could have passed that note to Bela or Freeman at any time in the last few days, even mailed it for all anyone could prove.

Still, Jake knew August had killed Sal to send a message, more to Merilee than anyone else.

He wasn’t coming for her.

He expected her to come to him.

Creed and Nick were checking their weapons as Merilee crumpled the paper in her hands and let loose a blast of air that blew the thing all the way back to the door. Bela Argos hobbled toward her sword. Even Cynda and Riana were heading for the steps, fists tight, expressions furious, as if to dress for battle.

"Bartholomew August." Jake forced out the words against the earth energy still binding him to the wall. "Are we beheading this cocksucker now, or five minutes from now?"

Mother Yana freed Jake with a flick of her wrist.

"Guess that’s now," he growled, and wondered where Freeman had stashed his badge and gun.

Shit, Freeman.

I’ll get that motherfucker if it’s the last thing I do.

(29)

I can’t believe Sal’s dead. And I almost lost Jake, too. That fast. That completely.

Merilee’s heart thundered as Jake shook off Mother Yana’s earth energy and turned toward Freeman’s office. She knew Jake wanted his Glock, probably his badge, too, though the mayhem and death blazing from his blue eyes had nothing to do with traditional law enforcement.

The burn in her chest matched the burn in Jake’s gaze. Sal’s murderer—they were going to tear the fucker limb from limb,
like now
. But Jake needed to keep his cool. They all needed to keep their cool. It wasn’t going to do any of them a damned bit of good if they charged into a trap.

Jake hesitated when he saw Merilee watching him, and he seemed to sober, gain another measure of control. His wounded eyes widened, then darkened, and he mouthed,
Sorry
.

His expression showed how much he regretted his outburst and the fact he got hotheaded and nearly turned demon forever. Almost against her own will, she nodded, letting him off the hook.

Why the fuck did I do that? Guilt might have kept him in line a lot better—but no. That’s not the point right now. Sal’s the only point.

Jake gazed at her for another brief moment before his fists doubled, his jaw clenched, and he stormed off down the hall, and Merilee felt like a dozen knives had just pierced her chest.

What if he lost control while he was searching?

What if he walked out of that office as an Astaroth, never to be fully human—or hers—again?

Her hand lifted toward the talisman she wore. If she just grabbed it once and ordered him not to change . . .

Jake headed into Freeman’s office and disappeared from her view.

For a moment, time seemed to shift and Merilee imagined that Sal would be in that crowded little room, waiting to bark orders at Jake, then stomp out to give assignments.

But the OCU captain was gone.

Merilee glanced at the conference room and forced herself to remember the torn body under the bloody sheet. Tears burned at her eyes. Gone—and the bastard who did it was going to pay.

Merilee clenched her fist before even one finger touched Jake’s gold necklace. He’d keep his shit together for Freeman. No way Jake would go demon before he brought down his friend’s murderer.

She spun and faced the entry hall, which was rapidly filling with Sibyls and OCU officers called in for reorganization in light of Freeman’s death. Delilah Moses was there, too, making her way toward the stairs, probably heading for the library.

With the horror of Sal’s death, his body ripped open like someone had scooped out his insides—something as mundane and ordinary as Delilah continuing her service to the Sibyls almost seemed odd. Maybe it was how she dealt with tragedy.

Merilee swallowed and turned her attention to the rapidly gathering crowd.

Good thing the damned hallway was so huge—and even so, it was still starting to feel cramped in a major way.

Mother Yana, Mother Keara, and Mother Anemone emerged from the crowd and came toward Merilee.

"No one can reach the water Sibyl to tell her to return here," Mother Keara said. "She doesn’t answer her radio—probably elemental interference. There’s a possibility she’ll find out about your captain’s death with no support. No control."

"Ve must inform the Motherhouses and seek help
now,
" Mother Yana said, her wrinkled face drawn tight with worry. "The city might not vithstand her distress."

New dismay wrapped itself around Merilee, and her wind escaped her in little bursts, rattling chimes and furniture up and down the increasingly crowded hallway.

Andy.

She wasn’t back yet from collecting evidence at the Carter headquarters.

Was she on her way?

Would
she find out about Freeman all alone, walking down some impersonal city sidewalk?

Hecate keep her. Hecate keep us all.

"I understand," Merilee said numbly, reeling back her air energy as best she could. "We’ll send some people to find her and bring her back here."

Andy’s control over her elemental talent had improved in the two years since it manifested, but no way would she keep herself together when she realized Freeman was dead. Andy and Sal’s attraction had been growing, especially these last couple of months. When Andy learned he was dead—oh, no. No, no, no. The burst of emotions she released would be enough to harm any nearby living creature with water talent. She might even agitate the rivers, the harbor, the bay—the ocean.

Destroy all of Manhattan with a tsunami.

"We haven’t yet determined how to kill this Old One." Mother Anemone clutched Merilee’s arm briefly, then turned her loose. "His death could have tremendous elemental consequences—explosions in earth, wind, fire, and water—we just don’t know. We have to conference with the other Mothers on this point as well."

True to form, Mother Keara simplified the situation. "So for now, capture the bastard and contain him—but don’t slit his throat until we know how to manage the fallout."

"Understood." Merilee heard the note of confidence and calmness in her voice. Total fraud. Total lie. Freeman was dead, and Merilee couldn’t fight with her own triad to bring down his killer. Andy was about to get her heart ripped apart. Jake was at risk. Merilee would rather blow down the townhouse than hold herself together at this moment, but what choice did she have?

Capture the bastard. Contain him. Sure. No problem. It’s just an unknown creature as powerful as that Vodoun god that almost ate me
. She would have laughed, but that might have started her screaming over all the wrong, terrible things in her world, so she held it back.

About a minute later, the Mothers had collected enough fire Sibyls to handle communications and transportation, and they rushed upstairs to return to their Motherhouses. As she watched them go, Merilee’s mind flashed to the picture Charlotte Heart had drawn before her suicide, of a tidal wave crashing into Manhattan. Water surging through the streets. Buildings toppling in every direction.

Merilee’s own dreams came next, of flattened towns and floodwaters. New York’s streets littered with dead Sibyls.

Was this how it would begin?