Carnal Sin (22 page)

"It's done, as far as you're concerned." Grant rubbed the back of his neck again. "I have details that need answers, and I'm going to find them--which is why you're staying in L.A."

An attractive woman strode into the room, her eyes pinned on Grant. She wore tailored slacks and a blazer over her substantial hourglass figure. "Nelson, what is going on? I've been monitoring this case since I spoke to you yesterday morning and you didn't tell me that you had a suspect and now she's dead! Suicide?"

"Where did you hear that?"

"I read the police report."

"Those aren't public."

"I know." She held up an employee badge. "It helps when you work for the Board of Supervisors."

"Nina--please. I'm in the middle of an interview."

"Is it about this case?"

"I can't tell you. You put yourself in the middle of it when you told me you had an affair with the deceased."

She angrily got in Grant's face. "Dammit, Nelson! Don't blow me off. Did you look at the files I gave you? The orgies? The occult rituals? There isn't just one person responsible, and you know it."

Moira's interest piqued. She sat up. Grant shot her a look. "You can leave, Ms. O'Donnell."

"I don't think I want to now," she said.

Nina looked her up and down, then extended her hand. "Nina Hardwick, attorney for the Board of Supervisors."

Moira shook her hand, sensing the energy that made up Nina Hardwick's invisible aura. She wasn't a witch. And now she had an ally.

"I'd like to hear about the orgies and occult rituals," Moira said.

"No! This is a police investigation," Grant snapped, losing his temper.

"But you said the case was closed," Moira snapped back.

"Closed?" Nina said. "You closed it?"

"No! I didn't."

"But you said--" Moira countered.

"I was being sarcastic."

"Then you still need my help," Moira said.

"The time I call in a psychic to help me in an investigation is when I turn in my resignation."

Nina stared at Moira, eyes wide. "You're psychic?"

Moira couldn't tell whether she was skeptical or in awe. "Not exactly; I sometimes have visions of past and current events." She wasn't even lying with that statement. She liked Nina Hardwick. The woman was tough as nails and she irritated Grant Nelson. "What files?" she asked.

"Where are my files, Grant?" Nina asked. "I want to show this girl, Miss O'Donnell?"

"Moira."

"They're part of a police investigation," Grant said.

"Ah-ha! So the case isn't closed."

Grant stood up. "That's it, both of you out of here or I'm putting you in custody for interfering with a police investigation. Nina--stay out of it. You, O'Donnell--don't leave L.A. until you hear from me."

Nina was going to argue, but Moira quickly said, "Thank you, Detective Nelson. You have my number." She gave Nina a sideways glance and the woman picked up on the hint.

Nina said to Grant, "You'd better tell me exactly what you find out about Pamela Erickson and this dead suspect or I swear, I'll make your life hell."

If he lives long enough
, Moira thought.

TWENTY-TWO

Julie drove her sporty convertible to Wendy's spacious house in the Hollywood Hills. She had never been so terrified in her life.

"Wendy doesn't know," she whispered to herself. She couldn't know! Then why ask her to meet now?

Julie had done everything Wendy asked of her. She'd planted the hex bag. She'd lied to Moira O'Donnell because she wanted her on her side to save Grant, but the hex bag would let Julie find him anywhere--just like the one she'd planted on Nadine. She'd gotten Rachel Prince to drink the potion so the demon could possess her. She'd tracked Nadine when Wendy couldn't reach her--how were they to know that the demon could release Nadine on its own? It wasn't supposed to happen like that. Julie wondered whether Moira O'Donnell had done it. She didn't believe for one minute that O'Donnell wasn't a full-fledged practicing witch. If she wasn't, why was she still alive? What she knew--what she could do with that knowledge--could damage covens across the globe. If she weren't a powerful witch, she would have been killed.

Julie had done everything she'd been asked--everything except turn Grant over to the succubus--so why did she feel that Wendy was lying to her?

"We're having a meeting at my house to discuss the
problem of Moira O'Donnell and her boyfriend. Don't be late."

Julie was early. She parked in the driveway. Pam was already there. With Nadine dead, that left their coven with eight members. Nine was the perfect number; who was Wendy going to recruit? Julie didn't see Nicole stepping up to take orders from her sister Wendy.

She took a deep breath and got out of her car. She walked around to the side of the house and down the outside stairs, to the bottom level. Glancing in through the window, she saw that the room was a mess, but there was a new circle cast on the main hardwood floor--not in front of the altar. She didn't know how Cooper and O'Donnell had gotten out alive--other than by using magic. Moira O'Donnell had incredible powers. It was the only explanation.

Why had she denied it?

She opened the door. Wendy was on the far side of the room, with her sister Nicole and Pam Erickson.

"Julie," Wendy said without turning. "I have someone for you to meet."

Julie's blood ran cold. She froze as her eyes fixed on the most beautiful woman she'd ever seen, standing naked in the center of the spirit trap.

The stranger's golden hair flowed down her back in waves of silk moving as if blown by a gentle breeze, though there were no windows or doors open in the room. Creamy, flawless skin encased graceful arms, shapely legs, and full, round breasts. Her bright eyes, as exquisite and sharp as two amethyst crystals, locked on Julie. Though she smiled, the chill in Julie's veins settled deep in her bones.

As the strangely beautiful woman moved to the edge of the circle, Julie noticed a naked man lying on his back. His eyes were open, his contorted face frozen in shock. His penis stood straight up, impossibly long and engorged. But he didn't move. Was he dead?

It was Ike, their bartender at Velocity.

"Wh-why?" Julie asked. She wanted to be strong, but her knees shook and she couldn't move.

Run, Julie, dammit, run!

"Our friend needed sustenance, since you kept her from the sacrifice. Ike has screwed every waitress in the club; he jumped at the chance to come to my place for an orgy." She laughed.

"What are you talking about?" Wendy had always been unpredictable, but she was acting fool-crazy.

"You didn't fool me. Grant was so freaked and tired last night you could have easily taken him to his place. But no, you took him to
your
apartment, where you set up a spirit trap to protect him."

"I've always set up protections around my home! You know that."

"Yes. I do. Which was why you were supposed to take him to
his
house." She waved her hand as if swatting a gnat. "No matter." Wendy rose and faced her. Her grin terrified Julie. "Our new, very powerful friend has taught me a lot since last night. We now have an understanding." Wendy looked at the woman--the demon--with admiration and a palpable affection that turned Julie's stomach.

"I saw you, Julie." Wendy's voice turned venomous. "You're not the only one who can leave her body. I saw you leave the hotel. I watched, and then Moira O'Donnell came out. You've betrayed me. The only reason you're not dead is because in your ignorance, in your stupidity, you inadvertently gave me the key. I will wrap Moira O'Donnell up in a pretty bow and deliver her to her mother, and Fiona will place me high in her coven.

"If you survive--I don't think you will, but if you do--I will forgive you. Until then, our friend has many things to do. We've chosen you."

There would be no reasoning with Wendy. Her eyes were bright, almost drugged, and her aura was shimmering with excitement. Raw terror propelled Julie toward the door. It would not open.

"Wendy, please!" she begged, her back flat against the wall as she fumbled in vain to turn the knob. She glanced at Nicole as she approached, Pam at her side. Nicole was not insane like her sister. In fact, her clear eyes told Julie that Nicole was smart and reasoned. "Nicole, don't do this!" she pleaded, her panic readily apparent as her voice cracked. "Wendy is crazy, this makes no sense, don't let her--"

"Crazy?" Wendy frowned, but her bright eyes betrayed her good humor. "That hurts. I don't think I
will
forgive you."

Pam and Nicole each grabbed one of Julie's arms. They half dragged her to the spirit trap, and holding her still for the demon to inspect.

Like a deer trapped in headlights, Julie froze, enraptured by the woman's--the
demon's
--beauty. But when the stranger smiled, her breath reeked of death; and her hair wasn't flowing with silk, it was moving on its own, each strand a living snake, impossibly thin but braiding with the others, reaching out for her.

This wasn't a demon inside a human body. This was a demon incarnate, in full human shape.

The demon spoke, her voice deep and seductive. "Julie," she cooed, "you should be afraid. Very afraid."

Julie knew she was dead, no matter what happened, but if she was to have any chance at survival, she couldn't let this demon touch her soul.

The guilt for all the men she'd participated in killing weighed heavily on her heart. She'd never considered that what she was doing was all that wrong until she saw what had happened to Nadine. The horrible way she'd died. Julie had tried to help her friend but couldn't, and now she didn't know how to save herself. Grant would die. There was no way Julie would be able to save him trapped in her own body with this vile creature!

She didn't have time to think, and only one idea came to mind. Astral projection--temporarily removing her spirit from her body.

As the demon reached out for her, her spirit leapt silently from her body. She'd never been able to shift directly to the astral plane without a calming and purification ritual, but she'd been practicing, and had gotten faster and better and could survive longer on the astral plane--the invisible layer that enveloped this world, separating the living from the underworld and the heavens.

Her body collapsed between Pam and Nicole.

"She fainted," Pam said.

"Too bad. I wanted to watch her soul being shredded, the traitorous bitch." To the demon, Wendy said, "She's yours."

As a spirit, Julie watched from outside the house. Her unconscious body was drawn into the spirit trap by the demon's psychic power, no hands touching her. She was placed next to Ike. He tried to stand, but couldn't, and again lay still.

The demon lay on top of Julie's body. For a brief moment, Julie thought the demon was having sex with her. But the house shook, and the demon turned to a thick, dark gray cloud that wrapped itself around Julie's body. Ike screamed, unable to move, and Julie's body rose from the floor. She smiled.

"I like this body," the demon said. "It's very comfortable." She stripped and lay down on top of Ike.

"No, please," Ike begged, his voice rough.

"Now I can finish what I started," the demon in Julie's body said as she kissed him.

Julie watched in horror as the demon raped Ike even as he screamed, even as he begged Wendy to help him. But Wendy just watched, a half-smile on her face.

The evil bitch. How could she be so cruel to Ike? Someone she'd known for years? What had happened to Wendy that made her so vicious?

Julie couldn't stop the attack. She couldn't stop the demon from sucking Ike's soul out of his body. Julie watched in horror as the demon drew out a visible soul, a smoky gray mist, from Ike's mouth. The creature breathed deeply, draining Ike's life, an expression of ecstasy on her face as if on the brink of orgasm. Her entire body darkened and shimmered for a moment, then went back to looking like Julie, except for the darkly glowing aura surrounding her.

"I am satisfied," it said. "Release me, and I will finish."

Julie didn't wait around for the demon to be let out of the trap. She didn't know whether it would be able to see her or not, or what it would do to her if it did. Julie flew away, her spirit soaring over the valley, over the highways, but she didn't know where to go.

All she knew was that she didn't have much time. The longest she'd been without her body was half a day. She didn't know if she'd survive beyond that.

And she didn't know what would happen to her afterward.

There was only one person she could ask for help, and she didn't know how to do it without a body.

But dammit, she'd find Moira O'Donnell.

TWENTY-THREE

Rafe stood outside the police station to talk to Anthony on his cell. He didn't want anyone listening in on his conversation, though any eavesdropper would be more confused than worried.

It took him ten minutes to explain to Anthony what had happened since they'd arrived in Los Angeles yesterday morning. He concluded, "So you can see that we're at an impasse. When we tried to exorcise the demon last night, it didn't work."

Anthony said, "But you said the demon left its victim."

"Yes, but it happened fast, as if it was the demon's will. Since we're dealing with one of the Seven Deadly Sins, we know they have far greater powers--as fallen angels--than most demons."

"You're certain?"

"Yes."

"What does Jackson Moreno think? He's very knowledgeable."

"According to both Jackson and the witch who's trying to save her boyfriend, when the ritual is complete, the psychic leash is supposed to snap the succubus back into the chalice. The completion of the spell then sends it back to Hell. But Moira thinks because we're dealing with the demon Lust, it's too powerful to send back through a traditional exorcism. We'd hoped to trap it in the chalice, then melt the thing down, hoping that would incapacitate the creature.

"We're nearly out of time. The cop on the case has a demon mark. Jackson has the chalice in his vault, and we need to know what to do. If we destroy the chalice, will that free the demon, or will it force the demon back where it came from?"

When Rafe was done explaining their situation, Anthony was so quiet that he wondered whether the international cell phone call had been dropped.

When at last he spoke, his voice was tentative. "This is just a theory based on what I know of how demons are summoned and sent back. Occult rituals are in balance--meaning they need to come full circle or there's the potential for chaos. So a demon summoned through a physical vessel--such as a human body or an inanimate object like the chalice--must return the same way. That is their doorway."

Rafe frowned. "But when the Seven Deadly Sins were released, they came through Abby Weatherby. She's dead. They can't return through her."

"Correct. Because Fiona aims to change the balance of power. But she had Lily there. Lily is the other piece of the puzzle, the balancing
arca
, and thus would have given Fiona control over the Seven, and the ability to return them when she got what she wanted."

"Is that what Dr. Lieber told you? But won't it kill her?"

Anthony said, "The theory of balance isn't new, and I believe we can send them back through the portal opened on the cliffs in Santa Louisa. But it's not going to be easy, and we still have a lot to learn. Dr. Lieber's papers are a mess, and--"

"Ask him. He can tell us right now if he knows."

"Dr. Lieber is dead. He died in his sleep before I arrived."

"In his sleep? He has information for you, but suddenly he drops dead?"

"Rafe, we'll talk about Dr. Lieber's death and what it means when I return to Santa Louisa." He paused, and Rafe wondered if Anthony didn't feel he could speak freely. The idea that someone at St. Michael's couldn't be trusted sent dark chills down Rafe's spine. St. Michael's had always been their sanctuary.

"First things first," Anthony continued. "Dr. Lieber has both facts and theories and examples, but his organization is lacking. I'm trying to put everything in order, and obviously I wish he were here to explain it. That's probably why he wanted to see me in person, because his writings are all over the place. He has documents and journals in four different languages, and putting them together is cumbersome. I can do it; it's just going to take time."

Rafe was skeptical, and he didn't know if he could trust the information Anthony now had. It made anything that came from Dr. Lieber's papers suspect. "Are you bringing everything back to Santa Louisa?"

"Yes. I'm hoping to leave Italy tomorrow."

Moira walked down the steps with the attorney, Nina Hardwick. Rafe caught her eye. She pointed to a Starbucks on the corner, across from the police station, and he nodded and pointed to his phone. He watched the two women cross the street, Moira discreetly surveying the people on the street, analyzing potential threats. She never stopped, he realized. She was always on alert, always tense, watchful, in motion. The only time he'd felt her relax noticeably was after they made love last night and she fell asleep in his arms. She practically melted into him, showing complete trust.

His heart quickened at the thought of losing her. Their lives were a balancing act, and it wouldn't take much to knock either one of them out. He wasn't going to let it happen to Moira.

"Rafe? Hello?" Anthony said. "I asked if you can trust this witch who came to you this morning."

"I'm a pretty good judge of people, Anthony. Years of psychology. She's scared, and she doesn't want her boyfriend to die. And she didn't fake any remorse for the other deaths--I don't think she'd really considered the consequences of what she's done until now. And Julie wasn't casting any spells with Moira in the room." Anthony didn't say anything, and Rafe's hand tightened on his phone. This cold war between Anthony and Moira was putting a wedge in Rafe's lifelong friendship with Anthony. "We're stuck, Anthony. The demon has possessed another woman, and Detective Nelson is going to lose his soul if we can't find it."

"Well, you know one thing--you know the demon is going after the cop. Do you know where the cop is now?"

"Yes."

"Follow him. When the demon comes for him, you'll have to trap it."

"That's why I called. How? Another tabernacle?"

"Possibly, but it would have to be special, like the one we used in Santa Louisa. I'll research the matter and get back to you."

"Research?" Rafe lost his temper, even though he knew Anthony was doing what he could. "We don't have time!"

"Don't you think I know that? I'm halfway around the world, Raphael! I'll contact everyone I know who might have an idea, but we're playing with the unknown here and I don't have all the answers! I wish I did. Dear God," he added quietly, "I wish I did."

They were all under pressure. "I'm sorry," Rafe said. "I know you're doing everything you can."

"I'll call you as soon as I know anything. I can tell you one thing: before sunset, you need to get that cop into a strong spirit trap. In a church or another sacred area. The building itself should weaken the demon some. Keeping the victim in a double trap will buy you some time."

"Should we destroy the chalice now, since the demon isn't going back that way?"

"No--destroying the chalice now will sever the demon's obligation to the coven, and it will be freed. You'll have to wait until it's trapped. Then do it quickly."

"You want me to use the cop as bait."

"I can't think of any other options. You didn't create this situation, Rafe. This is your best chance to stop the demon before it hurts anyone else."

"Will Jackson's church work?"

"It should. Grace Harvest used to be a Catholic church, and I believe that Jackson kept the relics under the altar. Create a reverse spirit trap and put Grant inside."

"He's not going to come willingly."

"You'll think of something."

He might have to resort to kidnapping, Rafe realized.

"I hope to have more answers before sunset," Anthony said.

Hope. We need a lot more than hope
.

"Be careful, Rafe. Godspeed."

Anthony put aside the papers he had been reading. He had to search for the answers Rafe needed to stop this particular demon.

But what he had been learning from Dr. Lieber's research was far more frightening than he had let on to anyone here at St. Michael's, or to Rafe. His brothers would learn the truth in time, but until Anthony understood what it all meant, until he had all the pieces of the puzzle, he couldn't tell anyone what he was discovering.

Only Rico had given a hint of what Anthony might find. But even Rico didn't realize what they would be required to do to save mankind.

Many of them would die. It might be, in fact, the end of days for St. Michael's Order and all they represented, whether they successfully sent the Seven Deadly Sins back to Hell or not.