Cross the Line: A Gabriella Cross Paranormal Romance Book 2 (15 page)

They ordered out for pizza and chicken wings and sat at the table all through the afternoon, plotting. Whatever it was that Lilith was after, they knew that it couldn’t be good. Gabby asked Quip what he knew of Michael’s vault, but he said that it was the first he had heard of it. According to Valentine, Michael was rumored to have a fortune in gold down there, along with other mysterious and reportedly powerful items. And given his connections, he would also have some of the world’s best spells and incantations guarding the vault. But with Gabby, that wouldn’t be a problem. The real problem would be the guards, who would surely come once the place was breached. Gabby didn’t want any of Michael’s people to get hurt, which made the whole ordeal that much trickier.

The news about the boatload of teen girls hit the airwaves early in the evening. Gabby noticed it playing on the television in the background and hurriedly turned up the volume.

“…Over two hundred young women, most of whom are believed to have been smuggled from China, were found in an abandoned warehouse in the Chicago Harbor. Strangely, none of the women know how they got there. The tip was called in to Chicago PD by an anonymous source. Authorities are still investigating.”

Gabby muted the TV when the news turned to other topics.

“We did it,” she said with an ear-to-ear grin.

“You did good, girl,” said Quip, giving her a hug.

Valentine gave her a big kiss and a hug as well. “This calls for celebration!”

They popped the top on a ten-year-old bottle of 1988 Krug Vintage Brut champagne, and Quip produced a blunt. Thoroughly stoned and mildly juiced, they went back to their conspiratory planning with gusto. Having rescued over two hundred sex slaves gave Gabby the confidence she had badly needed since her massive screw-up at the docks.

Much of the plan depended on who or what they would be working with. Gabby had assumed that Lilith would bring along other vampires, but Quip said that they had to also prepare themselves for other undesirables.

Gabby brought them to the white room, which Quip had already been inside of back when Maggy lived there. Valentine, however, hadn’t yet been in the secret room. She marveled at the supernatural weaponry and armor laid out in the multitude of sliding drawers built into the polished walls.

They packed what they thought they might need, which was just about everything.

An hour before nightfall, Gabby received a text from Lilith telling her where to meet. Ironically, it was the Chicago Harbor.

They had no trouble getting past the weres. Once Valentine walked out swinging her hips and bodacious bosom, the men practically forgot Gabby existed. She and Quip snuck into Valentine’s pink Cadillac while Valentine worked her charms on the guards and sent them into the house to wait for her in the bedroom. Soon she joined Gabby and Quip, and she peeled out, heading for the harbor.

The sky was threatening to burst, with dark, fat clouds moving so slowly over the region that they seemed stationary. Gabby wished they would break. Her anxiety level was through the roof, though she hid it well from the others. She reminded herself to remain calm, to keep her cool. A screw-up like the one in the warehouse would kill her father this time. She had to play it smooth and keep her power at bay.

Gabby didn’t care half as much about what Lilith was after as she did about her father. If it came to it, she could just nullify the object. She wasn’t sure if she could successfully nullify Lilith. Her power had been unlike anything Gabby had ever felt from a supernatural being.

She hoped that it didn’t come to that.

The sky finally broke as they reached the docks. Gabby told Valentine to look for peer seven, and when they found it, they also found Lilith waiting for them. She wasn’t alone.

“What the hell is that thing?” Gabby asked, wiping at the foggy window and trying to see through the downpour.

“Looks like a damn Sasquatch,” said Quip.

“I see no magical aura about him. Believe it or not, he might be vanilla,” said Gabby.

“Yeah, ok, so he’s the brawn,” said Valentine. “Lilith is the brains, that little one there must be the magic.”

Gabby had noticed the short figure standing beside Lilith. Whatever the creature was stood hidden behind a heavy raincoat that looked to belong to another century. From beneath the hood Gabby could feel its eyes on her.

“That little bastard gives me the creeps,” said Quip.

“You two ready for this?” said Gabby.

They both nodded, and together they got out of the car and walked to stand before Lilith, who stood beneath a huge umbrella being held for her by the giant. Gabby got a better look at his face and realized that he appeared to be human, if extremely harry.

“Hello Gabriella, these must be your friends,” said Lilith, eyeing Valentine and Quip with interest. “But please, we must get out of this retched rain. Follow me.”

With that, Lilith and her stoolies walked out onto the dock and hung a left. Gabby and the others followed.

Lilith led them to the biggest yacht in the harbor and beckoned them below deck. Inside, the place looked like a Ritz-Carlton. The lights were dim, which added an authentic quality to the obviously antique furnishings. Everything looked solid and time-tested, as though crafted by the hands of men who had been put in the ground long ago. Rubies, gems and pearls adorned the serving tray on the coffee table. Behind the bar, gold chalices sparkled in the recessed lighting.

“Please, make yourselves comfortable,” said Lilith, gesturing to the lounge area where a sofa, a love seat, and two chairs were set around a coffee table. Gabby noted that there was no radio, no TV, and no other trappings of the modern age.

Gabby sat down and glanced back at the others, who remained standing as they eyed their counterparts across the room. The hulk of a man was forced to stand with his head at a crooked angle, though the ceiling was at least eight feet high. His shoulders were half as broad as he was tall, and Gabby cringed to think of the damage he could do to the human body with those huge meat-hook hands of his. He wore black army boots that must have been a size twenty, and patched trousers with suspenders that looked to be made from a few pairs of Carhartts. Beneath the suspenders he wore a black t-shirt bulging at the seams to hold in the layers of rippling muscles. On his head sat a gray engineer’s cap, tilted to the side above a thick caveman brow. Despite his stupid brute looks, his eyes shone with unmistakable intelligence, which was all the more unsettling.

Strapped on his back was a fat-barreled elephant gun, its bullets hanging from a strap that crossed his chest.

Unlike the giant—whom Gabby was sure was a vanilla human, despite his otherworldly size—the little creature beside him radiated powerful magic. He wore a green suit beneath his red robes, complete with vest and golden pocket watch chain. His shiny golden boots curled up at the toes, and Gabby almost laughed when she considered what he must be.

Lilith gestured to the giant and the little person. “This is Veegor and Egglefinkin.”

“Call me Egg,” came a rough voice that seemed to not belong to the little creature.

“Is that a…are you a leprechaun?” Gabby asked, trying to make out the greenish-hued face behind the long crooked nose.

Egglefinkin threw back his hood to reveal a mess of curly red hair. He eyed her with beady black orbs. Blackened lips peeled back to reveal pointed teeth. “Care to make a wish?”

“Egg will be helping us to locate the treasure,” said Lilith.

“I thought that Bigfoot here was the brains behind the operation,” said Quip. “What’s he going to do besides get in the way?”

“Veegor is a demolitions expert of sorts,” said Lilith. “But what, might I ask, have you brought to the table?”

“Oh, don’t you worry your pretty little head, I got a few tricks up my sleeve,” said Quip with a bob of his head.

“And Valentine is here to make sure that no one gets hurt,” said Gabby. “If Michael’s guards come after us, Valentine can spellbind them long enough for us to deal with them.”

“I never expressed concerns about Michael’s men getting hurt,” said Lilith.

“Well, I’m concerned. That’s part of the deal, you understand?” Gabby eyed Lilith and her stoolies in turn.

“That was never part of the bargain.”

“It was implied. I might be betraying Michael, and that is bad enough, but I will not stand for anyone being hurt.”

Lilith stared at Gabby and finally nodded. “Very well. No one will be killed unless it cannot be avoided. And that will very much depend on you, Miss Cross.”

Gabby nodded. “What’s the plan?”

The rain continued to pour down on the city as they made their way toward Steele Tower. Lilith hadn’t said much about how they were going to get into the building; she had been much more concerned with the enchantments that Gabby would have to disengage once they got inside. Gabby ensured her that she could handle whatever magical defenses had been erected, though Lilith knew that she could make no such promises.

They rode into the heart of the city in an armored truck that was either stolen or a fake. Gabby rode up front with Lilith, thinking how strange it was to see an ancient vampire goddess drive an armored truck. The others sat in the cargo hold, of which Gabby could see little through the barred window due to Veegor’s massive girth blocking the view.

“At what point do you intend on making your move?” said Lilith nonchalantly.

“What?”

“Your move. When do you intend to make it?”

“My only
move
is going to be to get you into Steele Tower and help you get your hands on whatever it is you’re after. I just want my father’s cure.”

“I had assumed that you would be more trouble than that,” said Lilith, almost regretfully. “Therefore, I have not brought the cure with me.”

“That wasn’t part of the plan.”

“No, but it is necessary. If you had proven more trustworthy, perhaps things would be different.”

Gabby cursed to herself. Her mind raced, but there seemed no way that the original plan they had spent all day coming up with would work. She had to let Lilith get whatever it was that she was after.

The vampire glanced over at her with a knowing grin. “It is so much easier this way. You do not want me as an enemy, and I do not wish to be yours. We might have a long and prosperous friendship, you and I.”

“Maybe we can have a slumber party and do each other’s nails,” said Gabby.

“Perhaps we can have a drink,” said Lilith, grinning and licking one long pointed fang with her deep red tongue.

Gabby gulped. She thought of the vial of vampire blood in her jacket pocket, wondering if Lilith could somehow sense it.

“I have heard that you have acquired a taste for vampire blood,” said Lilith, further proving her uncanny insight. “Do you know what it would be like to drink my blood?”

Gabby tried not to show her excitement.

“I assume that you drank Victor’s blood,” Lilith went on, glancing sideways at Gabby. “What was it like?”

Gabby refused to answer, knowing that nothing Lilith said was genuine, but some ploy disguised as interest.

“I can assure you that what you experienced from his young blood would be nothing compared to mine. You tasted only a glimpse of me in his blood, for mine was born upon the banks of the River Nile.”

Gabby thought of what it would be like to drink Lilith’s blood. She was startled and ashamed of herself for wanting it so badly.

Victor’s blood had heightened her senses and cleared her mind. It had enhanced both strength and stamina, and caused her nullifying abilities to multiply dramatically. Similarly, Michael’s werewolf blood enhanced her senses further. But unlike vampire blood, which increased clarity, intellect, and focus, werewolf blood increased feral instinct, painting pictures in the mind from scents and sounds.

“I think that if you drank my blood, you would learn a great deal about me that you did not heretofore understand,” said Lilith. “Of course, you are young, even for a human. You are fresh off of Disney and storybooks, where everything is black and white, good and evil. Just like being human does not make one good or evil, neither does being a vampire, werewolf, or ghoul for that matter, make one evil. You will find that I am not an evil person. I have lasted as long as I have because I learned long ago that one must co-exist with the world around them, otherwise that world will devour them. For instance, I do not kill when I feed, which is something that I think you will find rare as you go through the years.”

“I’m not really interested in your life history,” said Gabby. “I’m not interested in who you are. I just want—”

“Yes, yes. The cure. And it will be yours, if you hold up your end of the bargain.”

“Stop acting as though I deceived you in some way. I hadn’t actually said anything to Michael, and there is no way that you knew what I intended to do. You poisoned my father, so stop acting like you’re a good person.”

“You killed one of my children,” said Lilith matter-of-factly. “I poisoned your father. Who between us has hurt the other more?”

Gabby didn’t bother to answer, not wanting to play along.

“Look, I’m doing this job and then we’re through. So save your breath.”

Lilith sighed. “As I said, you are young. Wisdom will show you that in this world, one needs allies to survive. I hope that you do not do something that you will regret.”

Steele Tower came into view in the distance, its mirror-like windows reflecting the day’s gloom through the downpour. Lilith drove toward the building but then turned before reaching it and drove down into the parking garage of a smaller building adjacent to the Tower.

Lilith got out without a word and Gabby followed suit. When the doors flew open in the back of the truck, Veegor lumbered out, causing the back end to noticeably rise as it was relieved of his weight. The big lug glared down on Gabby.

Valentine and Quip got out as well, followed by the little leprechaun. Egglefinkin walked with a little person’s gait but carried the air of power that was unmistakable. He followed Lilith to an elevator at the far end of the parking garage as Veegor unloaded three big hockey bags that Gabby presumed to be explosives and other tools.

“What did Lilith say up in the cab?” Quip asked as they followed the vampire.

“Nothing important,” said Gabby.

They all filed into the elevator. All but Veegor, who looked to be close to the lift’s limit of 1,500 pounds. Lilith hit the button for the basement and the doors closed. Not a word was spoken on the short trip, and when the doors opened, she led them out into a room where there had been a recent excavation project going on. Looking to the right, Gabby noticed that a long tunnel had been burrowed, presumably beneath the street and all the way to Michael’s vault.

Lights hung all along the ceiling of the tunnel, illuminating the perfect tube that had been burrowed into the subterranean wall, presumably by magic. The cylindrical pieces that had been excavated from the passageway were neatly stacked all along the walls of the wide basement. The only other object in the room was a silver sarcophagus.

Soon the lift clanked to a stop once more, and Veegor lumbered out.

“This first phase will require Egg to break through the wall of the vault, which you see at the end of the tunnel,” said Lilith. She gestured to the sarcophagus and indicated for Gabby to follow. “It is vital to know your enemy’s weaknesses, as well as your friends’. Silver is yours, though you were probably not aware.”

Gabby glanced over at Quip, who seemed just as startled by this information.

“In order to ensure that you do not inadvertently interfere with Egg’s spell work, I would ask you to wait within the silver coffin.

Gabby reached out and touched the silver. It was cold to the touch, but aside from that, she didn’t feel anything of consequence.

“Silver repels magical energy, though not always completely,” said Lilith.

“But my power is not magical, it’s…anti-magic.”

“Isn’t it magical?” said Lilith with a cocked brow. “The ability to nullify magic is indeed a magic all its own. I’m sure you understand my concerns in this matter.”

“I really don’t like this,” said Quip, moving to stand beside Gabby. “You’ll be powerless.”

“He’s right,” said Valentine.

Lilith ignored them, watching Gabby’s reaction instead.

“How do I know that you will let me out?” Gabby asked.

“It will not be locked. And if you like, your friends can guard it for you.”

Gabby glanced at Quip and Valentine.

“We doing this or what?” Egglefinkin called from the end of his tunnel in a deep, raspy voice.

“Fine,” said Gabby. “How long will it take?”

“The spell is an intricate one,” said Lilith. “Egg must circle out a piece of the wall and turn it to gold. Once it has become malleable, Veegor will spike it with iron and pull it from its mounting.” She then opened the coffin and waited.

Quip offered Gabby a slow nod that said, “I got your back.”

Reluctantly, Gabby climbed into the sarcophagus and tried to calm her breathing as the door was closed inches from her face. She had always been slightly claustrophobic, and being in the tight quarters proved taxing to her nerves.

She waited and waited, listening to the sounds coming from outside the silver mold. She heard Egglefinkin’s slow, methodic chanting, the rush of sudden flames and other bangs, pops, and small explosions. Then came the unmistakable sound of a large slab rubbing against its mooring.

The door opened, and bright light stung Gabby’s eyes. She glanced at her cell phone as she had not been able to do inside the coffin. The entire process had taken a half hour, and now a two-foot-thick and four-foot-wide circle of gold was sitting off to the side by the tunnel entrance. Gabby knew that gold was extremely heavy, and she gained a newfound respect for Veegor’s strength.

The stinging light came from the end of the tunnel, which was now opened to the vault beyond.

“Are you alright?” Valentine asked.

“I’m fine.”

“This is where you come in,” said Lilith. “There are many enchantments within the vault. I need you to nullify them all as we come to them.”

“I can do that.”

“Listen. There are important artifacts within the vault, and it would be a shame if you accidentally nullified them all. You will need something to help enhance your abilities. Something to give you greater focus.”

Lilith then bit her own wrist and let her blood fall into a chalice.

“Oh, hells no,” said Quip.

He looked to Gabby, who had hardly registered what he said. She was entranced by the thick red blood dripping into the cup.

“She’s right,” said Gabby, noticing faintly the dreamy quality of her voice. “It will help me to focus.”

“Yeah, and it will make you weaker against her. You know that!”

“We cannot risk damage to the artifacts,” said Lilith.

“Gabby, look at me,” said Valentine.

With effort, Gabby tore her eyes off the chalice and regarded Valentine.

“Are you sure that you want to do this?” said Valentine, who received a withering glare from Lilith.

“I…I’ll be alright. She’s right. I’m betraying Michael’s trust as it is. I don’t want to damage anything important to him.”

Valentine squeezed her shoulder affectionately and nodded.

Quip shook his head and looked to Lilith with suspicion. From beneath his coat he withdrew a silver stake. “The first sign of foul play, and I’ll be sticking this stake up your ass. Got it?”

“Charming,” said Lilith with obvious distaste. “Have you made a decision?”

Gabby stepped forward and took the chalice in her shaking hands. Before she lost her nerve, she tipped it back. The warmth of the vampire blood washed over her tongue, leaving a sweetly copper taste in her mouth. When it hit her belly, Gabby cried out in pain and ecstasy, arching her back and dropping the chalice. An overwhelming sense of urgency came over her, and her muscles tensed and quivered with the rush of energy. Dark rivers of blood flooded her vision, leaving the room and everything in it crimson and shimmering. The red hue subsided slowly, leaving everything looking crisp and alive with color. Gabby saw movement far to the right and focused in so closely that she saw clearly the hairs of a spider that was crawling across one of the thick slabs of stone. She whipped her head to the left, having heard a quick scurrying. There in the corner she saw a rat darting into a hole. It pattered away swiftly, sounding to Gabby like an elephant charging through a tin tunnel.

She gasped and fell to one knee, holding her head at the temples.

“Gabby!” Quip called out and rushed to her side. When he touched her on her bare arm, she felt the very ridges of his fingertips upon her skin as easily as a blind man might feel braille. She felt his warmth as blazing heat, and sensed every magical item on his person. Valentine’s magical energy pressed against her, as did Lilith’s and the leprechaun’s.

“Focus, Gabby,” said Lilith from a distance. “You are overwhelmed and lashing out instinctively. Know that you are safe, you are in charge. Calm your mind.”

Gabby hung on Lilith’s every word, turning down the world and the light, and moving her screaming senses to the back of her mind where she could pick and choose from them.

She opened her eyes and focused as well as she could on her surroundings. The many sounds battling for her attention died down, and her senses calmed.

“I’m alright. Let’s continue.”

“Alright,” said Lilith. “You’re up, Gabriella.”