Sacrifice Me: The Complete Season One (32 page)

“If the Devil is able to use you for a blood
sacrifice, he'll be unstoppable,” she said. “He could
gain enough power to rule this world if we don’t stop him.”

“We have to stop him,” Mordecai said.
“No matter what it takes.”

Lyla faced Mordecai and took a deep breath in
through her nose.

“Let’s do it,” she said.

“No, Lyla, please.” I grabbed her hand
and shook my head, but no one seemed to care what I had to say about
the matter. Lyla had said yes. That was all that mattered.

“I’ll watch the back door,”
Marco said. “Mordecai, you keep an eye on the front. Ladies?
Hurry.”

“Let’s go upstairs where it’s
quiet and, um, less bloody.” Lyla pulled me toward the stairs.
When we got to the landing, she sat down and motioned for me to sit
across from her.

We sat in exactly the same position we had earlier
tonight, knee-to-knee, our legs crossed beneath us and our hands
clasped.

“Just breathe,” she said. “Focus
on that energy deep inside, like we talked about earlier.”

Tears sprang to my eyes. “I’m not sure
I can do this,” I said. “Not after what happened
earlier.”

“You can and you will,” she said. “All
our lives depend on this. Don't be scared, Franki. Your power
manifested the way it did because you were angry and full of fear.
Concentrate on something else. Control the power. Don’t let it
control you. You can do this.”

My breath hitched in my throat.

Could I? How could I be sure my power wouldn't
consume me again? How could I be sure I wasn't going to kill anyone
else?

“You ready?” she asked.

“No. But let’s try this anyway.”

She squeezed my hands. “Take a moment to
study my face. Take in every detail you can, from my hair to my eyes,
everything that would make me immediately recognizable at a glance.
It doesn’t have to be perfect, but it has to at least be enough
to fool someone in the dark.”

I nodded. I studied her, taking in her chin-length
brown hair and her dark brown eyes. I knew she was several inches
shorter than I was. I studied the curve of her lips and the shape of
her nose.

Mordecai peered around the bottom of the stairs.
“Hurry up, ladies, we have to move. They’re coming.”

“Shh,” Lyla said to him without taking
her eyes off my face. “Don’t let panic cloud your energy.
It’s going to be okay. Now, close your eyes.”

I took one last look at her face, then closed my
eyes. I felt us both breathe in together. We clasped hands, knowing
our lives depended on this moment right here, right now.

We had to get this right the first try or there
might never be a second chance.

I focused on the energy inside my core, pulling
away at first, then pushing forward. I had to trust that I could
embrace the power inside me without allowing it to turn to darkness.

I focused on the spark of power buzzing through
me, then tapped into it slowly, allowing the warm strength of it to
flow through me. When I felt connected and ready, I pictured every
detail of Lyla’s face and skin and hair. I saw her clearly in
my mind’s eye, picturing myself becoming her.

I felt the change of my hair immediately. Instead
of my long, heavy hair, it was suddenly light and slightly curled
around my face. Curls tickled my cheek and I opened my eyes.

I gasped, the sight of her a shock to my system.

I was looking at a perfect replica of myself.

Marco stared at us, narrowing his eyes, as if
trying to catch any missing details.

“Either it didn’t work at all or you
guys are fucking good at this,” he said.

I exhaled. If we could fool Marco—someone
who had known Lyla for many years—we could fool anyone.

I hoped.

“You’ll never know,” Lyla said,
winking.

Marco leaned toward her. “You may look like
Franki, but you're still acting like Lyla.”

“Shit,” she said, wrinkling her nose.
My nose. Sort of. “I didn’t think of that.”

“Just don’t speak and do your best to
act and walk like the other girl,” Mordecai said. “You’ll
be fine. Hopefully no one will ever get close enough to see the
details, anyway.”

“Where will we go?” I asked.

“Separate ways,” Marco said. “That’s
all you need to know for now.”

Shadows moved across the lawn and all of us
tensed. Fear rippled across my skin.

“Here we go,” Lyla said, squeezing my
hand one last time. “Be safe.”

“You too,” I said. I pulled her into a
hug. I still couldn’t believe she was willing to do this for
me. To save me. “Thank you.”

“You owe me one,” she said, smiling.

Marco grabbed her hand and nodded to Mordecai.
“See you in this world or the next, my friend.”

Mordecai clasped his large hand around my bicep
and raised his eyebrows at me. “Let’s go,” he said.
“Hold on as long as you can.”

I nodded, understanding what he’d meant
earlier about this glamour taking more power to complete. Hiding the
marks on my neck had only taken a small amount of my energy, but
becoming Lyla had taken more out of me than I expected. A headache
was forming behind my eyes and my knees felt weak.

I knew if we were forced to fight again, I would
be of no use to any of them.

The shadowy figures on the lawn burst through the
front door and the window just as Marco and the fake Franki took off
through the back.

Mordecai and I followed, the vampires close behind
us. Just as we passed through the back door, Mordecai pulled a vial
from his pocket and smashed it onto the floor. A thick silver fog
rose around us, hiding us all as we made our escape.

Two cars waited for us out back—a large
black Escalade and a sporty white Mercedes. I followed Mordecai’s
lead toward the Escalade as Marco and Lyla ran to the Mercedes.

Just before I ducked my head inside the car, Lyla
and I locked eyes. I hoped this would not be the last time we saw
each other.

“Go,” Marco yelled. “I’ve
got Franki.”

He said it loud enough for the shadowy figures to
hear as they emerged from the rubble and fog inside the house.

Mordecai started up the car and took off before I
could even get my door closed. I slid across the seat and quickly
buckled up. I had a feeling this was going to be one hell of a bumpy
ride.

I turned to look behind us as we raced down the
driveway. Marco and Lyla got into the Mercedes and tore off in the
other direction.

I waited, watching with nerves tingling. I bit
down hard on my lip. The vampires didn’t have cars, but they
could fly. The leader of their group of six turned to watch the two
cars.

In the distance, sirens sounded. Someone in the
neighborhood must have called the cops.

The vampire leader pointed a shadowy finger toward
the Mercedes. The leader and three of his followers shifted to smoke
and flew off after Marco’s car. The remaining two followed us.

Mordecai took a corner so hard I slammed against
the seat and had to grab the handle to keep from crashing into the
side of him.

“Hold on,” he said.

He pushed his foot down hard on the gas pedal,
blasting through a four-way stop without any hesitation. The vampires
followed, their bodies nothing but blurred shadows hovering in the
air behind us.

“Can we outrun them?” I asked.

“Not a chance,” Mordecai said. He
flashed a smile. “But I have other plans.”

He let up on the gas just a little as we
approached a red light up ahead. Thankfully, it was so late at night
no one else was out on the road. If he kept driving like this,
though, the cops we heard would find us and we'd be forced to stop.

The shadows of the two vampires hovered near my
window. I looked at them, hoping they couldn't tell the difference
between me and the real Lyla. I concentrated on the power holding the
glamour, begging it to hold up just a little bit longer.

Mordecai punched the gas again, then turned the
wheel hard to the left and slammed on the brakes. The two vampires
crashed into the side of the Escalade, their bodies shifting back
into human form and falling onto the pavement.

Mordecai laughed, then hit the gas as hard as he
could. “That should hold them a few minutes.”

He turned down several side streets before coming
out near a major intersection and pulling onto the highway. When we'd
made it several miles away, he checked the rear-view mirror again,
then slowed to a normal speed. Our car blended in with the rest of
the late-night traffic on the Interstate.

I let out a deep sigh of relief. At least for now,
we were safe.

Over the miles that followed, I didn’t say a
word. I had a million questions about where we were heading and if
Rend would be waiting for me there. But the question that kept me
silent was one Mordecai couldn’t answer any better than I
could.

Would Marco and Lyla be okay? What would happen to
them if the other vampires caught up to them?

And what if even more came after them?

I slumped down in the soft leather seat, staring
straight ahead as Mordecai drove south, away from the city.

I still couldn’t believe Lyla had been
willing to put herself in so much danger to save my life. What had I
ever done to deserve that kind of loyalty?

I didn’t understand it. I didn’t
deserve it.

And Lyla wasn’t the only one willing to risk
her life. Selena had died to save me. She had argued with Rend about
the explosive device. She didn’t want to take it from him. I'd
heard her clearly say she wasn’t going to risk her life for me.

And yet she had.

What had Rend whispered in her ear last night to
make her change her mind? What could he have possibly said to make
her take the small bead and put it in her pocket?

And as she lay dying, when her eyes locked with
mine, what thought had gone through her head? Why did she choose to
make that sacrifice to save me?

I closed my eyes, letting the sound of the tires
on the highway calm me.

I might never know why these people I’d just
met were so willing to lay down their lives for me, or why Rend had
taken a chance to protect me. But I vowed that night to make sure
their sacrifices had not been in vain.

I vowed to make sure I did not become the
sacrifice the Devil wanted to turn me into.

I would not let him win.

I would do whatever it took to take him down and
make sure my new family at Venom never had to risk their lives for me
again.

I drifted off to sleep with that thought heavy on
my heart.

Several hours later, as Mordecai slowed and pulled
off the interstate, the change in rhythm pulled me from my sleep. The
sun colored the sky in pinks and purples on the horizon.

I rubbed my eyes and sat up in my seat. “Where
are we?”

“About an hour north of Nashville,”
Mordecai said.

Nashville? How long had I been asleep? The clock
on the dashboard read seven thirty-three.

“I didn’t mean to fall asleep,”
I said.

Mordecai glanced over at me and smiled. For such a
big man, he had a soft smile that warmed me and made me trust him.

“You needed your rest,” he said. He
reached behind the seat and pulled out an Atlanta Braves baseball
cap. “Here, put this on. We’re in the clear for now, but
you lost your glamour in your sleep and I don’t want to risk
anyone recognizing you.”

I leaned over and glanced at myself in the
rear-view mirror. My eyes were ringed with dark circles and my skin
looked awful with no makeup, but I had my own face back for now. I
pulled my hair up and slipped the ballcap over it.

“Have you heard anything from Marco?”
I asked. “Did they get away?”

“I don’t know,” he said. “We
can’t have any contact with anyone from Venom for now. It’s
too risky.”

My face crumpled. What if something terrible
happened to them? I would never forgive myself.

Mordecai glanced over at me. “I think
they’ll be all right,” he said. “Marco’s a
lot stronger than he looks, and there were a few other friends
waiting to help them out on their journey. As long as they were able
to make it to the airport, they’re okay. Probably halfway to
Las Vegas by now.”

“Vegas?”

“Rend had a private jet waiting for them at
the airport. He filed a false flight plan to New York, but that’s
not really going to fool anyone for long. They’re really headed
to Vegas, and once they get there, Marco knows where to hide out.
He’s got people there.”

I nodded. “And what about us?” I
asked. “Where are we heading?”

A smile played across his lips. When he turned his
head, the beads in his dreadlocks clicked together. “A place
called Peachville, Georgia,” he said. “I’m taking
you to meet your cousin.”

The rest of the trip flew by. All I could think
about was meeting a member of my extended family for the first time
in my life.

I had a cousin! And somehow, despite what Rend
told me about the crows never breaking free of the control of the
Mother Crow, this girl had managed to break free all on her own.

Mary Anne.

I couldn’t wait to meet her.

But at the same time, I wondered if going to her
house would put her in danger.

“You said she’s there with a group of
other witches?”

“Witches and demons,” Mordecai said.
“Some real bad asses.” He smiled again and cut his eyes
toward me. “You’ll fit right in.”

I couldn’t help but smile back at him. He
looked intimidating with his broad shoulders and muscular build, but
he had an easy way about him that put me at ease.

“The group there has been through a lot, but
they know how to handle their shit,” he said. “You’ll
be safe there. And Rend thinks it’ll be the last place the
Devil will think to look right now. Truthfully, even if he finds out
you're there, I don't think he'd want to draw this crowd into the
fight.”