Souls of the Damned (Kat Redding) (3 page)

I told them everything about Delai. It was like ripping out my own heart. Levi and his little world had once felt like home to me. Explaining my reasons for running away to the seemingly quiet town sounded weak to my ears, but neither Jeremy nor Ethan interrupted. They listened silently, letting me get it all out. If one of them would have said anything, I probably would have stopped, unable to go on.

But I got it out. It wasn’t easy. I told them about the pull Delai had on me, how every time something went wrong, I wanted to run away there. I told them about Levi, about Sienna, and Eilene.

It wasn’t until I got to the part about how Beligral had given me the Sight so I could
see
what Levi really was that they showed any reaction. Ethan’s eyes widened as things clicked into place for him. He’d been there when I’d discussed the town with the demon. He’d heard the names, heard me talk about discovering that the man I knew as Levi was really an angel named Di’leviathan.

Someone had summoned him and allowed him to create a town in a pocket dimension, a place that wasn’t real, yet felt it all the same. There, Levi experimented on supes, turned them into mindless husks that did his bidding.

He’d very nearly done it to me.

“Jesus,” Ethan said when I was done. “I guess I understand why you left.”

Jeremy stared hard at me. Emotions flickered across his face: anger, confusion, sympathy. The only reason he was living in my house now was because I’d run away to Delai after killing my brother. He had to appreciate that everything had worked out for all of us in the end.

“What are we going to do?” he asked finally, voice controlled.

“We have to protect her.”

“But how? Are you sure there’s no way back to that . . . place?”

“Not unless Levi allows it.” I’d found that out the hard way. Now, every time I went to the spot where I’d always seen the road to Delai, I found an empty field.

Footfalls on the stairs cut the conversation short. It was hard to believe I’d spoken long enough for Sienna to be done with her bath, but sure enough, a good hour had passed.

Sienna stopped three steps up. A towel was wrapped around her body. She clutched it tight to her chest and looked toward the floor at my feet, as if she was too embarrassed to look me in the eye.

“My clothes are dirty,” she said in a small voice. “I really don’t want to put them back on. Do you happen to . . .” She trailed off and shrugged one bare shoulder.

“Yeah,” I said, rising. I turned back to the men. “I’ll be right back.”

Ethan nodded, refusing to look up. His face was flaming red and he appeared to be having a hard time swallowing. Jeremy wasn’t looking toward the mostly naked girl either, but at least he’d kept his composure.

Sienna led the way back to my bedroom where I found her a shirt and a pair of pajama pants that weren’t too terribly big on her. I’d have to send Jeremy out to shop for her at some point, especially if I planned on letting her stay for long.

“Thanks,” she said, taking the clothes. “I was almost afraid to ask.”

“Don’t be.” I rested a hand on her shoulder before turning away. “I’ll be downstairs when you’re ready.”

Ethan was still at the table when I returned. He cleared his throat when he saw me, smiled, and then his face flushed again. The poor guy was obviously smitten with Sienna. It was kind of cute.

Jeremy was standing by the back door, peering out into the darkness with a frown on his face.

“Do you see something?” I asked, joining him. All I could see were the trees and the moon. The rain had stopped, but it was still cloudy. I’d almost forgotten how soaked I’d been.

“I don’t know,” he said. “I have this . . . feeling.” His frown deepened. “I’m not sure if I’m just creeped out by all this talk of angels and demons or if there really is something out there.”

“I’m sure it’s nothing.”

Jeremy’s jaw tightened. His eyes were hard and alert as he scoured the grounds.

“Go,” I said, knowing what he wanted to do. “See if you can find anyone. If you see someone you don’t know, run back here as fast as you can and tell me. I don’t want you engaging unless you have to.” I gave him a quick description of Levi just in case, knowing it was unlikely he’d find the angel out there. As far as I knew, he couldn’t leave Delai.

Jeremy gave me a sharp nod before heading out. I locked the door behind him and watched as he vanished into the trees.

“Are you sure it’s such a good idea to let him go?” Ethan asked. “What if someone
is
out there?”

“He’ll be fine.”

“You can’t know that for sure.”

“I said he’ll be fine.” I glanced back at Ethan, letting the anger show in my face. He nodded and looked away.

I didn’t like the idea of Jeremy running around out there alone. There was no telling who could be watching the house. I knew Adrian often had wolves prowling around. Then there was Countess Baset and Count Mephisto. I couldn’t be positive they weren’t watching the place, but I wouldn’t put it past them.

What if one of them had seen Sienna arrive? I really didn’t want word getting around about her. It would only put her in more danger, especially if someone thought they could use her to get to me.

I turned away from the door as Sienna came down the stairs. The T-shirt was a little baggy and she’d had to roll up the bottoms of the pajama pants, but otherwise, they looked to be an okay fit. The bath had apparently done her some good. She looked far better than she had when she’d first arrived.

Ethan leapt up and rushed to her side. “Do you need anything?” he asked. “Do you want to try that coffee again? I made more coffee.”

She smiled at him. “Coffee would be great.”

He waited until she sagged tiredly into the chair next to me before scurrying off to get her coffee. He practically couldn’t take his eyes off of her. Like I’d said before, cute.

I forced my attention away from the flustered Ethan to Sienna. “You okay?” I asked, giving her a quick look over. She did look much better, but there was an underlying weariness that wouldn’t go away with a single soak in the bath.

“I am now,” she said as Ethan returned with a new mug. She took it from him gratefully, took a sip, and grimaced.

“Crap,” Ethan said. “Sugar, right? I should have asked if you needed sugar. What about cream? I usually take it black so I didn’t even think . . .”

“It’s okay,” Sienna said. “I’m just not used to drinking coffee.”

“Oh.” Ethan looked at his hands and then glanced at me as if asking for help.

“Has anyone cleaned up the coffee in the living room?” I asked him, knowing it was still there. I could see the mug lying on its side from where I sat.

Ethan shook his head. “I should probably get that, huh?” Before I could respond, he snatched up some paper towels and headed into the living room, paying me something of a thankful grin as he went. It was obvious he didn’t know how to handle Sienna and needed time to get his head on straight.

“Are you hungry?” I asked her as soon as he was gone.

“No,” Sienna said. “The coffee is fine.”

“Do you think you can talk about what happened?”

Sienna took another tiny sip from her mug before answering. “I think so. I’m not sure there’s much to explain, really.”

Ethan walked by, mug and soggy paper towels in hand. The majority of the mess was cleaned up, though we’d have to use something on it soon or else it would stain the carpet. He gave me a pleading look and I nodded toward the chair across from me. He smiled gratefully and sank down into his chair where he immediately scooted closer to Sienna.

“I was at home when it happened,” she began. She fiddled with her mug without looking up. “I’m not sure exactly what it was I felt, but as I was sitting there, this strange sensation swept over me. I felt oddly free, like I could do anything I wanted. I never knew how trapped I’d always felt until that very moment.”

She licked her lips and shuddered. “It was strange.”

“Do you feel it now?”

She shook her head and then nodded before shrugging. “I don’t know. I feel . . . different. I don’t know how else to explain it.”

I immediately thought of the colored strand I’d seen going to her head when I’d had the Sight. All of Levi’s victims had them. They connected them to him. Had Levi’s hold been broken somehow?

“Mom was asleep and Dad was out, leaving me alone,” she continued. “I knew I’d get this one chance, and if I didn’t just up and run right then and there, I’d never get another opportunity to get away.” She paused, bit her lower lip, and went on.

“I’d never really thought about running away on my own before, but I did it. I left Mom sleeping and I ran. I didn’t know where I was going, but knew I just had to go. I could feel Dad out there. It was strange. It was like he knew what was happening and was coming to get me. It scared me to death. All I kept thinking was that if I kept running, I’d eventually find you.”

She finally looked up and met my eyes. Huge tears quivered on her lashes as she broke into a wide smile.

“It was you who gave me the strength to run. I’m sure of it. It was you who showed me I could get away. When I ran, I knew I’d find you waiting for me.”

Ethan shifted uncomfortably in his chair. He kept looking at me like I was supposed to say something, but I had no idea what. I’d had nothing to do with her escape; that’s for sure. If I’d had the power to break her free of Levi’s grip, I would have done it long before now.

“Anyway, I was nearly out when Dad reached me. When he said my name, I felt this horrible pressure in my head that made me feel like it might explode. I almost turned and went back to him just so it would stop.”

She grinned savagely at her coffee. “But I didn’t. I ran as hard as I could, even when he demanded I stop. He seemed stunned I didn’t do as he said. He just stood there as I ran down the road, like he expected me to keep doing what he wanted like I’d always done before.”

“He didn’t try to stop you?” I asked, not really believing it.

“I think he did,” she said slowly. “I think that was what I felt when I tried to run. It was strange, you know? Like he could force me to do what he wanted just by thinking about it. I’d always been scared of him, but never really knew why.”

Sienna sighed. “The next thing I knew, I was standing outside your house with no real idea how I got there. I just knew that I was where I was supposed to be. Does that make sense?”

I nodded. “Yeah. It does.”

She started blinking rapidly and her lower lip began to tremble. Little spots of blood speckled her lip where she’d bitten it too hard. “If I wouldn’t have run . . .” She broke down then, unable to stop the flood of tears. She buried her face in her hands and cried.

Ethan put his hand tentatively onto her back. When she didn’t pull away, he began to softly rub in slow circles.

“It’ll be okay,” he said. “We won’t let anything happen to you.”

Obviously, he’d done or said the right thing because the next thing I knew, she had her arms thrown around his neck and was sobbing hard into his shoulder. Ethan looked stunned for a moment, hands spread wide as if he was afraid to touch her again, before he finally put his arms around her and hugged her. He closed his eyes and looked very near crying himself.

I waited them out, trying to sort through the information she’d given me. Something had happened to Sienna that allowed her to escape when all her life before, she’d been trapped by Levi’s influence. Why? What changed?

Sienna’s sobs subsided and she let Ethan go. She gave him a sheepish look as she wiped at her eyes. “I’m sorry about that,” she said. “I didn’t mean to blubber all over you.”

“It’s okay,” Ethan said. “I didn’t mind.”

I fought really hard not to snort. Mind? He was practically beaming.

“I’m really tired,” Sienna said. She looked it. “It feels like I haven’t slept in years.”

“You can take my room,” I said, standing. “I don’t need the bed for anything.” Of course that meant I’d have to find a safe place to hide out when the sun came out, but that was okay. Sienna’s needs came first.

I led her back up the stairs to my room. She looked dead on her feet and just about collapsed into the bed. Her flight and subsequent attack had clearly left her exhausted. A good sleep was definitely what she needed.

I closed the door and frowned, wondering what I should do. I really didn’t want to leave her alone, especially if she had another sudden urge to leave. Someone would need to be here to stop her. I wasn’t about to lock her inside or tie her down.

Figuring she was okay for the moment, I went back downstairs. Ethan was staring blankly out the back door, much as Jeremy had been a little while ago. I joined him, but there was nothing new to see.

“She’s really suffered, huh?” he asked.

“She has.”

His fists clenched. “I’m not going to let her go back. She should never have to go through that again.”

“I agree.”

He glanced at me. “I’ll fight him myself if I have to.”

“I know you will.” One look at the determination in his face was all the confirmation I needed of that. “But you won’t have to. We’ll find a way to keep her from going back.”

And there was one person I knew who would be able to tell me how.

I knew I was putting myself at greater risk, but damn it, I needed to know what to do. No one else knew about Delai. No one else could tell me if Levi’s hold was weakening or if something else had happened that had allowed Sienna’s escape.

“I need to talk to Beligral,” I said, hating it even as I said it.

Ethan started to protest, but I stopped him.

“It’s about Sienna,” I said. “I think he can help.”

His shoulders sagged as he looked toward the stairs. “Do you really think he can?”

“I don’t know. I have to ask.”

“We shouldn’t leave her alone.”

“I know.”

“I won’t leave her alone. If she tries to run, someone has to stop her.”

Damn it, but he was right. There was no telling if she’d have another attack and when it might happen. What good would talking to the demon do if she took off and ran away while I was dealing with him?