The Order Boxed Set (51 page)

But of course, she knew why not. After she had given the Key to Asmodai, she was likely to be a little unpopular around the Order. She’d told Piers she didn’t plan on becoming his enemy, but that was exactly what she would be when he found out. The idea upset her more than she cared to think about. Why couldn’t anything go right for her? She’d found a place—people who could help her discover who and what she was—and now she planned to do the one thing guaranteed to alienate them. She’d be on the run again.

And she was tired of running.

She rested her head against the seat and watched the streets of London flash by. For the first time, she considered not giving the Key to Asmodai. If she handed it to Piers, would he protect her from the demon’s wrath? Asmodai was not someone you lightly crossed. But the Order was powerful. Maybe they could keep her safe.

A wave of excitement washed over her. She might be signing her death warrant, but she’d lived a long time, and she was tired of not only running but of being alone. She didn’t want to be Piers’ enemy; she wanted to be his…Her mind hesitated, unsure of anything except the fact that she desired him. Like a hunger deep in her belly, a powerful thirst that needed to be quenched. She closed her eyes and remembered the feel of his strong arms holding her, his kiss, his bite. What would it feel like if he bit her while he was…

“Roz?”

She blinked as Maria spoke her name. They’d pulled up at the hospital, and she could see Ryan outside the main entrance, a cigarette in his hand. He’d given them up years ago; things must be tough.

She paid the driver, got out, and strolled toward him. “Those things will kill you,” she said, nodding at the cigarette.

“Yeah.” He glanced past her, his gaze settling on Maria. He frowned, and she saw the flicker of recognition. “Sister Maria?”

She held out a hand to him and he shook it. “Hello, Detective Ryan.”

“Just Ryan will do. You’re looking a little more…secular this evening,” he said.

“I bought some clothes.”

“Nice. I’ve found someone to take you back to the convent. She drives a cab but is off duty tonight. She’s meeting us at my place after we’ve finished here.”

“Thank you.”

“Finish here?” Roz asked. “What’s there to finish?”

“There’s actually something I’d like your help with.”

She frowned. She really hoped there wasn’t another missing person already. “What’s that?”

“Go see Jessica Thomas.”

“What?” She hadn’t been expecting that. “Why?”

“Because she’s asking for you.”

“She doesn’t know me. Is she okay?”

Ryan sighed. “Physically, she’s fine. It’s her mind that’s the problem. She says she can’t remember, but she’s scared the whole time. Scared rigid, like if she moves, something will get her.” He raised the cigarette to his mouth, then gave it a disgusted glance, tossed it to the ground, and stamped on it with his boot. “I hate this case. I have no fucking clue what is going on—except it’s some weird shit.”

“So why does she want to see me?” Roz asked.

Ryan shrugged. “She got me here tonight by saying she remembered something, but it was a lie. Once I was here, she asked me if she could see the woman I was with the night we found her—that’s you.”

“But why?”

“She says you brought her back and took the pain away. I think she would like you to take the memories away as well. She’s told us all along that she remembers nothing, but I think she’s been bluffing—just doesn’t want to think about it. Now, she says she’ll try and talk about it but only if you’re there.”

Roz glanced at her watch. It was just after eleven. She had enough problems of her own, but how could she not help? Jessica was innocent in all this.

But she’d never tried to heal a mind. Perhaps she’d do more harm than good.

“You can’t hurt her more than she’s already hurt,” Ryan said, as if reading her thoughts. “She’s damaged goods, and as of this moment no one has a clue how to fix her.”

Roz rubbed her eyes and gave a quick nod. “Lead the way. But this had better be quick or I’m out of here.”

“I know you love to pretend you don’t care, but you can drop the act with me. I’ve seen the real you.”

She scowled. No one had seen the real her. Hell, even she didn’t know who the real her was. “I
don’t
care.”

“If you didn’t care, Jessica would be dead in that basement.”

There wasn’t really anything she could answer to that. Shoving her hands into her pockets, she stalked into the hospital, Ryan behind her. She halted inside the door as she realized that she had no clue where she was going.

She looked over her shoulder to see Ryan grinning at her. “Don’t laugh at me, Ryan. You should know that right now, I have absolutely no sense of humor.”

He wiped the grin from his face and nodded. “This way.”

Jessica was in a private room with a uniformed officer on the door. Inside was a single bed, a cabinet, and a couple of upright chairs. The girl lay on the bed, her head turned away, her whole body rigid.

“Jessica,” Roz murmured.

She hadn’t thought the body under the sheets could get any tenser, but it was as if she were made of stone. Roz glanced behind her at Ryan and Maria and waved a hand toward the chairs. For a second, Ryan hesitated, but then he went obediently and sat down. Maria followed him.

Roz walked around the bed so she could see Jessica’s face. Her eyes were open, but she was staring, unblinking, at the bare wall opposite.

Roz crouched down so she filled the girl’s field of vision, but there was no reaction. “Jessica, you asked to see me. I’m the one who found you.”

Jessica blinked, some life returning to her gaze—a flicker of hope. She struggled to sit. “You came.”

Roz straightened then perched on the bed beside her. “How can I help? What is it you need?”

“When you touched me, back in that room, it was like you chased away the dark. Now it’s back, and I can’t see through it, and I’m scared all the time.”

Roz bit her lip, wishing she understood more about her powers. She had always worked on instinct, but she’d had nothing else to go on. What if she damaged Jessica’s mind? But studying the girl, she realized Ryan had spoken the truth. Jessica couldn’t be any worse than she was now. Living in constant fear. Roz understood a little of what that could be like, and she wouldn’t wish it on anyone else. “I’ll try,” she said. “But you must tell me if I hurt you. If anything doesn’t feel right.”

Jessica nodded.

Lord, where did she start? What was she supposed to do, and how would she do it? The questions and doubts were whirling through her mind, and she clamped them down. Closing her eyes, she searched for the place inside her where her power dwelt and found it at the very center of her being. A warm excitement filled her. This was a part of her that she had denied for most of her life. She’d believed it something bad, kept it hidden, but she knew in her heart that it wasn’t evil. It could be if used wrongly, but it could also be a power for good.

She rested her fingers lightly on either side of Jessica’s forehead; felt the tension, the fear, the hope. “Relax,” she murmured. As she had all those years ago, she found the door in her mind. There was a key, but she didn’t dare unlock it. Instead, she placed a hand flat against the wood and felt the pulse of power.

Jessica’s eyes widened. Roz could feel the power flowing from her mind into the girl’s, pushing away the darkness, cracking open the walls, healing the pain and fear. Filling her with light.

Roz held nothing back. Always before, she had feared using her power, had believed it would be a beacon that would draw her enemies to her. Show her for the evil creature she was. Now, for the first time in her life, she felt whole, complete, at one with herself.

It was good.

Finally, she pulled the power back into herself and drew back from the door. From now on, she wouldn’t be ashamed of what she was; she would embrace it. She looked down at the girl and saw that Jessica was smiling. She smiled back.

“Thanks,” Jessica said.

“My pleasure. Do you feel better? Can you remember?”

A shudder ran through the girl’s body. In the photograph, she had appeared slightly plump, but that was gone. She was thin to the bone now. But her expression was serene.

“I feel better. Better than I’ve ever felt. I’m still afraid, but it’s not so dark anymore.”

“There are bad things out there,” Roz said. “But there are also things that stand in front of them, fight them off, keep the world a safe place. Most of the time. Can you talk to Detective Ryan now?”

Jessica nodded and glanced past Roz’s shoulder. Roz twisted her head and saw that Maria and Ryan were standing right behind her. An expression of wonder filled Maria’s face. “You’re an angel,” she murmured.

Roz scowled. “Piss off.”

Ryan laughed and it broke the tension. “That’s the Roz we all love.”

His words warmed her, but she kept the scowl on her face as she stood up. “Make it quick, Ryan. I’m on a schedule here.”

She sat in one of the chairs as Ryan questioned Jessica, letting the words flow over her without taking too much notice. She knew what Jessica would be saying—she had seen what the girl had gone through.

It occurred to her that maybe it would be better for the Order if Jessica didn’t say any of this stuff. That they must work hard to keep under the radar, maintain the lie that their kind was nothing but a myth. But it was too late now. And anyway, she doubted that anyone would believe Jessica. They would probably conclude that Jack was some sort of vampire wannabe freak rather than the real thing.

Eventually Jessica went silent. “That’s all,” she said.

Ryan sat back. “Nobody is going to believe this.”

Which was exactly Roz’s opinion, and just as well.

He sighed. “Oh well, it’s not often I get to write up a report about vampires.”

“Just don’t mention me in it.” He opened his mouth, but she continued before he could speak. “A deal’s a deal.”

“You know I won’t.” He rose to his feet and stretched. “Okay, that’s it for the night. I might think of some more questions tomorrow. But for now, I’m beat.” He looked down at the girl. “You think you can sleep now?”

“Actually, I’m hungry. Is there any food?”

“I’m sure they can find you some. I’ll send someone in.”

Jessica called to them as she opened the door. “Roz, will you visit me again?”

“Of course,” she lied.

After all, who knew where she would be tomorrow.

Ryan appeared deep in thought as they left the hospital, and from the expression on his face, his thoughts weren’t happy ones. She couldn’t help him there. A twinge of guilt jabbed her in the gut. She had gone to Ryan that first time, had brought him into her world, where he had no right to be. Now he was getting in deeper, and that could only be bad news for him. Tara had said that one of the functions of the Order was to keep their kinds’ existence a secret. So what did they do with people like Ryan who just got too close? Maybe nothing worse than a bit of that mind control. She could only hope.

The parking lot was almost deserted. She and Maria followed Ryan toward where his SUV was parked.

He was putting the key in the lock when something slammed into her from behind, and she crashed to the floor. The air left her lungs with a whoosh and all she saw were flashes of blackness. A small scream came from beside her—Maria. Roz tried to drag herself up, but a weight pushed her down into the ground, crushing her face so her teeth were rammed against the inside of her mouth and she tasted the sweet metallic tang of her own blood.

She stopped struggling, held herself very still, and the pressure eased slightly. A few seconds later, she was dragged to her feet, wincing as pain shot through her. She’d maybe cracked a rib in the fall, but it wasn’t too bad. She could still function.

They were surrounded. One man had a hold of Sister Maria, two held onto Ryan, and at least five others stood around, all dressed in dark jackets, the hoods pulled over their faces. But beneath the hoods, she could see the gleam of crimson.

A man stood in the center of the group. He was dressed in dark pants and a black shirt. She recognized him in an instant.

Jack.

Shit.

He leaned in close and sniffed the air around her. “Who are you?”

“Mind your own goddamn business.”

He studied her speculatively, and she braced herself for pain, but instead a slight smile curled his lips, and he nodded to the man who held Maria. He twisted her arm viciously behind her back, and Maria let out a little shriek of pain before she managed to bite it back. Her gaze held Roz’s, and an expression of acceptance filled her eyes. She fully expected to die here. In that moment, Roz decided that no way was that going to happen. Not if she could help it.
She
would die first.

She must have tensed because Ryan spoke from beside her, his tone urgent.

“Roz!”

Two men held him, gripped by his upper arms, though she’d felt their inhuman strength and knew they weren’t men. From the crimson glint in their eyes and strong stench of sulfur that hung around them, she’d guess they were demons. Blood beaded on Ryan’s mouth but his eyes were clear. When he saw he had her attention, he shook his head slightly. He was telling her not to do anything. It was good advice—they were way outnumbered. Taking a deep breath, she forced herself to relax. If Jack had wanted them all dead, they would already be dead. He had kept them alive for a reason. She only hoped that reason wasn’t so he could feed on them all later at his leisure.

But she didn’t think so. She actually had a good idea of what he was after. She only hoped she could use that to save her friends. A shock ran through her at the thought. But she realized it was the truth—they were her friends, however much she tried to reject the idea. Ryan had been her friend for a long time. And Maria. She couldn’t deny that she was coming to care about her in a weird sort of way.