Blood Sacrifice (Faith of the Fallen Book 2) Read online

  Alexi turned to look at Warren, “What’s she saying?”

  Warren’s eyes narrowed. “I have an enchantment on the shop. No harmful magic can be used against anyone, or anything in the shop,” he said. “And I don’t appreciate being used like this Illyana.”

  Savanna raised an eyebrow.

  “Is that possible,” Alexi asked her friend. Where Illyana was concerned, she didn’t want to take any chances.

  “If it wasn’t, I suspect you would be dead, and I would be unconscious,” Savanna said suspiciously. She peered at Illyana for a moment. Alexi could tell she was using her second sight, the thing she did when she ‘looked’ at magic. Alexi’s fingers itched for her sword, not that it would be much help against magic.

  Illyana continued to smile at them both while she moved into the store with her long coat trailing behind her as the door shut. Her dress was significantly different than last they met. A white turtleneck sweater, yoga pants, and subtle heels gave her a suburban housewife look. She took her coat off and laid it down on the counter and smiled again.

  “Look at you, Savanna, all grown up. I know you might not be able to appreciate this, but I admire the woman you’ve become.”

  Anger flared up in Alexi, it was one thing to threaten their lives. An entirely another thing to play with her friend's emotions. Alexi moved forward, her fist clenched.

  “Uh uh, I may not be able to harm you, but I can defend myself,” she held her hand up waving a finger at Alexi.

  “I killed your demon, you can’t use magic,” Savanna whispered.

  Alexi detected a slight shift in Warren, he seemed caught off guard at Savanna’s claim.

  “As you have shown me, my dear, there are other paths to power. In fact, that’s why I’m here.”

  She needed to be closer, with Illyana there was no ‘if’, only when. And when she made her move, Alexi wanted to be ready.

  “Calm yourself, vampire, there is no need. I swear to you that I’m not here to hurt either of you,” Illyana said. Alexi couldn’t read her. Was she telling the truth? Or was this another attempt to hurt Savanna?

  “Seriously mother, what could you possibly say that I would believe?”

  A cloud of anger washed over Illyana’s face. She raised a hand to her brow and sighed.

  “I know what it is, and who it is, you seek, and I’m willing to tell you, how's that?”

  Alexi had enough. She grabbed Savanna’s arm and marched past Illyana.

  “Here’s my card, call me when you change your mind,” she held it out to Savanna. The witch snatched it with a snarl as they left.

  Alexi turned left and immediately fell in with a group of people walking away from the shop. Half a block later she ducked down an alley that led to the next street over. From there they ducked into a shop and went out the back door to a side street. By the time they were five blocks away, Savanna was breathing hard.

  “Alexi, I need a sec,” she gasped. She leaned over and put her hands on her knees to breath. Alexi let her be and moved past her to check if they were being followed. The afternoon sun dipped down to the west casting long shadows. Even though she could be out in the sun, her abilities didn’t work as well. Hampered as she was, she saw no sign that Illyana followed them.

  “I think,” Savanna said between gulps of air, “we’re good,” she finished.

  “With that crazy bitch, you can’t be too sure. I’d hoped we’d seen the last of her.”

  “Me too,” Savanna flipped the card over. She waved her hand in a half circle around the embossed card. A drop of blood fell from her lips to splatter on it.

  “Jeez Savanna, doesn’t that hurt?”

  She ignored Alexi. Her lips silently chanting while she finished casting her spell. Another drop of blood landed next to the first. The card glowed for a second, then nothing.

  Alexi unclenched her hands. The small ache in the back of her head subsided as the magic Savanna cast washed away.

  “It’s clean, no tracking spells, or geas on it.”

  “What’s a geas,” Alexi asked.

  “It’s like a spell that holds other spells. You cast it then declare the conditions for it to release its other spells, then you cast those. Witches like to use them to make sure clients pay up. If you don’t…,” Alexi shivered as Savanna shrugged. Considering what she’d seen witches do, she was sure that it wouldn’t be pretty.

  Savanna chuckled as she turned the card over. She held it out to Alexi. Other than the spot of blood on one corner it was a nice card. Gold embossed edges, with a simple black text in the middle.

  “She’s a yoga instructor? Now I know she’s evil.” They both laughed. The absurdity of the mass murderer being a yoga instructor left them in stitches.

  Alexi wiped her face as she slowly stopped laughing. She draped an arm over Savanna’s shoulder.

  “Come one, let's get out of here.”

  They walked in silence for a few moments, leaning on each other.

  “Do you think she could help,” Savanna asked.

  “I think she could, but I think the price she would ask would be too high to pay,” Alexi replied.

  FOUR

  The new Arcanum offices were not at all like the old ones. Connor stood in the center of the floor, lost in the sea of cubicles. Thirty new agents and support staff were assigned to the Sea-Tac area. All under Monique. It was a huge bump in responsibly for her, and in the offices profile. Connor wasn’t sure what led to the increase in the size, especially since the Arcanum seemed willing to downplay Alexi’s involvement in stopping Dupree.

  The smell of fresh coffee drifted through the air along with the sound of fingers on keys and printers spitting out paper. He could almost mistake it for a normal office.

  He smiled as his thoughts drifted to Savanna. The way she smiled, how her eyes caught the light just right. The touch of her hands… her soft skin against his.

  “Over here man,” Sing’s voice came from a few cubicles down. His face burned as he shook off the day dream. There was no doubt he was attracted to her, but there was also a myriad of reasons why he shouldn’t be. But he was at work, he put her thoughts about her in a box and closed it. Connor made his way through the maze to find his partner. Now that they had more personnel they were back to the standard teams of two agents each. Not that Connor minded, Sing knew the score, and he trusted him to have his back. In the field and other wise.

  Currently on the agents monitor were seven pictures of attractive young women. All profile shots or family photos. Connor’s first thought was that they all looked like Alexi. blonde, thin, and very pretty.

  “Is there another demon on the loose?”

  “No, but a spike in missing person’s to the SPD had them send out an alert to the FBI, which we intercepted. When the files came down, Monique thought we should take a look.”

  “I can see why, the last time there was a rash of mp’s it was a demon trying to kill her. Any bodies?”

  Sing shook his head. He tapped a few keys and clicked open a new screen. A map of the city popped up. Red dots showing the last location of each of the missing persons.

  “Shit, how many people?”

  “Fifteen…in the last week, but not all of them look like her.”

  Connor quickly flipped through the pictures. The seven Sing pulled up all had the same profile, young, in their twenties, all last seen in the downtown area. The other eight were random, as far as he could tell.

  “How many people go missing in a city this size normally,” Sing asked.

  “Fifteen is about how many people go missing in a month. If bodies were dropping we would all be screaming ‘serial killer’, but with no bodies…”

  Connor didn’t need to finish. No bodes meant either a really clever serial killer, or a supernatural. In his experience killers took their time to set up each one. This many in one week…has to be a new vampire, or something worse.

  “Flag these, let Monique know we’re investigating it and…,�
�� his cell phone interrupted him. He glanced at the screen.

  Are we still having dinner? -Savanna

  Yes, but something came up at the office. I’m going to be a little late. Sorry.

  He found himself starring at the phone, willing her to be okay with it. Seconds passed with no answer.

  “Earth to Connor, man what’s up with you? You’ve been all distracted ever since… are you seeing someone new?”

  Connor blinked, still no message, he put his phone away before it became obvious he was waiting.

  “What…maybe… I’m not sure.” He felt it buzz in his pocket, but now he couldn’t look at it without clewing in Sing.

  “Just flag those files and send me anything else you think is relevant.”

  If he hurried he could still get to her without her having to wait to long.

  ***

  Savanna closed her eyes as their lips touched. Her body shivered uncontrollably as his tongue entered her mouth. It was warm, soft and gentle. She melted into him as they kissed. The door held her up, otherwise, she was sure she would fall. Coordination fled her body and her limbs turned to jelly.

  The dinner had been fabulous, but they couldn’t take their eyes off each other the whole time. Without waiting for dessert they walked hand in hand back to his apartment. At night, when no one’s trying to kill you, Savanna thought, Seattle’s a beautiful city.

  Connor’s apartment was as nondescript as the agent himself. A small building nestled under the overpass, surrounded by other small buildings.

  Her thoughts drifted back to him as his hand touched the small of her back. Her face burned as he kissed her neck. A little sigh escaped her lips.

  “Maybe we should take this inside,” she asked tentatively.

  His brown eyes reflected her thoughts, she could see them clearly even without magic. He was older than her and he was trained to hunt people down like her. She willed him to see past all of that and share his heart with her.

  His thumb came up and touched her lip, pulling it out from her teeth. When he smiled at her, it made her blood boil and her heart beat loud enough to deafen her. She kissed his finger as she held his hand in her own.

  “I like you Savanna, but I don’t want to rush things.”

  “It isn’t rushing things if it’s what I want,” she said pouting her lips together in what she hoped was a seductive smile.

  “Please don’t hate me for saying this and god knows I want to but I don’t think it is what you want,” he said.

  She could see the fear in his eyes, not fear of her power, but of her response. She didn’t want to go cold, not really, but him telling her what she wanted sent sparked rage through her and locked up her muscles.

  Gently she pushed herself away from him. He sighed but didn’t resist. It took her a moment but she calmed herself down enough to speak, “Would you care to explain how you know what I want?”

  “Savanna, I’m thirty-six honey, I know a thing or two. Despite Alexi’s companionship you’re alone. You’ve been alone for years now. We’ve had two wonderful dates. Well one wonderful one, the other one ended in zombie.”

  She hated him for saying it, and more for being right. She let her hair fall in front of her face to hide behind. She wanted to respond, to tell him he was wrong, or misreading it. He wasn’t though. How could he be? She did like him and she had felt alone for so long. Alexi’s friendship was everything to her, but the touch of a man who loved her and desired her, that was new and exciting and something Alexi couldn’t give her.

  “I would love it if we went inside but lets talk. I have a great selection of coffee and if we want we can watch a movie, how does that sound?”

  The idea of cuddling up on the couch with him and talking sent an unexpected jolt through her heart. She had offered herself to him and he had asked that they simply talk.

  A slow smile spread across her face and she nodded. “You sure you won’t be sorry we didn’t…”

  He matched her smile, “I’m sure part of me will be, but not the part that cares about you.”

  ***

  He had a life once. A family, friends, things he cared about. Now, he had his kingdom. He’d forgotten his name after the transformation, and the rot that followed.

  The Zombie sat on his throne of discarded garbage cans and milk crates. He tried to count his followers. Again and again, he lost track. He knew he used to be good with numbers. He did something for a living involving them. Whatever it had been was gone.

  The room his throne occupied was filled with others like him. Half-eaten desiccated husks. A pretty blonde he brought into his kingdom, knelt beside him, her blood matted hair resisted her attempt at brushing.

  Two of his larger converts marched into the room, carrying a struggling new initiate. She was just like he wanted. Blonde hair, blue eyes, pale skin. Just like her. He hobbled over to her, his left foot didn’t work as well as it once did.

  “What are you people? Let me go and I promise I won’t say anything,” she cried. Her lips trembled with fear. Something about her told him that she wasn’t the one. He didn’t care, though. He would add her to the collection. His yellow teeth sunk into her neck. Her screams soon turned to gurgles as her lungs filled with blood.

  Her body twitched on the floor. For a few minutes, his mind cleared, and his memory returned. He was looking for someone. A woman who caused him great pain and he needed to do the same to her.

  “Keep looking. Bring me all the blondes you can find, and maybe some more men. You two are looking a little ragged.”

  “Hungry,” the larger of the two managed to say from behind broken teeth.

  “No feeding, not yet. We must wait, then you can gorge yourself. Now go!”

  He stood over his newest convert, watching her limbs twitch. It used to take hours, he marveled, now minutes. When it took seconds he knew the time was right.

  Her eyes fluttered open. His smile faded. She no longer had blue eyes, but the same clouded white they all had. He held his hand out to her.

  She managed to stand with his help, unable to speak, just grunt.

  “It’s okay, my dear. Welcome to the kingdom of the dead.”

  FIVE

  The dim evening light wasn’t enough to illuminate the graveyard, but it was enough for Alexi. Rain fell in sheets as it was want to do as spring drew ever closer. Alexi didn’t mind. Her black trench-coat shielded her from the worst of it. As for the water, anything she could feel she enjoyed. Even pain.

  Except for the pain in her heart.

  Victor's grave stood silent and alone. She hadn’t really known what to put on it, or if she should have had him buried him where his pack died. The spot she picked out for him was at the bottom of a hill, near a small tree, she thought he would like that. She wiped away some of the errant leaves, and dirt, that obscured his headstone. Tracing his name with her finger while she was at it.

  “I miss you,” she whispered.

  The rain continued to fall. She sat there, letting it drizzle off of her while she thought. Since she woke up everything moved fast. People were trying to kill her, trying to end the world, she didn’t have time to think about her past. The vision that Savanna had that told her how she died, opened her eyes to it but why wasn’t she more interested in it? She had her dog tags, she could look it up on the Internet. Was she afraid?

  She smiled at Victor's headstone, he wouldn’t have been afraid. He would’ve charged head forward until he knew. Something stopped her, though. Knowing who she was, or where she came from would be hollow. She searched her memories for any hint of who she was. There simply wasn’t anything. Nothing.

  Her phone chirped interrupting her. She found it in her pocket and held it out in front of her for a moment before flipping it open.

  Connor says ppl missing. -Savanna

  Why tell me?

  They look like you.

  ILLYANA.

  Meet me at Connors.

  OMW.

  The last time peopl
e who looked like her were being killed, it was because of a demon that Illyana summoned. If it was happening again that meant the witch was up to something.

  Connor’s place was part of a complex on the south side of Seattle. It took Alexi twenty minutes to get there after she hailed a cab. The traffic was awful, she could have taken a bus but she wasn’t familiar enough with them yet. The old apartments he lived in were beaten down and had seen better days. Crumbling facade and old, untrimmed hedges circled the building. The windows were stained yellow. The thought that Arcanum agents mustn’t be paid well occurred to her as she walked up the short steps to the front door.

  She found his place on the third floor down a dingy hallway.

  “You’re saying you met her, and she gave you her number,” Connor asked while pouring Alexi a drink.

  “Bold as brass, she walked in and gave us her card. I know it’s hard to imagine but I don’t think she’s responsible or at least we should entertain the notion that she isn’t.” She had thought about it on the way over. Illyana was a clever woman, she doubted the witch would use the same trick twice. She took a sip of her ‘coffee’. It tasted bitter and ashen like everything else. Eating and drinking were things she did around other people to put them at ease. Unless it was alcohol, that at least burned all the way down.

  “We should go see her, all the same,” Connor said.

  Alexi cocked her head to the side. Savanna was being awfully quiet. Her shirt was pulled out of her pant and her long black hair swirled around her in different directions. Alexi’s brow shot up when she realized she had been interrupting. Savanna quickly looked away, embarrassment coloring her cheeks an even darker shade of brown. Alexi couldn’t help but grin even with the seriousness of the moment.

  “Listen, there isn’t anything we can do tonight. You two get back to doing,” she waved her hand, “whatever it was you were doing, and we will go look in the morning.”

  Connor coughed suddenly choking on his coffee. Alexi gave him a sympathetic nod.

  Savanna shook her head, “You’re more powerful at night. We should go now when we have the advantage. If she tries anything I would rather have you at your peak.”