50 Ways to Hex Your Lover (26 page)

Clive spun around. “
No!
”” he screamed, starting toward the destroyed tapestry with his hands thrust out as if to stop what had already been done.
Before he could take a step, he froze.A gurgling sound traveled up his throat.

Jazz tried to focus on the floor-to-ceiling window now revealed by the destroyed tapestry. At first, she thought the window
had been covered with some sort of patterned paper. Now she realized the pattern was moving. The shades that populated the
grounds now looked through the window, watching the imminent destruction of another one of their own.

“Flavius,” she whispered, seeing the familiar features of Nick’s sire in the forefront—confirmation that Nick’s sire had been
brought here and now would never walk and talk with Nick again.

“Look upon them!” She unconsciously pulled on her manacles until she chafed her skin raw and bleeding. The pain brought her
back to her surroundings. “You are a beast who has lost all of your humanity!” she screamed loud enough to shatter glass.
She only wished it had because then the shades on the outside would be in here confronting the one who imprisoned them on
a shadowy plain with no chance of escape. “Look upon what you have hidden from all these decades! What you see are the products
of your creation. Creatures you destroyed for a sinister power you can’t even hold onto. No more, Clive, because before I’m
done here they will be free and you will have
nothing!
”

“You bitch!” Clive screamed back, shrinking from the faces visible through the heavy glass. Mouths opened and closed in silent
screams of anguish as they stared at the one who tormented them.

Jazz looked at Nick, noting the pain on his face, and knew whatever happened next could finish them both. Death wasn’t her
first option, but if she succeeded in freeing the shades and killing Clive in the process she knew their deaths would be worth
it.

The flicker of power she’d diligently nursed to destroy the tapestry roared to an inferno. Clive’s agitation caused a shift
in the power in the dungeon that Jazz immediately felt. She wasted no time searching for any power trapped in the walls and
started to tap into it, but she quickly realized his dark magick might override her own and in the end defeat her. It was
a chance she’d have to take. She’d been lucky with the tapestry, but this next time around she’d have to pull out all the
stops.

Do it, love.
Nick’s comforting voice inside her head offered her the grounding she needed.

“I call on the Goddess of Judgment! I plead that you do to this creature of the dark arts what he deserves for twisting power
for his own personal gain and not respecting the existence of others,” she called out, searching for all she could tap into
even as the pain inside her head increased to the point where she feared her head would explode. As she drew in a deep breath,
she knew exactly what to say for maximum effect. “Show no mercy for this one who has shown no compassion for the children
of the night. Show no mercy for this one who steals that which gives them their existence. Let those victims who walk between
the two worlds judge him as he should be judged.” A rumble rolled through the chamber, causing Clive to stumble. He reached
out to grab the edge of the altar to keep his balance. The air grew thick with power making it difficult to breathe while
the flames from the torches flickered wildly under the wave. For a moment Jazz feared they’d start a fire they’d have no chance
of escaping. Her hair lifted up and waved around her head with the crackle of magick while her skin seemed coated with multi-colored
sparkles. Her moonstone ring glowed a white hot blue that burned her skin, but she was beyond feeling either the burn or the
pain pressing inside her head. She was a witch on a mission to destroy the bad guy.

Clive was wild-eyed as he felt her power envelop his with a strength he hadn’t expected. “
What are
you doing?
”

Her gaze could have sliced him to ribbons. “Making things right.” She closed her eyes again, took a deep breath of the thick
air and embraced what rushed through her. “I ask that he not be allowed to create anything more that walks between the worlds!”
Jazz nudged her control up that extra notch. For a moment, as it moved through her, she felt as if her head would fly off
but she managed to hold on by her fingertips. “I beg that things be made right.” She lifted her face, her smile wide with
the sense that right now she could pretty much do anything. It was suddenly very clear what was needed.

A thunderclap slammed through the night sky as if the magick she brought up would split the atmosphere in two. Jazz didn’t
flinch when a lightning bolt struck the stone floor leaving the burnt scent of sulfur behind and splitting the floor in half.
Fire licked up from beneath the stones.

“I ask that the one who can finish this be brought here. Grant her the chance to face the one who harmed her, so that she
may make things right!”

The air fairly sizzled with the nostril-burning smell of electricity as her power again rolled around her.

“You fucking bitch! You won’t ruin this for me! I’ll see you dead first,” Clive roared, starting towards her with his hands
outstretched.

Jazz knew if she didn’t finish it now he would surely tear her limb from limb, and in his fury he wouldn’t spare Nick no matter
how much he wanted Nick’s blood. As she looked at his enraged features she realized that by drawing what power she could from
the house she’d effectively barred Clive from using it. She spared a quick glance at Nick. Guessing her intent he managed
a brief smile.

“Allow the one who can finish what I have begun to leave her protected surroundings and join me. Because I say so, damn it!”
Her lungs burned, but she wasn’t about to shut up now. “Irma! You can do it! Leave your refuge to pass judgment on the one
who has harmed so many!
Because I say so, damn it!
”

Nineteen

Forget my screwing you to death and then handing you over to the others to feast on. I
will
kill you now!” Clive almost reached her when the entire room shook as if a monster earthquake rolled around them.

Jazz lost her balance, falling forward with only the manacles around her wrists keeping her upright. Clive fell to the floor
in an undignified sprawl. He rose onto his hands and knees, his features distorting even more. His earlier arrogance had been
wiped clean and he now looked more like a terrified animal than a man who was confident he was invincible.

The air around them glistened and shifted until it appeared to tear in the center and part. A woman’s shriek was abruptly
cut off as a figure stumbled into the chamber.

“It worked! Jazz, honey, you did it! You got me out of the car! I told you you could do it,” Irma squealed looking around.
She exhibited shock at Jazz’s state of undress and then paused to give Nick an admiring glance. “My land, child, what kind
of shenanigans have you been up to in this horrible place? As she turned away she came face to face with Clive. “
You!
” She lifted her handbag as if ready to pummel him. “You’re the bastard who put all that nasty oil on my car! You scared me
half to death! Well, you know what I mean.” As her anger intensified, her form shimmered in and out until it appeared solid.
“You are an evil man and you need to be held accountable for your crimes.”

“You can’t be here. This isn’t possible.” He scrambled to his feet and backed away from her as she advanced on him. His anger
had been replaced by stark fear that shook his limbs. His pale features turned an unearthly gray color. “No shades can pass
the mansion’s threshold! I set those wards myself years ago. Many shades have tried to breach them and they all failed.”

“They failed because the shades you protected yourself from were ones you created. She’s not your shade, asshole,” Jazz snarled,
ignoring her raw throat and the searing pain in her wrists and arms as she again pulled on her chains. “You have no control
over her. No one does.” With Clive losing more of his power, she felt the return of her own with a vengeance. She smiled as
she watched Irma pause long enough to look around the chamber. Disgust crossed the ghost’s face as she turned back to Clive
who backpedaled to keep out of arm’s reach. “And she’s going to kick your ass,” Jazz finished with relish and more than her
share of witchy malice. She so loved watching the bad guy get what he deserved.

Irma turned back from the faces pressed against the glass. “What kind of wickedness have you been doing here, you son of a
bitch? What you did to me that day was bad enough, but this …,” she gestured toward the window, “is beyond words.” She marched
toward him, her handbag still upraised ready to inflict damage.

As Clive threw up his hands in self defense, Irma walked right though him. The horror his victims experienced at his hands
was now transferred to him. A thin stream of blood trickled down his forehead then a second followed as his skin began to
blacken and split. Trails of blood soon leaked from his mouth, nose, and ears.

“Go get ’em, Irma,” Jazz whispered, before gearing up one more time. “I ask that the shades be released to exact their own
judgment!” Her voice fractured on the last word, but it was enough. The sound of glass cracking was first, followed by window
fragments falling to the floor and shattering. Chilly night air whooshed inside along with what Jazz sensed were thousands
of shades. She knew she would have screamed like a girl if one of them had touched her, but all of their concentration was
centered on Reeves. He fell to his knees, covering his head as the shades converged on him. His screams of terror echoed throughout
the dungeon.

With the dampening spell completely gone, Jazz managed to release the manacles and sink to her knees. She stood up and ran
over to the altar and gently pulled the needle from Nick’s wrist. She winced at the blood trickling from his wound. Thankfully,
before her eyes, the wound closed up and healed.

She turned her attention to the chains and tugged on the thick links then looked for the lock. She cursed under her breath
when one couldn’t be found.

“Release the one that doesn’t deserve this. Because I say so, damn it!” she commanded, holding onto one of the links.

“I’m glad to see you haven’t lost your touch,” Nick whispered with a faint smile. “By destroying Clive, the mansion will be
brought down too because his magick kept it going.You need to get out of here now.”

“If you think I did all that only to abandon you, you’ve got another think coming, mister. I’m not leaving without you.” Grim
resolve gave her that extra strength as she zapped the links. She fell against the stone, feeling the sharp edge cut into
her palms.

“I can survive the house coming down. You can’t,” he reminded her.

“We’ve survived the Black Plague, the
Titanic,
and Pearl Harbor just to name a few. Not to mention the Disco period. We leave here together.” She wiped her bloody palms
on her bare thighs and pushed the chains to one side until Nick could easily slide out from beneath them. He stood up and
staggered a bit.

“I’d say he’s very much dead this time. I heard his heart stop beating,” he said, accepting the shoulder she offered him.

Like stop-motion photography, Reeves’ salt and pepper hair lengthened, turning a yellowish white, while his blackened and
split skin peeled away from his skull, leaving white bone behind. The same happened with his hands and legs, skin and muscle
disappearing until only bones were left behind. Within moments, the robe flattened to the floor and all that remained was
a grayish-white powder. Just as his body returned to what it should be, the torture equipment around the room slowly crumbled
to dust, the iron now rusty from age and old blood. All the whispers she’d heard when they first entered the property were
now silent.

“They judged him and were released from their final bond to earth.” She looked past Nick at the scorch marks and hole in the
floor. “Oh man, Mother Nature is going to get me for that one.” She winced each time her bare feet found a splinter of glass.

“I did it, Jazz!” A beaming Irma appeared in front of them. “I left the car.” She swung in a circle.

“Yes, you did.” She smiled back.

Irma looked at what was left of Clive’s body and her smile disappeared. “It was for an excellent reason.” She turned back
to Jazz. “Thank you.” She suddenly looked startled and vanished in the blink of an eye.

“And now she’s gone,” Jazz said, feeling a tear leak from her eye. “Probably just as well.” She felt the floor trembling under
their feet. She struggled to keep a tight hold on him. “You’re right. We need to get out of here.”

Nick leaned on her heavily. “While we’re getting the hell out of Dodge as they say, we might want to find some clothes. As
much as I like seeing you naked, the authorities might not understand and they’re going to show up here very soon. An exploding
house doesn’t escape notice easily.”

“That’s all you want? Piece of cake.” She swept her hand over them. Nick wore the tuxedo from before while she again wore
her gown. “No reason for us to attract any unwanted attention in case any of Reeves’ goons are still around.” She started
for the stairs, but Nick tugged on her arm to halt her.

They turned toward Clive’s remains. The faint shadowy substance that had once been Flavius stood there. He smiled and held
up his right hand, palm forward.

Nick echoed the gesture. A second later, Flavius disappeared.

“Come on,” Jazz whispered, keeping her arm around Nick and helping him up the stairs. Between the two of them they were able
to lift the heavy wooden bar across the door and wrench it open.

They found the main floor of the house in chaos. Those Clive had enslaved were running through the house toward any exit they
could find, while vampires, unaware they could have been the next victims in Clive’s quest for dark power, were likewise swarming
out. Bodies lay scattered in each room they passed. Flames licked at the walls, turning the silk window coverings into torches.

“If you need blood we can find someone,” Jazz whispered, aware of his weakness.

He shook his head. “No, I won’t use them the way he did.”

Jazz considered his weak state and muttered a curse that brought a hint of magickal smoke to the air. She propped him up against
a wall and ducked into a room. She came out holding a goblet. “Drink it. I’d say this is the pure stuff, but you’re the real
expert here.” She waved it under his nose.

Nick’s fangs appeared at the rich coppery scent. He grasped the goblet with both hands and downed it in one gulp. He had barely
finished when she snatched it from his hands and gave him another.

He finished the second and cocked his head. “Police.”

Jazz grimaced at the resonance of sirens that didn’t sound all that far off. “Not my favorite people even if they adore you.
Should have known they’d get up here fast. The higher-priced the neighborhood, the faster the response.”

“Maybe if you were nice to them once in a while they wouldn’t give you so much trouble.” He grinned.

“Come on. If we’re lucky we can get out of here in time.” She almost lost her balance when the house shifted again.

As they crossed the threshold, the house began buckling, folding into itself. The earth shuddered so severely they were thrown
to the ground.

This time, it was Nick who grabbed Jazz and pulled her to safety as the house sank into the ground and flames shot up into
the air, igniting a few nearby trees. Nick flinched.

“Save the trees,” Jazz said for want of anything else and because she was just too damn exhausted to come up with a better
spell. The fire immediately died. She gave a sheepish shrug. “Considering everything, that’s the best I could do. Do you feel
it, Nick?” She looked at the destroyed house. The only vehicle remaining was her limo parked nearby.

Judging by the dents in the sides, some of the fleeing guests weren’t careful in their retreat from the catastrophe. Neither
of them were surprised that all the vampires had left the property immediately. After all, fire was their enemy. She looked
around, pleased to see the absence of the sad-faced shades wandering the grounds. “They really are all gone. They were able
to fully cross over and be free. We did it.”

He looked sad as he scanned the expansive property, the three-story house now nothing more than a fiery pit. Even the swimming
pool had collapsed.

“They didn’t deserve to die the way they did,” he murmured. “Flavius was denied the warrior’s death he earned long ago.”

Jazz wrapped her arms around him.

“Still, they’re free, Nick,” she whispered against his shoulder. Her smile and tears were luminous in the moonlight. “They’re
free.” She reached up and kissed the side of his neck. She turned her head when his arm around her waist tightened. “Uh-oh.”
She stared at the unmarked sheriff’s car moving up the long driveway behind the approaching fire trucks. “Uh, Nick, if there
was ever a good time for you to play big bad cop who totally can bond with these guys, this is it.”

The vehicle stopped nearby and a man wearing a rumpled suit climbed out. Jazz made sure their clothing appeared rumpled and
torn, their faces smudged with smoke. The man sighed as he stared at them.

“How did I know you’d be here?” Detective Larkin tugged at his loosened tie, looked toward the destroyed house and back at
Jazz and Nick. He stabbed a meaty finger at Jazz. “And don’t give me that mom and apple pie shit, hear me?”

Jazz kept her snarl to herself. “I hadn’t planned on it. I swear to you I had nothing to do with this, Detective Larkin,”
she said, for once telling the truth. In the strictest sense of the word, she had nothing to do with the fire, only what happened
before that.

“And you two decided to stay here like good little citizens to make a statement, right?” He turned to Nick, clearly seeing
him as the voice of reason. “Either of you need a paramedic?”

“We’ve suffered nothing more than cuts and bruises from the stampede out of the house.We were here for the party and next
thing we knew someone yelled fire,” Nick explained. “People started running for the doors and we were pushed outside with
everyone else. Jazz and I were parted in the melee and by the time I was able to find her again, everyone else had left the
grounds.” He rubbed his head as if it was aching. “Look, Detective, I know you’ll want a statement, but can it wait until
morning? It’s been a rough night.”

Larkin glared at them both. “Wait here for now.” He headed for the fire chief directing the operation.

“I don’t think he believes us,” Jazz murmured.

Nick smiled. “Oh, he believes me. It’s you he doesn’t trust.” He looked upward at the sound of thunder rolling overhead. “Not
a good idea right now.” The thunder grew silent.

Larkin walked back to them. “They won’t know what happened for sure until they can look through the rubble, but the firemen
think it might have been an electrical short,” he told them. “House is pretty old and who knows when the wiring was last looked
at. We need statements from you two, so be at the station at nine.”

Nick held tight onto Jazz’s arm so she wouldn’t say anything. “We will be there, Detective.” He steered her toward the limo.

“So what are you going to tell Detective Larkin when you don’t show up in the morning?” she asked. “Weather Channel said tomorrow
will be a bright and sunny day.”

“He only said nine. He didn’t specify if he wanted us there in the morning or the evening.”

Before Jazz rounded the hood to climb into the driver’s seat, she took one last look at the destruction and then lifted her
face to the sky as a drop of rain hit her face. In moments, the misting rain turned into a downpour. She stood there for a
moment enjoying the cleansing power of the cold water on her skin. She noticed the fire soon died under the downpour.

“Thank you, Mother Nature,” she whispered, climbing in.