A Demon Does It Better (34 page)

Lili shook her head. “Because of me.” She picked up her wineglass and drank deeply. Jared took it from her fingers and finished the contents.

“It’s the brand. It has what you’d call a kill switch. I was treating her, and all of a sudden…” she gulped at the memory, “the brand burst into flames, and she was reduced to ashes in seconds. No wonder she was so afraid of leaving the asylum,” she finished in a whisper. She lightly traced her fingertips over his shirt front where the brand would be. “I have no idea how you manage to escape such a fate. After seeing what happened to her.” She paused. “It was awful.”

“Poor Pepta,” he murmured. “But maybe she was better off. She hurt inside and out.”

“The Hellion Guard took Turtifo and Coing into custody,” she told him. “Nurse Garrish wanted them gone as much as I did.” She pointed a finger at the wineglass and raised the digit slowly until wine filled the glass again. She took a sip, then handed it to Jared.

He closed his eyes. A few words of his language left his lips before he drank.

“I wanted to take everyone out of there,” Lili said, feeling defeat color her words. “To bring them upstairs. I can’t do it now. They’d all end up like Pepta. And while you can leave, your time is limited.” She inhaled his scent, drawing it deep into her lungs. While she was here, she couldn’t smell the rotten stench of the asylum, the reek of unwashed flesh, or the sickness that seemed to permeate the air down there. She saw the male he was before he was thrown into a cage. “I sent Dr. Mortimer’s scrolls detailing the blood spells to Eurydice. She’ll know what to do with them. With her connections, I’m sure she can help me find a way to safely release all of you.” She rested her forehead against his shoulder, feeling the buzzing sensation of magick under his skin.

“I always thought you were one of the less-troublesome students. It appears I was wrong.”

Lili jumped to her feet and spun around but kept her body in front of Jared, protecting him. He immediately sat up and pushed her to one side, keeping an arm around her.

The elder witch sat in the same chair she had the last time she visited Lili. The only change was her Chanel suit was now a heavy silk gown the color of fresh blackberries. There was nothing threatening with her manner as she gazed at one of her past students then moved on to Jared.

“I see.” Her knowing smile flickered on her lips. “You are Sinsia’s firstborn.”

He nodded.

“Lovely woman, but she cheats at canasta.”

Lili’s silver tea service appeared on the table with three filled cups. Eurydice nodded in their direction.

“We all need clear heads.”

Lili handed out the cups and sat down next to Jared, savoring the warmth of his thigh resting against hers.

“Is that
witch
back?” Cleo hollered from the kitchen. The cat’s yelp was sharp and sudden as a poof of smoke appeared and the bedroom door closed.

“They only get worse as they grow older,” Eurydice said by way of explanation. She turned to Lili. “The scrolls you sent me were very illuminating. And dangerous.” Her emerald eyes glinted with her strong power. “Did Hieronymus tell you how he obtained them?”

She shook her head. “I gathered that he’d collected them over the years. He tried to tell me that the spells will help the patients, but I can’t believe that. I think they somehow work on his behalf. And I wouldn’t be surprised if he had something to do with Sera’s and the others’ disappearances.” Her voice broke. “I know there’s no way of finding them, but I want to know what happened to them.” She sipped the tea, not surprised that the hot liquid was calming. It seemed everyone wanted to use tea as a comforting mixture.

Eurydice nodded before she looked at Jared. “You thought your mother abandoned you, didn’t you?”

“I didn’t have to think,” he bit out the words. “She did.”

“No, she made sure you were well protected. Those shadows that allow you to leave also protect you.”

“Protect me?” Jared barked a laugh. “She left me in a cage like a wild animal.”

“She did what she could to keep you safe,” the Head Witch corrected him. “Her enemies wanted you executed. Her plan ensured you would remain alive until you could be healed. And it appears, my boy, you have been cured.” She smiled at Jared then turned to Lili.

“Jared may have been healed emotionally before I saw him, but he has been badly treated physically,” the younger witch told her, but her tension rode high, giving her voice a hard edge. “He has been branded, beaten, sliced and diced, bled, and Fates know what else. We preternaturals pride ourselves on being highly evolved, and yet we treat the mentally ill the way they were treated in the Early Days of healing. They’re still considered nothing more than animals.” She paused, blinking rapidly to keep the tears back, but she could still feel the hot damp drops trickle down her cheeks. “How could this have happened without anyone knowing about it? I have worked in a number of hospitals over the years, and I know the Physics Council keeps a close eye on how care is delivered. That doctors and nurses can even be monitored to show they are giving the proper care. Yet, the ones imprisoned here were… were abandoned,” she finished in a breath of air. She blindly reached out, resting her hand on Jared’s thigh. His hand covered hers and squeezed tightly. Their “guest” didn’t miss the act of comfort and solidarity. “Why are they forgotten?”

“I don’t know, but I will do my best to find out.” The witch’s eyes sharpened with the same anger that boiled in Lili’s blood. “We are not perfect, Lilianna.”

“And Pepta died because of that neglect,” she spat out. She accepted the cup Jared pushed into her hands and urged her to drink.

“Then we ensure it doesn’t happen again.” Eurydice finished her tea and set the cup down. “Hieronymus will have to answer for his actions.”

“The brands need to be removed,” Lili stated.

She nodded. “I will speak to the Council this eve. Is there anything else?” She smiled.

Lili suddenly gulped. She’d just given orders to the Head Witch! And so far, still had her fingers and toes.

“Ummmm… I didn’t mean to be so assertive.”

“You are thinking of others, not yourself. It is a valuable trait to have. Do you have any idea where Dr. Mortimer is?”

Lili shook her head. “He comes and goes. Unlike other heads of hospitals, he doesn’t have a secretary or even an assistant. The staff schedule only shows when he’s in the hospital or out of it. Director of Nursing Garrish doesn’t appear to be fond of him, and after what happened today, I’d say that dislike has increased.”

“Yes, I can imagine Arimentha would despise him,” she mused. “Knowing her, I’m certain she has also filed a complaint against him.”

“She said she was going to.” Lili leaned forward, resting her hands on her knees. “I still feel whatever Dr. Mortimer is up to has to do with Sera and the others. Either they discovered the blood spells and he had to”—she shook her thoughts off—“to get rid of them or send them to a plane they can’t return from.”

“I only wish I knew how he managed all of this,” the elder witch murmured, shaking her head.

“The blood spells,” Lili told her. “What else can it be?”

“You still don’t know why,” Jared said.

“What treatments did you have?” Eurydice asked him.

He shook his head. “I can’t tell you other than the sense of blood and pain. If I try to think about it, my head feels ready to explode.” He winced at the memory.

“A blocking spell,” the witches said in unison.

“Have you tried to release him?” Eurydice asked Lili.

“I’m afraid I could make matters worse,” she replied. “And after what happened to Pepta…” Her voice drifted off.

“True.” She conjured up a silk pouch and handed it to Lili. “A pinch in any liquid you choose to each patient. It won’t release any previous charms on them, but it will protect them from anything further. If I can arrange it, Dr. Mortimer will be immediately removed from his duties.”

“We can’t.” Lili grimaced at her protest. “Not until I can find out what he’s done.”

“And you don’t think he won’t be furious with you for what’s already happened?” Jared asked.

“I’ll handle that,” she said with a confidence she didn’t entirely feel. “I just want one week.”

Eurydice considered her request and finally nodded. She turned to Jared. “Your mother has never forgotten you. I am sure she will prove this once things have settled down.” With that she was gone, leaving only a faint hint of Chanel No. 5.

“So she’s the big boss of witches?” Jared asked, finally breaking the charged silence.

Lili nodded. “I can’t believe I gave her an order,” she said with wonder. “And I’m still in one piece.” She fingered the silk pouch, untying the strings and checking the contents. “I think you should have some tonight.”

“Then I’ll take it in wine.”

Lili and Jared picked up the tea service and carried everything into the kitchen where she quickly washed everything up.

“You seem more relaxed,” he commented.

“Relieved is more like it. Having Eurydice on my side is a very good thing,” she replied, putting everything away.

She filled two glasses with wine, adding a pinch of the powder to Jared’s glass. She handed him his wine and took his free hand, pulling him toward the back of the house.

“Are you going to have your way with me?” His interest, along with other parts, perked up.

She looked over her shoulder, flashing him a bright smile. “Absolutely.”

“Tell me about blood spells,” Jared said. He felt sated from extraordinary sex, Lili whispering how much she loved him, and the idea, which grew stronger by the second, of having a true future with his beautiful witch. He’d claimed her, and he wasn’t giving her up.

Now they sat in a bubble-filled tub with Lili resting against Jared’s chest. A light citrus scent floated in the air around the bubble bath, and candles hovered around the bathroom.

“I fixed this bath for us to relax,” she whined as she reached down to find his cock, which happily twitched under her attention. Fates bless demon recovery time!

“And we are.” He created a little diversion of his own as he created a path down her neck with his lips. “But let’s talk too.”

She tipped her head further to one side to allow his mouth more access, which he happily took advantage of.

“Do you know anything about blood spells, or should I start with Blood Spells 101?” Lili asked, giving him one last light squeeze before she released him.

“I know blood is required.”

“Ah, a novice then.” She nodded to herself, leaning her head back against the hollow of his shoulder. She’d twisted her hair up into a knot before they got into the tub, and her curls were tightening in the steamy room.

“Yes, first off, it’s obvious that blood spells require blood. Some bloods, such as virgin and demon, are stronger than others,” she explained. “They’ve also been prohibited for centuries, since too many thought the blood should come from a sacrifice. They’re used for baneful magick, the darker the better in their eyes. You take a dark spell and twist it even more by using fresh blood. It can be utilized in more uses than you might imagine.”

Jared stilled. “How do you think Dr. Mortimer uses it? And would you say he’s using my blood for those spells he talked to you about?”

She was so quiet that, if he didn’t know better, he’d have sworn she hadn’t heard him. But the tension in her body told him differently.

“Yes.” She spoke so softly Jared had to strain to hear her answer. “But I have no idea what he uses it for. There’s no word about him doing any remarkable healing with anyone below, but he’s doing something with it.”

His power ratchetted up with a protective vibe as he stroked his fingers down her arms. “And he wants you as a part of his insane plans. What other reason would he want to confide in you? I don’t like any of this. Let Eurydice and the others find him and put him away in a cell,” he growled.

Lili shrugged. She cupped her hands in the bubbles and blew gently, watching the iridescent balls dance before them. She added a hint of her magick to keep them drifting around the room.

“I don’t think it will be that easy. We have no idea how long he’s been doing this.” She shook her head. “I don’t understand why Dr. Mortimer approached me with his ideas. From the beginning, I was very vocal to him that I felt the basement area was too antiquated and the patients should be treated with more modern methods and have better quarters,” she admitted. “Yet he called me in and brought out those scrolls.” She shuddered at the memory of how the malicious surface felt to even the lightest of touches. The urge to climb out of the tub and gather up the supplies to thoroughly cleanse her hands grew stronger by the moment. And she wasn’t thinking of using antibacterial soap, either.

“Would there be a reason why he’d think you’d even consider using a blood spell?” he asked, keeping his touch soothing until she finally relaxed against him again. “Anything in your past?”

She shook her head. “The only thing someone would consider a crime was seven hundred years ago, when my class refused to admit who had cast the illegal spell that expelled us from the Witches Academy. And it really wasn’t all that bad. The baron’s son deserved what was done to him,” she stated.