Louisiana Moon (33 page)

“My dreams?”

He turned into the Reaper. Her eyes widened. Rita cried as he laid a hand flat on her belly, stroking soothingly with his bony fingertips.

“Shh.” He smiled at Rita. “Your death will be quick. You are the sacrifice.”

“You motherfucker. If you hurt her, I will kill you.”

He laughed. “You’re funny, Kris. Not even your lover can save you now.”

34

Ryant paced with frantic steps. “Where is she?”

He’d wrung his hands until they were sore. The only shred of evidence was a note stating she’d planned to meet with Josh. Ryant had located Josh’s house but no one was there. Fearing for her life, he broke in and searched the place. When he found notes on Kris and photos, he realized the human she’d called friend had stalked her for decades. There were also more papers on Stanley, but Ryant didn’t understand the connection.

Sparky burst through the bedroom door holding a file. “I have something for you.”

“What is it?” Ryant swept to his side in a flash, taking the file. He flipped through the paper and pictures, glancing over everything with a carful measure. One paper showed at one point in time, Stanley had resided at Kris’s hell house. The pictures showed video surveillance from across the street at Joe’s Bar. Ryant zeroed in on the pictures. Stanley was with Josh. Josh had a hand in on the deal. Now Ryant knew where they needed to go—to hell house.

He kept thinking about Kris. Tried to call through his mind and couldn’t reach her. Something about the house must interfere with their link. He lowered the folder. “Gather the Truces.”

Sparky left and moments later, V and Darin came into the room. He had asked Darin what the fuck was wrong with him, but received no answer. It seemed Darin didn’t know either. Ryant stared at him, determining if he should stay here at the club or go on the mission. He had no clue if Darin could handle what lay ahead. Hell, he didn’t know if he could. But he would.

“I think you should stay, Darin.”

“Wait a minute, Ryant.” V frowned. “He loves Kris as much as you do. He will go with us. His blood is fresh, strong. Darin can handle himself. I’ve been working with him over the past few days.”

Darin stepped forward. “Like she said, I’m going. Kris is as important to me as she is to you.”

V caressed his arm.

“So be it.”

* * * *

In no time, Ryant, V, Darin and the Truces stood at the iron gates of hell house. Ryant entered first and immediately, a raw evil scratched at him. The malevolence sliced his skin but he ignored the attack. Nothing would stop him from getting to Kris.

He turned to Sparky and waved to head to the house. Low candlelight flickered in the bottom windows. Usually a welcome sign, now the glow seemed to have a hungry look. The light was only in the first floor; the top story remained dark. Something moved in one of the windows but when he looked, it was just a ragged curtain fluttering in the breeze.

Two at a time, he took the stairs and busted the door down. Wood splintered, falling in jagged pieces around him. The house reeked of death and the decay of rotting flesh. The air pressed in on him as if it tried to enter him and take over his body.

Movement caught his attention and an old woman appeared in front of him. She cackled and lifted her hands, shooting static from her palms at his chest. The shock sent him backward a couple feet. He managed to stop himself before he was pushed onto the porch. Electrical currents rushed through his veins, making nerve endings tingle.

Sparky flexed fingers, throwing a fireball of electrical current at the old woman. She moved in a flash to the drawing room. This gave Ryant time to follow. As he grabbed hold of the woman, he turned and shoved her toward the scarecrow on the couch.

After she struck the thing, she gurgled. The shirt she wore stuck out at an odd point. Crimson stained the end of a spike like a splattered star. Her eyes and mouth were open wide. She smiled with blood smearing her gums and coughed blood that dribbled down her front. The woman’s eyes glazed over and her head fell to the side.

Poised for anything, he waited to see if she was faking. When he realized she was truly dead, he yelled, “Search the house.”

As the group ran through the house, Ryant looked around. Why would anyone have left this house to Kris? It had to mean something but he had no idea what it could be.

“Ryant, I found something,” shouted Darin from down the hall.

Ryant rounded the corner with determination in his steps. V stood at a door, looking below. She stepped aside to allow him to hurry down the stairs. Upon reaching the bottom, he saw Darin with a foot on a rock on the basement floor. Two coal pits opened like double doors to a world of unknown. Fog rose from a new set of stairs, descending into a glow of red.

Ryant’s nostrils flared as he caught Kris’s scent wafting up the passage. “Come on.”

As the clambered down the stairs, he noted the rock walls were wet with heated moisture. Not blood, but of minerals. Pyrrhotite manmade walls—the whole corridor was constructed out of the stuff. Maybe this was why he couldn’t communicate with Kris.

They entered a small room. He motioned toward a set of steel doors. When he waved his hand, he strained his powers to unlock the mass blocking their path. The handles creaked as they turned and clicked. The doors opened to some sort of room—a ritual room.

Naked, Kris lay on a slab and turned to look at him with fear in her eyes. “Ryant, don’t. It’s a trap.”

As he rushed to her, he saw another woman on a slab next to her. He got close and a robed figure appeared from the other end of the room. Ryant stopped.

The person clapped. “Bravo. Bravo, Ryant. You brought the last main ingredient.”

“Who the hell are you?”

The hood swished back. “We’ve never met in person, but I’m sure Kris has told you all about me.”

Josh. The bastard who was supposed to be Kris’s friend. Ryant snarled.

Josh simply laughed. “I’m sure you know my lover.” He stretched out his hand. Stanley Adams appeared from the darkness.

“Stanley,” V whispered. “How could you do this to your own kind?”

“She is not my kind.” Stanley pointed at Kris.

“She is family.” V stepped forward.

Josh raised a hand. “I wouldn’t do that if I were you.” He pointed up. A mass of metal spikes were slowly lowering over both women on the slabs. “All Stanley has to do is let go.”

It was then Ryant noticed the rope and pulley in Stanley’s hand. The power of his Truces intensified, plowing into his back. They were sick and tired of these games as much as he was.

Josh pointed at Darin. “He’s our missing link.”

“What the hell are you talking about?” Ryant heard Darin protest.

“You see, he harbors the blood of the most pure soul demon ever known.”

Josh jerked his head at Stanley. With no warning, he withdrew a gun and shot Kris. Her body bucked, arched off the stone as a blue glow enveloped her body. She cried out in agony.

Ryant surged forward, but stopped when Josh stepped to her side. “I wouldn’t worry. That was just a stun bullet.”

“On the other hand, this is a real gun with a real bullet.” Josh pointed a gun in Ryant’s direction.

Ryant looked at Kris.
Can you hear me, Kris?

The only thing he found was pain and fear. He cringed. He had to save her. It didn’t take a doctor to know these fools in front of him were psychotic. “What do you plan to do?”

“Simple, we need him.” Josh gestured at Darin then the bound women. “Her body and Kris’s womb blood to complete the new leader’s transformation. You know, in a way, I’m glad I never had the chance to kill Kris in the first place. Back then, it was to rule the Darkworld, but now it’s to dominate the whole world. Darin’s demon blood mixed with werewolf blood will give him such power. Thanks to our zombies almost killing him, I can now thank V for giving him her blood. The last ingredient is my fae blood.”

Ryant lunged toward him. Stanley shot at Ryant, and he moved to the side. Sparks shot from Sparky, setting Stanley’s sleeve on fire. He ran, screaming, trying to put out the flames. V was beside Ryant as they tackled Josh to the ground.

Go to Kris and Rita and untie them,
he ordered Darin as he wrapped his clawed hands around Josh’s neck and twisted. A loud snap rang out and Stanley wailed in the background. Ryant threw Josh’s decapitated head into the black water. As he watched the head sink, demons rose from the open wound of the neck and soared into the room.

The Truces stood guard with zeulanium on hand. They threw the rocks into the air, which burst on several Soulscapes. He waited for the one who might be the chief of the bunch. The one perched above the swarm, watching like a hawk, had to be the leader.

He leaped off the ground, flying toward the head demon. As he reared back to throw a rock, the demon shot through a small hole in the rock ceiling and disappeared.

Ryant roared with rage then looked below, at his Truces dispatching the remaining demons. As he’d instructed, Darin freed Kris and the other woman and had them huddled off in a corner, protecting them. Zeke was not far from them.

Ryant floated to the ground, near Kris. “Are you okay?” He bent and peered into her eyes.

“The bullet is still lodged inside me. Hang on.” As she lifted her shirt, she dug her finger and thumb in the hole. She winced and stopped. Extracting bloody fingers, she held up a blue bullet. “Huh, this should be an interesting bullet to add to the collection.”

The bastard had lied. Kris had been shot. He wished Josh was alive so he could tear his head off again.

The other woman studied the bullet. “Collection?”

Kris turned to her and smiled. “Yes. I collect bullets.”

“Why?”

“I’ve been around for a very long time. I’ve been shot at many times.” She laughed, then hugged her midsection.

“Easy,” Ryant murmured.

Kris smiled at him and took his hand in hers. “Ryant, I’d like you to meet Rita. Rita, this is my…boyfriend, Ryant.”

Ah, Rita. The human female she wanted to find. He tugged Kris to him. “Are you sure you are all right, my love?”

She leaned into him. “Yes. I’m better now.”

He smoothed a lock of her hair then brought the end to his nose despite the smell of charcoal. Underneath, he still smelled the sweet as nectar scent of his Kris. His Kris. She was his and nothing would ever change that.

“I love you,” he whispered.

“I love you too.”

“Let’s get the hell out of here.”

“Agreed.”

“Zeke, take Rita.”

Zeke nodded and before Rita could react, wrapped his burly arm around her waist and they disappeared in flash.

“Before we go, Kris, since the house is in your name, what do you want to do with it?” Unable to stop touching her, Ryant rubbed her cheek with the back of his hand. He would never get tired of touching her.

“I want to burn it to the ground. Seal the door to this dungeon.”

“That sounds like a perfect plan.” Taking her about the waist, he was set to flash back to the den, when she stopped him.

“Wait. I want to see it burn.”

So, instead of taking them home, he stood outside the hell house. Kris looked over at Sparky. “Sparky, do your magic and burn it.”

He nodded and his hands burst into glowing balls of fire, turning brighter. When the balls were almost too bright to look at, he threw them at the house. With a whoosh, it caught fire.

Satisfaction filled her eyes as the house was immolated in minutes.

He met her gaze and could read her thought. Now, there was the matter of the Throne seat.

35

Once back at Club Fifteen, Kris smiled at the protection Zeke bestowed over Rita. He was way older than Rita, but on the outside, she seemed older. She didn’t seem to mind the younger-looking man paying her attention. She smiled as Zeke took her by the hand and led her away. Wonder if the other woman would work for her after all she’d been through? During their time captive, she’d sensed a kindred spirit in Rita.