Corruption Read online

  “I’m not blaming her for anything,” Thomas snapped. “I’m trying to open your eyes. A blessing doesn’t hurt. And as for her consenting to have the demon’s poison in her, that was manipulation. It’s what demons do.”

  “Stop calling it poison,” Grant snapped, stepping up to stand beside Kelly. He tossed his head to slide his black hair out of his eyes, ignoring it when the hair fell back into its original place. “It’s a gift, not a curse.”

  “It is not a gift,” Thomas argued. “You’ve let a demon put her mark on you, and she’s used the promise of power to lure you away from God. Your soul is in danger, and you celebrate it.”

  Jerome stepped forward now, and if being naked in a room of clothed people bothered him, he didn’t show it. “You come to our house to judge us, and hurt us, and you still say we’re the ones in the wrong?”

  “This argument is futile,” Paul murmured next to my ear.

  I jumped. I hadn’t seen him move, hadn’t sensed him standing so close behind me. I glared at him for startling me, but had to admit he was right. No one would win this fight. And in my experience, theological arguments of this nature escalated into violence.

  “All right, let’s all take a deep breath.” I addressed Lorelei, ignoring a stab of irritation at the pleased expression on the demon’s face. “I’d like a chance to talk to everyone. A sit down, no judgment. Just a conversation to help me understand what’s going on.”

  Lorelei snorted. “You say no judgment, but whether or not you’re fooling yourself, you’re not fooling me.”

  “I want the truth.” I gestured at the kids. “According to them, none of you have done anything wrong. And if you believe that, then there’s no reason not to answer my questions. Unless you don’t have the conviction of your beliefs?”

  “We don’t owe you an explanation,” Grant snapped. “We have nothing to prove to you, or anyone.”

  “If you’re not hurting anyone, then I don’t care what you do here,” I said. “It’s your life, you make your own choices. But two men were murdered. I’m not going anywhere until I’m convinced that the person responsible has been held accountable.”

  All three kids frowned, confusion chasing back their anger.

  “Who’s dead?” Jerome asked.

  Lorelei crossed her arms. “Someone killed the exorcists. They shot them.”

  Kelly swore. “You’re kidding me.”

  “I’m sorry, Lorelei.” Grant squeezed Lorelei’s shoulder. “We’ll find another way.”

  “Who did it?” Jerome demanded. He glared at Thomas. “Was it him? Did he disapprove of the exorcism?”

  “Why would I disapprove of an exorcism?” Thomas snapped. “You think I didn’t want to see Laurie freed from that thing’s influence?”

  “Oh, please,” Kelly sneered. “Like you were so ready to say goodbye to your precious Laurie. You call this house an awful lot for someone who’s only interested in training.”

  I raised my eyebrows at the suggestive way she said “training.” I studied Thomas, remembering Lorelei’s attempt to seduce him earlier. Perhaps there was more to their relationship than he’d let on.

  “I called her because I knew we didn’t have much time,” Thomas said, his voice strained. “I wanted to learn everything I could from someone who knows what it is to battle evil, to be a true warrior of God. I have a lot to learn from Laurie, and the closer it came to the time we would say goodbye, the more desperate I became for every scrap of knowledge she had to impart.”

  “You were desperate for something,” Jack agreed.

  Thomas swiveled his head to face Jack and Nina as they returned to the room. Jack’s hair was wet, making his brown hair look black, and he brought the sharp scent of disinfectant with him.

  “What’s going on?” Nina asked.

  “Someone murdered the exorcists,” Kelly said.

  Nina and Jack both stared at Lorelei, a mixture of horror and sympathy on their faces.

  “Lorelei, I’m so sorry,” Nina said, going to give Lorelei a hug.

  “Who did it?” Jack demanded.

  My heart fell. Unless all of them were excellent actors, they seemed as if they’d known about the exorcism. They all spoke as if they’d wanted it, which suggested Lorelei had spoken about it with them, told them it was what she wanted. None of them seemed inclined to kill the exorcists by proxy to stop it.

  “Do any of you know a boy named Patrick?” Andy asked. He raised his phone and brought up the picture he’d taken of his mugshot. He showed it to the kids.

  “Oh, him,” Grant said. “Kid was a freak.”

  I pursed my lips. Grant was awfully judgy for a kid wearing flip-flops in fifty degree weather.

  “He didn’t know the first thing about Satanism,” Kelly agreed, pushing her glasses up farther on her nose. “He was all about goat skulls and upside-down pentagrams.”

  “Yeah,” Stacey said, returning to the room. She was still pale as a daisy petal, but she wasn’t green anymore. “In fact, the skull that Jerome was holding downstairs was his. Who knows where he got it from.”

  Kelly faced Thomas. “Whatever Patrick did, that doesn’t represent us. He’s not like us.”

  I took one of the invitations I’d taken from Patrick’s apartment out of my pocket. “Any of you recognize this?”

  They all nodded. “But he wasn’t an Acolyte,” Jerome clarified. “He never got the last invitation.”

  Andy took out his notebook and reached for his pen. “Acolytes?”

  “That’s what Lorelei calls us.”

  “Every group needs a name,” Lorelei said. “It helps build a sense of community.” She looked down her nose at Father Salvatore. “Though unlike organized religion, I give them no laws to follow. Being an Acolyte means only that you are dedicated to making your own choices and pursuing your own interests.”

  “You mean you all got these?” I waved the black cardboard.

  They all nodded.

  I wagged the invitation at Lorelei. “How does this work?”

  Lorelei grinned. “I created a quiz and shared it on Facebook.”

  Paul barked out a laugh.

  “Of course you did,” Andy muttered. He scribbled something in his notebook. “What’s the name of this quiz?”

  “You don’t qualify,” Lorelei said dryly.

  I blinked, my brain still processing the idea of a demon on social media. “A Facebook quiz? That’s how you find people to give demonic power to?”

  “Yes. I keep an eye out for individuals who show a strong sense of self, a pure dedication to self-interest. Individuals who recognize the importance of pursuing pleasure and fulfillment despite the social traps that attempt to herd them like lambs to the slaughter. When I review quiz results that tell me they’d be a good fit, I send them the first card.”

  “The one that says ‘I’ve noticed you,’” I guessed.

  “Yes. And following that one, ‘You are invited.’ When they receive that one, I give them my address, and they come here to meet me and the Acolytes.”

  “Patrick never got the final card that told him he’d been accepted,” Kelly explained.

  “Because when we met him, we could tell he was out of his mind,” Jack added.

  “He kept going on and on about blood and sacrifice.” Jerome wrinkled his nose. “Kid got his ideas on Satanism from Hollywood.”

  “Which is about as accurate for Satanism as it is for witchcraft.” Kelly gave me a pointed look.

  I shrugged. She wasn’t wrong.

  “If you’ll excuse me,” Father Salvatore said, “I must get back to the church. Ms. Renard, if you would be so kind as to give me the number of the young lady you called to see to the twins? I’d like to inquire about funeral arrangements.”

  “I can give you her number, but it’s possible the Ministry will take care of those arrangements.” I fished my cell phone out of the side pocket of my waist pouch.

  “That’s all right,” Father Salvatore assured
me. “If the arrangements are taken care of, perhaps I can request permission to attend. I’d like to pay my respects to Christophe and Corban.”

  Andy tore a sheet of paper off his notebook and handed it to me with his pen so I could write down the number to the Otherworld ambulance. “She should still be on duty. Call this number and ask for Kylie.”

  Father Salvatore accepted the slip of paper. “Thank you.”

  “I’m coming with you,” Thomas said. He gave the Acolytes one last disapproving glare. “I want to ask her about Patrick.”

  “We’ll walk you out,” I said, gesturing to Andy.

  He gave me an odd look, but followed me when I walked toward the door. I turned to tell Paul he didn’t need to come with us, but the bounty hunter had already taken a seat on the couch. He winked at me as I walked out the door.

  “There’s something off about that man,” I muttered.

  “What?” Andy asked.

  “Nevermind.”

  “Be careful,” Thomas warned. “You can’t trust those people. The demon has brainwashed them.”

  “That girl is only thirteen,” Andy said, his tone making his thoughts on that clear. “Can we report her to the Vanguard?”

  I sighed. “No. She wants to be here, and we have no reason to believe her parents aren’t all right with that.”

  “Maybe I should call them to be sure.” Andy tapped his pen against his notepad.

  “Right now we have bigger problems.” I toyed with the zipper on my pouch, staring back at the house. “The Acolytes already have their powers, and they seem like they knew about the exorcism ahead of time, and they were all right with it. What’s more, they sounded genuinely upset for Lorelei that the exorcism failed.”

  “So they probably didn’t tell Patrick where to go to kill the twins.” Andy nodded. “Maybe it’s not about saving Lorelei for her sake. They’re all about self-interest, right? So maybe someone stopped the exorcism because they selfishly wanted Lorelei to stay even if she didn’t want to.”

  “A definite possibility,” I agreed.

  Father Salvatore smiled. “Well, it sounds like you have the matter in hand. Please call if you need any help.”

  Thomas was still glaring at the house, and Father Salvatore had to tap him on the shoulder to get his attention. The paladin in training gave Andy and I a nod, then followed the older priest to the car.

  I turned to Andy. “So—”

  Something that sounded like a firecracker split the air with a loud pop, cutting me off. Andy jerked, his hand falling to his side.

  “What happened, what was that?” I swiveled my head around, searching for the source of the noise. I couldn’t tell what direction it had come from, the sound seemed to echo everywhere. My attention fell to Andy’s side, and my breath froze in my lungs as I saw blood seeping through his fingers.

  “Andy!”

  “Gun!” Paul yelled.

  I grunted as he tackled me, knocking me to the ground. He positioned himself in front of me, putting me between him and the house. “Get inside!”

  “Let me heal him!” I shouted, reaching for Andy.

  “Get inside before we end up with two victims!” Paul shouted. “I’ll get Andy.”

  He shoved me, hard, and I rolled onto my side. Another shot rang out, and I cursed as I ran into the house, staying as low to the ground as possible.

  “What’s going on?” Lorelei demanded.

  “Andy’s been shot,” I gasped. I fumbled for my cell phone and dialed as fast as my shaking hands would allow.

  Kylie answered on the first ring. “Tell me you don’t have another dead body.”

  “Andy’s been shot. I need you to come to 159 West Ave as fast as you can.”

  “We’re on our way.” I heard her say something to someone else, probably Jacob, then she was back on the phone. “We have an antidote for Laurie too, we’re bringing it with us.”

  I blinked, trying to concentrate through the adrenaline haze. “What? What do you mean antidote?”

  “I ran tests on Laurie’s blood, per protocol. The bullet that hit her had poison on it.”

  “Poison?” I asked.

  “Yes. And it was formulated specifically for paladins, demon blood and a few herbs used in black magic. I told Father Salvatore all of this.”

  I stared at Lorelei. “That’s why Laurie was so weak, why she didn’t stick around. Someone poisoned her.” I frowned. “Which means that bullet was never meant for Andy. Which means—”

  Too late. I turned in time to see Paul standing in the doorway—gun raised with the butt of the weapon angled at my head.

  I didn’t even have time to scream.

  Chapter 12

  I woke slowly. My chest felt like a fire elemental had curled up around my lungs for a lie down, and every time I inhaled, I worried I would exhale flames. I didn’t open my eyes right away, some far away instinct warning me that rushing into consciousness would be a poor idea. For all I knew, I’d find my chest exploded outward, revealing blacked ribs and the melted remains of my heart and lungs.

  Instead, I focused on my breathing and current physical state. Sweat pooled at my hairline, but beyond the burning in my chest, I didn’t feel hot. My temples pulsed, the mother of all headaches threatening to crack open my skull. I tried to raise my hands to keep my brains from falling out, but my arms wouldn’t move. I looked up. Agony stabbed my neck like a lance of red-hot metal. I gasped, all my concentration going toward not throwing up from the pain. Dear gods, my neck hurt.

  “Oh, look, she’s awake.”

  Lorelei’s voice was huskier than usual. I fought to breathe through the pain, forcing myself to rotate my neck, work out the worst of the kinks even though every movement made me want to cry out. The only reason I resisted the urge was the certainty that such an action would lead to being sick all over myself and the floor.

  Slowly, my brain analyzed my surroundings. Or what I could see of them. Which at the moment was a view of my body from the chest down. Tied to a chair.

  I’m tied up in a room with a demon. The thought ricocheted around my brain, and panic gave me the edge I needed to rise above the nausea and take real stock of my circumstances.

  I was in a hotel room. First floor, if those blurry shapes on the other side of the gauzy peach curtain were trees. The curtains were stained, and the grayish brown carpet threadbare. It wasn’t a nice hotel, so not Suite Dreams—thank the gods. I seemed to be tied to the chair that belonged to the battered desk in the corner near the foot of the bed.

  Lorelei lay on the dingy bedsheets less than five feet away from me. Her red camisole top was gone, as was whatever she’d been wearing underneath it—if she’d been wearing anything underneath it. Her full, bare breasts pressed against Paul’s naked chest where he lay on top of her, also shirtless. His furry vest was gone, draped over the desk behind the glowing screen of a laptop, but his toothy necklace remained, dangling down to graze Lorelei’s flushed skin. If their breathing was anything to go by, I’d interrupted something of an erotic nature.

  Ew.

  Lorelei didn’t seem the least bit perturbed to have an audience. Amusement pulled her mouth into a sickle-shaped grin. The skinwalker watched me with the side of his face touching Lorelei’s, as if he’d been whispering sweet nothings in her ear. His brown eyes didn’t have the bright, heavy lidded look of a man lost in erotic pleasure. In fact, if his hair hadn’t been mussed from Lorelei’s wandering hands, he wouldn’t have seemed any different than when I’d met him.

  If Lorelei noticed the discrepancy, she didn’t say anything. “Hello, sleeping beauty,” she said sweetly.

  “Where am I?” I asked. That one sentence took three tries, and I had to swallow at least five times to get enough saliva to force the words past my dry mouth. I sounded like a talking corpse.

  “A small motel in a less-traveled section of the fair city of Cleveland,” Lorelei informed me. She rolled her eyes up to scan the room without moving from her eroti
c embrace. “Not exactly the Ritz, but then, we couldn’t carry you unconscious through a lobby, could we? And this charming establishment allows convenient entry straight from the parking lot.”

  Great, so my initial assessment had been correct. I was in a seedy motel. I wrinkled my nose at the less than white sheets beneath the demon. At least I wasn’t on the bed.

  I shoved those thoughts away, trying to keep my mind from wandering down a semi-hysterical path that would lead to thoughts on the cleanliness of the chair I was tied to. The thick fog in my head peeled away with all the tender mercy of wax-laden hair removal. But it still took more effort than I’d have liked to parse through my memory for some sense of continuity. I remembered being at Lorelei’s. The demon was yelling, demanding to know what was going on. Paul came into the house and…

  I glared at the bounty hunter. “You hit me,” I rasped.

  “Took a while for that to come back to you, did it?” He pushed himself up onto his forearms, bracketing Lorelei’s body between the taut lines of his biceps. “Apologies for the violence. Had to be sure the first hit knocked you out. Magic users can be touchy about self defense.”

  Anger pulsed against my subconscious—not mine. Peasblossom. I felt her outrage through our empathic link. Which meant she was close.

  I didn’t look around, unwilling to risk giving her away despite my need to see her and reassure myself she was okay. She was hiding somewhere. Waiting.

  “Why?” I swallowed again

  Paul made an approving sound in his throat as Lorelei tugged at his jeans, then dropped his mouth back to her neck. I stared at the floor to avoid getting anymore of an eyeful than I’d already gotten, and for the first time, I noticed the powdered white circle on the carpet surrounding my chair. My heart sank. Salt.