Authors: Dicey Grenor
Once at Hades, I
numbly followed them through a secret passageway and down to the basement,
which had another secret passageway. It was like this place had been built for
secrecy. I wondered only for a moment why we were taking Ivan’s body to Hades
but then I saw why. Behind a large stone door was an incinerator. With no
hesitation, they lifted the body-filled rug and hefted it inside.
“Wait!” I’d become
sentimental, realizing I should say parting words or pray before Ivan was
nothing but remains. But it was too late. Fire had spread all around the rug,
eating it, devouring it whole.
“It’s best this
way,” Franco said.
“How are you so
certain what’s best?” I said. I appreciated his help but I was still peeved,
maybe even grieving. Who would tell Ivan’s mother? His dad had been a racist
piece of shit, but his darling mother had always been kind to me. “Come to
think of it, you didn’t seem too surprised when I told you he was swimming in
my bathtub.”
Franco motioned
for Punch to leave us. When we were alone, Franco said, “I’ve been around a
long time, Willow. I know what’s best here and you know I do. That’s why you
called.” I nodded slowly. “I’m sorry for your loss,” he said. I searched his
eyes. “Yes, I know of your history with him. And no, you cannot contact his
mother. It would only bring heat your way.”
The frustration I
felt must have shown on my face because he led me to
the
stonewall
and told me to sit. There were no chairs in the small room so
he squatted next to me.
“You weren’t
surprised were you? Franco, what is it you’re not telling me?”
“I was surprised
that his body was in your bathtub not that he was dead. I knew the moment he
died. His soul came back to me.”
My eyes narrowed. “What
the fuck are you talking about?”
“Ivan and I had a
deal.”
Oh, no. This was
bad. My skin started crawling. “What kind of deal? He was a Christian. He
wouldn’t have made a deal with a demon.”
“I wish he could
be here to explain himself to you. The deal was I would help him get what he
wanted most and he would give me his soul.”
I gasped and
clutched my throat, feeling like he’d just slapped me because somehow I knew I
was to blame for this. “Please tell me I have nothing to do with this.”
He cleared his
throat. “I collect souls. It’s not just what I do, Willow, it’s who I am. It’s
the reason I exist…and I’ve existed as long as dirt. I bargain for souls and I
keep them for eternity when the time comes.”
“You mean when
they die.”
“Yes.” He jacked
his thumb back towards the incinerator. “I wasn’t expecting to collect on him
so soon since I’d only recently made good on my end of the bargain, but shit
happens and I’m not the Grim Reaper. I have no say on when they go.”
I thought about asking
him if he knew G.R. personally and decided to stick to the subject at hand.
What the hell did Ivan bargain with Franco for and what did I have to do with
it? “You’re going to torture Ivan for eternity?”
“No. He just won’t
be able to enter the pearly gates. No streets of gold. No mansion or crown of
jewels. No respite.
Just an eternity of mental unrest.
Because he met his demise before getting what he wanted most out of life, he’ll
torture himself for eternity. I won’t have to. He’ll spend eternity pining for
it.
For you.”
Oh God.
“For
me
?”
Terrible.
Terrible.
Terrible.
“Yes. You’re what
he wanted most in life. I saw him here the other night and his desire for you
was strong. He said he’d done everything he could humanly do to get you back.”
Oh hell. This was
worst than I thought. Not only was I the reason he’d forfeited his soul to
Franco to begin with, but I’d planted the seed in his mind to want me so badly.
Before that mental plant, he’d just wanted to hang out. Five minutes before
that he’d been busy enjoying Sushi in the fetish room with the hot blonde. If I’d
just said hello and left him alone, none of this would have happened.
I’d bet my left
titty
Franco knew I’d planted the desire in Ivan. He had
capitalized on it as soon as he’d gotten the chance. Was probably what he did
at Hades every night on unsuspecting
folks.
Was
probably the reason he even opened the club. “You knew I planted that desire in
him, didn’t you?” He nodded. “So you’re like a genie who grants wishes, only
you take the most important thing from people when they die and make them
suffer. You are pure evil, Franco.”
He laughed, which
shocked me. Then I thought about it. Yes, I was being all high and mighty like
I wasn’t an evil predator.
Like I didn’t use Hades for my
personal gain.
Like I didn’t prey on unsuspecting
folks for sustenance too, draining their life force because I could, because I
had to.
Bloodsucking was not just something I did, it was who I was. At
Hades, I had home-court advantage and Franco knew it.
“Yes. I know what
you do here night after night. You and
me
aren’t so
different. Look, I know you feel guilty. And I know it’s easy to blame me, but
Willow, he understood the details and consequences of our arrangement. He knew
the sacrifice. He
knew
. Trust me. It’s what he wanted.”
“He didn’t know
what he wanted. No one wants to spend an eternity like that. It’s cruel. That’s
why when people die humans say ‘rest in peace’. Peace is what they want after
death.”
“Is that what you
wanted? When you allowed your
maistre
to cut your
heart out and bind you to him in exchange for your supernatural existence as an
almighty fucking vampire? Is that what you wanted? Peace? No way. You wanted to
be a
vampire
and you were willing to suffer the consequences. No more
sunlight. No more church. No more garlic or silver or food. But who cares. Look
what you got in return.” His voice had continued to rise until it was loud by
the time he was done.
He had a point,
but it didn’t matter. I was already responsible for Aaron. I couldn’t be responsible
for Ivan too. “What if I bargain to get his soul back?”
“Sorry.
Doesn’t work that way.
The minute I started making good on
my end was the moment he became mine. It was a tragedy he was murdered before
making good on his.”
My mouth felt dry.
“What effort did you make?” I had a feeling I already knew.
“I gave him a job.
Made sure he was going to be working closely with you. First guy I ever hired
to perform here.”
“
Fuuuuck
!”
I screamed and slammed my fist into the
wall. Damn it hurt, but I didn’t give a shit. All Ivan’s efforts at getting me
back had occurred years ago. Why had he gone straight to supernatural
involvement this
go
’round? Why didn’t he just pursue
me like a sane person?
“Love makes you
insane,” Franco whispered. “And because you used your supernatural influence on
him first.”
I was tired of him
reading my mind and tired of discovering how bad I screwed up. Franco, on the
other hand, looked pleased with himself. “I bet you just love your job,” I said
hoarsely.
“I love my power.
Don’t you? Don’t you love being more powerful than humans? Don’t you love being
higher on the food chain? Don’t you relish in the power you receive from their
blood? Each soul I take elevates me, and yes. I
love
that.” He reached
for my wounded hand and rubbed my fingers and palm. “There, there. It’s okay.
Don’t worry. You’ll see him again.”
He was dropping
all kinds of bombs tonight. “What do you mean?”
“As a
supernatural, you’ll see his spirit soon enough. He’ll wander the earth, still
trying to gain his heart’s desire even as a ghost.”
I swallowed the
lump in my throat and jerked my hand back. That was worst than him just being
dead and Franco having possession of his soul.
“When?
When will I see him?”
“When
he’s ready.”
“That’s great.
That’s just great.”
“You’ll learn how
to tune him out.” He walked to the wall opposite me and propped his foot
against it. “We have bigger fish to fry, Willow. Ivan was murdered. Any idea
who
would do that and leave him in your place?”
Ahhh
.
Yes. That was definitely a bigger fish. “Not a clue.”
I told him all the
lengths I went through in order to stay hidden. Apparently, frequently changing
motel rooms wasn’t enough. Someone had been watching me, but for how long?
Scary thought.
The last thing I
wanted was for my story to turn in to a murder mystery. I was freaked enough
with the idea it was about to fit in to romance, but that was better, and more
exciting than trying to figure out who killed my ex. Besides, discovering his
killer wouldn’t bring Ivan back. But romance could fill some lonely nights and
satisfy my carnal desires.
“You need to stay
here until we figure it out,” Franco said as a command not a request.
He held his hand
out for me to grab it. I stared at it a moment then took it, stood, and
followed him to an empty bedroom where he gave me the combination to the door
and said I had everything I needed here, including a bathroom. He reminded me
he was preparing a sanctuary for
supernaturals
and
was ready to accommodate me. His only rule was no humans.
Fine.
I could do that. Tomorrow night I’d see
Remi
upstairs
anyway.
I had to admit my
room was secure, soundproof, completely dark,
cozy
.
Not much furniture or decorations, but I didn’t mind minimalism. It wouldn’t be
permanent.
Couldn’t really stay here long-term.
Franco
collected souls and probably hid them somewhere underneath Hades in one or more
of these locked rooms. And one of those newly soulless ghosts was my
ex-boyfriend, Ivan.
Just
seemed all wrong.
Chapter 26
No use trying to
sleep after you’ve found your ex’s body and then watched it burn.
Saying I tossed
and turned all night was an understatement. When I did finally get sleep, my
parents were there.
Brothers too.
And this time we
were at a family reunion when I was sixteen and forced to wear a helmet in case
I fell asleep…and fell. It was an absolutely ridiculous get-up, but not as bad
as when I wanted to listen to Johnny Gill sing “My, My, My” in my cousin’s
headset. I’d taken my helmet off long enough to listen, sing along, and get
caught. My oldest brother went squealing to my parents…who came squealing to
me. I had to spend the rest of the day standing in a corner, holding one foot
up…with my helmet on.
All because I enjoyed “
satan’s
music”.
Completely
humiliating.
Not
as humiliating this time around, more maddening.
Couldn’t
have a restful sleep that way.
Was setting myself up
for some nasty narcoleptic episodes later tonight.
I also spent time
pondering who could have murdered Ivan and tried to frame me for it.
Remi
and Aaron knew where I was staying. I just couldn’t
see how either of them could have done something like that.
But
what about another personality?
I hadn’t met them all. That
Vlad
guy seemed like a murdering douche. Maybe he’d done
it.
But with what motive?
It just didn’t add
up. None of my scenarios did.
Just meant that it
was someone I was totally oblivious about. Someone I didn’t know was watching
me, stalking me, planning my demise just like they’d planned Ivan’s.
I dressed in a
hurry so I could get upstairs.
Couldn’t wait to see
Remi
.
Last time we were together, he’d been pissed
with me. But after the night I’d just had, I needed his friendly, loyal face.
And he needed to know he was important to me. Conditions were perfect for hot
make-up sex.
Fate would think
differently.
Because
for the first time in a year of seeing his sexy ass with the
I-dare-you-to-fuck-me-hard eyes, he was a no-show.
Unbelievable.
I looked, sniffed
and listened for him everywhere. Then I panicked like a mother-fucker. I’d seen
close-up what Ivan looked like as a corpse. Had the same thing happened to
Remi
? Oh, God, no!
Bursting into
Franco’s office like a madwoman, I demanded he look up Aaron’s membership info
and give me his address.
Stat.
No time for playing
around. Hopefully, I wasn’t too late.
As usual, Franco didn’t
look surprised to see me. After mumbling something about violating club policy,
he unlocked a cabinet near his desk and retrieved a file folder. He knew better
than to argue with me on this. I stood directly in front of him with my hand
out, waiting as he wrote everything down.
Just as I was
about to walk out the door in a blur, I stopped and eyeballed him. “Please tell
me you haven’t made a deal with
Remi
.”
“Who’s
Remi
?”
“I mean Aaron.”
His name was on the driver’s license to apply for membership, after all.
“I’ve made no deal
with him.” He leaned back in his chair, smirking. “Given the way you’re running
out of here like a bat
outta
hell, I’m
preeeetty
sure he’s closer to his heart’s desire than I
could ever get him.”
Wincing, I looked
down at the folded paper in my hand. I knew the location. It would take me two
minutes to get there if I ran. “You think I’m foolish to go after him, don’t
you?”