The Banshee's Desire (12 page)

With that, he placed his hands around her neck and squeezed.

The orgasm ripped through him as he placed his lips on the white light coming up from her open mouth. He sucked in the heat of her sex, letting it ripple through his system and filling a part of him that never felt good except during the combined act of sex and killing.

Finn rolled off her, shoving the body away now that he was done.  His heart slowed little by little as he let euphoria seep into his being. Literally, tasting someone's sexual energy, taking it from them--he could live on that feeling for months.

So much better than the vanilla sex he usually had to settle for.

But that was the way. He'd learned a long time ago to use the spell only every now and then. Otherwise, too many dead girls could cause suspicion, bring unwanted attention to the Spark name. He'd tried to cast the sex spell and not kill, but that never worked. The kill was the cherry on the top of the cake.

Delicious.

The thought made Finn grin.

The knock at the door wiped the grin away. Finn sat up and surveyed the area. Had they been too loud?

Damn, here he was with a dead body and no place to put it for the time being. He hoped it wasn't Marla's boss looking for her. And just how many people on the hotel staff knew she was assigned to clean his room?

Maybe he'd been a bit hasty.

While he hashed out what to do, the knock came again.

Throwing a sheet over the dead maid, Finn got up and closed off the bedroom from the little parlor in the room. He grabbed his jeans and pulled them on, making sure to stuff the maid's clothes under the couch for the time being.

"Just a second," he called and looked around the room.

Everything in its place, he thought before peeping through the keyhole.

Jacqueline Huston stood on the other side of the door.

What could she want? Nervous, he pasted a smile on his face and opened the door.

"Hi," she said, looking uncertain. "I hope this isn't a bad time."

Couldn't be worse, he thought, but managed to keep the smile on.

"I was just getting dressed." He felt vaguely pleased when her eyes took in his muscular chest.  "Come on in. Would you like a drink? The hotel has a great liquor cabinet in the room."

"No, thanks."

He grabbed his shirt from the chair where he'd stripped it off and kept his fingers steady while working the buttons. His mind raced.

What the hell did she want?

"I wanted to talk about the Brotherhood." Jacqueline saved him the trouble of asking. "I want to know what they are planning for Toby."

"I see." He nodded. "You want to know what you're up against."

"Actually, I have a pretty good idea about that," she said. "What I wanted to know more about is a particular wizard. One called Gwydion."

Finn frowned.

Gwydion was one scary son of a bitch. Merciless and cunning. That's what everyone in the wizarding world said.  Even his father acted like the man was someone to fear. He figured it was Gwydion that ordered his father to bring Jacqueline to the Brotherhood and authorized the killing of Toby and Gabe.

"I've never met the guy," Finn admitted. "The stories about him are legendary though. He's old. No one knows just how old, but he has run the Brotherhood for hundreds of years. Some say he was the first wizard, that he's really Merlyn, and that all of our families were created by him. I don't know if that's true, but most wizards agree that Gwydion is the most powerful of all wizards. He doesn't seem bound by the same rules we are."

Jacqueline sat on the small couch of the sitting room and chewed her lip. In another time and place, he would have found the action charming, sexy even---but with the maid's cooling body in the next room, Finn didn't have time to enjoy it.

"I recently heard that Gwydion and a half banshee had a run in several hundred years ago. Sounded like things didn't end happily. It got me to thinking," she paused. "I'd like to know when this attack on Toby is going to happen and what I can do to stop it."

"I understand," Finn nodded, his mind working different angles. "I'm glad you came to me."

"I don't want Toby to know that we talked though. He doesn't know I'm here right now."
Finn smiled, delighted with the idea that no one knew her whereabouts. Perhaps this was the moment he'd been waiting for. He could easily coerce her back to his father with tales of getting help against the Brotherhood, perhaps appeal to her better nature. They could steal a little DNA and then ship her off to Gwydion.

Of course, Toby would be a problem then. But he did have permission to kill him…

You've got to play this carefully, Finn told himself.

"The Brotherhood wants you, Jacqueline. As long as Toby stays out of the way, he's not in danger," Finn said, deciding a measure of the truth would be helpful. "They are fascinated by you, want to know how they can use you to their advantage. Wizards aren't the only supernatural beings in the world. Having you on our side could guarantee the Brotherhood's longevity. You could get rid of our enemies."

"So that's what they ultimately want then?

"Yep. It's what any supernatural being with half a brain would want. If the Brotherhood doesn't appeal to you, I’m sure there are other beings out there ready to make an offer. Not that I think that's a path you should go down," he said with a hasty smile.

"Would I have to live with the Brotherhood? Would they call all the shots? What kind of freedoms would I have?"
"I don't know. But I think they would want to keep you under lock and key."

"A prisoner," she said sadly. "No way."

Finn squatted before her and put a hand on her arm.

"It might not be like that. I only know a little about what happened to the first half banshee. The Brotherhood doesn't want to piss you off and risk losing wizards. Maybe this time around they'd be more willing to broker a deal. I guess you'll never know until you talk to Gwydion in person."

"A deal," she mused. "Toby will be in danger until I do."

It wasn't really a question. More of a statement.

"Again, I don't know for sure. Dealing with the Brotherhood--hell, dealing with a wizard for that matter--is always a tough call. I think the less Toby knows about your plan, the better off he'll be. Trust doesn't come easy for us."

"Don't I know it." A trace of grin flitted across her lips. "How do I get in touch with Gwydion?"

"I could ask my father," Finn said. "I'm not part of the Brotherhood council. That honor belongs to the wizard heading the family."

Jacqueline nodded and rubbed her head as if it ached.

"You feeling okay?"

"Yeah, I've just been under stress. Seeing weird things," she muttered, squeezing her eyes shut. "You got gray shadows in here, Finn."

Gray shadows?
He wondered what she meant by that.

"Could you ask your father about meeting with the Brotherhood now? Call him maybe?" She opened her eyes and he was struck at the light flecks of green in them.  "I'd really like to get moving on this."

"Let me get my cell phone," Finn said.

He could feel his heart quicken with excitement. Jonathan was going to be very happy at this turn of events. Derek would never have accomplished this with such finesse.

He opened the bedroom door and slipped inside, leaving it slightly cracked.

The cell phone lay on the table next to the bed.

Finn picked it up and returned to the living room, closing the door firmly behind him. The entire set of actions took less than ten seconds.

But it was enough.

Jacqueline stood in the center of the room, looking dazed. Her eyes were tinged now with a brilliant green, and as she looked at him, they grew darker. She tilted her head to the side, listening to something.

No. She was looking at something. Something he couldn't see.

"What did you do?" She looked at him. "Did you kill her?"

Shit.

He took a step back.

"You feeling okay, Jacqueline?" he asked. "You look a little strange."

"She says you killed her, that you choked the life out of her."

He let out a slow breath, trying to stay calm.

"What are you talking about?" Finn looked around the room, as if confused. "Do you need to sit down or something?"

"But first you slept with her. You tricked her."

"I'm not sure what you are trying to say," Finn said, "but I haven't killed anyone."

"Marla's spirit is right here in this room. She hasn't been able to cross over because you murdered her. None of them have."

"I don't know any Marla."

She pushed past him, opening the bedroom door and pulling back the sheet, revealing Marla's body.

Finn raised his hand and uttered an entrapment spell. A magical barrier sealed Jacqueline in the room. She pressed her fists to it, jumping back when the electricity of the spell singed her.

"Let me out of here, you bastard," she hissed. "You had no right to take her life."

"I think you've gone crazy," Finn said. "I should probably call Toby and tell him that you killed that maid."

"Don't even think about it!" She warned. Her eyes practically glowed green in her anger. "You're sick, Finn. Twisted. This isn't the first time you've done this, is it? Marla says there were others before her."

"How the fuck would she know that?" He flashed an impish smile. "Not that it's true."

"Oh, it's true. You'd be surprised how long souls last when they've been murdered. If they don't want to let go, they collect and gather around the person who took their life. They wait and pray for the moment when Death claims you. See, they get to escort you to the other side. Not me or any other reaper. And along the way…the ones you murdered get to have a little fun with your soul. For a short time, you're their bitch." Jacqueline pressed close to the barrier and looked past him. "You've been at this a long time. I can see them all now. All those girls. And they're eager to talk."

Finn paled and glanced behind him, unsure what to do.

He couldn't call his father. The old man would never understand his son's actions. He'd never comprehend the sick rush of power Finn got from his deeds.

"You steal sexual heat? That's what these ladies are saying." Jacqueline's laugh was brittle. "You take the energy of their orgasm, the afterglow so to speak, and then kill them?"

"Shut up," he said. "You don't know what you're talking about."

"I can't wait to get my hands on you. I'm going to rip your sorry soul to pieces and watch as these murdered souls have their way with you."

Her words chilled Finn.

"Here's a piece of advice." She glared, and to his horror, her appearance changed. Her hair grew long and gray, while her face sunk in until it appeared skeletal. Talons replaced her fingernails, and Jacqueline ran one along the barrier separating them, oblivious to the sparks it set off. "Run."

Finn didn't know how long his entrapment spell would hold. He weighed the odds: fight or flight. One look at Jacqueline's determined face made the decision for him.

He heard her scream in frustration as he took off out the door.

****

Toby rubbed his head and couldn't help but briefly wish that he'd died. It had been a long time since he'd had a hangover. Being a bar owner had cured him of that kind of ailment a decade ago.

Someone had put him in his bed.

He knew it couldn't have been himself.

He had very little recollection of the last twenty four hours, other than the hard memory of his mother's funeral. Everything else was just impressions. He thought he'd yelled at Gabe and some wizard from out of town. A Spark family member. There was a vague memory of Jacqueline's worried face staring at him.

Thinking about her made him feel slightly ill.

And there was a knot in his stomach that wasn't from alcohol.

Grief, he mused. That's what it is. Grief for my mother.

What if there was something unnatural about her passing?

For some reason, Toby heard Gabe's voice in his head. Had they argued about Jacqueline?

There are things you should know.

He remembered Gabe saying that. Toby rubbed at his head thinking that's when the knot in his stomach had been born.  What on earth could his son possibly have meant by that?

Jacqueline would never hurt Matilda. She would have told him if anything strange or unnatural had occurred. Why the hell would she keep it a secret? She knew he loved her.

No. Gabe was probably trying to just stir up trouble. He didn't like Jacqueline.

Toby swung his feet out of bed and sat on the edge. The room spun on its axis and his stomach heaved. Through sheer force of will, he managed not to vomit.

Slowly, he made his way to the bathroom, turning on the shower and letting streams of blasting heat warm him. Stepping beneath the spray, he washed off the stench of dried alcohol and tried to clear his head.