VICTORIA HAD MANAGED to teleport herself without any lasting damage to Holly's house. It was the only place she could think of besides her apartment, and she did not want to be alone. Leaving Christian had been one of the hardest things she had ever had to do. Her heart felt like it had been cleaved into two pieces, the other half abandoned halfway across the world.
On top of that, teleportation over three thousand miles had left her utterly drained, physically and mentally. She'd had to depend on some of the energy in her amulet to complete the transfer but even so the actual shaping of the spell had required a colossal amount of her own energy. If she had given herself time to think about it, she probably wouldn't have done it.
She lay on her bed shivering in a cold sweat, trying desperately to keep the post-traumatic nausea at bay, and struggling to figure out what she could possibly say to Holly to explain her sudden arrival. She checked her watch realizing that it was almost five a.m. No wonder the house was so dead quiet. Victoria pulled her blankets up to her neck.
Her eyes were so heavy she could barely keep them open. She wondered groggily where Leto was for a second before darkness overtook her and she fell into a black, dreamless sleep.
When Victoria awoke many hours later, the sky was still dark and she flew out of bed at first, having no memory of where she was in the blackness of the room. The alarm clock's red numbers said it was seven in the morning, and everything came back to her in a sudden rush. She had to take several deep breaths to stop the rush of hysteria from settling in. She'd slept more than twenty-four hours. Victoria rubbed the sleep from her eyes and walked to the landing.
"Aunt Holly? Anyone home?" There was no answer. She poked her head into Holly's empty room and noticed that the bed had not been slept in. Was Holly away? She peered down the stairs. The entire house was shrouded in darkness, and Victoria felt the first stirrings of unease at the abnormal quiet.
"Illustro," she said, walking downstairs as all the lights turned on with her low command. She froze in horror at the state of the kitchen.
It was like a whirlwind had crashed through it. There was broken china strewn everywhere. The table was flipped onto its top and several chairs lay in a haphazard heap to one side of the room. Newspapers and magazines that had been in a neat pile on the kitchen counter littered the floor.
Victoria felt panic build in her body, and she opened her mind to search for Holly, at first in the house, then in the immediate surroundings, then in the town. She was nowhere to be found. Victoria pulled out her cell-phone and dialed Holly's number, and heard the answering ring coming from the kitchen drawer. Holly never left her phone at home!
Fretfully, she chewed her lips until she felt a sharp sting and the salty taste of blood filled her mouth. Where was Leto? If something had happened, he would have contacted her. The strange sense of foreboding grew and she repeated the same mental search for Leto. This time she sensed something faint in the back garden. She raced out there without thinking.
Leto!
He lay at the edge of the icy stream, his mangled body frozen and near death. She skidded to a stop across the remnants of snow and cradled his ice-covered body gently, noticing the funny tilt of his neck as if he had been strangled. She sensed that he was still alive. Barely. Blood flecked his silver coat. Victoria took him inside and wrapped him in a warm blanket. She said an incantation over his body and tried to infuse him with some of her own energy but he remained unresponsive.
Victoria's panic escalated. In mounting alarm, she decided that she would call Holly's friends to see if Holly had gone on a vacation that they would know about. It was then that Victoria saw the flashing light on the answering machine. The sense of foreboding grew as she pressed the button, skipping older messages. Her heart sank as she found the one she had somehow known was there.
Charla's recorded voice was tinny and cheerful, and the message was clear.
"I have that homework assignment you need. The quiz won't be too painful if you study carefully. Call me and I'll give you the details. Also don't try to ditch class because it'll count against your final. They say it's going to be brutal."
Victoria's blood pressed against her skin in scalding hot fury. Despite Charla's cryptic message, Victoria knew explicitly what she meant. How could she not? There was no reason for Charla to call Holly's house about homework assignments because they weren't in any of the same classes. Victoria replayed the message, her hands clenching and unclenching futilely, "It's going to be brutal ..." She checked the date of the message. It was two days ago.
With shaking hands, praying she wasn't too late, she picked up her cell phone and dialed Charla's number. She answered on the first ring.
"Hi Tori, I was wondering when you were going to call. I was getting a little worried about holding this homework for so long," said Charla, laughing hysterically as if she'd made the funniest joke.
"Where is my aunt? If you've hurt her—"
"You'll what?" Charla's voice was businesslike now, all trace of humor gone. "Put a hex on me?" She laughed. Victoria sank to the floor ... Angie. Charla heard the dead silence on the end of the phone and laughed again. "Oh yeah, Angie spilled the beans about your little secret. So you try anything and your homework gets dusted, okay?"
Victoria's blood surged like a tidal wave inside of her. "What do you want me to do?" she asked.
"Oh Tori, don't be so dramatic. We're in Manhattan and the party's just beginning so get here already, okay?"
"Where?"
"Grand Central Station, lower level. We'll find you."
The phone clicked off and Victoria hurled the answering machine off the table. Charla had tortured Leto in cold blood and to her he was just a cat. She didn't even know if Holly was okay. Victoria wanted to call Christian so badly that her body ached with it, but she steeled herself. Getting Christian involved was the last thing she needed to do. Holly was her priority.
She focused inward and tried to find Charla. Nothing. Angie. Nothing. It was like they weren't on the planet as if they'd vanished completely. The anger in the pit of Victoria's stomach turned into fear, and she jumped to her feet. She had no time to lose.
Without thinking, she held Leto and teleported to her apartment, the effort knocking the breath out of her. She realized that she hadn't quite recovered from the last time. After a few minutes, she threw on a pair of jeans and a warm turtleneck, and grabbed the keys to her Mini. She would have tried to teleport but there was no safe arrival site that she could focus on clearly, and too many variables could make it disastrous.
"I'll be back, Leto. I love you. Everything will be okay, I promise you," she whispered before leaving.
As she drove, she thought about Charla and the whole unbelievable situation. Victoria couldn't figure out the reason behind it. Was it some roundabout way of Charla hurting Holly to get to her? Because of Gabriel? It was the only thing she could think of that would possibly make Charla do something so unspeakable. Still, no one would be that vengeful over a boy, would they? Charla's words ran through her mind, "I can get a little Ted Bundy crazy where Gabe's concerned," and Victoria felt herself go cold. She stepped on the gas.
She made the trip to New York in six hours, the clock on the dashboard saying two p.m. just as she was pulling off the Henry Hudson Parkway onto 125th Street. The streets were packed, typical for a Tuesday afternoon with yellow cabs threading violently in and out of the traffic. Buses droned by, trailing black clouds of noxious gases, and busy pedestrians peppered the sidewalk.
As another driver almost side-wiped her, Victoria pulled the car to the curb, and centered her emotions. All she needed now was an accident. It was proving more difficult to navigate New York City than she thought, so she decided to ditch her car in a long-term parking lot on 125th and Park Avenue. She took the subway downtown.
When the train pulled into the 42nd Street Station stop, she walked slowly into Grand Central Terminal from the subway and waited on the lower level near the circular train information center, her heart pounding so loudly it felt like it was going to jump straight out of her chest.
She saw Charla at the same moment that Charla saw her, and wondered how she had known that Victoria had arrived. No doubt that sneak Angie was slithering around somewhere, doing Charla's dirty work, and had been watching for when she arrived. Charla was dressed in dark jeans and a white sweater, and walked with arrogant purpose.
Her pretty face was marred with spite as she walked up to Victoria. "Don't think about trying anything unless you want that old woman to die," she said. "I know your tricks and there are people watching to make sure you don't do anything stupid."
Victoria's face tightened. She wanted to rip the skin off Charla's smug face. She dug her nails into her palms to suppress her rage. There would be time enough when Holly was safe. She could feel the blood racing and knew that she would give it freedom soon, no matter the cost, she thought rashly. It churned in response.
"Come on, don't just stand there," Charla said, as she walked into the entrance to Track 114. Victoria frowned and followed her. Were they going to get on a train and leave Grand Central? Charla walked quickly down the platform ignoring the Metro North train that was waiting on the side of the platform and Victoria trailed behind, trying to work out where they could possibly be going. They descended the stairs toward the end of the platform and walked toward a long escalator.
"Why are you doing this, Charla?" she asked, trying to memorize the way. "What did Holly ever do to you?"
"You think this is about Holly?" Charla laughed, the sound chilling.
"Why are you hurting her if it's about me?"
"You just answered your own question, don't you think?" Charla said. "Come along, we don't have all day. The old lady looks a little peaked," she added maliciously. Victoria gritted her teeth and prayed for self-control. She had pegged Charla all wrong.
Near the 47th Street and Park Avenue exit, Charla finally stopped at an elevator where she inserted a key and, to Victoria's surprise, pressed the down button. Victoria wondered briefly whether she could overpower her and maybe take control of her mind to find out where Holly was, and then thought the better of it. If Holly got hurt because of her rash behavior, she wouldn't be able to forgive herself. She couldn't risk Holly's safety until she could use magic to get them both out.
When the elevator stopped, she followed Charla down a dark musty corridor lit by a string of industrial bulbs and entered a cavernous room with vaulted ceilings. The door swung shut behind them, and Victoria noticed that they weren't alone. A person in a black coat stood at the far end of the room.
The worn floors were marble and there were no windows. It didn't smell musty like the corridor had. In fact, it looked well used, and was quite architecturally dramatic, with faded but beautiful murals on the ceilings and huge crested plaques with medieval weapons hanging on the walls. Antique furniture dotted the far ends of the room, but the most of the floor space was uncovered. Victoria noticed that there were several other doors at the back of the room where the man remained standing.
She glanced around for Holly, expanded her awareness. Curiously, she couldn't make it respond. She tried again and failed. She thought she heard low laughter.
Victoria looked Charla full in the face, displaying no panic despite her pounding heart. "Where is Holly?" she said, enunciating each word. Charla ignored her and walked toward the man in the middle of the room. "Charla, where is Holly?" Victoria repeated more forcefully. Charla turned around, a strange expression on her face, a curious mixture of envy and hate, which she quickly masked.
"Holly, Holly, Holly ... where is Holly?" she mocked. "Holly is fine." Victoria clenched her fists.
"If you've hurt her—"
"Yeah, yeah, keep your pants on," Charla said. "Don't worry your precious Holly is safe. We made sure to take good care of her."
"Where is she?" Victoria repeated.
"Oh my God, are you deaf or just plain dumb?" Charla said. "She's here, you're here, everyone's here. It's our own private party." Victoria resisted the urge to scream and clenched her jaw, staring pointedly at Charla. "Oh, get over yourself, Tori, you really think we would hurt your stupid old aunt? She's over there." Charla jerked her head toward a door on one side of the room.
Victoria wanted to smash the smile off her face, but she didn't know if she was bluffing about Holly. Her eyes flickered to the silent figure still standing motionless halfway across the room. The amulet burned under her turtleneck.
"Show me," she said coolly. Charla threw her hands up in exasperation.
"You have legs, go see for yourself," she said with another shrug of her shoulder.
Victoria walked toward the side of the room, keeping her eyes on Charla. When she reached the tiny room that was little more than a cell, her knees almost gave out. Holly lay slumped in an armchair. She was unhurt and looked like she was sleeping. Victoria swayed, dizzy with relief.
"Holly?" she whispered.
"She can't hear you. Drugs." Charla studied her manicure. "I didn't want to waste them on her but—"
Victoria couldn't take it any longer. She summoned her energy, feeling it at the end of her fingertips like electricity, and focused coldly on Charla's monstrous face before releasing it without a second thought.
Nothing happened.
She could feel it crackling at the tips of her fingers and she tried again. Not a hair on Charla's head moved. There was sudden slow laughter from the person in the middle of the room, and he turned in agonizingly slow motion. He walked toward her his mouth twisted in a cruel smile until he was standing in front of her. Charla draped her hand around his waist and kissed him ardently on the mouth.
"As promised, delivered with a kiss," she said, as she rested triumphant, malevolent eyes on Victoria.
"Gabriel?" Victoria whispered in disbelief. She couldn't believe it. Was this about Christian?
He didn't respond, just stared at her with a strange expression on his face. It wasn't quite anger, more like irritated disappointment, and it made her feel as if she hadn't fulfilled some hidden expectation. She pulled the energy within and tried to teleport to Holly to get them both out. Her magic was responsive, willing, but still nothing happened. The slow, deep laughter erupted again from Gabriel's mouth, and Victoria felt the first tremor of anxiety run through her.
Something was wrong. Terribly wrong.
"That's not going to work," he said.
"What are you talking about?" she asked, summoning up a bravado she didn't feel.
He stroked her cheek, and she swatted his hand away furiously. "Now, now, no need to be nasty. I meant your magic's not going to work. This place," he said, indicating the cavernous room, "is warded specifically for your magic." Victoria stared at him in disbelief as he smiled calmly. The smile faded as suddenly as it had come, and his lips twisted in a cruel grimace.
"My magic on the other hand works fine. Ictus torqueo!"
Victoria gasped painfully, doubling over at the severe, stabbing pain in her belly. His hand moved again, and she sank to the floor clutching her middle with her arms. It felt like someone was twisting a burning knife in her stomach.
"Stop, please," she said.
"Make her beg, Gabe!" Charla said, her voice echoing in the room. She crouched down to whisper viciously in Victoria's ear. "You should have seen what he did to your cat." Malice glittered in her eyes.
Some demons were human.
Victoria bit her lip as she forced herself to stand, looking Gabriel in the face and seeing the terrible truth reflected there. He had known exactly what Leto was, even if Charla had not. She felt a rage like she had never known boiling inside of her and she gritted her teeth, pushing against the wards. She was rewarded with another magical knife twist that sent her gasping to the floor. She concentrated on healing and discovered with relief that the magic within her worked just fine; it looked like Gabriel hadn't counted on that! The pain subsided but she made sure that she didn't show it, remaining stooped on the floor.
"What did you do to Holly?" she gasped. "What drugs? She could die."
"Relax, it's just a mild sedative. She'll be fine," Gabriel said.
"If anything happens—"
"Oh, watch out Gabe, she's getting upset!" Charla taunted.
Charla didn't have time to react when Victoria vaulted to her feet, propelled by instinctive rage, and punched her in the mouth with all the force she could muster. Charla went sprawling backwards. Victoria felt a curious satisfaction as she saw blood spurt from the corner of Charla's lip, and she could have sworn she saw the beginnings of a smile on Gabriel's lips. He was enjoying this. She started to turn toward him and saw him shake his head, smiling slightly and moving his index finger back and forth in warning.
"Evincio," he said, and her arms fell obediently to her side, the magical binding charm holding them securely in place.
Victoria couldn't move, not even when Charla got up, her bleeding face murderous, and slapped her several times. She tried to keep her expression blank in spite of the sting of the blows. Her blood helped unbidden, assuaging the painful areas almost immediately. Charla moved in again.
"Enough!" Gabriel said, and Charla backed away. "Get her phone. I don't want her getting any other ideas," he told Charla, who removed the cell phone from Victoria's pocket roughly.
"Don't think you're going to need this, sweetie," she snarled, as she smashed the phone on the floor. "Gabe, wrap this up. I'm bored."
"Give me one minute," he said. Charla walked away sourly, and Gabriel moved to stand in front of Victoria. "Aren't you sad you didn't choose me after all? What a marvelous couple we could have made, witch and warlock hand in hand."
Victoria noticed the flash of naked pain on Charla's face as she turned back at his words. Still second best, she noted—that would explain the fleeting look of envy she had seen on Charla's face earlier. Charla was human. Gabriel was a warlock. Now she knew who really held the cards.
"I would have made the same choice even knowing what you are," Victoria said. She saw his eyes harden.
"Even knowing what you are?"
"Especially knowing what I am." And then as if she couldn't help herself, she asked the question. "How did you know?" Gabriel laughed.
"Angie!" he shouted, and one of the doors in the back of the room opened. Angie skulked in and refused to look at Victoria. Gabriel slapped her on the back roughly, and she flinched from the pain. "Did you know that my sister can see who people really are?" he said. "Her gift!" He looked at her with undisguised loathing. "Born without magic, but somehow given this incredible ability ... what a waste. She should die, but she's proved herself useful." Angie didn't raise her eyes but Victoria could see her shoulders trembling.
Gabriel turned to Victoria. "Don't you want to know why your magic doesn't work?" he asked.
"I'm sure you're going to tell me," she said, refusing to give him the satisfaction of knowing that she wanted anything at all from him.
"My little sister here can identify your magic, but I'm sure you knew that already." He smiled. "We can do so much more than just control your power, you know," he said. "She knows it all, the information of its entire makeup."
"I'm still not sure I know what you want from me, Gabriel."
"Come now, let's not play games, Tori. I want the Cruentus Curse."
Victoria faked derision. "Please, don't tell me you believe in superstitions now, Gabriel," she said. He smiled again.
"Angie told me who you are Tori, those black lines are pretty distinctive. So you can stop pretending, because it is trying my patience!"
His cold words sent a shiver of alarm down her spine but she knew she had to pretend she wasn't afraid. "So what now?"
"The million dollar question," he said. "You know what I want, Tori."
"I will never give myself to you."
"And I will kill everyone you ever knew, ever loved. Holly will be the first. Then I'll finish off your familiar. It was my pleasure to toy with him," he said. "But her end will be worse, far worse. And Devereux will die an excruciating death."
"It's too bad I'm not with him." Victoria almost smiled as Gabriel looked into her eyes and read the plain truth in their depths. The slow pleasure that dawned across his face made her feel almost sick, but some small part of her still felt comfort that at least Christian would be safe. She would find a way to protect Holly too. Charla and Angie were on their own if they were with Gabriel. Victoria noticed that Angie had looked up at her briefly as if she'd said her name aloud.
Angie. She saw the frail shoulders shake and realized that Angie could somehow hear her words even in the warded room. I know you can hear me. Please don't let anything happen to Holly. Please ...
Charla chose that moment to re-enter the room even as Gabriel shot her a look of displeasure. She sat on a chair staring pointedly until he sighed and walked over to her. Victoria seized on the opportunity that had presented itself.
Angie, I know he forced you. I know you are my friend, and that you are good. Please help me. Don't be ruled by Gabriel. Please don't have Holly's death and my death on your conscience. Help me. You're not like them. I know you're not. Victoria was going all out, she had nothing to lose.
Angie raised tear-filled eyes to Victoria, and her mouth moved soundlessly. Victoria struggled to understand the words and as she saw Gabriel turn and start walking back, she grew desperate.
Please, Angie. Find Christian. His number is in my phone. Get the SIM card. Please, you have to try.
Gabriel wasn't stupid, he had picked up on something, a sensation maybe, but he was far too arrogant to even consider that his magic-less sister could hear thoughts from another witch. Still, he kicked Angie roughly, his blow sending her flying.
"Stop your sniveling, I can hear you from here. Get out of my sight!"
Victoria suddenly realized what irked Gabriel. He despised Angie because he feared that Angie's gift made her more powerful than he was, and he hated that. He hated needing her, and knowing that everything he had accomplished had been because of her, because of her gift. Victoria saw his intent clearly. As soon as he was sure of the blood curse, he was going to kill Angie. He wouldn't need her anymore once he had Victoria's power. Gabriel gritted his teeth and half raised his hand like he was going to do it right then and there, and Victoria's stomach dropped.
"Gabriel, why couldn't I tell what you were?" she said, trying to distract from Angie. He turned slowly, an arrogant smile spreading across his face.
"I know you tried. I felt it the last time. But it's like painting a picture that you want someone to see. Easy enough to convince anyone, if you know how to do it."
"And Angie? How did you do it with her?"
"She's weak. It was easy to remove any thoughts about us other than the usual mundane things," he said, as Charla walked over and draped herself around him.
"I'm hungry, Gabriel," she whined. "You promised to take me out for sushi." She stared at Victoria. "Not so scary after all are you Tori, all trussed up like a pig." Victoria's urge to inflict pain hadn't gone away.
"What do you get out of this Charla? He doesn't want you, you know. You're not like him, like us." She spat the word like a dart, and it found its target easily. "You're human, nothing but a means to an end, so enjoy it while you can because it's not going to last." Charla's face had turned a hideous splotchy red color, and her eyes blazed with hatred.
"It's going to last because you're going to die. Painfully!" She raised a hand to hit Victoria, and Gabriel caught her arm in mid-flight.
"Stop," he said. Charla's face grew even redder, but she tossed her head, giving him a look of disgust and stalked off.
"You're right, you know," he said almost lovingly to Victoria. Her skin crawled. "It is about us, and you'll come to your senses soon enough. Think long and hard about whether you want Holly's death on your conscience because her life is in your hands, Tori." Gabriel hauled her by the arm to one of the small rooms at the end of the big hall and shoved her into it. With an enigmatic expression, he stroked her face and the bile rose in her throat. "Would it be so bad? You and me? We were a couple, weren't we? We could be so good together."
"I trusted you, Gabriel," she said. "How could you do that to Leto? To Holly? She's a person, not some pawn in whatever game you're playing. You can't just hurt people to get what you want."
"Why not? My power gives me the right to take whatever I want. If you appreciated yours more, you'd agree with me. We're the same, you and I."
"I'm nothing like you," Victoria hissed. "I would never hurt my friends."
A cold, calculating smile. "Wouldn't you? What about your friend, the one you told me about? Brian? Brett?" The smile widened into something that no longer resembled a smile. "Or your parents ..."
Victoria's eyes flashed fire. "Don't you dare—"
"Don't I dare what? You know exactly what happened in that car and why you survived and they died. They died because of you and you know it. You did what you had to do, just as I did."
"It was an accident!"
"Was it, Tori?" he taunted. "Didn't you want to punish your parents for putting your grandmother in that place? Didn't you? You killed them when you made the car run off the road."
"No, that's not what happened!" she said, backing away her hands outstretched as if warding off something horrifying.
"Yes. It. Is." He snapped the words through his teeth. "Face it. We are the same, Tori. You know why?" He leaned in. "I set the fire." Victoria's eyes widened. "I set the fire because they were going to send me away, and they weren't exactly talking Hogwarts." His mouth twisted into an inhuman grin, a rictus grin. "So I killed them."
A stifled gasp drew her attention as Angie clapped a hand to her mouth, her face frozen in horror.
"You're a monster," Victoria whispered.
"Am I? All's fair in love and war, Tori." His voice turned hard. "Make your decision."
"I'd rather die than be with you."
"That can be arranged. Don't push me, Tori. You won't like the result. Your cat was just a taste of what I am capable of. What did your friend Tony say in the bar? We can do this the easy way or the hard way. You decide." He paused, his voice almost gentle. "Think it through and you'll see ... you don't have a choice."
The echoing of the door closing was ominous in the silence, like the toll of a death bell.