easily killed. Never gave thought to them one way or another, had she? But
this one…just a lowly servant, well, there was something about him. Or maybe it
was just that Jessica was half way to stark raving mad. Maybe all those doctors
had been onto something.
“It
doesn’t have to be this bad, you know.” His shoulders rounded and the demon
turned with a shuffle toward the exit. Did he have a name? Did Lourdes even
bother to name her demons?
Jessica
leaned forward and picked up the cup, cradling it with her two palms. “Thanks,
Bernie.” Not his name, but it seemed to fit him. How bad was it that she was
naming demons as if they were pets?
The black
liquid sloshed inside the cup like sludge. It wasn’t an ordinary drink, Jessica
knew that. Would anything of her be left once she drank it? Would she forget
the plan, the will to fight at all?
If Amanda
somehow got her message, if she arrived at the church, then did it matter? With
Duncan’s help, Jessica would be captured and Amanda would cleanse her soul.
Jessica had no doubts about that at all.
This was
the only way, but the idea that she might lose herself…
No. It
wasn’t time yet. Lourdes wouldn’t buy it. Too easy.
Jessica
threw the cup at the wall like she had done time and time before. Drag a horse
to water, but couldn’t make him drink. She was way more stubborn than a horse.
Jessica Blood was a stinking mule when it came to stubbornness, Lourdes knew
that. It had to be convincing.
Had to
be.
Gagging,
her throat restricted. She grabbed her neck desperate for air. Seemed Lourdes
was out of new tricks and Jessica was going to suffocate one hundred more times
to satisfy the evil queen’s dark urges.
*****
Down on
all fours like a rat, Jessica’s cheek slammed into the stone floor. Large,
chunky hands pinned her down as Lourdes’s train glided across the floor.
“What did
you do to my parents?” Jessica had wanted to ask for nights, but now, with her
will slipping, it seemed the best time to ask.
Lourdes
snapped her fingers and the demons forced Jessica up to her feet. Her legs were
jittery; it had been so long since she had been able to stand on solid ground.
The demons held her upright as Lourdes’s delicate finger touched Jessica’s jaw.
“Knowledge
can be yours. For a price. Your soul.” Lourdes held out her hand and a moment
later, the stone jar was filled with black ooze. “Drink this, and after you
find Amanda, you’ll know. As if the info
has been downloaded into your pretty little brain.”
It was a
fool’s bargain, but it was a bargain Jessica needed to take. Lourdes had to
believe Jessica was on her side, and this was the only way she could make that
happen. She had to drink the liquid with hopes of finding information about her
parents. In hopes of fooling Lourdes about what was really going on.
Lourdes
knew a Blood would never give in. Not easily. The torture, the refusal to
drink. had all led to this point in time. To this point, when Lourdes would
believe Jessica had finally cracked.
Had she?
Did the plan even make sense?
Jessica
took the stone jar. “You promise?”
Lourdes
grinned. “I may be many things, but a liar isn’t one of them.”
She sniffed
the contents of the jar and recoiled. It smelled like skunk, only somehow
worse, but Jessica drank. She took a tender sip, the liquid was slimy, slipping down her neck like a vial of mud. So gross, Jessica gagged and slowed the stream down
her throat, but Lourdes put her hand under the cup.
“No,”
Jessica’s voice gurgled and she whipped her head to avoid drinking. She
couldn’t do it. Couldn’t give in, no matter the cost. The wrank liquid wafted up her nose. Jessica held
her breath and clamped her jaw tight as a steel trap.
Lourdes’s
eyes widened in a flash. “On her knees. Open that jaw. I don’t care if it’s
broken when we’re done.”
Still,
Jessica struggled. Her knees slammed into the rocks and hands gripped her face.
She had
this one…just a lowly servant, well, there was something about him. Or maybe it
was just that Jessica was half way to stark raving mad. Maybe all those doctors
had been onto something.
“It
doesn’t have to be this bad, you know.” His shoulders rounded and the demon
turned with a shuffle toward the exit. Did he have a name? Did Lourdes even
bother to name her demons?
Jessica
leaned forward and picked up the cup, cradling it with her two palms. “Thanks,
Bernie.” Not his name, but it seemed to fit him. How bad was it that she was
naming demons as if they were pets?
The black
liquid sloshed inside the cup like sludge. It wasn’t an ordinary drink, Jessica
knew that. Would anything of her be left once she drank it? Would she forget
the plan, the will to fight at all?
If Amanda
somehow got her message, if she arrived at the church, then did it matter? With
Duncan’s help, Jessica would be captured and Amanda would cleanse her soul.
Jessica had no doubts about that at all.
This was
the only way, but the idea that she might lose herself…
No. It
wasn’t time yet. Lourdes wouldn’t buy it. Too easy.
Jessica
threw the cup at the wall like she had done time and time before. Drag a horse
to water, but couldn’t make him drink. She was way more stubborn than a horse.
Jessica Blood was a stinking mule when it came to stubbornness, Lourdes knew
that. It had to be convincing.
Had to
be.
Gagging,
her throat restricted. She grabbed her neck desperate for air. Seemed Lourdes
was out of new tricks and Jessica was going to suffocate one hundred more times
to satisfy the evil queen’s dark urges.
*****
Down on
all fours like a rat, Jessica’s cheek slammed into the stone floor. Large,
chunky hands pinned her down as Lourdes’s train glided across the floor.
“What did
you do to my parents?” Jessica had wanted to ask for nights, but now, with her
will slipping, it seemed the best time to ask.
Lourdes
snapped her fingers and the demons forced Jessica up to her feet. Her legs were
jittery; it had been so long since she had been able to stand on solid ground.
The demons held her upright as Lourdes’s delicate finger touched Jessica’s jaw.
“Knowledge
can be yours. For a price. Your soul.” Lourdes held out her hand and a moment
later, the stone jar was filled with black ooze. “Drink this, and after you
find Amanda, you’ll know. As if the info
has been downloaded into your pretty little brain.”
It was a
fool’s bargain, but it was a bargain Jessica needed to take. Lourdes had to
believe Jessica was on her side, and this was the only way she could make that
happen. She had to drink the liquid with hopes of finding information about her
parents. In hopes of fooling Lourdes about what was really going on.
Lourdes
knew a Blood would never give in. Not easily. The torture, the refusal to
drink. had all led to this point in time. To this point, when Lourdes would
believe Jessica had finally cracked.
Had she?
Did the plan even make sense?
Jessica
took the stone jar. “You promise?”
Lourdes
grinned. “I may be many things, but a liar isn’t one of them.”
She sniffed
the contents of the jar and recoiled. It smelled like skunk, only somehow
worse, but Jessica drank. She took a tender sip, the liquid was slimy, slipping down her neck like a vial of mud. So gross, Jessica gagged and slowed the stream down
her throat, but Lourdes put her hand under the cup.
“No,”
Jessica’s voice gurgled and she whipped her head to avoid drinking. She
couldn’t do it. Couldn’t give in, no matter the cost. The wrank liquid wafted up her nose. Jessica held
her breath and clamped her jaw tight as a steel trap.
Lourdes’s
eyes widened in a flash. “On her knees. Open that jaw. I don’t care if it’s
broken when we’re done.”
Still,
Jessica struggled. Her knees slammed into the rocks and hands gripped her face.
She had
Similar Books
