Bittersweet Magic (The Order #2)

“He’s no use to us. What do you think we should do with him?”


She thought about Jessica, who had suffered at his hands. Of the first girl he had kidnapped, who hadn’t survived and had no doubt died in terror, alone in the darkness. Of all the others he had taken and would take again if he were freed. She’d come to see the line between good and evil as blurred, but some people were firmly on one side or the other, and Jack was evil. Then she thought about Sister Maria and black hatred rose up inside her. “Kill him.”

Piers studied her for a moment. “For you, my sweet, anything.”

She watched as he strode across. He spoke quietly to Carl, who released Jack and stepped aside, leaving the vampire standing alone.

Piers drew the sawed-off shotgun from the holster. He didn’t speak to the other man, didn’t gloat, just raised the gun, and blasted Jack through his heart. The vampire collapsed to the ground. Piers holstered the weapon and leaned down over the body. He gripped Jack’s head between his hands, rested one booted foot on his ruined chest, and twisted.

Jack’s head came free of his neck with what seemed a very loud crack followed by a disgusting slurping sound. With the head still gripped in his fists, Piers carried it to the portal and tossed it down. Two of the other men dragged the body and it followed the head.

Piers strolled back to them. “Close it,” he said to Asmodai.

Asmodai waved a hand in the general direction of the portal, and the doorway vanished.

“I’ve been hankering to do that for a long, long time,” Piers said, wiping his hands down his leather pants.

“Is that how you kill a vampire?” Roz asked.

“Heart and head,” he said. “You think you might ever use the information?”

“You never know.”

“We’ve got to get out of here before the police arrive,” Christian said. He turned to Asmodai. “Are you coming?”

“I wouldn’t miss it for the world. Besides, I’d like to keep an eye on my investment.”

Did he mean her? Of course he did. But right now, she just couldn’t get worked up.

She was alive. Jack was dead.

And Piers was sorry about last night. Well, she’d have to wait and see just how sorry he was and just how he meant to make it up to her.

Very sorry, she hoped.





Chapter Seventeen


Piers was silent on his way back to the vehicles, but he walked close beside her, and she could sense his occasional sideways glance. She was unsure of his mood, though some strong emotion was rolling off him in waves.

Two vehicles were parked around the corner, a black van and a SUV. As they drew closer, she could make out Maria and Ryan sitting in the front seat of the van, and relief rushed through her.

Ryan saw them and jumped out, running toward her. He wrapped his arms around her in a big hug, and for a few seconds she relaxed against him, glad they were all alive and in one piece.

“Hey, you’re alive.”

“I am, and virtually untouched.” Though she could still feel the sting of the knife wound at her throat. “Are you two okay?”

“Yeah, we’ll be fine.” He stepped back but still held her loosely. “Thanks to you.”

She shrugged. “It was nothing.”

“Don’t lie. You could have just left us, but you didn’t.”

She shrugged again. She wasn’t good at accepting thanks; they made her twitchy. Sensing Piers tensing beside her, she glanced sideways at him. He was staring at the point where Ryan still held her, and his upper lip was curling into a snarl. She shifted and stepped back, freeing herself. “Come on, we have to go.”

“Actually, I have to get back to work,” Ryan said.

“Will there be people looking for you?” Christian asked.

“Not yet—yesterday was my day off, and I didn’t have any plans, except sleeping.”

“And maybe some housework?” Roz suggested.

Christian ignored the comment. “Then you come back to the Order with us. You need debriefing.”

Roz sniggered at the word. “Sorry,” she said when everyone turned to look at her. “I’ve never actually heard anyone say that. ‘Debriefing’—it’s sort of…” She trailed off and shrugged. It wasn’t her fault none of them had a sense of humor.

Ryan appeared undecided. She’d rather this didn’t get physical, and she was sure the debriefing thing wasn’t optional for the detective. Though she supposed Piers or Christian could just mesmerize him into going with them. She’d rather they didn’t do that to her friends either. “Wouldn’t you like to know what this is all about?” Roz said, sure that would tempt Ryan.

“You mean they’ll tell me?”

“Why not? You know a lot already.”

“Too much?” he asked, and she realized he believed his life was in danger. Hell, maybe it was. She glanced at Piers and Christian. Piers just looked impatient to be off.

Christian answered. “You won’t come to any harm at our hands, Detective. But we do have to decide how to deal with the fact that you know about us.”