Growling and clawing came from the other side of the door, and I knew Jennifer had foolishly ignored my wishes. Sonja didn’t seem disturbed by it. Instead she turned, waved her hand, and the door started to glow, as if it was burning. The clawing immediately stopped and I heard a horrible whine.
“Don’t worry,” Sonja said as she advanced on me. “She won’t be bothering us. Not until we’ve had the opportunity to talk. You have things to set right, and I’m here to make sure that happens. It’s the only reason I was willing to sell my soul.”
I couldn’t mask my disgust when she took a seat right in front of me, her decaying body worse than that of any dead person I’d happened upon in my life. To her credit, she took my revulsion in stride.
“Not looking as good as I once did, am I? That’s what happens when you die and you give your flesh over to demons to devour. That’s what they like most, you know—fresh flesh and blood.” Her eyes drifted to my cut hand that had slowly started mending, and I pulled it into my chest. That angered her, and she actually snarled. “I do not partake of the flesh. If I did, I would end my time here and finally descend into Hell itself.”
“What do you want?” It was obvious she’d planned this, although I had no idea why.
“Vengeance,” she stated matter-of-factly. “A righting of a wrong. A chance to make things the way they should be, not the abyss the world has now become.”
“I don’t see how I can help you there. In case you haven’t noticed, I’m up to my neck in royally fucked up at the moment.”
“Oh, but you can.” She moved closer and pointed at my chest, her finger aimed directly at the area shielding the amulet from view. “You have everything you need to turn back the clock, to ensure things occur in a way that won’t bring forth an unnatural balance.”
My heart was pounding, palms sweaty, hope causing me to throw caution to the wind. “What do you mean, turn back the clock?”
“I have a present for you, Rhiannon. Something that can put an end to the predicament in which we find ourselves. But you have to be willing to make a sacrifice in order to do it. Nothing worth having comes without a price.”
There was no hesitation. “Tell me.”
“When Gabriel died, and I learned what had transpired, I started doing research. You see, the vampires who cornered Joseph into killing Gabriel were those he knew better than to cross, those born of vampires far stronger and deadlier than those made. Do you know what I’m talking about?”
“Half-demons.” It was an easy guess, since they now ruled the world.
“It was Victoria DelCrux who set things in motion.” Sonja’s black eyes narrowed, and I could see her teeth grinding together through her shredded lips. “She needed control of one of the most powerful cities to begin her plan. Once Gabriel was gone, she knew there would be nothing to stop her.”
“Why Gabriel?” I shook my head, attempting to piece the puzzle together. “Was it because he ruled New York?”
“You were always foolish.” She snorted. “Gabriel is the child of a vampire who was sired by a half-demon. Had Graham Tavish attempted to destroy Gabriel, Gabriel’s maker would have sought retribution, and when he did, his sire would have come to his aid.”
Holy fuck nuts. Disco’s maker was created by a half-demon?
I had no clue how powerful the vampire that changed Marius Dymock—Gabriel and Paine’s sire—truly was.
“Graham Tavish?”
“Victoria’s half-brother.”
Her half-brother? Shit.
“I still don’t see what I can do. I’m stuck here.”
She slapped me—hard. As I lifted my hand to sooth the sting, she snapped, “Don’t be daft. You are in possession of Marigold Vesta’s amulet. With it, you can do more than you ever dreamed possible. She will expect payment for assisting you, of course, which is why I said a price will have to be paid.”
It was an overload of information, almost too much to take. However, there was one point that continued hammering away in my mind, something I wanted beyond measure.