The Banshee's Desire

Chapter 10

Gabe grimaced and watched Jacqueline sprawl on the floor, a half smile of rapture on her face. If he hadn't seen her rip the souls of both Spark men free, he would have thought she'd just experienced the best orgasm in the world.

Then again, maybe that's what it was like for her.

Oh, if Toby could see her now, his precious half banshee that he loved more than anything else. Wouldn't he be disappointed with her? But then again, Gabe had thought Toby would be outraged about the death of Matilda, and while he'd sensed that his father had been hurt and torn up with indecision over it, there was none of the dark rage present that Gabe had hoped for.

The image of Toby on the screen flickered as Jonathan Spark's magic faded.

Damn. He'd been too hasty in letting her kill the old man. How would they find the Brotherhood now?

Gabe stayed just out of her sightline, the Box of Souls ready to be used when she regained her senses enough to try and turn on him.

And he knew she would.

He'd studied the story of Efa and her conquests closely, noting that the young girl had not only spun out of control due to the murdered souls always surrounding her, but because of the amount of wizard souls she had absorbed. Gabe figured wizard souls must have a little more a magical boost to them as opposed to a regular mortal. Since the Sparks were the first wizard souls she'd ever taken, he doubted she'd be able to contain her hunger for more.

He clutched the box tighter.

Jacqueline stirred on the floor and her eyes fluttered open. For a long moment, she stared at the ceiling, a look of deep peace on her face. In those few seconds, Gabe saw her as his father must have: beautiful, wild, and deeply sexual.

But then she turned to him, the look melting into pure hatred.

"I'm going to find Toby," she said, sitting up. "And then I'm going to deal with you."

"Really?" Gabe tapped the box gently with his finger. "I think you need another time out."

"I'm of more use to you out here."

"Sorry. Can't trust you, Jacqueline."

"Who said anything about trust? That will never be something we share. I just want to find Toby. With all your powers, you must know where he is."

"Actually, I don't. Not yet. Wherever the Brotherhood has him, it's strongly guarded. Jonathan wasn't lying about that. Probably every wizard in the world has put some sort of enchantment on the place which makes it hard to find."

"So you don't have any idea where he's at?"

"Are you sure you want to find, Toby? I mean, after what just happened in here, odds are good he won't be pleased. You just killed again. We both know how he feels about that."

"He's been my rock these past few months, helped me when I couldn't help myself. It's my turn to be there for him, even if he doesn't want me anymore."

"How romantic."

But it wasn't Gabe that spoke.

He turned to see a woman with long black hair standing in the doorway of the room. The woman smiled and ran a hand over her dark black dress. Her skin was pale, almost white, but it was her eyes that disturbed Gabe. They were deep ebony.

"Hello, Jacqueline." The woman looked at Jacqueline and shook her head as a mother would to a child that's misbehaved. "What am I going to do with you?"

"Who is this?" Gabe raised his free hand to ready a spell. "A friend of yours?"

"This is Death, Irish Division." Jacqueline sighed. "She's kind of a bitch, so watch out."

"Now, Jacqueline, you're only saying that because all encounters thus far have been unpleasant ones. We should go to lunch some time. Make it a girl's day out or something. I'm not so bad when you get to know me." Death crossed her arms. "But again, I can't help but wonder what I'm going to do with you. I thought for sure our last conversation would have done the trick and you would start behaving."

"I'm…sorry," Jacqueline lowered her eyes, but not before Gabe caught the fear that flitted through them.

"Why are you here?" Gabe asked Death.

"Why are any of us here? It's an old question, one I've never been able to satisfy myself on." Death smiled as he frowned. "Oh, lighten up, wizard. A little existential humor never hurts anyone."

She raised one of her hands, and Jacqueline gasped when she found herself lifted up and pressed against the window of the room, held by the unseen force of Death.

"You and I have some business to take care of, my dear. I told you to behave. I told you the consequence of reaping souls that don't belong to you and aren't ready to be released from the mortal plain. But you didn't listen." Death tilted her head to the side and her eyes flamed with an orange fire. "You've forced my hand and it's your humanity that will be taken from you. Morrigan demands it!"

Jacqueline twisted against the window, struggling to free herself. Energy crackled around her and the TV screens on the opposite wall exploded, sending glass shards everywhere. Her eyes turned green and she stared down at Death, ready to do battle.

"Better be careful. She just consumed two wizard souls and is juiced up from their powers," Gabe said, taking a cautious step forward, trying to figure out how to best play the situation.

"Her humanity is her downfall. She can't control the effect it has on her power. In death, she'll be as she was meant to be--a banshee who takes only those in her line." Death glared at Jacqueline. "She already had one warning and proved she can't take direction. Not in this form anyway."

Jacqueline twisted her head to see Gabe.

"Toby. No matter what happens here," she whispered. "Save Toby for me."

A pang of conscience tugged at him.

And for some reason a vision of Angela flashed through his mind.

Damn. Why couldn't anything be simple?

"Wait," he said to Death. "What about making a deal?"

"A deal?" Death sniffed. "Yeah, right. I don't make deals with mortals anymore. It's no fun and humans always cheat."

"What about with me? Would you make a deal with me?" Jacqueline gasped for air. "I'll let you kill me if you grant me one favor. That way your problems will be solved and your boss will be happy. Otherwise, you can expect me to start putting up one hell of a fight. No way will you take me without one."

"Hmm…now there's an interesting idea." Death slowly lowered Jacqueline to the ground. "What did you have in mind?"

"You have great power, right? You can come for anyone."

"This is true."

"Then take me to Toby. Let me say goodbye to my love. Then I'll go with you. No fuss. No worries. Please," Jacqueline begged. "I just need to see him one more time."

Gabe held his breath, wondering if Death would grant the request.

"Interesting," Death said after a moment. "The energy in this room is very interesting."

"What do you mean?"

"You both want the same thing. I can feel it as easily as I hear your thoughts, wizard." Death flicked her hair back arrogantly and pointed a long finger at him. "You may have power, but you're still a human so I know every little idea that trickles through your brain better than you do. You want me to grant the request so your dad can be saved. But you have plans, plans that don't include your father. There are dark musings rumbling around in your head that can lead to my mark landing on many that want to stand in your way."

"I don't know what you're talking about," Gabe said, but he looked away, unwilling to meet her gaze.

"Sure you don't. Keep telling yourself that." The disbelief in Death's voice was hard to ignore. "Alright, Jacqueline. Here is the deal. I take you to Toby. You say your goodbyes and then I get to kill you."

"Alright."

"One more thing. You've killed again. Even though the Sparks’ were complete a*sholes, they still weren't meant to die yet. So punishment is in order." Death rubbed her hands together in anticipation. "What shall it be?"

"Isn't killing her enough?" Gabe asked.

"After the two wizard souls she just reaped, I think further punishment is in order. If I take her life without that, she becomes a full banshee, destined to go about her job without consequence for what has occurred here. I'm talking about punishing her for upsetting the balance of nature. I could take your life, but I don't think it would mean that much to her." Death thought a moment and then snapped her fingers. "I've got it. We'll keep it simple. I'll kill you in front of Toby. He can watch you die and you can see what true heartbreak looks like."

There was silence in the room.

Jacqueline nodded slowly.

"Then it's done." Death waved her hands and the room began to spin. "I hope true love is worth it, Jacqueline."

Gabe found himself hoping the same.

****

He was cold and his body screamed in pain.

It felt as though someone had stuck a thousand sharp pins in him at once, slowly pushing them in one at a time. Hell, maybe they had.

The dawn approached, burning off the fog that had drifted around him all night. Toby had lost track of how long he'd been tortured, but the pain seemed to be everywhere at once. They had begun his abuse inside the castle, but the wizards were so carried away with the process that they'd decided they needed more space.

Trussed up to a tree outside the old gray ruins of Antrim Castle, Toby stared at the dark ground, barely able to lift his head at the approach of the three wizards whose turn is was to beat him now. Magical ropes burned at his arms, legs and body, securing him in place and keeping him from using any of his magic to transport or otherwise escape.

"Are you ready to give her to us, Williams?"

The wizard who'd asked was called Foster.

Toby spit on the man's shoe.

"F*ck you," he said, and smiled grimly at Foster.

The three wizards glanced at each other, small smiles on their faces, and then Foster closed his eyes and hummed. One of the long, inflamed whelps on Toby's stomach opened again and blood gushed from it. Then, through magic, the inside of the wound began to burn and ache, as if someone was scratching a long fingernail against the tissue.

He bit back a yelp of pure pain.

"You can't hold out forever, Toby. So far we've just worked on the body. Next we'll move on the face. I believe I'll start with your eyes. Plucking them out will bring me great joy," Foster said.

"I'll die before I let you have Jacqueline."

"There is no need for that." Gwydion materialized beside him. "We have her."

Toby looked up at the wizard.

Was this a trick?

Had to be. They couldn't know about the Box of Souls. Couldn’t know how to get to it.

"You're lying," Toby said. "You're desperate and you're lying."

"She was in the Box of Souls. That's why I couldn’t find her earlier. Her…scent…was cut off from me. But it's free now. Clear as a bell. Now I can practically taste her vengeance floating through the air." Gwydion chuckled and rubbed his wrinkled hands together. "Such anger is inspiring."

"You might not think so when it's directed at you."

"I welcome it. In fact, I look forward to it."

"I thought you ran from it last time. Like a coward."

Gwydion frowned and anger flashed in his eyes.

"Careful boy. Your family was once a favorite of mine. I had hopes of you one day picking up your father's seat on the council. So you better behave or I won't let you watch when I skin her until nothing but bone remains."

"Like you did to Efa? Oh, wait. I forgot. You never did beat her. What makes you think you can take Jacqueline?"

"Oh, I believe I'll have a bit more help this time. And I have the advantage of wisdom and time on my side. I've not been idle in studying the past. I see clearly now my mistakes."

The confidence in Gwydion's voice worried Toby, but he tried not to let it show.

"I'm also really looking forward to meeting your son," Gwydion continued. "I believe he and I will be grand friends. We have a great deal in common."

"How do you figure that?"

"We have similar…genes."

Before Gwydion could explain, screams of terror erupted from the castle.

"I think your lovely girlfriend must have arrived." Gwydion's eyes took on a faraway look. "And she's brought company."

He hoped that whoever Jacqueline had brought with her was something Gwydion could be defeated with.

Mostly, he just hoped that Jacqueline would be okay.

The wind picked up becoming a gale, and a low howl echoed from the inside of the castle ruins, creating an eerie melody. The other wizards shifted uncomfortably.

And then Jacqueline was there, materializing on the wind like a dark, ominous cloud.

She stood, tall and defiant in front of Gwydion, her green eyes snapping with anger. But her features were as beautiful as ever. There was none of the ugly feature of her banshee hag persona showing even as the gray shroud she wore circled around her.

"Get away from him," she hissed at Gwydion, keeping her gaze away from Toby. "I don't want to kill you."

"Nor do I really want to kill you, my dear." The wizard chuckled at her confusion. "I have no quarrel with you. If you want to kill wizards, do so. If you want to reap souls that don't belong to you, fine. None of that is my concern."

"Then what do you want with me?"

"To find a way for us to work together. The Brotherhood has enemies. Through the years some of them have harmed our numbers. I want you to be our guardian."

"So why are you torturing Toby? Are you so out of touch with reality that you don't understand that hurting the man I love isn't the way to bring me to your side?" Jacqueline shook her head. "It doesn't matter anyway. I can't be your guardian."

"Can't or won't?" Gwydion asked, his voice sharp.

"Both. Wouldn't do it to begin with because you were an ass to Efa even though your son was a tyrant who raped and pillaged his way through the medieval ages," Jacqueline said. "But I can't do it because I've made a deal with someone else."

"What kind of deal?" The anger was loud in Gwydion's voice and though part of Toby was pleased to see Jacqueline getting under the old man's skin, he couldn’t help but echo his thoughts.

"Yeah. What kind of deal?" Toby asked, trying to keep the pain out of his voice.

For the first time, Jacqueline looked at him, and he saw why she'd avoided it before.

All of her love for him shown in her eyes. It made her humanity shine through, a beautiful sight to behold, but he could tell that it weakened her banshee strength. A hint of the hag began to appear on her face.

"I…" she faltered. "I've made plans."

Toby caught sight of Gabe behind Jacqueline with a woman he didn't recognize. They were standing back, watching the action. Gabe nodded at him, while the woman only brushed back her long dark hair with a flick of her hand and stared at the little group, her pale face devoid of emotion.

"That is unacceptable," Gwydion said. "You will work for me. You will protect the Brotherhood or you can watch your lover die before I rip you to shreds."

"Umm... No, that won’t happen. You will not be taking what is rightfully mine." The woman with dark hair stepped forward.

"And you are?" Gwydion looked her up and down, his contempt obvious.

The woman raised her hand and in a sweeping motion, clenched a fist. Foster, the wizard that had re-opened Toby's wound, dropped to the ground, his wide lifeless eyes staring up at them.

"I'm Death," she said. "Jacqueline's life belongs to me."

"No!" Toby shouted, struggling against his bonds. "Stay away from her!"

Death turned to Toby and smiled.

"He's a hottie," she said. "I can see why you like him, Jacqueline. A deal’s a deal, though."

"Jacqueline, what have you done?" Toby asked.

But he knew. He could easily imagine what she'd promised in exchange for being brought to him.

And it pissed him off.

What right did she have to sacrifice herself for him? Ridiculous. She should never have done such a thing. He was just one man.

There had to be some way to break the deal.

She was too powerful to let herself be taken by Gwydion or talked into death.

And the thought of her dead…hell, it was enough to kill him. How would he ever be the same without her?

Think, he chided himself. Think! How do I get her out of this mess?

Suddenly, the noise around him dropped away, and he realized that some sort of magical barrier had been created that isolated him and Death from the others. Outside the barrier, he could see the frantic look on Jacqueline's face and the anger on Gwydion's as he realized that he'd been cut off. Only Gabe seemed calm. He watched his father and Death closely.

"Oh, sweetheart, I hope you don't mind if I give us a little privacy for a minute. With their combined power, those three will have my sound wall down in no time. Let's get you more comfortable." Death walked to Toby and gave him an understanding smile, before waving her hand over his body. The bonds holding him to the tree disappeared and exhausted, he fell forward. "You have to look at this whole dead girlfriend thing from another angle."

"Another angle?"

"Death is what you wanted for her. It's the only way to heal her soul."

"I used to want that. I used to think that was for the best, but now--" he broke off.

"Poor human. Death will be a blessing. It will restore the balance of nature. If she goes on killing souls who aren't ready to pass on, she will truly become a grotesque, evil creature. We just can't have that."

"Absolute power corrupts absolutely," Toby said softly.

"An overused expression to be sure," Death nodded, "but it's true. She made this deal because she loves you. There is still good in her soul."

Toby closed his eyes, trying to make sense of it.

"Oh, shit. They've figured out how to break my spell. A*sholes," Death muttered.

"Please, don't let her suffer," Toby said as the barrier came down. "Kill her quickly."

Jacqueline gasped.

Toby realized that all she'd heard was that he wanted her dead quickly.

"As you wish." Death looked at Jacqueline. "Isn't punishment fun?"

****

He wanted her dead.

Kill her quickly.

It felt as if every fiber of her being were on fire with the pain of his words. Though a part of her protested that she didn't deserve his forgiveness for the lies she'd told him, a larger part had hoped that he might forgive her.

It stung to know he could so easily throw her away, allow her to die.

Her face burned with shame and embarrassment.

But it was the pain that crushed her, that had the blood rising to her ears, blocking out all other sounds.

And the rage. It built and built inside her, adding to an inferno of pain, sending her crashing over the edge.

He didn't love her anymore.

Death would be easier to bear than the pain of knowing that.

"It's time, Jacqueline," Death said. "You heard the man. He wants me to kill you quickly."

"I heard," she said and took Death's offered hand.

"It's for the best." Death squeezed her fingers. "Here we go."

Jacqueline looked in Death's eyes, trying hard to block out the agony in her heart. She saw the energy flicker in the woman's eyes and felt drawn to it. Death didn't have a soul. Jacqueline could tell that. There was no life essence living inside her like there was in a human. But there was something else there…

Power.

Jacqueline could taste it and she found herself honing in on the feeling.

"What are you doing?" Death narrowed her eyes. "Behave now."

But Jacqueline couldn't let go of the strange spark she saw hiding in Death. She reached out to it, embraced the flood of energy it gave, and wailed out a fierce cry as Death's essence began to fill her.

"Stop!" Death shrieked. "My kind of power isn't meant for you!"

Desperate, Death sent out a bolt of sizzling energy. The anger and betrayal Jacqueline felt acted like a shield, deflecting the worst of it. She continued to focus on the dark stream of billowing matter that slowly leaked from the ancient entity.

It wasn't the same as pulling out the soul of a human or even a wizard. This kind of power had a life of its own, and it slithered through the air, undulating with chaos and darkness. As each bit of it slipped inside Jacqueline, her emotions grew more distant and cold.

"You don't know what you're doing, little banshee," Death screamed and lowered her head, gearing up for a final burst of power. When she looked at Jacqueline, her eyes blazed with fire. Her fingernails grew long and jagged, and as she placed her hands together, a raging ball of fire formed around her.

Death threw herself on top of Jacqueline. Her sharp nails plunged like knives into Jacqueline's chest, causing her to cry out and some of her hold on Death's essence loosened.

"You've really pissed me off now. I see some real discipline is in order." Death reached further inside Jacqueline until she gripped her heart. "Ah, your heart is cold as ice and of no use to you now. Let me remove it for you."

"No!" With all her might, Jacqueline gripped Death's flaming arms and concentrated on pulling out her power. "Come to me!"

With everything she had left, Jacqueline ripped the tantalizing dark power free.

"No!" Death screamed, her pale face melting as did her black hair and clothes. Jacqueline opened her arms, swaying in ecstasy as the darkness entered her soul. The feeling was supreme, like nothing she’d ever felt before!

But Death wasn't quite gone.

Inside her head, Jacqueline could hear her screaming with fury. Or was it just her own fury, her own rage that swirled around her like a tornado of hate?

Death's fingernails scratched at her from the inside, causing waves of agony to ripple through her as her voice vibrated through Jacqueline's head.

This isn't over, banshee. You may have me inside you, but I know the secrets of death. I'll be here, whispering in your ear, breakfasting on your humanity until it's gone. And that's the one thing you want to keep. It's the only way to be free of me.

"I will control you," Jacqueline shouted.

You can't. You can't even stop this!

Jacqueline's arms came up against her will as Death manipulated her powers. A burst of blackness came from her hands, landing on the ground before her. Death's teasing laughter filled her ears.

"Jacqueline, you have to stop!" Toby's voice got her attention. "Look around you!'

Everywhere around the castle, things were dying.

The grass turned black, as if it had been scorched by fire and the trees turned barren, all the leaves fallen away. The sky became gray, the sun hidden behind thick, dark clouds.

All around her was blackness.

She realized that her gray shroud had turned the same color of ebony as Death's eyes.

The wizards who had rushed out of the castle stared at her in horror, making her wonder what she looked like now.

But did it matter?

No.

Not when she felt as powerful as she did.

"Run," she screeched at the wizards. "Run!"

But it was a pointless order. As they scattered, she struck them down as if they were ants.

They fell to the blackened earth, their bodies smoking as a putrid smell filled the air.

"Jacqueline," Toby called to her. "Stop! This isn't you."

"This is me," she said to him. "I'm finally doing my job."

"Baby, I love you. Please don't do this."

"You're scared of me," Jacqueline said. "You told Death to kill me. You're just afraid that I'm going to do the same to you."

"Then do it," he said, holding out his arms so that his chest was exposed to her. "But I love you. I don't know what kind of games Death was playing, but I asked her to give you a quick death so you wouldn't suffer. I didn't want you to die, Jacqueline."

She stared at him a long moment. A cold chill crept around her and the colder she got, the less her heart hurt. Some small fragment of her logical mind pleaded with her to think of the consequences of her actions.

But it was too late.

She was Death now.

"Where has Gwydion gone?" she asked, looking around. "It's time to put an end to him."

"He ran away the moment he saw you destroying the Brotherhood." Gabe stepped forward.

"You should have run, too."

"No!" Toby shouted. "No! Your anger is at me! Don't take it out on Gabe!"

"He plotted against us, conspired against us."

Jacqueline raised her hands, ready to snatch at the quivering life force she saw in Gabe.

Toby stepped in front of his son.

"Then you must kill me, too," he said.

She paused, conflicted.

His face, his eyes--they were so beautiful. Memories of their time together came back, softening her anger little by little, piercing through the black veil of hate in her head.

"Oh, Toby," she whispered and dropped her hands. "What have I done?"

She dropped to the ground, weeping.

He pulled her into his arms, rocking her softly as he kissed her hair.

Through her tears, Jacqueline could make out the bodies of those she'd killed.

How could she have been so crazy? So foolish?

How could he still hold her? Still treat her like she was worthy of his love?

She wasn't worthy.

She was evil.

Jacqueline pulled away and touched Toby's face. It was still the face she'd fallen in love with all those months ago, but there were tiny lines around his eyes, worry lines. She'd put them there. There were small flecks of gray dotting the beard he kept closely trimmed. Had those sprouted because of her, too? And why had she not noticed those dark spots under his eyes?

As she watched, she could literally see his face start to age, as if holding Death in his arms was sucking away years of his life.

"Oh, no," she whispered and pulled away. "I'm killing you. Just being near me is killing you."

Jacqueline stood, trembling.

"I have to go." With a quick glance at Gabe, she said, "Just so you know, you and I aren't done here."

There was nothing left to do.

"No! Jacqueline! Stay with me!" Toby shouted.

Ignoring him, she closed her eyes, channeled her new powers, and left the man she loved behind.

But she couldn't leave the grief. It trailed behind her, a long train of agony and despair that was to color her world for a long time to come.

****

"What will you do now?" Gabe asked.

The sky was beginning to turn orange as the sun rose higher.

Toby didn't notice it. All he could think of was Jacqueline and what she thought he wanted. Her death.

"I don't know," he said. "But I have to find a way to get through to her."

"She's killed the council."

"All except Gwydion." Toby looked at Gabe. "He seems to think you and he have something in common. Do you know anything about that?"

Gabe looked away, uneasy.

Toby nodded, accepting.

"Is that your plan now? To hook up with Gwydion, join forces since you're both a different breed of wizard?" Toby asked.

God, he felt so tired.

"I'd thought about joining the council," Gabe admitted. "Maybe getting rid of Gwydion altogether. Derek suspected that Gwydion was like me. It was one of the reasons he kept me alive. He wanted to show his dad that he could take over the entire council."

"He wanted to use you, son."

"I know," Gabe said. "But that doesn't mean I wasn't on board with the plan. Under new leadership, the Brotherhood could become more tolerant."

"Tolerant? Yeah, right," Toby said.

They were silent a moment, observing the chaos left by Jacqueline.

"Tell you what. You help me get Jacqueline back and I'll help you with your goals," Toby said.

Thoughtful, Gabe looked at his father. Then gently, he placed an arm around Toby's shoulders, supporting him as they walked away from the castle.

"Alright. Where do we begin?" he asked.

"With Morrigan," Toby said, rubbing his chin. "Something tells me we're going to need a bigger Box of Souls."

"How do you summon a Celtic goddess?"

"Very carefully."

"Then let's get started."