But the truth of those words hadn’t stopped her from bringing her father back that night. And they wouldn’t stop her from letting him linger now.Nothingwould. How could she let him die when she knew what awaited him on the other side? What his soul was already enduring at the hands of her so-called family?
Zachary Colburn may have been soulless, but if she let his body die too, there would be no place for that soul to return to when she rescued him, no beacon for it to follow home. It would remain in hell, eternally bound, eternally tortured. It’s what Viansa and their demon mother had intended—a fate they believed they’d already sealed.
After all, that was the deal her father made.
Let Jacinda go. Take me instead.
They’d assumed Jaci wouldn’t last long in this city on her own. Assumed her father’s death would drive her mad, drive her to take her own life. Failing that, her own stupidity and uselessness would surely usher in a swift demise, sending her straight back to the hell she’d finally escaped.
That she’d actually survived was a constant thorn in Viansa’s side—one Jaci knew her sister would remedy the moment she physically manifested on earth.
But Viansa didn’t know that Zachary’s body was still alive. Only Meech knew.
And Jaci had every intention of keeping it that way.
Other than that one time with Gabriel, Viansa hadn’t made another appearance, and Meech hadn’t heard anything more about her manifesting efforts. But Jaci knew it was only a matter of time before her sister sunk her claws into the earthly realm and dragged herself out of hell.
Vengeance was a powerful motivator.
She released the wires and went back to the applesauce, bringing another spoonful to her father’s mouth.
This time, he managed to swallow it.
“I’m sorry it’s taken me so long to come visit,” she said. “Life has been a little crazy.”
The hospital was only a twenty-minute walk from her apartment and the club, but with Gabriel’s guards constantly up her ass, she hadn’t wanted to risk sneaking off. It was only tonight, with Gabriel and his security staff focused on the Obsidian crowds, that she saw her opportunity.
So, after scrubbing the makeup from her face, she’d wrapped herself up in a hat and jacket borrowed from one of the other bartenders and slipped out through one of the newly excavated tunnels in the wine cellar. A few twists and turns, a quick climb up a ladder, and she was back out on street level, just a few doors down from Obsidian’s main entrance.
“I have a semi-regular job now—can you believe it?” Jaci laughed. “Well, that’s not entirely true. Gabriel Redthorne is anythingbuta regular boss. He’s a vampire—a royal. Not the best company to keep, but for all his grumbling, the prince is amuchbetter bloodsucker than Renault Duchanes. I’m choosing to see it as an upgrade.”
The steady beeps of the heart monitor spiked.
“Dad? You okay?” She took his hand, gave it a squeeze. There was nothing new in his eyes, no flicker of recognition. But he’d understood her. She was sure of it.
What she didn’t understand was why the mention of Gabriel Redthorne had kicked up his heart rate.
A minute later, it dropped again, settling back into its regular rhythm.
She let out a sigh of relief and closed her eyes, holding tight to his hand. It felt small and frail, a cruel contrast to the big, strong hands she once clung to as they’d roamed the realms of hell, hiding from the demons who’d imprisoned them there. The hands that had cradled her head, offering her comfort after another of Viansa’s cruel experiments.
The hands that had clutched her face as he died in an alley, his eyes full of terror.
Terror forher.
“Oh, Dad.” She opened her eyes, attempting another smile through her tears. It was a soft smile, full of a little girl’s hope, but a smile nevertheless. “Iwillfigure this out. And when I do, we’re going somewhere warm and sunny, just like we talked about.” She tossed the applesauce cup into the trash and cleaned up the last few blobs from his shirt. “I just need you to hang in there a little longer for me. Okay? Just long enough for me to find you, get you out of there, and bind Viansa’s power.”
Her elbow bumped the bedside tray, knocking her purse to the floor. When she crouched down to grab it, she noticed two Tarot cards had slipped out, both facing up.
The Eight of Knives again, the demon bound to a post in the poisonous swamp.
And the Eight of Grails, featuring a death-like figure wearing a crown and a black shroud, carrying a cup of blood, his wrists bound with chains. A dark castle loomed in the distance. The shrouded figure had left it behind. He was escaping.
The minute she touched the cards, the message slammed into her, a blinding flash of insight that left her reeling.
She’d had it all wrong before.
Ever since Meech had told her about Viansa’s plans to manifest, Jaci assumed she’d have to save her dad’s soul first,thenbind Viansa’s power.
