Ceremony In Death

Where was she? In the apartment, most likely, though she couldn't quite remember. The club would have been too dangerous, full of people. It was more private here, in this room. This room where Alice had seen a child sacrificed.

What time was it? God, how long had she been out? Roarke was going to be pissed. She bit her lip hard enough to draw blood to hold back the bubble of hysteria.

They would miss her, wonder about her. Peabody knew her last location, and they would check it out.

And what good would that do her?

Eve closed her eyes to wait for calm. She was on her own, she told herself. And she meant to survive.

The mirrored wall slid open and Selina, draped in an open black robe, slipped through. "Ah, you're awake. I wanted you awake and aware before we started."

Alban stepped in behind her. He wore a similar robe and the fierce, toothed mask of a boar. Saying nothing, he picked up a thick candle, set it between Eve's thighs. He stepped back, lifted an ivory-handled athame from a black pillow, then held it aloft.

"Now, we begin."

– =O=-***-=O=-

Roarke opened the door of his car when his pocket 'link beeped. He whipped it out. "Eve?"

"It's Jamie. I know where she is. They've got her. You have to hurry."

"Where is she?" As he spoke, Roarke climbed behind the wheel.

"That Cross bitch. They've got her inside the apartment. Or I think they do. I lost transmission when they got her out of the car."

Roarke didn't wait, but pushed the accelerator and flew through traffic. "What transmission?"

"I bugged her car. I wanted to know what was going on. I planted a transmitter. I heard stuff tonight. Cross told her to put the car on auto, go to the apartment. Dallas must've been drugged or something, because she sounded weird. And Cross said how she'd killed my grandfather and Alice." His voice flooded with tears. "She killed them both. And kids. And Christ…"

"Where are you?"

"I'm right outside their place. I'm going in."

"Stay out. Goddamn it, you listen to me. Stay out. I'll be there in two minutes. Call the cops. Report a break-in, a fire, anything, but get them there. Understand me?"

"She killed my sister." Jamie's voice was suddenly calm and cold. "And I'm going to kill her."

"Stay out," Roarke repeated, swearing as the transmission ended. Digging for control, he called Mavis's, snapped out a demand for Peabody when the call was answered with wild laughter.

He was already pulling up at Selina's building when Peabody answered. "Roarke. Feeney and I are heading to Spirit Quest right – "

"She's not there. Cross has her, most likely in the apartment building. I'm there now, and I'm going in."

"Jesus, don't do anything crazy. I'll call for a cruiser. Feeney and I are on our way."

"There's a young boy in there, too. You'd better hurry."

With no weapon but his wits and his will, he rushed the door.

– =O=-***-=O=-

They were chanting over her. Alban had lighted a fire in a black cauldron and the smoke was thick and overly sweet. Selina had discarded her robe and was now slowly rubbing glistening oil over her body.

"Ever been raped by a woman? I'm going to hurt you when I do it. So will he. And we won't kill you quickly, the way we did Lobar, the way we told Mirium to kill Trivane. It's going to be slow and unspeakably painful."

Eve's head was clear now, brutally clear. Her wrists burned, slicked with her own blood as she continued to strain against the straps. "Is this how you call up your demons? Your religion's a sham. You just like to rape and kill. It makes you a degenerate, just like any creep crawling in the gutter."

Selina brought her hand back, whipped it down hard over Eve's face. "I want to kill her now."

"Soon, my love." Alban crooned it. "You don't want to rush the moment."

He reached into a box, pulled a black cockerel out. It clucked and squawked, wings flapping as Alban held it over Eve's body. He spoke in Latin now, his voice musical, as he took the knife and sliced off the head. Blood gushed out, steaming over Eve's torso. Beside her, Selina moaned in ecstasy.

"Blood, for the master."

"Yes, my love." He turned to her. "The master must have blood." And very calmly, very quickly, he raked the knife over Selina's throat. "You have been so… tedious," he murmured when she stumbled back, breath gurgling as she grabbed at her throat. "Useful, but tedious."

When she collapsed, he stepped over her, removed the mask, set it aside. "Enough of the pageantry. She enjoyed it. I find it stifling." He smiled, charmingly. "I don't intend to make you suffer. There's no purpose in it."

The stench of blood was nauseating. Using all her will, Eve concentrated on his face. "Why did you kill her?"

"She'd ceased to be useful. She's quite insane, you know. Too many chemicals, I suspect, in addition to a defective personality. She liked me to beat her before sex." He shook his head. "There were times I actually enjoyed it. The beating part, anyway. She was very clever with chemicals." Absently, he ran a hand up and down Eve's calf. "And I discovered with the right direction, the proper incentive, she was a clever businesswoman. We've made an enormous amount of money over the last couple of years. And, of course, there's the membership contributions. People will pay ridiculous amounts of money for sex and the possibility of immortality."

"So it was just a con."

"Come on, Dallas. Calling up demons, selling the soul." He chuckled, delighted. "It's the best grift I've ever run, but it's hit its peak. Now Selina…" He glanced down, idly rubbed a thumb over his chin. "She became quite serious about it. She actually believed she had power." He studied the sprawled body with something like amused pity. "That she could see in the smoke, call up the devil." He smiled again, made the ageless sign for lunacy by circling his finger at his temple.

A sham. Eve thought, from the begi

"I'm not most grifters, and a few realistic ceremonies kept Selina in line. She developed a taste for blood. So did I," he admitted. "That I did find addicting. Taking a life is a powerful thing, an arousing thing."

He let his gaze roam over her, appreciating the slim, subtle lines. Selina had been all lush curves, just on the point of overabundance. "I may have you first, after all. It seems a waste not to."

Everything in her revolted at the thought. "You were the one who had sex with Mirium, you were the one who told her to kill Trivane, to infiltrate the Wiccans."

"She is the most malleable of women. And under a little chemical inducement, some post-hypnotic suggestion, selectively forgetful."

"It was never Selina. That's where I was off. You weren't her lap dog. She was yours."

"That's very accurate. She was losing control. I've known that for some time. She did the cop on her own." His mouth thi

"You're wrong. Frank wouldn't have given up."

"Hardly matters now, does it?" He turned away, taking up a small vial and a pressure injector. "I'll give you just a bit, to take the edge off. You're really quite attractive. I can make you enjoy it when I rape you."

"There aren't enough drugs in the world for that."

"You're wrong," he murmured and walked toward her.

– =O=-***-=O=-

Roarke had to force himself not to enter the apartment at a run. If she was inside and in trouble, his rushing in could do her more harm than good. He closed the door quietly at his back. Since the security had already been bypassed, he knew Jamie had gone in.

Still, the movement at his side had him lashing out, grabbing at the throat.