The Ripple Effect (Rhiannon's Law #3)(26)

I couldn’t help it, I laughed. “Is that a trick question?”

“Give him what he wants. Don’t fight a battle you can’t win.”

“It’s only a battle if you have something to lose,” I reminded her. “If I don’t settle my debt with Marigold, I’m as good as dead regardless.”

“That’s where you’re wrong.” Her tone and demeanor changed, taking my laughter to silence. Her fingernails stopped rapping and she stared me dead in the eye. “There is always something to lose. You might not know what it is, but there is always something they can find to take away from you.”

I hated asking questions I didn’t want the answers to. “Are you speaking from experience?”

“Personal experience?” I nodded and she said, “No. But from what I’ve seen? Yes.”

“What the hell is that supposed to mean?”

“It means exactly that. I’ve never gotten out of line or given Joseph or his maker a reason to punish me. But I’ve seen others...” She shifted in her seat, took off her glasses, and rubbed the bridge of her nose. “I’ve been around when an example was made out of a familiar who stepped out of line. It’s not something I’d like to see again. I might not like you, Rhiannon, but I don’t want to see you or anyone suffer like that.”

Ever the glutton for punishment, I had to know. “Tell me.”

She shoved her glasses back on her face. “If a vampire isn’t willing to kill a familiar, they have to find some other way to put them in their proper place. They’ll use those closest to you to get the job done, be it a child, a lover, or a spouse.”

“They kill them?”

“Not necessarily.” She shook her head. “It’s the display of power that’s important. Half-demons and their spawn love that kind of thing. Old vampires will feed off your fear and use it against you. Others will manipulate you just because they can. It’s all about the chaos—the misery. The people you care for are only a means to that end. Sometimes death isn’t the scariest thing a person can face, but I’m sure you already know that.”

As a matter of fact, I did. My stomach churned as I mulled over her advice. There were several people I cared for, some of which were in the family. Then there was my sister who was nestled away in a mental hospital in Florida. No one knew about Jenny—I did everything in my power to keep it that way—and I was damn glad I’d taken precautions to keep her hidden.

“If I give them the knife, I’ll have to make a deal with a demon to create another weapon.” If I wanted to make sure I had something strong enough to kill Victoria—the sister of the half-demon I’d beheaded who wanted serious payback—there was no other alternative. The bitch had to die, or the future mankind would inherit wouldn’t be much of a future at all.

I didn’t realize I’d spoken the words aloud until Sonja said, “There are worse things than being indebted to a demon. If you’re careful, you can make a safe barter. You just have to know who you’re conjuring, what they crave and offer it to them.”

“Could you make something like that happen?” Crunchy Grape-Nuts, I couldn’t believe I was asking Sonja about summoning a demon.


“I might know of a demon or two, but...” She paused for added effect. “If I help you, no one can know. Joseph isn’t aware of what I do in my free time, and I’d prefer to keep it that way. I’m not stupid about black magic, and I don’t go looking for trouble. And there is also a cost. I don’t work for free. If this wasn’t important to me, I wouldn’t even offer. Unlike you I don’t want to face the wrath of Joseph’s maker.”


And away we go. “What do you want?”

“I want to bring a soul from purgatory, from the abyss between here and there.”

“Baxter.” The vampire Sonja loved who was killed by a deranged child vampire. The little bastard had taken Baxter’s heart, banished his soul, and stole his rest.

“Yes, Baxter.” She took a deep breath. “I’ve tried to do it myself, but I don’t have the strength. With the amulet”—she glanced at my chest—“we can pull it off. I’m sure of it.”

“Since I don’t know how long I have, we’re working against the clock.” I closed the folder. “I’ve got work tonight, but I can meet you tomorrow. Where do you want to do this?”

“The warehouse where Kibwe murdered Baxter.”

If it weren’t for the services she was offering, I’d have said no. I’d died on the floor of that warehouse. Left as food for the worms. I’d felt the rays of Heaven as they had sang to me, and I’d almost crossed over to the other side. If it weren’t for Goose and Sonja, I would have. Their necromancy kept me from stepping into the light and leaving this world behind. The warehouse was not a place I wanted to return to. There were too many bad memories.

“Why there?”

“It’s where he died and where he was banished. It’s the best place to pull him from limbo and send him where he belongs.”

“Okay.” It was my turn to pinch my nose and accept that helping Sonja wasn’t going to be as easy as I’d hoped. “Let’s meet in the morning.”

“Does ten o’clock work for you? I have an early study group.”