The Ripple Effect (Rhiannon's Law #3)(72)

Sucker was exactly where I stashed it. I removed the blade, running my fingers along the edge. Although the knife was deadly, it seemed far less threatening than it truly was. A blood-drinking weapon, one that could suck a person dry or tear through their bones like twigs. I slid Sucker into the slot on my left side—opposite the Desert Eagle—and shifted my feet. Everything was balanced, exactly as it should be.

Perfect.

After I slid into my leather jacket—hiding the weapons from view—I walked to the mirror and snagged my brush and a hair elastic. I pulled the long strands into a high ponytail, making sure the style was tight enough that it stayed in place. I wanted to be able to see everything clearly, without the locks getting in the way. Once I was finished, I stared at myself in the mirror, meeting my own eyes.

The anguish wasn’t new, nor was the emptiness. Before I’d met Disco I followed the same routine—get ready to face the world, stare at myself in the mirror and remind myself that I would do what I had to because I had no other choice. Get busy living or get busy dying. When you lived without remorse or regret, putting one foot in front of the other became as automatic as breathing.

Now came the fun part.

I didn’t bother making a circle. The person I was about to summon wanted me alive, not dead. In fact, that was what I was counting on. Without her assistance, all the guns, knives, and daggers in the world wouldn’t mean shit.


“Marigold Vesta, I summon you to bargain. Heed my call and appear before me.”


The glass started to crack, as though fine lines of light were breaking through. I waited, knowing Marigold would soon appear. When she did, I wasn’t prepared for the anger in her face, for the resentment aimed at me.

“You cannot go through with your plan,” she informed me curtly. “You owe me a debt. I expect it to be repaid.”

“You can expect whatever you want,” I replied evenly. “If I’m alive, I’ll do everything in my power to sever the debt I owe you. If I’m pushing daisies, then what can I say? Death happens.”

“It is not wise to provoke me, Rhiannon Murphy.” Her blond hair swept around her shoulders and her violet eyes darkened. “I gave you what you asked for. We made a deal. Now you come to me to ask for more. What in God’s name possessed you to think I’d aid you? I owe you nothing.”

“You want to be free, don’t you?” I asked, crossing my arms over my chest. “I know you watch everything, so you have to know what happened tonight. Revenald has issued a challenge, and I’m honor bound to accept it. I won’t allow him to destroy those I care for. Even if it means I die trying to prevent him from doing so.”

“I don’t see how that’s my problem.”

Snarky bitch. “Oh, yes you do.” I grinned. “Let me die, and you’ll remain exactly where you are—in Hell, as Lucifer’s whore.” Her eyes narrowed in warning but I didn’t stop, reckless and unafraid. “Marius has the amulet. I need it in order to do what needs to be done. I’ve done my research; I know what I’m dealing with. When you cross over into this realm, you are no different than a spirit. You have the power to help me gain what I need most by entering my body and loaning me your power. If you do this, there’s a good chance I’ll make it out alive.”

“You’re asking me to possess you?” She laughed, the sound light and lyrical. “You are indeed suicidal. Who’s to say I won’t stay in your host body? That I will leave when I’ve assisted you in obtaining what you ask for? You’re offering me a free ticket out of the cage I cannot escape.”

She was testing my knowledge, and we both knew it.

“Even if you kept my body, you’d be without your original form. You’d no longer be a fallen angel. You’ll be a spirit trapped in the body of a host who will eventually die. Even though you’d be strong and powerful for a time, everything you’ve fought for will be lost.” I leaned closer to the mirror. “And I know what you want most because it’s something I want too. Revenge. Plain and simple. You want to find the people who trapped you in Hell and make them pay. You want to get even.”

“If I do this, you will owe me more than you already do. Every time I venture from Hell, my tormentor knows. I’ll suffer for helping you.”

“Name your price.”

“I will expect your assistance when I demand it upon my rebirth. Regardless of the time or place, you will repay my services at a time of my choosing in the future.”

“No harm to those I care for. My debts payable only by me.”

“No harm to those you care for,” she repeated. “Your debts are your own to pay.”

“I would bargain further, but I don’t have the time.” An understatement if ever there was one. “I agree to your terms.”

“Before you do, there is something you should know.” Her tone became bleak and serious. “When we merge, we will share memories. They will not come to you immediately, but will arise over time. You will begin to know me on the same level I will know you. The thoughts we share—from the beginning to the current point in our lives—are irreversible.”


“Why do I feel like you’re holding something back?”


“Because I am. If I tell you everything, despite your determination to face the monsters who have taken so much from you, you might say no.” She smiled then, a totally evil spreading of her lips that made her look more like a monster than an angel. “Don’t fear what you don’t understand. Ultimately, our connection will aid you in your cause. Remember why you summoned me. Step aside. Consider our bargain made. Seek out your sister and vampire while you still can.”