Sin & Surrender (Demigod of San Francisco #6)(70)

“Stand up, damn it,” Gray Beard yelled.

“You are trying to control a spirit through another spirit—that takes twice the effort. Do you have twice the effort to give?” Bria asked, packing all her stuff away. She wasn’t planning to watch these idiots play with their new toy. Daisy was one hundred percent behind her decision. Time to run.

The cadaver flopped over again, but it only got halfway before it stalled and started shaking. It didn’t want to be manipulated. Lexi had strong spirits at her disposal—spirits who had been done wrong. They wouldn’t go quietly.

The main cadaver was still struggling and had yet to take another step forward. Dye Job rang a bell to get it moving again, struggling with it.

“It’s too powerful,” he yelled. “Something has changed!”

“Nothing has changed. Hold it,” Gray Beard yelled back.

Heat roared to life within Daisy. It melted through her middle and pooled really low, in a place she’d never felt before, but one she theoretically understood.

She looked around, knowing exactly what she’d find. Half afraid to find it.

A boy a few years older than her stood not far away, his body sparkling and shining within its glamour. Those green eyes from the beach, the most vivid shade she’d ever seen, with a flare of gold around the irises, sat below black, arching brows. His severe cheekbones would break a fist crashing against them, and the soft cleft in his chin gave a pleasing contrast to the strong jaw. His full lips were twisted to the side wickedly, as though he was thinking about an unsavory joke.

His gaze was like a brand upon her skin, awakening something she didn’t want to set loose, sparking something primal and setting it ablaze. His rugged, almost cruel handsomeness was nothing compared to the sparkle of deviousness in his eyes.

Her heart beat too fast. She couldn’t get enough air. She’d never felt this feverish, but she wasn’t sick. Never felt this terrified, but she wasn’t afraid.

He winked, and his wicked smile grew.

In a moment, he was gone, all hazy air and sparkling wind, rushing forward…toward the barely controlled Soul Stealer.

“No,” she said, breathless, turning as he went.

It must be done, little dove. There is no better distraction on these grounds.

The haze dodged around Thane, slipped by Bria, and stopped just before the cadaver. A spark appeared right before an earthy smell curled around Daisy’s senses.

A bell rang out. Then another. Gray Beard was trying to goad his puppet.

Zorn started and stepped forward, his hand on Bria’s shoulder. He’d clearly recognized the fae.

The fae darted so quickly that Daisy couldn’t keep track of it. And then she could. It stopped next to Thane, and that strange, earthy smell flowered in her senses again.

“Shit—” Zorn lurched in that direction, but he was too late. The fae zipped away again, much faster than Zorn could ever move in his gas form.

Thane sucked in a startled breath, flexing his biceps as he did so.

“Fight the urge, Thane,” Daisy called out as the cadaver in the hall cocked its head. It ignored the bells. If it had the ability to work its mouth, Daisy knew it would be smiling.

The cadaver turned slowly and looked back at its controllers. Their wide eyes, slack jaws, and bleach-white faces said it all.

Control had been ripped away from them. Their cadaver had been set loose.

In a heartbeat, the two Necromancers fell bonelessly to the floor. One minute they were panicking, starting to reach for their incense and candles, and the next they were on their faces, not moving.

“Fuck,” Daisy said, taking a step back.

The cadaver took two more steps in that direction, avoiding a body at its feet, and two more people fell, those who had been helping the Necromancers.

The rest of Aaron’s people shouted and stumbled backward. The one who stood closest to the cadaver fell. Its range appeared to be smaller than Lexi’s, but not by much.

The cadaver turned toward Bria.

“Go!” Daisy yelled, her heart in her throat. Dylan stuck out a hand to stop her from running forward. “Get out of there!”

Lightning rained down, striking the cadaver. The cadaver shook and jolted, but it didn’t go down. The body was already dead—it was just a shell. A little electricity wouldn’t bother it much.

Donovan flung out his hands as Zorn yanked Bria to standing. The cadaver sailed backward and crashed against the little TV-tray desks the Necromancers had used.

“Go, go, go!” Boman shoved everyone in front of him, putting his back to the struggling cadaver.

Thane rolled his neck and then his shoulders. His eyes bled crimson. He was going to change.

“Make Thane chase us, or he’s going to lose his soul to that Soul Stealer,” Bria yelled, jumping over her supplies and sprinting Daisy’s way. “Go! Get the hell out of here. Only death awaits us here!”





20





Alexis





A familiar chime echoed through the sitting room filled with paisley-upholstered antique furniture. It chimed again, and the heads of the powerful, rich, and influential people gathered around me slowly turned toward the source of the disturbance.

I didn’t indulge in a new wave of embarrassment at my latest faux pas. I thrust my drink at Lady Marmalade, the name I’d come up with for the woman sitting next to me, whose name I’d instantly forgotten, ignored her squawk of protest, and dug into my clutch. My phone chimed for the third time, and Juri peeled away from her group of chatting socialites with an annoyed expression.