Ruby Shadows (Born to Darkness #3)(98)

“You better wake the f*ck up, Keisha,” he snapped, shaking her. “I got two guys here that like to share. Don’t you f*cking disappoint them or you won’t get your taste tonight—understand?”

“Aww, c’mon, Ray,” she mumbled. “You promised no more two-fers. Those hurt.”

“I don’t give a good Goddamn if it hurts. You earn your fix around here, baby. Earn it or get out on the street. And how long do you think you’d last without somebody to take care of you? Huh?”

“Okay, all right…” Keisha had begun to cry now. “I’ll do it—I’ll do it. Just don’t kick me out, Ray. You know I need you, right?”

“You don’t need that bastard, Keisha,” I whispered fiercely. I was crying too—tears of pain and rage rolling down my face. I hadn’t seen my little sister for almost a year—her pimp wouldn’t let Grams and me near her. We had tried everything to save her—from magic to rehab—but somehow she always went back to him. To him and the miserable life of prostitution he’d forced her into. It was the drugs—I knew it was. They had a hold on her so strong that nothing could get her off them permanently—not while he was still there to give them to her.

Of course she might have had a chance to kick the habit if Ray was out of the way. If he wasn’t always there with a free “taste” of her favorite drug waiting just for her.

He has to die, I thought and knew it was true. This was the reason I’d been working so hard on the revenge spell. This was who I wanted to punish—even at the cost of my own soul. Until this evil bastard died I could never reclaim my little sister. Until I killed him, she would never be free.

I felt the will to kill building inside me—the dark power flooding my body—and I welcomed it. Forget about complicated revenge spells—I was in Hell now. There was more than enough evil energy to call on. Enough hate and rage and murderous intent to fill me to the brim—to overflowing.

I felt the ball of dark power building inside me. I had never killed a human being before—never sacrificed the hornless goat as witches call it—but I was more than ready now. Somehow I knew that if I could just gather enough evil energy I could reach through the mirror and get him. I pictured myself shoving my hand into his chest and taking that foul, black, twisted lump he called a heart in my hand. And then I would squeeze and squeeze until it popped like an overripe tomato between my fingers. Until he screeched and screamed and fell, writhing to the floor, living that last few seconds of his life in agony until I snuffed him out forever…

I was up on my feet before I knew it and moving towards the mirror.

Yes, I seemed to hear something whisper. Yes, come to me…come closer…touch it…

I lifted my hand, focusing all the negative energy I’d gathered into a tight ball. I would use this power to force my fingers through the magic mirror and into Ray’s hateful chest. I would—

But just as my fingertips were almost brushing the cool surface of the mirror, the picture of my sister and her pimp faded. In its place was a creature out of a nightmare—my nightmare. A creature without a head and yet somehow it still had a mouth—a mouth with long, jagged, yellow teeth. A stump of a tongue writhed in its gaping maw as it reached for me, longing to suck out my soul.

I felt its hot, fetid breath on my fingertips and tried to pull back but I couldn’t stop—couldn’t get away. My heart pounded fiercely and a scream broke from my lips as my hand was drawn inexorably forward, into the mirror…into the HellSpawn’s hungry mouth…

Suddenly Laish was at my side.

“Gwendolyn?” he asked and then seemed to realize what was happening. He shouted a word of power aloud that made me feel like someone had driven spikes into my ears. With an angry hiss, the HellSpawn vanished as abruptly as it had appeared. The mirror went blank and only the dancing shadows and firelight could be seen reflected in its cracked surface.

Freed of its spell at last, I sank back against the couch, a sob rising in my throat. Goddess, that had been so close!

“Gwendolyn, what were you doing? What were you thinking?” Laish had me by the shoulders. He looked down at me, giving me a quick, angry shake. Then he pulled me to him, pressing my face to his broad, bare chest. “Mon ange,” he murmured in a deep, broken voice. “I thought I’d lost you—what possessed you to do such a thing?”


“My little sister—I saw her.” I pushed away from him, but I was unable to keep the words from spilling out. “And he was hurting her—he was going to make her…make her do…” I shook my head, unable to continue. Unable to speak aloud the shame and degradation Keisha was doubtless enduring even now.

“The mirror showed you your sister?” He frowned, clearly not understanding.

“And her pimp! She’s a drug addict,” I shouted at him. “And a…a prostitute! And it’s all his fault—that bastard. He hooked her on the drugs—he makes her whore herself out to get them! If he was dead, she might have a chance to get free. If I could kill him—”

“If you could kill him?” His ruby eyes narrowed and filled with understanding. “Ah, now I see. This is the man your spell was meant for. This is why you were willing to risk your immortal soul.”

“Now you know,” I snapped. “Are you happy now? Does it make you feel superior to know my dirty little secret?”