When awareness returned again, it was to darkness. She opened her eyes, staring upwards, seeing the white ceiling and wondering where the hell she was.
Then memory hit.
"Ohmigod,” she said, jerking upright. “Michael!"
Hands grabbed her. She fought their grip blindly, desperate to get free, to go to him. God, he needed her. Badly.
"Nikki!” Jake's voice cut through the haze of fear. “Calm down. It'll be all right." Her strength left in a whoosh, and she collapsed into his arms. “No,” she sobbed. “It won't.” He was hurt—not so much physically as spiritually, and the ache of it pounded through her veins. Jake hugged her tight. “Seline has put everyone who's free or on leave onto finding him." It wouldn't help. She was the only one who could find him. The only one who could rescue him. Whether that was intuition or just plain old fear, she couldn't say. She sniffed, then asked, “Are you all right?"
"Bruised, but fine.” He kissed her forehead and pulled back. “How are you feeling?"
"A little achy.” She shrugged and swiped a hand at the tears on her cheeks. “Where are we?"
"The Circle's private hospital."
"Why?"
His gaze searched hers. “You don't remember?"
She frowned. “I remember the car."
He nodded. “It sideswiped us. Turns out they were working for the men who'd kidnapped Michael. Camille has been working on them, but she hasn't been able to get much information out of them." Nikki frowned. “But that means they were expecting us to give chase." He grimaced. “It appears they were expecting a whole lot of things. Lucky for us, we were in the Merc."
"Meaning?"
"Meaning, if it wasn't for the front and side air bags, you might be dead." She stared at him for a moment, wondering what he was talking about. She couldn't die. Well, technically, she could, but only through decapitation. “What do you mean?" He reached forward and touched her neck. It was only then she became aware of the bandage.
"The impact of the accident shattered the windshield and sent glass flying everywhere. If the air bags hadn't taken the force off the one that hit you, it might have sliced clean through your neck." A chill ran through her. What were the odds of something like that happening in an accident? What were the odds that it was no accident?
She swallowed, but it didn't seem to ease the sudden dryness in her throat. “How long have I been in the hospital?
He hesitated. “Four days."
Her eyes widened. “Four days! God—"
Jake's hand clasped hers, squeezing lightly. “It's all right."
"It's not all right,” she said furiously. “Anything could have happened to him! What in hell are Seline and Camille doing?"
"All they can, believe me. But there's more to this than what you think."
"Like what?"
Jake's smile was weak and did little to alleviate the tiredness from his eyes. “I think I'll leave that for Camille to explain. You feeling up to a walk?"
"I think you know the answer to that."
He grabbed the robe off the end of the bed and held it out for her. She climbed out of bed, ignoring the aches that slithered through her limbs, and slipped her arms into the robe's sleeves. As she tied it together, she walked over to the mirror and studied her reflection. There was no puffiness or bruising from the beating Lenny had given her. And though the white bandage around her neck stood out like a sore thumb, there was no pain or soreness.
She'd healed very fast—yet another indication of her lost humanity. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Why was she even worrying about it? The only reason she was standing here today, on the verge of getting married to a man she loved heart and soul, was because of the fact she was no longer human. Get over it , she told herself fiercely. And go get your man back. Jake tucked a hand under her elbow. “You ready?"
She nodded and let him lead her down the quiet halls. There didn't appear to be many people in any of the four wards they passed. Surely that was a good thing.
The double doors at the far end of the corridor swished open as they approached. Beyond was another corridor and four doors. Jake led her through the last door on the right. It was a small conference room. Camille sat next to a phone at one end of the table, her vibrant green and orange sweater practically glowing in the surrounding whiteness.
Jake pulled out a chair for Nikki, then sat beside her. Nikki met Camille's bright gaze. “What's happened?"
"Lots of things.” Camille's voice was grim. “But I'll let Seline explain." The older woman pressed a button on the phone and Seline's harsh tones entered the room. “Nikki,”
she said. “Sorry I couldn't be there in person, but it's far too dangerous for me to be venturing out of cover at the moment."
"Why?"
"To explain that, I'll have to explain a little history.” Seline hesitated. “I don't suppose Michael has told you about Hartwood?"
Nikki snorted softly. Michael had a habit of telling her as little as possible, though he was certainly better than he used to be. “No, he hasn't."
"I can see I'll have to have a word with him.” Seline's voice was tart, and Nikki smiled. She hadn't met the old witch yet, but she liked her more and more.
"Hartwood is where he and I first met,” Seline continued. “He'd spent years tracking down a man by the name of Emmett Dunleavy—"
"Why?” Nikki asked. “What did Dunleavy do?"
"Apparently, he'd killed a woman Michael cared about." Nikki raised her eyebrows. The little he'd said about his past had led her to believe he hadn't really cared about anyone in those dark years. Obviously, that wasn't quite the truth. “And he found Dunleavy in this Hartwood?"
"Yes. Dunleavy was a sorcerer and worshipper of the dark gods. I'd been trying to stop him for years."
"Can I ask why?"
Seline hesitated. “Because I'm a big believer in the fact that those of us with special gifts have a duty to protect those who don't."
The answer didn't surprise her, because that was the motivation behind the Damask Circle, and Seline had started the Circle. “Did Dunleavy kill friends of yours as well?"
"No. He simply killed, and that was enough for me."
"Were you working alone?"
"Yes. The Circle wasn't yet in existence."
But it had come into being shortly after, though exactly how it had come into being, she wasn't entirely sure. “Did Dunleavy kill for the sake of it, or was there a specific reason?"
"The dark gods grant great power in return for blood sacrifices. Dunleavy moved from town to town, kidnapping virgins and sacrificing them on the night of the new moon."
"Sounds like a real nice type,” Jake muttered.
"Oh, he was a gem,” Seline agreed dryly. “Trouble was neither Michael nor I could take him out straight away. Dunleavy was a shapeshifter—one who can take on the form of anyone he has killed." Nikki frowned. “So he's more like one of those manarei Doyle was mentioning in monsters class?"
"In a sense, yes, though Dunleavy comes from human stock, and the manarei don't."
"And he could take on male or female form?"
"Yes, which made tracking him doubly difficult. The moment we thought we were on to him, he shifted form. Plus, he'd already kidnapped two women by the time we'd got there, and I wanted to rescue them first."
"I'm gathering Michael wasn't too happy about that." Seline cackled. “No. But nothing much frightens this old witch, even a vampire hell-bent on getting his own way."
"So what happened?"
"The upshot is that we rescued the two women, killed Dunleavy and burned his body. Unfortunately for us, the fire got out of control and half of Hartwood burned as well."
"What's this got to do with Michael being kidnapped?"
"What we didn't know at the time was that Dunleavy had a twin—Weylin. He's not only a shapeshifting sorcerer like his brother, but a vampire. And Weylin wants revenge."
"Then why not kill Michael straight out?” The words made her heart shudder, but it was something that had to be asked. Simply kidnapping him made no sense. Not unless Weylin intended torturing him, and as yet, that wasn't happening. She'd know . She'd feel Michael's pain, if nothing else.
"Because he needs him for the ceremony."
Nikki blinked and glanced at Jake, who shrugged. At least she wasn't the only one not following Seline's train of thought. “What ceremony?"
"I fear Weylin intends to bring his brother back to life." Nikki's gaze went from the phone to Camille. “Can you really bring someone back to life after they've been dead for a hundred years?"
"Yes,” Camille said. “If the magic and your will are strong enough, you can do just about anything."
"But he's maggot food. How can he be raised?"
"A body is merely the vessel for the soul,” Seline commented. “It's Emmett's spirit Weylin intends to raise."
"But ... How?"
"To raise his brother's spirit from the hell to which it was consigned, he will have to replicate the events leading up to the night of the new moon—the night Emmett was killed." Meaning they had five days to stop him. “So he needs Michael.” Nikki paused. “And you, Seline."
"Yes. A special delivery letter came addressed to me this morning. He has a list of Circle operatives. I have one day to appear in what is left of Hartwood. If I'm not there, he'll start killing."
"Insanity obviously runs in that family,” Jake muttered. “You can't go, Seline. It's suicide."
"I have no intention of going or letting anyone in the Circle get killed." Nikki closed her eyes. If she had to go in alone after Michael, she would—but she had a bad feeling it would all go to hell if she went without Circle help. “So what do we do?" Seline paused and said, “I want you to go in my place, Nikki."
"What?” Jake half rose from the chair. “No way!"
Nikki touched a hand to his arm, squeezing lightly to stop his protest, and asked, “How? I might not have met you, Seline, but I know you and I look nothing alike. Besides, it's very likely that Weylin tried to kill me. He knows what I look like."
"Weylin may know a lot about what happened in that week, but I doubt he realizes I was using magic to hide my true appearance. We'll use that same magic to hide yours."
"If he's a sorcerer, won't he sense it?"
"No. The spell will be similar to what he used to get Lenny in the building, but stronger. More hidden."
"So, you change my appearance, then what? I just waltz in there and get Michael back?"
"I wish it was that easy.” She paused again, and unease crawled up Nikki's spine. “For this ceremony to work, he will have to have all the major characters in place."
"How, when it all happened over a hundred years ago? Most of the major players will be dead, won't they?” But even as she said it, the image of the gnarled driver came to mind. She had a vague suspicion at least one of the major players was still alive. Whether he was still human was another matter. Seline blew out a breath. “Yes. But all Weylin really has to do is get living replacements. His magic is strong enough to enforce role-playing."
"So what will I have to do?"
"There are three huge problems.” Seline's voice was grim. “The first being, you must do what you can to disrupt the sequence of events. But we do not know which events Weylin knows about, and which he will deem important for the ceremony. Plus, Michael and I were separated much of the time, and I do not know everything he might have done."
"So tell me everything you remember, and I'll play it by ear."
"Yes.” Seline paused again. “Then there is the sacrifice. Michael and I rescued the women on the night of the new moon. Letting them die is not an option, so you must try and find them before the new moon rises."
"Will that be enough of a change?"
"To be honest, I have no idea. Maybe the mere fact of you going in my place will be enough to break the spell, but you will be playing my role, so it may make no difference. I can't be sure. If I went in and tasted his magic, I might know, but for everyone's sake, that is something I cannot risk."
"I don't suppose we have anything on the people he might have snatched, so I can try and trace them with psychometry?"
"Not a hope. He could have taken them from anywhere, and we haven't the time to try and track them down."
Nikki grimaced. She didn't think it would be that easy, but she had to ask all the same. “So what's the third problem?"
"Weylin has raised a protection barrier around the old town. We can't get anyone in."
"If you can't get anyone in, how am I going to get in?"
"He'll create a door at a specified time. If anyone tries to come in with you, he'll kill everyone in that town, except Michael. Then he'll start killing Circle operatives." Nikki blew out a breath and slumped back in the chair. “He's got all the bases covered."
"He's had a long time to plan this revenge of his. Beating him will not be easy." Beating bad guys never was. “So, how many people are in this town?"