Part 15 (1/2)

Lilith slithered back to watchful sleep. My stomach unclenched, and I took a deep breath. Sensitive, however, kept his eyes and his gun trained on me.

Leader dug into Sebastian's coat pockets until he came up with a set of keys. ”How do I know this is the real deal?”

”You don't,” Sebastian said. I had to admit I was impressed with his ability to keep cool in this situation.

Unable to move, Sebastian was vulnerable. Leader Guy could deal him the Final Death pretty easily. ”Let me suggest you not kill us in case it's not. You'll want to be able to hara.s.s us again if I've led you astray.”

Leader Guy actually laughed. It wasn't precisely a pleasant chuckle, more like an appreciative snort.

”Interesting bargaining point. You want me to believe in the possibility that the safe-deposit key is a trick so I don't just take it and finish you off.” ”More or less correct,” Sebastian admitted. ”Question is, what's your primary agenda: to kill us, or to bring home the book?”

”What if the answer is both?”

”Then you'll have to let us go for now.”

”We could take you with us as hostages,” Leader Guy said. ”Throw you in the back of the van until we find out if this grimoire is the one we're looking for.”

”Yes, that sounds excellent.” Sebastian said with a smile that didn't touch his eyes. His hand shook with the effort, but he crooked a finger at Leader Guy. ”Come here and pull this arrow out. Maybe we could do a little one-on-one, hand-to-hand. Wonder which one of us would win, mortal?”

Leader Guy took a step back. ”We could take your girlfriend.”

Sebastian didn't even hesitate. ”You're welcome to try.”

Leader Guy seemed a touch unsettled by Sebastian's dark smile. He turned and graced me with the what-the-h.e.l.l-does-that-mean once-over. Then he glanced at Sensitive, who shot back a very serious shake of the head, which I interpreted asLet's not screw with her . Apparently so did Leader Guy, who shoved Sebastian's key ring into his own pocket.

”Which bank?” Leader Guy asked.

”Wells Fargo. Downtown.”

He checked his watch and frowned. I glanced at the clock on the wall. It was well after eight. The bank was closed for the day.

Leader Guy glanced at Sensitive again, who shook his head more vehemently. Sensitive never took his eyes off me.

”Well, why the h.e.l.l not?” Leader Guy asked. ”She'd make great collateral.”

Lilith rippled across my stomach. I put a hand on my belly to hold her back.

”No, Monsignor, she would not.” Sensitive had an accent of some kind. I couldn't place it but thought it might be Caribbean. ”We'll all be dead.”

”Let me get this straight. I can't take the vampire with me because if I remove the stake, he can kill us all. Now, I can't take the girl because she's... what? Some kind of ninja Witch?”

Sensitive didn't bother to reply. Or maybe he didn't know the answer.

”You can't counteract her long enough for us to tie her up or something?” Leader Guy wanted to know.

”Too powerful,” Sensitive said with a wave of his hand. ”Not my kind of magic.”

Leader Guy looked really p.i.s.sed off. I wondered if he would shoot me out of frustration. ”Magic more powerful than the Catholic Church,” Sebastian mused. ”That's kind of heretical thinking, now isn't it?”

”Soon the Church will be more powerful than any of you,” Leader Guy said, gracing Sebastian and me with a meaningful glance. To his soldiers, he said, ”We're going. For now.” Turning his attention to Sebastian, he added, ”If this key turns out to be a fake, we're coming back for you. Both of you.”

”I have no doubt, Monsignor,” Sebastian said.

To make his point, or maybe just because he was a jerk, Leader Guy removed a small handgun from somewhere under his suit and shot Sebastian right in the stomach. I saw it coming in enough time to cover my ears.

”Good,” he said. Motioning to his team, they backed out, their guns flicking back and forth between Sebastian and me. That is, all except Sensitive, whose eyes never left mine until he closed the door.

”I wonder if I should have mentioned that they're looking for microfilm,” Sebastian mused, after the sound of jackboots in the stairwell had faded. He tried to sound light, but I could hear the strain in his voice.

I ran over to where he was pinioned to the wall. A dark red stain spread on Sebastian's white s.h.i.+rt where the bullet had punctured his stomach. Blood.My blood. He was going to have to hunt up a transfusion as soon as I could get him unstuck from my wall. ”You're going to be okay,” I said, wrapping my hands around the arrow. It was thick; the shaft had a diameter about the size of a dime. I gave it a pull with all my might. It didn't budge. ”Oh c.r.a.p.”

”The b.a.s.t.a.r.d had good aim,” he said. ”And for a bunch of Christians they know a lot about gypsy magic.”

”What do you mean?” I asked, while tugging on the arrow using both hands now.

”A stake through the heart. Immobilizes vampires.”

I had to admit I fell into the same camp as the Vatican agents when it came to this sort of thing. ”So, it doesn't kill you?”

”No, the killing is done by decapitation or burning. Although I understand you can do something with removing the heart, or maybe it was the liver...”

”You're babbling, Sebastian. I think it's shock.” I gave another heave-ho, but my hands slid uselessly over the smooth wood. ”I'm going to need reinforcements.”

I waited outside for my friends to arrive. I'd tried to stay with Sebastian to comfort him, but he needed blood so badly that my presence was clearly driving him crazy. His fangs dropped, and his eyes intently watched my every move like a wild cat. I felt stalked. I had to leave.

The concrete under my b.u.t.t felt cold and clammy. Gnats swarmed around the porch light globe. Clouds covered the moon, and the night felt hazy. The street was dark. I tensed every time I saw the red brakelights of a car, but none stopped.

Finally, William showed up twenty minutes later with his girlfriend in tow. She introduced herself as Feather, which I first mistook for Heather, but she politely corrected me. ”No, as in bird feather,” she said, pointing to the dyed-black goose feather in her hair.

As we sat on the stoop outside waiting for Izzy, I couldn't see how either of them would be much help.

Feather was taller than me, but thinner. Her shoulder-length blond hair had pink and blue streaks, and she wore a T-s.h.i.+rt that showed a cartoon cat sleeping on a pile of books which read, ”So many books, so little time.”

William had changed denominations again. He was in full Druid mode as far as I could tell, including a heavy wool cloak, complete with hood and carved staff. He had the most muscles of any of us, but that wasn't saying much.

All I could think was that I hoped Izzy thought to bring her tools.

Izzy pulled up to the curb with a honk and a wave. I jumped up and met her on the sidewalk. ”You going to tell us what this is all about?” Izzy asked as we walked back to where William and Feather sat.

”You were awfully cryptic on the phone.”

”I know. I'm sorry. There's no easy way to explain this,” I said, once they all found a spot on the stoop.

I remained standing, anxious to get the rescue under way. ”I have a very weird problem. My boyfriend is upstairs and he's... uh, well, there's a huge arrow sticking him to the wall, and I can't get it out. Oh, and he's been shot. He's losing a lot of blood.”

My friends sat in silence, looking at me. Then they glanced at each other. Izzy spoke first. ”You're serious?”

William put his fingers on his temples, rubbing them, as though he suddenly had developed a splitting headache, and who could blame him? ”Why is he not dead? Or is he dead? You're not asking us to aid and abet a murder, are you?”