I shot my elbow into its ribs and tried to force it backward. We have to try and absorb the energy. But my brain was too fuzzy and I couldn’t catch my breath.
Ray yelled behind me, but I couldn’t make out what he was saying.
In front of me, my father rose on unstable legs, Tyler springing up next to him. My father growled and bit the air, wanting to help me. I pushed back into the Screamer with everything I had, trying to put space between us and my family. If my father got his teeth onto the Screamer, it might be enough to finish him off.
Dad, get back!
“Jessica,” Rourke yelled from above me somewhere. “Hold on!” There was movement all around me. I was spinning out from the Screamer’s hold.
Right into someone’s waiting arms.
“It is okay, Ma Reine.” Something smoothed my hair. “We have everything under control now.”
25
“If this is under control”—my throat rattled as I brought a hand up to my head—“I don’t want to see out of control. My brain feels like two fried eggs in a hot pan.”
“Oui,” Naomi said. “Screamers, as you call them, are hard to defeat and often ravage for weeks. But it looks as if we will be lucky with this one.”
Ray had the Screamer again and they were struggling on the lawn. Rourke was rooted firmly in front of us, standing sentinel between us and it.
Tyler yelled, “Jess, we’re going to shift. We can help better in our true forms.”
I nodded. “Naomi, we have to help my father,” I said, anguish in my voice as I stood, stumbling to get my footing. “It may take Ray too long to finish the Screamer off. We have to find a way to help him.”
On cue Ray yelled, “This is it. I’m new to all this supernatural bullshit, but you must die now.”
I turned to watch Ray radiate power into it. The Screamer was strong, but Ray held his own. “I don’t understand, how’s he able to do that? That’s not a normal vampire thing, is it?”
“Non.” Naomi shook her head. “I do not know. It may be that his special gift is to handle the Strigoi? It is a unique gift, but he is … unique.”
“No,” a thin breath whispered in my ear. “Reaper.”
“What?” I asked absentmindedly, moving toward my father, who had lain down again after his brave attempt to help me. I sat, placing my hands into his fur one more time. My body was still recovering from the blast, but I forced as much power as I could into him. Upon feeling our connection, he whined.
The welts had grown in the short time I’d been gone.
“A reaper,” Ben persisted. “Those who claim souls.”
“How can Ray possibly be a reaper?” I asked. I’d heard of reapers from legend only. My brain was still focused on my father. “Ben, can you do something useful and tell me how to help my father and reverse this curse?”
“I know nothing of curses.”
Barking erupted behind me. I brought my head around to investigate and something near the roof of the house caught my attention. Eudoxia stood high atop the house on a widow’s peak I hadn’t noticed before. Her hands were held up to the sky, her dress billowing in the air.
“She’s keeping the ward going,” I commented.
“Oui.” Naomi nodded. “She has stayed the Underworld. For now. But there is much sulfur in the air. I flew up to the sky before we found you. There are rings around the entire perimeter of the Coterie, except for the front. The witches have amassed with your wolves. It is unclear why they have come, but your partner is with them.”
I could always count on Nick. He’d been busy. If Tally had shown, it likely meant Maggie had seen something else, or she’d decided to come find Marcy herself. Either way, it was a bonus. The fact that the wolves were here meant Nick had made contact and had enough time to get reinforcements here. That boy deserved a medal.
“Now you finally die, asshat,” Ray yelled. He was on his knees, hovering over the Screamer, his entire arm inside its back. I watched in fascination as he slowly pulled something out of Conan’s abused body.
It was a shimmery half-formed mass.
Once it was out of the body, Ray struggled to hold on to it. Tyler and Danny barked like mad, clearly uneasy. It was quite a sight.
Rourke stood near me now, a snarl ripping from his chest. “If that thing gets near Jessica, I will kill you, vampire.”
“Hold on to your pants,” Ray grumbled. “This thing is like glue in my hands. I just don’t know exactly what to do with it now.” His eyebrows quirked in concentration. “There isn’t a mind manual for this shit.”
“He must consume the energy,” a breathy voice filtered in my ear. “The reaper must eat it.”
“Ben says you have to consume the energy,” I called to Ray, my hands still deeply buried in my father’s fur. “It sounds fairly revolting, but I’d trust him on this.”
“Who’s Ben?” Tyler asked, running up to us. He and Danny had both changed back once they saw Ray had harnessed the Screamer.
“He’s the resident ghost,” I answered. “He says Ray has to eat the energy to get rid of it.”
Ray said, “I heard him.”
I was beyond being surprised by anything. “I guess if you’re a reaper that would make sense.” My father stirred beneath me. “Ray, you need to get a move on, because my father needs you much more than the Screamer.”
Ray seemed to notice what was going on with my dad for the first time. “What’s wrong with him? He smells like death.” He paced closer, still holding the squirming mass.
Rourke stepped in his way. “Don’t come any closer. That thing is unpredictable.”
“My father’s been cursed,” I answered. “You’re supposed to be able to help, but I don’t see how.” My voice was beginning to edge toward panic. “Ray, please, you have to do something.”
Ray’s voice was somber. “I’ll give it my best shot once I’m done with this.” He turned his head to address the ghost. “How do I get rid of this?”
“You must consume it.” Ben’s voice came out a little stronger. “The Strigoi’s soul must be ripped from its power source. You hold the power source in your hand.”
“How?”
“You must drink it.”
Ray eyed the thing squirming in his hands with distaste as his incisors snapped down and his face started to shift. “They don’t pay me enough for this job,” he muttered as he reared up and sank his fangs into the wiggling mass and sucked.