Jeaniene Frost - Up From the Grave

Then Veritas turned around. “The child and the sword will remain, but I will have some of the demon’s bones.”

It wasn’t a question. I sucked in a breath out of sheer terror. What if she wanted it to plunge into Katie’s— Denise’s? —eyes?

Mencheres went over to the demon’s body, snapping off one of Trove’s arms as though it were nothing more than a dry twig.

“Sufficient?” he asked, holding it out.

Veritas took it, eyeing it critically. “It will do.”

Then, to my vast, relief, she walked past Katie’s crumpled form without a single glance to join the other Law Guardians.

None of them looked at me. That was fine. I never wanted to see any of them again.

“We are finished,” the white-haired leader stated. “Your cooperation will be remembered, Mencheres.”

“As will his betrayal,” Bones immediately replied, speaking the first words he’d uttered out loud since Thonos had grabbed Katie.

Then he stared at Mencheres.

“I swore by my blood to co-rule our lines. For my people’s sake, I won’t rescind that, but my wife and I are leaving, and you won’t see us for a very long time.”

Mencheres bowed his head. “I understand, and once again, I am truly sorry.”

“Too bloody right you are,” Ian said in disgust.

He went over to Trove, stripping the demon’s jacket off his bony remains. Then Ian took it and wrapped Katie’s body in it, head and all. From how small she was, it covered her entirely.

Marie, the Law Guardians, and the council members left without saying anything else. For several moments, the clatter of their footsteps echoed on the ruined floor of the book depository; and then there was silence. The oppressive power they’d given off dissipated as well, until nothing remained except the energy that radiated from Mencheres.

With a tangible snap, the cocoon I’d been encased in disappeared. So did Bones’s and Tate’s. Both of us rushed to the hump of clothes in front of Ian, but Tate went straight to Mencheres and punched him so hard, I heard the bones in his hand shatter.

“I’ll kill you for this,” he swore in a strangled voice.

The pulse of power I felt was probably Mencheres putting him back in an invisible restraint, but I didn’t move away from the small humps in front of me. My hand stretched out, and then I stopped. I was afraid to pull back the cloth and afraid not to. Would I find everything I’d hoped for, or realize that everything I’d feared had come true?

Mencheres knelt next to us. When he stared at the lumps beneath the coat, resignation flickered across his darkly handsome features.

“Charles will kill me once he hears of this.”

“Only after he’s finished frying my arse,” Bones replied in an equally grim tone.

“Charles?” Ian sounded irate as well as confused. “What does he have to do with any of this?”

“Plenty,” Bones replied, carefully scooping up the coat and clasping the bundle to his chest. “I’ll explain later. Grab Tate and try to keep up. Mencheres?”

“I’ve got you,” his co-ruler replied, flashing me one of his rare smiles. “All of you.”

I didn’t get a chance to respond. Or to ask if the bundle that Bones cradled was Denise, then where was Katie ? Mencheres grabbed the bloody sword and the rest of Trove’s skeleton, then all of us were catapulted into the air. Before we reached the roof, a hole blasted open, allowing us to pass through without impact. Then the empty windows on the first floor changed, the metal frames splaying outward like bare limbs reaching up to the sky.

We rushed through them and into the night, leaving nothing behind in the ruined building except blood and the smell of sulfur.

Mencheres whisked us back to Chicago, but not to the large estate he shared with Kira. Once we reached the outskirts of the metropolitan area, we dropped down at the back of a two-story church.

It was well after midnight, so no lights were on inside. All the noise from the surrounding buildings made it impossible to discern if it was empty, though. It might be late, but parts of Chicago were still very much awake, and we were right outside the busiest district of the city.

Bones shifted the bundle he held and followed Mencheres to the side door. With how fast Mencheres had propelled us here, I hadn’t been able to confirm who was in the coat because the wind had snatched away my words. Now, the question fired out of me like a bullet from a gun.

“That’s Denise, isn’t it?”

The side door opened, and Mencheres went inside. Bones glanced back at me, hesitating.

“Yes.”

Relief turned my knees to jelly. Joy kept me upright, and anxiety caused my stomach to lurch. I could still see two distinct pieces beneath the coat Bones held.

“That’s Denise ?” Tate said incredulously.

Ian let out a low whistle. “You’re right; Charles will kill you, and that’s only if she comes back from this. If she doesn’t, he’ll keep you alive so he can torture you for decades.”

Fear for my best friend caused my voice to tremble, not concern over Ian’s prediction.

“ Can she come back from this? Sure, other demons said only bone of the brethren could kill them, but decapitation kills a hundred percent of the rest of the population.”

“Reckon we’re about to find out,” Bones muttered.

Then he disappeared inside through the same door Mencheres had. I followed them, too worried about Denise to comment about the irony of choosing a church to see if someone branded with demonic essence could resurrect herself.

The back section had a small kitchen, three offices, and a restroom. Mencheres and Bones passed by all of them, entering the main sanctuary by a side door. The scent of candles, incense, and wood polish perfumed the air. Stained glass bordered the upper perimeter of the sanctuary, transforming the ordinary light from the street into beams of mauve, blue, amber, and emerald. The colors illuminated the empty pews, the choir area, and the cross that hung front and center above the altar.

Katie stood below it, flanked by Gorgon, Kira, and a human man who looked vaguely familiar. I didn’t spare any of them a second glance because I couldn’t tear my eyes away from my daughter. She was alive. Whole. Unhurt. As I stared, I was seized with the desire to hug her while spinning in deliriously happy circles—and the urge to drop to my knees while sobbing out my thanks to God.

Both actions would alarm her. She’d already made huge strides by standing there instead of running or trying to stab anyone, and seeing me break down in hysterics would hardly be reassuring.

Instead, I smiled as I approached with slow, measured steps.

“Hi, Katie. I see you’ve met my friends.”

Those colored hues danced over her face as she took a step toward me, her head cocked to the side.

“I stayed with them like you ordered,” she said in her high, musical voice.

Like I ordered? Before I could ask what she meant, Tate shouldered past me, stopping when he saw Katie. From his thunderstruck expression, he hadn’t believed what we told him about Denise until that moment.

“Katie,” he breathed in the same reverent whisper most people used when they were in church. Then he sank to his knees, his broad shoulders starting to tremble with sobs.

Her eyes widened, and she glanced behind her. Yep, alarmed, just as I’d figured. I nudged Tate, whispering, “Get it together, you’re freaking her out,” while keeping the smile on my face.

Bones provided ample distraction when he set the bulky coat on the nearest pew. As he peeled back the blood-sodden fabric, I wasn’t the only one who gasped at what was underneath.