The only way to be free of them was to die. If she waited, they'd torture her, trying to learn all the secrets of her kind, then shove a spike through her soul when they were done. That meant she had to kill this body, and fast. Lurching to her feet, she began to search, hoping to find something, anything she could use.
A rope. No, it took too long to suffocate and the only place to hang from was the very bars that she couldn't touch. In the corner was a wadded-up blanket. She grabbed it, pulling it away, hoping to find something revealed beneath, but there was only dust and lint. The damned inquisitor had done his job too well. There wasn't a single thing sharp in her tiny six-foot-square box. She should have drained the bastard dry when she had the chance.
She also knew that was impossible. Thane's vitality seemed limitless. He was like a battery that could constantly fuel her - at least through sex. Then again, she'd also tasted his blood. That was one thing he could run out of, and the idiot had trusted her enough to let her bite him! Asshole!
Her body flinched as the realization hit her. That was it! She had something sharp enough to break skin - her teeth. It wouldn't be easy, but she wasn't about to go down without at least trying. She owed Mei that much. In a single step, she threw her back against the wall and let her body slide down. She needed to reach a major artery. The wrists wouldn't do. No, those were made to seal if severed. She needed something bigger. She wasn't flexible enough to chew through her own inner thigh, so that left only one possible place.
Dahlia lifted her right arm and pressed against the underside. There, beneath her fingers, her pulse was heavy and strong. She still didn't understand how her body was made, but she knew the concept. She was little more than dust and debris attracted by the electromagnetic field of her soul interacting with the plane they called reality. Her will forced the molecules of the world around her to reassemble into the form she recognized as her own. Mind over matter.
She knew all of this, and yet she felt real. Her senses were dull, her body too fast and strong, but it was a body. It had blood that kept it running, even if she survived on the power of everyone else's life. She healed fast, but not that fast, so this had to work, and she didn't have much time.
Like some demented monster, she leaned toward her own arm and bit. The pain made her flinch, red marks the only sign she'd even tried. The second time was easier. She knew how much pain to expect. The third was like biting into steak, except that it hurt. The meat was tough and stringy. Raw, it didn't sever like the meals she'd grown used to. No, this was like the game her father had hunted. Her muscles were designed to be used, not pampered to keep them soft.
She bit again, spitting the hunks of her own body at her feet. Soon, she should hit bone. Her arm couldn't be that big, could it? The next mouthful was the biggest. As her teeth ripped, pain made her hesitate, but thick, warm fluid gushed into her mouth. It pulsed. That was it. She'd done it! Now she had to get the other.
By the time she turned her head, the world was starting to spin. Blood ran down her right arm, but she needed to open both sides. She couldn't risk it taking too long. If she was still alive when Thane got back, she wouldn't get a second chance. They'd tie her down if they had to, raping her over and over just to keep her fed. That was enough to make her bite deep. It took everything she had, but she did it, then found a little more strength to keep going. She had no other choice, and desperation was the greatest motivator. She bit as hard as she could.
It wasn't as good as the first, but she felt the blood flowing faster. It would have to do. She wasn't sure she could try again. She only had enough life left to leave these assholes a message. Using the blood flowing down her arm, she drew the Chinese symbol for lie. Chinese for Mei. Lies for Thane. She didn't finish. Halfway through the last line, her body collapsed.
Lying on the floor, listening to the sound of her own breath, Dahlia smiled. Fuck those bastards. She might not be the strongest undead ever made, but she'd lived long enough to learn a few things. She'd experienced more than they could ever imagine. She'd seen things history had forgotten, and she was the daughter of a warrior. She was supposed to be dancing in the sun, and until she got there, she'd just keep fighting. Fuck anyone who got in her way.
Except she'd already done that. The thought almost made her laugh. She would have, if she had anything left, especially with the sounds in the hall outside her door. As it was, she died with a weak smile on her lips, her eyes wide open, facing the door as it began to open. This death hurt a lot less than hitting the ground.
Chapter Thirty-Two
THANE
Thane stormed down the hall, pulling on his shirt. Damn her. She'd sounded so desperate. She kept saying it was all a lie, but he already knew that. He just didn't know how to change this. He'd watched her fall from a building, bounce, then walk off in one piece. He'd also watched her hit and snap like a gilded figurine. Never mind that he'd summoned her. The priests had explained how to draw a succubus from the depths of Hell, and it had worked.
What did it matter what she was called? She called herself an idle-something, but he never thought about it at the right time. He'd have to look it up the next time he was alone. Considering that he'd just ended up in the middle of this, it might be a while. Well, unless they managed to break her quickly. His brother swore that once Dahlia gave in, she wouldn't have to worry about anything else. Her death would come fast.
Except that Dahlia seemed sure that they wouldn't let her go so easily. He wanted to stake her just for mercy, but he simply couldn't. If he failed, it would be Laird who paid the price, not him. Thane wasn't the priest. He was just a useless grunt to throw away at the Church's earliest convenience.
The anger was almost overwhelming, yet he kept it off his face as he made his way through the halls of the church. Heads turned when he passed. Priests smiled like schoolboys who'd just realized how sex worked. Someone chuckled, but Thane forced himself to ignore it.
He liked that woman. Shit, he'd liked Mei too, and now she was gone. Maybe he was just cursed. Clearly, the power his parents had passed on manifested differently in him than every other hunter - or priest. How many things had gone wrong in his life because of it? His bloodline had to be cursed, because that was the only explanation.
First his mother, then his younger brother, and now him. Oh, his father would say he wasn't surprised. Laird was the only son who'd been able to make him proud, and now Thane was screwing that up too. The problem was that he didn't know how to fucking fix this! He had to play by the rules. He had to be the perfect hunter, because those family ties did bind him - to Laird, at least.
He stopped at the Bishop's door and tapped. While waiting for the man's response, Thane forced his face to look calm. After a few long seconds, the voice from the other side ordered, "Come."
The wood creaked as it opened, but Thane had no interest in staying. "She's in the cell."
Behind a massive desk sat the Cardinal in his deep red robe. Beside him was Bishop Daniel. Both of them looked a little too amused, as if all of this was the best joke they'd ever heard. Thane wanted to rip their heads off. Instead, he took a calming breath and stepped in to close the door behind him.
"Enjoy your romp with Hell?" the Bishop sneered. "I'll expect a confession in the morning."
"Yeah," Thane muttered, "I'll get right on that. You know she's probably not going to just sit and wait, right?"
"Mm." Slowly, the Cardinal turned the chair and rocked himself to his feet. "Where do you think she's going to go, exactly? Thane, she can't get out of that cell. It was designed to keep her kind inside. Safe. Away from the innocent people in the world."
Thane scrubbed at his mouth again, the memories of Dahlia's lips too recent to forget. "Knowing is your job, Cardinal, but she hasn't exactly played by the rules so far. If she can touch the cross on my arm, then maybe she can walk through bars. I don't really want to do this twice."
That made the Bishop chuckle. "And here I thought you'd enjoy it. I hear the Devil's whores can do things no mortal woman can. Do you think that's true?"
"Yep." Thane crossed his arms, struggling not to laugh at the shock on the old man's face. Taunting these priests was better than losing his temper, and felt almost as good. "I mean, most people can't just jump out of buildings and walk away. If you mean sexually? It's all just a warm, wet hole, right?"
"I suppose that's true." The Bishop looked like he smelled something foul. Then again, that was pretty much his normal face.