The building they stood in front of looked pretty innocuous for what Eden knew went on inside of it. Located in the so-called Warehouse district, the former industrial area had become, Gabriel told her, residential when developers had converted the former warehouses into apartment buildings.
Now several of those apartments had been converted into units where the people met for these little gatherings and what could best be described as experiments. With any luck, tonight they'd be fascinated with her.
"Ready to become Sebastian?"
Samuel smiled at her, lifting the side of his mouth slightly in a grin that was totally un-Samuel-like. "I'm ready, sweetheart."
His southern accent was close to the one the demon had. Gabriel had said it wasn't exact but if they made up some excuse about him having stressed his vocal chords eating souls, they could get away with it. Samuel wasn't an actor, never had been, and this whole thing had caused him an enormous amount of stress.
When this was over she would find a way to deal with his looks changing all the time. There had to be some kind of way to deal with the attraction problem. She loved him. Sex had to come to them somehow.
Worry about that later. I'm not focusing on it now.
She nodded. He was right. She had to get her head in the game. As she'd learned in the past, prophetic dreams could change. This one felt secure to her. It seemed like it was set but there was no way she wanted to be responsible for changing this scenario into something much worse.
If that was possible.
Samuel dug his hand into her arm and she gasped. Sorry. It's gotta look real.
She knew that and she could feel the way he hated hurting her, as it traveled through the bond that had formed between them. The more time she spent in his mind the stronger that link became.
Samuel tugged her forward through the front entrance. The temperature inside was much colder than the humidity outside. She shivered but she suspected that her goosebumps had nothing to do with her being cold.
"Please don't hurt me," she said loud enough that anyone who watched them as they walked through the hallways could hear her. The building had a musky scent, like someone needed to run a dehumidifier more often. One of the lights flickered above their heads so that if she spent much time beneath it she was sure to get a headache.
These people were rich. They spent a fortune making torture devices and other accoutrements of evil. Yet they didn't take the time to change light bulbs? Or to pay someone else to do it? Where was the landlord?
All thought fled her mind when Samuel turned the knob on the door to the meeting place and pushed her inside. For someone who wasn't an actor, he was doing a really good job of pulling this off.
A few lessons with Gabriel and he'd managed to learn how to swagger and strut like he'd always been a demon. Or maybe Sebastian just preened really easily.
"Hi everyone." Samuel raised an eyebrow. "Did y'all miss me?"
One of the men darted to his feet from where he'd been tinkering with something at one of the tables. "We didn't expect you back, master, until later in the week."
"Plans change."
This was the complicated part. Sebastian knew all of these people. He was familiar with their backgrounds and, at the very least, he knew their names. Although Gabriel hadn't been entirely certain that Sebastian wouldn't just call them 'hey you' if that was what he wanted.
Samuel was going to have to fake it really well or the game would be up before it even began. Still, he seemed to be doing a good job as each of his 'minions' rose to their feet and rushed to him in order to kiss his hand. Eden had to swallow down her gag reflex. The whole act she saw before her made her want to vomit in her mouth. These people were worshiping Sebastian, giving him power, enabling him to hunt the Outsiders so he could eventually take over their world. How could they possibly justify this?
Eden figured she had a few more seconds before her role would change and she would need to let herself be victimized for a little while to give the others time to break in and take what they needed to save Leonardo and Marina.
She looked around the room. The walls were beige and peeling in some places. All in all, the entire apartment resembled a warehouse more than living quarters. Boxes were stacked all over the place. They lined the walls. Tables with various tools strewn here, there, and everywhere filled the space with barely any walking room between them.
Eden blinked. This wasn't right. The walls had been painted red—blood red—in her vision. This wasn't where she had seen them. Something was terribly wrong here. Her heart sped up. Had she done it again? Had she made a mistake that would cost them all dearly?
"And who is this, master?"
Her attention jerked back to the present, she decided she'd have to deal with this, whatever it was. If they got out alive, they could try again. Somehow they'd find the right place.
"This is Eden." Samuel as Sebastian stroked the side of her face. "She's an Outsider. I've captured her. I thought ya'll might like to… play with her for a while."
Even though she'd helped script how he would approach these guys, his words made her shiver. She preferred Samuel as he was when he was Samuel. This Sebastian version of him she could do without.
Except now it was her turn to speak her part. "Please don't do this to me."
She looked around the room like she was looking for help. Not that she expected any to come. They would have to possess a small amount of human decency and not one of them could, not if they were involved in this place with Sebastian.
"Won't someone help me?"
One of the men in the group snickered. He stepped forward, rubbing his hands together. With salt-and-pepper hair and wrinkles on his face, he looked to be in his mid-sixties. His fingernails were long and his gut hung over the elastic waistband of his pants. He gave her the creeps. Something in the crazed look of his green eyes told her he wanted to hurt her. She'd never laid eyes on this man before today and it was apparent he wanted to cause her pain.
"What are her powers, master?" The man with the potbelly leaped from one foot to the next in obvious glee. The others, looking like they were caught up in the moment, joined him and soon a frenzy of laughter had filled the room.
Samuel's grip on her arm tightened and she knew without having to travel into his mind that he wanted to pull her out of there immediately. It was becoming quite clear to Eden that the reason Sebastian had these minions was that they were all either mentally ill or sick, sadistic bastards. Maybe both. They were not mutually exclusive possibilities.
"She's prophetic."
"Ha-Ha." Another man stepped out of the crowd. He had red hair and freckles. Dark circles stuck out from under his eyes. Eden wondered when the last time he'd slept was. "She didn't see this coming?"
"No." Samuel grinned like he enjoyed this whole experience. "Nor did she see the electrocution in my house or the bomb at the motel."
The redhead spoke again. "Pretty worthless Outsider."
Samuel's Sebastian eyes traveled over her body. "Perhaps her value is elsewhere."
"Will you drink her blood, master?"
"Do I often explain myself to you, minion?" Samuel's throat muscles visibly worked as he swallowed.
"No, master." The redhead, who was already pale, looked like he might fade away into the air he got so damn white. "I just wanted to know if we would take her to the area."
"We will." They would? Eden didn't like that one bit. They were totally off script and improvising. She had known this could happen but she knew, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that she did not want to be taken to the area. Whatever that was. "First, I need to know if you think there is any way they are going to be able to wake up the Outsiders who were electrocuted. Do you think they will find a way?"
The first minion, who'd spoken, took the opportunity to get back in the spotlight. His eyes lit up as he practically shouted his response. "Not unless they have the book, master."
Samuel stepped forward, dragging her with him.
"The book?"
"The dark book." The minion took a step back and Eden wondered if he worried he was about to get sucked dry of his blood. Not so much fun when the shoe was on the other foot. "With the spells."
Eden inwardly sighed. Another book. Like Abraxas's journals they would probably turn out to be all but incomprehensible. Plus, Leonardo was the only one who could make any sense of that stuff at all and he was one of the people who needed to be rescued. Oh, this wasn't making her happy.
"I need to see the book. Now."
Samuel was so smart and she couldn't be more proud of him for the way he handled this. Yes, he needed to get the book and they needed to get the hell out there.
"Here, master." The man walked in the direction of the street-view window. Samuel let go of her arm and followed him. Eden realized she shivered. Her hands shook and every hair on her body stood up on alert.
Without warning, she was shoved up against the redheaded minion. He stood taller than she and as he loomed over her, she could smell his foul breath on her face.
"I've always wanted to see an Outsider fry."
Eden struggled against his grip. Oh no. This wasn't going well. Up ahead, Samuel listened to something the minion said as they flipped through an old-looking leather-bound book together. It wasn't like she could simply call out to him. If he were really Sebastian, she wouldn't be asking him to help her.
Even so, she refused to be victimized by the… slug trying to accost her. She tugged against him. Through gritted teeth, she found her voice. "Let me go, you lunatic."
"I intend to let you go but not before I have you right where the master wants you. We've been waiting for this day."
They couldn't possibly have anticipated a time would come when they'd captured her. Could they? Eden's heart fell into her stomach. Maybe they'd not known it would be her specifically but obviously they'd felt they could get someone.
He shoved her forward even as she pushed back and pulled forward. Anything to get away from him.
"Where are you taking the girl?" Finally, she heard Samuel's voice behind her. Oh thank god.
"To the area." Redhead tugged her along. She thought she heard Samuel roar, "Halt," behind her but in his utter state of giddiness, her captor seemed not to hear his command. Either that or he was willfully disobeying his demon. Sebastian was going to have to find a way to get better help.
He shoved open the door to a room in the back of the apartment and Eden gasped. Yes, the walls were blood red. This was the place from her vision. A feeling of being out of sync with time assaulted her. The room felt like it shifted as she stood still.
This was the first time this had ever happened. In the past, she'd been so completely assaulted by her visions she hadn't been sure if they were real or if they were the demon playing with her mind. Had any of them been true? Had they all been from different futures? Outcomes the Outsiders had managed to avoid?
She'd caught up to her own prediction and as she watched, it happened behind her. Eden tried not to smile. She might be in the area where they clearly tortured people—or at least wanted to from the vast variety of torture equipment filling the room—but she'd seen this. In this reality, Samuel got a hold of that book and they rescued Leonardo.
Eden felt sure of it. Even if she hadn't seen exactly how that was going to happen. If she and Samuel came here, Leonardo and Marina would get better. She took a deep breath. Somehow, she had to be steady.
Her resilience lasted up until the moment that Redhead strapped her to the wall. Well, not quite the wall. An oak board was attached to the wall, about the size of her dining room table in Maine, and Eden was strapped to the board itself. Metal restraints were attached to her wrists and ankles; even as she bit down on her captor's arm in a last ditch attempt not to be restrained like a human dart game.
Redhead rubbed his arm where she had bitten him before leaning down once again over her face. She shuddered, hoping he wouldn't come any closer. Eden had met lots of people on the travels with her first family and none had ever come close to inducing in her the level of disgust this minion did.
"Master is going to suck your blood and then I'm going to suck it out of him."
Heavens there was way too much sucking going on here. No one was going to be taking any blood from her.
Samuel?
I'm a bit held up in here. They all want something from me. Are you okay?
Disgusted. She swallowed her bile. But fine.
I'm on my way in.
Samuel entered the room with Sebastian's swagger and for a second Eden almost believed he was the demon. His eyes were distant. Annoyance radiated from his every pore and Eden suspected he wasn't faking it. Samuel wanted out of this situation.
So did she. But had he gotten what he needed?
Do we have the cure?
We need the whole damn book. I'm going to have to leave with it. After I get you off the wall.
"Take her down. I'm not ready to bleed her, yet. I'll bring her back later. First, I have some things I need to do with her, privately."
The way he said that last word made it sound like he wanted to fuck her. Hard. Samuel had never spoken to her like that and she knew he did it to be provocative. Sebastian would treat women like that.
"Really?" The redheaded minion moved forward. "I thought you found Outsiders repulsive, master."
Was that suspicion in his voice? Eden trembled. They couldn't have gotten this close just to get caught now.
"What makes you think anything I just said has to do with sex?"
No. Eden shouted into Samuel's brain. Sebastian would never explain himself or justify what he wanted to them. Gabriel had been clear on that point. The demon felt superior to all around him. If he wanted to fuck her, he'd fuck her.
"Yes, master, you did say something that made us think that."
Samuel's eyes flared. "You question me?"
Now that was more like it. Eden took a deep breath. They could do this; they'd get out of here.
Just then, as if in response to her deep breath, the door slammed behind them. Eden had a perfect view of who it was but everyone else had to turn around to look. Like Fate had come up with the perfect way to get them killed, the real Sebastian sauntered into the room.
He leaned up against the door assessing the situation. "Well, this is an interesting turn of events."
Samuel pointed at Sebastian. "Get that Outsider who is disguising himself as me."
The real Sebastian raised his hand and the room fell silent. All of the minions' eyes glazed over. "I don't think there is any question, Outsider, which one of us is the imposter in this situation. The question is—which one of those pesky creatures are you?"
Samuel didn't speak and Eden wished he would. She pushed at his mind but felt no response. He'd blocked himself from her. In a swift move, Samuel crossed the room and undid the restraints at her wrists.
"I know her." Sebastian pointed at Eden. "She's the incompetent prophet."
"She's nothing to you." Samuel spoke through gritted teeth to the demon before turning back to her. He stroked her cheek once with the tip of his finger. "Run and don't look back."
No way would she leave him but he never gave her a chance to tell him. Instead, he turned on the demon, stalking toward the nemesis that had caused all of them so much pain.
"Who am I?" Samuel pounded on his chest.
"Sweetheart." Eden launched forward trying to grab onto Samuel's arm. "Please don't do this." She'd deliberately not used his name. If Sebastian didn't know him, she wasn't going to give him that information.
"Eden, I said go." Samuel pulled her hands from his arm. He was obviously not going to be stopped from whatever he'd chosen to do.
"Did you know?" Sebastian looked at Eden as if Samuel was not there wearing his face and hollering at him. "That your father was really something to behold? Even before I was born into this body, he almost prevented my very existence. If any of the Outsiders had listened instead of taking matters
into their own hands, I wouldn't be here at all. How does it feel to be a total failure compared to good old dad?"
It didn't feel good, most of the time. But she'd seen this place and she knew they could win. If she hadn't seen Sebastian's arrival, it didn't mean it wasn't part of the original vision. He was beatable. Right here, right now.
Samuel grabbed the book off the table and shoved it to Eden. The pressure of the book slamming into her chest caught her off guard and she stumbled backward two steps.
"It's too late. They're dead. You can't bring back the dead. Well, I can. But you can't."
"They're not dead." Samuel shook his head. "And neither am I."
Eden gasped as she realized what was about to happen. Samuel was going to shed his face and show the demon just how not dead he really was.
Chapter Fourteen
He'd waited for this moment. In his heart, he'd always known he'd be the one to kill the demon. Did he wish that Eden wasn't watching? Oh, yes. But Samuel wasn't going to argue with her, not when it would give the demon an upper hand over him. Right now, even though Sebastian didn't know it, Samuel held all the cards.
Sebastian had no idea he hadn't died and the surprise alone should give him an advantage here. Then it was going to be a matter of figuring out how to improvise his way into getting what he'd want. He'd read the book that the Twelve had compiled when they'd dragged Eden off into the red room. To wake Leonardo and Marina, Sebastian had to die.
The demon had given the magic the Twelve had used to create the electrical impulse. The magic had to be cut off from the source. No more Sebastian, no more dark magic.
There was no way in hell he'd let Eden kill Sebastian, even if she could. Instead, he let his skin peel away.
"You really don't know who I am?"
Sebastian raised an eyebrow. "You tire my patience, Outsider."
But even as the demon spoke, he took a step back. "What is happening to you?"