Page 71 of Quintus

“What I saw was no glamour,” Quintus asserted.

“You sure?” Hunter asked. “No offense, but you’re emotionally involved. It’s possible she got one over on you.”

“No way. I’m telling you. I knew her. And that isn’t Mao.” Quintus sighed, choosing his next words carefully. He refused to hurt Gabriella more than he already had. “I met her many, many years ago, but this demon, this thing…it mimics her voice, her mannerisms. It’s almost as if it’s retained part of her DNA but it’s compromised. And her story isn’t straight. The day she went over that cliff, Mao died. That woman, that thing, at my house told me that she shifted. I never saw her shift. At the moment of Mao’s death, there was simply nothing. I felt nothing.”

“So what you’re sayin’ is we’re dealing with a zombie?” Hunter asked with a disbelieving laugh. “No way. It happens but they don’t look nearly as good as she does.”

“Listen, I’ve seen all sorts of crazy shit in my lifetime. I never thought of this possibility until now. It’s a stretch but there’s a myth. Mao told me of it once. She said the elders had been threatened with black magick. It’s possible she’s a Jiangshi.”

“You mean a vampire? Like you?” Hunter asked.

“No. Yes. Well, it’s more of a zombie.”

“Like the things you see in the movies? Video games?” Gabriella asked. “Aren’t they vampires?”

“Pop culture has worked the myth over. They perpetuate their own ideas. But in this case, the more I think about my interactions with her and what’s happening, I believe Mao did die that day. I suspect a demon, or someone who wields dark, dark magick…they took her corpse. They created a Jiangshi.”

“But Thorn found her in a part of Hell. He said it was for innocents,” Gabriella challenged.

“Maybe, maybe not. That demon is an interesting sort, I’ll admit, but you can’t trust him.”

“Maybe someone put her there on purpose to find?” Gabriella suggested. “A Trojan horse.”

“Or she may have just been waiting for the right moment in history to work her way back into your life,” Hunter suggested.

“Why wait though? I mean, I don’t know much about taking a corpse and making it into a zombie, but I imagine it doesn’t take too long. It doesn’t make sense. Not unless she’s been waiting for something specific. Something that belongs to you.” Gabriella’s gaze went to Quintus.

“More like someone,” Hunter suggested.

“Maybe both,” Quintus added. “Gabby is a special hybrid. Born into this unusual coven.”

“Evil coven.” Gabriella’s blood ran cold at the mention of them.

Quintus nodded. “Si. They killed your mother. Possibly your father. We’re not sure on that one. They’ve certainly tried to kill you. Or at least made it seem so. But maybe they were waiting? It seemed that way from the way Lilitu spoke in the catacombs. Maybe she was waiting for our bonding. The bones of the first witch. We both used magick to get those bones. Maybe she was waiting for us. Maybe it was all meant to happen at a particular time.”

“How do we kill it?” Gabriella asked with a tone of indifference.

“I like your girl,” Hunter laughed, slapping his palm down onto his armrest.

“So do I,” Quintus said with a raised eyebrow. “Obviously we should consult Samantha but if I recall correctly, Jiangshi are pretty tough to kill. Technically they’re already dead. I remember something about them eating their own flesh. She won’t be able to maintain her living figure forever. If she’s a zombie, eventually she will rot. That smell on her. It might not be Hell. It might be her decomposing from within.”

“Ooookay. Well, on that note, let me just say that I want you both to know I enjoyed that little spankin’ last night. Paris always delivers. Us wolves enjoy a bit of sharin’ every now and then but you vamps are usually possessive,” Hunter said out of the blue. “Just lookin’ on the bright side of this mess.”

“What the hell are you going on about, wolf?” Quintus narrowed his eyes on the Alpha.

“Hey, this has been a fun ride. We’ve got some crazy-ass high priestess looking for a fuckin’ bone. Another New York witch servin’ up a demon who looks like a game show host. He gives you a replica of your high school sweetheart. But she’s really a Suzie-zombie wind me up doll…the ‘I won’t die’ edition. They're all lookin’ to kill us. Yep, it’s been a helluva ride. You vamps sure know how to have a good time.” Hunter leaned backwards onto the head rest, a half smile on his lips. “I’ll go back to Wyoming and they’ll be like, ‘Hey Alpha, did you have fun on the east coast?’ Yeah, it’s been a party all right.”

“Stop complaining. You did have a good time. It sure felt that way last night,” Gabriella spat back at the Alpha who wore a smile.

“It appears this one liked her punishment a little too much last night.” Hunter raised an eyebrow at them.

“Don’t encourage him, Gabby.” Jesus, this woman is going to kill me. Quintus loved the way his feisty witch sent the Alpha off kilter with her quick wit. She’d responded, aroused by both spanking and being watched. He hadn’t truly considered sharing her with the wolf but her adventurous spirit tempted him. He sighed, bringing his thoughts back on topic.

“This Jiangshi.” Hunter said. “What else do you know about them?”

“Some say they’re similar to vampires but I beg to disagree. Unlike what has been portrayed in movies, I’m not a corpse. I was close to death but never died. In that thin veil, we are transformed by the magick of our ancestors. The Jiangshi. They are dead. There are many myths about how they are created, what they can do but these are all just interpretations. Stories. Folklore. My guess?” Quintus shrugged. “It’s like any other rare creature created by dark magick.”

“Necromancy?” Gabriella asked.