~ Jed ~
We split off as soon as we got to Bedlam (I still couldn't bring myself to think of it as Brightmoor), with Kate and Ryan heading for the office and Gemma, Jilly, and I heading for the cellar doors where we'd encountered Grace before.
"It'll be okay," Gemma said, squeezing my hand, and I pulled her into a hug, touched that she was trying to comfort me when she had to be freaking out at least a little at coming back.
"Go on, you two, you have plenty of time for that later," Jilly chided us, boldly striding down the corridor. "Oi! Where you at, old lady? We want to talk to you!"
"She's never been all that big on tact," Gemma said with an apologetic smile.
"At least she's likely to attract Grace's attention with all that racket she's making," I smiled back, still holding tight to her hand, wondering if there was anything I could do to stop Grace from jumping into her if she decided to.
"You've come back." Grace drifted through the secured door, her eyes locking onto Gemma's body with obvious longing.
"Yes, we're just here to talk, no possessing anyone," I said firmly, and her gaze shifted to me, disappointment stooping her shoulders.
"It isn't safe here. You must tell the others. He's been in quite a lather since Bettany was taken away."
"Yes, that's why we've come, to get the other tenants to leave and to ask you about something you said before," I said, resisting the urge to ask if Ba'laam had done anything else terrible since we'd last been there.
"Yeah, you said that Jed here could've hurt Him. What did you mean by that?" Jilly asked.
"He can't be hurt by mortal man," Grace nodded. "But since you have the otherness tethered to you, I believe you could do him harm. Maybe even banish him forever."
"Does that mean Gemma should be able to help as well?" Jilly asked. "He told me before that Gemma was protecting me, keeping me safe."
"She does have the tie to the otherness as well, but it's not as strong as yours," Grace said, looking at me again.
"But what can I do?" I frowned. "Isn't He already dead? Or was He even ever alive?"
"Destroy the mark and destroy His power," Grace replied, and I frowned in confusion.
"How do you mean?"
Grace stared at Gemma again with open longing. "Are you sure I can't… just for a little while?"
"No!" Jilly and I replied at the same time.
"What is she saying?" Gemma asked, only able to follow half the conversation.
"She wants to take you out for another spin," Jilly scowled.
"No, thank you," Gemma replied, looking a little nervous, and I gave her hand a squeeze.
"Grace, what did you mean when you said destroy the mark?" I asked, but she had disappeared. "Jilly, can you try to find her?"
"Yeah, I guess." Jilly wandered off.
"What mark?" Gemma asked.
"I don't know, she left without answering. She said you and I were both touched by otherness and might be able to hurt Him. And to destroy His power, we were to destroy the mark."
"Do you think it means the symbol that's all over this place? The B for Bettany?"
"In order to destroy all of them we'd have to burn the place to the ground."
"That's not the worst idea ever," she replied with a little shrug.
"Kate might disagree with that," I smirked.
~ Jed ~
"Absolutely not!" Kate bellowed, her scowl like a thundercloud as she paced around her office. "Do you know how much we have invested in that property?"
"At what cost?" I demanded. "If even one more person dies, how can you live with yourself?"
"And I've asked them to all move out!" she yelled back before taking a calming breath. "All I'm saying is, we don't throw the baby away with the bathwater. Keep the people safe. Get rid of that thing, yes, of course. But once He's gone, then there's no reason why people can't move back in. Life goes on, you know."
"Yes, but… how will we get rid of Him if we don't destroy the mark?" Gemma asked quietly.
Nobody had an answer.
"Look, I hear what you're saying, okay? I do," Kate said finally. "Let's just focus on this one step at a time. I've sent out an email to all of the tenants and Ryan's out banging on doors and posting a notice about the emergency evacuation."
"Right, good," I said, trying to get my temper under control as well. It wouldn't do to get Kate's back up; she would only dig in all that much harder out of sheer stubbornness. "I'll go help Ryan post the notices, yeah?"
Kate shook her head. "He's got to be nearly done by now. But I need your help to secure the entrances once everybody's gone. I think there are some padlocks and chains around here somewhere. Have you seen them?"
"Just the ones securing the cellar door."
"Oh wait… I think I saw them in the storage cupboard out by the furnace. I guess I'll run down there…"
"No, I'll go find them," I offered. Kate was clearly a bit frazzled and could use the time to calm down a bit.
"Shall I come with?" Gemma smiled, but I shook my head.
"There's no reason for you to have to hang about." I still wasn't convinced it was entirely safe for her to be there. "Why don't you go on home and I'll come back with Ryan?"
"You're sure?" Gemma asked, her gaze flicking to Kate briefly and then back to me.
"Absolutely. We'll even stop for some takeaway on the way back."
"Alright," she agreed with a faint smile.
I leaned in to kiss her, and that smile brightened a bit. "I'll text you when we're on the way, yeah?"
"Okay, see you in a bit," she smiled, giving a brief wave to Kate before she was on her way.
I assumed Jilly must've gone with her, because I didn't see hide nor hair of her on the way down to the furnace. I should've been paying attention. I should've been on my guard. Instead, I was going through the list of restaurants on the way between there and Gemma's, trying to think what to pick up on the way home while I searched through the cupboard for chains and padlocks.
So it was that I was completely taken by surprise when Kate's hand groped my arse.
I jerked away at the sudden touch, knocking my head on the cupboard shelf as I straightened. "Kate… what are you…?"
She'd peeled off her jacket, nipples standing out against the thin silk camisole she wore beneath. "I thought I'd give you a hand," she smiled, her hand sliding up my chest as she moved in closer.
"Ah, I don't think you're going to find what you're looking for down here," I said, meaning more than the chains as I caught hold of her wrists to stop her hands.
"You've always wanted me, haven't you?"
What was this? Now that I was with Gemma was that suddenly like catnip to her? Or was it her version of marking her territory? "That was before I knew we were actually related," I pointed out, but she shrugged that off.
"Come on, it's not like we were raised that way. It's not our fault for feeling something." Her hands splayed over my chest again, and I pulled them away.
"Kate, it's not going to happen. I'm with Gemma now."
"Right, sweet little Gemma," she said in a mocking tone. "She can join us, if you like," she said, her lips curving into a smile.
I gave her wrists a little shake, trying to make her see what she was doing. This was odd behavior, even for Kate. "What's happened to you?" I demanded, and her face clouded with dismay, and maybe pain.
"Too many things," she replied, her voice choked with emotion as tears welled.
Letting go of her wrists, I pulled her in for a hug, hating to see her broken like this. With all she'd been through, maybe it wasn't so surprising that she'd latched back onto me again. After all, we'd been through our share of trauma together before. "It'll be alright, Kate," I said, stroking her hair soothingly as my annoyance turned to pity.
"I know," she sobbed. "I just… I really need you right now."
"And I'm here for you as your friend," I said gently but firmly. "I'll always be your friend."
"Yes. You'll always be mine," she said, her voice harder.
And that's when I felt the prick of the needle at my neck. Her hand came away with the empty syringe as I shoved away from her, staggering back on unsteady feet as the world swam.
"One way or another, I'll get what I want from you," she smiled coldly. "One way or another."
~ Feedback is Love ~
