Blood Sacrifice (The Blood Sisters Book 3) Read Free Page A

years had it been
since Jessica had even said that?”
    “I’m
fresh from the underworld, Lourdes’s torture, and the hits keep on coming. So
if you wouldn’t mind cutting me a little slack…” Jessica didn’t mean to sound
so wounded, but she couldn’t keep her feelings at bay any longer.
    Everything
just wanted to tumble out.
    Amanda’s
face softened and she caressed Jessica’s shoulder. Without realizing it,
Jessica let out a long slow breath. “I’m sorry. Sometimes I forget you’re human
too.” She turned and left Jessica to herself.
    Jessica
hoped she would stay put. Would hope her sister wasn’t really in danger, but
she doubted it. Something horrible was coming.
    Something
horrible, and Jessica wasn’t sure if this time, it was something she could
stop.
    Glancing
back to make sure Amanda returned to the table, Jessica hid inside the
bathroom. She pulled her phone from her pocket and dialed Aunt Gwen.
    Biting
her lip, Jessica paced. The phone rang and rang. C’mon, Aunt Gwen. C’mon…When
voicemail answered, her heart sank. “Aunt Gwen, we have another Amanda problem
and it’s the size of Pittsburg. If you’re not dead or possessed, call me back.”
     Ending
the call, Jessica caught sight of her reflection. Worry lines were growing
around her lips and black circles lurked under her eyes, something had to give
soon. Exhaustion was wearing her thin and it wouldn’t do her any good
    They
had no choice but to get some rest. As much as Jessica hated to leave Duncan in
Vain’s care a moment longer, she couldn’t assault Sin Town with her tank on
empty.
    “I’m
sorry, Duncan,” Jessica whispered. Her heart was rife with pain. She hoped he could hang on a little longer. She was
coming; she wouldn’t stop until he was free and if Vain hurt him—if Vain killed
him….
    Jessica
would choke the life out of her with her bare hands.

Chapter Two: Amanda
     
    The
motel off of I-70 W had lights burnt out on its vacancy sign and the carpets
were worn in the middle. Amanda had stayed in worse—even if the smell of mint
barely covered up the scent of cigarettes.
    It
was clear from how Jessica slumped into the bathroom, that she needed sleep.
She was in the worst state of exhaustion Amanda had ever seen, and, considering
Jessica hadn’t slept since the mark of Lourdes was removed, Amanda couldn’t
really blame her.
    Amanda
leaned against the wall next to the bathroom, able to hear Jessica dropping her
boots to the ground. The exhaustion her sister felt, penetrated the wall, cresting like a gentle ocean wave. Poor
Jessica, Amanda worried about her something fierce. No one could keep this pace
up forever, and Jessica had been at it for too long.
    From
next door came the vibrations of sex, as two people went at it like mad
banshees. Down even further, Amanda could tell there was a couple shooting up
drugs. She didn’t know how she sensed things that far away, but she had a
feeling it had to do with the pain racing up her arms.
    She
turned them over and gazed at her wrists. Like a puddle of ink, a black welt
was trying to grow across her skin, but her healing powers kept it at bay.
Driving back the magic or poison, whatever Lourdes had passed to her. Amanda
didn’t know how much of it her body could heal. She was already exhausted and
the strain inside of her was pulled so tight.
    When
Jessica opened the bathroom door, Amanda jumped and stood up straighter. She
pulled her hair behind her ears as Jessica flopped toward the beds. She
struggled to pull her leather jacket free and Amanda grabbed a sleeve and
helped her.
    “Thanks,”
Jessica muttered before she collapsed onto one of the twin beds in the room. She
tucked the blue pillow under her head. “Feels like heaven.”
    Amanda
sat beside her on the squeaky bed. “Thanks for getting Joseph his own room. It
doesn’t seem right to drop him off in the middle of the night.”
    It
didn’t feel right dropping him off at all, but maybe Jessica was right.