The Tome of Bill (Book 7): The Wicked Dead Read Free Page A

death sentence. We try to run and they’ll find us. The way forward might be even worse. There’s Vehron, all the vamps he’s swayed to his side, the Jahabich, and then there’s all that business with the White Mo...”
    She grabbed my arm, her grip surprisingly strong. “Don’t say it.”
    “Sorry, but it’s another X-factor ... one that I’m willing to bet won’t be in our favor.”
    She nodded, resigning herself to my point.
    “We have a lot stacked against us, and the hand we’re holding isn’t as strong as we’re trying to fool ourselves it is.”
    “So you think you ... he could...”
    “Let me finish. We both know there’s power inside of me, a lot of it. I don’t know if it’s enough to even the odds, but I’d be willing to bet it would go a long way toward doing so.”
    “But he’s a killer ... a monster.”
    “I know, and that’s why I need you. I want to go deep inside of myself and wake up Dr. Death, but not in the way he wants me to. I need your help to lobotomize the fucker, or whatever is the closest analogy. He’s too much of a loose cannon otherwise.”
    I looked her deep in the eye. She had once been my enemy, but she’d since become my ally – my friend. Now I needed her to go beyond even that. It was asking a lot for something that I wasn’t even sure was possible. I had to try, though.
    “We need his power, but I want you to ensure that I’m in control this time.”
     

Welcome to Crazy Town
    I half expected Christy to freak out on me – to tell me I was a nutcase, that I was crazy to tempt fate. Hell, if she had fireballed my ass in an attempt to talk some sense into me, I wouldn’t have been half surprised.
    Instead, she took a deep breath, and asked, “You’re serious, aren’t you?”
    “I’m pretty sure we’re in some serious shit right now.”
    She nodded. “And it’s finally time we started shoveling it back in everyone else’s face.”
    For a moment, I stood there blinking stupidly. I had figured something like that would be my snarky response. Though no older than her boyfriend or me, oftentimes, Christy acted far more mature. Part of it was no doubt her impending parenthood. However, I suspected it also had to do with her upbringing as a witch.
    I got the distinct impression that during the years when I’d been busy learning the fine art of telling online death-match opponents how awesomely I’d fuck their mothers, she’d been immersed in deeper studies – learning the mysteries of the universe or some such bullshit. Sure, her mentor Harry Decker had been a prime filet of asshole mignon, but luckily, his crazy hadn’t rubbed off on her. Still, there was no denying that if any member of our group wouldn’t normally react to a situation like a foul-mouthed five-year-old, it was her.
    “Oh, don’t look at me like that. It’s true and you know it,” she finally replied. “You’re not the only one with multiple demons nipping at their heels. And you’re definitely not the only one...”
    She looked down for a moment, but then met my gaze again. “...facing the endgame. It’s close. I can feel it. The time for playing around is over. There are too many moving pieces, too many enemies and, quite frankly, I’m not sure there’s any place in this world left where we can afford to play it safe.”
    “Oh. Well, okay, then. So you’ll help me?”
    “Yes, but not right now.”
    I nodded in agreement. The sessions with Sally had exhausted her. At any other given point in time, she should have been worrying about baby names, hoarding diapers, and other such things that I’m sure expecting couples are supposed to do. Despite the dire circumstances, I couldn’t begrudge her a chance for something as small as a nap.
    “And you need to tell everyone else what you have planned,” she said.
    “Well...”
    “I’m the one who’s serious now, Bill. No more stupid secrets made under the guise of protecting someone else. That’s not going to help anyone