Sweet Temptation

by Wendy Higgins

  I hunker down with the others and wait as the sea temperature drops. Zania seems worlds stronger after only a day under Anna’s nurturing. She got her to shower and eat a bit. I’m glad, because Z’d never be able to survive this if she was in the same shape now as two days ago. Her quick Nephilim healing probably helped, as well.

  It doesn’t take long for the Dukes to arrive. They’ve even brought Flynn, which surprises me. His father must have called him to Vegas soon after we parted in Europe.

  Father, Melchom, Mammon, and Astaroth came to the island to work, bringing married and engaged women, who they plan to ruin, to soil with adultery, guilt, and regret.

  Hours pass, and it’s bloody cold. Nearly unbearable. I can’t stand to see Anna’s lips turning blue and her body trembling uncontrollably.

  At some point during the Dukes’ exploits, Anna begins to lose it. She’s shivering like mad. She lets out a squeak of fear, and jumps as if something’s rubbed up against her underwater. Then she nearly laughs, delirious. I rush from my post, stiff and numb, wrapping my arms around her frozen body. I press a hand over her lips to remind her to be quiet and she slowly nods. I keep one hand firmly around her waist and hold the pole with the other.

  We cling underneath the dock for hours, pushed and pulled by the Pacific tides, waiting for the Dukes to finish their bloody business so I can get Anna to warmth, but the night only turns worse. I thought perhaps the Dukes had brought Flynn along to be their bodyguard and lackey—to drop the anchor and fetch them wine—but their reason was more sinister than that. Much more.

  They know Flynn was in Syria, and that Zania was bought by two “mystery men.” They know there are traitors among them.

  “What you don’t know, son,” Duke Mammon whispers with malice, “is that Duke Sonellion borrowed one of Duke Thamuz’s sons to keep watch over the transaction of the girl while he was away.”

  Kope and I share a shocked glance. Another Neph had been there in Syria with us. He’d seen Flynn get into the fight on that hill, seen his red hair when his head covering fell back. But it sounds as if he hadn’t seen me or Kope.

  “Tell me who you’re working with!” Mammon shouts above us.

  Don’t tell them, I silently beg. Stay strong, mate.

  Anna is shivering violently, and my worry has turned to panic. In the moonlight her lips are lavender, and I’m not sure how she’s able to keep herself afloat. The only part of her that looks alive is her eyes as she watches the action on the dock through a chink in the wood.

  “I will tell you nothing, old man,” Flynn says.

  Bloody right on him. He’s ready to die for this cause. His father, Mammon, holds a gun to his head, but Flynn is unflinching.

  “Last chance,” Mammon says.

  “I’ll see you in hell,” Flynn responds, and he sounds almost liberated . . . free.

  I touch my fingers to Anna’s cold lips and hold her tight as a gunshot splits the air. Her body jolts in my arms. I press my cheek to the side of her head.

  For the second time in my life, I witness a fellow Neph murdered by a Duke. Unlike the first time, I am not numb. I feel the brutality of Flynn’s death, and it hurts. It’s personal.

  I watch helplessly as our worthy ally’s soul is pulled away to hell by demon spirits, and my rage threatens to make us known. I watch as Z’s teeth chatter and Anna goes limp with grief in my arms. I watch as Blake has lost all remnants of humor, and even Kope’s face is desolate. I hate that we must sit here in silence, vulnerable and defenseless.

  How much more can we take of this? How many more of us must die before we can act?

  I’ve never been more relieved than when the Dukes leave the island. Anna’s frozen stiff as I hoist her onto the dock with my weakened arms. My sore muscles ache as I pull her into my lap and bring Zania closer to Anna. Kope and Blake quickly leave us for the other side of the island, with the hope of retrieving Blake’s boat as fast as possible. Anna and Zania’s shaking has become violent, and they can hardly open their eyes.

  “Shit—I think you have hypothermia.” I rub Anna’s arms, but she’s soaked through. I know the wet clothes are supposed to come off, but I need to wait until she’s in the boat. I surround her with my arms and she encircles Zania weakly. “It’s okay,” I say. “You’ll be all right now. The boat is nearly here.”

  Hurry, hurry, hurry.

  The boat finally docks and Kope jumps off. Together we rush the girls down into the cabin. My first instinct is to put them on the bed, but they’re soaked. I set Anna in a chair, and Kope follows my lead.

  “Can we get the heat on down here?” I call up to Blake. “We need to get them out of these wet clothes.”

  “I’m trying to figure it out!” he yells back. “I might need some help up here. Can one of you guys find the extra blankets?”

  I squeeze Anna’s hand. “I’ll be right back, luv. We’re going to get you warm.” With eyes closed and jaw rattling, she nods.

  I take a running leap up the stairs and find Blake shivering at the panels. “The heat’s not labeled. I’ve never had to use it.” We try different switches until we finally figure it out. Then we run about readying the boat so it doesn’t drift away while we’re thawing. When I go back down the stairs I can hear the heater cranking, and I’m so ready to get Anna dry and warm.

  What I see stops me in my tracks. Kopano is taking off Anna’s shorts. His hand is on her calf. Anger rumbles through me at this blatant act of intimacy.

  I can barely get the words out. “Get. Your. Bloody hands. Off her.”

  He freezes, caught. I am shaking all over now. It is my job to care for Anna. My job to touch her. Only me. All of my unvoiced fury over his betrayal comes back, full force, driven by the day’s horrific events.

  He always knew how I felt for her, and yet he still pursued. Even now he thinks he has the right to touch her.

  Kopano moves away and stands to face me. The girls, like mannequins, open their eyes and stare blearily up at us.

  “She is in the worst condition.” Kope points to Anna. “The wet clothing must be removed—”

  “Not by you! I can’t believe you’d take advantage of this situation.”

  Deep down, I know the truth. I know he was not making any kind of advance, but the familiarity and openness he shares with Anna kills me. I want it gone once and for all. I can’t handle her being close to any other man. Anna would point out my own insecurities, but whatever it is, I’m feeling irrational and I just can’t stop. I need to be mad.

  Kope’s eyes slant at me, seething. “You go too far, brother!”

  Seeing his wrath ignited thrills me. I move forward, and so does he. It would feel bloody good to throw a wobbler right now—to pummel each other until we’re too tired and sore to be angry anymore. I owe Kope an arse-kicking, plain and simple, for kissing my girl when I couldn’t be in the picture.

  “You will never touch her again.”

  Kope’s badge is pulsing dangerously. I’m ready, fists clenched, blood and adrenaline rushing through me at a dizzying speed. We are face-to-face, anger growing, until we’re suddenly shoved apart and Blake is looking back and forth between us. His intervention causes my hearing to clear a bit, enough that I hear him say, “Go. Take care of Anna.”

  With sudden clarity I remember the reason for all this. Anna. Hypothermia. Shite! I am an epic idiot. I shoulder past the guys and rush to Anna’s side. Zania helps shield her while I get her shirt off. Then I wrap the blanket around her and carry her to the bed. Her skin is like ice. I spread another blanket on top of her and she whimpers.

  I wonder why no one else is moving into action, and when I turn, I see exactly why. My anger has been diffused and diverted, but Kopano is still standing there, battling his wrath within. His eyes are closed and his hands are curled tight. His breaths are labored. A pang of guilt stabs me. I did this.

  Like the others, I stay very still, thinking of a way to make this better. I feebly consider apologizing, but I’m no
t even certain Kope can hear through the beast right now. I meet eyes with Blake beside me, and he gives a small nod, showing we’re on the same page—the two of us might need to take him down if he doesn’t calm on his own.

  “Brother Kopano,” comes a smooth, sultry voice. His stormy eyes open heavily. My head snaps to Zania in the chair across the room. She no longer looks frail as she sits slightly forward, chin up, gripping the edge, though she’s trembling when she says, “Warm me?”

  Kopano and Zania stare at each other, and for a moment I’m worried his beast will change from wrath to lust. His attention has narrowed singularly to Zania, and he seems to fight for control as he prowls across the small room to her. Kopano takes off his shirt to show his broad shoulders, and Z starts to take off her own. I shoot a look at Blake, but Kope manages to stay in control as he approaches her. He grabs a sheet to shield her as she removes her wet clothing. Then he carries her to the bed and he lies behind her, spooning against her back. He is still rigid. Still fighting for control.

  He glares at me for good measure, and I hardly blame him. Then he snuggles Z and closes his eyes. The girls, side by side, give each other little smiles. Anna rolls over and fits her back against Zania’s front, looking at me.

  A tremble of deep cold shakes me as I try to relax. I lift the covers and mold myself to Anna’s curled form, where she buries her face against my chest. Blake climbs in and presses his bare back against mine, as we try desperately to warm ourselves after the hours submerged in frozen water.

  The bed shakes with the tremors of five people. Anna, seeking more skin-to-skin contact, slides her knee between my thighs and I choke back a moan. This is not sexual, I tell myself. I scoot even closer, spreading my hand over her hip. She’s okay. We’re all okay. For now.

  I close my eyes, letting myself remember the one good thing that came of today’s dreadful events. I finally told Anna I loved her. Life is too short to live as a coward. I swear to myself at this moment that I will never hold back from Anna again.

  I’m happy when Anna and Zania fall asleep. I kiss Anna’s hairline and bury my nose in her neck. After an hour I finally feel warm again. I elbow Blake, who rolls out of bed behind me.

  Kopano also rises, and sits on the edge of the bed with his back to us. Blake puts his wet clothes back on with a grimace.

  “I’m gonna start the boat and get us out of here,” he says. Kope and I both nod.

  I pull my disgusting clothes back on, though they’re bearable now that I’m back to normal temperature. Then I open another blanket and lay it across the girls for good measure. Kope dresses, too, and when he turns to leave the cabin, I grab his arm. His jaw clenches as we meet eyes. I drop my hand.

  “I’m . . . sorry,” I say lamely. I can’t bring myself to say more. I just remember how he was in Syria, how I admired him as a friend, and I want to put this behind us—to get back to that place.

  He stares at me, lips pursed, and slowly nods. “As am I.”

  We say nothing more. We both glance down at the sleeping girls and leave them to rest.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN

  No Good-Byes

  “Sunshine upon my face, a new song for me to sing,

  Tell the world how I feel inside, even though it might cost me everything.”

  —“Alive” by P.O.D.

  When we made it back to L.A., we brought Z to the convent where Anna was born. Belial thinks she’ll be safest there. Then we took Kope to the airport, and saw Blake off, back to Santa Barbara. We tried to keep things light, but I know we were all thinking the same thing as we parted: the Dukes knew something was up. The prophecy could happen tomorrow or years from now—we had no idea what to expect or when we’d all see one another again. These were bittersweet thoughts, but for the first time in our lives we had a reason to hope for something more. Something different.

  Something better.

  Life without the demons.

  I take Anna home with me, but Belial shows soon after. I grit my teeth as he struts in, remembering the last time we were together, and his warning to me after the summit. I respect Anna’s father as much as I can, since he sympathizes with the Nephs’ plight, but I refuse to grovel to him or any Duke any longer. When he walks in I remain standing, crossing my arms over my chest. If he tries to order me out of Anna’s life again, he will not get the answer he wants, not this time.

  Belial’s face turns deadly when Anna tells him that the other Dukes know about the prophecy, that we heard them talking about it on the island, and how they suspect Anna could be “the one.”

  “Tell me exactly what they said,” he orders. As Anna rehashes last night, Belial eventually sits, but his presence in the room doesn’t get any smaller. His eyes are like darts and I can practically see the wheels turning in his mind as he works out possible strategies to keep his daughter safe.

  “You’re going to have to move, Anna,” he tells her, and I hold back a nod of agreement. “I can’t have you in Atlanta anymore.”

  He can’t have her near my father is what he means, and I couldn’t agree more. Anna’s heart is broken at the thought of not living with Patti anymore. Belial looks like he can handle Anna’s tears about as well as I can, which is not well at all.

  “Everything I’ve done has been to protect you, Anna,” he says. “Sending the whisperers to haunt you that night, this thing with the two boys, making you move. All of it. I hate to see you upset, but it’s all been for the best.”

  I inwardly wince as Anna’s ears perk up.

  “What thing with the two boys?” she asks pointedly. She picked up on the exact phrase I was hoping she’d skim over.

  Belial stares at her, then glances at me. “I thought he’d tell you.”

  “Tell me what?” Anna asks sharply.

  I shake my head and drop my eyes. This is the last thing I want to deal with, especially now that I’ve begun to make amends with Kope. I want to move past it, and I know Anna will be hurt and furious when she finds out her father hoped and planned that she’d get over me and fall for Kope, so she could find love with someone safe.

  Standing abruptly, her face ashen, she calls him out on it.

  “You told this to Kai when you commanded him to stay away from me, didn’t you?” she asks. My girl’s eyes are blazing with indignation.

  “Yes,” he says unabashedly. “I told the son of Pharzuph—”

  “Kaidan,” Anna says. “His name is Kaidan.”

  No one has ever stuck up for me before, and I’m betting nobody has ever spoken to Belial like that. He stops and works his jaw side to side, speaking through clenched teeth.

  “I told Kaidan. At the time, he agreed it was best for you.”

  “What was he supposed to say?” Anna shouts. “You’re a freaking Duke!”

  “No, Anna,” I say heavily. “I did agree with him at the time.” I’d become resigned to it. I had felt that Kope was safer and better, and I thought I could handle it, but I was wrong. Theories that work on paper don’t always sit well in reality.

  “Yeah, and you were both wrong!” Her chin pinches and quivers, and I realize for the first time that I wasn’t the only one tortured by this year and a half apart. From the look on her face now, her heart had been broken as much as mine had.

  Was it worth it to try to keep her safe by keeping us apart? I’m not so sure anymore. There must be a better way. We’re all trying to navigate this strange sea of danger, trying to suck some semblance of life from the salt along the way.

  “Things are gonna change now,” Belial says to us both. “I won’t try to keep you two from communicating, but I will tell you this. You will only see each other when I tell you it’s safe.”

  Slowly, I look over at Anna and we both nod. Though he’s under suspicion, Belial will have inside information from ally spirits about where the other Dukes are at any given time. This could work.

  Belial points at me, and my blood chills.

  “I’ve been watching you,” he says.
“I’ll tell you exactly what I told Anna. You’ve got to at least appear to be working. Get yourself out to the parties and bars three or four nights a week. Do not get comfortable. Work if you have to. Anna will understand. Won’t you, Anna?”

  He turns to Anna, whose face is all sadness. “Yes. I’ve already told him that.”

  I feel ill at the thought of either one of us even pretending to work, but I understand his reasoning. The dangers remain, prophecy or not.

  “Can you keep up appearances, kid?” he challenges me.

  I begrudgingly respond, “Yes, sir.”

  Belial stands when it’s time to leave. He gives my shoulder a squeeze with his massive bear claw until I meet his eyes, which are surprisingly soft.

  “You’re not a bad kid,” he says. “I see that now. You’ll make a good ally.” I swallow hard and he gives my shoulder a pat.

  You’re not a bad kid. . . .

  Anna slips her soft fingers into mine and tugs me forward. I follow her into the kitchen, my eyes downcast, feeling strange. She starts cooking something, and I quickly snap out of my stupor when it’s apparent Anna is wiping at her eyes. She tries to cover it up, babbling.

  “You’ll need fresh milk soon. And probably more eggs, too. Eggs are an easy thing you can make yourself. All these meals are labeled with cooking instructions. Remember how I showed you—”

  “Anna.”

  She won’t look at me. I stand and take her hand off the fridge, closing it, and pulling her into my arms. She lets me hold her until she calms.

  We’re going to be okay, come what may, but I don’t pretend it won’t hurt like hell when she has to leave.

  We eat dinner and spend our remaining time entwined together on the couch.

  “I love you,” she says softly. And like every time before, the words spread over me like warm honey. I work up the nerve and open my mouth.

  “I’ve loved you longer.”

  She pulls back from my chest and stares up at me. “I don’t believe you.”