I can feel an idiotic grin threatening to spread across my face, just talking to her like this. I bury my face in her neck and hair, and I tell her exactly how I first fell for her. I make her believe me. “You see the best in everyone,” I say. “You drove me mad that trip . . . and then you gave that homeless woman all your money in Hollywood, and that was it. I was done.”
Her eyes are sparkling as she angles across my lap, slips her hands into my hair, and pulls my face to hers. Her leg swings over so she’s straddling me, and I let my hands move over her back, her waist, down to her hips. I’m trying so damn hard to keep my hands and the rest of my body on good behavior, but I let my mouth be as wild as it wishes. She doesn’t seem to mind.
We pause to stare at each other, marveling like a couple of lovesick fools. I want to laugh, like I’m on the best kind of high, but then she’s kissing me again.
“We’re gonna be okay,” she whispers between kisses.
“Better than okay,” I say.
She grasps the front of my shirt and leans back as our lips come together again, pulling me so that I’m lying on top of her, between her legs. I move against her, just as I know she likes.
“I want to take you with me,” she groans.
Ah, God, my little vixen underestimates my self-control when she’s naughty like this.
“So you can drive me mad like this every day?” And use me for your plaything? I rather like that idea.
I snatch a glance at the clock and it’s almost time for her father to come back. Damn it. I push my hearing outside, and sure enough, firm steps are sounding.
“I think someone’s coming up the stairs,” I whisper, although I know Belial could most assuredly hear me if he wanted to listen. I kiss the tender spot under her ear. She smells fresh and clean from her shower.
“No,” she says bravely. “Not yet.” She clings to my shoulders and arches her hips up to mine, and she feels so bloody good. I grind into her body one last time, and my head is spinning with desire for more.
Belial pounds on the door and we both go still. We’re panting like mad. Nothing like a dose of your girlfriend’s father to douse the kindled fires. Anna giggles in a very mischievous way and I grin.
My lovely little vixen.
Belial knocks again and Anna frowns. “I don’t want to say good-bye.”
“Then don’t,” I tell her.
“Hurry it up,” Belial shouts through the door.
Anna looks sad now, so I pull her up, taking her face in my hands.
“All right, gorgeous. No good-byes. I’ll talk to you soon.” I press my lips to hers one last time.
Belial groans against the door. “Oh, for the love of—”
“Hush, Daddy,” Anna says. She puts her hands over mine, which still cradle her face, and her eyes flutter closed. “All right. We’ll talk soon.”
I peck her lips one last time and hand her over to her father. I stand in the doorway as they head downstairs. That awful feeling of being left behind weighs me down. I have to trust that she’ll be safe in Belial’s care, and wherever he chooses for her to live now.
For the first time ever, when Anna walks away from me, she actually turns and looks back with a smile. That’s how I know this time will be different. I lift a hand, and though I miss her like mad already, I feel stronger than I ever have.
We’re stronger together than when we’re apart. It’s a state of mind. Just knowing she loves me, and she’s secure in my love for her, makes me feel bloody invincible. I feel as if I’ve been given a second chance at life, and I’m grateful.
Yes, this time will be different, because this time, I am alive.
PART THREE
SWEET RECKONING
CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT
Most Important Job
“Everyone’s got to face down the demons
Maybe today, you could put the past away.”
—“Jumper” by Third Eye Blind
The Dukes don’t waste any time. They’re after Anna already, and it’s only been a few days since they discovered there are traitors in their midst, since they killed Flynn. Now I’ve learned from Anna that Father’s sent someone to rifle through her dirty laundry so he can get his hands on her knickers—he’s determined to find out if she’s still a virgin.
Dodgy bastard.
It’s been days since I heard from her, and I’m beginning to feel edgy. My heart leaps when my mobile dings, but it’s a text from Blake.
My pops is going thru the changing of the guard. China.
He must be jubilant. To the world it will look as though his father died of a heart attack, leaving his mansion to Blake. In reality, Duke Melchom’s spirit will be roaming his new duty station of China, searching for a new body to inhabit.
And I’m engaged.
I cringe at this. Should I send my condolences? My mobile rings and I assume it’s Blake until I see Father’s name. Great. I hesitate, but I can’t not answer.
“Hallo.”
His voice is posh, bored, and all business. “You’re needed in Atlanta straightaway. I’ve sent my jet to L.A. It will arrive in four hours and you are to be there, ready.”
I want to ask what this is about. If it’s a job for Marissa or something else. But I don’t dare. For all I know he could be suspicious of me already.
“Yes, sir,” I say.
He hangs up without another word, and my stomach sours. I immediately want to contact Anna or the others, but it’s too dangerous. If they’ve found a way to hack her phone, we’re screwed. If he’s calling to ask me to work, he’s out of luck. That’s never happening again.
I text Belial with the code we’d agreed on for when my father calls. K-611
I grab my bag and begin readying for the trip, wishing my knives could make it past security. I’ll need to stop and buy one when I get there.
Bloody hell, I nearly forgot about the East Coast humidity. Thankfully I’m only in it a moment before I’m whisked off by Father’s driver in a black sedan, AC blasting.
“Stop at the sporting goods shop,” I tell the driver.
I buy a new knife and get back in the car. My heart beats a steady, fast rhythm the entire way to Father’s house, and I match it against my knee with my thumb. My face is schooled into an expressionless mask, and I’m eager to find out what this is about.
As we near the house I push out my hearing and find sounds of two people going at it in the den. We arrive and I stand outside the door of the den until a maid with ample hips hurries out, flushed, smoothing down her clothing. She glances at me and rushes past.
Father sits relaxed in a recliner when I enter, one of his dark whisperers bobbing in the air at his side. Father doesn’t get up or motion me to sit. He only scans me from head to toe. My straight face will not give away my nerves. I won’t allow it. I hook my thumbs in my pockets lazily.
“I’ve come as you requested.”
“You’re looking well,” he says. “Bulking up nicely.”
“Thank you, Father.”
He steeples his hands and runs his joined index fingers up and down his chin. “I’ve got a rather . . . strange job for you. But quite possibly the most important of your life.”
I force myself to take slow, even breaths. “Anything you wish, of course.”
“Of course,” he drawls. For a moment his eyes are lost in thought, then he kicks the recliner closed and stands to move closer. The spirit circles the two of us.
“We’ve been dealing with a load of nonsense recently,” he says. “Nothing we can’t handle, but a nuisance nonetheless.”
“I’m sorry to hear that.” I know better than to ask questions. Father hates questions. Finds them pushy.
“Yes, well. We believe Duke Belial has turned traitor, and he’s using his daughter Anna to work against us.”
Bugger . . . I push my eyebrows together as if this is shocking and appalling news. Keep it together, I warn myself. He continues.
“We will find Belial a
nd return him to Lucifer straightaway, but we need to find his daughter first. We must know if all of our suspicions are correct.”
I nod, thrilled to hear news but terrified at the sound of Anna’s name coming from Father’s mouth.
“Do you recall she was a virgin when we last saw her in New York?” His whisperer makes a sound of disgust in my ear.
“I do recall, Father. Last New Year’s.”
He hmphs a breath through his nose, still annoyed, no doubt, that I didn’t take her virginity when he sent me off to train her originally. “Well, we have reason to believe Belial is keeping her innocent.”
I draw my eyebrows together again, as if the idea is absurd.
“If what we suspect is true, he has ulterior motives for keeping her clean, which you don’t need to concern yourself with. All you need to know is that it’s imperative the girl loses her purity immediately. I would ask you to kill her, but that pleasure will belong to the Dukes.”
Breathe slowly. Nod.
“Your job is to find the girl and personally make sure there is not a trace of innocence left in her body. I will accept no excuses this time, Kaidan. If she is found to be a virgin after this, you’ll be dead on the spot. Do I make myself clear?”
Darkness swirls behind my eyes, causing my fingers to tingle with numbness. “Yes, sir.”
“Good,” he whispers. “Very good.” He steps closer and puts his hands on my shoulders. He feels the girth there and nods to himself, running his hands down my arms to examine my muscles. His eyes shift over me.
Do not ball your fists. Do not clench your jaw. Do not pull away.
“Shall I leave straightaway?” I ask.
This brings him back to the moment and he drops his hands.
“Yes. You’ll take my BMW and head north.” He picks up his mobile from a side table and swipes through it. “She was last seen on Interstate 95 in South Carolina, heading north. I will text you updates as I receive them. We’ve got Neph and whisperers tailing her for other purposes, but I won’t trust this job to anyone but you.”
“Thank you, Father,” I say. “I’m honored.” And truly, I’m grateful. If they had asked another Neph . . .
Do not growl.
“My whisperer Rafe will escort you.”
My eyes go wide, and I quickly neutralize my face again, but Father catches the look and smiles.
“Is that a problem?”
Yes, actually, it’s an enormous problem. “No, sir.”
“Good. The spirit will report to me as soon as the job is done, and we’ll retrieve her when we’re prepared to deal with her.”
“I understand. Would you like me to be in contact with the other Neph myself?” I ask. “To save time?” And to find out who’s against us?
“I think not,” he says with a half grin. “Not all Neph are to be trusted these days. It’s best if we deal with all of you directly ourselves.”
I nod, pretending not to care that his words clearly include me.
He pulls keys from his trouser pockets and I take them.
“Drive fast. I don’t care how many bloody tickets you get. Find her and ruin her once and for all, Kaidan. Make me proud.”
“I will, Father.”
I turn away and head to the garage. When I’m out of his sight I clench my jaw and silently curse him straight to hell before his stupid minion spirit flies in and I fall into false relaxation mode again.
Leave it to my father to unknowingly sabotage the one good thing in my life. I have no bloody clue how to get out of this. I wish like hell I could contact Anna to tell her she’s being tailed, and to let her know I’m on my way. I’ve no idea what I’ll do when I get there.
On the way out of town I stop at a drugstore and buy an over-the-counter men’s fertility test to make sure I’m completely sterile. Just in case.
I cannot have sex with her. She has to remain a virgin—it’s the only way she’ll be able to use the Sword of Righteousness. I’ll just have to take this charade as far as I can until I can go no further. This could be it. This could be the thing that kick-starts the prophecy. Because when it comes right down to it, if I cannot find a way to fool them, I might have to take Anna away; I might have to run. I’ve told her myself that she cannot hide from the demons, but damn it, I cannot let them have her without a fight, either. If our only other option is to stay put and be captured, then we will run like hell.
CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE
Not Like This
“Keep my eyes open, my lips sealed.
My heart closed, and my ears peeled.”
—“Hurricane” by MS MR
I drive through the night, stopping only once for petrol and coffee. Each time a text comes from Father I reprogram my GPS with the new information. I cannot wait to get to Anna. To see her safe, with my own eyes. I’m desperate to have her out of their sights. After a while I think something must have happened with the Neph tailing her, because the updates from Father simply stop and only whisperer sightings are being given now.
Father’s whisperer has been a nasty thorn in my side for far too many hours now. It keeps whispering excitedly about all the foul things it wants me to do to the “Neph girl,” things I’ve never done to anyone. I try hard to keep from shuddering.
“I’m not into Neph,” I tell it. “I’m not planning to stay all day.”
It begins a breathy whine in my ear. “But—”
“No. Just a quick job—nothing for your entertainment.”
It proceeds to throw a tantrum, stiffly flying from the car and bashing into the earth, out of sight, then back up, kicking at cars and flailing its grubby arms at trees as it passes them. What an idiot.
As I’m driving through Wythe County, in the mountains of southwestern Virginia, I see a whisperer swoop down in the grassy median to relay something to the other. It then flies to me, right in my face. I lean to the side, keeping an eye on the road. I can’t stand the cold sensation when they touch me.
“Blacksburg,” it whispers creepily. I nod. I’m not too far from her now.
I’ve been trying to figure out for hours what I’ll do when I get to her. How will she react? With the whisperer there, we’ll have to pretend we hardly know each other. If Anna cries or tries to hug me, or does anything remotely Anna-ish, we’re as good as dead.
Our biggest chance of making it through this is to somehow lose the whisperer, and based on how closely he’s been at my side, that will be difficult. The only other thing I can think to do is get her under the covers and pretend to shag her. That, however, could be awkward for poor Anna, and very, very difficult for me, especially if we’re naked.
You can do it, I tell myself. I just hope she’ll play along with whatever I decide. I grip the wheel and take a cleansing breath as the murky whisperer leads me to Anna.
It’s early in the morning. The sun has risen, but the town is still sleepy. I park outside the hotel and listen while the whisperer circles the car. Anna is stirring, her murmuring breaths sounding as if she’s not sleeping very soundly. When the whisperer ventures away from me for a moment, like a dog sniffing around, I whip out my phone and pull up Anna’s contact info: Hot Chick From Gig. Before I can type a word, the whisperer is back and I quickly close the screen.
“What are you doing?” it asks. Damn it.
“Seeing if I missed any messages,” I mutter out loud. “But I haven’t.”
“Let’s go.”
Bugger. I hate being here, so close to her, under these pretenses. It kills me not to warn her. I get out of the car and note exactly where it’s parked and where the nearest exit is. I walk with purpose, fighting to keep my cool as my spirit escort flies up and down beside me. His wing keeps swiping my back and I grit my teeth. I desperately search each room of the hotel with my hearing, but everyone is sleeping or doing boring morning things.
Then my senses snag on something in one of the first-floor rooms. Something that sounds like it’s just getting started. Something right up this
whisperer’s alley. It’s better than I could have hoped. I take the long way around so we can pass that room on our way. I take note of the number on the door: 108.
This is a long shot. My first instinct is to distract the demon right away, but Father will be extremely suspicious if he learns I sent his whisperer away before the job had even begun. The spirit has to see me with Anna. He has to think we’re having sex. And then, if I’m lucky, I can convince him to leave, to take in the more exciting events of room 108.
I head up the stairs, my pulse at an all-time high, and I knock on Anna’s door. Inside, I hear her go still. Abruptly, she begins scrambling and shuffling through her things like mad.
Don’t be frightened, I want to say. Trust me, Anna. Play along.
Anna whispers suspiciously, “Who is it?”
“Kaidan Rowe. Son of Pharzuph.” Impersonal. Formal. Please take the hint, luv.
I hear the quick pad of her footsteps to the door and I’m filled with fear that she’s going to fling it open and jump into my arms. I’m immensely relieved when she stops at the door without opening it. “What do you want?” she asks. She’s being smart.
“I need to speak with you. Open up.”
When she doesn’t open, the whisperer hisses a harsh curse in my ear and I’m filled with loathing for the stupid, impatient spirit.
“I’m not here to hurt you,” I say. It comes out sterner than I meant it to.
After a long pause the door opens enough to show Anna’s beautiful, fresh face. Her eyes soften just slightly when she sees that it’s really me, then widen when she catches sight of the whisperer over my shoulder. She doesn’t move.
Anna knows something’s up. Good. Because it’s about to get real, and I need her to put on a show. I need her to pretend with me, one on one. Enough to convince the idiot bobbing behind me, foaming at the mouth.
I grasp the edge of the door above her head and push it open, forcing Anna to step back into the room. I scan her when she’s in my sight—from her messy morning hair to the knife and another thing clenched in her fists.
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