Sweet Evil

by Wendy Higgins

  I wasn’t stupid enough to think they wouldn’t hear the car door close, or my footfalls as I ran. I just hoped I’d be fast enough to get somewhere I could hide. I could see the forest at the edge of the school now.

  I zipped past the side of the building and ran into the mesh of trees. Branches stung my face, but I never slowed. Voices came from the nearby fields now. Almost there. Exhilaration flooded my senses as I flew through the woods.

  I suddenly heard something coming up behind me, even louder than the voices ahead of me from the fields. It was the slamming of feet in the brush. Someone else was running. Fast.

  “Stop!” It was a male’s voice, strained from the effort. I pushed my legs to pump even faster, until my muscles were burning, but I knew it wasn’t fast enough. I was a long-distance endurance runner. This guy behind me was a sprinter. And a defensive linebacker, it would seem, as he tackled me to the ground in one easy swipe, nearly knocking the wind out of me. I got a faceful of leaf debris and dirt.

  Struggling from his grip, I rolled and flailed so he couldn’t get a good hold. One of his giant arms was hooked around my hips, and he was reaching for my free arm, but I swung it sideways and busted his nose so hard I cried out from the throb of pain in my hand. The guy grunted and gave his head one hard shake, blood slinging into the dirt; then he was on top of me, using every bit of his mass to hold me down. He grabbed both of my wrists and pinned them to the ground next to my head. I panted, gasping for air.

  “Be still. You are safe.” His voice had a soft accent I couldn’t place.

  I looked at him. His nose had already stopped bleeding. His skin was dark like coffee, and his black waves of hair were cut short. He had the lightest hazel eyes I’d ever seen, and as he stared down at me I got a whiff of something cooking at the ball field concession stands: the buttery richness of hot, simmering caramel.... Wait. Was that his scent? I swallowed and pressed my head back against the dirt, trying not to breathe hard so my chest would stop pressing up against his.

  Another pair of feet jogged up to us now.

  “Kope!” the other guy yelled. “What the frick?! You got some cheetah blood in you or what?”

  At the sound of his friend’s voice, the guy on top of me lifted some of his weight.

  “I will let you up now.” His voice was quiet next to my ear. “Do not run.”

  The other guy put his hands on his knees to catch his breath. He had black hair that was bleached at the tips, and when he brushed it from his forehead, it slicked back with sweat. He was at least part Asian, with dark, almond-shaped eyes and high, pronounced cheekbones. I exhaled and closed my eyes, realizing who they were. Blake and Kopano. My relief was followed by sheer humiliation for making them chase me.

  “Seriously!” insisted Blake. “How did you run so fast?”

  “I am African.” Without taking his eyes from mine, Kopano eased himself off me, and I sat up.

  “Oh, ha, ha. A comedian,” Blake said.

  Kopano felt his nose as he squatted next to me.

  “You’re Kaidan’s friends,” I stated, feeling like a fool.

  “Something like that,” Blake said. “He’s not exactly Mr. Friendly.” He pulled a cell phone from his pocket and dialed, putting it to his ear.

  “Hey. Come back to the school. Kope was right—she jumped and ran. It’s all good, though.... Yeah, she’s with us... All right, I’ll tell her.”

  He ended the call and slid the phone into his pocket.

  “Marna says to say she’s sorry we scared the ‘bejaysus’ out of you,” he said.

  Kopano and I both stood and brushed ourselves off. I pulled some pine needles out of my hair. I was still shaking as I followed Blake through the trees to the empty school. I glanced back at Kopano, who walked behind me.

  “Sorry about your nose,” I said, shamefaced.

  He kept his eyes down and nodded as if it were no big deal. I studied his smooth features and full lips for a moment before turning my head forward again. I wasn’t sure what to think about the look he’d given me on the ground, or the way he’d smelled.

  It felt like forever before we found the edge of the woods and made our way to the school’s parking lot, empty except for the black car and two of the most beautiful girls I’d ever seen standing in front of it. I could hear their conversation.

  “She’s sixteen?” one asked in surprise.

  “Looks more like twelve to me,” the other said.

  “Play nice,” the first warned her.

  I knew who they were at once: the identical twin daughters of Astaroth, Pharzuph’s London buddy. As I looked at their summer skirts and strappy heels, I became aware of how I must look in my cutoff shorts and high, haphazard ponytail.

  When Kaidan told me the twins were dancers, I’d pictured tall, lanky ballerinas. But no. Their bodies screamed salsa and tango—tiny waists nestled between amply rounded chests and hips. Any dancing they did was the booty-shaking kind. They were not much taller than me, with shiny brown hair styled into layers, and an array of perfectly fashionable accessories. Like Kaidan, they oozed sex appeal. The other two guys weren’t hard on the eyes, either.

  Apparently Pharzuph was not the only demon to choose an attractive body to inhabit, and an attractive mate to give him a child, which was smart. Charming, good-looking people could get away with a lot.

  We were all together now, standing in a circle, surveying one another.

  “Scared ya, didn’t we?” Blake said, lifting an eyebrow that I just noticed was pierced. He wore a tight hemp necklace with a shell in the middle, and his badge was the poisonous green of envy.

  “What are you guys doing here?” I asked, keeping my voice steady and strong.

  “We heard a rumor of a Nephilim sister in these parts,” said Kopano. His light eyes were striking against his dark skin.

  “Rumor from who?” I asked.

  Blake shrugged. “Word gets around.”

  “But how did you find me?”

  “Marna showed her boobs to one of the spirits and he led the way—”

  “Blake! Shut up.” She gave him a shove. “That’s not true. We got your name from Kai, and then we did a little research, because he wouldn’t tell us anything else about you.”

  “Almost like he was hiding something,” the other sister said, crossing her arms and eyeing me. The dirty look I sent her in return was ineffective. I couldn’t remember the sisters’ names from Kaidan’s descriptions, but this girl was the snarky one.

  We looked toward the entrance of the school as a car drove in. Probably a staff worker or janitor. We couldn’t just stand there loitering. I made a quick decision to trust them and hoped it wouldn’t turn out to be one of my naive moments.

  “We can talk at my house, if you want,” I offered. They looked around at one another before agreeing.

  I climbed in the back with the girls while Blake took the passenger seat. Kopano drove, so I assumed it was his car. Besides my giving the occasional direction, nobody talked.

  I still had the house key in my pocket, and I was surprised it hadn’t fallen out during the wrestling match with Kopano. I flushed at the memory as we parked and got out.

  Kopano seemed relaxed, but the other three looked uncomfortable in the small living space of my home. The girls flipped their hair, peering around at the old furniture. I crossed my arms over my chest and tried to appear as tough as my supposedly twelve-year-old demeanor would allow.

  “I need to make a call,” I told them.

  “To whom?” the snarky twin asked.

  “The woman I was with. Patti.”

  I didn’t feel like explaining. I ignored their stares, walked to the counter, and dialed Patti’s cell. She answered on the first ring.

  “It’s me.” I talked fast, eager to put her out of her misery of worry. “I’m fine. They’re just Kaidan’s friends. We’re at the apartment now.”

  She breathed a sigh of relief.

  “You can come home whenever you want,�
� I told her.

  “All right. I’ll be there in about fifteen minutes. You’re sure you’re okay?”

  “I’m sure. I’ll see you soon.”

  I hung up.

  “Doesn’t your father have any money?” the mean twin asked, noting our tiny television.

  “This isn’t his place. I live here with my adopted mother.”

  “Is he still in jail?” asked the nice sister.

  “Yes.”

  “That’s what we figured. We don’t like showin’ up places where a Duke might be.” She said the word Duke with a shudder. We all stood there in a semicircle, sharing the awkward lull.

  “What’s up with your badge?” asked Blake, sounding like a valley boy.

  “I’m not sure, to tell you the truth,” I told him.

  I looked at the girls, wishing I could tell them apart.

  “So you’re Ginger and Marna?”

  “How do you know our names?” they asked simultaneously.

  “Same way you know mine.”

  The mean sister narrowed her eyes at me again. What was with her?

  “Word is you and Kai are work partners.” Blake winked at me. I felt my face warm, and shrugged noncommittally. I didn’t think any of them were buying my tough act.

  “I haven’t seen him or talked to him in a few weeks,” I said.

  Mean Sister pulled out her cell and scrolled through her contacts.

  She dialed. “Aw, cripe, voice mail... Oi! Arse-face! We’re at your little girl Anna’s house. Ring me back straightaway.” She slid it shut and glared at me. “Surprised he still has the same number,” she said. “That bloke gets his number changed more than anyone I know.”

  I was very uncomfortable. I still didn’t know what they wanted with me. Not a single one of them emitted any emotional colors, and they acted so tense.

  “Why don’t you all sit down and I’ll get us something to drink.” I’d definitely been raised by Patti Whitt.

  Kopano sat at the end of the couch. Blake shrugged and sat at the other end.

  “I’ll just stand,” Mean Sister said with a bored wave of her hand. Suit yourself, I thought.

  I walked to the kitchen, surprised when the nicer sister followed me. She watched with interest as I filled glasses with ice and took the pitcher out of the fridge.

  “What is that?” she asked.

  “Sweet tea,” I said. Her gray eyes widened and she smiled. She had a slender, oval face. Pretty.

  “Ooh, Ginger, tea on ice! I’ve heard about it,” she called out.

  “Sounds awful,” Ginger said.

  “I can make you a cup of hot tea instead.” I made sure to be polite, but I wasn’t wasting any smiles on the mean sister, Ginger.

  “Fine.” She huffed and sat down between the two guys, wiggling on the springs.

  I looked up at Marna as I warmed the water, wondering how wrong I was doing it, but she didn’t seem interested in critiquing. I handed her a glass of iced tea and she took a sip.

  “Mmm. That’s different. Not bad, though. It’s not bad, Ginger!”

  “Good for you. Drink up. Have a ball.”

  It wasn’t going to be so hard to tell the sisters apart after all.

  “Is this your first time in America?” I asked Marna.

  “Yes. We’ve only just turned eighteen and finished school, so we’re traveling the world now.”

  “No, we’re not, Marna. Stop telling people that. We’re only visiting the United States. Then it’s back to London.”

  “Well, it feels like it to me,” she shouted, turning back to me with a sweet smile. “We met Blake and Kopano in Boston, then we drove down here together. It’s a long way.”

  “What’s in Boston?” I asked. I didn’t think there were any Dukes living there.

  “Kope just finished his first year at Harvard.” We looked over at him, and he gave a bashful nod, then looked down.

  Harvard, wow. I’d never met anyone who went to a big, famous school.

  “What should I put in this?” I asked Marna about her sister’s hot tea.

  “Scoop of sugar. She needs it. Old sourpuss.”

  Musical notes filled the air and Ginger pulled out her phone. My stomach tightened as she slid it open.

  “Is Pharzy home?” she asked as a greeting. Kaidan. “Drats. We’ll stay here for now, then.... Don’t worry. We haven’t tortured the poor girl. She’s the one trying to torture us with American iced tea.... Don’t think you can weasel out of seeing us.... When, tonight? Hold on.” She pulled the phone away from her ear and looked at me. “Do you know how to get to some club named Double Doors?”

  “Um, kind of. I can find out from my friend. I’ll write down directions for you.”

  “I don’t think so,” said Marna in a singsong tone. “You’re coming with us.”

  My heart sped up. I had narrowly escaped this noose with Jay before. They watched me, and all I could think about was how Kaidan was on the other end of that phone line.

  “I can’t,” I said with a shake of my head.

  “Why not?” Ginger snapped at me.

  “I’m busy.” Doing nothing.

  “Come,” Kopano said. His voice seemed to reverberate around the silent room. He held my gaze, but I had to look away. His soulful eyes made me feel like he could see too much.

  “Please,” said Marna next to me, clasping her fingers together.

  I thought about Jay and how excited he would be if I came and heard his song. I looked up into Marna’s pleading eyes and over at Kopano’s serious face, full of mystery.

  “Okay,” I whispered.

  “We’ll be there at seven,” Ginger said, then snapped the sleek phone shut.

  Oh, my goodness, I was going to see Kaidan! My whole body buzzed with excitement and dread.

  I took my drink and sat down on the floor in front of the others with my legs crossed, hoping none of them was observant enough to see the slight shake of my hand.

  Ginger began. “The first thing you need to know is that we can see through any and all bull. So be straight with us about everything. Understand?”

  Since BSing wasn’t really my thing anyway, I nodded, realizing now that sitting on the floor was a bad idea—it gave me the inferior position of having to look up at her. And I didn’t like the way she was talking to me.

  “First off, what’s up with you and Kaidan?” she asked.

  My first instinct was to say it was none of her business. Kaidan obviously hadn’t told her anything or she wouldn’t be hounding me for info. But there was no point being rude, and I didn’t want to seem evasive. I hoped to earn their trust.

  “I met him after one of his shows two months ago. I didn’t know there was anybody else like me out there. I didn’t even know what I was. My father’s been in prison my whole life, so I was raised by a human woman. Kaidan explained things and taught me what he thought I should know. He drove me to California to meet my dad and talk to him. And that’s pretty much it.”

  “Belial, right?” asked Blake.

  “Yes.”

  “Why did Kaidan take you?” Marna asked, tilting her head in interest, as though the thought of Kaidan doing something kind were peculiar.

  “I don’t know. Curiosity, maybe? He said at one point he wanted to figure me out, I guess to make sure I wasn’t a threat. Plus, Pharzuph told him to teach me the ropes.”

  Blake laughed and said, “Yeah, boy.” We ignored him.

  “And why haven’t you spoken in a while then?” Ginger asked.

  I swallowed and tried to be matter-of-fact, as if it weren’t really about me. As if there weren’t still an open wound.

  “Because we’re not friends or anything. We both found out what we needed to know.”

  “Love ’em and leave ’em is more like it,” Blake said. “I didn’t think Rowe wasted his time on sister Nephs.”

  “It wasn’t like that.” It came out sounding a little too defensive.

  “Wasn’t it?” Ginger asked
, an unkind grin on her face. “You took a holiday, just the two of you, and you’re saying you didn’t have a bunk-up?”

  And then I remembered Kaidan’s offhand remark about the one girl he’d ever turned down being a Nephilim. Ginger’s accusatory tone and bitter attitude made me pause. Could he have turned her down?! No way.

  “We didn’t...” I almost said, We didn’t do anything, but that would have been a lie, so I left the thought dangling out there unsupervised.

  “Right.” Ginger snorted.

  Marna changed the subject.

  “So you’ve been working for Belial, even though he’s not been around?”

  I opened my mouth, indecisive, and then told them, “No.”

  They all stared at me.

  “Dabbling in Daddy’s goodies? Passing it out to the other kiddies?” Blake prompted me.

  “I know what you mean,” I said, “but I don’t do drugs. They make me... crazy or something.”

  “I bet they do.” Blake smiled.

  “Ah, shut your cakehole.” Ginger backhanded his chest and he laughed.

  “Don’t worry, Gin, you’re the only one for me.”

  Ginger rolled her eyes severely high and crossed her arms and legs.

  “You do not take drugs?” Kopano asked, sitting forward now. His accent was mellow, yet clipped.

  “No,” I said.

  A hint of a smile passed Kopano’s careful features, and he sat back with a different look in his eyes for me now. He was definitely the watchful, quiet type.

  “How have you gotten away with that?” Marna asked.

  “I guess because I wasn’t raised by a Duke.”

  “Yes, but I can’t believe he didn’t leave you with someone who would teach you to do his work in his absence.” Marna sounded almost in awe.

  I was very nervous all of a sudden. Not for me, but for my father. If this group had heard about me, then surely others had, too, namely the Dukes. Were they all questioning the judgment of Belial—thinking he’d neglected his duties?

  “This conversation can’t get back to anybody.” My voice shook.

  Blake gave a snort of derision. “Don’t worry. We don’t tell our fathers jack.”

  I believed him.

  “Belial has been in prison your whole life and you only just met?” asked Kopano.