by Megan Linski
I purposefully wore a low cut shirt. I lean forward, to give him a glimpse of the girls. “Please?”
“Oh, let her have it,” one of his friends adds. “It’s not like we didn’t bring five more. She crashes, we can easily replace it.”
Five more?! Is this guy rich? What does he do when he’s not devouring souls, play the stock market?
The demon hesitates, eyes scanning me up and down. “Fine.” The demon hands me the keys. “Just… don’t break it. And you owe me later.” He raises his eyebrows in a very intentional way.
“You can wait for me at the end of the track,” I promise. Before he can say no, I snatch his helmet and put it on, and climb on the back of the Ducati.
I jet off. By the time he comes back to collect his debt, I’ll be long gone. Hopefully.
I make sure to line myself up so Thames and I will be pitted against each other. It’s a long wait, but I’m willing to bide my time.
Thames doesn’t even glance at me. He can’t even recognize that I’m a woman underneath the bulky race suit I put on. I bought it years ago, just in case Dad ever broke down and let me have my own bike. He never did, so I held onto it and brought it to college on the off chance I’d get to ride again.
It seemed silly to pack at the time, but now I’m grateful I did.
It’s our turn. I roll the bike up to the red light and get ready. Thames fires up his bike, and flames begin wrapping themselves around the crotch rocket once more. It’s mesmerizing.
A fair race. A bike against a bike.
Thames isn’t bothered. He doesn’t even look at me. This is just another race for him, one he thinks he’s going to win.
I tighten my hands on the handlebars. Bring it on, pretty boy.
The light turns green. Thames instantly shoots out, but I’m right on his tail. The Ducati has more power than I thought it would; it takes all my strength to hold on and keep it straight. If I was a mortal, I would’ve been thrown off. Gotta take it careful.
But this is a drag race. It’s all about speed. I push the bike to its limit. Thames is still ahead. His jumpstart gave him an edge.
Yet the Ducati is faster. I press myself into the bike and hold on tight, aiming it toward the finish line. I’m able to inch in front of Thames, and his head whips to the side as I pass.
I cross the finish milliseconds before he does.
But my time is shorter than his on the clock. I did it. I beat him.
The two of us slow to a stop at the end of the track. We pull off the main drag way and into a parking lot. Thames is stunned, I can tell; the fact that he’s been beaten by an unknown is killing him.
“Hey, man, good race,” he says, as he pulls to my side. “Congratulations. No one’s ever beaten me before.”
I pull off the helmet. Slowly. I set it on the seat and shake my hair loose.
Thames’ jaw nearly hits the pavement. “Lena?”
“Surprise,” I say. It’s the moment of truth. He was caught in the act, so he can’t deny it, lie about it or run away. I’ve backed him into a corner.
I get off the bike and prop it up on its stand. “Shocked that you were beaten by a girl?”
“Lena— what are you— this isn’t—”
He flusters for excuses, but I cut him off. I look him directly in the eye. “I know, Thames. I know you’re a demon. You’ve got five seconds to tell me everything.”
Thames swallows. He rubs the back of his neck and says, “What do you want to know?”
“Everything. From the beginning,” I state. “Leave nothing out.”
Thames opens his mouth to answer me, but before he can, an unwanted voice breaks in. “Oy! Girly! My bike!”
I grumble as the demon I borrowed the bike from saunters toward me, grinning widely. He was waiting for me at the end of the track, like I told him to do. I hoped he wouldn’t care that much.
The demon slides to my side and puts an arm around my hip, drawing me to his slimy side. “That was some pretty sweet racing, baby. I’d love to have you on my team.”
The tip of his forked tongue slides out to lick my face. I wince. Gross.
“Back off,” Thames growls, rounding on him. He grabs the demon by the front of his shirt and rips him off, tossing him away. “She’s mine.”
The demon stumbles to catch his balance. His eyes flicker from Thames to me before he says, “Oh, I get it. Wanted to show your boyfriend up, huh, girly? Well, I can give you a better time than he ever could.”
“Leave,” Thames snarls.
The demon raises his hands. “Fine, man. She’s all yours. But you should probably know your girl was flirting with me earlier.”
The demon winks at me. “If you get tired of being lonely, baby, you know where to find me.”
Thames gives me a dirty look as he slides onto his crotch rocket. I glare at the demon as he grabs his bike and rides away. For a demon to be scared of a half-blood… Thames is powerful. More than I accounted for.
He’s even more dangerous than I imagined.
“I’m yours?” I raise an eyebrow. “Since when did you make that decision? Did you think about consulting me about it?”
Thames snorts. “Get on,” he says, pointing to his bike. I do so, without the helmet this time, and grab onto Thames’ middle. It’s rigid and stiff. He’s not happy with me.
Who cares. I need answers.
Thames fires up the bike and leaves the drag way. He takes us down a few winding roads until he reaches a secluded log cabin deep, deep within the northern wood. It’s so secluded that even if you knew where it was, you’d have a hard time finding it. The Nephilim council would be hard-pressed to discover him out here.
His truck is parked in the driveway. I get off. Thames parks his bike in the one-car garage nearby.
Thames stomps… literally stomps… his feet up the porch steps. He opens the door with his keys, then punches it open. I step inside and take a look around.
It’s a casual hunter’s cabin. Nothing too fancy; I’m not even sure this place has electricity. Thames throws a few logs in the fire and lights them with a jet from his hand. He sits on the rug near the fireplace.
I sit across from him. There’s a few moments of silence; tension. We’re both scared of what he’s about to say.
Then Thames takes a breath. “My mother is a human. My father was a demon.”
“Was?” I raise an eyebrow.
“He died a few years ago. He was killed by my brother’s girlfriend, Cassia.”
There’s that name again. “She’s a—
“Yes. A Nephilim, but she never knew it. She Awakened late.” Thames shifts. “She got her wings while trying to save my brother. My dad was going to kill him.”
A Nephilim girl, who looks like me… who shares my last name. “This is too much of a coincidence,” I say.
“I know.” Thames nods. “But I haven’t pursued it. I’m just trying to figure it out.”
“Is your brother a cambion, too?”
“No.” He shakes his head. “He’s my half-brother. My mom loved an angel and a demon. He’s a Nephilim.”
“Wow,” I breathe. “That’s incredible.” For a woman to have a relationship with not one, but two immortals… insanely rare.
“Isn’t it?” Thames frowns. “As far as I know, I’m the only one of my kind. Or the last.”
The loneliness in his voice makes me ache. Though it’s his to bear, it hurts me.
“One thing I don’t get,” I start. “Demon drag races. Why?”
“I set them up. It keeps them preoccupied,” he says. “Gives them a distraction from going after humans.”
“So… you host races and hope demons come so they don’t hunt humans?” I ask. Sounds absurd.
“I try.” He looks up at me. “If they’re entertained, they won’t get bored and go searching for souls to consume.”
“Why doesn’t the Nephilim council interfere?”
“They don’t know about it.” He narrows his eyes
. “As far as I’m concerned, as long as they aren’t hurting anyone I’m content to let demons be. I’ve been fighting them for years, and it’s too difficult to kill them all. Easier to just keep them contained.”
“Hm.” I hadn’t thought about it that way before. I observe the dark cabin. “You stay here?” I ask.
“Only when I’m visiting Cairo. It’s a safehouse. Most of the time, I’m somewhere else,” he explains. “I’ve never hung around Michigan this long, not since I was banned. If the council founds out I’m here…”
“Don’t say it.” I think I’m going to be sick. I shake my head and ask, “Thames, why didn’t you tell me?”
He gives a dark, heartless laugh. “Tell you what? That I’m a demon?” He pounds the floor with his fist. “You’re not on amicable terms with them. I saw how you slayed the Alp. You hate demons. I can tell by how you treated that monster the night you killed it.”
My mouth is very dry. “That was different. I didn’t know.”
“How does it make it any different?” he snaps. “Your soul, it comes from heaven. Mine? I’m… destined for hell. Have been since the day I was conceived.”
“No,” I say sharply. I sit up on my knees and cup his head with both hands. “I don’t believe that. Not for a minute. You don’t belong in hell, Thames. I don’t care what you’ve done.”
Thames stares at me. His eyes are swimming… he nearly looks like he’s going to cry.
Then he pulls away from my grasp. It feels like he stabbed a knife into my gut with the movement.
“It’s… it’s not going to work,” Thames says. “I’m a cambion. You’re a Nephilim. They’re two opposite things.”
“So what?” I ask harshly. “It’s never been done before. Who says we can’t work it out?”
“You’re wrong. I’ve already tried, and it didn’t work,” Thames says. “I’ve been fooling myself these past couple weeks. I’m not good for you, Lena. I’m not good for anybody.”
He raises his watery gaze to mine. “I’m leaving. Tomorrow. Best thing you can do is just… leave me alone.”
I slowly stand. My lip wobbles. “Fine,” I say thickly. “You want to be alone? Be my guest.”
I walk out. Before he can stop me— not that he would, not now— I run outside and take to the air.
The next morning I hate myself for leaving Thames there all alone.
Hate isn’t even a strong enough word. I despise myself for abandoning him.
I knew he needed someone there, needed comfort despite what he said.
But I didn’t stay. I left him there, fled because it was too hard, because he hurt me and I couldn’t stand it.
I ran. He pushed me away, and I wasn’t smart enough to force myself on him and stay.
I forget about going to class. I forget everything. I just stay in bed all day and try not to cry.
There’s a knock on my door after five. I get up, hoping it’s Thames, but my heart drops when it’s Sydney and Emalee.
“Hey girl,” Emalee says. She looks concerned. “We didn’t see you in class.”
“Yeah. We texted you, but you didn’t answer.” Sydney’s usual carefree manner is gone. She notices the bags under my eyes. “Have you been crying?”
I ignore the question. “My phone was off.” I step aside to let them in. Sydney hops on the bed, and Emalee takes the rug.
“What’s up?” Emalee asks.
I shrug. “Nothing. Thames just… doesn’t want to see me anymore.”
Emalee and Sydney glance at each other. They hold their gazes for a few moments before Emalee gives an unhelpful, “Oh.”
“What? What is it?” I ask.
“It’s… kind of a Thames thing,” Sydney says. “He gets scared, and runs off. He did that to Cassia, too.”
“Yeah. Like, a lot,” Emalee subs in.
“What do you mean?” I sit next to Emalee, interested.
“Cassia broke Thames’ heart,” Emalee clarifies. “She didn’t mean to, but she did. He was torn up about it for a long time after she officially decided to go out with Cairo.”
“Wasn’t that years ago?” I wrap my arms around my legs. “I thought he’d be over her by now.”
“Pain like that doesn’t just go away when you meet someone,” Sydney says. “It takes time to dissolve.”
I shrug. “I wouldn’t know. I’ve never had anyone like Thames.”
“Look, Lena.” Emalee puts her arm around my shoulders. “We don’t know Thames very well. He’s been in school with us since kindergarten, but you’ve only known him a few months and you’re already closer to him than we ever were. He’s keeping his distance because that’s what Thames does. He goes away, then he comes back. If he really likes you, he’ll come back.”
“Do I really want to be with a guy like that?” I wonder aloud.
“That’s up for you to decide,” Sydney says. “If it were me, I couldn’t put up with it, but if Thames has your heart you might as well follow it.”
“That’s surprisingly sweet of you to say, Sydney,” Emalee says, giving her friend a coy smile.
Sydney shrugs. “What can I say? I know about love.”
“How do you know about love? Your last boyfriend sucked.”
Sydney and Emalee start bickering. I lie down on the rug and think about it.
Thames has my heart already. I know that. But who has his? Is he even able to give it to me? Or does it still belong to someone else, someone who doesn’t even want it?
“Tell me more about Thames’ ex,” I say aloud. Both girls stop fighting and look at me.
“Cassia? She’s not really his ex,” Sydney says. “They kissed a few times, but they never formally dated. She’s a nice girl.”
“I want to meet her.”
The girls glance at each other. “Now?”
“As soon as possible.”
“She’s at flight school,” Sydney says. “I’m not sure when she’ll have any time off. She barely hangs out with us anymore.”
“She’s studying to be a pilot, too?” Does this girl have to one-up me on everything?
“Your green-eyed monster is showing,” Emalee says. She grabs my knee and shakes it. “Be cool. Cassia is awesome. We like her. You will, too.”
I stick out my lip. Could I like someone who could, possibly, be keeping Thames from me? Who broke Thames’ heart?
Regardless, it’s not her fault. If he is still hung up on her he’s the one refusing to let go.
This is all so new to me. It figures Cassia would know what she wants for a career. I don’t even know what I want to be. I’ve been locked up my whole life and have only been let out to kill things. I’m just starting to figure out who I am. Starting to have friends, and date, and explore life.
Maybe I’m not ready for a relationship anyway. But I’m not sure if you’re ever ready… you just go for it.
“You need to party,” Emalee suggests. “There’s a kegger going on at Sigma Zeta. Let’s have some fun.”
“That lame-ass frat? That’s asking for a harassment charge. Lena needs to relax,” Sydney says. She hops off the bed and goes, “Let’s see a movie. You can even be my date.”
“Just call her Syd,” Emalee laughs. Sydney pushes her over.
The rest of the day is a little better. We go see a movie, and the girls take me out to a bomb ice cream joint across town.
I’m feeling a little better after I come back to my dorm, after I’ve eaten my feelings with a triple chocolate sundae covered in Oreos and gummy bears, but Thames is still haunting me.
I hope the girls are right and he comes back. It’s only been a day, but this waiting is killing me.
Emalee and Sydney drop me off at the door to Huron. I walk inside my dorm… and nearly fall down when I see who’s waiting there.
“Dad,” I gasp, and I shut the door behind me. Roman is standing in my room with his hands in his pockets. “What are you doing here?”
“I teleported,” he says. “I need to
talk to you.”
I grimace. I don’t like teleporting. I’m not very good at it, either. I’d rather fly than phase.
Not Dad. He’s an expert at it. Like everything. It reminds me how much I don’t measure up.
“What do you want to talk about, Dad?” I go to sit down but he holds me back, turning me to face him. This is serious.
He pulls out a piece of paper from his pocket. “You’re failing, Faline. Nearly every class.”
He hands me the paper. I look at it in dread. It’s not as bad as he’s making it out to be. I’m getting C’s. I’m passing. But for my dad, that’s not good enough. He expects more.
“You hacked into my student profile to look at my grades?” I ask. It’s believable that my dad would do it, so I’m not shocked, but I still feel… offended. “That’s supposed to be private.”
“Apparently I’m the only one doing it,” he says. “You haven’t logged in to check since you started your first week of classes.”
He crosses his arms. “You know I’m only hard on you because I care. I want you to succeed and go on to make the world better, and you’re throwing it all away.”
I wince. My grades have been slipping. I’ve been so distracted by Thames and having fun at college that I haven’t been studying hard.
In fact, the only course I have an A in is Ancient History.
Something hits me. Maybe my bad grades aren’t a result of me being distracted after all. Maybe I just really, really hate what I’m taking.
Maybe I don’t want to be what my dad wants after all.
“Sorry, Dad. I’ll try harder.”
“Sorry isn’t good enough!” he says loudly, and I flinch. “You’re my daughter! You’re supposed to be the best! We agreed that if I allowed you to come here one of the conditions was that you maintain a 4.0 average or better!”
“Allowed me to come? I’m a grown woman!” I shout. “You couldn’t have stopped me from coming if you tried!”
“Oh, I couldn’t?” Electricity sparks in the air… the lights dim, and my father’s power swirls around me. It turns inward, suffocating me. “You have no idea what I’m capable of, Faline.”
I swallow. My father is a powerful angel. I’ve never seen him in his true form, only his human form—
