by Megan Linski
He takes a second glance at me and says, “You’ve got hay in your hair.”
I start pulling it out, but it only gets more tangled. Thames comes forward and removes it for me. “You might want to get rid of all the hay. To avoid judgement from the almighty Cairo.”
“I don’t care what Cairo thinks,” I shoot back, though I brush the remaining hay off my clothes anyway.
“I don’t either, but… well, you know my brother.” Thames rolls his eyes. “He probably won’t bang Cassia till they’re legally wed.” Thames holds up his ring finger and waves it around. “It’s against the rules.”
“You don’t think he and Cassia have done anything?” I ask, rising to my feet.
Thames makes a sarcastic noise. “No.” He pockets his phone. “Let’s go. They’re waiting.”
I take Thames’ hand. Cairo and Cassia have been dating… what, almost three years now? They had to have had sex by now… right?
Then again, I can think of several reasons why they haven’t, if what Thames suspects is true.
Thames has no room to talk about his brother. Even though we’ve shared a bedroom, and a bed, for months, there’s one teensy, tiny detail between Thames and I that we haven’t really discussed.
We haven’t had sex yet. Oops, there it is.
We’ve gotten closer than we did today, but it always ends up that we get interrupted… or… we just… stop.
I haven’t quite figured it out yet. But there’s some insecurities there between me and Thames holding us back from making practically the biggest commitment we can as a couple.
Much less as a cambion and Nephilim. Oh, wait, maybe that does have something to do with it, doesn’t it?
I used to kill demons for a living. I should have no issue with screwing the hottest guy alive. It makes me wonder what’s wrong with me.
The barn vanishes around us and is replaced by the exterior of the bunker. Athias has a stupid rule about no one being allowed to teleport inside for security reasons. The way I see it, any immortal could come inside at any time if they knew where we were. A keypad isn’t going to stop them.
I punch in the keycode and head inside. Everyone is waiting— Athias, Cairo, Cass, Clara and Isolde. As usual, we’re the last to show up.
Athias gives me a tired glance. Whatever. Better late than never.
Cairo raises an eyebrow at Thames. He gives a scathing look back.
Cass has a knowing smile on her face. She nudges me as I take a spot next to her on the couch. I try to hold back a snort, which I do unsuccessfully.
Athias glares at the unladylike noise, and I fall silent.
“Very well,” Athias begins. “As most of you are aware, I’ve finally located Cairo’s father, Christopher, in Europe.”
Cairo’s mother, Clara, shows no sort of emotion whatsoever. He might as well have told her he found the lost city of Atlantis. I expected her to show some sort of feeling… hurt… rage… relief… but there’s nothing.
Is that what love looks like when it’s been left out in the cold? Or did she never care about Christopher at all? Thames told me the story of what happened between his father, his mom, and Cairo’s dad. Was Alexander the one Clara truly adored, and Christopher just a way to dull the pain after he left?
“You found your dad?” Thames asks. He leans back on the couch and glances at his brother.
Cairo nods. He seems stiffer than usual.
“He’s in Greece,” Athias says. “Athens, most likely. I’ve pinned him down at a homestead in the countryside, somewhat of a rallying point for angels traveling from here back to heaven.”
“Well, what are we waiting for?” I ask. “Let’s go get him.”
“It’s not that simple,” Cairo says, roughly. “We have to make a plan. Convince him that he has to join us.”
“Not to mention that if Christopher actually agrees with Roman’s way of doing things, he could join him,” Cassia says.
Cairo winces, as if he’s been physically hurt, and Cassia quickly says, “But that’s not going to happen.”
Cassia reaches out to put her hand on Cairo’s. He twists his hand to hold hers, but It doesn’t seem genuine.
Things have been weird between them lately. I don’t know what to make of it. Cass has been crabby… I’d almost call her a grouch. Something is bothering her. I only wish I had the power to take away whatever’s hurting my sister. Out of all of us, she’s what holds this group together.
“This is a very risky mission,” Athias says. “Angels don’t interact with Nephilim, except in unusual circumstances, like what happened with Roman. They consider themselves above us, that we are abominations. Getting him to listen will be difficult. Expecting him to help is a grand expectation.”
“Bro,” Thames asks, and he glances over his shoulder at Cairo. “Are you sure you want to do this?”
Cairo says nothing. His face is almost as impassionate as his mother’s. Cassia squeezes his hand. His entire body shakes.
For a moment, I’m glad I have a father who’s evil. I know where my dad stands, and what he wants out of me. Cairo has no idea.
Then Cairo speaks. “We have no other option. Let’s do this. Tonight, we’ll—”
He doesn’t get a chance to finish his sentence. The door to the bunker explodes. It flies several feet through the air and slams into the wall.
Shrapnel flies. Clara is the nearest to the door, and the first to be hit. She goes down… gunfire rings everywhere, and an automatic rifle shatters my ear drum.
“Get down!” Cairo shouts. I feel Thames’ arm on my back as he slams me to the floor and covers my body with his. Cairo’s done the same with Cassia. Athias is kneeling between Clara and Isolde, who are lying on the floor, shielding them with his wings.
Four figures emerge from the smoke and step into the room. As the room clears I see their white wings, recognize their golden hair and shimmering, perfect faces.
The Nephilim council. They’ve found us.
There’s no way out. The bunker only has one exit, and the council is blocking the way.
I know these faces. These are Nephilim who have gone on missions with me, who have fought beside me. Now, they’re my enemy.
Clara’s bleeding. Isolde is underneath Athias’ wings, trying to put pressure on the shrapnel wounds to stop the bleeding.
Cairo and Thames both have eyes on their mother. She’s not immortal. She won’t last, not unless we get her help.
But then again, it looks like it’s going to be the last night for all of us.
“Last chance,” one of the Nephilim says. He raises an assault rifle and points it at us. “Roman is willing to extend his good graces one last time. Join him, and he’ll spare your lives.”
“You’re going to have to fill us with quite a few bullets,” Cairo growls. “We don’t go down that easily.”
“We’re not talking about you.” The Nephilim points his gun toward Clara and Isolde. Isolde shivers under the length of the gun. I feel like I’m choking. Athias doesn’t stand down, but he can’t protect both of them. Not against all those guns.
“All right!” Lena says. She and Thames stand. A Nephilim’s rifle is on her as she stands, holding her hands up. “We surrender. Take us to my dad.”
I see that glint in her eyes. She’s got a plan. I nod, slowly rising to my feet and following her lead. Cairo copies. All of us put our hands in the air.
“Good to see you have come to your senses,” a Nephilim comments as Lena proceeds slowly toward him. He relaxes; he was afraid he was going to have to fight us.
That turns out to be his biggest mistake. As he drops the rifle, Lena grabs the barrel and points it into the air. Bullets go spraying everywhere into the ceiling and drywall comes crumbling down.
The other Nephilim go to react. Cairo, Thames and I lunge for the remaining rifles. Thames wrenches one from his opponent’s hand. Cairo kicks his enemy down, and I headbutt the girl closest to me. As she collapses I wrench her weapon
out of her hand. The four of us step back and point the rifles down at the council.
“Don’t move!” I shout, shoving the barrel against the temple of the Nephilim I attacked. “If you do, we’ll shoot!”
“Go ahead. You could empty that clip and still not kill us,” she snarls.
“Yeah, exactly! So why’d you attack us with it?” Thames asks, hanging on paranoia.
Something isn’t right. Guns don’t kill Nephilim. We heal too quickly from the bullets. Why did they bring them?
Then I see something. Red numbers ticking off inside the coat of the girl beneath me. The Nephilim’s obvious relief when we agreed to join them, and not fight back, suddenly makes sense.
The guns weren’t there to kill us. They were only a distraction.
“Everyone get down!” I scream.
Cairo gets it the second after I do. He grabs both Thames and Lena by the shoulder and throws them in the direction of Athias, Clara and Isolde. Both of us spread our wings wide. Thames and Athias take the hint. We create a collective circle, each of our wings creating an impenetrable barrier.
They’re the strongest part of a Nephilim, only able to be broken by angles. Our wings are our only chance.
“Cass!” Lena screams, and she looks at me. “What about Sydney?”
Someone’s ramming a hammer into my chest. Panic. I go to leave the circle but Cairo snatches me firmly, holding me in place.
“Cassia, no.” Cairo holds me firmly. The pain in his eyes echoes my own utter devastation. “It’s too late.”
“I made the bunker impervious to explosives!” Athias bellows. “Everyone just hold—”
The bombs go off, and the bunker explodes. Debris falls from the ceiling and furniture goes hurtling around the room. I don’t see anything that’s happening between our feathers, but the sound is like a freight train hurtling by my ear. The ground shakes. I struggle to hold onto the floor and keep our shield intact. Cairo lets out a grunt of pain. Something large must’ve hit him. I grab onto his hand and clench it tightly as the area around us shudders and fire erupts. Smoke fills the room… Thames scrunches up his face in pain.
Once the initial blast is over, I let down my wings. They’re singed and burned from the blast, with multiple feathers missing, but I don’t care. They’ll heal. Cairo, Thames and Athias’ wings look about the same, but none of us are hurt. Isolde doesn’t seem to mind the initial blast… she’s too busy watching over her dying best friend.
“Sydney!” Lena cries again. She shoves Thames aside and goes running into the spare bedroom, where we’ve been keeping Sydney’s body. She rips the door off and goes charging inside.
“Mom!” Cairo sinks to his knees and cradles Clara in his grasp. She’s passed out… and losing a lot of blood.
“We have to get out of here!” I cough… smoke and fire is filling this place quickly. Nephilim can heal quickly, but we still have to breathe. At this rate Thames will be the only one left alive in minutes.
I don’t know what to do I don’t know what to do
Lena’s back. She’s shaking... and carrying a blackened, burnt, and charred body. “Sydney. She…”
Lena makes a choking sound, and lets out a tearless sob. I know what she was about to say.
The flames around us billow higher. I take Lena by the arm and drag her beside me, my hand a vice, never letting go. Lena hangs tightly onto Sydney’s body, no longer recognizable. Cairo carries Clara to the door. Thames kicks and tosses random burning shit out of the way so we have a clear path.
I try not to look at the chunky remains of the Nephilim council that are spread all over the bunker. Tip-toeing around entrails and attempting not to throw up, I haul Lena to the exit.
Thames rams the debris blocking the door aside with his shoulder, and it dissolves into ash at his touch. I’m able to drag my sister into the outside world. Once she’s safe, I turn back and start helping everyone else. Once I’ve dragged Athias out, I step back and observe the mess that was our safe house.
Lena’s quivering harder than before. Sydney’s body is at her feet. She’s making tiny, stuttering noises that don’t form any coherent words.
Then, she takes off her jacket. Lena drapes it over the top half of Sydney’s form, covering her torso and face. When it disappears, she starts bawling.
Roman sent those Nephilim in there with bombs strapped to their bodies. He was going to set them off if they didn’t manage to convince us to come with them as prisoner.
Lena knows this. It’s why she’s in shock now.
That, and the fact that Sydney’s gone forever.
We don’t even know what’s going to happen to her soul now; whether it’s in heaven, or hell. Cody still has it.
“Agh! The bastards!” Thames rips a kitchen knife out of his wing that was thrown in the explosion. The wound starts healing instantly. “Could’ve told us they were about to blow themselves up, right, Lena?”
He glances at his girlfriend. His expression changes when he notices hers. When she doesn’t answer, Thames crosses over to her and starts rubbing her arms, like he’s warming her up. Lena continues to cry.
I feel even more emotionless than before. It’s like the more that happens, the more immune I become to it.
Like I’m fading away.
Cairo’s still clinging to his mom. Blood is soaking his shirt. Clara’s mouth hangs open, her neck dragging limply against his arm. He looks utterly helpless.
“She needs a hospital. I have no supplies,” Isolde says. “The shrapnel’s too deep. Emergency surgery is the only thing that’ll save her.”
“We can’t go to a hospital, Roman will find us there,” Athias argues. Several feathers droop off of his wings loosely. They seem to have gotten grayer in the past few months.
“She will die! Don’t you understand?” Isolde screams. Cairo turns pale. Thames holds tighter onto Lena.
I’ve got to take control of this situation. I’ve got to— I’ve got to.
“We’re not going to let anything happen to Clara,” I say. I lock eyes with Cairo, and now, it’s a promise to him… a promise that I’m making and that I’d rather die than break. “Let’s just think about what to do, and—”
“Hold on,” Thames says, cutting me off, and he points upward. “Look.”
I glance upward. Someone with wings is flying toward us. At first, I think it’s the Nephilim council, extras sent by Roman in case the others didn’t finish the job. But there’s only one Nephilim flying, not several, and his wings are black. It’s a male. He’s got someone, a small female, that he’s carrying in his arms.
The Nephilim lands with his back to us. The female stands, and turns to face us.
My stomach drops out when I see who it is.
“Lavonne!” I scream. “What the hell are you doing here?”
It’s literally Lavonne, my friend, my only girlfriend left from high school. She was literally carried in by a Nephilim, looking like this is something she does every day. She’s wearing a one-piece nylon combat suit and has a pistol holstered to her hip.
I have a thousand questions, and by god, somebody better start giving me some answers.
“There’s no time for that, Cass. We’ve gotta move, before they come back.” Lavonne strides toward me with intention, not paying attention to the burning bunker behind us.
“I— we— you…” I’m flustered.
“It’s all right, Cassia. We’re here to help.” The Nephilim that had his back to me turns around. He’s got dark skin, and a kindly face. I recognize him instantly. It’s Lavonne’s dad, Allen. I only know him from hanging out at Lavonne’s place from time to time, and because he paid for our trip after graduation. He’s a Nephilim, too? I never guessed.
His wings. They’re black, like mine. What happened to him to make them that way?
Lavonne’s eyes count us. When they make a circle, she stops.
“Sydney,” she starts, looking to me. “Where is she?”
“She…�
�� My voice cracks. “She…”
Lavonne notices the burnt figure on the ground, with Lena’s coat over it. Lavonne’s face crumples. Her shoulders sag, and her knees buckle. “No,” she whispers. “Please don’t tell me she…”
When nobody answers, Allen puts a hand on his daughter’s shoulder. I move forward to give her a hug, all questions gone for now. “I’m sorry, Lavonne. She’s gone.”
Lavonne pulls away from my embrace. She backs up, face hardened and broken at the same time. “It’s okay. I had hoped, but I knew the chances were…”
She clears her throat and turns her back to the corpse. “Like I said, there’s no time,” Lavonne says, weakly. “I’ll… I’ll grieve later.” A tear slips out of her eye, but she nearly slaps it away.
“My mom,” Cairo says weakly. He clutches Clara closer to his chest. “She needs help.”
“We have the resources,” Lavonne says. “But we have to get there. Quickly, before Roman’s goons start showing up.”
“How do you know about that?” Lena asks. She speaks for the first time. Her voice is hoarse and barren.
“There’s a lot that I know,” Lavonne responds quietly. “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you earlier, Cassia. The circumstances…”
She shakes her head again. Allen moves to the center of us. He extends his wings and arms in both directions.
“Everyone grab onto me,” Allen says. “I’ll teleport us to safety.”
“Can you handle us all?” Thames asks as he grabs onto his arm.
“I have the strength,” Allen responds.
“But… but Sydney—” Lena protests, glancing at the shrouded body.
“I’ll send others to bring her back,” Lavonne says. “I promise.”
“Others?” I ask. “What is going on?”
“Like I said, Cass. No time to explain.” Lavonne gives me a sad, apologetic look.
I’m too tired to argue. I just want to get out of here. Each of us reach out and take hold of a part of Allen’s sleeve; Cairo clings to his mom with one arm, and holds onto Allen with his free hand.
