by D. G. Swank
Chapter Eighteen
It took me several seconds to recover enough to speak, but once I could form a coherent thought, I focused on the moment he’d betrayed my trust by using his power on me. The aftereffects of that supernatural zing of attraction still lingered. “What the hell were you doing?”
His eyes darkened. “You’ll have to be much more specific.”
“When you pulled that little stunt with me.”
“Again, you need to be more specific.”
“After you bound that—” I cast a quick glance up to his driver, then back to Abel.
“You may speak freely. Carl is bound to secrecy.”
“By . . . magic?”
A hint of a grin tipped his lips, but I could tell he was still unnerved. “By an NDA.”
I still didn’t feel comfortable talking about this in front of him. Besides, what antiques dealer needed an NDA? “You may trust Carl with your secrets—”
“I do.”
“But I don’t know him well enough to trust him with my grocery list.”
Abel searched my face for several seconds. “Carl. Take us to the basilica and park in the parking lot.”
“Yes, sir.”
The basilica was downtown, only a few blocks from my car. I had to admit that I was spooked by the thought of being outside alone in the dark, which was stupid, because no one downtown was really ever alone at this hour. Besides, out of all the people walking around, I was the only one who could actually do something to the demons.
Even if I hadn’t figured it out yet.
I had so many questions, most of which I refused to discuss in front of his driver, so I asked one that felt safe. “Why did Helen call you Kieran?”
“Because that’s my name.”
“Kieran Abel?”
His eyebrows rose and he gave me a cold stare.
“Hey,” I said. “You know my name—it’s only fair that I know yours. But you don’t look like a Kieran to me, so I’ll keep calling you Abel.”
He gave me a look that suggested he was pleased with my statement, although I had no idea why.
We were silent for the rest of the short drive to the basilica. Carl pulled into the nearly empty parking lot, then—without receiving further instructions—got out of the car and left it idling.
I turned toward Abel after watching Carl walk over to the church. “What are you?”
“The more important question is what are you?”
“And?” I asked. “What am I?”
He gave me a teasing grin. “That was your homework assignment, Waboose.”
“Waboose? What does that mean?”
“Focus, Piper. I think the answer is in the codicil.”
“In my family history? And that curse my father wanted me to look into?”
“Powers are inherited or bestowed,” he said. “How do you think yours were acquired?”
I suspected Abel was right. If my father wasn’t crazy, and I was starting to believe he hadn’t been, I was related to a man whose only known child had been born about a month after the colonists first landed in Roanoke—a man who’d disappeared along with his wife and child. I supposed the answers were currently on Roanoke Island in the form of over a hundred skeletons, but as far as I knew, no details about the bodies had been released. For now, I was going with my gut. “Inherited.”
“I agree.”
“Is that how you knew about me? You’ve studied my family tree?”
“I knew of your family lineage. That in and of itself didn’t necessarily mean anything, of course. You drew my interest because you communicated with ghosts. When I added that to your family’s history, it made you exponentially more important.”
“You must have had second thoughts when you realized it was a lie.”
“Only for a fraction of a second. I could sense all of your power, hidden just beneath the surface. Valvad must have sensed it too last night in your client’s house. But the concealment must have confused him into believing you weren’t that special after all. I wasn’t sure why you hadn’t begun to develop your true potential yet, but I hoped the pendant would spark it to life while protecting you at the same time.”
“How?”
“By hiding your power from the demons. Kind of like a one-way street. But that was blown to bits tonight because you aren’t wearing it.” His tone hardened slightly. “Where is it?”
I believed he was being truthful, so I figured I’d offer him the same courtesy. While I still didn’t absolutely trust him after the way he’d tried to seduce me with his power, I wasn’t ready to address that just yet. I wanted to get the other answers first. I suspected all civil conversation would cease once I started down that particular path. “I took it off to show Jack.”
“Why are you wasting your time with him?”
“I was looking for ways to kill a demon.”
“I told you how. You need the daggers.”
“But I don’t even have any semblance of a lead, Abel. I don’t really know what I’m looking for. Do you know how many daggers there are in the world? This is beyond needle in a haystack territory. I needed something in the interim.”
He was quiet for a moment, but then an amused smirk lit up his eyes. “And what did the priest say about the pendant?”
“Nothing about the stone. He focused more on the metalwork on the back. The interconnected circle and square.” I held out my palm and stared at it in horror. “The lines are darker. Am I going to be stuck with this thing on my hand for the rest of my life?” I told myself it was the least of my problems, which was undoubtedly true, but how would I explain this to everyone? More to the point: How would I tell Nana? She would have a fit, one added benefit.
He glanced down at it before looking up to meet my eyes. “You’re growing in strength.”
While I tried to find that reassuring, it sounded like it would tip my hand to the demons. Then again, I was already on their radar. Especially after tonight. “Do you really think I’ll develop the power to send them away?”
“And kill them,” he said, his eyes turning dark. “I’m counting on it.”
If he didn’t care about the demons, why was he counting on me being able to kill them? But I already knew he wouldn’t answer that, so I kept things simple. “I didn’t tonight.”
“No, but it will come. Your abilities have already developed so much. Thargos was hiding itself tonight, and from what I could tell, you could clearly sense it.”
“How do you know it was hiding?”
He frowned, thinking it over, and finally said, “It’s like asking me to describe how I know your dress is black or that the priest’s shirt was blue. I just know it. I don’t give any thought to how I know.”
“Why am I just now seeing and hearing things? I’ve been working as a ghost hunter for months . . . Some of them must have been real, but I never heard or saw anything unusual.”
“The colony’s reappearance opened a door to the underworld, but the demons are slow to regain their strength. They were locked away for centuries, and it is taking them some time to recover and spread.”
“What opened the door?”
He gave me an apologetic smile. “The curse broke, but don’t ask me how. You must find that out on your own. All I can say is that you’re part of a very important family line.”
The curse from the codicil. I wanted to hear all about that, but first I needed to understand something else. “And the ghosts? Were they trapped too?”
“No. They are separate entities from demons, even if people sometimes confuse the two. Demons were never human—they were all born or created as demons, although there are a handful of aberrations that started as human and were changed. Ghosts are not bound by the same rules, so they weren’t trapped by the curse. Otherwise, I would have known your ghost-hunting business was a fraud.”
The word fraud struck a nerve. I glanced out the window, filled with fresh shame. “While I may have misled people, I’m sure I help
ed some of those ghosts move on . . . I just didn’t realize I was doing it.” I turned back to face him. “The demon asked if I was a curse keeper, but you said I’m not. What does a curse keeper do?”
“It was the curse keepers’ job to guard the gates to hell. They were the ones who opened the gates in June.”
“And I’m guessing the Lost Colony was tied to the curse . . .”
“Yes.” Then he uttered something under his breath. I didn’t make out the words, but it was obvious he was pissed.
For some reason, it hurt my feelings, although I wasn’t sure why. “Are you mad at me?”
His face softened. “No, Kewasa, I only wish I were.”
“Why?” I asked, genuinely baffled.
He shook his head, but he seemed sad. “I’m telling you things I should let you discover on your own. It’s part of your journey, but I find it hard to tell you no.” The expression on his face suggested he wasn’t sure how to deal with that.
“Why did you call me Kewasa?”
“Remember how the demon asked your title? Everything has a title, and often more than one. Your most important title is Kewasa. It means deliverer.”
“Is that what I am? A deliverer of demons and ghosts?”
He grinned. “You are like a small child with all of your questions.”
When he worded things like that, he seemed much older than someone his age. “How old are you, Abel?”
“Old enough.” He shifted in his seat. “We’ll take you to your car.”
He rolled down the window and motioned to his driver, who was standing at attention about twenty feet away. Carl started toward the car.
“Wait.” I grabbed his arm and felt a warmth flow through me that caught me by surprise. “I have one more question.”
“I’ve answered enough questions tonight, Waboose,” he said, sounding exhausted.
“After you ordered the demon to be quiet tonight, you turned your power on me. I felt . . . Were you trying to control me?”
His face tightened. “No, I assure you that was not intentional. I lost control.”
I found it difficult to believe Abel could lose control. “What does that mean?”
“That is all you need to know. I am sorry for any discomfort I may have caused.”
Perhaps it was foolish, but I believed him. I was still confused by what had happened. Was his power like an aphrodisiac? Or did he have sex magic?
Sex magic?
What was this? A game of Dungeons and Dragons? But how else could I describe his power?
Carl opened the door and got inside. I almost asked Abel more questions about his power, but he seemed deep in thought. Rather than interrupt him, I added it to my growing list of questions.
Abel told his driver to take us to my car, and Carl drove straight to it without directions. That should have pissed me off—they had obviously followed me—but after barely escaping from Valvad, I was a little relieved to know he’d been watching.
But it was time for that to stop.
When Carl pulled to a stop behind my car in the public parking garage, I turned to Abel with a firm expression. “While I appreciate that you’ve been watching out for me, I need you to stop now.”
An amused smile tugged at his lips, but he didn’t respond.
“Is that your way of saying you plan on ignoring my request?”
“When did you realize I was watching? Today?”
I glared at him. “I saw you yesterday when I saw my first ghost. Did you send it?”
“No.”
“Do you know why some of them leave piles of ash and disappear in a wisp of black smoke?”
“No.” He looked troubled to admit it.
“Why were you there?”
“I could sense something was . . . off. And I obviously slipped up this evening, but I took a personal interest in your dinner. It made me sloppy. I’m rarely the one who’s watching you, and I promise you’ll never know anyone is there.”
“That’s plain creepy, Abel. And expensive.”
He gave me an ornery grin. “My sideboards and teacups fetch astonishing prices. Don’t worry about the expense. You’re valuable to me. I can’t let anything happen to you.”
“Until you’re done with me,” I said dryly.
“I’ve never made any secret of the fact that I have a purpose for you, Piper.” But he said it without any of his usual smug attitude.
“Do you plan on sharing this purpose with me?”
“At some point. When you’re ready.” He inhaled, his chest expanding, and his gaze turned tender. “Stay away from Beaucatcher Mountain. I won’t see you for a while.”
“Why not?”
“I hadn’t planned on having contact with you at all until you were ready, which means I’ve given you more than enough information to proceed with your journey. You should be ready to face the demon within a week, but you have to find the daggers first.”
“Face the demon? You mean kill it?”
“Why do you think they call you the demon slayer?” he asked.
It seemed impossible, but half the things I’d done today seemed impossible. “Maybe if I leave them alone, they’ll forget about me.”
“I’m sorry, but that is impossible. They know that you can destroy them. They’ll never leave you alone. But I will do everything I can to help you protect yourself.”
Why did that sound like it wasn’t enough?
I started to open the car door, but he said, “Wait. Give me your phone.”
I narrowed my eyes. “Why?”
“So you’ll have my number in case you need me.”
“I thought I wouldn’t see you again until I was ready.”
“I inadvertently put you in their sights tonight,” he said grudgingly. “If they should find a way to venture down from the mountain, you can call me for help.”
A grin spread across my face. “You like me.”
He looked surprised. “What?”
“Oh, not like that, but admit it, Abel, you don’t find me nearly as infuriating as you expected. You were irritated with me this morning, and you were cold as ice when I first got into your car. But you shared far more than you’d intended, and now you’re giving me your personal number.”
He smirked and tilted his head. “You flatter yourself.”
“Maybe so, but part of the reason you want to protect me is because you like me.” I pulled my phone out of my purse, unlocked the screen, and handed it to him.
He tapped on it for a few seconds, then handed it back to me. “Find the daggers. Let me know when you have them.” He paused. “This is purely professional, Piper. You’d do best to remember that.” I almost believed him, but there was something on his face that said there was more to it. That we had a personal connection even if neither of us understood it or wanted it.
“You keep telling yourself that, Abel.”
Chapter Nineteen
When I got home, Hudson was sitting in front of a laptop and a legal pad at my dining room table, deep in thought. He noticed me standing in the doorway to the kitchen and let out a tiny shout, followed by a scowl, when he realized it was just me. “Don’t sneak up on me like that. I’m paranoid enough as it is.”
“Sorry. I thought you heard me come in.”
“Well, next time announce your presence as you walk in the door.”
“Now entering House Lancaster is Piper Lancaster, deliverer of demons,” I said in a very bad English accent.
His scowl deepened. “Very funny. But speaking of demons, it’s been dark for nearly an hour. Where the hell have you been?”
“I told you. I had dinner with Jack.”
“Speaking of Jack,” he said as if he were my father and I’d been caught coming in after curfew, “he called.”
“What?”
“Somehow he got your landline number and called. He said he wanted to make sure you got home okay.” He raised his eyebrows. “This happened about an hour ago.”
We
ll, crap. I hadn’t really thought about sharing my little field trip with Hudson just yet. I’d wanted more time to think it over. Plus, there was literally no chance he’d approve.
“Where the hell have you been?”
“Aren’t you supposed to add a ‘young lady’ to the end of that?”
“This isn’t funny, Piper. Those things want to kill you. Where did you go?”
He was right, but the last thing I wanted to think about was Valvad watching me drive away. Or the possibility that it would gain enough strength to leave the mountain to come after me. Joking about it was the only way I could handle it at the moment. “I’m sorry if I worried you. I’ll tell you what happened, but I don’t want to say this twice. I’m surprised Rhys isn’t back yet.” She’d asked if she could stay over tonight, and I’d readily agreed, knowing I’d feel safer with both her and Hudson staying with me.
“She texted about fifteen minutes ago and said she was on her way over to spend the night here.”
I nodded, then headed back into the kitchen. Hudson called after me, “Jack’s number is on the caller ID. You might want to let him know you’re home.”
He was right, but I wasn’t looking forward to talking to him. Taking the coward’s way out, I sent him a text apologizing for my abrupt departure.
You can make it up to me by meeting me for lunch tomorrow. I have your necklace. I can give it to you then.
I wasn’t sure that was such a good idea, but one thing was certain: Jack Owen was a hell of a lot more trustworthy than Kieran Abel.
I have a client at one.
Let me come with you. Then he sent: As backup.
He wanted to see what I did, not that I could blame him, but what if I ran into something evil? Valvad had nearly killed Jack before, and I suspected it wouldn’t hesitate to kill him now. I wasn’t sure I wanted to risk it.
What if I run into something evil? I asked.
All the more reason for me to go with you.
Abel didn’t want me to hang out with Jack, but his reasons had seemed baseless. Was he worried Jack would convince me not to trust him? Not my concern. Besides, Abel had admitted that I wouldn’t see him again until I was ready. Who knew when that would be. I’d felt pretty vulnerable tonight, and I wouldn’t mind having someone around, someone who knew everything, who could help me if I ran into trouble.
