“Careful,” Lucas said nearby. “Hale thinks you’ve got a cracked rib.” His voice kindled a warmth inside me. I turned and found him sitting in a chair across the living room. His right hand was wrapped in a small towel, and an angry red mark darkened half of his face.
Lucas stole a quick glance at the grownups in the dining room. As he turned, I saw the hair matted with blood along the side of his head. I eased off the couch and went to him, ignoring the throb of protest in my side.
“You’re hurt,” I whispered, kneeling by his chair to look into his eyes.
“I’ve had worse.” Lucas raised his good hand and traced fingertips across my cheekbone. His hand lingered to sweep a lock of hair behind my ear. Then he lowered his hand to brush my side gingerly. I sucked in a sharp breath at the touch. Lucas’ eyes tightened with misery. “I think I got off easier than you did.”
“You got thrown through a window,” I said. “Why aren’t you at the hospital?”
In answer, Lucas nodded to something behind me. I turned. Eric’s leather jacket was draped over a chair. Long scratches marred its surface. If Lucas hadn’t been wearing the jacket when he’d gone through the window, the glass would have shredded his skin.
“Derek almost killed you,” I whispered, finally realizing how lucky we were to have survived.
“About that.” Lucas tilted my face up gently. “I haven’t had a chance to thank you for stopping him.”
“All I did was give him another target.”
“Don’t do that.” The look Lucas gave me was so intense my breath caught in my throat. “I’m alive because of you.” He still held my chin lightly in one hand. As if he read my thoughts, Lucas leaned forward, lips parted.
“Lucas,” Hale called from the dining room. His voice sounded tense. “Go home.”
Lucas and I turned. Hale was moving toward us. Behind him, Dad and Gretchen stood close together, watching us. Lucas dropped his eyes, smiling sheepishly.
“Busted,” he said quietly to me. “I’ll see you later.” He stood, picked up Eric’s jacket with his good hand, and left.
After Lucas left, Dad stepped away from Gretchen. I saw what he’d been hiding from us. Gretchen held a gleaming Guardsman’s dagger in one hand. Dad’s hand was wrapped tightly around her wrist, immobilizing her.
“Drop it,” Dad said quietly. The hairs on the back of my neck stood on end. Gretchen glared murder at me, but she let her hand open. The dagger fell, thunking into the wood of our dining room floor.
“This is exactly what I said would happen,” Gretchen said. “I called it as soon as you told me what she was.” Her eyes never left my face. Grief and rage washed over her features.
“You don’t make the calls,” Hale said. “Drive Lucas to the hospital. We’ll talk about this later.”
Gretchen didn’t move. “This isn’t just about Lucas,” she said. “If you put your faith in her, you put us all at risk. The cause...”
“She’s made her choice, Gretchen,” Hale interrupted. “She proved that tonight.” Hale gave me a brief nod of approval before turning back to Gretchen. “You don’t have to like it, but she’s part of the team.”
Gretchen stewed, but didn’t argue. She turned on Dad. “Keep her away from Lucas.” With another glare at me, she stormed out into the night.
Dad finally relaxed. He bent to retrieve the dagger. I stood, gasping at a severe twinge in my side. Dad’s eyes creased with worry. “We should get you to the hospital, too.”
“Wait,” I said. “There’s something I need to tell you.” I glanced at Hale, uneasy. “Both of you,” I said.
Dad helped me back to the couch as Hale joined us in he living room. Dad sat beside me on the couch, while Hale perched on the edge of the coffee table. “I know what they’re are planning,” I said. Their eyes widened in surprise. “They’re going to tear down the Wall separating our worlds on Winter Solstice.”
“How...?” Hale’s eyes were full of questions.
“Karayan. The Lilitu who killed Derek. She found me in my dream.” Dad and Hale looked at one another. The revelation seemed to leave them breathless. For a long moment, no one spoke.
“Did she say anything else?” Hale asked. “Anything about how or where...?”
“No. But she told me...” I swallowed, uncomfortable. “She told me to ask you about Lilitu... sustenance.” Dad nodded slowly. “I guess we’re going to have that sex talk after all,” I said, trying to smile. Dad reached out and squeezed my hand. We heard the thin sound of a siren growing stronger by the moment.
Hale stood. “All right. The police will be here soon. We should prepare.”
“There’s one last thing,” I said. “She mentioned someone called Ais.” Hale and Dad turned to me, eyes suddenly sharp.
“Are you sure,” Dad said, his voice strained with tension. “You’re sure she said ‘Ais?’”
“Does that mean something to you?” I asked.
Hale turned to my dad with a grim look.
“No,” Dad said, answering an unasked question. “Don’t even think about it.”
“We need him,” Hale replied. “And you know it.”
“Hale, please.” Dad glanced at me, eyes tight with anxiety.
“Can you think of anyone else?” Hale asked. Dad dropped his eyes, silent. Hale stood. “I’m going to make the call,” he said.
Two hours later, Dad held my hand as I was wheeled back into the St. Stephen’s hospital emergency room. I’d been examined and x-rayed, and they’d given me something for the pain before taping my middle tightly. The medication was making me a little loopy, but at least it muted the pain. As an orderly steered my bed into a curtained partition, I spotted Lucas sitting on another hospital bed across the aisle. He smiled at me faintly. Gretchen noticed and pulled their curtain closed.
“All right, young lady,” the doctor said, giving me a kind smile. “Why don’t you rest. I’ll be by with the results in about an hour. Sound good?” When I nodded, he turned to my dad, lowering his voice. “The police are waiting to talk with her.”
“Can you give us five minutes before you send them in?” Dad asked. The doctor nodded and pulled the curtains closed around us. Dad sat on my bed and lowered his voice. “Listen, honey,” he said. “The police are going to interview you about tonight. I want you to stay as close to the truth as possible. You snuck out of the house, you went to the club, tell them all of it just like it happened.”
“Minus the demons,” I murmured.
Dad nodded. “When you get to what happened in our house, tell them you and Lucas and Derek came home after the club and found a masked man robbing the place.”
“Why can’t we tell them about Karayan?” I asked, uneasy. “Not that she’s a Lilitu, but...”
“The police aren’t equipped to deal with a Lilitu,” Dad whispered urgently. “Please trust us on this. Hale’s already briefed Lucas. Your stories need to match.”
I nodded unhappily. The curtain parted and two detectives came in, a woman and a man.
“Hello, Braedyn,” said the woman. She looked older than her partner. Seasoned. “I’m Detective Kerns, and this is Detective Bierson. I understand you had a pretty traumatic night.” She flipped open a notebook and took out a pen.
I nodded.
“Why don’t you take us through your evening. Everything you remember. No detail is too small. Okay?”
I took a deep breath and started talking. As I talked, Kerns wrote down everything I said. She stopped me periodically to ask a question. Bierson watched me the entire time like a hawk. I did what Dad wanted. I talked about sneaking out and heading to the club. I told them about my birthday celebration, and described the confusion when someone pulled a fire alarm.
“Do you know who pulled the alarm?” Kerns asked.
“No,” I lied. Bierson jotted something down on a piece of paper. “I only remember people running off the dance floor.”
“Did you see any weapons?” Kerns asked.
&n
bsp; I glanced at Dad. He nodded imperceptibly. “Knives,” I murmured.
Kerns nodded. “That’s consistent with what some of the other kids are saying, but no one stuck around long enough to get a good look at the suspects,” she said. “All the bouncer could tell us was there were two armed men fighting.”
“Like a gang fight?” Dad’s expression was one hundred percent concerned father. Lucas was right. It didn’t matter that the bouncer had seen them; the Lilitu had covered their tracks.
“I’d rather not speculate on that just now,” Kerns said to my dad, then nodded for me to continue. I described leaving the club with Derek and Lucas, and getting home to find someone in our house. I described the punch to the ribs, and running to get Lucas’ help. But then I switched to Dad’s version of events. I described the killer as male and wearing a mask. In this version of events, the masked man threw Lucas out of the window, and I watched helplessly as he killed Derek, then fled when my dad arrived.
“All right.” Kerns stood, gesturing to Bierson. “We may have some follow up questions for you later. In the meantime, you focus on healing, okay? We’ll do everything we can to catch this guy.”
I mumbled a thank you and they left.
Dad put a hand on my shoulder. “Why don’t you try to get some sleep?” he said. I shook my head wearily. Exhaustion made my whole body feel three times heavier than normal, but I was too freaked out to sleep. After about half an hour, Kerns and Bierson returned. They had fresh coffee with them. The smell made my stomach queasy.
“I don’t feel so good,” I said. Dad felt my forehead, concerned.
“Just a few more questions, Braedyn,” Kerns said, flipping through her notes. “You said Derek was still alive after the intruder threw Lucas out of the window?”
“Um, yeah,” I said, groggy. “The killer got him in a chokehold. I heard his feet scraping on the floor. His hands... he was trying...” I saw it all again, vividly. Hale with an arm around Derek’s face. Derek, mad with rage, ready to kill us all. “He was trying to pull the guy’s arm away from his neck. He couldn’t breathe...” I couldn’t stop the flood of memory. The smell of coffee was way too thick. I turned and snatched up a plastic bucket, retching for the second time that night. My stomach heaved, but it was empty. The spasm sent a new wave of pain through my side and I sobbed out a moan. Dad was on his feet in an instant, taking the bucket out of my hands and helping me lay back.
Kerns stood quickly. “I think that’s all we need for tonight.” Bierson nodded and closed his notebook. “Mr. Murphy, can I have a quick word?” Kerns gestured for Dad to follow her out. I sank back into the gurney, curling onto my good side. I felt my thoughts swimming, and noticed absently that the over-washed hospital sheets seemed to have no smell. They were stiff and cool against my face. I stayed curled on my side until Dad came back.
“Good job,” he murmured, stroking my hair. “I think they bought it.”
“Knock, knock,” my doctor said, pulling the curtains open. “I’ve got your x-rays.” He flipped on a light board over my bed and Dad and I turned to look. Hale had been wrong. My rib wasn’t cracked. It was broken. “There’s not too much we can do for you,” the doctor said. “It’s just going to take some time for you to heal. Keep them taped for a few days, but no longer. You need to be able to take deep breaths or you could develop lung problems down the road.”
By the time the hospital released me, it was dawn. I gingerly changed back into my blue dress. It felt strange walking into the morning light. The police left a patrol car behind to give us a lift. We couldn’t go home because the crime scene investigators hadn’t cleared it yet. So Dad asked the police to drive us to the Guard’s house.
Hale opened the door for us. He’d anticipated us; he’d made up beds in two of the vacant rooms upstairs. As Hale led us up the stairs, I saw Lucas in his room. Gretchen was in there with him, talking. Lucas stood as I passed, his face full of concern, but Gretchen caught his arm before he could come to me.
“Give her some space,” Gretchen said. “She’s never seen anyone die before.” She glanced at me, her expression ice.
But Lucas’ face was alive with feeling. His eyes held mine, steady, until Hale stopped in front of two doors at the end of the hallway. Each small room had a twin bed, curtains on the window, and nothing else.
“Let me know if you need anything,” Hale said. He clasped Dad’s hand, then glanced at me. My eyes traced the thin scar from his eyebrow down onto his cheek. Sometimes, like now, it almost disappeared against his skin. “She’s a credit to you, Murphy,” Hale said quietly. A warm smile spread over Dad’s face. Hale put his hands on my shoulders. “Rest for now. We’ll talk about what comes next when you’re feeling stronger.” Hale walked back to the stairs and down into the house below.
“Are you hungry?” Dad asked.
“No,” I said. “I just want to sleep.”
“About the club...”
Guilt twisted in my gut. “I know. I’m sorry.”
“I’m not trying to make you feel bad.” Dad’s voice dropped. “Considering everything that happened, it might be lucky that you were there. I’m bringing it up because...” He smoothed back my hair, and I realized he was fighting tears. My eyes started stinging in response. “I can’t protect you if I don’t know where you are,” he said simply. I leaned into him and he wrapped his arms carefully around me in a tender hug. I yawned, and Dad released me. He pressed the bottle of pain pills we’d picked up at the hospital pharmacy into my hand. “I’ll get you a glass of water.”
“Thanks.” I walked into one of the featureless rooms and closed the door. I eased the dress off, trying to move my ribs as little as possible. Someone had left a t-shirt for me. I lifted it off the bed. A slip of paper fluttered onto the bed. I picked it up. As I read the words, a giddy lightness filled my chest.
I left this shirt for you, in case you’d like something fresh to sleep in. It’s as close as I can get to holding you myself. – L
Someone knocked softly on the door. I slipped the note quickly under my pillow. “Yes?”
The door opened and Dad handed me a glass of water. “Good night,” he said.
“Thanks.” I looked at the window. The sun was starting to come up. Dad kissed me on the forehead and left.
I took one of the pain pills and washed it down with a gulp of water. Then, glancing nervously at the door, I pulled Lucas’ note out and reread it. His t-shirt smelled like clean laundry, but under that, it smelled like Lucas. I slipped it on and wrapped my arms around myself, breathing in his scent. I was still smiling as I climbed into bed, pulled the covers tight around me, and fell instantly and deeply asleep.
I slept like a rock until Dad woke me up, shaking my shoulder gently. The ever-changing marquee of my dreaming mind hadn’t made the nap very restful. Fragments of dreams, most full of anxiety and paranoia and fear, blended one into the next.
“I thought you were going to let me sleep,” I said, rubbing my eyes. I glanced at the window, confused by the afternoon light streaming through a crack in the curtains. “What time is it?”
“It’s nearly three o’clock.”
I did the math, and sighed. “Can I have just a few more hours?”
“Braedyn, it’s Sunday. You’ve been asleep for two and a half days.”
“What?” I sat up, blinking to clear my vision.
“You need to eat something.”
At the mention of food my stomach growled.
Dad nodded decisively. “Get dressed. We’re going out for lunch.” He tossed me a pair of my jeans and a fresh shirt. “I grabbed these for you.” He said, keeping his voice neutral. “I just got word from the police. We can go home tonight.”
I looked up sharply. Dad pulled the door closed as he left. I got out of bed and pulled Lucas’ t-shirt off. It wasn’t until I glanced down that I remembered my broken rib. Only... the pain in my side was almost gone. I peeled back part of the tape from my ribs. The skin beneath looked almos
t normal, just slightly discolored. I left the rest of the tape in place, unsettled. I fished Lucas’ hand written note out from under my pillow and slid it carefully into the pocket of my jeans.
I walked down the hall to Lucas’ room with his t-shirt in hand. His door was closed, so I knocked softly. Gretchen opened the door.
“And they keep telling me not to worry about you,” she said coolly.
“I was just returning this,” I said, holding out the t-shirt. Gretchen grabbed the front of my shirt and pulled me in close. “Hey...”
“You may have the rest of them fooled, little demon,” she whispered in my ear. “But if I ever find you alone with Lucas, I will kill you.”
Anger coursed through my body as I pulled out of her grip. “I would never hurt Lucas.”
“You’re everything he’s training to fight against,” Gretchen said. “And he trusts you. What do you think that will do to him when he finds out the truth?” She looked me straight in the eye, keeping her voice low. “You’ve already hurt him. He just doesn’t know it yet.”
Chapter 11
Standing at the head of the flagstone path leading up to our house, my courage failed.
“Are you ready for this?” Dad asked, noticing my hesitation. I forced myself to nod. Sheets of plastic had been taped over the broken windows. Someone had cleared all the broken glass off the porch, but a few bits still glittered in the yard.
Dad opened the door. We walked into the foyer. Sunlight streamed in through the plastic and flooded the space with bright light. I saw the marks on the wall where Derek had swung the chair for Lucas’ head, but the splintered chair was gone.
I looked at Dad. “You cleaned everything up.”
“I didn’t want you to have to relive it any more than you’re already doing,” he said, squeezing my hand. “You’re my girl. You know that, right?”
I felt tears brimming in my eyes. I hugged him. “I know.” So what if he wasn’t my biological father? He was everything else. His arms tightened around me, then he released me.
Thrall (Daughters Of Lilith) Page 13
