“You make it look easy,” he said, flushing slightly.
“Hale,” Thane called from the staircase. Lucas and I froze as Thane descended into view. “Marx is asking for details about the accommodations we’ll be able to offer the Guardsmen—” Thane’s voice broke off as his eyes found Lucas and me.
Suddenly self-conscious, I rolled off of Lucas. We got quickly to our feet, but the damage had already been done. Gretchen looked over, sizing up the situation in half a second. She walked quickly onto the mat, placing herself between Thane and us.
“You,” Thane hissed, turning on Gretchen. “You’re supposed to be chaperoning them.”
“It’s fine, Thane,” she started. “They were just sparring.”
“I have eyes, Ms. Mitchell. And I’m not a fool.”
“They know the rules, Thane.” She turned to face us, crossing her arms. “Right?”
I felt my cheeks reddening and lowered my eyes. “Yes,” I said. “We were just messing around.”
“This is not a game,” Thane said quietly, advancing toward me slowly. “What seems innocent could cross the line in the blink of an eye. One mistake might cost Lucas his life. And if he dies, you would face the wrath of the entire Guard.”
I felt hot anger swelling inside, but I refused to blink, determined not to let Thane see how his words had affected me. Gretchen planted her hand on his chest, arresting him in his tracks. “They get it, Thane. Back off.”
Thane shrugged. “I’ll leave them in your capable hands, then,” he said, smiling slightly. He turned toward Hale, who was frowning at Lucas and me thoughtfully.
“Actually, Lucas,” Hale said. “We could use another hand with the equipment.”
Lucas glanced at me wordlessly, then went to help Hale. Stricken, I fled up the staircase to escape the armory, Thane’s judgment, Hale’s suspicion.
Gretchen followed me. “I know you two are being careful,” she said quietly. “Don’t let him get to you.”
I froze in my tracks. Someone had left the TV on in the living room. It was muted, but I didn’t have to hear the newscaster speak. The words “MISSING WOMAN” scrolled beneath a smiling photo. The next moment, the screen changed and a home movie of the missing woman began playing.
“Braedyn?” Gretchen said. She followed my gaze to the TV.
“She was a mother,” I whispered. On screen, the woman played with two little girls at a birthday party. Smiling. Happy. Alive. Her husband came onto the screen. They kissed, and the touch was one of deep and genuine love.
This missing woman, this loving wife and mother, she was the Thrall who’d attacked me at the mission.
News of the Thrall’s identity energized the Guard. Thane and Gretchen went to canvass her neighborhood, trying to find out what they could about her life before she’d become a Thrall. Whatever they’d managed to learn, it wasn’t enough to satisfy Gretchen. If anything, she seemed more puzzled after their research trip. I heard her talking to Dad in a low voice after dinner.
“As far as I can tell, the marriage was real.”
“Really?” Dad sounded surprised, which made no sense to me.
“I don’t know,” Gretchen said. “Maybe she played both sides?”
Before I had the chance to find out what they were talking about, Hale asked Lucas and me to help with the dishes. By the time I remembered the conversation later that night, I was already in bed. I laid my head down on my pillow, making a mental note to talk to Dad about it tomorrow.
I closed my eyes in my bedroom, and opened them in the dream.
As always, I found myself in my own private dream within the larger, universal dream that all living things share. A field of roses ringed a tiny meadow. The flowers had once been pure white. Now, every petal gleamed a rich blood red, except for a small white spot at its base. I touched one of the roses absently. They were my warning. Each time I fed on the spiritual energy of a living human in the physical world, the petals grew a little more red, a little less white. I didn’t know exactly how it worked, but I knew that it was connected to the angel’s caveat; there was only so much damage I could do to others before I’d cross a line. If that happened, I would never become human.
I turned from the roses, meaning to search out Lucas and join him in his dream.
She was standing in my meadow, arms crossed, watching me. I took an involuntary step back. Honey blond hair cascaded down her shoulders, framing a perfect face. There was no denying her beauty. Karayan. The only other Lilitu ever to have been raised by the Guard.
A jumble of emotions crashed through me, but I fought them back. “What are you doing here?”
“I see you haven’t changed much,” she said, grimly amused at my reaction. “Not that I was expecting a warm welcome. Maybe your basic ‘hello’ or something.”
“Actually, I never got the chance to thank you,” I said in a rush, interrupting her. “For the night Ais died.”
Karayan’s beautiful lips narrowed in a small frown. “Whatever.”
“No, seriously,” I breathed. “What you did—If you hadn’t been there—” I took a step toward her. “We owe you our lives.”
Karayan turned away abruptly. “I didn’t want to see you get killed. It doesn’t mean we’re BFFs or anything.”
I stopped in my tracks. “Sure, my mistake.” I crossed my arms awkwardly. “So, what are you doing here?”
Karayan flipped her hair over one shoulder and fixed her piercing green eyes on me. “Something’s brewing on the Lilitu side. I don’t know the plan, exactly, but it involves some kind of weapon.”
“Okay.” I waited, unsure how to respond to this.
“You don’t get it,” Karayan said, eyes narrowing in irritation. “This is important. Like, ‘it could decide the War for the Lilitu’ important.”
“Okay.” A thought struck me. “Karayan, do you know where the seal is?”
Karayan gave me a disgusted look. “Are you seriously telling me you’re still playing the Guard’s devoted lap dog? They don’t own you, Braedyn.”
“Um, I’m confused,” I said. “Why are you telling me about this weapon thing if you’re not trying to help us win?”
“Us,” Karayan snorted.
“The Guard,” I snapped back.
“I’m not trying to help the Guard, you idiot. I’m trying to help you.”
“And I’m trying to protect my friends and family.” I got the distinct impression Karayan wanted to roll her eyes, but I pressed on. “We could really use your help.”
“My help?” Karayan’s voice sounded incredulous. “Those people aren’t my family, remember?”
“They could be,” I said.
Karayan turned to look out over the field of roses, but not before I saw the stricken look in her eye. After a long moment she spoke again. “Watch your back, Braedyn.” Karayan glanced over her shoulder to meet my eyes. “I don’t know how, but you’re a part of their plan.”
And then she was gone.
Chapter 3
Karayan’s words still shrouded my thoughts the following Monday when Lucas and I arrived at school. I’d told Dad what she’d said as soon as I’d woken up. He hadn’t liked it any more than I had, and had looped Hale and the others into the conversation at breakfast. After an entire Sunday spent deliberating, we’d reached no conclusions about what to do. Karayan’s warning that I was somehow a part of the Lilitu’s plan was too vague to act on, and too frightening to ignore. Hale had even questioned Karayan’s motives, suggesting she might have wanted to upset me to keep me distracted and unfocused. That had given me pause. What did I really know about Karayan? On the one hand, she had basically delivered Derek to the Guard for execution as a Thrall. On the other hand, she had saved all our lives the night of Ais’s death. Would Karayan have gone to the trouble of sparing us once in order to have the pleasure of watching us destroyed later? In the end, whether or not upsetting me had been Karayan’s aim, it was the end result of our conversation.
L
ucas curved his arm around my shoulders protectively while we walked from the parking lot to school. We had to part ways for first period, but he lingered with me outside my class until the last moment.
“We’re going to figure this out,” he said. He brushed the hair back from my forehead, smoothing it behind my ear. I felt a twinge in my middle when he withdrew his hand.
“You sound so sure.”
Lucas gave me a crooked grin. “Come on. You’re Braedyn Murphy. You went head to head with an ancient Lilitu and emerged victorious.”
“One,” I said softly. “And I had a lot of help.” He heard the unspoken fear in my voice. His smile dimmed. If the final battle was drawing closer, it was unlikely we’d be facing just one powerful demon.
“When Gretchen and I first discovered the Guard, we hooked up with this unit. Their oldest soldier was this guy Anders. He must have been 60. Tough.” Lucas smiled faintly at some memory. “He had this saying; ‘don’t go looking for tomorrow’s trouble, it’ll come find you. Just be ready when it does.’”
“That’s supposed to be comforting?”
Lucas laughed softly. “Right. Yeah, it sounds pretty terrible, doesn’t it? But I think what he meant was worrying about what might happen doesn’t help.” The bell rang, and Lucas sighed. “When trouble comes, I’ll be standing right by your side.” He leaned his forehead against mine and we stood there for a long moment, drawing strength from one another. Then he turned and walked down the hallway.
With a leaden stomach, I walked into first period. I spotted Cassie and dropped my books onto the empty desk beside her. She looked up, startled, then smiled.
“Hey, rock star.”
“Huh?” I saw Cassie’s grin deepen and she pointed down to the school newspaper on her desk.
“You’re kind of a big deal,” she said. Her eyes flicked lightly around the room.
I turned and noticed most of the class staring at me with varying degrees of interest. More than one guy straightened when my gaze passed over him. I groaned under my breath and snatched the paper up off Cassie’s desk. Someone had snapped a picture in the mission. It must have been just after the Thrall had attacked Lucas, but neither of them were in the shot. I was standing in the middle of the sanctuary, hair streaming back from my face, my eyes shining with furious power.
Someone slid into the desk on my other side. I braced myself, expecting to find a dreamy-eyed boy giving me a watery smile. I’d learned from experience that the best thing to do in these situations was to end the crush before it had a chance to grow. But as I turned, my prepared speech died on my lips.
It was Amber. She gave me a cool glance, then turned her attention to the front of class where Mr. Landon was writing today’s lesson on the board.
At 8:05, morning announcements began as they always did. Headmaster Fiedler read through the day’s notes with his usual cheerful efficiency, but I wasn’t paying attention. I was trying to figure out why Amber was sitting next to me, ignoring me. There were other seats available, including one by her friend Missy.
Headmaster Fiedler finished with the day’s announcements and his voice brightened. “Okay, last but not least, we’ve got a special announcement from the drama department for you this morning.”
A tinny recording filled the room.
“I’m ready,” came a girl’s hushed voice.
“Are you sure?” a boy asked. Something prickled on the back of my neck.
“I think I love you, Parker,” came the sweet reply.
Cassie gripped the desk beside me, her body going rigid with shock.
The muffled sounds of kissing, the rustle of sheets, then a pause.
“Cassie?” Parker’s voice sounded exasperated. “I thought you wanted this.”
“It’s just— I’ve never done this before,” the recorded Cassie breathed. Students started giggling, a few glanced at Cassie. Cassie’s face could have been carved from stone. Her eyes found mine with silent, desperate pleading. “Can we go slow?”
Titters spread throughout the classroom.
“Um,” Mr. Landon realized at last that this was not the drama department’s special announcement. “Okay, clearly there’s been—” he rushed to the speaker, trying to locate an off-switch he’d never needed before. The recorded sounds of movement grew louder. Cassie leapt to her feet, knocking over her chair in her haste to escape. She fled the classroom, horrified. I stood to follow her.
“No, just— Stay in your seats,” Mr. Landon said, racing out the door after Cassie.
I grabbed Cassie’s and my bags, ready to drive her away from this place, my heart pounding.
“He told you to stay seated,” came Amber’s calm voice. I turned. Of everyone in the classroom, only Amber wasn’t reacting to the sounds issuing over the loudspeakers. She sat, calmly, while our peers clamped their hands over their mouths or laughed outright in disbelief.
“You?” Realization came in an icy rush. Amber’s eyes didn’t waver.
A shrill whine screeched over the speaker and students clutched hands over their ears, wincing in pain.
“...said turn it off!” roared Fiedler. The speaker finally fell silent.
“I told you not to come back to school,” Amber said. Her eyes hadn’t left my face.
I felt my hands balling into fists at my sides. A growing rage clouded my vision. “Why Cassie?”
“Be honest, Lilitu,” Amber said, lowering her voice to a hiss. “You didn’t think I was any kind of threat, did you? Sure, maybe I can’t do anything to you. But you better believe I can make your friends suffer. If you don’t decide to leave Coronado Prep, things are going to get a lot harder for the people you love.”
For a moment, the only thing I could hear was the rush of blood in my ears. I lunged for Amber, but she was faster than I’d bargained for. She jumped out of her seat and grinned at me. The class spun around in their seats to stare at us.
“Girl fight!” one of the guys called, and another round of laughter filled the class. I was too pissed to care. Amber didn’t take her eyes off of me. She was grinning with malicious glee.
“Do it,” Amber said. “I dare you. You’ll be doing me a huge favor by getting yourself expelled.”
It took all of my self-control, but I forced myself to turn my back on her, pick up Cassie’s and my things, and walk out of the classroom.
It took almost 20 minutes, but I finally found Cassie sitting on the bleachers overlooking the school’s soccer field. Royal was perched next to her. As soon as I saw them I texted Lucas, then ran across the field to join them.
Cassie looked up as I arrived, winded from my sprint. She held a long blade of grass in her hands, carefully shredding it into tiny fragments.
“I’m okay,” she said. I glanced at Royal behind her, and he shrugged helplessly. Cassie sensed the motion and smiled wearily. “Guys, I’m okay. I mean, this isn’t going down in my diary as one of the best days ever.” She studied the mutilated blade of grass in her hand then sighed, letting the pieces fall to the earth at her feet. “But I’ve already wasted too much of my life thinking about—” she bit her lip, betraying exactly how close she was to breaking. “Besides,” she whispered, “everyone knew already.” She reached up to wipe away a tear as it slid down one cheek.
“Oh, Cass.” I sat on the bench next to Cassie, fully aware that I was helpless to ease her pain.
“Cassie sandwich,” Royal said. He reached his arms toward me and we pulled each other close in a group hug, squashing Cassie between us.
She struggled between us, but she was laughing. “Okay, okay. I need to breathe.”
As we released her, Lucas appeared at the edge of the field. Cassie saw him and waved. Lucas waved back, jogging over to join us.
“No meltdown pending,” Cassie said as Lucas scooted next to me on the bench. “Pinky swear.” She looked up into the wide, blue sky. A few brilliant white cumulus clouds edged one horizon, fat and lazy and comforting. Cassie watched them for a moment. When
she next spoke, her voice was wistful. “I just wish I knew why.”
It was like a knife turning in my gut. Maybe I should have told them the truth right then; Cassie had been punished for my crimes, and Amber was threatening to hurt the rest of them, too. And I had the power to stop it, I just had to give up the one normal thing in my life: high school.
Instead of speaking, I squeezed Cassie’s hand and vowed to myself to do everything I could to stop Amber from hurting anyone else I loved. Even in my head, the promise sounded hollow.
Cassie refused to leave school, and so when lunch rolled around we took our seats at our usual table. Cassie sat with her back to the wall, facing out into the dining room.
“Let them all get it out of their system,” she murmured, facing the gawking student body fearlessly. But I saw her hand shaking as she reached for a roll, and she couldn’t keep herself from jumping a little each time someone laughed in the dining hall. “Butter?” She said, forcing a cheerful note into her voice.
I grabbed the butter dish and handed it to Cassie, leaning past Lucas. I’d overestimated my reach, and had to brush against him to pass the dish to Cassie. I felt his intake of breath as I pressed against him. I sat back quickly. Lucas’s fingers twitched on the table, and I could practically feel his desire to touch me. In the dream we might spend an entire night entwined. But the sensations of the most intimate embrace in a dream were dwarfed by the sensations of the simplest touch in reality.
“Sorry,” I whispered.
“Don’t be,” Lucas answered, forcing a smile. “I knew what I was getting into. Besides, as hard as this is right now, think how great it’s going to be when we can be together for real.” He reached under the table to give my hand the briefest squeeze. I squeezed back.
“Shut up! Just shut up!” Parker’s voice cut across the din of the dining hall.
Incubus (The Daughters Of Lilith) Page 4
