Demons in Disguise: The Divinicus Nex Chronicles: Book Three

by A and E Kirk

  “First of all, nothing about you is simple. And second, not sure I should be accepting gifts. Does that put me under some sort of Sicarius obligation?”

  “But of course,” he said. “And it includes the consummation of a blood oath, drinking mead from the bladder of a recently sacrificed wild boar, dancing naked with winged fairy frogs under the full moon at the stroke of midnight on the summer solstice, and the promise of our first born to the High Council.”

  “Our first born?”

  He rumbled a deep laugh. “Of all the outrageous terms I listed, it is intriguing, and beyond mildly flattering, that it is the image of our intimate liaison upon which you choose to focus.”

  “I wasn’t imaging…focusing…on any sex—such!—any such thing.” Darn you Freud.

  “If you say so.” Cristiano flashed a wicked grin. “Not a gift then. Freely provided information on my mother and the threat upon your life. But as you are uninterested, it will promptly be destroyed.” He wiped his hands on the apron and moved toward the table.

  CHAPTER 76

  “Don’t you dare!” I raced in front of him and blocked the way, then stared at the folders wondering if they really did hold some answers. Finally.

  Cristiano watched me staring. “Go on. The contents are not rigged to explode. I found you were correct regarding the fact that my mother’s use of unexplained personal time coincided with the dates Dr. Jones saw Heather as well as the attacks upon you. She also signed Heather into Novo, and her release papers bore my mother’s signature. I highlighted those particular notations.”

  I picked up the files and flipped through. “Which makes her look guilty.”

  “Conveniently so.”

  “Meaning?”

  “Read the pages I inserted at the end.”

  I looked them over. “These are your records. The schedule of Top Secret missions your mother sent you on, personal time you took, and some…medical notes?”

  He set down a plate of pastries next to me. “Compare the dates.”

  I munched on the mouthwatering treats while I studied and was on my second cornetto when I understood what he was trying to tell me. I sat back, thinking things over. He eased into a chair across from me, sipping coffee from a tiny cup. Not sure where he found that. He waited patiently as I mulled.

  “Okay,” I finally said. “If all this is true, and I’m still skeptical…”

  “Understood. You must appreciate that much of this information my mother keeps from the Mandatum to protect me. If Tristan verifies the data’s accuracy, then your conclusions are?”

  “My conclusions are that at the time of my attack your mom took personal time to take care of you because you had some sort of ‘episode.’ And all the times Dr. Jones was meeting with Heather, your mom was with you again to help with your recovery or on some secret mission for you, usually in Europe, but nowhere near the states.”

  He gave me a curt nod. “For whatever it is worth, I swear on my honor, on the memory of my dead father, all of that information is true. In which case, perhaps you could humor me and admit the possibility that—”

  “Your mother is being framed.” Hey, felt good to finish one of his sentences for a change. I took another bite of yummy pastry. “Any idea who and why?”

  “No,” he said. “Other than it is someone who knows her schedule well. But that is a long list. Hopefully, Heather can help us narrow it down.”

  A worrying thought hit me. “Did you talk to your mom about all this?” Expose me?

  “Of course not,” Cristiano said. “You are able to trust me with your secrets, I assure you. And even if you didn’t—”

  And I didn’t.

  “—currently, my mother is involved in a mission that keeps her completely isolated from all communication. Even from me.”

  Ah. That Gathering thing. At least she was too busy to be looking for me. Although, there was still her assistant, and her assistant’s assistants, and her assistant’s assistants’ assistants and…oh for the love of Pete, would it ever end? I rubbed my temple to ward off a headache.

  Armani touched my wrist. “Have I said something to cause you distress? My only goal is to help.”

  “No, this is good.” I pulled my hand away and tapped a finger on the files. “Want to elaborate on these ‘episodes’ where your mom had you taken out of commission for recovery.”

  “Not particularly.” He leaned back and sipped his coffee. “Although I might be more inclined to ‘elaborate’ if you shared what it is about you that someone finds so threatening. I could be of more help in discerning the culprit.”

  “Nice try.”

  He lifted a shoulder. “I am known for my persistence.”

  Great.

  Our study session didn’t happen since Cristiano didn’t quite understand the chaos that ensued once the Lahey family started arising. He became their shiny new toy.

  Selena got first dibs.

  CHAPTER 77

  I’d left to put away the files, and when I arrived back in the kitchen, it seemed I’d walked into a confrontation between David and Goliath.

  Cristiano was being stared down by Selena. She came up to his knee and stood with her hands on her hips.

  “You are big.” She looked him up and down then kept her neck craned back. “You are almost Blake big. And he is big.”

  “Yes, he is.”

  “Pick me up, please,” she said in a polite but firm tone.

  Cristiano removed the lobster mitts from his hands, then bent and lifted her up. She looked so small. His large hands practically touched as he wrapped both around her torso. He kept his arms outstretched, elbows locked, putting their faces at eye level, Selena’s feet left dangling.

  She stared at him. “What’re you doing?”

  “My apologies. You asked me to pick you up.” He started to put her down.

  “No, no, no,” she said as if talking to a dimwit.

  Cristiano paused, looking confused and unsure of what to do next. I could have helped him, but I didn’t. It was too entertaining.

  Selena sighed. “Yes, you picked me up, but now you’re just holding me up. After you pick me up, you have to hold me. Here, I’ll show you.” She pawed at him, basically acting like a little monkey, clawing her way up his arm and body until she could latch her hands around his neck and her legs around his waist. “Now you put your arms under me and hold me.”

  He followed directions well, and soon Selena was settled comfortably on his hip, sitting in the crook of his elbow.

  “That’s better.” She began poking her fingers over his face. To his credit, he remained still and serious. Even when her palm rubbed up and down on his neatly trimmed five o’clock shadow. “Ow. Very prickly,” she said. “Like a cactus.” Then she cocked her head and put her face within an inch of his. He didn’t flinch as she scrutinized with intensity. “But your eyes are pretty. And I like your hair.” She gave it a quick ruffle. “Are you as nice as Matty? He’s my special friend.”

  Cristiano gave her a slight nod. “I will try to live up to his stellar example of agreeable nature.”

  It was all I could do not to snort.

  “Uh-huh,” Selena frowned. “But are you as nice as Matty?”

  Cristiano pressed his lips together, rethinking his response. “I will try to be as nice as Matty. But if I fall short—”

  “How do you fall short?” Selena asked, curious. “How do you fall long? Can I see? Will you show me how?”

  He stifled a smile. “What I meant was—”

  I grabbed Selena out of his arms. “He’ll show you later. Go throw the ball for Sadie.” I shooed her into the backyard where barking and bounding after tennis balls ensued, and not just by the dog.

  “She’s five,” I told Cristiano. “Your fancy talk doesn’t fly.”

  “I am sorry.”

  “Don’t be. It’s nice to see something you’re not good at. Makes you seem more human.”

  That appeared to bother him. “I do
not seem human to you?”

  “It can be iffy,” I said. “Don’t worry. You’re not that bad, just not much experience with kids, I take it?”

  “You would be correct.”

  “Yowsah!” Luna said, bursting into the kitchen. “What smells so good?”

  Lucian strolled in behind her. “Five bucks says it’s—”

  At the sight of Cristiano, they both stopped and stared.

  Luna elbowed Lucian. “Five bucks says it’s what?”

  “Never mind,” he said. “I would’ve lost that one.”

  “Dang it,” Luna muttered with disappointment. “So, Aurora, who’s your new friend, and can we expect him to be the next guy to show up in your bed?”

  “Luna!” I choked.

  “What odds are you giving?” Lucian asked. “Long shot or sure thing?”

  “Yes,” Cristiano smiled. “I too am curious.”

  Luna folded her arms and studied Cristiano. “Come on. Look at him.”

  Lucian nodded. “Sure. He’s a hunk. But it’s Aurora.”

  “Yeah,” Luna said. “You’ve got a point. So even money on being in her bed, but—”

  “— long shot on any action actually taking place,” Lucian concluded.

  Cristiano laughed, a sound full of genuine humor and enjoyment. “A poor wager, my young friends, because I can assure you that if I am in her bed, there will be plenty of, as you say, action taking place.”

  “Oooo.” Luna chewed her lip, giving Cristiano a hard squint. “I like the confidence.”

  “Yes,” Lucian said. “It is impressive. So must we rethink the odds?”

  Luna tapped an index finger to her lips. “I believe we have no choice, brother.”

  “Sister, you speak the truth,” Lucian said. “But first, we should interview the play-ah.” He turned to Cristiano. “Sir, we are curious about you, but we also suffer imminent starvation. Can you simultaneously answer questions and cook?”

  “Of course.” Cristiano inclined his head. “I am at your service.”

  “And I am outta here,” I groaned, then left to shower and change, having no desire to remain for whatever fun and games these three cooked up to humiliate me. Armani was on his own. He could handle himself.

  Or so I thought.

  When I came back into the kitchen, Selena was on his hip holding Bubbles and unbuttoning Cristiano’s shirt while asking for a play-by-play regarding every battle scar.

  “Was this one from a troll?” she said with the utmost concern. “It looks like it was from a troll. Trolls are very mean.”

  “Uh, yes?” he said, having trouble answering her while trying to close his shirt which proved impossible, because his only free hand was busy securing Oron who was, for some reason, sitting on Cristiano’s shoulders, pulling and chewing on the Italian’s previously gelled-into-smooth-waves-of-perfection hair.

  Now the waves looked like they were battling a horrendous storm, sticking up in all directions and frozen in the unruly mess by a combination of the leftover gel mixed with Oron’s spit and hefty dollops of his drool, which was generously interspersed with chunky bits of half-eaten chocolate cornetto.

  “Bubbles fought with a troll,” Selena said. “It’s how she lost her eye. But Matty fixed her, and he says her magic kisses can help boo-boos. Kiss, kiss, kiss.” She stuffed Bubbles into Cristiano’s shirt and slid the toy over the scars on his chest and abdomen. “Kiss, kiss, kiss.”

  Cristiano jerked and twisted then frantically grabbed Oron who almost tumbled off his shoulders because of the erratic movement. “Selena,” Armani sputtered between laughs and trying to juggle the two little ones. “Please refrain from—”

  “You’re ticklish!” she declared with triumph and went in for another round of tickling torture.

  Luna snickered as she stuffed a cornetto in her mouth and grabbed Selena, while a laughing out loud Lucian rescued Oron from his precarious perch.

  “Thank you for your assistance,” Cristiano said as he buttoned his shirt. “They quite overwhelmed me.”

  “He’s an only child,” I told Luna and Lucian.

  “Oh, we found that out through our thorough interrogation techniques,” Luna said.

  “Which is why we thought siccing these two on him would be so much fun.” Lucian was still chuckling. “And we were right. Hey, thanks for that awesome breakfast, Cristiano. You totally rule.”

  “Yeah, come back anytime,” Luna said as my rambunctious family left to get ready for school.

  Shirt buttoned, Cristiano tried to salvage his hair. He pulled out a wet mass of gooey pastry dough and smooshed it between his fingers, looking at the glob like it was an alien being.

  “Really?” I said. “Have you never had anything gross stuck in your hair? Demon gore perhaps?”

  “Yes, of course,” he said, still staring as the slimy goo webbed between his splayed fingers. “This is simply something new.”

  I rolled my eyes. “Come on.” I dragged him to the kitchen sink where I tucked a clean dish towel into his collar.

  “What is it you are doing?”

  “Fixing the problem. Just shut up and follow directions.”

  He flashed a wry grin. “Is this the dominatrix role Blake is so fond of?”

  “Sure.” I turned on the water faucet and shoved his head under it.

  “Ahhh!” he yelled and jerked away, water dripping down his face and spraying everywhere. “The temperature of that water is freezing!”

  “Whoops,” I deadpanned, then added hot water to the mix and shoved his head back in. I used the baby shampoo mom kept under the sink for just this type of emergency and vigorously lathered, rinsed, and repeated repeatedly to remove all the gunk.

  “There.” I finished and toweled his hair dry, ignoring his eyes which watched me closely. “Good as new. Well, clean at least.”

  He ran his hands through his hair. It was still damp and without the gel, settled into charming soft curls, lightly tousled, rather than smooth waves. More of the dark blond and caramel highlights showed up too. Even a bit of auburn.

  He kept trying to smooth it back. “Perhaps you have some—”

  “Gel?” I said. “Nah. Leave it. Looks more boyish.”

  His hands paused. “Do you prefer this more boyish appearance?”

  “I prefer that you look more like you fit in at a high school rather than graduating college. Come on. Let’s hit it. I want to check on Heather.”

  CHAPTER 78

  We made it early to school, the mist still shrouding Flint’s massive Gothic structure. There were only a few cars in the lot. I grabbed the bag that Cristiano had specially packed with food for Heather and opened the car door. He caught my arm before I could get out of the passenger's seat.

  “I will wait in the library for one hour. After that, I will come looking for you.”

  “Sure.” I got out, smirking. Like you could find me.

  “Oh, I would find you.”

  I froze, then turned and stared. A chill skittered down my spine.

  He saw me staring. “What? Is it my hair?” He looked in the rearview mirror and flicked it back with his fingers. “I thought you said—”

  “No, not that. Why did you say you’d find me?”

  He tilted his head. “Because you questioned my ability to do so. And I can assure you—”

  “I actually said that?”

  “That is what I heard.”

  “Hmmm.” I scratched my head. I really needed to stop thinking out loud. I shot him a look. “Did you hear that?”

  He gave me a wary look. “You said, ‘hmmm.’ ”

  Phew. “Okay. Good.”

  “Why is that good?”

  “Gotta go!”

  I entered through the massive front doors and ran up the main stairs. The hallway was empty as I scurried into the alcove that magically unlocked only for me, and transformed into an old fashioned shiny brass elevator, only for me. I punched buttons and the room descended. Over a hundred years ag
o, Flint had used his Mandatum hunter power of futuristic technology and built this place for the next Divinicus, with mechanical stuff that responded to me and me alone. I had to admit, it was pretty cool.

  Anxious about Heather, I hustled through the back passages and into the quaint apartment inside the massive cave. Kind of funny that Flint built it as a hideout from the Mandatum for Lizzy after her notorious affair with the Divinicus, and now the sanctuary was hiding another fugitive hunted by the society.

  Heather was where I’d left her, sleeping on Lizzy’s big four-poster bed.

  “Hey.” I nudged her arm.

  Nothing.

  My attempts to rouse her became more aggressive. I finally gave up when shaking her shoulders was flopping her head up off the pillow and bouncing her chin against her chest. She was breathing. Lifting her eyelids showed the pupils reacted to light, so she was fine, just out of it.

  And I was out of time.

  Disappointed, I left her the food along with a note, hoping it was enough to keep her calm if she woke up. I promised to come back at lunch, and even mentioned not to be scared of Lizzy’s skeleton. I carefully covered the bones with a heavy velvet Victorian cloak from Lizzy’s impressive wardrobe in hopes that it would make her less frightening.

  Entering the library, it wasn’t hard to find Cristiano. I simply headed for the bunch of giggling girls crowded around one of the back tables. Typical. When he saw me, Cristiano stood and politely, but firmly, shook off the hands of a few girls who were pawing him.

  He smiled at me. “You are early. Ladies, thank you for your company, but I must be alone with my escort.”

  One of them cooed, “I’ll be your escort.”

  Cristiano brought the girl’s hand to his lips. “A generous offer, but I must decline. Good day to you.”

  He dropped her hand and pulled out a chair for me. The cooing girl floated away with a dreamy look. Lacking encouragement to stay, the rest dissipated, several reminding him that they had his name down multiple times for the Spring Fling.

  “I shall be honored,” he told them, then asked me after they left, “What is a Spring Fling?”