I felt his gaze the moment he stepped out onto the grassy yard behind me. His presence settled over me like the expensive pink cashmere sweater my friend Kate bought one year with her waitressing tips. He didn’t have to say anything. I knew Gabe was watching over me, giving me space to think.
“You don’t have to babysit me,” I said without turning around. Despite my protests, I felt him move closer. “I’m not going to shatter into a million pieces.”
“I know.” He cleared his throat and then sat down on the bench beside me. “I just want to be here for you.”
Sighing, I gave into the exhaustion and rested my head on his shoulder. He opened his arms and pulled me into his strong chest. The familiar sound of his heart beating soothed my nerves. My eyelids felt heavy and began to droop. It would be so easy to fall asleep and forget this ever happened. Let it fade away like the wisps of a dream.
But I didn’t get to drift off into that happy place. Big black boots clumped toward us, stopping just short of the bench. My eyes trailed from the boots, to the khaki pants, to a tight black t-shirt. It was Manuel. He stood with his hands on his hips, regarding us with disinterest. I sighed and straightened up, leaving the comfort of Gabe’s arms.
“Silvia needs you,” Manuel said with a curt nod to Gabe. “Now. I’ll stay with her.”
Gabe snorted, but didn’t argue. No one argued with Silvia. It seemed that her word was law around here now. He pushed off the bench and squeezed my hand before leaving me with my trainer. Manuel took Gabe’s empty place on the bench and rested his chin on his hands.
“What, are you going to tell me to meditate again?” I asked, my voice bitter. “Maybe, think my way out of this one? I’ve got news for you. There’s no concentrating your way out of having an evil family member. Not even for you.”
I wasn’t sure why I was taking my frustration out on Manuel. He just looked so serene, with his heavy eyes gazing out onto the grass. I wanted someone else to do the freaking out for once. I was tired of being angry, tired of caring. Maybe if I made him mad at me, someone else would lose control for once.
“I am sorry for your loss.” Manuel’s velvety accent eased my frustration the tiniest bit. “And you’re right, meditation would not bring your mother back. I am very sorry.”
I chewed on my lower lip and considered his apology. He was right. This was a loss. It was like losing my mother all over again.
“I had an elder brother once.” He shifted and crossed his legs. “A long time ago. His name was Estefan. And he was magnificent.”
Manuel had hardly said ten words to me the entire time we’d been training. To be honest, I didn’t know if he ever talked. The Nephilim women who’d fawned after him had failed to engage him in any sort of conversation. The strong, but silent type, they’d called him.
Eventually, the fuss about his good looks had died down. The women weren’t impressed with his quiet disinterest. But Manuel did talk—only when he had something important to impart. My breath caught in my lungs as he continued his story. If I moved or made a single noise, I might scare him back into silence.
“My father and he never got along,” he said. “Estefan was proud and ambitious. He wanted more than to be a gate keeper. He wanted prestige. He wanted power. I didn’t try to stop him from leaving. I was too young to understand the world. We both were.”
“I didn’t know Nephilim could leave.”
I couldn’t think of a single reason why someone would leave this world. After longing for acceptance and a family all my life, I’d found it here within the Nephilim. They lived big lives, with an eternal purpose.
“It doesn’t happen very often.” He looked up at me. “We may seem like gods with our long lives and strength. But out there, we’re freaks. Humans don’t take kindly to anyone different. That’s why we usually keep to our own kind.”
I supposed that had to be true. Even the humans who lived at the manor were unique and a bit odd. Like my friend Laramie in the stables. They’d found a home here, but most people would never understand the Nephilim.
“What happened to him? To your brother?”
“He got caught up in the Spanish-American war.” A grim frown passed over Manuel’s lips. “He passionately believed that Cuba should be free from America’s grip. His mind was so twisted with hate that when he fell in with the wrong people, they easily convinced him to go to Cuba as a terrorist. I begged him not to go. He wouldn’t listen.”
The Spanish-American war had happened over a hundred years ago. It still felt crazy that someone who looked like he was nearing thirty could be over two hundred years old. Even Gabe was nearing two hundred. It was easy to forget.
I dropped my head on my hands and shrugged. “What, did he fall in with some demons?”
“No, which makes it even harder to swallow.” He stood up and stared across the grass. “No, my brother made his own decision to do evil. He helped sink a U.S. ship in Cuba. Killed nearly three hundred innocent people. Started a war that killed many more. The only saving grace I could find in the whole thing was that he didn’t make it out alive.”
My jaw dropped. “He died?”
Manuel nodded, his face stricken. “Killed, by his own evil deeds. No doubt, he thought he’d receive fame and glory for his terrorist actions. Instead, he was trapped in the explosion and a hundred years later, no one even remembers his name. No one, except for me.”
I looked down at my hands. It was a horrible thought to have, but at least my mother was inhabited by a demon. Any evil she did could be blamed on the deceiver inside her. Manuel’s brother had made his own decisions. It’d be terrible to have that riding on your shoulders.
“I’m sorry,” I whispered.
He returned to the bench beside me. “Me, too.”
We didn’t have time to fall back into a comfortable silence. Luke came marching around the corner of the house, following Silvia as closely as he could. The two of them were arguing, but I couldn’t make out what they were saying. My father’s face was red and the blue veins on his temples throbbed. Silvia shook her long main of hair and flung her hand dismissively at his face, strutting toward us in six inch heels that somehow managed to keep her vertical.
“There you are, Manuel,” Silvia said as they drew nearer. “Thank you for guarding Ms. Redding. We’re ready to take her into custody.”
I looked from Manuel to my father, my mind blanking. Custody? What was she talking about?
“You can’t do this.” Luke stepped in-between Manuel and me. “I won’t allow it.”
Silvia flung her hair over her shoulder. “Luke, because of your association with a deceiver, you and your sister are temporarily suspended from the board. As such, you have no authority here. Now step aside, or I will be forced to take you into custody as well.”
Luke worked his jaw in frustration, but didn’t protest when Manuel moved to my side. I looked up into his eyes and was surprised to see sympathy there. He placed his hand lightly on my shoulder and nodded reassuringly.
“This is just until we can sort everything out,” he explained. “You’re not a prisoner. We just need to get more information about this key.”
“That’s why I called in someone to help,” Silvia offered, squinting at me with nothing but cold, calculating dislike.
If I hated Silvia before, it was nothing to what I felt now. I hated her black heels, her dark green dress, and the dozen or so bracelets she always wore on her wrists.
“Who’s this expert?” Luke asked. He looked puzzled. “Where did you find him?”
“Oh, she wasn’t far.” Silvia placed a hand on her hip and gestured at a silver truck coming up the road. “And here’s Oscar with her now. With her help, we’re going to get to the bottom of this.”
The large silver truck pulled to a stop on the gravel drive that connected the manor to the outside world. Dust swirled around its tires. Oscar stepped out of the driver’s side, his long legs easily reaching to the ground. He smiled and pointed at u
s, speaking to someone still inside the truck.
The passenger door opened. Out slipped a woman of average height, her wispy gray hair pulled back into a loose ponytail that fell to her shoulder blades. The very sight of her made my insides quiver with rage.
Silvia turned and pursed her lips into a snarky smile. “I hope you don’t mind, Lizzy. We’ve invited your Granny to the manor. You’ve got a lot of catching up to do, as I understand it.”
A bloody family reunion.
Chapter Nine
Manuel marched me down to the basement of the manor, following the click, click, click of Silvia’s six-inch heels. I’d never been down here, but I’d heard of it. It was basically the dungeon. A place to dispatch and hide away the undesirables, like in ancient times. The Nephilim never used it, but it was always there in case the need should arise.
Expecting iron bars and dingy stone walls, I was surprised to see that the basement matched the rest of the manor. Cream colored walls, antique wooden trim, and bright recessed lighting above. It resembled a tiny home, with a main gathering room and separate bedroom suites. The only signs of a dungeon were the lack of windows and the lock on the heavy metal door that screeched when Manuel pushed it open for us.
“She doesn’t need to stay here. She’s not a danger.” Luke had continued arguing all the way down to the dungeon. His voice was becoming strained. “My daughter will not be locked up.”
“I appreciate your passion.” Silvia smiled, her teeth perfectly white except for one little yellow spot on her right eye tooth. “But you’re no longer running things around here. We need to make sure everyone is safe. I doubt you will argue that goal.”
He shook his head. “No, but I want it known that I absolutely disagree with your methods.”
“Noted.” She smiled again and my eyes went directly to the yellow spot.
Manuel led me to a solid wooden table and indicated that I should sit.
“Please, remain calm for this session,” he whispered in my ear. “It is in your best interest. I will be here the entire time to help.”
At that moment, Oscar waltzed in with Granny right behind him. Despite the fact that I knew Granny distrusted the Nephilim, she looked amazingly calm and assured with her head held high and her shoulders firm. Her dark eyes swept across the room, settling on me for the briefest of seconds. Although her face barely twitched, I could feel the hatred coming off of her in waves. My own hatred for the woman who had raised me flared up, raising the hairs on the back of my neck.
Manuel put his hand on my arm. “Calm yourself.”
I wanted to yank my arm away from him, but resisted. His story about his brother had unfolded a new layer in our relationship. A layer of trust. I wanted to follow his instructions.
Taking a deep breath, I expanded my diaphragm into my stomach just like he’d taught me, and let it go through my clenched teeth. It worked, at least a bit. I wasn’t launching myself across the room at Granny, so I counted it as a win.
“What am I doing here?” Granny’s voice was harsh and cold. “I want nothing to do with that girl, do you hear me? She made her own bed and now she has to lie in it.”
“My own bed?” My voice strained against my eardrums. “My own bed? You’re the one who tried to sacrifice me to a demon! I’d say you chose my bed for me.”
Granny shrugged. “An oversight. One that our town has paid for many times over.”
She was referring of course to the victims of Margaret Thatcher. When the demon couldn’t find me, it started plucking off Hanna’s residents one by one in order to get to me. I couldn’t imagine how the town elders had responded to their precious deity killing them off. The absurdity made me want to giggle.
“Sit down,” Silvia said to her, pointing at the table with one long manicured fingernail. “We have much to discuss.”
Manuel’s hand on my shoulder and Luke’s pleading look were the only things that could’ve persuaded me to stay at the table with the European invaders and the one woman I hated more than anyone in this whole world. I kept my eyes on Granny, wishing my gaze was like a laser so that I could cut right through her. She ignored my glare and instead, straddled a chair, pulled a cigarette from her pocket, and lit it up.
“So, I’m guessing this impromptu meeting is about the return of my daughter, Elizabeth,” she said with the cigarette between her lips.
Luke smacked the table, causing me to jump. Rage burned bright in his icy blue stare. “You knew she was still alive?”
“Of course I did. Kicked her out of town myself. Should’ve killed that girl, but it was years ago and I was softer then. Should’ve taken the rifle to her temple and...”
Luke hissed, but it didn’t seem to bother her. She took a long drag and blew the smoke out her nose.
“We need to know what information you have on Elizabeth Redding,” Silvia said coolly. “The whole story. Don’t hold back.”
Granny’s eyes narrowed as she stared her down from across the table. “What’s in it for me?”
Silvia’s nostrils flared. “What do you want?”
I thought about all the things Granny could want. She could ask for money to fix up that broken down two bedroom house that I’d grown up in. Or, maybe her granddaughter’s head on a pike? I wouldn’t put it above her to ask. Silvia was a tough one to crack, though. A Nephilim with a real case of ego. She’d resist giving anything to a human without a fight.
Granny leaned forward, blowing another puff of smoke. “Protection. Protection for the boundaries of my town.”
“Don’t you have people for that?” Silvia asked with a dismissive flick of her wrist.
“We do, but it’s not enough. We’ve built up our arsenal, called in spiritual guides, but nothing works. We’ve tried it all.”
I wanted to smack my hand to my forehead. So that’s what Granny was doing out in the woods that day, so far from Hanna. The townspeople had gotten desperate and probably hired some quack to lay down some boundary spells like the Nephilim. It obviously hadn’t worked, as Granny never would’ve set foot on Nephilim grounds unless she had something to gain.
Silvia’s lips twisted into a smirk. “We don’t have the manpower for such an agreement.”
Granny lifted her chin and fixed her with a cold stare. “You’ll need to find it. Ever since your little abomination here” —she gestured at me with the butt of her cigarette— “took up residence in this here mansion and killed old Margaret Thatcher, the demons have been using Hanna as a one way ticket to human land. We’ve had to arm ourselves against the ones that slip through your guard. We want protection and a guarantee that you’ll stay off our land when this is all over. We don’t want you freaks stepping foot there. I want an official agreement.”
Every Nephilim at the table tensed at Granny’s speech. Luckily for her, they had more decorum than me and could take her insults. Still, Silvia didn’t even fake a smile when she nodded her head and shook Granny’s hand.
“Deal,” she said through clenched teeth. “Now, tell us all you know.”
She leaned back and took a long drag. The seconds ticked by while she chewed on the inside of her cheek. Despite the fact that I hated this woman and everything about her, I also realized that she had information about my mother that I needed. Info about her demon possession. If there was any way to save her, Granny knew.
“Elizabeth was the product of a different time,” Granny began, gray smoke leaking out her lips with every word. “My parents were German immigrants. Barely spoke English. But they joined a colony in Iowa as soon as they got to the states. My father sold me off to an older man in the colony. One of the religious leaders. I was fourteen. He was forty. He raped me on our wedding night. Elizabeth was the result.”
She took another drag and stared off over my head. In all the years we’d spent together, Granny had never mentioned her childhood nor my grandfather—nobody outside Hanna. I guess it didn’t surprise me to learn that her childhood sucked.
“When t
he girl was two, I managed to sneak away from the colony. Back then, I was soft in the head, so I took her with me. Stumbled upon Hanna—dirty, starving, and scared. They took us in and we never had to go back to that awful colony.”
Silvia nodded and produced a notebook from her pocket. “Skip forward to Elizabeth running away and getting pregnant.”
“She was running away all the time,” Granny spat. “Ungrateful thing. Thought the world outside would be better. Always came back, though. The last time she came back, she was carrying that unnatural thing.”
She gestured at me again and I felt Manuel’s elbow pressing against my side as a silent warning to keep my cool. I didn’t move a muscle.
“But of course, something was different this time.”
“Different?” Silvia’s eyes narrowed. “How?”
“She was—I don’t know—not herself. The daughter I’d raised was bullheaded, to be sure, but this was frightening. The elders convened to test her. Sure enough, we soon realized the truth.”
She paused to drop the cigarette on the tiled floor and smash it with her boots.
Silvia slapped her hand on the table. “What was it?”
“The girl was demon possessed.”
The air went out of the room. Everyone paused, as if some great reveal were coming up. I didn’t know why they were so upset. We all knew my mother was possessed. It shouldn’t have been a big surprise.
“Are you absolutely sure?” Luke leaned into the table, his knuckles white. “Are you sure she was pregnant and possessed?”
“Of course.” Granny’s nostrils flared. “I’m not stupid. The girl was possessed. Would’ve killed her right there if it weren’t for the baby.”
All eyes went to me. I shrugged. So, what? My grandmother used to have a heart. It didn’t ease my hatred of her.
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