“You said Remi doesn’t trust him. That would make them enemies. What enemy would financially back a Las Vegas show and make you the star of it, and then invite you and your friends on a cruise and wait for you to arrive before setting sail?”
Take that, moron!
I leaned back in my chair, crossing my arms over my chest. When I thought about Ari and how he and his army wiped out Vegas and every city they passed through, it was clear who the enemy was, and it wasn’t Tristan.
“Karenna makes a good point. I worked at the senior center where Tristan and his friends volunteered,” Hali said. “They were always kind to the seniors and the staff.”
Scowling, Dorian put down his knife and fork and dabbed the corners of his mouth. “Well, I can see how Tristan’s, how should I put it, seductive prowess can impede a woman’s mind from thinking rationally. I hear he’s very skilled at it.”
“Excuse me?” I blinked, stunned by what he was insinuating.
“That’s not fair, Dorian. I think…” Jo paused when Dorian jerked his head toward her, surprised by the strength in her voice. “I think we’ve had enough speculation for today.”
“This is important, love. Here, you can have my chocolate croissant. One sweet won’t hurt that beautiful figure. Go ahead, Hunter. Tell them what you told me.”
I balked. My eyes darted around the table. Somehow all the knives, including Dorian’s, had disappeared from the table.
“Uh, well, before I tell you, there’s a couple of things you should know. I heard Tristan’s mother was good friends with Lofiel from the House of Raguel. Somehow, they got themselves caught up in using the Dark Ways. Now, using some of the Dark Ways here can be pardoned, but up there…I may be a no-good Nephilim to angel folk, but damn, even I wouldn’t do something like that.
“Rumor has it that, uh…” Hunter paused, darting a glance at the boys. “I think the little ones should cover their ears.”
“Javi, Neto, vamonos. We’ll get some more pancakes.” Gus stood, holding out his hands to the boys as he glared at Hunter.
When they were gone, Hunter took off his cowboy hat and ran his fingers through his hair before continuing. “Tristan’s mother was having an affair, and Lofiel was helping her hide it.”
“Shocking,” Dorian said, shaking his head. “The woman had no loyalty.”
“One of Phanuel’s servants had been on an errand in one of the underground passages that are reserved for angelic royalty and…” He paused, appearing uncertain if he should continue.
I held my breath, tensing. From under the table, Hali’s hand reached for mine. I held onto it tightly.
“He caught her with Belial. You know…with Belial in a biblical sense…and I don’t mean they were prayin’. The servant caught them in an embrace with Lofiel’s body at their feet.”
“No,” Hali gasped, pressing a hand against her mouth.
“I don’t understand. I thought Lofiel was her friend,” I said.
“Apparently not good enough for Diniel. Belial and Tristan’s mother escaped before the servant could call for the Powers. The strange thing is that they couldn’t find Lofiel’s body, only her bloodied robe. Well, all hell broke loose. Phanuel demanded justice and called for war with Belial. The Ancient Raguel was the first one to join with Phanuel.”
I shook my head, overwhelmed by the angelic drama Tristan’s family seemed to revolve around. I gazed at the half-open swinging door, searching for the silhouette. He had to know that no rumor would ever pull me away from caring for him.
“I still don’t see what this has to do with Tristan,” I argued. “He can’t control what his mother did.”
Dorian sighed heavily and rolled his eyes. “Isn’t it obvious? Tristan is a spy for Belial.”
9
Karenna
“What do you think of this one?” I held up a cute pink bikini.
Jo gazed out into the distance in a dreamlike state. She wore the same empty expression she’d had on her face since we’d left Sanberly.
I sighed, wishing for the old Jo. Just when it looked like she was about to snap out of it, Dorian would whisper something into her ear, and she’d fall back into Stepford Wife mode. When Hunter invited Dorian to check out the ship’s engine room, I jumped at the opportunity to have Jo all to myself and asked her to go shopping with me. Desperate times called for desperate measures. I was so tired of hearing Dorian’s nonsense about Tristan being a spy or any other angel drama.
Knowing that I hated shopping, I’d hoped Jo would pick up on my cue that I wanted to talk to her alone. She didn’t say a word until Dorian said it was an excellent idea and encouraged her to come.
“Jo? Earth to Jo?” I waved my hand over her face.
Her dark eyes turned slowly, meeting mine. “Did you say something?”
“How about this one? It’ll look cute on you,” I said brightly, trying my best to lift her spirits.
“I guess.”
“I’ll take it as a no then.” I sifted through the other outfits on the rack. She was in there somewhere, and I was determined to get her out, even if I had to make a fool of myself and model the swimsuits for her. I’d create a fashion runway if I had to, anything to see her smile again.
It was strange being in a store filled with endless amounts of clothing and cosmetics. With music blasting from the speakers and people filtering in and out, it felt like a normal day on a cruise vacation. A few angels walked in and out of the various store areas, checking on us. Several teen girls were trying on outfits and flirting with some of them. The angels simply smiled and periodically tidied the clothing displays.
I pulled out a way too revealing red bikini from the rack. “Do you still want to go swimming? We could do something else.”
“No, I promised Javi and Neto I’d take them swimming this afternoon.”
“Okay, then help me out here. You’re the fashionista. How about this one?” I held up the bikini. “Do you have one like this? What do you think?”
She shrugged and turned to a rack of hoodies, riffling through it mindlessly. “It’s fine.”
I slammed the hanger back on to the rack. “That’s it. You’re going to tell me what’s wrong. I’m not letting you leave this spot until you do.”
She blinked and stood motionless for a moment. Her eyes widened, and I saw a familiar glimmer.
“Are you mad at me?”
“Livid.”
“I guess I haven’t been much fun lately.”
“That’s not why I’m mad. It’s just you haven’t been yourself.”
“It feels like my head is in a fog sometimes. It’s weird.”
“That’s understandable, especially with everything going on…and losing your family.” I was hesitant to say it. We hadn’t had a chance to talk about her grief. “I’m here for you anytime. You know that.”
“I know. But you’ve been busy with Lucy and everything going on with your parents. Besides, Dorian’s been there for me.”
“Like a fungus,” I muttered.
“What?”
“Uh, his support to you has been, uh…humongous. Still, I’m surprised he chose to stay in the cabin next to you and the boys.”
A puzzled look flashed over her face. “To be honest, me too. I was sure he was going to join up with his friends, especially when he found out they took up all the luxury suites. You know, they invited him to join them. It’s not like him to turn down a luxury suite.”
“Ugh! That figures. That Carmichael woman acts like she owns the ship. Did you see all the Gucci luggage they brought with them? I bet you it’s filled with toilet paper…four-ply and quilted.”
Jo blinked again, the spark insider her growing as her lip twitched. “You mean Ms. Bougie and her entourage?”
I snorted. “Did you call her bougie?”
She chuckled. “Yeah. Don’t tell Dorian.”
“Oh my god. You’re back!” I hugged her as we giggled up a storm. We could barely speak.
“
Dorian’s…her…number one fan. He’s been…talking about her…nonstop.”
“That makes…sense. They both look…like they have something…something…up their butts.”
Jo placed a hand on my shaking shoulders. “Oh my god…you should see…the shirt he was wearing? He and the Bougie Boys got…matching polos…with the crocodile logo.”
I clutched my stomach, laughing so hard it ached. “It was neon yellow.”
“I know!”
We roared with laughter. We were so loud, a couple of teen girls looked at us like we were crazy. Maybe we were. I didn’t care. My Jo was back.
“Take a picture…”
“…it lasts longer,” I said, completing Jo’s sentence.
The girls scampered out the door.
Jo snatched the red bikini from the rack. “Give me that. I’m in the mood for some fun.”
“So am I. After days of not seeing it, I’d like at least a couple of hours in the sun.”
“Okay, first let’s find you a swimsuit, and don’t say nothing fits. Maybe later we can see if the others want to join us.” She flicked through the bathing suits.
“You mean Calder?”
She was quiet for a moment. “Yeah…and Tristan.”
“Do you believe what Dorian said about him?” I eyed her carefully, not sure if she’d side with Dorian.
“I think Dorian wants me to believe him.”
“What do you mean?”
She stopped and faced me. “It’s hard to explain. When Dorian speaks, there’s a pressure in my head. It’s like a pulsing sensation is trying to dig deeper into my brain. I can feel myself giving in to Dorian, even though I don’t want to.”
“Dorian’s nasally voice gives me a migraine too.”
She chuckled. “It’s not exactly like that. But to answer your question, no. I don’t believe Tristan’s a spy.”
“I’m worried about Tristan. He’s hardly said a word to me the last couple of days, and when we made it to port, he vanished.”
“Screw it. Let’s carpe the freakin’ diem!” She stuffed a couple of bathing suits into the shopping bag, grabbed my hand, and pulled me out of the store.
“Where are we going?” I stumbled, trying to keep up with her.
“To find Tristan.”
My heart raced as we made our way through the ship. I didn’t know if it was the excitement of having the old Jo back or finally confronting Tristan.
“Oh, cool. They have the casino running,” Jo said, pausing by the casino entrance.
I gazed inside, astonished at what the angels had put together to entertain us. It was as if we had stepped onto the Vegas strip. Lights glowed from the dozens of slot machines, and the roulette wheel clicked as it spun in a whirl of black and red. Dice thumped across a hushed craps table followed by an eruption of cheers when they finally rolled to a stop. If the angels intended to keep everyone distracted, they were doing a great job. Even though money was useless, there was no denying everyone’s excitement.
As we moved away from the casino and shops, the area grew quiet.
“Most of the angels are rooming on Deck B,” Jo said. “I think the entrance is…Yep, there it is.”
She headed to the “Crew Only” sign blocking a set of stairs leading to the deck below.
“Hold on. I don’t think we should go down there.”
She rolled her eyes as she unlatched the chain. “Don’t be silly. It’ll be faster if we go through the I-95 corridor.”
“What?” I laughed as we made our way down the steps. “Do you even know what you’re talking about? The I-95 is a highway.”
She rolled her eyes. “Salutatorian here, remember? I know what the I-95 is. It’s a nickname cruise ship crews call the main corridor they use to get around the ship. It runs from one end to the other.”
We reached the bottom step, and an empty corridor appeared. It was so quiet; the only sound was the clicking of our shoes against the polished floor.
“Okay, Ms. Smarty Pants, I don’t know of any Cruises 101 classes offered in high school, So, how did you know all this stuff?”
“Guess.”
There was only one person I knew who was a source of useful, and sometimes odd, trivia. “Aunt Marmie,” I sighed.
“Who else? Did you know she worked on a cruise ship?”
“I forgot about that. When did she tell you this?”
“While Dorian was sleeping and you were busy cuddling up with Tristan on the bus.”
“We did not cuddle!” I clapped my hand over my mouth when my voice echoed down the vast corridor.
“Uh-huh, riiiight…anyway, Aunt Marmie was telling everyone on the bus about her cruise ship days when she was younger and,” she whistled, “you missed out on some wild stories. She doesn’t look it, but man, girlfriend’s done some kinky things.”
“She told everyone on the bus?”
“Pretty much.”
I groaned.
“Don’t worry. It’s all good. She made sure all the kids were sleeping, and she didn’t give dirty deets.”
“Thank god.”
“Are you sure the angels are rooming way down here?” We’d been walking for some time without seeing anyone.
“Only the Guardians. The Powers are staying above on Deck A, above the ship’s waterline, of course. Even on a ship, they got to make sure the Guardians are put in their place.” She frowned, her voice heavy with sarcasm.
She was thinking about Calder. I thought about the way his eyes still followed her at breakfast. She didn’t seem to have noticed…or had she?
“I’m confused. The Thrones are rooming with the Guardians?”
“Only Tristan.”
“How do you know?”
She was quiet for a moment. “Dorian told me. He said Tristan was sharing a room with Calder and that…” she bit down on her lip, her brow furrowing, “and that he was glad someone was making sure Calder wasn’t taking advantage of vulnerable girls.”
“He said that about Calder?” I clenched my fists. How dare he insinuate Calder was using Jo.
“Tell me you told Dorian off.”
“I…I wanted to, but the words wouldn’t come out. Then I thought Dorian was being overprotective, but now…I can’t believe he…and I didn’t…” Her voice shook, growing louder with each word she spoke. “I can’t believe I didn’t whack him into next Sunday. After we find Tristan, I’m going to hunt Dorian down and let him have it. I’m gonna—”
“Stop, right there!” A voice echoed down corridor and we froze.
I sucked in a breath as Ian emerged from around the corner. He looked different. He had already been intimidating when he worked in security for the Revelationz. He was an Archangel now and power radiated from him. Pale blue eyes glared as he made his way to us. Heavy boots pounded the floor. His black trench coat billowed around him, revealing the scabbard at his waist.
“I’m not surprised to see you two down here.” He planted himself within inches of me. He leaned down so close I could see his blond lashes. “You do enjoy crossing the line on what is forbidden, don’t you?”
“Hey, don’t you talk to her like that!” Jo squeezed herself between us.
Ian grunted, taking in how small Jo was. “I’m merely stating the truth. Just because your world is falling apart doesn’t mean you shouldn’t follow the rules. The sign was there for a reason. Did you not see it?”
Jo jutted her chin. “I may be human, but I see everything.”
“And you? Gibbor?” His eyes darted to me, his voice dropping to a low growl as his hand moved to his sword. “Or shall I say Eljo?”
“I’m not—”
“Josette, love!” Dorian suddenly appeared, racing down the hall. “You shouldn’t be down here.”
Ian smirked. I expected him to yell at Dorian to mind his own business. Instead, he stepped aside and leaned against the wall, watching with an amused expression as Dorian embraced Jo.
“You’re down here,” I snapped.<
br />
“Yeah, why are you here?” Jo placed her hands on her hips. “I thought you were with Hunter?”
“Oh, my silly girl, I told you, remember?” Dorian smiled widely, the same smile he had in my dream. I shuddered.
Jo’s lashes fluttered for a moment in self-doubt, then she lifted her chin. “You didn’t tell me squat.”
“I told you I wanted to meet with Ian because you said he was head of security in Vegas.”
“When did I tell you that?”
“Ah, my forgetful girl. It was only a few days ago on the bus. You told me a lot of interesting things that you probably don’t remember.” Dorian flicked his eyes to Ian and fear crawled up my back. Did Jo tell Dorian about what had happened between Tristan and me?
Images of us in the cabin after Tristan had saved me from downing raced through my mind. The itchy blanket chaffing against my half-naked body. Tristan’s damp lashes framing worried blue eyes while his hands cradled my face, and his lips pressed against mine. Even now my stomach fluttered at the thought of Tristan’s mind-shattering kiss. It hadn’t gone any further than that, and we’d vowed to stay friends.
Ian narrowed his eyes, watching me with suspicion. I quickly pushed my thoughts back.
“You’ve been forgetful lately,” Dorian continued. “Maybe you should lay out by the pool and get some rest. The sun will be good for you.”
“I have…” Jo squeezed her eyes and shook her head as if she were pushing something away. “I have a right to be down here just as much as you do. We’re going to see Tristan. There isn’t a law against visiting friends. If you want to help, you can show us to his room.”
“Calm down, my sweet.” Dorian kissed her cheek then whispered something in her ear.
Her shoulders suddenly rolled forward and her eyes went blank.
“Jo? What’s wrong?” I asked in a panic.
“I’m sorry,” she mumbled to Ian. “It was a mistake.”
“Hold on,” I said, snatching her away from Dorian. “What did you do to her?”
“Don’t be so dramatic, Karenna. I only told her about the whirlpool and that she deserves some R&R. Don’t you agree?”
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