Danielle’s face flushes, her lips thinning. “We’ve already discussed this.”
I cross my arms. “And I’m asking you again. When I asked you before, you walked away and brushed my question aside with a curt response. I want you to look me in the eye and tell me that we’re not creating Furiae.”
Danielle’s jaw works and something flickers in her eyes. I can’t tell if it’s hesitation, confirmation, or just irritation that I’m challenging her. “Are we?”
She jerks her chin up, her dark gaze glittering. “Even if we are creating them, have you thought about the overall greater good? We’ve just made it harder for a Lucifer Demon—what did you call it? An Inferi?—to come back to this plane. A Furia is nothing. We can squash one like a bug.”
“What?” I fist my hands by my sides. If I don’t, I might actually go after her. “There’s a possibility?” I say in a cold, low tone. “What about the innocent people who get hurt until we discover that the Furia exists, not to mention exposing our identities?”
A bold smile tilts her lips. “We always find them,” she says with confidence.
When I start to shake my head, she steps to my side. “We are waging a war, Ethan, and strategy is part of war. It always has been. If you don’t think ahead, you die.”
Grinding my back teeth to stay calm, I slowly turn to her. “This is between us and Inferni. Period. Furiae shouldn’t exist.”
She tucks her hands in her jacket pockets and rolls her shoulders. “Lucifer found a loophole and exploited it by taking the lost souls we killed during battles with Inferni as his slaves. If he’s building an army of Furiae, which we can easily defeat, then why not use their creation to our advantage?”
“A Furia wouldn’t exist at all if we’d looked deeper at the soul inside to see if it had been fully corrupted by the demon. This is something we did, Danielle. How can you not see that we’re creating the problem?”
“You just don’t get the bigger picture.” She lets out a condescending laugh. “If creating a Furia means that’s one less Inferi on this plane for a lot longer, I’ll take the risk. In the game of chess it’s all about taking out the pieces that’ll cause you the most harm.”
I step forward and get right in her face. “You’re forgetting something very important in your war-games’ strategy. A human’s soul just got turned into a demon, Danielle. By our hand. That’s not supposed to happen.”
“That soul was already lost. It couldn’t turn into a Furia otherwise.”
“That makes it okay to use a lost soul to send an Inferi to Under for longer? Just to buy you more time?”
Arrogance fills her expression. “Yes, it does. I’m the Master Corvus. I know what’s best.”
Fury flashes through me. “People’s souls aren’t pawns in some fucking game.”
“How dare you speak to me like that!” she rails, her eyes flaring.
“Because someone has to.” I walk away and pace for a second to try to calm down. I need to talk reason into her.
When Danielle starts to turn away, I stop and say in a calmer tone, “Have you thought about the fact that maybe this is Lucifer’s plan? He doesn’t even have to show his face to win this time. He’s finally getting what he wants, God’s children. Not only does he have his own personal slaves in the Furiae, he also now has potential knowledge of Corvus’ identities.”
Danielle faces me, seething. “You are wrong. Lucifer always comes back to this plane in physical form. And there will be less Inferni to aid his plan this time around.”
I roll my head from one shoulder to the other to remain calm. “Chess is about strategically sacrificing important pieces to lull your opponent into mistakenly believing their skills are superior. In their arrogance, they’ll make moves that leave them vulnerable.” My expression hardens. “Lucifer’s this close to check-mating you, and you’re feeding right into it.”
Danielle bristles, then sets her jaw. “This is between Lucifer and me. I’m the only one who can defeat him. I know what I’m doing.”
When she turns to walk off, I call after her, “Think about what I’ve said. I won’t be involved in handing souls over to Lucifer. No matter how evil they’ve been on this plane, they should have a choice to seek redemption. We shouldn’t take that away from them.”
Chapter Twenty-Three
Nara
As I lie in bed rubbing Houdini’s back, I think about everything that happened from the moment I walked into school this morning.
To say it has been a roller coaster of a day would be an understatement, but instead of wallowing, I try to stay focused as I mentally walk through the whole day.
My heart races and my stomach pitches during certain parts, but several times today I felt like I was missing some bigger, obvious piece, and I’m pretty sure it was because I’d been too caught up in my emotions to see it.
I don’t know what to do about the Danielle issue. Ethan and I seem to be stuck in this back and forth tug-of-war between our heads and our hearts, duty and loyalty, and logic and gut feelings. It doesn’t help that we’re both stubborn. But one thing I know for certain is that when it comes down to it…we’ll always put each other’s well-being first.
Is that what Ethan was doing this morning when he went after Drystan? Protecting me? Or was something else behind it?
The questions pinging through my mind are why I’m lying here replaying everything in my head, over and over. That, and the fact that I’m delaying falling into yet another dreamless night of sleep. After experiencing normal dreams for a while, the blank screen from the last couple of nights feels so…purposeless. I’d take having crazy-Danielle dreams over nothingness.
Nothingness!
I smack my forehead as things I hadn’t put together earlier click into place. That’s why Ethan was certain Drystan had kissed me. He has some explaining to do. Punching my pillow with determination, I close my eyes and welcome sleep. Tomorrow can’t get here soon enough.
Nara
My eyes pop open at five in the morning. I’m up and showered before Patch arrives, tapping hard on my window. He seems more impatient than usual; it’s probably the new layer of snow on the window ledge making his feet cold.
While Houdini and Patch settle into their “ignore the other animal in the room” routine, I sit in front of my mirror with my hair dryer and comb. Before turning on the dryer, I fish out a dry eraser pen from my drawer and write a message in bold red letters on my mirror. As I dry my hair, I stare at the message the entire time so Ethan couldn’t possibly have missed it.
How long have my dreams been back?
The flutter of black wings draws my attention. Patch has landed on my dad’s hat hanging on my mirror. I cut off the dryer and watch in fascination as he flaps his wings and tries to pick it up with his clawed feet.
Miraculously, he actually does lift the fedora, but instead of carrying it to the bed, which is his usual M.O. with new items he discovers, he drops it in my lap, then flutters to my bed. As he walks around on the fluffy comforter making soft guttural noises, I glance in the mirror at my freshly dried hair.
“Are you telling me it’s a hat kind of day? Does my hair look that bad?”
Patch stops walking and fluffs his neck feathers, then shakes before turning to groom his wings.
Where are you, Dad? I pick up the hat and run my fingers along the brim, deeply regretting that I didn’t respond to my dad’s texts when he first tried to contact me in the fall. My gaze drifts to Patch, who’s staring at me, all regal and proud. I instantly think about Ethan encouraging me to answer those couple of texts from my dad that came right after I called in the bomb threat to the school. Ethan had told me he’d kill to have someone who shares his abilities that he could talk to. I’d been so afraid of being hurt by my dad all over again that I’d blown my chance to reconnect with him, to make up for lost time and find out more about myself. And now I may never be able to do any of that.
“Why did you have to have it dry-clea
ned, Aunt Sage?” I whisper in a sad tone.
Sighing, I set the fedora on my head and turn to pose for Patch. “What do you think? Ethan says I look hot in this hat. I don’t think he meant ‘steamed,’ but that’s the Nara he’s going to get.”
Nara
The first bell rings as I walk into school and kick off the layer of snow from my boots with a determined stomp.
After checking the atrium for Ethan, I head to the locker hall. “Have you seen Ethan?” I ask Lainey and Matt standing by her locker.
“Love the hat,” Lainey says, grinning. “No, I haven’t seen Ethan. Did you two talk?”
About many things. “Yeah.” I frown as I glance over her shoulder toward Ethan’s locker. He’s not there. “But we’ve still got stuff to work through.”
“I haven’t seen her either,” Lainey volunteers, drawing my attention.
“Who?”
“Danielle.” She lowers her voice as Matt turns to high five one of his teammates.
Where is Ethan? “I’m not looking for her,” I say and glance away to scan the crowd in the hall once more.
“That’s good. Are you okay, Nara?”
The concern in her voice pulls my gaze back to her. I start to answer when the fedora flies off my head.
“Cool hat!” Drystan says right before he sets it on his head, then pulls the brim down and strikes a pose. “What do you think?”
“The purple streak on your jaw and shadowed moon under your eye destroy the model arrogance you’re going for, Dryst,” I say in a dry tone as I try to reach for my hat.
“I think it gives me a dangerous look.” He grins and backs away, hand raised to block me. “Like I stepped out of one of your American gangster movies.”
“Drystan!” This time I grab his blocking arm and lift up onto my toes to retrieve the hat from his head.
As soon as I grip the top of the hat, the second bell rings. I quickly snag it and start to turn away, placing it on my head, when Drystan grabs my hand, his demeanor turning serious. “Stay for a minute, Nara.”
Once Lainey and Matt tell us they’ll see us later and walk off with some of his teammates, I turn to Drystan. “What’s up?”
Drystan looks less confident than he did when he was teasing me with the hat. “Are we okay?”
“Of course. No worries.” I touch the brim of my hat and move to my locker. As I spin the combination, I glance up. He still hasn’t moved, so I smile. “Just keep your paws off my fedora.”
As the last person leaves the hall, Drystan slides his hands in his pockets. I pause pulling books from my backpack and glance his way. “I can tell something’s on your mind. I hope you can make it quick. I’ve already skipped class once this week so I can’t stay long.”
“Whose hat is that?”
I push my backpack to the back of my locker and swallow a couple of times so my voice doesn’t shake. “It’s my dad’s.”
“Is he okay?”
His quiet intensity raises my heart rate. I slowly shut my locker door and face him. “Why?”
He nods to my hat. “When I put it on, I saw a flash of someone a bit taller than me with dark hair.”
I grab his arm and squeeze. “Where is he? What else did you see?”
Drystan shakes his head, wonder in his gaze. “He must be psychically strong like you. I wasn’t even trying to find him.”
“He is.” I nod. “My dad has been missing. We’ve tried to find him, but there were no leads.” I shift the hat from my head back to his, then shake his arm. “Tell me what you see!”
Drystan pries my hand from his arm and cups it between both of his. “Calm down, Nara. Why didn’t you ask me to help you before now?”
“My aunt had it dry-cleaned. I didn’t think you could…” I stammer, then shake my head in fast jerks. “My dad lives in D.C. My parents aren’t together, so I didn’t have access to any of his other stuff. It’s…complicated.” I squeeze his hand. “Please, Drystan.”
Drystan closes his eyes, then snaps them open. “Just try to calm down. It’s messing with my ability to focus on combining your ability with mine.” He clasps our fingers together and says in a calm tone, “Close your eyes and breathe, Nara.”
“Okay.” I close my eyes and take several deep breaths until my palpating heart starts to slow.
“He’s in a hotel room,” Drystan says, his tone changing to worry. “He looks drugged or something. He’s unconscious.”
My breathing ramps, but even though I want to open my eyes, I don’t. “Which hotel?”
“I don’t know. I’m seeing a hotel crest on the door, an R on a plaque with scrollwork on the edges.”
“What’s the room number? Can you see it?”
“809.”
Tears gather in my eyes as I open them and look at Drystan. “Thank you.”
He frowns. “I see us standing outside in the snow, looking up at the side of a hotel. The White House is in the distance.” His hand tightens on mine. “There are at least two men with Eastern European accents guarding your father with guns. I see more guns in the room with them too. That’s probably why I don’t see us getting to your dad. God, Nara. What does your father do? We should call the police.”
“No, Drystan!” My hand trembles as I clasp his tight. “We can’t. My father’s business is very security sensitive. He works for the government. I will call someone who can help while I’m on my way to D.C.”
His hazel eyes take on a determined sheen. “You’re not going to D.C. by yourself. I’m going too.”
When I nod my thanks, he glances at my locker. “You might want to get your backpack. We need to write ourselves excuse notes. I’d rather not see the inside of Mr. Wallum’s office twice in one week.”
I let Drystan drive my car so I can focus on the two phone calls I need to make.
The first one is to my aunt. I’m not really sure what I’m going to say to her to convince her that my information is solid—the truth is probably the only way she’ll believe anything I tell her, so I concentrate on my goal of saving my dad and hope the right words will come to me so that I don’t freak my aunt out.
Just as I start to dial her number, my phone rings. I’m surprised and relieved that it’s Ethan. He was going to be my second call, but if he’s seeing my dreams like I suspect, he knows everything that’s happened.
“I’m so worried for him, Ethan.”
“Do not call your aunt.”
“Why?”
“Whoever she calls for help doesn’t send a government security team for him like she requests. Instead, the men who have your dad move him to another hotel. For now, the police are the best option.”
The scenario Ethan has seen sends a shiver of worry through me. The only contact my aunt has is my dad’s secretary. Is it possible she’s involved? “But how am I going to convince the police to check out the hotel?”
“You’ll call them once you get here. After I get your dad safely out.”
“Are you already there?”
“I’ve been here for an hour and have scouted the hotel room he’s being held in. Unfortunately the guys who have your dad aren’t demons or the police wouldn’t be necessary.”
For the first time, I wish Ethan’s sword worked on evil people too. “Thank you for helping,” I say, my voice trembling.
“We’re a team, remember? I’ll be waiting for you in room 1201 in the Stars Hotel on fourteenth street Northwest.”
“The Stars? But the hotel my dad is in starts with an R.”
“We’ll talk about all that when you get here. Oh, and Nara?”
“Yeah?
“I got your message, but this is one dream I’m really glad you didn’t see. Since Fate can’t see me, there’s no way he’ll see me coming and try to stop me from helping your dad.”
I thank him again and finally let out the sob I’ve been holding back once I hang up my phone.
“Ethan’s already in D.C.?” Drystan glances away from the road, confusion writ
ten on his face. “How could he possibly know what you just learned from me?”
I open my mouth, but I don’t know how to begin to explain.
“Wait…did you dream all this already and call him this morning? If you did that, then why go through all that trouble to pretend like what I told you about your dad was all brand new?”
Drystan looks so hurt and offended, I can’t let him believe that scenario, so I get as close to the truth as I can without mentioning the Corvus aspects. “No, Drystan. Ethan and I have this unusual connection. Whenever he touches me, my dreams disappear and he sees them instead.”
He blinks at me a couple of times. “I knew there was darkness in him! Is he like a dream stealer or something?”
I shake my head and laugh. “No. We just sync in a unique way.”
Nara
“Why are we meeting here?” I ask Ethan as Drystan and I close the door behind us. Room 1201 is on the top floor and any other time I’d enjoy the nice view, but right now my nerves are too tied up.
Ethan strolls over to the window and points.
I follow his direction and see another hotel across the way. The Reardon.
“That’s where your dad is. We need a place to wait, and this is the closest one that gives me a view of the hotel.”
My eyes go wide. “Wait? My dad’s over there. Why are we waiting?”
“He’s waiting until it’s dark,” Drystan says, drawing my attention his way. “That’s what I would do.”
He’s not looking at me. Instead he’s staring at the Reardon, his hands in his pockets.
“But—” I look at Ethan. “Is that right?”
Ethan nods. “It’s the best way to sneak your dad out without being seen. It’s not easy to haul an unconscious man around in the daylight without attracting attention.” His lips twist in a wry smile. “Not that it’s easy at night. There are just more excuses we can use if someone looks twice at us like—”
“He’s drunk and needs to sleep it off, or he got in a fight over a stupid game and we’re carrying him home,” Drystan supplies, voice full of sarcasm.
Destiny, YA Paranormal Romance (Brightest Kind of Darkness Series, Book #3) Page 27
