Enticed

by Jessica Shirvington

  I half smiled. „Thanks Steph, I don"t know where I"d be without you."

  „You"d be in need of a manicure and in a great big mess, is where you"d be."

  „If it"s any consolation I think Salvatore is going to be pretty busy for a while now, too," I said.

  „I figured. Anyway, being stuck with Zoe for a bit without me as a buffer wil be good for him."

  „You mean, good for you."

  She shrugged and gave me her devious grin, which quickly turned faced to sombre. „You guys are hunting Phoenix, aren"t you?"

  „I think that"s what Griffin will want. It won"t be tonight, though, according to Lincoln."

  „Well, you better get going. Sal was heading straight there when I left him."

  I checked my watch. Crap, it was getting late. I ran through the warehouse, turning off the lights.

  „Thanks Steph, I owe you big-time," I said as we left Lincoln"s. „Call me if you find anything."

  „No guarantees – I"ve never tried to locate otherworldly creatures on the internet before. It might not work."

  „I know," I accepted with a sigh. „But I had to try."

  „Be careful out there, okay?" she said, giving me a serious-Steph look.

  „I will."

  „Salvatore said he can sense lies around – he just can"t see where they"re coming from."

  Probably me.

  „And can you make sure Zoe isn"t too much of a bitch to Salvatore?"

  „Real y?" I asked, raising one eyebrow at her.

  Steph re-evaluated. „No. let her be a bitch," she said, giving her best conspiratorial wink.

  „That"s my girl," I said, glad to see Steph hadn"t had a dramatic personality change like Lincoln.

  Steph didn"t mind if Zoe and Salvatore became closer – she wanted it for him – but deep down, we felt the same way: girls don"t need to make any other girls close to their men.

  Come on.

  All in all, I was pleased with myself. I was sick of just letting things happen and then dealing with the aftermath. I wanted to be a step ahead for a change and I had a feeling having a semi-genius in my corner was about to be a big help. Plus, there was another upside. With Steph on-board helping out, she was also away from the action and out of the firing line … for now.

  -

  During my brisk walk to Hades, my hand kept going to the pocket where I had slipped Lincoln"s spare key. For some reason, I knew having it with me was important. Something back at his place had made me stay behind so I could get that key. It didn"t make a lot of sense, but thinking about it as I walked I couldn"t help but wonder if someone else was interfering.

  And then there was the second part to that thought – light or dark?

  CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

  „ The resolution to avoid evil is seldom framed till the evil is so far advanced as to make avoidance impossible."

  Thomas Hardy

  The meeting at hades went pretty much as expected. We all sat around a big table at the back of the restaurant section. Nyla and Rudyard ordered lots of food that none of us –

  except Spence and Salvatore – wanted, but it kept Dapper"s agitation at bay. He wasn"t as grumpy as usual. He was definitely softening some, though it was on a knife-edge.

  Griffin had brought half a dozen local Grigori along with him. I"d been getting to know everyone gradually over the past month. He had people working in all precincts of the city –

  mostly they were self-sufficient, weeding out individual exiles and following up on intel and leads that he had filtered. Griffin acted as the central hub. Some Grigori got titbits of information from exiles they returned that could uncover another group. They would pass this intel back to Griffin who would then allocate the nearest Grigori to the task.

  So far, Lincoln and I hadn"t been given a territory. Partly because we"d been too busy with chasing up the Scriptures, partly because I think Griffin likes working closely with Lincoln and partly … probably … Griffin didn"t trust me on my follow-through yet.

  And he was right.

  Until I could prove I wasn"t a liability – in other words, I could draw my dagger and use it without compunction – I wasn"t ready. Griffin teamed everyone up – pairs with pairs. Nyla and Rudyard headed out with Samuel and Kaitlin. They were going after more intel on the Scriptures, we could find Phoenix. I got the feeling it was messy work from what Griffin said

  – or didn"t. They were going after a small pack of exiles in Samuel and Kaitlin"s precinct – a mix of light and dark who they believed were under Phoenix"s command.

  It was now they consensus that Phoenix had taken over where Joel and Onyx had left off, which meant volatile groups of mixed exiles, light and dark, were now most likely under his charge, thanks to the help of two particularly viscous exiles, Gressil and Olivier. What he"d had to do to win that control was something none of us wanted to brainstorm.

  Zoe and Salvatore were sent out with two Grigori I"d never met before – Archer and Beth.

  But while we were waiting for Griffin to get started they made small talk with me. I tried to nod politely after I told them I was an artist and they responded by telling me about the time they met Michelangelo. They were in Florence and apparently he"d just been commissioned to start work on a new statue that was later named David. David was sculptured by Michelangelo at the beginning of the sixteenth century!

  Suddenly I was very nervous. I mean, how do you talk to people that have been around for more than five hundred years?

  The weirdest thing, of course, was that they didn"t even look close to thirty.

  Zoe, unfazed, leapt right into conversation with them. She didn"t seem to struggle to find something to talk about and from the looks of Archer and Beth; they were not surprised by anything she said. I guess when you never really age you just learn to move with the times.

  Griffin arranged for them to go to the farmhouse and scout around as much as they could without getting within sensing range of the airport, which couldn"t be easy. He didn"t want to tip off Phoenix that we knew where he was. Griffin was planning on gathering more reserves before anything like that happened.

  He"d heard from Magda and it seemed clear from Griffin"s subsequent abruptness that both Magda and Lincoln were MIA for the night. When I came to think of it, Magda had been around even less than Lincoln.

  Finally, Spence and I were put on a different kind of recon. Since the airport was currently out-of-bounds, Griffin wanted us to go to an aircraft factory. He was hoping I might be able to sense something there that might help identify a pattern that could help locate Phoenix. We knew from my reaction at the airport there was a good chance he may be hiding on a plane of some description and I agreed it was worth a shot. Spence, on the other hand, was piqued.

  „Great. So while everyone else is off doing real recon, we"re going to see if we can sense a plane. Excellent," he grumbled.

  As far as I was concerned it worked out perfectly. We hadn"t been paired up with anyone else and now the only person I had to deal with was Spence, which was manageable for what I had in mind.

  When we all started heading out, Griffin gave me a look that told me he knew I was up to something, but he either decided I was entitled to a few secrets of just didn"t want to know, because after a few appeasing words to Dapper, he left.

  „So, I guess you and I have the night off?" Spence said, stil sounding sour as he watched the last of the Grigori filter out the main doors of Hades.

  „Not exactly," I said, shooting him a guilty look.

  Spence"s face lit up and he gave me a toothy grin. „Never a dul moment with you, Eden. I don"t know how I ever survived without you in my life."

  I couldn"t hide the look of alarm.

  „Don"t flatter yourself," he said, grinning as if he could see right through me. „It"s the fight action I"m interest in now. I thought we got that straight."

  „Sorry … I just …"

  „Don"t want to give me the wrong idea. Forget it, Eden - I know whe
re we stand and just so you know, I"m a one-woman kind of guy and I like it the same way in return. As much as I would be in it to win it with you I"m real y no interested in getting in line."

  „Okay, okay. Let"s just drop it," I said, cringing.

  Spence smiled, he won this round, but I stil wasn"t fully convinced. I knew from experienced – getting caught up in Phoenix"s emotional thrall could be incredibly confusing.

  „Well," I mustered a smile, pushing aside my concerns for now, „if you"re looking for all things out of the ordinary – I"m your girl," I said, not quite as enthusiastic as Spence was that this was now my life.

  „Count me in," Spence said without hesitation.

  „Don"t you even want to know-?"

  „Nope. I"m in."

  „Great," I said, slapping a hand on his back. Then I pul ed out some cash and passed it to Spence. „You"re going to need that glamour of yours – and steer clear of Dapper, he can see right through it."

  „Yeah – crafty bugger, isn"t he?"

  I nodded. „Just stay down the other end of the bar. We need bourbon – Onyx"s brand."

  His excitement dropped a gear. „I was kind of hoping more for torture than bribery."

  „You"ll have to run and catch up with Nyla for the one. Torturing Onyx isn"t going to work."

  And I don"t want to have to torture anyone, ever!

  Spence obligingly made his way to the bar. I knew he couldn"t have too much trouble when I spotted Dapper busily chatting away with customers on one of the sofas. Sure enough, he returned in a few minutes, two bottles of bourbon in his hands.

  He gave me a wink and then waggled his eyebrows. „You sure you don"t want to just hit the town with these?"

  „Absolutely sure," I said, already walking towards the stairs. Something told me Onyx was key to all this.

  Onyx"s door was ajar. I was surprised to see the studio was now in relatively good order.

  Onyx himself looked much cleaner than he had when we first saw him on the street. It didn"t inspire the best feeling, unfortunately. Sitting on his sofa, feet on the small glass coffee table and wearing no doubt one of the shirts I had paid for and Steph had selected, reminded me of how he used to look – when he was stark raving mad and, oh yeah, evil as all hell.

  „Stil alive then?" Onyx remarked as we walked in, barely looking up. He was watching TV.

  „Catching up on Gossip Girl, huh?" I asked, noticing his viewing selection.

  „Yes. Chuck is a very entertaining human. At first I was sure he was an exile, but he lacks follow-through. I imagine the show is somehow inspired by an exile, though," he said, totally at ease despite the absurdity of the conversation. His eyes flashed up to me and then across to Spence, who was standing beside me. It was easy to tell the moment he registered the two bottles of bourbon. He picked up the remote and turned off the TV.

  „You"ve brought me a gift."

  „Yes. And when I get the information I came for it"s all yours," I said, crossing my arms and giving as much „tough" as I could muster.

  Onyx spread his arms wide. „Well, what do you want to know? I must admit, even I am intrigued to know where your little adventures are headed. Who would have thought you would be so keen for more knowledge since the last I gave you … wel , it wasn"t exactly cheery, was it?"

  I did my best to ignore him – rewarding Onyx"s goading never fared well for me. „I want to know about an exile called Nahilius?"

  „Nahilius. Yes. I know of him. Seedy immortal, used to be a Cherubim of light," his lip curled. „Why do you want to know about him? Surely you have bigger fish to fry?" He raised his eyebrows suggestively. He knew I didn"t need the reminder that I had an almighty exile after me.

  „Funny that, I"d forgotten," I said, sounding every bit the petulant adolescent I missed being so much. „It"s none of your business why – if you want the bourbon, just tell me."

  Spence nudged me from behind and whispered, „Maybe we should show him we"re serious."

  I spun and stared at him.

  „Okay, sorry to interrupt," he said.

  I turned back to Onyx. „So?"

  „So, little rainbow, it"s very simple. You are terrible at negotiating – I have tortured, maimed, killed for less and enjoyed it. There was a time when it was more effort for me to not kill than to kill. You are standing in front of me and I have no powers left but I can see that same desperate human need you have – it"s pathetic and even with no supernatural enhancement, I"ve stil got more “nasty” than you. You want to know, you"l tell me why."

  „You"re an asshole."

  „Thank you, it"s something that took an eternity to perfect."

  I turned, determined to leave, but stopped and turned back before I"d even taken a step.

  Onyx knew something and if there was any chance of finding this exile, he was it.

  After all, you have jumped off a cliff and given up your life as you knew it for Lincoln –

  surely you can endure a bully?

  I stared at the ceiling, while I took a few deep breaths.

  „Okay," I said, looking back to Onyx, trying to ignore the overly smug look on his face. I walked to the centre of his room and sat in the chair opposite him. I was damned if I was going to be left standing awkwardly in the doorway. Onyx was right, I had to stop letting other people rule me. Spence, following my lead, took a seat on the only other chair, a dingy kitchen stool, positioned between the kitchenette and the living area – no man"s land. He looked ridiculous.

  „Nahilius hurt Lincoln"s mother years ago. Lincoln heard he"s back in town and he"s going after him. I want to help." I tried to stay neutral, not give away too much in my tone, nervously clutching at my hands, twisting my fingers.

  „Stil saving the one you love, little rainbow? What is it you are most worried about – that he will never find Nahilius and put this revenge to rest? Or that he will find him?"

  I stared at my hands.

  „I see. You want to get there first. And what is your plan if you do find him first? Will you kill him for your Lincoln? Can you do that?"

  Spence jumped off his stool from behind me. „I"ve had this shit!"

  Before I could stop him, he threw himself on top of Onyx, hauling him off the sofa and throwing him, face first, to the ground. Onyx, reduced to mere strength, went down like a feather pillow. He could offer Spence no resistance.

  „I"ve got your measure. I"ve been watching you tell your stories, ask your stupid questions and you know what? You may not care about Violet or anyone else, but I don"t buy the crap about not caring about yourself. Selfishness like yours only comes from one place – self frikin" love!"

  „Spence!" I yelled, worried I was about to lose my only chance.

  „I got this, Vi," he answered, flashing me a quick smile.

  Spence pul ed Onyx"s arm behind him. I was sure it was about to break. His face was smushed into the seagrass matting, his cheeks bulging a the sides as Spence"s knee ground heavily into the space between Onyx"s shoulder blades. I could see his face going beet red as he closed his eyes tight with the pain and groaned.

  I took a step forward to intervene. Just as I did, Onyx cried out.

  „Okay! Get off me," forcing the muffled words out.

  „You going to tell her what she needs to know?" Spence asked, completely calm now. In control.

  Onyx didn"t respond. Spence pushed harder and I flinched, torn between staying put to get the information I so badly needed and stepping in. need outweighed my sense of right and wrong.

  Final y, Onyx caved. „Yes, yes. Get off!"

  Spence looked at me. For gratitude or permission – I wasn"t sure. I gave him a nod. He eased of Onyx, giving him a last dig with a trailing knee. I just watched as he went through the motions and eased himself back onto the stool. Onyx pulled himself up gingerly.

  Spence had helped me big-time. Just like Nyla, he had the ability to zone in and simply get the job at hand done. On this occasion it had worked in my favour but
I had an uneasy feeling that this might not always be the case.

  Onyx kept his back to us as he straightened his shirt and combed his fingers through his not-so-styled hair. When he turned to face me he held his held high, despite it being dotted with the carpet"s imprint, and tried to maintain some dignity as he limped back to the sofa.

  He ignored Spence.

  After an uncomfortable silence, he cleared his throat. „Nahilius is a weapon. Alone, he is not to be feared. It is not him you should be seeking." Onyx did not hold my eyes, did not look for my reaction.

  I tucked a few loose strands of hair behind my ear. „Onyx … English please."

  „A weapon is ineffective without an operator."

  I stared blankly at him.

  „I honestly can"t believe someone who is so dense at times was sharp enough to undo me." He shook his head to himself, muttering something else. Clearly all the insane hadn"t left him when he became human – or maybe it was gradually leaving him.

  „He"s a gun for hire. Nahilius wouldn"t know how to act alone even if he wanted to. He is one of the tempted. In the angel realm, there are angels who are more dominant than others.

  There are divisions between light and dark, the way you have divisions between political parties or races. As a result, naturally there are those who are leaders, those who follow, those who persuade and those who are persuaded. The ones who are so weak they can be persuaded have no true belief system. They can be made to do many things."

  „Even exile?" I asked, starting to grasp where this might be going. I spotted a box of tissues and jumped up to get them.

  „Yes, finally, some almost intelligent words. The angels that are persuaded are more often than not subjugated by means of temptation. An angel like Nahilius would have been lured into serving another angel - when that angel decided to exile he would have recruited Nahilius, tempted him with material riches and had him chosen exile to serve his purposes on Earth."

  I offered the tissues to Onyx, who abruptly snatched them from my hold and started wiping at his bloodied nose.

  „So who does he work for?"