Sins of the Innocent

by Jamie McGuire

  I pushed away from him. "I'm not scared. Why is Samuel here?"

  Bex glanced back at the house and sighed. "Your dad is going to kill me for telling you. You know he likes to reveal things in his own way."

  "Well, this isn't about him, is it?"

  Bex took a deep breath, looking up at the sky. It was a perfect day with the early summer sun bearing down on us. I tried to block out the thousands of sounds I could hear while outside--the sprinklers, cars going by, the neighbors fighting down the street, dogs barking, insects crawling between blades of grass.

  "Something is happening. We're just not sure what. There has been activity," he said.

  "You mean, more activity?"

  "Correct. Let's, um ... you want coffee?"

  "Will there be truth at the bottom of my cup?"

  "You can't unknow things, Eden. You should think about that before you ask."

  "I'm the last one who should be in the dark about these things. I know my parents think they're protecting me, but they're not." I paused, seeing Bex's expression. "And you know it, too."

  "Coffee it is. Get in. I'll drive."

  Bex drove us to a cafe a few blocks away from Brown University. The cozy corner shop held a special significance for my parents even though it had undergone a facelift or two since then. Hipsters instead of pouty coeds manned the cash registers. The walls were decorated with irony, the tables and chairs aimed for modern rustic, and the speakers streamed rainy-day indie rock.

  I chose a table in the corner, and we ordered. I sipped on my caramel macchiato as Bex stirred a few sugars into his house blend. He blew on the dark liquid and then placed the lid back on the top edge, seeming satisfied. It was moments like this when I felt normal.

  A few women were tittering a few tables over, trying to get Bex's attention. Brown had been out of session for over a week, so they were either stragglers or tourists, and they had on too much makeup and were too tan to be Brown students.

  "Did you have to bring us so close to the college?" I asked.

  Bex shot the women his most charming smile, sending the girls into a tizzy. "Yes. Yes, I did."

  Before he said another word, something heavy filled the room. My throat sizzled with each breath, as if the room were on fire.

  "Bex," I said, trying to nonchalantly glance around the room.

  "Yeah," he breathed. "I'm trying to get a read on it."

  At first, a prickling scratched at the back of my neck--similar to the druden, and then it felt like many drudens were around. But my ears began to ring, and my chest tightened, as if my heart were trying to scratch its way out and run away. Whatever was coming was a formidable presence, like nothing I'd felt before.

  Bex shook his head, concentrating harder. The skin around the two lines between his brows turned white.

  "Samuel?" I asked.

  Bex shook his head. "He's busy. Really busy. Probably on purpose. We should go."

  I nodded, but just as my leg tensed to stand, a young man sat next to me, all smiles.

  Bex moved only his eyes, targeting the man. "Levi," he snarled.

  "Bex Ryel," Levi said. He stretched one arm along the back of my chair and relaxed, as if he didn't have a powerful hybrid and ... well, me sitting next to him. He gazed down at me. "I've wanted to meet you for a long time."

  Bex's knuckles turned white, his palms and fingers pressing hard against the tabletop. He leaned forward, waiting for Levi to give him a reason to attack. "You really should have called," he said, his voice low and menacing.

  "Calm yourself, Bex. This is a social visit."

  I arched an eyebrow, looking back and forth between my bristling uncle and the somewhat handsome smart-ass sitting two inches away. I hadn't heard the name Levi, so I was going to let him explain who he was and what he wanted before I wadded him up like a piece of paper.

  Levi didn't seem the least bit intimidated, and that intrigued me as well.

  He looked at me with the same ice-blue eyes as Aunt Claire, several shades lighter than mine, but they were nestled under a pair of thick dark brows. He was dressed like a funeral director, wearing a black suit and white button-down with a skinny black tie that matched the messy dark wisps poking out of his baggy knit beanie that had likely been added for that all-important bit of rebel flair.

  I leaned over to get a look at his shoes.

  He observed me with amusement.

  "Converse?" I asked.

  Without hesitation, he slogged his leg onto the table with a thud, revealing a pair of red-black-and-white sneakers.

  Bex's face twisted in disgust.

  "You're going golfing later?" I asked.

  He pulled up his pant leg. "Puma Ferraris, love. C'mon."

  "Don't call me love. You have thirty seconds," I said simply.

  "What shall I call you? The Merovingian? That's what everyone calls you behind your back." He looked up at nothing, faking a thoughtful moment. "I feel it's derogatory though, and I hate being ru--"

  "Ten seconds," I said.

  Levi was unfazed. "That's not long enough to finish your coffee." He sat up. "I've intruded. My apologies. I'll wait for you outside."

  I puffed out a laugh. He at least pretended to be confident, and he couldn't be all bad. He was too pretty.

  He stood up, politely nodding to Bex.

  Bex narrowed his eyes, incensed. "What are you up to, Levi?"

  "No agenda." He winked at me. "See you outside, Eden." He walked away, amused at my disbelief.

  "Is he suicidal?" I asked.

  Bex fell against the back of his chair, exasperated. "I don't know, but something is off. Really off."

  "He's alone," I said. "That's weird, isn't it?"

  Bex confirmed with a nod. "The rest of them came and left. He's been using the drudens to avoid detection."

  "Pretty smart," I said, impressed. Then I wondered how long he'd been hanging around. I'd been sensing drudens for months. "What's with his eyes?"

  Levi's irises were the trademark silver-blue of an angel or hybrid. No one from that far south of Heaven had eyes that color.

  "He's a Cambion, Eden. He's Leviathan."

  My smug smile vanished, and I leaned forward. "The Leviathan? You mean, the son of Satan?"

  Bex nodded.

  "And he's a Cambion? As in half-human? How is that possible?"

  "Christ did the same. They have to choose a mortal life. I hear Levi's mother sells life insurance in Miami."

  "Figures," I said.

  We finished our coffees, not at all in a hurry. I was curious, but I wasn't going to give Levi the satisfaction of running out to meet him. Contrary to what he'd said, Levi was playing a game, and I would play but by my rules.

  The moment I stepped outside, I trailed the curious scent to an alley behind the cafe, but I found myself alone. Bex stood at the mouth of the alley, looking ominous with his arms crossed, keeping an eye out for more unannounced company.

  My skin tingled, and I closed my eyes, seeing myself from Levi's perspective as he barreled toward me from the opposite end of the alley.

  My instincts didn't request otherwise, so I didn't move.

  Levi crashed into my side, mowing me down onto the asphalt, sending us sliding more than fifty yards. We stopped not far from Bex's feet. I could tell from his expression that he was wondering why I had allowed the tackle, but still, I didn't move.

  Large hands pinned my shoulders to the cement beneath me, gravel and tiny shards of broken glass poking through my shirt.

  Levi looked upon me with a wide grin.

  "Feel better?" I asked.

  Levi dug his fingers into the skin of my shoulders. "Aren't you going to fight back?" he whispered. "I've seen you spar. You're better than this."

  "You just wanted to pick a fight? No."

  "No?" he asked. "What do you mean, no?"

  "I'm not fighting you."

  "Why not?"

  "Because you want me to."

  He blinked, an indetermina
ble expression on his face, and then he reared back his elbow, ready to strike. I lay there, waiting for him to land the blow, but then I saw Bex above, anticipating his own attack.

  Before either of them could move, I was behind Levi, grabbing his shirt with both fists. With a thud, I slammed him face-first into the brick wall behind the cafe.

  "Eden?" Bex called, a strange look on his face.

  "Back off," I said. "I've got this." I ground Levi's face against the sharp wall, pushing him further to put action behind my words.

  Levi grunted. He held his hands out to each side, already surrendering, but he wore a victorious grin.

  "Why are you here?" I asked, feeling the blood erupt from where the brick had scraped off the top layer of his skin.

  Levi flipped around, throwing a punch and then another. I evaded both with little effort, but then he knelt and swiped with his legs, catching my legs.

  Flipping and then landing on my feet, I connected the heel of my hand to his jaw, sending him to the ground again. He stood, shaking off the blow, positioning himself to strike.

  I waited, wondering what he was trying to accomplish.

  "Answer me," I demanded.

  He lunged for me, and I dodged, barely moving to the side. He stood upright, brushing a thick dark section of hair from his eyes. "Curiosity, I suppose."

  "Cambion," I scoffed. "You're falling all over the place like a rookie."

  He rolled his shoulders back and stretched his neck. "I was just warming up."

  He tackled me to the ground, and this time, he moved faster, his blows stronger. After wrestling and a flurry of punches, I tossed him down the alley, and he crashed into a group of dumpsters.

  "It's the middle of the day!" Bex scolded. "Wrap it up!"

  Levi was already running full speed at me. Leaping in the air, he targeted his foot at my chest. I grabbed it, but somehow, I ended up on my back.

  He smiled, his blue eyes bright, as he heaved above me. "You're not even trying. I'm disappointed, to say the least."

  "I know what you're trying to do," I said. "If you wanted to know what I was capable of, all you had to do was ask."

  He scanned my face. "I have a confession to make."

  "Oh?"

  "I haven't been trying either." Being so close to me seemed to be confusing for him. He stood up, bringing me with him, and then dusted himself off, flicking off glass and dirt.

  I yanked out of his grip. "I'm not interested in starting a war."

  "Cambion," he said. "That's an awfully offensive term. Why so angry?" he asked, picking dirt off the tip of his tongue.

  I'd half-expected it to be forked, but it wasn't.

  "You're breaking the rules," I warned. "The Cimmerians could show up at any moment."

  "They won't," he said, sure.

  Bex took a step, seeming uneasy. "Eden, we should go."

  I tried not to show my surprise at Levi's audacity. Even though he was the Prince of Hell, disturbing the Balance came with a death sentence that I would be well within my station to carry out--without inciting a war ... unless that was the plan.

  "What's he going to do?" Levi asked. "Send me to Hell?"

  "He could kill you," I said quietly.

  "Huh," he said, backing away. "I thought that was your job."

  In a blink, all trace of him was gone.

  I looked to Bex. "What the hell was that?"

  He sighed, gesturing for me to walk with him to the car. "I don't know, but he'll be back."

  Bex drove me home, probably best since I was so preoccupied with thoughts of Levi. I barely noticed when the Audi came to a stop in the drive.

  Knowing that Levi would be back didn't worry me. In fact, it made me a bit giddy, and that thought made me angry. So, I did what any teenage girl would do. I took it out on my family. "You just ... you just stood there and watched him toss me around?" I asked, scratching my hair like a dog before shaking out some of the filth and grime.

  "You let him," he said, shameless accusation in his voice.

  He opened the door and stood on the lawn, and I did the same.

  I pointed at him. "I'm your responsibility. If I'm attacked, you protect me. That's the deal."

  "You weren't attacked. He was toying with you."

  "Why?"

  Bex shrugged, his patience wearing thin. "I don't know, Eden. I just work here."

  "You know. What aren't you telling me?"

  Bex didn't respond.

  Their secrets felt like a knife in my back, and Bex's silence was the hand twisting it.

  "You're supposed to be my best friend. Do you really think keeping anything from me will help? Let me rephrase that. Do you really think keeping me in the dark will solve anything? How does it improve the cause exactly?"

  Bex's expression softened. "C'mon, Eden. Don't make me feel worse than I already do. I'm just trying to respect my brother's wishes."

  "So, it's Dad, not Mom."

  He straightened. "I didn't say that."

  "Yes, you did."

  I spun around, rushing toward the house as if someone were chasing me. Dad was already standing by the door when I slammed it behind me.

  I glared at him but didn't speak.

  "Eden ..." he began.

  "Don't. If you can't trust me, then I'd rather we just not speak."

  Mom hurried into the foyer just as I reached the stairs. "Eden, what on earth?" she screeched, noticing that I was covered in dirt.

  "I'm sure Dad will tell you in three hours," I snarled at my dad, "after explaining everything in excruciating detail."

  Bex spit out a laugh, but Dad didn't find it quite as funny.

  Dad frowned. "Why did you allow that, Eden? Have you lost your mind? What if he wasn't just testing you?"

  "I don't know. I just had a feeling that he wouldn't hurt me and that I shouldn't hurt him. I can't explain it," I said.

  "Allow what?" Mom asked. "Who did this to you?" she asked me.

  "Leviathan," Bex said. "He's been watching her for a while. Don't worry, Nina. We had it handled."

  Dad shot Bex a death glare, and he winced.

  "Who is we?" Mom asked, her voice echoing across the marble floors and down the hallways.

  Our house had tall ceilings and numerous vast rooms. The wood was imported Italian, the craftsmanship unequaled in the state of Rhode Island, much less the city. It'd been constructed by my grandfather to be strong, to protect my mother who was meant to be the last Merovingian, the descendants of Jesus Christ. She was supposed to be the last ... until me.

  That fortress was my second home, the first a loft my father had built. But my family had needed to work together to raise me for whatever lay ahead, and that required more room than the loft had offered. Jack Grey's was the only house I remembered, but it had never felt like home. I wondered if anywhere ever would.

  "Samuel," Dad said.

  Mom looked around the room, waiting for an appearance that wouldn't come.

  "First drudens, and now this," I said. "I told you. Culmination."

  "For the love of ... Eden. Try not to upset your mother," Dad said, his teeth clenching.

  It was too late. Mom paled, her lips parting as she sucked in a breath. "Jared," she said to my dad. Her tone warned him that she demanded an answer before she could ever ask. "What are you not telling me?"

  Dad reached out, and she did the same. He pulled her into his arms, as he'd often do when she was rattled by something from our world. "Nothing, sweetheart. It means absolutely nothing."

  My face fell as Dad rested his temple on Mom's hair, and then he glanced at me. He didn't want to upset Mom, so he was asking me to let it go.

  I trudged up the stairs to my room, leaving behind soiled footprints on the carpet.

  Mom touched the banister and called up to me, "Eden, come back down, honey. We'll figure it out."

  "We're all liars," I said under my breath, knowing Mom couldn't hear.

  I lay back on my bed, looking at the ceiling
while thinking about the familiar irises hovering above me earlier that afternoon. It hadn't been murder in Levi's eyes but curiosity, maybe even a bit of excitement. The book my dad had studied spoke of prophecy, one that included Leviathan and me and a great battle with spilled blood. Levi, the son of Satan, would threaten the balance, and one of two things would happen--I would kill him, or he would kill me.

  Levi had had a moment of opportunity, but he hadn't hesitated. He'd had an objective, but killing me hadn't been it. He'd admitted that he was unafraid of the consequences, something I could attribute to him being a moronic teenage boy.

  But it was more than that.

  Levi was right. I hadn't been trying. I had no intention of showing him my full capabilities. I chewed on my thumbnail. There were so many questions and no answers in our world. One more shouldn't have been a big deal, and I didn't want to care, but Levi had left me flustered--a feeling that I wasn't at all familiar with.

  After a soft knock, Claire called my name, "Eden? Can I come in?"

  "Yeah," I said, still staring at the ceiling.

  A second later, she was lying next to me, looking up at nothing, too.

  "No answers are up there. Trust me, I've looked. No answers on any ceilings anywhere."

  "I'm not looking for answers," I said.

  "Yes, you are. We all are. And waiting for them is the worst."

  I pressed my lips together. "Tell me what you know about the prophecy, Levi, and why you think he came today."

  "I don't know."

  I groaned and turned away from her. "Not you, too."

  She hooked her arm around my middle and pulled me against her. Leaning down, she whispered into my ear, "He's been sniffing around for almost a year now."

  "I know. I mean ... I didn't know it was him, but I sensed something. Something big."

  "Eden, tell me the truth. Why didn't you defend yourself when he came at you?" Claire asked.

  I didn't have to see her face to know she was concerned.

  I thought about that for a moment. "The truth?"

  "Of course, dummy."

  After a short pause, I said the words, not knowing what they would be until they tumbled from my mouth, "I think I know him."

  "How?" she asked.

  "It's just a feeling," I said. "I can't explain it, but I know him. And he knows me."

  Claire turned onto her back and stared at the ceiling, looking for answers of her own.

  I'd never seen all of my classmates smiling at the same time, but freedom lit the face of every person wearing a maroon graduation gown. Freedom had that effect on people. That was probably why I was the only one not baring all of my teeth.