by Nissa Leder
“What is it, Tuck? I’m busy.”
“Not anymore,” he says, gesturing at the empty space where Logan had stood. “Look, we haven’t seen Ava around in a couple of days. We were just wondering what’s up. Is she okay?”
She opens her mouth, like she has some smartass reply ready, but then her brows droop and she closes her mouth, thinking.
“I don’t know,” she says, pulling the phone from her back pocket. She scrolls through her messages. “She’s been ignoring my texts. She mentioned she wasn’t feeling well the other day. I figured she was still sick or over at your house or with her rebound guy.”
“No,” Tuck says, his voice urgent. “She hasn’t been with me.”
I feel Rachel before I see her. Things have changed since last night’s dinner. It’s like she’s stopped fighting against the bond so much. When she walks up to us, she stands next to me, not quite touching, but close enough that I can feel the heat filling the small space between us. Claire slaps Rachel with a glare and then looks back at Tuck and me.
“Okay, let’s just get it all out in the open,” Claire says. “I know what you are. I know why you dumped Ava. I know why Tuck has trailed you like a stray his entire life. You’re a Triad.”
I look at Tuck, then, who smirks at Claire.
“I haven’t told them,” he says to her. “I figured I’d let you do the honors.”
“Told us what?” I ask.
“She’s a Guardian,” Rachel answers. “Judging by her rainbow-infused aura, I’m guessing a halfling.”
Claire raises her eyebrows. “Very good.”
I’m still trying to process. Claire shoots me a condescending look.
“Okay, genius, let me spell it out for you. My dear old daddy is a Seraphim. My mom is human. That makes me a halfling, or, more accurately, a Nephilim. Got it?”
I don’t respond to her, still taking in the fact that yet another person in my life has been keeping secrets. But I feel Rachel tense beside me, the bond making her defensive. I take her hand, trying to calm her. The last thing anyone needs is another confrontation with Claire. Given what I’ve observed from them both, they’d half kill each other if the fuse is ever lit. Rachel doesn’t pull away from me, as Claire moves on.
“Now, back to the mystery at hand. Who was the last person to see Ava? I saw her at school two days ago.”
“Same,” Tuck says.
“Two days ago at school,” Rachel says.
Shit. They all look at me. I know it’s all over my face. Guilt.
“Darien Crain, you dirty dog,” Claire says. She’s laughing but there’s nothing but malice in the sound. “And all these years, I’d pegged you for the Dudley Doright type.”
Rachel drops my hand, her expression stunned. Tuck stares at the floor, clenching his jaw.
“Spill,” Claire says.
I clear my throat. I can feel their judgment, but I’m not going to lie.
“She was at my house two nights ago,” I say.
“And …?” Claire urges me on with an impatient wave.
“Gran was already asleep, so she came through my window.”
Rachel steps away from me, moving toward Claire. Cold air replaces the spot where she’d stood so close to me. There’s no point in holding back now. The truth is better for everyone.
“I think maybe Ava knows something.,” I say. “She kept asking me what was going and if there was anything I wanted to tell her. She said she knows we’ve all been lying.”
“Dammit, Finn,” Claire says. “I knew I should’ve told her about that sneaky little bastard.”
“Finn?” Tuck asks. “Who’s Finn?”
Claire holds up a long finger toward Tuck, commanding him to wait.
“So what else happened? Anything that would make her upset? Send her rushing into the waiting arms of someone else? Something that would make her ditch school and blow off all her friends?”
I don’t say anything.
“D, what the hell is wrong with you, man?”
Tuck pushes me, and I don’t resist. I deserve it.
Claire gets between us.
“Not helping, boys,” Claire scolds.
“Look, we kissed, that was all,” I say. “I was in a really bad place, she was asking questions I’m not allowed to answer, and I’d just found out everyone I care about has been lying. It was wrong. I stopped it before anything serious happened. But ...”
“But you broke her heart. Again,” Claire said. “Nicely done, Romeo.”
Claire looks over at Rachel, who is leaning against the wall with folded arms, and shakes her head. “This just keeps getting better and better.”
“Look, everyone just shut up,” Tuck says. “This isn’t helping us find Ava.”
Claire saunters over to Tuck, flashing a wicked grin. “I’m loving this take-charge attitude, Tuck. It’s very alpha male.”
Tuck steps away, refusing to be distracted. “Now who is this Finn and where do we find him?”
“Finn is a dark halfling double agent working for my father,” Claire whispers, making sure we’re not overheard. “Ava’s been out with him a few times. I don’t know for sure that he would do anything to hurt her, but I wouldn’t put it past him, either.”
I take time to process this. I knew that guy was trouble the minute I saw him, but I don’t want to say it in front of Rachel. If she’s still trying to fight the bond between us, I’ve just made it ten times easier.
“Okay, so she’s dating Finn,” I say. “If we assume they’re together, where should we start looking?”
“Her dad’s away on business,” Claire says. “We can start at her house. If we don’t find her, I can find out where Finn lives.”
Claire motions us to follow her. Tuck goes right away, but I wait, looking back at Rachel. I try to communicate with my eyes that I’m sorry and I know I screwed up, but she pretends not to see. When I hold my hand out toward her, she pushes up from the wall and stalks past me, following Tuck and Claire down the hall and out the exit to the back lot.
Whatever shift I had felt in our relationship last night, I just destroyed. But she’s the one that vowed not even a week ago that she’d never fall in love with me. Which begs the question: Why is she so pissed?
18
The first thing I notice when I park my Wagoneer in Ava’s driveway is that her dad’s car is gone, and the house is dark.
“Doesn’t look like anyone’s home,” Tuck says.
He unbuckles his seat belt and slides out of the car. I follow suit, slamming my door behind me as Claire parks her Jetta on the road. Rachel climbs out of the passenger door. I swallow the lump in my throat and try to clear my face of any expression or reaction.
I may have kissed Ava in a moment of weakness, in a breath when I wanted things to be different. But the reality is that my heart is pounding, my blood racing, because I’m drawn to Rachel like gravity. And the fact that she’s acting like a spurned girlfriend fills me with hope that I affect her the same way. She leans against the car with folded arms, refusing to join me or Tuck until Claire slams the door behind her, points the keyless remote, and locks the car, the alarm sounding out a double chirp.
Tuck snorts. “Really, Claire? In this neighborhood?”
Claire shrugs. “I don’t care what neighborhood we’re in. I love my car, and when half-demons like Finn have been lurking around, safety first is always in fashion.”
Well, it is a nice neighborhood, but Claire has a point. Right now, we don’t know where Finn is, we don’t know what his motives are, and we don’t really know what he’s capable of. Claire’s beloved Jetta is the least of our worries, but she’s smart to be cautious.
“Do you still have a key?” Claire asks me.
Everyone standing here has a key to Ava’s house, except for Rachel, so clearly, Claire is trying to drive the wedge a little further. I know Ava is her best friend, but Claire, being half-angel, must have been around enough Triads to know how they work. A little
grace from her would go a long way. I shoot her an agitated look that makes her smile, but I fumble with my keys without a response, and lead the way to the front door.
Inside, the house is quiet. The walls are bare, aside from a few mirrors and sconces Mr. Pierce left hanging after his wife left, but everything else seems in order. There are no signs of forced entry or struggle. Tuck winds through the kitchen with Rachel on his heels while I make my way toward the master bedroom and bath. The bed is unmade, which means Ava’s dad probably left to catch an early morning flight. I wander back through the dining room and run into Claire.
“Nothing,” she says with a shrug. Then, she points upstairs.
I take the lead, taking a left at the top of the stairs, and push open the door to Ava’s bedroom. Everything looks normal, like always. Photos of Ava, Tuck, Claire, and me stand in frames that line her dresser. Her easel stands in the corner, her latest painting resting against it. Her desk is scattered with papers, smudged with streaks of paint and piled with stacks of quick sketches that will become more elaborate works of art later. Her bed is half-made, but something is sticking out from underneath it.
Her phone.
Still attached to its charger, Ava’s phone peeks beneath the bed, the light flashing green to signal messages. I elbow Tuck and point.
“She wouldn’t have just left without her phone,” Claire says. “I mean, unless she was in a huge hurry or something.”
All eyes fall on me.
“Did she have her phone with her when you two were together the other night?” Claire asks.
There’s no malice in her question. She’s not toying with me this time. Her brows wrinkle with genuine concern.
I think back to that night. I can remember what she was wearing, the smell of her skin and perfume, the softness of her hair, but I don’t recall seeing her phone.
I shake my head, trying not to look at Rachel, who pauses from her study of Ava’s pictures to watch me while I answer.
“I don’t think so,” I say. “I didn’t see her phone, but that doesn’t mean she didn’t have it.”
I sit down on the edge of her bed, just as I’ve done so many times before, and grab the phone. I swipe through her screen lock to see if there are any messages that would tell us where she is. I’ve just clicked the messages app when the phone buzzes in my hand.
The screen lights up, and my eyes focus on a single name: Finn.
“Answer it,” Claire says.
I swipe to answer and get straight to the point. “Where the hell is Ava?”
“Is Claire in there? I need to talk to Claire.”
I raise my brows and hand the phone over. “Start talking,” she says. “Where’s Ava?”
Claire’s normally skeptical expression deepens to worry and anger, her answers coming out in short Hmms.
“Okay,” she finally says. “Come on up.”
She looks at us, then, trying to control her anger before she speaks. “Finn’s outside. He’s coming up. He’s been looking for Ava, too, and he found her. I don’t have all the details, but this is a demon job, and he needs our help to get her out.”
“Can we trust him?” Tuck asks. “I mean, I’m not trying to discriminate because God knows, two out of three of us in this room probably know how that feels. But he is half demon. That means that in order for him to be good, he has to fight against that part of himself.”
“He’s always followed through for the Guardians,” Claire says.
“But can we trust him?” Tuck repeats.
Claire blows out a breath. “We’re about to find out.”
The door slams downstairs, and footsteps pound up the stairs. Finn bursts through the bedroom door, taking it all in.
“Spill,” Claire says.
I cock my head, watching him. A Seraphim halfling and a Triad must be a pretty intimidating sight, because he looks like he’s about to throw up. He runs a hand through his stupid rock star hair and rubs his face.
“Claire, you could’ve told me you brought along an entire Triad,” he says.
“You didn’t ask, and I’m not in the mood to do you any favors. Now, tell them what you just told me.”
Finn looks like he wants to back up several paces but stands his ground. Impressive. Hopefully, that means he won’t wuss out of a fight if we run into one. His throat bobs as he swallows.
“I found Ava locked up at our headquarters. She’s tired and scared, but so far, no one has harmed her.”
“If you found her, why is she still locked up?”
Finn meets my eyes. “Well, for one, she’s being guarded by at least a dozen Daeva, who are being monitored by a half-dozen Pey, who are being monitored by three Familiars. Unlike some people, I can’t close my eyes and concentrate and drag them all back to hell.”
“Well,” Tuck says, “those are all lower demons. You’re a halfling, which means you outrank them. Yet you did nothing?”
“Look, I’m a halfling with a ranking father and a hell of a lot to lose. If I storm in there, Ava won’t be the only one who will suffer because of my actions. Not to mention, I’ll blow my cover, rendering me useless to the Guardians, and be branded a traitor to my own kind. Which is punishable by death.”
“Yes, it’s all very sad for you,” Claire says. “Anything else you can tell us that will actually be helpful?”
Finn paces, running a hand through his hair. “I think Ava being taken may have something to do with the two of you.”
He points to me and Claire.
“Us?” I ask. “What would it have to do with us?”
He shakes his head. “That’s what I don’t get. Ava overheard them talking, and she heard them mention an angel girl and a Hellwalker. If they want Claire, it probably has to do with her father. And if you’re Darien Crain, as in Thomas Crain, there’s been a hit out on every member of your family for about five generations.”
Wow. That would have been useful information for Uriah or Gran to share with me. Unless they don’t know. But it would explain a lot. Maybe even how my parents died. I let his words sink in and meet Claire’s eyes. Her usual hardened exterior seems to have fallen away. Right now, she looks so fragile, she might fall apart.
“That’s the common thread, then,” Claire whispers. “The only way to get to my father is through me.” She looks at me then. “And you have Uriah Donnelly protecting you right now. Ava is the one thing we have in common. They’re using her to get to us. Because of our bloodlines.”
It makes so much sense, I almost laugh. We kept our world a secret from Ava to protect her. How ironic is it that her ignorance only put her in more danger?
“Okay, so obviously, the demons are using Ava to get to Claire and Darien.” Rachel, who has been standing in the background, steps forward. “So they’re hoping we’ll come to Ava’s rescue and fall right into their trap.”
Finn nods. “That’s what I think.”
“But can we trust you?” I ask. Then, I look at Rachel, who is studying him.
“He’s telling the truth,” Rachel says. “The darkness around him is there, but it’s more gray than black. It fades to blue at the edges. Whenever he talks about Ava, his aura has the faintest hint of light pink.”
We all look at her, unsure why it matters.
“It’s the color of love,” she explains. “Whatever his bloodline, I think, at least when it comes to Ava, we can trust him.”
“Okay,” Claire says. “What should we do?”
“We make a plan,” Tuck says. “D, I think it’s time to call Uriah Donnelly.”
I nod. Uriah will know exactly what to do. I pull my cell from my back pocket and dial.
Well, Seattle is just brimming with surprises.
If anyone had told me last week that I’d be standing in the bedroom of my counterpart’s ex-girlfriend feeling sympathy for a demon halfling, I would’ve slapped that person with my best “You’ve totally lost it” look.
But as I watch Finn’s reaction to what I’ve
just said, his colors transform. Denial. Possibility. More Denial. Acceptance. I don’t fully understand him, and to be honest, he’s the first demon halfling I’ve met who wasn’t running from me or trying to corrupt someone I love, but his aura is a swirl of changing emotion. Black close to his body, which fades to gray and then to blue and then a faint pink around the edges.
He’s conflicted.
There is clearly darkness in Finn, but there’s also the capacity for courage, truth, and love. It goes against everything I’ve been raised to believe, but the colors never lie. At least, they never have before.
I feel someone watching me and look up to see Claire staring daggers at me. I get it. Counterpart or not, her best friend is hurting because of me. I’d probably react the same if I were in her situation. Claire isn’t the nicest person in the world and seems difficult to get close to, but people have been saying that about me my entire life. It comes with the territory. She’s loyal to her friend, and that’s a quality that goes a long way, in my book.
When I raise my brows, she crosses the room.
“Are you sure we can trust him?” she whispers.
“Claire, I’m right here. I can hear you.” Finn rolls his eyes and leans back against the wall.
She shoots him a dirty look and then focuses back on me. “Well?”
“The colors have never lied before,” I say. And it’s the truth.
“Would you bet Darien’s life on it?” she asks.
The answer is easy. “Not a chance.”
She nods. “That’s what I thought.”
Darien puts the phone in his back pocket and turns around. “Uriah will be here in ten minutes. He says we’ll figure out what to do.”
“Uriah Donnelly is coming here?” Finn asks.
His eyes move to the door.
“The one and only,” Claire says. “Thinking about making a break for it?”
“No, but you have to admit, I’m a little outnumbered in here. The walls are starting to close in.”
“Well, you know what they say,” Claire chimes in, “the guilty tend to squirm.”
