Sweet Reckoning

  Fine, I texted, deleting our messages. And the wait began.

  I couldn’t relax. All I could do was stare out the window at the people coming and going from the parking lot. My extended hearing surrounded the hotel’s entrance, and it took complete concentration to keep it there and make sense of what people were saying.

  An hour after my texts with Marek, something caught my attention in the lobby. A preteen-sounding girl said, “That creepy guy bumped me and didn’t even say sorry.”

  A woman, presumably her mother, responded with a terse whisper. “Stay away from that man. I don’t like the look of him.”

  My heart flew to my throat and I fell to my knees next to the bed. I shoved my arm between the mattresses until I felt the hilt. My instincts were screaming for me to get out of there. Shoving the hilt into my backpack, I ran to the door and stuck my head out. Sure enough, at the end of the hall was a wiry-looking man with black hair pulled in a low ponytail. At his sternum was a black starburst. It grew when he saw me, and he smiled.

  I slammed the door and locked it, then ran for the patio door. As soon as I slid it open, a tanned hand gripped the edge. Half a scream escaped my mouth before his hand barreled down in a hard slap across my face. Blood covered my tongue and I stumbled to the side long enough for him to shut the back door. My bookbag fell off, but I had no time to worry about it.

  Ignoring the pulsing pain in my mouth, I shoved a hand into my pocket. My reflexes must have been slowed from the slap, but his were fast. He grabbed my wrist and twisted it behind my back, ripping an agonizing screech from my throat, which was quickly muffled by his hand. He did all this while moving us toward the door as I struggled like mad. For a short, slender guy, he was strong. He held me against him as he walked, taking my kicks to his shins like they were nothing, his hand clamped too hard around my mouth for me to open it and bite him.

  As he released my mouth to unlock the door, he yanked up on my twisted wrist and I sucked in a breath, ready to shriek again. In a heartbeat he had the door unlocked and his hand was clamped back over my mouth and jaw, muffling my scream. His brother pushed his way in. They moved fast and fluidly. I went ballistic.

  In a fit of terror I threw my head back and butted his nose. I heard the crack and he yelled, letting me go long enough for my hand to plunge into my pocket and pull out my knife, since I couldn’t reach the stun gun. My blade came out and my arm began slashing. I felt the steel connecting with flesh over and over, and saw the blood, but they never backed away or gave me an inch to run. Within seconds the knife was extracted from my hand and my arms were pinned behind my back.

  One of them chuckled, and that was when hysteria set in. I remembered what Caterina had told me about the sons of Thamuz’s kidnapping involvement. They were pros at this. I never stopped struggling, but it seemed useless and I was tiring. I’d have to do more than physically fight them. I had to use my brain, too.

  My self-defense instructors held me tightly, but it was always apparent that they didn’t want to hurt me. The sons of Thamuz had no reservations. I felt their fingers digging, bruising, scratching. When I fought, they fought—punching, smacking, kicking, yanking hair. They took pleasure in my sounds of pain. They never ceased smiling, their eyes shining with zeal.

  When my struggling slowed, I was shoved face-first onto the bed, on my stomach, and both men held me down. My body was spent. I was sweating and whimpering, because even in my beat-up, nearly passed-out state, I still had enough sense to be scared for my life.

  “What do you want?” I managed to ask between panting breaths.

  “We’re taking you on a li’l trip, chica,” one of them said close to my ear.

  They would bring me to the Dukes. Pharzuph would smell me. My instructors always warned me never to let myself be taken to the second location. My thrashing began anew as my brain flared with panic. All I needed was to get my hand to my other pocket. Just a few inches . . .

  One of them grabbed my hair and shoved my face into the mattress so hard I couldn’t breathe. The other beat me with a round of punches to my shoulders and back. I screamed into the mattress as his fist connected to my shoulder blade with a crack.

  Dear God. I’d never felt anything like it. My whole body tensed with shock as searing pain lanced through my shoulder. I couldn’t take in a breath with my face smothered against the bed. I thought surely I was dreaming it when my head was released and the weight from the man behind me suddenly lifted. I rolled, dazed, and pain bolted through my upper back.

  For one fleeting moment I thought I was imagining the scene before me through clouded eyes.

  A third man was in the room, and he was fighting the two Neph. He wore all black, including a face mask and black gloves. The way he moved and the shape of his body were familiar to me.

  Kopano. My head swam with gratitude.

  I’d never seen him fully unleash his wrath until now. The sons of Thamuz stood no chance. He must have managed to sneak in and get the drop on them while they were in their bloodlust over me, because they both seemed disoriented, trying and failing to escape from his fists. Kope threw one of them to the floor and was whaling on him when the other reached into his pocket. I saw the flash of silver, and I was on my feet despite my body’s protests.

  I grasped the stun gun protruding from my pocket and shoved it into the guy’s rib cage as I pressed the button. A high-pitched snarl escaped him as the jolt of electricity zapped through his nervous system. He fell to the ground as if paralyzed. I turned to Kope and nearly vomited at the sight of so much blood.

  My sweet friend was lost to the beast of wrath.

  “Stop!”

  I stumbled to his side, trying to avoid the fast swing of his elbows. I didn’t want to say his name, because even if the other two had noticed his badge, they hadn’t seen his face.

  “Stop it!” I grabbed the back of his neck from behind and stumbled forward, righting myself with my other hand on his big, moving shoulder. “Stop! We have to go!” I shook him hard.

  The combination of my touch and my voice made him still. A strangled groan left his throat as he took in the sight of the bloodied man beneath him, barely alive. From the corner of my eye I saw his brother stirring, trying to sit up.

  “Come on,” I whispered to Kope. My vision became spotty. He caught me just as I was about to fall. I blinked until the room came back into focus. “My bag. Let’s go.”

  The two of us exited through the back sliding door. I pointed to my car, which was blessedly right outside the room, and he led me to the passenger side. He then got behind the wheel, squealed tires out of the parking lot, and ripped the mask from his face.

  “Thank you,” I whispered once we were miles away. I worked hard to focus and not pass out. I leaned against the door because when my shoulder touched the seat I wanted to cry in agony.

  “I am sorry you had to see that.”

  “It’s okay,” I whispered.

  “You were being suffocated. And then when I saw him hitting you . . .”

  “You did good. I’m so thankful you came. I should have never tried to do it alone.” I winced when we hit a bump in the road.

  “Do you need a doctor?”

  “No.” Even if something were broken, going to a doctor was too risky in numerous ways. I hated taking medicine, because something as simple as aspirin made my body long for more. In this case I’d have to make an exception. “I need ibuprofen.”

  Kope stopped at a drugstore in the next town. We used napkins and wet wipes from my car to clean his hands. He fed me four painkillers every half hour as we drove north. He also got bandages for the cuts on his hands, though they healed fast.

  “What happened with Marek?” Kope asked.

  I closed my eyes and rehashed the story.

  “Do you think he set you up?”

  “No. I don’t know. Why would he have bothered to tell me he couldn’t meet me alone? He could have just sent them to ambush me unexpectedly in the first place
.”

  “But how did the sons of Thamuz know you were there? Perhaps they are using Marek to earn your trust and deceive you.”

  That was a depressing thought.

  “Maybe,” I admitted. “Or maybe they saw the texts somehow. Or maybe they scouted for me on their own. Either way—”

  “Down!” Kope hollered.

  I held in a wail of anguish as I scrunched my body down, out of sight.

  “A dark one. It’s gone now.”

  I stayed down, gritting my teeth. “Did it see you?”

  “No. It was flying in the other direction.”

  I slowly sat up. “Where are we going?”

  “I will leave from Roanoke airport.”

  “Virginia?”

  “Yes. But not until you are well enough. Where shall I take you?”

  I had no clue. “Just . . . take me to the airport with you. I’ll find somewhere to go after that. I’m already feeling a little better.”

  I felt the brief warmth of his hand touch my shoulder blade.

  “It’s swollen,” he said with worry.

  It still hurt, but between my quick healing and the painkillers, each span of minutes was increasingly better. “I’ll be okay.”

  We passed Blacksburg, Virginia, on our way to the airport, and though the signs for Virginia Tech should have made me happy, they only served as reminders of how far removed I was from the world of humans.

  “There’s my college,” I said quietly.

  Kope made no reply other than a sad glance my way.

  As we neared Roanoke, I wasn’t 100 percent, but I was feeling more like myself.

  “I wonder how Z is doing,” I said.

  And darned if a shy smile didn’t fill his face.

  “Your father found her a place in Boston. I do not know how he did it, but a nearby monastery agreed to rent a room.”

  I sat forward. “She’s in Boston now? That’s awesome!”

  “Yes. She is . . . thriving away from her father and alcohol.”

  “And near you.”

  His badge thumped and he kept his eyes straight ahead on the road. He wet his lips, and I had the urge to ask if he’d used those lips on Zania yet. The thought made my face heat. Marna would have asked him, but he and I didn’t have that kind of relationship, especially after he’d used those lips on me.

  Our trip to Australia seemed like a million years ago, not a mere eight months.

  “Well, I’m glad she’s doing better, and I’m glad . . .” I rubbed my shoulder. “I’m glad she has you. And you have her.”

  He finally looked at me again, those hazel eyes searching mine. I hoped he saw the truth, that I wanted him to be happy.

  “You like her a lot, don’t you?” I asked.

  “I like her very much, Anna.” His words held enough passion to make me shiver.

  When he looked back at the road, I smiled out my window. He may or may not have kissed her yet, but he definitely wanted to.

  My pulse jumped at the sound of an incoming text message. I pulled my phone from my bag. The message was from Marek.

  Cannot rid myself of Cat. Cannot locate two other companions. Not safe to meet.

  My heart thumped as I tried to figure out his guilt or innocence. I read the text to Kope, and we pondered in silence. My angel side wanted so badly to trust him, but my demon side was shaking its head and telling me not to be stupid.

  “I’m not going to answer him. And I won’t contact him again.”

  “Good,” Kope said.

  It was after midnight when we got to the airport.

  “Do you have a red-eye flight?” I asked.

  “No. I leave at five, but it’s better if we are not seen together.”

  “Yeah.” I agreed, but I still felt a gaping loss at the thought of him leaving.

  He parked at the curb and turned to me, the streetlamp catching a glint of green in his light eyes.

  “You saved me. They were going to take me to the Dukes.”

  Or worse, depending on whether they could keep their murderous urges in check. I somehow doubted they’d have been punished for “accidentally” killing me.

  “I had a terrible feeling after we spoke. I had to go to you.”

  “Thank you.” Without thought, I reached across the seats to hug him. He pulled me close, careful of my shoulder. For one second I worried that this contact might spark his lustful side, but it didn’t. He held me gently and let me go.

  “Are you certain you are all right?” he asked.

  “I’m better already. Maybe one more dose.”

  Kope shook four tablets into my hand and put the bottle in his pocket. I imagined begging him for the bottle, but he would never give in.

  “Good-bye, Anna. Stay safe.”

  “You, too, Kope. Give Z my love. Miss you.”

  I hadn’t really meant to say the last part, but it was true. He was my friend and I missed him. I was rewarded with a flash of his grin and dimple before he left me. Alone again.

  CHAPTER NINE

  KAIDAN OR THE WORLD

  What now?

  Still hadn’t heard from Dad. Desperately wanted to talk to Kaidan. Was worried about Jay, Marna, Ginger, Blake, and Patti. And here I was driving aimlessly around Virginia.

  A foolish part of me wanted to be near Patti and Jay, even if we couldn’t actually be together.

  I stopped for gas in a tiny town, admiring the view of the Blue Ridge Mountains against the deep blue night sky. The scenery was abruptly ruined as two vile winged beings flew down and circled the car, watching me. Crap. Ignoring them, I started the car and got back on I-81.

  They would never leave me alone.

  There would be no hiding or escaping from the whisperers. I was being watched and followed. I could try to find a church like Jay. But they’d still know where I was, and they’d send their human lackeys in after me. All I could do was try to stay one step ahead.

  Even on the open roads, surrounded by immense earthly beauty, I felt trapped.

  Where are you, Dad? What am I supposed to do now? My brilliant plan to speak with Marek had been a whopping failure.

  I wouldn’t cry, but my eyes burned and my breathing felt ragged.

  The last thing Dad had advised, and all we Neph agreed to, was to pretend to work. Maybe that was what I should do. Instead of running and hiding, I could head to college. It was Dad’s plan for my life. My next “duty station,” where I’d put on a show of being a student while partying it up. Would it throw the Dukes off if I kept with the working charade instead of running and looking guilty? Anything was worth a try at this point.

  I headed to Blacksburg, checking into a hotel since the dorms weren’t open.

  Dorms. College. Ha. It was all in my grasp, and yet it wasn’t. I couldn’t even be excited by the cute town or fun atmosphere.

  I tossed and turned all night, sweating despite the blasting air conditioner. My whole body hurt, and I fought the urge to go out and buy more painkillers, worried I’d take more than I should. I woke at six a.m. from a dream that was blurred and faint.

  The sheets were still tangled around my hips when the knock at the door came, and my heart rate rocketed. I disengaged myself from the blankets and grabbed the stun gun and knife from the nightstand. This hotel had no window or door through which to escape. My brain whirled.

  Was it the sons of Thamuz? Kope had hurt one of them pretty badly—I couldn’t imagine they’d be on the go already. Hotel staff wouldn’t knock at the door this early. It had to be a Neph or Duke. Whisperers must have found me while I slept. Was it Marek and Caterina again? With great effort I forced my extended hearing outside the door and whispered, “Who is it?”

  “Kaidan Rowe. Son of Pharzuph.”

  My breath stuck and my internal organs somersaulted. It was his voice. But why did he sound so formal? And what the heck was he doing here? I sprinted to the entrance—no peephole!

  I stood in front of the door, shaking. “What do you want???
?

  “I need to speak with you. Open up.”

  Either it was really him, and something horrible was happening, or someone was doing a dang good impersonation.

  “I’m not here to hurt you.” He spoke softly, but his tone sounded dangerous.

  I didn’t want to be scared of Kaidan. My Kai. But instincts made me clutch the knife harder.

  Swallowing down the moisture of emotion, I turned the doorknob. When I pulled the door open, my heart soared. It was definitely Kaidan, looking like he’d been up all night. His chin-length brown hair hung disheveled around a blast of bright blue eyes and a hardened face. Next to him, hovering with a malicious grin, was a whisperer.

  I was confused, nervous, elated, sickened. He’d brought a whisperer straight to me . . . or perhaps the whisperer had led Kaidan. The human panty thief hadn’t worked. Neither had Marek or Caterina or the sons of Thamuz. So the Dukes sent Kaidan. That fact made me relieved in one major sense—they must not be suspicious of him. He was safe, for now.

  So, what was Kaidan’s plan?

  My pulse would not settle. Kaidan grabbed the edge of the door over my shoulder and stepped forward, moving us both into the room.

  I realized I’d completely let down my guard when I felt his hand wrap around mine, successfully snapping my knife shut and slipping it into his own pocket. He gave the “flashlight” a funny look before pulling it from my grasp and dropping it to the floor. The door shut, and the whisperer pushed its way through it, watching as Kaidan backed me against the wall.

  With the spirit watching, I had to pretend I didn’t love him, just as he was doing, even if it hurt. In normal life I couldn’t stomach lying. But where whisperers and Dukes were concerned, all bets were off.

  I put my palms on Kaidan’s chest and straightened my arms, giving him my fiercest look. His red starburst pumped.

  “Back off, son of Pharzuph,” I warned.

  A predatory grin spread across his handsome face, and the repulsive whisperer sidled closer.

  “I’m only here as a precaution,” Kaidan crooned. “To be sure our little daughter of Belial is behaving properly.” His voice sounded as it had during our first meetings—contemptuous and dark. It was so appropriate that they’d sent him, the son of Lust, to make sure I wasn’t a virgin. Letting my lust for him overcome me was something I could not do. If the heavenly hilt, the Sword of Righteousness, sensed any lack of purity of heart, it wouldn’t allow me to wield it. I had to be angelic to use an angel relic.