Pawn (Nightmares Trilogy #1)

  I dropped Mandy off at her house and then headed for my own. Mom was sitting at the kitchen table with her chair turned at the perfect angle for viewing the front door. The moment my sneaker made contact with the foyer’s wooden floorboards, her head popped up.

  “Endora,” Mom said, sounding relieved.

  Reluctantly, I joined her at the table, positioning my chair sideways for a hasty exit in case the conversation became too intense. The lines around my mother’s eyes were deeper than usual, emphasizing the weary expression on her face. I wanted to stay angry with her, hate her just a little, but seeing her so upset made it hard. Instead, I felt horrible that I was the one who’d caused her so much anxiety.

  “Hey,” I said softly.

  “I should never have told you about Sam the way I did.”

  Wow, so small talk wasn’t on the menu tonight. That shouldn’t have surprised me since my mother was a very direct woman. “Life’s too short to beat around the bush,” she liked to say.

  “Why didn’t you tell me before?” I asked.

  Mom sighed, looking defeated. “I never wanted to tell you. There was no reason for you to know Samantha gave birth to you. As you grew up, you looked so much like me that I never worried you’d guess we were anything less than mother and daughter. Mark wanted to tell you, but I figured you would be happier not knowing, not always wondering about your biological parents. Your father and I raised you; we are your parents.”

  “Is that why you two fought so much? He wanted to tell me and you didn’t?” I asked. I was trying to digest the news that she would have continued to keep the truth from me if not for a brief moment of panic where she let it slip out.

  “Sometimes,” she said evasively, avoiding my gaze.

  “Sometimes,” I parroted back childishly. “What about the rest of the time?”

  “What all did James tell you the other night?” Mom’s eyes finally met my stare when she asked this.

  I considered lying for a split second, before accepting that it would be a lost cause. She’d know I was lying and would continue to rephrase the question until she got the answer she sought. Besides, the way she was studying me with her prosecutor’s glare told me she already knew the truth. Rule number one of cross-examination: Never ask a question you don’t already know the answer to.

  “He told me about Dad’s research into what I am, an Egrgoroi.”

  Mom paled, her skin resembling the corpses they’re always pulling out of the water on Law and Order. Rage sparked new life in her tired eyes. “That is nonsense. Your father got caught up in some romantic fantasy of an afterlife and―”

  I cut her off, “Romantic fantasy? Are you serious? There is nothing romantic about being sent back to earth to further some god’s agenda. I don’t want to be someone’s errand girl.”

  Impossibly, the blood further drained from my mother’s face. She gripped the edge of the table as if needing the support. “That is nonsense,” she repeated, but her words lacked the earlier bite.

  “Is it?” I asked quietly. “If it is all nonsense, illogical, why are you so scared?”

  “I don’t want to lose you the way I lost your father,” she said softly. “I don’t want his obsession to become yours.”

  “Too late.” I rose from the table and started for the stairs, but just before the landing I turned. “So, you don’t believe any of it? Not that I am an Egrgoroi, that I was offered a second chance at life in exchange for service?”

  At first, Mom remained silent, but as I started up the stairs I heard her mutter, “No, I don’t believe you were offered a second chance at life.”

  ****

  On Friday I attended school feeling about as ridiculous as one might expect to while wearing a kilt, knee socks, and a white t-shirt that read, “Go OWLS sink your claws into the GATORS!” in puffy paint. I’d advocated for dressing up in honor of our game that afternoon but, unfortunately, had been outvoted. As captain, boycotting the team’s decision would have been bad form, so I spent the day looking like an arts and crafts project gone awry.

  With so much on my mind, my athletic prowess suffered horribly during the game. I was jumpy and couldn’t concentrate, despite my best efforts. Coach Peters took me aside during halftime and asked if everything was okay. I assured her that I was fine and would play better the second half. Proving myself a liar, I dropped an easy pass when I thought I saw one of the Egrgoroi boys from the mall in the stands.

  “Don’t worry, Eel. Everyone has a bad game,” Elizabeth told me on the bus, after we barely squeaked out a win.

  “Yeah, I know,” I said.

  “Who’s driving to the McCallisters’ house?” Elizabeth asked, changing the subject to more pressing matters. “I call not it,” she added quickly.

  “I’ll drive,” I offered. Devon and I agreed not to drink at the party since we were meeting Mr. Wentworth at eight o’clock the next morning. The only reason I was even going to the party was because Kannon would be there.

  Justin McCallister, the St. Paul’s goalie, lived in a McMansion nearly forty minutes from my more modest house. By the time Devon, Elizabeth and I arrived, the party was in full swing. After twenty minutes of dodging drunken partygoers and avoiding precariously held Solo cups, I finally found Kannon. He was sitting in the McCallisters’ basement theater watching basketball with half of the other guys at the party.

  Trying to be coy, I snuck up behind where he sat on a sectional between two other St. Paul’s boys I didn’t know. I ran my fingers across the back of his exposed neck. The crackle and pop of electricity caused him to jump in his seat and sent me stumbling backwards several steps. Kannon turned, green eyes wide with alarm. When they landed on me, though, he visibly relaxed and drew his lips into a dazzling smile.

  “I should have known it was you,” he said and climbed over the back of the leather sofa so he wouldn’t have to step over the crowd of people littering the floor in front of it.

  “Sorry,” I apologized, since he was rubbing the back of his neck where I’d shocked him.

  “It’s fine,” he assured me. “You look nice,” he added, those green eyes traveling from the hem of the strapless sundress to my bare throat. Kannon tentatively reached for my hand, brushing my palm lightly. When the small spark didn’t send either of us flying across the room, he intertwined his fingers with mine and pulled me close. He dipped his head low, the soft chestnut hair caressing my cheek and sending a tingly sensation across my skin. I figured he was going to kiss me; his mouth bypassed mine and stopped next to my ear.

  “Where’s your necklace?” he whispered.

  “My dream catcher?” I asked, surprise causing me to pull back. “Devon said it didn’t go with my dress.”

  “You should be wearing it,” Kannon said, sounding like he was scolding a naughty child.

  “I’m awake,” I pointed out. “I don’t need a dream catcher when I’m awake.”

  “Humor me, Endora. Promise me you won’t take it off again. I don’t know if it works, but it can’t hurt.”

  “Okay, sure. I promise,” I said, unnerved by the intensity in his request.

  When Kannon leaned in this time, he did kiss me. Gentle and light as a feather, his lips skimmed mine.

  “Let’s go somewhere quiet,” he mumbled, pulling back just enough so his mouth moved without touching mine.

  “I don’t want to take you away from the game,” I said, nodding towards the big screen that held some forty-odd boys captive.

  “I would rather watch you than ten sweaty guys run up and down a court.”

  The McCallisters’ backyard was a sprawling maze of tennis courts, a putting green, and pool house. Kids were gathered around the pool watching four girls riding on the shoulders of four boys chicken fighting. All eight appeared to be fully clothed. Kannon led me past the pool to a gazebo decorated with green and pink Chinese lanterns. Inside the gazebo was a wraparound bench covered in cushions that matched the lanterns.

  “How are you hold
ing up?” Kannon asked once we were sitting side by side on the bench.

  I shrugged. “Okay, I guess. I made it out of the house without seeing my mom this morning, so that’s good.”

  I’d intentionally stayed in my room until I heard her leave for work. She’d left me a note telling to have a good day at school and wishing me luck at the game. She’d also texted and called several times to check up on me, but I sent her to voice mail and only responded to one text to let her know I was alive. That seemed to mollify her.

  “I put in some calls to the other Egrgoroi I know; I’m waiting to hear back,” Kannon told me.

  I shuddered, thinking about the two Egrgoroi I’d seen in the mall.

  “Are you cold?” Kannon asked, concerned. He scooted closer and wrapped his arm around my bare shoulders. The initial contact stung before giving way to pleasant warmth. I snuggled closer, resting my head in the crook of his arm. I wasn’t cold, but the physical closeness was nice all the same.

  “No, it’s not that,” I said. “When I was shopping with Mandy last night, I think there were two Egrgoroi in the food court.”

  Kannon’s muscles tensed and his whole body went rigid. When he spoke, his voice was strained. “Did they try to talk to you?” he wanted to know.

  “No. They just stared at me. It was really creepy.”

  “But they got close enough that you felt them?”

  “Yeah, they were only like five tables away and the food court was practically empty.”

  “Who was there first? You or them?” Kannon pressed.

  I took a moment to think about that. I couldn’t recall whether the boys had been there when Mandy and I first sat down or not. “Don’t know,” I said with a shrug. “But once I did notice them, I literally ran,” I admitted, slightly embarrassed at the memory of dragging Mandy through the mall at breakneck speed.

  “Running away was the right to thing to do,” Kannon assured me. “If you see them again, if you see any Egrgoroi again, get somewhere safe and call me.”

  “Are we dangerous?” I asked.

  “Some Egrgoroi are,” Kannon replied evasively.

  “The ones who work for Tartarus?”

  “Particularly the ones who work for Tartarus - they have nothing to lose. But even the Egrgoroi who serve Kronos can be dangerous. Good and evil, right and wrong; well, they aren’t as clear-cut as you might think.”

  Before I could ask him how Egrgoroi already judged and determined to be worthy of Elysian Fields could possibly be dangerous, my cell buzzed in the pocket of my dress. I groaned, assuming it was my mother. It wasn’t.

  Devon: Party’s lame. Let’s go. Where R U?

  “I’m sorry,” I apologized to Kannon. “Devon is ready to go.” I held up my phone so he could read the message.

  “Are you going back to your house?” Kannon wanted to know.

  “Nope, Devon’s. Mr. Wentworth is taking us to see my dad’s place in the morning, and I don’t want to get the third degree from Mom when we leave at 7:30 a.m.,” I explained.

  “May I come?”

  Kannon’s question caught me by surprise. Then again, Kannon did have a vested interest in my father’s research as well. He’d been eighteen since late December, only about four months; and while he knew more than I did about the Egrgoroi, he was by no means an expert.

  “Sure,” I agreed. “We’re meeting at the Moonlight at eight o’clock.”

  “The Moonlight?” Kannon laughed. “You sure are a fan of that place.”

  I felt myself blush. “It was Mr. Wentworth’s idea. He said Dad’s place is pretty close to the diner.”

  “I’ll be there.”

  I replied to Devon’s text, telling her to find Elizabeth and meet me in front of the McCallisters’ so we could head out. Kannon guided me back across the plush back lawn and through the house, now bursting at the seams with teenagers from both Westwood and St. Paul’s. Devon was already waiting impatiently when we finally made it to the front door.

  “Liz says she’ll get a ride home with Cynthia,” Devon called. She hooked a thumb towards the Bug, parked halfway down the block, to indicate she would wait in the car.

  I nodded before turning to Kannon to say goodbye. He gave me another one of his sweet, soft kisses that I loved so much. With all of the people milling about the front yard, I knew the chaste kiss was all I would get, but I was still disappointed. I wished we were alone for just a few moments, so we could enjoy one of those long, lingering kisses that I was also a big fan of.

  Kannon trailed one finger across my collarbone, not quite touching my skin but close enough that tiny sparks illuminated my bare flesh. A pleasant shiver ran down my left arm. “Promise me you’ll stop by your house and get the dream catcher,” he said in a husky voice.

  “Okay,” I said dreamily. I would have promised him the moon just then.

  “I’m serious, Endora. And don’t take it off again. Not to shower, not for practice, not ever.” All traces of humor were gone from Kannon’s face; his green eyes were dark and deadly serious.

  “I promise. The dream catcher and I are like this,” I crossed my middle finger over my index finger and held them up for him to see, “from this moment on.”

  “Good,” he said, visibly relieved. “I’ll see you in the morning.”

  I began to walk across the lawn to where Devon waited at my car, feeling his gaze trailing behind me. In a daze from being near him, I almost missed Kannon’s parting line.

  “Dream well.”

  Chapter Twenty-One

  “Only Devon would meet a guy in the morning and convince him to take her to prom that night,” Cooper said. He took a long pull from his flask before offering it to the rest of us congregated around the punch bowl.

  “Please, he didn’t even have the decency to come to dinner or ride in the limo with us,” Cynthia replied, accepting the flask. She took several quick sips then passed it to Elizabeth.

  “I think it’s romantic. She must have made quite an impression,” Elizabeth said. “How exactly did she meet him anyway?”

  “On Main Street. Somewhere between the tailor and her car they ran into each other,” I replied.

  When Devon called me earlier that day and said she’d found a date to prom while picking up her gown from Andrea’s Alterations, I’d been ecstatic. I’d been so proud of her for refusing to back down and forgive Rick for his latest indiscretion, and finding someone to occupy her time was even better. But the more I thought about it, the less I liked the idea of my best friend taking a complete stranger to prom. Just as Cynthia had said, he told Devon that he couldn’t make dinner or pictures and would meet her at the country club. Now, an hour into the dance, he’d finally made an appearance ― sort of. He’d texted Devon saying he was outside and asking if she could come meet him.

  “I’m sure she’s fine,” Kannon murmured in my ear. “Just relax and try to have a good time.”

  His assurances not only didn’t make me feel any better, they made me feel guilty. Instead of paying attention to Kannon, my date, I’d spent the evening obsessing over the mysterious guy Devon was all of a sudden enamored with. Asking a complete stranger out on a date was uncharacteristic for my best friend. She was suspicious and inquisitive by nature, and preferred to do a complete and thorough background check on any potential suitors. So this departure from her normal personality bothered me.

  A slow song started to play, and my friends and their respective dates began moving towards the dance floor. I didn’t follow immediately. I wanted to make sure Devon was okay.

  “She’s fine,” Kannon repeated. “Let’s dance, and if she hasn’t returned by the end of the song, we’ll go look for her.”

  Only the fact that I’d basically ignored him all night made me agree. “One song,” I prefaced. “Then we go make sure she’s okay.”

  “Deal.”

  I took Kannon’s offered hand and let him lead me to the dance floor. He wrapped his arms around my waist and I wrapped mine a
round his neck. But my attention was still on the main entrance. Devon was nowhere in sight.

  Beside us, Cooper dipped Elizabeth backward until her long hair swept the floor. She giggled and sang along with the song, butchering the words. Mandy and Matthew moved in small awkward circles, neither of them particularly coordinated dancers.

  “Are you having a good time?” Kannon asked, pulling me from my thoughts.

  “Of course,” I replied automatically.

  Kannon bent down so his face was inches from mine. The concern in his eyes was evident, making me feel even worse for being such a crappy date. “You only get one senior prom, Endora.”

  I smiled and kissed him softly on the cheek. “I’m having a great time.”

  A head of blonde curls laced with baby’s breath caught my attention over his shoulder. I exhaled a long sigh of relief. Devon was back. I almost laughed at how worried I’d been. All this nonsense about Egrgoroi was making me paranoid.

  The relief quickly morphed to unease. Devon wasn’t alone, and the guy, her mystery date, wasn’t a stranger. I’d seen him at least once before. He’d been dressed in jeans and a sweater that accented his midnight blue eyes. At the time I’d thought his frosted blond highlights screamed high maintenance. Now, in his immaculate white tuxedo with black piping, he looked like a heavenly creature. But the energy he exuded felt anything but angelic. Dark, dangerous power radiated from his body.

  The boy walking hand in hand with my best friend was the same boy who’d suggested I jump off the rock at Caswell Lake.

  “Eel? What’s wrong?” Kannon asked, following my gaze to Devon and her date. His body tensed when his eyes landed on the boy.

  “Do you know him?” I demanded.

  Kannon took a moment to compose himself, allowing his muscles to relax and his features to return to neutral. “No. Why? Do you?”

  He was lying. Kannon definitely knew the boy, or at least recognized him. My pulse quickened. Something was off. I pulled free from Kannon’s grip and started towards where Devon and her date were standing by the finger foods.