Sweet Reckoning

CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE— NO GIRLS

It was late when Jay and Marna went for a walk. Blake and Ginger played video games on Jay’s game system, and Kaidan and I chatted with Kope and Z. A tiny strand of discomfort still permeated the air between Kaidan, Kope, and me—a leftover from the kiss I’d shared with Kope and the jealousy between the two of them.

Kopano made a solid effort to get past the tension, wanting to hear more about my interactions with Marek, the son of Shax.

“He’d be a great ally,” I told them. “He freaking stole my car keys from under my nose. But I couldn’t get a good read on him with Caterina there. He definitely isn’t a fan of hers, which gives me a little hope about him.”

“Strange to think her father is an ally,” Kaidan said.

“Yeah,” I agreed. It was also strange to think of Jezebet as Caterina’s father at all. He was now a woman. Jezebet was the first Duke to ever take a female body. His change of guard must have happened just after he’d fathered Caterina. As far as I knew, Jezebet was Dad’s only ally among the Dukes, but Dad was known to keep his secrets close.

When Jay and Marna returned from their walk, Jay took out his guitar. He was decent at it, but the piano was his best talent. He couldn’t get a certain riff right, so he handed the instrument to Kaidan, and my heart flipped.

I recalled him saying he played guitar, but I’d never actually seen or heard him play. Kaidan began to pick at each string, testing and tuning with his full attention. I watched the way his hands moved across the wood and strings, gently, reverently, his body seeming to curl around it as if it were a part of him. . . . I felt my hands getting sweaty, because watching Kaidan get lost in music did crazy things to me. My breathing became ragged and I couldn’t take my eyes off him.

He looked up at that moment and caught me staring hard. He knew. He knew what it did to me! I could tell because his badge expanded.

He angled himself away from the others and signed to me, I want to be alone with you tonight.

Patti did have a lot of guests staying in the house. I signed back, I’ll work on it.

“Excellent,” he whispered, a hot grin sliding onto his face.

“Hey, Kai,” Jay called from across from us.

“Yeah, mate?”

“What’s the difference between a drummer and a large pizza?”

Kai held back a smile. “I’ve no clue.”

“A large pizza can feed a family of four!”

Everyone cracked up.

Blake said, “Thank God for Daddy’s money, huh?”

“Bloody right.” Kaidan turned his attention back to the guitar. When the first rich notes of a popular ballad met my ears, I stared at his forearms and lower biceps, then his fingers as they moved, seemingly without effort. The way he concentrated and fell into his own world fascinated me. Each sound was clear and vibrant, stirring my blood until I had a dizzying head rush. Yep, I was taking this guy home tonight. He was all mine.

I went upstairs and found Patti making the second guest bed. I got on the other side to help straighten the sheet. “So . . . I was wondering if you minded if Kaidan and I went back to my dorm tonight, since you have a houseful and all? We’d be back first thing in the morning.”

She tried to keep a straight face, but I could see her fighting a smile. “Sure thing, honey.” She may have been the woman who raised me, but she was also a romantic.

Kaidan and I weren’t the only people walking across campus close to midnight, but we might have been the only sober ones. At one point while we were walking I heard distant cheers, then Kaidan busted out laughing next to me. I followed his eyes and the sounds until I spied the backs of three naked guys streaking across the quad.

Kaidan covered my eyes, but we were both cracking up.

We passed a big group of girls who were talking at top volume, giggling like crazy. They got quiet when they saw Kaidan, putting all their energy into staring as hard as they could. Kai didn’t even glance their way, but his fingers tightened around mine as if to reassure me.

The moment we passed them, they broke into another round of giggles and began talking over one another about how all the hottest guys were taken. It was strange to think we looked like an average college couple. Kaidan released my hand to put his arm around my shoulder, and mine went around his waist, my thumb linking through a belt loop. We threw all caution to the wind, but Kaidan’s eyes stayed always on alert. Always searching.

When we got closer to the building, I wondered if I was allowed to bring him in. Probably not since it was an all-girl dorm. I made Kaidan wait for me at a side exit while I went in and then came to get him. As soon as the heavy door clicked closed behind him, he pinned me to the wall with a hard kiss. I let myself pull him close and melt into him, savoring our aloneness. I forced my mouth from his so I could talk.

“For the record, you can play guitar for me anytime.”

Dark hair hung in his eyes as he loomed over me, so hot. “Liked that, did you?”

He took my mouth again and I groaned just thinking about his hands on the guitar. His hands on me.

He grinned and said, “I love it that you have to sneak me in.”

“I’m such a rebel,” I joked. “You’re getting the college experience without having to take any classes.”

Kai crinkled his nose. “Something smells bad.” He looked at the floor suspiciously.

“See? The full experience. Come on.” I pulled him up the stairs, careful not to step in any mysterious puddles along the way.

When we got into my room, Kaidan reminded me of everything I’d been missing since our wedding night, and more.

At two in the morning we lay half asleep, spooning on the twin-size dorm bed. I ran my fingers up and down his arm.

“Do you ever let yourself dream?” I asked him. “Like, imagine what the future could be like?”

Kaidan paused. “No. But I’m betting you do.” He placed a kiss on my bare shoulder.

“Yeah.” For a while after I found out I was a Nephilim, I had laid my dreams to rest, but since finding out about the prophecy, they’d been reignited. Dreams gave me hope. “I want you to dream big with me.”

Kaidan was contemplative, having grown up believing that these kind of wishful thoughts were dangerous.

Finally he said, “Tell me your dream for us, sweet Anna.”

I smiled into the darkened room. “It starts with us defeating the Dukes. We survive and they’re gone. We can do whatever we want with our lives. I know you love music, so I figure you’ll still work with music in some way. When I finish college, I want to be a social worker. I’d be able to gauge the danger kids are in better than a human could since I can see their emotions. I’ll be able to rescue children from bad situations.”

“I can picture that.” Kaidan brushed hair off my neck. I felt his lips running up and down over my shoulder and the dip of my throat, but I sensed he was still paying attention, so I kept going.

“We could live wherever you wanted. Patti would probably follow us. After a few years of working, we could think about adopting. I know Patti would just die to babysit while we work.”

“Wow. Kids.”

“Yeah . . . like five or six.”

“Five or six?”

I held back a giggle.

“You’re a nutter,” he said, laughing. “One boy. Maybe two boys, but even that’s pushing it.”

I couldn’t believe he was playing along.

“We have to have girls, too!”

Behind me, he stiffened and the room went silent.

“No girls.” He was deadly serious.

I rolled over to face him. Before I could say a word, he sat up and shuddered.

“What’s wrong?” I asked.

He dug the heels of his hands into his tired eyes. “I can’t even . . . just the thought of having to care for a girl, watching all the bloody gits sniff around her with their red auras . . . it would kill me and I would deserve it, because I was the worst offender of all.”

“Kai . . .” I touched his arm.

“No. I’m sorry, luv, but kids are not my dream. Especially girls.”

“Okay,” I whispered. I scooted closer and ran a hand down his forearm. “Let’s try to get a little sleep.”

“I’m sorry,” he said again.

I rolled over so we could spoon once more, gently pulling him down to lie behind me. I felt his breath on my hair.

“Are you angry with me?” he whispered.

I quickly flipped over to face him, saying, “No, Kai.” I placed my hand on his scruffy cheek. “I understand your feelings. It was only supposed to be for fun.”

I gave him a peck on the lips and he searched my eyes.

He sounded so sad when he said, “I ruined your dream.”

“No, you didn’t. We’re gonna face our future together, and that’s more than I ever thought I’d have. I love you.”

I kissed him again and finally felt him soften.

“Let’s rest,” I said. “We have to be back at Patti’s by eight for breakfast.”

I kissed him one last time before rolling over and feeling his heat against my back as he reached around my waist and pulled me closer.

As I drifted to sleep, from a state of semiconsciousness I heard him whisper, “You’re my dream. My only dream.”

Seven o’clock came waaay too early. And then it took us forever to get out of bed. Kaidan totally started it, but I can’t say I was eager to end it. He was flying back to California that afternoon, and I didn’t know when I’d see him again. We clung to each other, desperate for every touch. We were running so late that we only had time for me to take a shower. We hurried to Patti’s so the nine of us could have this morning together before it was time to go our separate ways.

The mood in the house was somber when we got there. Marna and Jay wouldn’t unlink fingers. Patti’s eyes were red, but she held back any tears, trying to cheer us all with omelets and potato cakes. I went straight to the coffee maker, pouring two cups for Kaidan and me—his black, mine creamy and sweet. He took his coffee from me graciously, and as we sipped I ran my eyes over his five o’clock shadow and messy hair, disheveled from sleep and my fingers.

He caught me looking, and I stared down into my mug and smiled.

The others discussed their plans. Blake was flying the twins to D.C. at ten, then Zania and Kopano to Boston. He offered Kaidan a ride back to California, but Kai had a flight booked to Atlanta at noon. He had to retrieve Richard Rowe’s ashes and sign estate paperwork giving permission for everything to be sold.

It was time to say our good-byes. Watching Marna leave Jay was heartbreaking. It took Kope’s strong arm around Marna to get her to leave.

I stood silently in the foyer with Kaidan, Patti, and Jay as the others drove away.

“We were lucky to have this time together, weren’t we?” Jay asked.

“Very,” I whispered.

Patti rubbed his back for a second before giving him a small, sad smile and slipping into the kitchen.

Kaidan cleared his throat and looked at Jay. “So . . . got any new tracks for me to hear? Stuff by you?”

“I do have one. . . .” The two of them walked toward the family room, talking music, and I went to help Patti with the dishes.

She was scrubbing and rinsing, but kept leaning her head down to wipe her eyes on the shoulder of her shirt. She gave me a watery smile.

“Lordy, I’m a mess. Can’t stop crying lately.”

“It’s okay.”

Patti reached for me the second I sidled up beside her, wet hands and all. I went into her arms, breathing in her comforting oatmeal scent.

“I love you so much,” she said, still holding me tight. “Thank you for bringing everyone here and letting me be a part of it.”

Just as I opened my mouth to respond, a dark spot crept into the side of my vision, near the window. Panicked adrenaline flooded my system. I jumped back from Patti, causing her to yelp, but when I ran to the window there was nothing there.

Kaidan rushed in, scanning the room. I took a deep breath to calm my frayed nerves, then signed, I thought I saw something, but I was wrong. It was probably a cloud or a bird.

His lips tightened. I’m going to check, he signed.

Jay came in with a worried look and he put his arm protectively around Patti. I motioned for them to stay where they were. If there were whisperers here, we were all busted. We had no good reason to be together.

Kaidan went out the front door and I inspected all of the rooms, looking out the windows. Nothing. Kai came back in and shook his head. I let out a relieved breath.

“Sorry,” I said. “I’m paranoid.”

“You have every right to be,” Patti said. Still holding Jay’s arm, she led him into the family room.

Kai and I studied each other, both of us tense and edgy. Switzerland was six hours ahead of us. The Dukes could be headed back to their homelands now. The whisperers could have been spiriting around the world for hours already.

Kaidan signed, You’re sure you didn’t see anything?A dark spot, I signed. It was gone so fast, like a blur. They usually . . . I didn’t know the sign for linger, so I spelled it out. I could see the pulsing in his temples as he ground his teeth together.

He’d be leaving in just over an hour, and then I’d go back to campus. Classes would start in a couple days. We’d continue living our facades until it was time to act.

The four of us stayed together in the living room, surrounded by a worrisome tension. We turned on the television.

Patti gasped and sat up straight, pointing the remote at the television to turn up the volume. Big Rotty’s picture was on the screen. We all sat on the edge of our seats, staring at the news report. A D.C. officer came on.

“We’re not sure what the motives of the perpetrator might be, but this is not the work of an amateur. Body theft is a serious, rare crime. Psychologists on the force warn that the person or persons who generally commit this type of crime are not mentally stable. If you have any news about the theft of the body of James F. Cooper, known to the world as Big Rotty, please contact the authorities immediately. Do not approach the suspects on your own.”

“Oh my gosh,” I whispered.

Big Rotty’s mom was on-screen next. She had long, elaborate weaves of curls around her made-up face, and she didn’t look sad like I’d expected. She was glowing. “I got my own theory. I don’t think my boy’s dead. Mm-mm.” She closed her eyes and shook her head. “I think he planned all this. He pulled a Machiavelli, and now he at some island living the good life!” She laughed with pride, like her son had hoodwinked the world.

“Wow . . . ,” Jay said.

“I still can’t believe he chose that body,” I said. “He’s always so careful about every detail.”

“He’s got a lot on his mind,” Patti said.

“He’ll shed the body if it becomes an issue,” Kaidan assured us.

Patti put the television on a cooking show and I snuggled close to her like old times, letting her play with my hair. Just that contact meant so much. I watched Kaidan and Jay on the other side of the room. Jay with his guitar, and Kai patting a beat on his knee. They’d work one line at a time, mapping out the notes and rhythm. Within an hour they’d written a gorgeous ballad.

Jay stared over the notes sheet with amazement. Kaidan gave me a wink. He’d helped get Jay’s mind off Marna’s absence in the only way possible.

“I should probably shower and get ready,” Kaidan said with reluctance.

My stomach dropped at the thought of him leaving.

“I’ll come show you where everything is,” I said.

He followed me upstairs, and I pulled a towel and washcloth from the linen closet. He could have done it himself, but I wanted one last moment alone with him. I set the towel on the sink in the bathroom, and I heard the door shut.

Kaidan pressed up against me from behind, placing his hands over mine on the edge of the sink. I looked up and caught his eyes in the mirror, smoky and intense.

His voice came out a low rumble and he never looked away from my reflection. “I don’t want to leave you.”

“I don’t want you to go either,” I whispered.

He wrapped his arms around my waist, still holding my eyes with his. I turned and kissed his warm lips, then pulled away despite his reluctance to let go. I couldn’t keep him any longer.

I left Kaidan to shower and went downstairs to join the others.

My foot had just hit the bottom step when I heard a strange gargled sound from Patti, like she was being strangled.

Jay yelled her name. I’d never heard him sound so terrified.

Panic flared in my chest and my body roared into action. I bent at the waist, hiking up my pant leg and ripping the hilt from its case. I ran into the family room, barely feeling the zing of the sword against the palm of my hand.

Nothing could have prepared me for what I saw.

Jay was swarmed by demons. They overlapped one another, but I was able to discern three whispering at him, and a fourth hovering in front of the couch a few feet away. Patti was nowhere. Jay stepped backward, moaning, clutching his hair and shaking his head. His guardian angel tried to fight them off, but was pushed aside repeatedly by the demons.

A current of power ran up my arm and blood rushed through my ears so fast I could hardly hear. I moved forward, ready to attack, but stopped at the sight of something writhing on the floor in front of the couch.

Patti.

The whisperer I’d seen was hovering above her, and another spirit was halfway inside her body. Her guardian angel was going ballistic, unable to stop the dark spirits. A gagging noise came from Patti’s throat as she fought, trying to sit up, then convulsing.

As my arm swung toward the demons, a brilliant golden light poured from the end of the hilt, hot and sharp, piercing the top half of the spirit that was trying to possess Patti. With a piercing crack, the dark spirit imploded and disappeared. Patti’s head fell to the carpet and she coughed. Her guardian angel immediately covered her as the dark spirit above them seemed frozen in shock and fear, its face ugly and contorted.

I lunged forward just as it spun to flee, but all it took was a slice from the tip of the sword as I swung it through the air, and the spirit arched in pain before imploding and vanishing. Maybe the sword returned the spirit to hell, or maybe it vanquished it—I didn’t know or care.

A commotion sounded from upstairs, and I realized Kaidan had heard and would be down any second, but I didn’t want the whisperers to know he was here.

“Don’t come down!” I screamed.

In a swift move I crossed the room, stabbing the other spirit that had left Jay to join the attack on Patti. With a loud snap, it was gone.

Jay jumped back, appearing terrified when his eyes landed on the sword. The two other whisperers finally looked up, like two oblivious birds of prey torn unwillingly from their fresh meal.

They wore twin expressions of realization, then shrieked inhuman sounds, high and grating, a shrill whistle that only demons and their children could hear.

I yelled, “Move!” to Jay, who obeyed without question as my arm began an arc through the air. The light sliced into the first spirit and narrowly missed the second as it dove backward through the wall to the backyard.

I could hear Kaidan running down the stairs now.

“Crap!” I sprinted for the back door and threw it open, racing outside. I glimpsed the demon whisperer as it flew into the trees, out of sight. Away.

No!

In the absence of danger, the sword’s light faded into nothing, leaving my hand and arm cold and numb.

I was in trouble now. Big trouble. Because that spirit was on its way to rat me out to all the Dukes and whispering Legionnaires. They’d know about the Sword of Righteousness. I wanted to freak out, but there was no time for that. Running on legs that were still buzzing with adrenaline, I found Jay and Kaidan crouched next to Patti, who had propped herself against the couch. Her face was pale and damp with sweat.

I fell on my knees next to Patti and took her in my arms. She held on to me, weakly.

“Are you okay?” I whispered.

“I don’t know what happened. I felt so sick and scared . . . and . . .” She shuddered, and I held her tighter.

“Who was here?” Kaidan asked.

The sight of him crouched there with wild eyes made me realize how fast everything had taken place. His hair was soaking wet and he had water droplets on his chest and shoulders.

“I have no idea,” Jay said, thoroughly freaked out. “It was so weird, dude. And you should have seen Anna! What is that thing?” He pointed to the hilt, which I still clutched. “It was all lit up. She moved so fast. I’ve never seen anyone move like that!”

It hadn’t felt fast to me. It had felt horrifically slow, like a nightmare.

Kaidan crouched next to me, all coiled tension, taking my face in his hands. “What happened?”

“Three whisperers were on Jay. Two on Patti. One was trying to possess her.” Patti’s shaking hand flew to her mouth and she made a strangled sound of disgust. I kept going. “I killed four of them . . . but one got away.”

“One got away . . . ,” he whispered.

We stared hard at one another as the danger pressed down on us. Kaidan stood, shoving his hands through his hair, and paced to the wall. He leaned against it with both palms, whispering at first, “Shite. Shite, Anna . . . ,” then yelling and punching a hole through the wall.

Jay stood as if ready to calm Kaidan, but Patti grabbed his hand.

“It’s okay,” she told Jay. “They need to go.”

“You all should go somewhere, too,” I told her. Inside I trembled. I’d put them in danger. “I saw one earlier in the kitchen. I thought I was imagining it, but it must’ve been a whisperer. It saw us hugging. You two need to go into hiding. Just keep moving. Don’t stay in one place more than a night.”

I helped her to her feet. She and Jay ran upstairs to pack their bags. I turned and found Kai leaning his back against the wall, the palms of his hands pushing against his eyes.

“Kai.”

He dropped his hands and stood, looking at me with the same kind of fear that had filled his eyes the night of the summit in New York City. Fear for me.

“I don’t think they know you’re here,” I said. “That’s to our advantage.”

He thought about that, nodding.

We needed to move fast. “You’re not on the suspicion list, so you can stay in the know. We’ll go our separate ways and—”

“No.” Kai’s hard voice carried an end-of-discussion ring to it. “I stay with you.”

Oh, no. His attitude was grim and unyielding. I wanted to stay with him, too, but it wasn’t smart.

“As soon as they catch you with me, they’ll know you’re on my side and you’ll be an immediate target, too. Think this through—”

“We stay together.” His steely eyes warned me not to argue. I’d never seen him more dead set on something. I knew he’d follow me if he had to.

I sighed and looked away. “Okay. Let’s get our stuff and get out of here.”

He softened a fraction with relief.

We grabbed our bags. Jay gave me a quick hug as Patti embraced Kaidan.

“Please be careful,” I whispered to Patti.

“You don’t worry about me.” She talked fast, her voice shaking as she took my face in her hands. “Just remember you can do anything you put your heart to. I’d do anything for you, Anna. I’d fight this battle for you if I could.”

Patti and I squeezed each other equally hard.

My throat constricted as I whispered, “I love you.”

“I love you, too, sweet girl. Now go.”

With a gentle shove from the strongest woman I knew, we were gone.