Betrayed (54 page)

“As you can see, it wil ,” Bran bragged. “Let her go, and it won’t hurt you.”

Valafar swore under his breath and turned, using me as a shield. From the corner of my eye, I saw Bran extend his right hand toward Valafar. He had clear access to Valafar, but he couldn’t fight him without my help. Valafar was too powerful an adversary. No matter how protective the dagger was, I had to wield it to defeat Valafar.

I linked with the dagger and commanded,
heal me.

Drawing on its healing power, I replenished my energy and locked on Valafar’s psi energy before he realized what I was doing. He fought back and pain sliced through my head. But with his psi locked and Bran draining water from his body, he didn’t stand a chance. I didn’t need to see him to know water drained from every pore of his skin.

Wetness soaked my back where our clothes touched. His hands, the only parts of his body I could see, became wrinkly.

“No,” Solange screamed and came out of hiding. She leveled her Red Athame at Bran. “Let him go….stop mummifying him.”

From the corner of my eye, I saw Izzy move.

The next second, a knife sailed through the air and sunk into Solange’s hand holding the Athame. She cried out and opened her hand. Her evil weapon didn’t hit the ground. A sudden jet of wind sent it sailing out the hole the Kris Dagger had created on the screen. Kim’s wind tunnel was precise. It projected the Athame toward the crater the vault left in the middle of the field.

“My dagger!” Solange yel ed and teleported after it.

I broke free of Valafar’s hold and snatched my dagger from the air. With a flick of my wrist, I leveled it at him, the tip only a few inches from his once taut neck, now wrinkled and skinny.

“Stop draining him, Bran,” I yel ed.

“Why?” Izzy yel ed.

Valafar’s shriveled hand went to his chest while the other rested on the screen covering the box as though he was too weak to stand. His shriveled skin was that of an old man about to take his last breath.

He smiled, showing startling perfect teeth.

“Lilith loves me and can’t bear to see me defeated,” he bragged.

I threw him a disgusted look and stepped toward Bran. It kil ed me not to command the dagger to send him to Tartarus. “We need the List, and he’s the only one who can get it.”

Valafar chuckled darkly, his skin puckering around his mouth, malevolence in his black eyes.

“That’s right, daughter. The List is with the Hermonite High Council. Until I official y declare Llyr the winner, they won’t part with it. That’s not going to happen because Llyr traded the List for your life, Lilith.

Wasn’t that part of our deal, boy? You win, and she goes free. She’s free now. Take her and get out of here.”

I felt blood drain from my head, and my hand shook. Refusing to take my eyes from Valafar, I said,

“Please, tel me it’s not true.”

“I had no choice,” Bran hissed. “He had you, and I couldn’t sacrifice you for al the Lists in the world.”

“I’m happy to hear that, son,” a familiar voice said behind us.

Grampa! Happiness washed over me.

I stil didn’t dare take my eyes off Valafar.

Grampa and Kenta appeared in the periphery of my Grampa and Kenta appeared in the periphery of my vision. I felt his glance on me.

“Everyone okay?” Grampa asked.

“Yes, Grampa.” Relief left me light-headed.

Now that he was here, everything would be fine.

Kim, Izzy, and Bran responded with, “Yes, Cardinal.”

“Good.” He shoved Kenta further into the room with the tip of a rol ed up scrol the size of a ful paper-towel rol . “We have the List.”

“That’s impossible,” Valafar bel owed. He might look like the shadow of his old self, but his voice boomed with raw rage. “The Council would not give it to you without my say so.”

Grampa chuckled. “You’re not as important or smart as you like to think, Valafar. Show him, Kenta.” The former trainer’s face, hair and clothes shifted and remolded as he changed into Bran’s double. Then he reverted to himself.

“You should have treated me right,” Kenta said, staring at Valafar with revulsion. “The High Council saw Llyr win, so when I appeared before them, they acknowledged that he was the winner and gave me the List.”

Valafar’s laughter rang out, cruel and cold.

“He won nothing. You’d better check the List again.

A whole section is missing—the section containing the souls the Llyrs contracted. Without canceling the contracts, he wil continue to change and become demonic. Lil’s powers wil continue to emerge and grow. Soon, she won’t resist the blood flowing in her veins. She’l fol ow the path of nature-benders, to destroy and conquer. Together, she and Llyr wil rule this world.”

His words echoed like a nightmare inside my head. The floor shifted below me, and the arm holding the dagger trembled. One order and he’d be vanquished. Sent to Tartarus. Gone forever.

Bran came from behind me and placed his hand on top of mine.
You shouldn’t do this. Let the
Cardinals take care of him,
he whispered.

I resisted. That was what he said last time, too. Instead of going away, Valafar came back more evil and desperate. He had to be sent to Tartarus. I didn’t care if it was by my hand, Bran’s or Grampa’s.

He had to go.
He deserves to die.

Not by your hand,
Bran insisted.
I won’t let
you live with that.

Grampa placed his hand on my shoulder and squeezed. “You talk nonsense as usual, Valafar,” Grampa said unhurriedly. “My granddaughter wil be the most powerful Cardinal the Nephilim have ever seen.” Bran added pressure to my hand holding the Kris until the tip of the blade pointed down.

“As for Bran’s fate,” Grampa continued, “if you care to look out at the field,” he paused to give Valafar a chance to turn and glance outside, “you’l see Guardians shrinking the crates of contracts you stashed in the vault into portable sizes. If we miss any, we’l scour this evil complex and find them before changing it back to the pile of rocks it once was. Once we do, we’l cancel al the contracts and stop his feathers from fal ing, save his wings and soul. And if you hid some elsewhere and he changes, we’l find a way to deal with his problem.

You see, Bran Llyr is now one of us, a Cardinal Guardian.”

Bran’s hand trembled against mine.

Valafar’s face worked, eyes glistening with hatred as his gaze bounced from face to face then stopped on Bran’s. “Not for long. They’l come for you, boy. The Hermonite High Council wil make sure you fulfil your role as King of the Demons.” Moving fast for an old man, he swept up the knife I’d pul ed from my shoulder and threw it. I wasn’t sure who was the target—me, Grampa, or Bran.

Time appeared to slow down as the blade flipped in the air, its polished blade catching the light and emitting a green glow.

Bran whipped me around, pul ed me in his arms and cradled the back of my head, pul ing me out of the knife’s path. He smel ed awful. His shirt, stiff with dried blood, brushed against my bruised cheek, but I didn’t care.

I felt rather than saw Grampa move, then Valafar’s cold laughter fil ed the room.

“What the—?” Kim yel ed as Izzy yel ed, “No!” I whipped around to see that the knife Valafar threw had reversed course. It hit the booth’s screen and tumbled to the floor. Valafar was gone, yet there was no scorch mark on the carpet to indicate a demon was just vanquished.

My gaze flew to Grampa, who wore an unreadable expression. “Grampa! How could you miss him?”

His gaze met mine and his voice was flat His gaze met mine and his voice was flat when he answered. “I didn’t. He shifted into a fiery
thing
and shot through the floor. It’s a move I’ve never seen before, but the knife went through him, which means wherever he disappeared to, he won’t have long to live.” He nodded at Izzy and Kim. “Get the others and head back to the val ey.” As soon as Izzy and Kim teleported, Grampa turned to Kenta. “Your life wil be spared, but don’t ever come near a Guardian again unless you’re ready for a tribunal. The CT doesn’t take kindly to traitors.”

Kenta

nodded,

head

lowered,

and

dematerialized without uttering a word in his defense.

Grampa faced us, his gaze moving from me to Bran then back to me again. I braced myself for a lecture. He must know Valafar cal ed me several times and that I asked for his help to save Bran’s soul.

“Come here,” Grampa said and opened his arms.

Tears blinded me as I stumbled into his arms.

“I’m so sorry for everything, Grampa. The way I’ve been acting…the things I said…not tel ing you Valafar cal ed…,” my breath hitched. “I even asked him to find Bran’s contracts.”

“Shh, it’s okay. He’s gone now. He’l never manipulate you again.” Grampa held me for a moment then dropped a kiss on temple and leaned back to study my face. “What you did out there on the field was amazing.” He glanced at Bran and smiled.

“You made me very proud. Both of you.”

“Thank you, sir. But—”

“No buts. You are a team now. As you grow older, you’l become more formidable.” He cleared his throat, nudged me toward Bran, and added briskly, “Go on home. The Cardinals and I wil finish here.”

Bran put his arm around my shoulder and I sunk to his side. My gaze went to Grampa. “I love you, Grampa.”

He chuckled. “I know. Now get out of here.” I glanced at Bran, who smiled down at me.

I love you, too,
I telepathed him.

Always.
He took my hand and pressed it against his heart.

EPILOGUE

“Lil…Bran, look at me,” Angelia yel ed from the top of the water slide, waved, and glided behind Leo.

I waved. It was hard to imagine a week of living with the Brotherhood could bring such changes in Angelia and her friends. Their eyes sparkled as they goofed around and played with the other children. It was hard to tel who was a Special and who wasn’t.

A brief stop to check on them in the subdivision Darius and his ‘brothers’ built outside L.A. had turned into a party. The men and women of the Brotherhood insisted on barbecuing and hearing the story of Jarvis Island. The children had plenty of stories to share with us about their new families, their new rooms, and toys.

“They’re so happy,” I said.

Bran chuckled, his arms tightening around me. “Yes, they are. Angelia is a handful though.”

“She’s not. Her new family adores her, especial y her younger sister,” I retorted. Solange, my own half-sister, flitted through my head, but I pushed thoughts of her away. “I like how she tel s anyone who’s wil ing to listen about how she helped us destroy Valafar.”

“She talked poor Jethro’s ears off back there,” Bran nodded toward Darius’ house. “The old geezer begged me to take her away.”

“It was sweet of Darius to invite Jethro to dinner,” I said.

Bran shrugged. “If it hadn’t been for Jethro, the Cardinals wouldn’t have known where we were.” I glanced at him over my shoulder. “Don’t you mean if you hadn’t sent Kael to Jethro’s with a message for Darius, who in turn contacted the Cardinals? The entire time you were fighting, I thought al was lost. I had no idea rescue was on the way.”

He hugged me tighter. “I didn’t need rescuing.

I happen to have a gorgeous and powerful guardian angel sitting on my shoulder.”

“Who?” I asked, my voice rising, jealousy zipping through me. He laughed and kissed my cheek. I relaxed when I realized he meant me.

“I know I couldn’t have survived without you,” he said in a subdued tone.

My cheeks warmed, hating the gratitude lacing his words. “It was nothing.”

“It was everything. Gavyn wanted to hear every detail.” He chuckled. “Especial y the lightning bolts finale.”

Not wanting to discuss that event anymore, I tilted my head sideways to study his face. “How’s Gavyn doing?”

Bran frowned. “You spoke to him earlier. How did he seem to you?”

I stil made his brother uneasy, so he avoided talking to me when he could. “He thanked me for being friends with Celeste and for helping her adjust to her new life, and I thanked him for letting you stay in the val ey, and that was it. Is he happy Celeste joined the Academy?”

“He hasn’t said anything yet. He’s only been up and about for a couple days, so we’l see.” Bran laughed. “I told him he should be a mentor to the Special who healed him.”

I almost laughed at the idea of Gavyn as a mentor, but it would hurt Bran’s feelings. “What did he say?”

“No, though his words were more colorful.

“No, though his words were more colorful.

Darius offered him a place here, and he accepted.” I turned around so I could see Bran’s face properly. “Real y?”

Bran laughed, pushed my hair behind my ear, and touched my face with the tip of his fingers.

“Yeah. I was just as surprised. They own businesses and could use someone like Gavyn. Or he could start his own. Jethro hinted he wants a partner.” I couldn’t see Gavyn running a bikers’ hangout or dingy bar. He was more of an upscale, trendy club type.

“That would be wonderful.” I wrapped my arms around Bran and smiled. To have Gavyn turn his life around would be great. My thought shifted to Bran, and my smile disappeared. I couldn’t forget Valafar’s departing words about Bran being king of the demons. A week had passed since that day on Jarvis Island, yet the words stil haunted me. We were already canceling the contracts Bran brokered and he seemed happy, but whenever he wasn’t around, I’d worry that the demons nabbed him.

“You’re stressing again,” he whispered to me.

I didn’t bother to deny it. “Why aren’t you? If Valafar is right, they’l come for you.” Bran leaned back, cupped my face, and smiled. “No one is coming for me.”

“What if?” I insisted.

He pressed his forehead against mine and sighed. “I thought we agreed not to discuss this anymore. Valafar is gone. Forever. Nothing is going to happen to me. Not with you around.” He made it sound so simple, yet I couldn’t shake the feeling that Valafar was stil alive and that our time together was limited.

“Let’s get Remy and the others and head home,” he said. “I plan to enjoy my welcome-to-the-val ey party tonight.”