Girls Can't Be Knights: (Spirit Knights Book 1) (17 page)

“Huh?” He shook himself. “What about you?”

She wanted to explain that her father waited for her in that closet, but nothing came to mind for how to accomplish that both in few words and without sounding insane. “I have to go in. Get out of here, at least, before someone comes to arrest you.” Hearing the closet door open, she ran for it to make sure Justin didn’t leave her behind. Her shoe stopped him from shutting the door on her, and she darted inside and pulled it closed.

“Claire, this is too dangerous.” He dropped Avery on the floor and rubbed his side.

“There is no way I’m letting you go kill my dad by yourself.”

“He’s not your dad.”

“I know.” She hoped she could still believe that when she looked into his brown eyes. “I need to go. Please let me go.”

Justin sighed and rubbed his face. “This goes against my better judgment.”

She raised an eyebrow. “What do you think your judgment is better than? A tomato, maybe?” When he glared at her, she held up her hands in surrender. “Sorry, sorry. Look, I get that you’re kind of a double whammy of mentor and adoptive dad, and that probably makes you the most protective Knight ever. But I
have
to do this. I
have
to face him. It’s important to me. Please?”

He stood, raising to his full six feet and change, and seemed suddenly much more impressive in jeans, work boots, and a T-shirt than he had with the cloak, armor, and horse. The sword in his hand helped. “Keep your head down and eyes open. You matter to me.”

Her belly flushed with warmth and belonging, and she hoped she would never let him down. Words would sully the sentiment, so she nodded and squared her shoulders.

Echoing her nod, he waved her off and gripped the door handle. Later, she’d ask him to explain what he did while he had his back to her. When he opened the door, the darkness rushed them again, and she saw him move his head in quick, sharp jerks to take it all in.

“What’s this? A gift?” Her father’s voice resonated in her chest. It called to her, pulling her to the source.

Justin put out a hand and stopped her. “Gift?”

This place felt warm and safe and more like home than any other she’d ever known. She wanted to curl up and forget everything and everyone else. “I know you need help, Daddy.” She ducked under the obstacle in her way and scurried deeper into the darkness until she found him.

Her father gathered her into his arms and held her. “Welcome to my demesne, Knight.”

“Let her go.”

Claire turned to see that Justin had followed her. “It’s okay.” The words felt right and wrong at the same time. She frowned and pulled away enough to look from one man to the other. Both would protect her. They ought to agree about what to do.

“Claire, remember what I told you.”

She tried to remember where she’d been a minute ago and couldn’t. Her father’s arm held her close and she inhaled, hoping to be soothed by his scent. Instead of the smell she remembered, of cedar, musk, and damp earth, she got nothing.

“There’s no need for a sword here, Knight.” With her ear pressed to her father’s chest, she heard his every word as a rumble in her bones. It made her want to cling and ignore anything that might contradict him.

“I think that’s probably not true. I mean, Avery tried to kill me, and he’s your tainted Knight. As it turns out, I’m not ready to be best pals with anyone whose pet swings a baseball bat at my head.”

“He’s often overzealous in his efforts.”

“Yeah.” Claire’s voice felt distant and breathy, as if her mouth opened and someone else spoke for her. “He can be forgiven.”

“It comes from all his years as a cop, I’m sure,” Justin said. He sounded so sour and hostile.

Behind him, Claire heard Avery groan. He’d be fine soon, then Justin would leave, one way or another. Once he left, Daddy would take care of her. Wait, she didn’t want to be taken care of. Not like
that
, anyway. She wanted to have a home, a place full of love, laughter, and light, not a sanitized prison. She wanted to see Drew, and to finish high school. Words could hardly express how much she wanted to have her room in the Palace to retreat to if she needed time to herself.

It hurt to think. She pushed away from her father but his grip tightened. “Daddy, I want to sit.”

“Not now, Pumpkin. Remember that time we went to the park and you wanted to sit in the mud? I stopped you so you wouldn’t get your pretty pink dress dirty.”

“If you remember that, you must remember your house burning down?”

Justin’s even, reasonable voice cut through Claire’s confusion. Her house had burned, and so had her parents. This version of her father held nothing but memories. He had no future, no dreams, no hopes.

“Of course. There was a…” She looked up at her father and saw him frown. His eyes slid down, and he let her go enough to touch the locket under her shirt. “I gave you this.” Tugging at the chain, he lifted it out and let it dangle in the air. The moment he saw the pendant, he let go of Claire and seemed to forget about her.

“An ur-phasm came for me, sent by a corrupted Phasm to taunt me. It took so much from you…” He rubbed his thumb over the filigree and furrowed his brow. “I couldn’t kill it, only drive it away. I don’t remember why. We were at the park? You were so small. I took you to the hospital, and they said you were dying.”

“So you made the locket to save her. It replaced her lost essence with power from the Palace.” Justin spoke softly, his voice gentle and soothing.

“It became a ne-phasm. Kurt and I killed the Phasm, but the ne-phasm got away.”

“And then it came back,” Justin said, “years later, stronger than before, and set your house on fire, hoping to get revenge and the locket in one fell swoop. Kurt had retreated to the Palace by then, so it had only you to focus on. It tried to kill Avery when he figured it out, but instead, you arrived in the middle and sheltered him in return for his fealty.”

Claire stared as Justin laid it all out. At the same time, panic roiled in her gut. He had her locket, and she feared he’d take it from her. Her hands shot up to grab the chain. Why did she wear it on something so thin and flimsy? It should have an unbreakable wire to keep it safe. “Daddy, you have to let me go.”

His hand curled around the locket in a fist. “Yes, you can go. But not this.” He yanked the chain hard enough to make her squeal, and the clasp broke.

She stumbled back as Justin surged forward. Unable to find her footing, she fell. Avery raised himself up on his hands and knees, glaring at Justin and swiping his hand through the air for a weapon. Darkness closed around her, and she wondered if she’d ever hit the ground.

Chapter 28

Justin

His heart stopped. Justin had only known Claire for a few days, but in that time, he’d already warmed to the idea of adding her to his family. Her own father’s corrupted Phasm had killed her, in front of him, and he’d never wanted anything more than he wanted that thing to die. Charging it sword-first, he focused on taking it down. Everything he felt would only get in the way right now.

The Phasm raised a sword of his own and metal clanged on metal as it sidestepped his rush. The Phasm’s blade had a fancy golden basket hilt, making it a copy—no, a
mockery
—of Mark’s real sword. This thing had just murdered the daughter of its own body, and now it dared to invoke Mark’s noble past.

In the name of justice, he could set aside grief for a brave, spunky girl he barely knew whose life deserved to be much, much longer. The Knights, on the other hand, had been a part of his life for years. He’d met dozens of honorable men who carried the banner, and strove to emulate them. He’d gotten help and advice when he needed it most, and hadn’t had enough time to repay Kurt for everything.

With a roar of rage, he flashed his blade through the air. Steel flashed and clanged as the Phasm met every blow. He drove it back, though, and kept it on the defensive. His anger fueled him past the point when he should have tired, keeping his arms quick and legs strong. He knew he had no hope of outlasting a being made of what could be called magic. As with Avery, he needed to let his opponent hit him. Tariel would call it a dumb idea, and she’d be right.

He gritted his teeth and lowered his guard. The Phasm stabbed him and, as Justin had hoped it would, left itself open to a counterattack. Before he could seize the opportunity, something slammed into Justin’s knee from behind and drove him to the ground. He glanced over his shoulder, and saw Avery, his face already healing over. The Phasm tossed Avery a sword, one different from Mark’s or Justin’s.

In a moment, carelessness had cost Justin this fight. He never should have assumed Avery would stay unconscious, and definitely should have tied his hands to something. If he somehow managed to survive, he’d never make that mistake again.

“I remember meeting you a few times, Justin.” The Phasm flicked its sword away and turned its attention to the locket dangling from its fingers. “You were brash and young. And stupid. It’s nice to see you haven’t changed.”

Avery held his sword against Justin’s neck. “Hand it over.” He pointed to the blade still in Justin’s grasp.

“What if I don’t?”

“Then your wife gets to become a widow.”

Justin gulped, thinking about the wringer that would put Marie through. The girls were so young that they’d manage. Marie, though, would be devastated. “And what if I do? I just want to have a clear picture of my options here. It’s always best to know the fine print before signing a contract.”

Avery snorted. “Oh, please. Do you expect me to believe you’d give up being a Knight? You’re practically their poster child for how everything can go right.”

The Phasm held up a hand. “Now, John, let’s not be hasty. There’s no reason to discount him. He could be a valuable ally. He’s certainly strong and capable, and he’s so young. You’re not going to live forever.”

Rolling his eyes, Avery pressed the blade tighter to Justin’s throat. “You can pledge your fealty to Mark.”

He’d hoped there would be an option other than death or outright betrayal. “How will you destroy the Palace if I pledge my fealty now?”

Mark laughed, and the stars overhead flared in time with it. “We have the locket. Avery can get into the Palace anytime he wants.” He tossed the necklace to Avery.

Avery’s sword went slack as he turned his attention to catching it. Grabbing a piece of the Palace out of the air should be easy, except for someone who’d repudiated it and bared his soul to a corrupted Phasm. Sparks of adrenaline shot through Justin’s body as he realized this would be his one and only chance. He put every ounce of effort he had into throwing his sword at Mark.

Surging to his feet, he forced Avery to choose between catching the locket and defending himself. The moment of hesitation and confusion allowed Justin to slam his fist into Avery’s jaw from below, knocking Avery unconscious again. Justin whirled and caught the locket without looking, in time to see Mark staring, dumbstruck, at the sword through his chest.

The Phasm might be able to recover. Justin leaped to his side, grabbed the sword, and slammed it in deeper. As he shifted his grip to rip it to the side, Claire whimpered. Both Knight and Phasm turned at the sound.

“You bound her?”

Mark blinked rapidly, fondness overcoming his features. “She’s my daughter. I couldn’t just kill her.”

“I’ll take care of her. I promise.” Justin tossed the locket, and it landed on Claire’s chest. She sucked in a deep breath.

“I know you will.”

Maybe a corrupted Phasm could atone or be cleansed, or whatever the right word should be. They’d never know, because Justin wouldn’t take the chance. He ripped the sword out and carved up Mark’s Phasm with a blade designed for the task. “Rest well, Mark.”

Chapter 29

Claire

Claire’s eyes opened in time to see Justin slice up the Phasm that had once been her father. It had no blood or guts. The body dissolved, and so did the night sky. She wrapped a hand around her locket as Justin scooped her up into his arms.

“This might hurt a little,” he said.

They fell. He landed on his feet in the closet and stumbled on office supplies, then crashed through the door. Through it all, he held her and kept her safe. He landed on his back in the hallway and groaned. She wound up still clutched in his arms and draped over his chest. His sword clattered to the floor, sliding a few feet away. Cops and clerks, startled by their sudden appearance, rushed toward them.

Avery groaned and flailed in a pathetic attempt to get to his feet.

“It’s Sir Lancelot.”

“He escaped earlier!”

“He’s got a weapon.”

“Hands where we can see them!”

All the voices scared Claire enough that she slid off Justin and hid behind him as he sat up.

Justin raised his hands in surrender. “This has all been a grand misunderstanding.” He turned to check on Avery, and so did Claire. She had no idea why Justin thought Avery would help them now, but if he did, then so did she. The guy had been knocked for a loop, though, probably by Justin’s fist, and wouldn’t be offering them any excuses anytime soon.

For the second time, she heard Justin mutter a swearword. He turned and whispered to her, “Claire, you should go. Tariel ought to still be here. I’ll…catch up.”

“Are you crazy?”

“Probably. Just fake a good cry and run for the stairs.”

She hadn’t faked a cry in a very long time and didn’t need to now. Being still for five seconds gave her enough time to think about everything that had happened with her father’s Phasm and how much she wished he could have been something special after death, instead of something awful. She did, however, have to fake noisy sobs as she scuttled away with tears in her eyes and ran for the door.

In the stairwell, she kept running, afraid someone would chase her down and demand explanations. Bursting out on the ground floor, she fled straight to Tariel who still stood in the lobby despite several people trying to tempt her out with apples and other foods. The horse’s tail twitched and she shoved someone aside with her nose while stealing an apple.