Incubus (58 page)

As Dad embraced me, I saw Gretchen and Matthew turn to Lucas. Gretchen’s face broke into a rare

smile as she pulled Lucas close. Matthew caught them together in a hug and ruffled Lucas’s hair,

beaming.

“That’s, I’m—” Hale looked stunned. A slow smile spread across his face and he shook his head.

“I’m so happy for you, Braedyn.”

“Just like a Lilitu,” Thane growled. Dad released me and turned to Thane, genuinely stunned.

Thane’s lips twisted into a bitter smile. “Have you forgotten why she was suffered to live in the first

place?” Thane said. “Without a Lilitu ally, the Guard has virtually no chance of victory in this coming

battle.” Thane glanced at me, eyes simmering with outrage. “And she abandons her duties now, at the

critical moment.”

“I’m not abandoning anything,” I snapped. “Why do you think I haven’t taken him up on his offer

yet?”

“No,” Dad looked at me, urgently. “We can find another way to defeat them,” he said quietly.

“This isn’t your responsibility.”

“The hell it isn’t,” Thane said. “If you won’t do your part, demon, then—”

“Thane!” Hale grabbed the front of Thane’s coat, cutting the older man off mid-sentence. “Get

out.”

“You know what’s at stake,” Thane growled.

“
Out.
” Hale’s voice left no room for argument. Thane straightened, summoning what dignity he

could, and left. When we heard the front door slam, Hale turned back to me, eyes heavy. “It’s your

choice, Braedyn. But Thane isn’t wrong.”

“No,” Dad said again.

“Dad, it’s okay.” I took Dad’s hands in mine, willing him to listen to sense. “There are things I can

do to help as a Lilitu that I wouldn’t be able to do as a human.”

“Those things put you at risk,” he whispered.

“I’m at risk anyway,” I said. “We all are.” I glanced around the room. Gretchen and Matthew still

had their arms looped around Lucas, but they were watching us with solemn expressions now. Lucas’s

met my eyes and nodded grimly.

“There’s something else,” I said, taking a deep breath. “A caveat.”

Dad stiffened, drawing back to get a better look at me. “Which is?”

“I can’t harm humans.” I glanced at Matthew unintentionally. His expression hardened as our eyes

met, and I knew he was remembering our kiss. I’d fed off his life energy, drawing enough to weaken

him badly. That he’d volunteered to give me that energy to find and save Lucas didn’t matter. It was

after that kiss that I’d discovered the deep red petals on all the roses in my dream garden. “Every time

I feed off someone’s energy, I lose another bit of my humanity.”

“I didn’t know,” Matthew said.

“Me neither.” I smiled a thin smile and shrugged. Dad put a hand on my shoulder, drawing my

attention back to him.

“Braedyn, think carefully about this. The longer you go on as a Lilitu, the more you’ll face

temptation.” his eyes flickered to Lucas before he could stop himself.

“I know,” I whispered. “But this is something only I can do.”

After a long moment, Dad nodded. I could tell he wasn’t convinced, but he held his tongue. Lucas

met my eyes with a warmth I could almost feel.

“So,” he said into the sudden quiet. “School. I think we can manage that.”

The group chuckled, and returned to their seats at the table. As we continued with dinner, I saw

Lucas staring wistfully at Hale and Dad. I could see how much he wanted to be included as a full

member of the Guard, but for my part, I wasn’t in a hurry to take on more responsibility. Deep down I

knew Lucas would be getting his wish sooner rather than later. And even if I became human

tomorrow, I didn’t have that much longer to pretend to be a normal girl.

Finding the seal affected Lucas more than I would have guessed. When I went over to the Guard’s

house the next morning, Gretchen, sifting through a handful of mail in the living room, pointed

wordlessly into the kitchen.

I found Lucas leaning against a cracked tile counter, picking through a bowl of dry cereal

listlessly.

“Hey,” I said gently. “You ready for school?”

He looked up and I felt my stomach twist a little. His beautiful eyes were drawn, tired. His hair

even more tousled than normal. He didn’t have to tell me he hadn’t slept all night. I’d waited for him

in the dream, but he’d never materialized.

“How do you do it?” he breathed. “How do you act like everything’s the same as it was

yesterday?”

“Because it is,” I answered, my voice harsher than I intended. Lucas winced at me, raw emotions

coursing through his features. Softening my tone, I moved to the counter beside him. “The seal was

there yesterday. It was there the day before, too. If we’re right, it’s been there for centuries. That

hasn’t changed. The only thing that has changed is now we know.”

Lucas nodded, letting his eyes drop to the floor. “I guess you’re right.”

“Lucas?”

“I don’t know,” he said, anticipating me. “I don’t know what’s wrong with me.”

“Besides being exhausted?” I asked. “What kept you up last night?”

“We’re practically living on the doorstep into the Lilitu world.” Lucas looked up at me, eyes

drawn with exhaustion. “That doesn’t creep you out?”

“Sure it does,” I said.

“I guess there are some benefits to being able to will yourself to sleep.” Lucas pushed his bowl of

cereal away. “We should get a move on or we’re going to be late. The last thing I need is an after-

hours detention.” Lucas offered a weak smile. “I’m kind of looking forward to a normal day at school,

actually.”

We made it through morning classes before we saw him.

“No.” Lucas came to a dead stop in the entrance to the dining hall.

“What?” I asked, sensing the anger welling inside him. I followed his gaze and stared. “No way.”

Two steps behind us, Cassie and Royal peered over our shoulders, straining to see whatever it was

that had stopped us in our tracks.

The skinny blond boy from the mission was sitting at a dining table alone, wolfing down a plate of

enchiladas. He paused between bites to take a swig of milk. As he set his glass down, he saw us and

froze. Lucas took an unconscious step toward him. The skinny boy stood abruptly, picked up his plate,

and fled in the direction of the kitchen.

“I don’t get it,” Royal said. “What are we staring at?”

Lucas and I traded a quick glance. “Nothing,” Lucas said. “My mistake. I thought I saw a

cockroach.” He gave Cassie and Royal a smile. “Let’s eat.”

“Oh, yay,” Cassie said half-heartedly. “So hungry now.”

“You guys sit.” Royal had that look on his face he gets when he’s planning something devious.

“I’ll grab the food.” He turned on his heel and hurried away. I caught sight of something black and

pink in his hands as he turned away from us.

I followed Cassie and Lucas to our usual table. Royal appeared with a tray piled with food a few

minutes later. Coronado Prep served family-style lunches, so we took turns passing around the serving

tray of enchiladas. One of the best things about this school was the kitchen staff. They didn’t do

authentic New Mexican dishes every day, but when they did they were spot on. I scooped two

enchiladas onto my plate and the aroma of seasoned chicken jolted my stomach awake. Handing the

dish off to Lucas, I took a bite. The tender chicken would have been delicious on its own, but coupled

with melted cheddar and green chili sauce it was heaven. Judging by the sudden silence at our table, I

wasn’t the only one savoring the meal.

“You must be Miss Ang.”

I opened my eyes at the rich masculine voice. Mr. Hart stood by our table, smiling down at Cassie.

Cassie’s eyes bulged slightly as she struggled to swallow a bite of food.

“Mind if I take a seat?” Mr. Hart pulled the empty chair beside Cassie out and sat, placing

something on the table in front of him. Cassie and I saw the black and pink notebook at the same

moment. Cassie’s eyes widened, and she turned on Royal.

“What did you do?” Cassie looked mortified.

“Before you skin me alive, just listen.” Royal glanced at Mr. Hart. “Talk fast, drama man.”

“Royal,” Cassie hissed.

“Your friend has done me a huge favor, Miss Ang,” Mr. Hart said.

Cassie glanced back at him, her cheeks flushing a rosy red. “It’s just Cassie,” she mumbled.

Mr. Hart flipped open the notebook to a drawing I hadn’t seen before. Cassie had taken her earlier

sketches of the gown and fleshed them out. What had been beautiful before was simply stunning now.

It seemed to be two dresses, one of which was worn over the other. The inner gown was snug from the

shoulders to the waist, with tight sleeves long enough to cover most of the back of the hand. Below the

waist, the dress flowed into a full skirt, which hung in luxurious folds all the way to the floor. The

outer dress was open along the sides from the top of the shoulder to the hips, revealing the form-

fitting curves of the inner dress beneath. One corner of the outer dress was tucked up into a low-slung

sash across the hips, revealing the swirling skirt of the inner dress. There was something both simple

and luxurious about the draped fabric. To top the entire costume off, an understated metal circlet

rested on the figure’s head.

“What were you thinking for this material?” Mr. Hart gestured reverently at the overdress.

“Uh,” Cassie glanced around, looking like a deer caught in the headlights. “I was picturing a silk

dupioni,” she said.

“And for the detail fabric here?” He brushed the narrow sleeves peeking out from under the

billows of fabric of the outer dress. “Satin brocade?”

“Actually, I was thinking cut velvet, since she’s a queen,” Cassie said.

Mr. Hart shook his head slowly. “That’s fantastic,” he said slowly. “What kind of palette?”

Cassie sat up a bit straighter, pointing out elements of the drawing as she talked. “Since it’s a

tragedy, I was thinking the costumes should all be in muted gem-tones. So the outer dress is a grayish

sapphire color and the inner dress, the cut velvet, is a light silver. You could even use the inner dress

on its own for the scene where the queen is almost burned at the stake.”

“Perfect. You’re hired.”

Cassie looked up, startled. “Hired for what?”

“Costume design,” Mr. Hart said, as though it were obvious. “Royal’s already told me you’re

completely capable of making all of these garments.”

“But—” Cassie shook her head, struggling to process what was happening. “There must be 30

costumes in that show.”

Mr. Hart looked aside, calculating silently for a moment before speaking. “46.”

“I can’t sew that fast,” Cassie said faintly, her face falling.

“Of course not,” Mr. Hart replied. “We’ll get some parents to help with the chorus. You’re in

charge of the hero costumes. Guinevere, Arthur, Lancelot, Mortimer. Don’t worry,” he said when

Cassie’s mouth opened in protest, “you’ll have plenty of hands to help.” He placed a hand on the

notebook, giving Cassie a confident smile. “If what I’ve seen is any indication, you’re going to ace

this class.”