Sweet Peril (17 page)

Lust. And wrath. A dangerous combination.

As much as I wanted to comfort him, I didn’t dare hug him. Instead I held his hands tighter.

“Who else knows?” I asked.

“My father and two blood brothers . . . and Kaidan.”

Oh.

“He is very observant. He asked me the second day we met. He was young at the time, but somehow he knew.”

I swallowed hard.

“I promise not to tell anyone, Kope. Let’s just go back to the hotel and try to figure out all this stuff about Flynn. ’Kay?”

“Yes. Okay.”

I did a quick check to make sure my skirt was adjusted properly before opening the closet door. We didn’t so much as glance in the other’s direction the entire walk back to our hotel.

Clearly this was going to be more than just a minor hurdle for us to get past. As we went in silence to our own rooms, it became clear that I had ruined any friendship we’d built. So much for trying to figure things out about Flynn. We couldn’t even bring ourselves to talk.

I let myself into my room and went straight to the bed, falling facedown. What had I done? Lying there, I replayed the entire scene, starting with the surprise of passion we’d unleashed. In that moment when I’d shut off all thought, the physical intimacy had been more than welcome. And yet, there had been something missing. It was nothing physical, because Kope was the total package, and the boy could definitely kiss.

But there’d been no spark in my heart to ignite me. No fluttery feeling of triumph had bloomed in my belly. Only one person had ever made me feel that way. I reached up and touched the necklace Kai had given me.

A sick sensation filled my stomach. This was not fair to Kope. I saw now that love could not be stopped, forgotten,
or transferred, no matter what schemes the mind and body devised.

I rolled over and climbed down from the bed, thinking a shower might help. When I closed the bathroom door and caught sight of myself in the mirror, my eye was drawn to two spots on my neck. I leaned toward the mirror and gasped.
Hickeys!
This had to be some cosmic joke. Had Kope seen them when we were walking back? No way. He hadn’t even blinked in my direction. Kope would die if he saw them.

I squatted down, feeling dizzy. Guilt surged up at the thought of Kai finding out. But why should I feel guilty? Kai had given Kope the green light. Regardless, he would never find out about this kiss because I wasn’t telling a soul, and I knew Kope wouldn’t either.

A knock at the door had me forgetting everything and jumping to my feet with my heart in my throat. Had Mammon or Flynn found me? No way. Maybe Kope wanted to talk. I sent out my hearing but the visitor was silent. I slipped out of the bathroom and tiptoed to the door to look through the peephole. It wasn’t any of them; it was Dad.

I flung the door open and he pressed a finger to his lips, shaking his head to ward off any greeting. When he turned to face me, darned if his eyes didn’t go straight to my neck, which I’d stupidly forgotten about in my astonishment at seeing him.

Oh, holy mortification. I slid a hand over the marks and felt myself turning beet red as he glared at me. His eyebrows tightened. I imagined him yelling inside his own head:
I thought I’d chosen to send you off with the safer of the two boys!

Yeah, well, little did he know that he’d sent me packing
with a Lust Neph after all. I sure wasn’t going to tell him. I sat on the bed, pulling my knees up. I rested my chin on my forearms, hiding my neck.

Dad scribbled a message on the notepad from the desk in the corner. He tore it off and flung it on the bed.

Azael couldn’t come—had to do rounds. I’m going to surprise Mammon and get him out of town for the night so you can meet with his kid. He’ll think I’m here to track down a rogue dealer who fled the U.S
.

I reached out a hand for the notepad and pen, which he handed over, frowning again at my revealed neck.

Thanks for the heads-up. Let me know when it’s safe for us to go to Flynn
.

He took the note, read it, and nodded. I lay my head on my arms, sighing. Dad sat down next to me and rubbed my back for a second. When I leaned toward him, he put his arm around me. For a demon, he was pretty sweet. I guess he had been an angel at one time, after all. I considered asking him about Neph having double sins, but decided now was not a good time. We stayed like that for a few minutes, until he patted my arm and stood. He scribbled something and tossed it at me.

No sex before marriage
.

Oh, ha-ha. I crumpled the note and threw it at his chest before burying my face in my knees. He chuckled and went in the bathroom, flushing the papers.

I waved him off as he left, then sent Kope a cryptic text message about going back out tonight for round two. As soon as I sent it I blushed from head to toe. I meant round two of
talking with Flynn! But surely Kope knew that. I flopped over onto the bed, depleted of energy.

I should have tried to nap, but there was no way that would happen with my brain in a tangle. I showered and then watched television, waiting to get the “go” from Dad.

Hopefully this break could clear away the weirdness between Kope and me so we wouldn’t be distracted when we spoke with Flynn.

Three hours after my father left, I received a text:
Good 2 go till tomorrow
.

I let out an obnoxiously loud sigh. “Hey, Kope,” I called to him through the wall, knowing he’d be listening for me. “Time to go. I’ll be over soon.”

I got up to get ready. It was a good thing I healed fast, because the two spots on my neck were barely visible now, and after applying some makeup, they didn’t show at all.

Now I had to face Kope. My friend. Who I kissed today.

He opened the door to his room before I had a chance to knock. We looked at each other for a long moment before he turned away, stepping into the hall and closing the door behind him. We walked in silence down the corridor on the squishy paisley carpets.

“I figured we could just get a cab,” I told him as we approached the elevator. He nodded. Earlier in the day I’d mentioned taking one of the cool trains, trams, or buses, but the fun touristy mood was now gone.

When we got on the elevator he practically crammed himself into the corner farthest away from me. There was really
nowhere to look except down because the walls and doors were all mirrors. We accidentally made brief eye contact once in the panel’s reflection. The tension was as palpable as the silence. We sped through the hotel until we were outside around other people, breathing fresh air, with plenty of city scenery to keep our eyes busy.

This was ridiculous.

I lifted a hand to hail a cab, wondering just how awkward sharing the backseat of a taxi would be. Heaven help us if we touched by mistake. Kope turned to me.

“Wait,” he said on a burst of breath. I dropped my hand and looked into his sad eyes. “Anna, may we speak first?”

I agreed, relieved. “Yeah. That would be good. Let’s just . . .” I motioned toward a bench. It wasn’t private, but I doubted anyone in the fast-moving city would care to listen to our hushed conversation.

The noises of Melbourne made it necessary for us to sit close, my head upturned and his inclined down toward me. A loud group of people passed us with jingle bells on them, laughing and pushing one another. Kope glanced their way.

“Are we still friends?” I asked him.

“I will always be your friend, Anna. I would be more if you would have me.”

My chest clenched and I chewed my lip as I grasped for how to address this. I opened my mouth and snapped it shut again, at an awful loss for words. Somehow, in that silence, Kope must have understood.

“Your heart will always be with Kaidan.”

We looked at each other and I gave him a single nod.

Kope watched me with a tightness to his face.

“Kaidan envies the choices I have made. He believes it’s impossible to stand up to our fathers, so when he looks upon me and what I have done, it makes him feel like a coward. But this is not a fair comparison. My actions were not brave. In my heart I knew Alocer would not kill me. So, in many ways Kaidan is the strong one. When it comes to you, he is the stronger man.”

“What do you mean?”

Kope leaned closer, and I caught my breath at the full intensity of his light eyes.

“If you wanted me, Anna, I would not deny you. I would put us both at great risk, but I would have a life with you. That is my own selfishness. Kaidan will not endanger you in such a way.”

A red tram passed, ringing its bell, and caused me to break away from Kope’s powerful stare.

I could no longer pretend that Kaidan felt the same for me as I did for him.

“I heard you talking to him on the phone today.”

Kopano’s eyes widened in surprise, and then dropped in embarrassment. “I—I did not think you would listen. I overstepped myself. It was clear he still cares.”

“Um . . . did you hear the same words I did?” I asked. “Because he totally gave me up.”

Kope shook his head. “No. He was angry. He said what he felt he had to say, but he did not mean it. That much I could tell. I had no intention of pursuing you after speaking to him.”

Another lash of guilt whipped inside me as he continued.

“I thought, perhaps, his feelings might have changed, but I was wrong. Kaidan has been torn. In the end, his choice to keep you safe was the right one. He is not the only one with jealousies. I have hoped perhaps one day you would look at me as I saw you look upon him. It’s a cruel irony.”

I bit my lip, a knot of emotion keeping me from meeting his eyes. I wasn’t as sure as Kope about how Kai felt, but I hated that it had to be this way—all three of us unhappy, unfulfilled.

“You may not know of this story, Anna, but it’s famous among our kind. Long ago I had a sister who fell in love with another Nephilim.” He stared out at the busy street in thought, his eyes skimming the lines of Christmas lights. “They were murdered in front of everyone as a reminder that we are meant only to work, not to love.”

The features of Kope’s strong profile were set with heartache for the sibling he never knew.

“It was centuries ago,” he continued. “But I believe my father still mourns her.”

“Was he the one who . . . killed her?”

“No. The Dukes forced a brother Neph to take their lives.”

I shuddered at the thought.

“I tell you this, not so you will fear love but so you can understand why many Neph do.”

We were quiet, and I didn’t know what to say.

Kope cleared his throat and stood. “We will find Flynn now. Come.”

I followed him, feeling gutted.

Flynn lived in a shiny glass apartment tower on the water in Melbourne. The building looked like hundreds of mirrors reflecting the bright blue sky. He lived at the top of the high-rise.

Kope and I stepped off the elevator and looked down the hall at Flynn’s door. We’d been silent. Nodding to each other, we sent our hearing into the apartment. With a quiet gasp, I yanked my auditory sense back to normal. Flynn was busy with company at the moment.
Very
busy. Kope made a low sound and closed his eyes, shaking his head as if to clear away the sounds he’d heard. My face heated and I shifted from foot to foot, fighting back the nervous smile that always wanted to surface at inappropriate times.

I found a small sitting area around the corner with glass walls overlooking the city. We sat, taking in the view. When my stupid urge to smile finally settled, I braved another look at Kope and pointed to myself, using my new, limited sign-language skills to tell him I’d listen. Given the new information about his inclination for lust, it was only fair. I quickly looked away, embarrassed by the crassness of the situation. I wasn’t going to listen the whole time. I’d just pop in for a quick check.

Ten minutes passed. Still busy.

Half an hour passed. Busy.

Forty-five minutes passed. I shook my head to let Kope know they were still at it. He fidgeted and paced, out of his normal, calm comfort zone.

An hour and ten minutes passed, and I took a turn at stretching my legs. I was getting hungry. I thought we’d be
through with our talk by this time. We
could
interrupt Flynn, but I didn’t want him to freak out in front of somebody. We needed his guest to leave so we could talk alone.

At the hour and a half mark, Kope checked his watch and looked at me. I sent my hearing into the room. Oh, they weren’t in the bedroom anymore. Finally! I wiggled my hearing around until it hit the sound of running water. A shower. This was a good sign. But wait . . . nope. I shook my head, eyes wide. Was this
normal
?

Kope did something uncharacteristic then. He grinned, giving a little huff through his nose. This elicited a small giggle from me and I pressed both hands over my mouth. It was too late, though. At this point, I wouldn’t be able to stop myself. I could feel the crazy, unfortunate amusement rising. I jumped up and ran as spritely as I could to the stairwell with Kope on my heels. We sprinted down several flights before I fell back against the wall, laughter bubbling out. It went on and on, only getting worse when Kope joined in with his deep chuckling, a joyful rumble.

We laughed away the anxiety and discomfort of the day, and though we’d never be able to ease back into the innocence of friendship the way it used to be, I knew we’d be okay.

We stayed in the stairwell until I heard Flynn’s guest leave his place and get on the elevator. I marched back up the steps and went straight to his apartment. I stood there with my hands on my hips and Kope at my back. When Flynn opened the door and raked his eyes up and down my body, a case of nerves came back full force and my bright idea to smile at him disappeared. My hands dropped at my side.

Flynn leaned against the doorjamb with one forearm propped up on it. His red hair was darkened by water, and he was wearing a towel around his waist. Just a towel. He was short, with a prizefighter’s physique. He eyed our badges.

“Been waiting long?” he asked. The question was casual enough, but a warning lived in his eyes. He was wary of us.