Sweet Temptation (29 page)

All I have to do now is climb onto the bed with her—
breathe
—throw a sheet over us—
breathe
—and pretend. And then it will be over. I won't let anything happen. I swallow hard and yank the blanket down from underneath her. She scoots back and I put my hands on the bed. Then a knee. Anna's eyes are on my chest. She knows I'm coming for her, and she's breathing fast.

I am nearly on top of her when the demon spirit makes a disgusting sound, like something gurgling inside a zombie's
throat. Anna flinches from it, then her eyes light up and she surprises the hell out of me.

“Do you have to be here?” she yells at it. “You're really distracting.”

“Shut up,”
it hisses into our minds, diving forward.
“As if I want to be here with you boring Neph!”

Bingo, baby.

“Then leave,” I say in a lazy voice. “We're almost finished here. Anyway, I think you'd find room 108 far more interesting.”

My heart is pounding. The whisperer goes still. Then moves up and down, pondering.
Please, let this work.

“You won't tell?”
it hisses.

“Tell what?” I snap, as if I'm eager to get back to work. “You did what you bloody came to do—you saw me find the girl and assure she's impure. Your job is done, and I can finish mine much better if you're not hovering.”

For a horrible moment I imagine it will refuse, then it spins and disappears through the side wall into the hall. Just like that. I stare at that spot forever, because it's too bloody good to be true. When he doesn't come back, I fall to my face on the bed beside Anna, screaming into the mattress with relief and tension.

My man parts are crying.

I want Anna so bad. My girl is naked next to me. I didn't even get a proper glimpse. I want to beg her to let me climb atop her, just for a moment, if I swear not to let it happen, just to have our bare bodies touching. . . .

Anna scrambles under the covers away from me and
throws something soft over my bum.

Right. That's a no.

I look at her face as she stares at the wall in agony, and I can't take it any longer. I reach a hand over her waist and lay my head in her blanketed lap, breathing in her sweet scent. I have to erase any shred of doubt, fear, or distrust in her mind.

“I would have stopped, Anna. I swear,” I babble with desperation. “I'd die before I took you against your will. Please tell me you believe me.”

Her voice is filled with emotion when she says, “I believe you.”

My head is suddenly too heavy to lift, though I know I should move away from her. Then I feel Anna's fingers tentatively push into my hair, moving through the strands so tenderly. I cannot move away.

“Get under the covers with me,” Anna whispers. “We need to lie here for a little while in case it comes back.”

Yes. I lift my head and the doubt is gone from her eyes. Only love and concern are there, and I feel myself melt.

Her head tilts and she touches my cheek. “There you are.”

Here I am.

She pulls back the sheet and I move next to her, shielding myself with a pillow. We lay silent, side by side, and I'm trying damn hard not to think about our nakedness. About her waist and hips and thighs and legs . . .

I bolt upright. The bruises!

I take her arm and gently twist it to find fingertip bruises on the soft flesh underneath. The smoking coals beneath my skin reignite with a vengeance.

“Anna . . . ,” I whisper in disbelief as I think about her being hit and kicked. Bright spots soar in my vision. “What. The bloody hell. Happened? Who did this to you?”

“Listen, Kai.” It's her calming voice, but it's not working. “I'm all right now, okay?”

No. Not okay at all. Anyone who is capable of putting marks like this on Anna does not deserve to live.
“Who?”
I demand.

“The sons of Thamuz.”

HolyMaryMotherofGod.

My mouth goes completely dry as I recall the things they did to Marna when she was so young—things that forced her to begin seeing evil whisperers. “What did they do?” I don't want to hear it, but I need to know. If they raped her and stole her innocence, her power . . . “So help me God—”

“Nothing!” she assures me, grabbing my arm. She sounds as if she means it, and I try to calm my breathing. “They tried to take me, but I fought. And . . . Kope showed up.”

I'm sorry, what? “Kope?”

Her eyes dart about like she wants to run. “Yeah. Um. I figured it might be safe to call him for information. I didn't ask him to come. I didn't have any idea the sons of Thamuz were going to attack me. I was only planning to meet with the son of Shax to see if he was an ally. But I guess Kope was worried and came to make sure I was okay, and he showed up just in time. He went sort of crazy and beat the crap out of them.”

I can see the worry on her face, that I might get jealous, but I'm not jealous of Kope anymore. I know there's nothing between them except friendship. However, my foolish pride
makes me hate the fact that she had to ring another person for help while I had no clue what was happening. And I hate that Anna charges into these dangerous situations with no thought for her safety. She's still too trusting.

I rub my face hard as exhaustion hits me.

“I can't . . . I just . . . Anna, swear you'll never engage another Neph like that. You're bloody lucky Kope showed! God, what would I do? Look at you!” I move her hair aside and look at her back.

Her shoulder blade is swollen and purpled. I want to vomit, remembering how she'd yelped when I pushed her against the wall. “I'd no clue you were injured. I was too rough. . . .”

She takes my hand and angles herself so I can't see it. “I'm okay. I swear. You had to be rough. It was more convincing that way.”

But I don't hear her. I'm too busy picturing the evil sons of the Duke of Murder manhandling her. “I'll kill them.”

Anna shushes me and pulls me back down until we're lying close, facing each other.

“If it makes you feel any better,” she says, “I zapped one of them pretty good.”

“You did what?”

She points at the torch on the ground by the door. “It's a stun gun.”

I chuckle at the thought of this, and Anna gives a small smile. We can't stay in this hotel room long, but for now, Anna is safe, and Kope nearly beat the sons of Thamuz to death. I let myself picture it, and I feel a bit better.

We dodged a bullet tonight, but we're not out of the dark
yet. What happened tonight was only a temporary fix on a major problem. Father and the others will come looking for Anna eventually, and when they do, the true darkness will show itself. For now, I will hold her close.

“Bright and early for the daily races, going nowhere, going nowhere . . .

I wanna drown my sorrow, no tomorrow, no tomorrow.”

—“Mad World” by Michael Andrews, featuring Gary Jules

I
don't want to leave Anna. Not when I know she's being sought by madmen, and they've already laid hands on her once. I will never rest when she's out of my sight. I trust that her father is working on a plan, but he's MIA and Anna's not sure where to turn next.

Too much has happened in the short time since she was in California. She tells me about her strange interactions with the son of Duke Shax, named Marek, and the daughter of Duke Jezebet, named Caterina. I don't trust them. We know Caterina is not on our side—she was the one who told the Dukes that Flynn was lying, which led to his death. Marek is a wild card.

Anna's mobile rings, and when she sees it's Marna, she begins trembling. I've no clue why the sight of her friend's name would cause her to go pale. But the way she looks up at me tells me something big is going on.

On the other end of the line, Marna is equally distraught. “Anna. She's still not back and she won't answer her phone. It's been more than a day, and I'm too scared to wait any longer. I'm going to her.”

Who's she going on about? Ginger? I move closer, trying to figure out what's happening.

“Are there any Dukes in California?” Anna asks me. “Blake's dad?”

I shake my head. “All the Dukes should be back in their respective areas,” I say. “What's going on?”

“Is that Kai?” Marna asks. “What's he doing there?”

“Yes, it's him,” Anna tells her. She puts the phone to her shoulder and looks at me. “Can you call Blake and see if he answers? We think Ginger's with him.”

What?
That makes no sense. They'd never be so stupid.

I dial Blake and leave him a message telling him to ring me back straightaway.

“I'm going to meet you there,” Anna tells Marna. “I think it's going to take more than just you to break the two of them apart.”

Wait just a damn minute. They're going to Santa Barbara?

“I'm going,” I say.

Anna doesn't argue. She hangs up with Marna and buys tickets, then gets her things together in a rush. Her lips are pursed and there's obvious sadness in her eyes. Whatever's going on, she doesn't want to talk about it, but I need to know.

“Did Gin go mad when she found out Blake's engaged?” I ask.

She stops and chews the inside of her lip for a second before standing to face me.

“She
was
upset about that, but it's not what sent her over the edge.”

“So what did?” What on earth could possibly cause Gin to leave her sister and do something as reckless as shack up with another Neph?

“The twins had a . . . disagreement.” Anna looks scared to death, and I'm starting to get bloody nervous.

“About what?” I ask.

She swallows. “Marna's pregnant.” The words come out dry and brittle, and I cannot make sense of them. Those two simple words cannot possibly go together. Marna . . . no. NO. There's been a mistake.

“I sensed it,” Anna whispers. “It's Jay's.”

“Bloody
hell
.” Each of her words slams into me like a bullet and I cannot stand. I fall back onto the bed and grab at my hair as if I might rip the words out of my mind. This cannot be happening. Marna. She's like a baby sister to me. God, no wonder Anna didn't want to tell me. We only have Marna for nine more months, and then she'll be . . . no. I shake my head. I can't fathom it. I cannot think about Marna in hell.

I raise my heavy eyes to Anna, and my heart sinks further. Her eyes are lowered. Devastated. I think of Jay, how Anna never told him what we were, or that her mother died in childbirth, as all mothers of Neph do. I imagine how she must've felt when she sensed the pregnancy, when she had to tell them.
Ginger's reaction would've been colossal. I can't bloody believe this is happening. It's madness.

“Come here,” I say to her, holding out a hand. I pull her to my lap and she wraps her arms around me. “It's not your fault.”

She lets out a sob. “It
is
my fault they got together. I didn't think they'd move so fast, and if I'd known she could get pregnant—”

“Sh, Anna. Those two always fancied each other, yeah? This whole thing is awful, but you can't stop the inevitable.”

I hold her a moment longer before she wipes her eyes, pulling herself together. “We'd better go,” she says, standing. “I'll tell you everything on the plane.”

“Wait,” I say. “How much does Jay know?”

“He knows everything,” she says with downcast eyes.

Everything. That his best friend Anna, along with the girl he's fallen in love with, are the daughters of demons. That Marna will die in childbirth, because their child will also be a Nephilim. That the baby's soul will essentially rip Marna's soul from her body when it's born. That we're all fighting for our lives right now. What a thing for Jay to walk into. Poor sodding chap.

Blake and Ginger, two of the most careful Neph I know, have bloody well lost their minds. They're bunked up in the mansion while his psychotically envious fiancée rages outside the gate. News vans are there to catch it all. He's a local motocross celebrity whose fabulously rich father has just “died,” and this is what they choose to do?

Yes, they've wanted each other for a bloody long time and
have always held back. Yes, Ginger's just found out she's losing the person she loves most in the world, but getting themselves killed is not the answer. Especially now that the prophecy is on the horizon. It's no longer about us as individuals. Each ally is important.

I am livid when we finally get inside the gate. I bang on Blake's front door, but they don't answer. I bang again. “Open up, idiot! This is bloody stupid!”

Finally they come to the door. They're clearly lost to their beasts—Blake is feeding off his fiancée's envy while Ginger gets her kicks off causing Blake to cheat. They're both half dressed, showing signs of a shag fest with wild hair and flushed skin. For a moment I am jealous they've been able to give in to their need for each other, and that jealousy makes me even angrier.

“It's time to go, Gin,” Marna tells her.

Ginger gives her a malicious stare. “You're one to talk. I seem to recall that line didn't work on you.” So, Ginger tried to warn Marna, to get her away from Jay. That makes this all the worse. “I'm quite fine where I am, thanks,” Gin snaps.

“Like hell.” I shove open the door and stride past them, the others following. I slam the door once we're all inside. I point at Blake. “Have whisperers seen you together?”

“Course not.” He sounds far too blasé, and I want to beat some sense into him.

“You're bleedin' lucky!”

“Back off, brah.” He gets in my face. “What, you're the only one who can be with your girl?”

I want to point out that I haven't even shagged my girl, but
I know this is about more than sex. It's about the danger of even being seen together, as we are now.

“The Dukes were at their summit when we were together,” I remind him.

Anna tries to intervene and calm us, but Ginger moves in. “Why do you care?” she asks me. Her eyes are wet and hardened.

“Because we're this close.” I lean toward her, enraged. “
This
close to fulfilling the prophecy, and the two of you are likely to get yourselves killed!”

“As if you care!” Ginger screams at me. “You only give a shite about yourself. You want everyone to be willing to sacrifice themselves so you can finally be with your precious Anna. Well, I'm not waiting around anymore. I'm taking what I want from this damned life while I can!” Her cheeks have gone red.

“It's about all of us!” I shout back.

“Oh, right!”

God, this is too like our fights as children, matched in temperament. I'm filled again with a sibling-like sentiment as I let myself feel the ache Ginger must be living with.

I take her by the shoulders. “I don't want you dead, Gin.”

Her eyes fill with tears. My strong Ginger, who, like me, never cries. “I've nothing to live for now, don't you see? She'll be gone. My sister is dying! And Blake will be married off to that cow. I'd rather be dead.”

Oh, Gin. I swallow hard and take her into my arms, where she breaks down and lets me hold her up. Marna, sobbing, comes forward, and I open the embrace to include her. I want
to fix this for them. It's all so wrong. Why should mothers of Neph have to die? It's all shite. Nothing about the life of a Neph makes any sense.

Soon the twins are moving from my arms to embrace each other, their heads buried in each other's shoulders as they grieve. I rub their backs and swallow again. I know they need this moment, but I turn my head and look around, wondering how long it will take for the whisperers to find us. We can't stay here. We could ruin everything.

When the twins pull themselves together and wipe their eyes, we all sit together in the sitting room. It's an awkward, sad, guilty sort of silence.

And then my mobile rings and I stare at Father's name on the screen, feeling ill. I hold it out for the others to see and their eyes go wide.

“Hallo,” I say.

“I assume you took care of the girl, then?”

“Of course, Father. She wasn't a virgin anyhow.”

“Interesting.” He pauses and I raise the phone to hide the deep breath I'm taking to calm my pulse. “The spirit I sent to oversee the operation has been sent back to the pit of hell, never to return to earth. Do you know why?”

My eyes meet Anna's worried ones. “No, Father.”

“Because he admitted he did not stay to see your mission through to the end. He says the two of you persuaded him to leave.”

“Bollocks!” I jump to my feet, my heart in my throat. “That disgusting wanker was distracting. It's hard enough to try and bang a Neph without a spirit interfering.”

“A whisperer should hardly distract you from your task, son.”

I go still, my mind racing. I must make him believe me. “You're right, Father. But the deed was done, and the whisperer left on his own. Obviously I couldn't force him.”

“Hm. I think I'll pay the girl a visit myself. A lot's riding on her lack of purity.”

Over my dead body will I let him near her. I clench my jaw and force polite words out. “Do what you must, Father, but I hate to see your valuable time wasted.”

“Good of you to care,” the bastard says before hanging up on me.

Will it never end? Will we never get a bloody break? I yell through my teeth and kick the coffee table, flipping it with a
crash
.

I feel Anna's tentative hand on my shoulder as I pant through the rage.

“Everything's going to be okay,” she soothes. “We all need to get back to work. At this rate the prophecy's bound to go down soon, and we can't afford to lose anyone.”

“What about you?” Marna asks her. “Where will you go?”

Anna looks at me. “I don't know.”

“Well, I don't think you should be alone,” I tell her. Not after that phone call.

“We're all gonna have to be alone if we want to convince them we're working,” Blake says.

Screw that. I'm not concerned with pretending to work anymore. Father obviously doesn't trust me, and Anna's in immediate danger. The others should still pretend, but I need
to take Anna with me, make a run for it. We are arguing about the best plan of action when the room suddenly darkens. Sunlight from the arched windows is shadowed by an enormous dark angel pushing through the window and walls, into the room, its wings outstretched wide enough to engulf the lot of us.

Shite! It's too late to run. I lean back hard into the chair as I take in the whole sight, its ramlike horns curling wickedly upward and its massive body like a humanesque beast. Then I nearly swallow my tongue as it advances on Anna.

A dreadful sense of powerlessness overcomes me and I want to throw myself between them and yell for Anna to take out the sword. And then she whispers a single word.

“Daddy?”

My eyes bug out.
Belial?
Holy shit! I've never seen a Duke outside of its body. Whisperers have nothing on him. And why has he left his body? Things must be getting dire.

“Thank God it's you,” Anna says, talking fast. “So much is happening. Pharzuph is hounding me, and I don't know where to go.”

“That's why I'm here.”
Belial's low rumble of a voice fills my mind, so he must be projecting it to all of us. We gather to listen.

Belial turns his huge celestial horned head to me expectantly.

“What do you suggest?” I ask him.