| |
Guilt wormed through Kheone’s dreams, tormenting her. Serel’s dead eyes stared at her, unseeing yet knowing how she had failed. His blood dripped from her sword.
“I’m sorry. I’m sorry. I’m sorry,” her dream self said, stabbing him with it, over and over.
Strong arms grabbed her from behind and twisted the sword out of her hand. Michael pulled her into his hard body. In her dream, she lost herself in his liquid kisses and the warm shelter of his embrace. Pulling away, the embers of desire smoldering deep inside her, she looked up. It wasn’t Michael. Shax’s golden gaze mirrored her desire, amplifying it, until the flames within escaped and lit the world on fire.
Torn from her arms, she watched helplessly as he burned in the inferno they had created. Shax smiled at her, unaware of the pain she’d caused until nothing remained except ashes scattered by the wind. Gone.
A pattering, like rain on concrete, woke her. Kheone slammed against the limits of her physical body. The deep fatigue caused by nights of grief and days of chasing clues with no end to the business of the gathering made opening her eyes a near-impossible task. And the deal she had made with a devil. She must not forget that ill-conceived abomination of a decision.
The noise repeated. Kheone forced her body to obey her commands. She swung her legs out of bed and stumbled across the small room toward the window where the noise seemed to come from. Kheone opened it just in time to catch a face full of pebbles.
Shax was a contrast in dark and light, his black leather jacket and blue jeans blending into the night. His hair glowed in the dim light cast by the lamp in the middle of the courtyard. He was beautiful, ghostly, dangerous.
“Hey, Blue,” he said. Shax dropped the next handful of stones and waggled his fingers at her with a goofy grin. She almost didn’t recognize him without his usual smirk.
She used to hate the nickname he had called her since the day they’d met. Hated it liked she had hated nothing else in this world or the next. But the way he said the name now—she didn’t hate it, not even a little.
“Shh,” she hissed at him. “Do you want to get us both killed?”
He shrugged. “I have news, and you weren’t at the tree.”
“Shut up.” She jerked her head toward a dark patch on the far side of the building. “I’m coming out.”
Kheone closed the window as quietly as she could. She bundled up and threaded her curved sword onto her belt. Its heavy weight hung at her hip, offering reassurance she could handle anything the demon threw at her. She yanked her door open, looking up and down the hall. No heads poked out into the silent hall, and the noises from the common room didn’t change in volume or tone. Breathing a sigh of relief, she hurried outside and sprinted toward the dark thicket.
“Shax?” she whispered.
“Here.”
Shax stepped out of the shadows, only his snow-white hair indicating he was anything other than a shade himself. Shax, who had not been at their tree, either, when she’d showed up an hour late. Kheone had waited for another two hours, just in case, but returned to the dorm, worried about him. The damned demon had made her worry about him. And now that he was in front of her, safe and sound, she wanted to—
Kheone walked right up to him and shoved his shoulder. Hard. It was the only thing she could think of to keep from kissing him. His arms windmilled, keeping him upright. She suppressed the chuckle that burbled up at the ungainly sight.
“Did you lose your last brain cell in the Second Fall? Why in the nine spheres of Heaven are you here?”
Shax cleared his throat. “You know, I think your insults are getting better.”
Kheone brushed her jacket away from the sword on her hip and placed her hand on its hilt.
“Try me, demon.”
He held up his hands in surrender, but a small grin creased his eyes.
“And here I thought we were becoming friends.”
“We’ll never be friends, Shax.”
Her voice was icy calm, and Shax jerked away as though her words were weapons. Perhaps they were. Weapons to keep him from finding out how much she wished they could be more than friends.
“Allies, then,” he said in a fake, cheery tone and pasted on a phony grin.
The idea left her cold. She wanted something else from the demon who wanted to be her friend. Kheone wanted him. It would never happen, no matter the heat in his touch or how often he appeared in her dreams.
Kheone nodded and removed her hand from her blade. She could live with being his ally, at least until they found Serel’s killer. She had agreed to this bargain, but after they fulfilled it, they must go their separate ways for both their sakes’.
“What in God’s sweet name couldn’t wait until tomorrow?” she asked.
“I found Aeshma.” A wry grin crossed his face. “Well, actually, she found me.”
“Really?” That was an odd bit of luck.
“We have a bargain. I won’t lie to you while it is in effect.”
Kheone considered his words. He had done nothing yet to lose her trust. And as often as demons lied, they generally abided by an agreement once locked into it.
“And? What are the demons up to?”
Shax’s shoulders tightened, and whatever amusement lingered vanished.
“I don’t know yet. I am here to tell you I found them. And I’m supposed to spy on you.”
“Spy on us? Why not kill us?”
He shrugged. “They don’t trust me enough to tell me yet. But my guess is they know Michael hangs around. No demon is going to challenge the Archangel Michael.”
It made as much sense as anything else these days, which was to say, none whatsoever. A pulsing pain hit her temple. She didn’t need any of this. When could she return to hunting down demons and reading books?
“Your turn,” he said.
“Serel put a spell on the book. It’s unreadable.”
Kheone neglected to tell him the object in question was no longer in her possession. That was a problem for another time. Once she proved her theory, she could get the book back from Michael.
He whistled. “Must be a doozy of a spell.”
“Yeah, but I think he hid some notes on the book somewhere. Maybe those will tell us how to break the spell.”
Two layers of protection on the book. There might be more. After all, Serel had hidden it in the library, the letter to Father Fauci in his dresser, and the notes who knew where. Her friend had been more scared than he had let on the night before he died.
“Any ideas where to look?” Shax asked with a shrewd look. He caught the edge of his lip in his teeth and worried at it a moment, lost in thought.
She shook her head. “I haven’t had the chance to think about it, let alone to start poking around the dorm. For all I know, Serel hid them somewhere far from here.”
“Next move?” he asked.
“I’ll try to turn up the notes. If I can’t, I’ll try to break the spell.”
“What do you want me to do about Aeshma?”
“Lie. Isn’t that what demons are good at?” Her bitter words made him flinch.
For Heaven’s sake, frustration with her situation was no excuse for hurting Shax. He deserved better from her. And so did she.
“I’m sorry, Shax. You’ve been honest with me.”
“No, you’re right. I need to lie to her, but Aeshma won’t buy just any old shit I make up. There has to be a kernel of truth to it.”
He wasn’t wrong.
“Tell her we’re wary after losing an angel, but don’t mention the special circumstances. And yes, I know that makes me sound more like one of you than one of us.”
A mocking grin spread over his face, and he gave her a salute. “Yes, ma’am.”
Kheone fought her own smile. “I need to get back. Michael doesn’t want me out by myself while he’s gone. He’s afraid whoever went after Serel will come after me next. There will be Hell to pay if he finds out.”
Crap, she hadn’t meant to tell him Michael wasn’t around. It was too late to take back the words.
“I’ll be the judge of that,” he said, a rich, warm chuckle following his words, sending shivers down her spine. The good kind.
Her brain definitely told her she couldn’t trust him, but her foolish body didn’t listen. At least it appeared Shax had not caught her little slip up.
“Who would have thought the loyal Kheone capable of disobeying Michael? Before you know it, you’ll throw your lot in with Lucifer.”
She snorted. “I’m not alone. You’re here.”
“I am.” Shax’s lips curved into a genuine smile this time. “I’ll help however I can.”
“Thank you, Shax.”
“You’re welcome, Kheone.”
The use of her name earned him a genuine smile as he faded into the night. She had said they would never be friends. It was madness to think they could be anything other than what they were, but her heart was telling her it might be possible. Kheone pulled her thoughts from that path, and with a heavy heart, headed inside.