Sweet Reckoning Read online

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  HarperCollins Publishers

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  courtesy of HarperCollins Publishers

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  UNCORRECTED E-PROOF—NOT FOR SALE

  HarperCollins Publishers

  ..................................................................

  UNCORRECTED E-PROOF—NOT FOR SALE

  HarperCollins Publishers

  ..................................................................

  DEDICATION

  For Autumn and Cayden

  My best, sweetest works in progress

  CONTENTS

  COVER

  DISCLAIMER

  TITLE

  DEDICATION

  PROLOGUE

  CHAPTER ONE On Fire

  CHAPTER TWO And So It Begins

  CHAPTER THREE Crazy Day

  CHAPTER FOUR Hellos and Good-Byes

  CHAPTER FIVE Marna

  CHAPTER SIX Lie Detector

  CHAPTER SEVEN Jay’s Future

  CHAPTER EIGHT Taking the Initiative

  CHAPTER NINE Kaidan or the World

  CHAPTER TEN Worries Aplenty

  CHAPTER ELEVEN Ginger and Blake

  CHAPTER TWELVE Dream Within a Dream

  CHAPTER THIRTEEN Sky High

  CHAPTER FOURTEEN Impatient Freckles

  CHAPTER FIFTEEN Dancing with Light

  CHAPTER SIXTEEN All-American Boy

  CHAPTER SEVENTEEN Darts

  CHAPTER EIGHTEEN Makeshift Holiday

  CHAPTER NINETEEN Love in the Air

  CHAPTER TWENTY Big Rotty

  CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE No Girls

  CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO Mercenary

  CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE Strategizing

  CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR Prisoner

  CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE Jet Ride

  CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX Sin City

  CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN Allies

  CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT Galaxy

  CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE Lunar Room

  CHAPTER THIRTY New Life

  EPILOGUE

  DUKE NAMES AND JOB DESCRIPTIONS INDEX

  ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

  ABOUT THE AUTHOR

  COPYRIGHT

  ABOUT THE PUBLISHER

  UNCORRECTED E-PROOF—NOT FOR SALE

  HarperCollins Publishers

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  PROLOGUE

  Not a soul in the Vegas cocktail lounge had any idea demons were in their midst. Not a soul would believe the four gentlemen receiving appreciative stares and envious glares were some of the best workers of hell ever to walk the earth. Humans could sense their allure—the power and mystery in their handsome faces—and were drawn to them like butterflies to bright, poisoned nectar.

  Pharzuph, Astaroth, Mammon, and Melchom sat unsmiling in crisp new suits, sipping martinis and scotch, discussing events from the night before. They’d taken four women to Melchom’s private island off the California coast, ruined them, and then abandoned them at the docks after promising transportation back to Vegas.

  “I’d love to see those cows explain this one to their husbands and fiancé,” Astaroth, the Duke of Adultery had said, laughing as they sped away.

  But the fun and games were over now, and it was time for business. They sat contemplating all they’d learned last night about traitors in their ranks and among their children.

  Mammon, the Duke of Greed, absently swirled his scotch in the melting ice, thinking about the son he’d killed on the island. Flynn had been his favorite Nephilim child in centuries, and he’d turned out to be an ungrateful Judas. The shock of his betrayal still stung. It’d been many years since Mammon had killed, and it left a bad taste in his mouth—not that he’d ever admit that to his brethren of hell.

  “He showed no signs of rebellion before last night?” asked the Duke of Envy, Melchom.

  “None.” Mammon tilted back his drink and emptied it before slamming it to the table with a grimace.

  “It’s time to tell the other Dukes. We’ll gather tonight.” Pharzuph’s arms were crossed as he thought.

  “Some have already left town,” Melchom said. “Like Belial.”

  “We’ll call them back,” Pharzuph said with a sneer. “We can’t let Belial know we’re on to him. Let’s make him think we’re only suspicious of a Neph uprising.”

  Astaroth ran a hand through his shoulder-length blond waves and pulled out his cell phone, dialing. The others listened in on the conversation with their keen supernatural senses.

  “Yes?” said a voice with French inflection.

  “Brother Rahab. Call the Dukes back to Vegas. We have news.”

  Rahab paused. “Very well.”

  “And one more thing,” Astaroth continued. “The old prophecy.”

  “What about it?” Rahab snapped.

  “Can you recite it for us?”

  “To my knowledge . . .” His voice went gravely with disgust. “A Nephilim pure of heart shall rise up and cast demons from earth to the depths of hell, where they will remain until the end of days.”

  The table quieted, and the demon men appeared momentarily ill.

  “How certain are you of its validity?” Astaroth asked.

  “Lord Lucifer himself told me of the prophecy.”

  The four Dukes exchanged silent looks as the lounge bustled around them. Pharzuph cleared his throat and took the phone from Astaroth, speaking low.

  “How did our Lord obtain this information?”

  Rahab’s voice was a dangerous whisper. “You dare to question him?”

  A carefully blank look remained on Pharzuph’s face, and his smooth English accent never wavered. “Don’t be ridiculous. I question his source.”

  Rahab was quiet. Then, in a tone of reluctance, he admitted, “It was a whisperer. One of the Legionnaires.”

  Again the Dukes exchanged skeptical looks. This was the reason nobody had ever taken the prophecy seriously. It seemed unlikely that a worthless Legionnaire spirit could acquire important information and recite it back correctly.

  “The prophecy is valid!” Rahab shouted through the phone. “I’ve been telling you fools for two millennia not to trust the Nephilim race! Why are you bringing this up now? What has happened?”

  “We will discuss our findings soon, brother,” Pharzuph assured him.

  Rahab let out a low grumble before disconnecting.

  “Right, then. What’s the plan?” Astaroth asked.

  “First we find out if Belial and the girl followed through with the orders given at the summit. See if she’s still a virgin. She’s number one on my suspicion list. The angels of light had never intervened for a Neph until her.”

  Melchom leaned his elbows on the table. “How will we find out if she’s pure?”

  A wicked grin spread across Pharzuph’s face. “Leave that part to me.”

  “And if she is?” Melchom asked.

  “We kill her immediately before the damned angels can stop us.” Pharzuph finished his martini and eyed a woman who kept stealing glances at him. “And wait to see Belial’s reaction to gauge whether they’re working together or if this is a Neph-run operation.”


  “None of it makes any bloody sense.” Mammon rubbed his forehead. “We had the lot of them tailed after the summit.”

  “Only for the first six months,” Astaroth clarified. “Apparently they’ve been busy in the year since then.”

  “We’ll have them tailed again. For as long as it takes.”

  Melchom shook his head. “Lord Lucifer won’t be happy about this—using his Legionnaires to babysit the Neph again when they should be focusing on humans. He was livid about the wasted efforts after the summit.”

  Pharzuph sighed. “Fine. We won’t sic the whisperers yet. We’ll wait and see what we find out about the daughter of Belial.”

  They all nodded their agreement, and Pharzuph stood.

  “Let’s enjoy a few hours of Vegas before our meeting.” He walked toward the woman with the red aura, who was locked in his blue gaze. “Best job in the world,” he whispered to himself.

  To love or have loved, that is enough. . . .

  There is no other pearl to be found in the dark folds of life.

  —Victor Hugo, Les Misérables

  UNCORRECTED E-PROOF—NOT FOR SALE

  HarperCollins Publishers

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  CHAPTER ONE

  ON FIRE

  The moment I left L.A., a fire began kindling inside me—a satisfying burn of purpose and drive unlike anything I’d ever experienced. Never again would I sit back in silence and watch the Dukes take a life. We’d lost our ally Flynn, the son of Greed, killed by his own father when he was discovered as a traitor against the demons. I would never forget the helpless feeling of being submersed in the water under the dock at that island while the Dukes worked their evil. Never again.

  We, the Nephilim, were going to rid the earth of demons, and I was slated to lead the way.

  This knowledge sparked, caught fire, and spread through my veins. Despite all of the unknowns, I’d never felt stronger or more focused. And love was to blame . . . that very essence of life believed to be a weakness by the Dukes of hell. They had no idea of its fortifying power.

  I loved Kaidan Rowe, and he loved me.

  I loved Patti and my father, and I knew they were willing to die for me.

  I loved the Nephilim, and wanted to see them free from the terror of their fathers.

  I loved the inherent goodness in humanity and the potential for a better future on earth without demon interference.

  For the first time ever, I didn’t doubt myself. When Patti met me at the curb at the Atlanta airport, I held her close, feeling different from the girl who’d left her a week before. She pulled away and searched my face, brushing hair away from my shoulder and giving me a single nod as if she understood. It was time to take my place in the world. Time to fulfill my task. Patti’s eyes watered, but her shoulders squared with motherly pride.

  Yes. It was time, and her support meant everything.

  On the drive home my cell rang. Seeing Dad’s number made my heart race.

  “Hello?

  “Another meeting’s been called in Vegas tonight,” came his gruff reply. “This might be the last safe time you have to talk to the others. I’m emailing you information. Be careful.”

  He hung up before I had a chance to say a word.

  Another meeting. The Dukes weren’t wasting any time. That knowledge made my earlier confidence waver ever so slightly. I just hoped the other Neph and I could survive what was to come.

  I texted Kaidan, who was listed in my contacts under James, for James Bond. He’d chosen it. He had me listed as Hot Chick From Gig.

  Video chat in 30.

  His immediate response made me shake my head and blush.

  Clothing optional?

  It was nice to know he could keep a sense of humor in the face of calamity. Or maybe he wasn’t joking. . . .

  “Are you two flirting?” Patti asked, her eyes darting to me from the road.

  I hurried to delete his message.

  “It’s so weird,” I said.

  I’d waited two years for Kaidan to return my affections. Now he was my boyfriend. My boyfriend! Unbelievable.

  Patti reached over and squeezed my hand. “Enjoy it, honey. Every second.”

  I definitely was.

  The first thing I did at home was open my email to see Dad’s message:

  You’ve been granted late acceptance to Virginia Tech in Blacksburg, Virginia four hours from where I’ll be in D.C. You will be in a single dorm room. Patti will have a fully furnished house in the next town. Pack only the essentials. You leave in less than three weeks.

  “Patti! Come read this!”

  She ran in and read the message over my shoulder, then she hugged me from behind.

  “The Virginia mountains,” she whispered. “That sounds nice, college girl.”

  The whole thing sounded nice, especially the fact that Patti would still be nearby and in her own house, far away from Duke Pharzuph here in Atlanta. I wondered how long Dad had been working on this plan, and how many strings he’d had to pull.

  Now I just needed to break the news to Jay and Veronica, the people I’d miss most in Georgia.

  Patti left to make dinner, and I leaned against my pillows, pulling the laptop closer on my lap. I logged on to the video chat server. Butterflies danced inside me as I dialed Kaidan. His image popped up, and I sucked in a breath.

  “Ah, there’s my bird.” He sat at the desk in his bedroom with no shirt on, wavy wet strands of brown hair around his angled face, five o’clock shadow lining his jaw, blue eyes heating me through the screen.

  Wow. Just . . . wow. I kind of wished I’d taken time to reapply my lip gloss or something.

  “Hey,” I said in a small voice, because even through the screen he reduced me to gooey girliness. I eyed his chest and the top of his firm abs. “You’re not really naked, are you?”

  He waggled his dark eyebrows. “Shall I stand?”

  My eyes widened. “Seriously? You’re not naked.”

  “I just got out of the shower, luv.” He wore an unapologetic grin.

  No way. He was just messing with me.

  “You should try it,” he said. “It’s safe fun.” When he winked, my chest, neck, and face heated. I glanced toward my closed door, and Kaidan laughed. “You’re considering it, aren’t you?”

  “No,” I said, trying not to smile. “I just don’t want Patti to overhear your naughty mouth. Now hush, and listen.”

  I told him my college news and he nodded, running a hand through his damp hair to move it back from his face.

  “Good. Glad you’ll be away from there. I wish you could leave sooner.”

  “Yeah.” I chewed the inside of my lip. “When do you think they’ll come after me?”

  His entire face darkened. “I don’t know. Maybe you should leave sooner than three weeks. Stay in a hotel or something.”

  “I’ll see what Dad says after their meeting tonight.”

  We stared at each other.

  “You’re so bloody cute,” he whispered, his voice all low and yummy.

  Blood whooshed through my body. A Kai buzz. Oh, he was totally using the bedroom eyes . . . all heavy lidded and seductive. I don’t even think he was trying. I suddenly felt shy. Even from the other side of the country, this boy was dangerous.

  “Behave, Kai.” My voice sounded more sultry than I intended.

  “I didn’t say a word.” He wet his lips, and I thought of that mouth on my body several days ago. We’d only been apart one day, and already it felt way longer.

  “Okay, stop,” I said.

  He grinned. “Stop what?” As if he didn’t know. Kaidan Rowe was anything but innocent, and well aware of his allure.

  His phone rang from the nightstand behind him.

  “Just a sec, luv.”

  He spun in his chair, and when he stood I got a flash of toned, bare butted hotness. I let out a yelp before dissolving into a fit of giggles, and covering my ey
es.

  “It’s Blake,” he said.

  I whisper-yelled, “You’re really naked!”

  “I told you I was. . . . Hey, what’s up, mate? . . . Talking with A. . . . No news. Maybe tonight. . . . Yep. Later.”

  I heard movement, and Kai said, “You can look now.”

  I peeked through my fingers and saw only his handsome face. Dropping my hands, I tried to look serious. “You are so bad.”

  “You like it.” He leaned back and kicked up his big feet on the desk. “You should try it sometime, little Ann. Just with me, of course.”

  Without taking his eyes off me, he picked up a pen and began weaving it through his fingers. Only Kaidan Rowe would sit naked on the other side of the camera, completely nonchalant. It was rather . . . distracting.

  I watched his chest slowly rise and fall in a sigh. He set the pen down. “I dreamt of you last night. That you were still here with me.”

  I rested my cheek on my hand, letting his words settle over me like warm sunlight. I still couldn’t believe he was letting this happen—letting us be together—letting me love him.

  “Thank you,” I said.

  “For dreaming of you?” He chuckled.

  Talking via camera was weird. Ironically, I felt exposed. Every word and expression seemed magnified.

  “Just . . . for everything.”

  “No, gorgeous. Thank you.”

  Again we stared in silence. For a millisecond I even forgot he was nude. And then I remembered.

  “What?” he asked. “What’s that look for?”

  I wished I didn’t embarrass so easily. He rolled his chair to the side and I heard him get up.

  “Okay, luv. All better.”

  He’d put on some running pants, slung low so I could see the V at his hips.

  Drool.

  “It’s not fair, you know,” he said, sitting again and leaning in.

  “What’s not fair?”

  “That’s twice you’ve seen my arse. And zero times I’ve seen yours.”

  I shook my head. My face was permanently on fire now.