Sweet Reckoning Read online

  Kaidan signed, You’re sure you didn’t see anything?A dark spot, I signed. It was gone so fast, like a blur. They usually . . . I didn’t know the sign for linger, so I spelled it out. I could see the pulsing in his temples as he ground his teeth together.

  He’d be leaving in just over an hour, and then I’d go back to campus. Classes would start in a couple days. We’d continue living our facades until it was time to act.

  The four of us stayed together in the living room, surrounded by a worrisome tension. We turned on the television.

  Patti gasped and sat up straight, pointing the remote at the television to turn up the volume. Big Rotty’s picture was on the screen. We all sat on the edge of our seats, staring at the news report. A D.C. officer came on.

  “We’re not sure what the motives of the perpetrator might be, but this is not the work of an amateur. Body theft is a serious, rare crime. Psychologists on the force warn that the person or persons who generally commit this type of crime are not mentally stable. If you have any news about the theft of the body of James F. Cooper, known to the world as Big Rotty, please contact the authorities immediately. Do not approach the suspects on your own.”

  “Oh my gosh,” I whispered.

  Big Rotty’s mom was on-screen next. She had long, elaborate weaves of curls around her made-up face, and she didn’t look sad like I’d expected. She was glowing. “I got my own theory. I don’t think my boy’s dead. Mm-mm.” She closed her eyes and shook her head. “I think he planned all this. He pulled a Machiavelli, and now he at some island living the good life!” She laughed with pride, like her son had hoodwinked the world.

  “Wow . . . ,” Jay said.

  “I still can’t believe he chose that body,” I said. “He’s always so careful about every detail.”

  “He’s got a lot on his mind,” Patti said.

  “He’ll shed the body if it becomes an issue,” Kaidan assured us.

  Patti put the television on a cooking show and I snuggled close to her like old times, letting her play with my hair. Just that contact meant so much. I watched Kaidan and Jay on the other side of the room. Jay with his guitar, and Kai patting a beat on his knee. They’d work one line at a time, mapping out the notes and rhythm. Within an hour they’d written a gorgeous ballad.

  Jay stared over the notes sheet with amazement. Kaidan gave me a wink. He’d helped get Jay’s mind off Marna’s absence in the only way possible.

  “I should probably shower and get ready,” Kaidan said with reluctance.

  My stomach dropped at the thought of him leaving.

  “I’ll come show you where everything is,” I said.

  He followed me upstairs, and I pulled a towel and washcloth from the linen closet. He could have done it himself, but I wanted one last moment alone with him. I set the towel on the sink in the bathroom, and I heard the door shut.

  Kaidan pressed up against me from behind, placing his hands over mine on the edge of the sink. I looked up and caught his eyes in the mirror, smoky and intense.

  His voice came out a low rumble and he never looked away from my reflection. “I don’t want to leave you.”

  “I don’t want you to go either,” I whispered.

  He wrapped his arms around my waist, still holding my eyes with his. I turned and kissed his warm lips, then pulled away despite his reluctance to let go. I couldn’t keep him any longer.

  I left Kaidan to shower and went downstairs to join the others.

  My foot had just hit the bottom step when I heard a strange gargled sound from Patti, like she was being strangled.

  Jay yelled her name. I’d never heard him sound so terrified.

  Panic flared in my chest and my body roared into action. I bent at the waist, hiking up my pant leg and ripping the hilt from its case. I ran into the family room, barely feeling the zing of the sword against the palm of my hand.

  Nothing could have prepared me for what I saw.

  Jay was swarmed by demons. They overlapped one another, but I was able to discern three whispering at him, and a fourth hovering in front of the couch a few feet away. Patti was nowhere. Jay stepped backward, moaning, clutching his hair and shaking his head. His guardian angel tried to fight them off, but was pushed aside repeatedly by the demons.

  A current of power ran up my arm and blood rushed through my ears so fast I could hardly hear. I moved forward, ready to attack, but stopped at the sight of something writhing on the floor in front of the couch.

  Patti.

  The whisperer I’d seen was hovering above her, and another spirit was halfway inside her body. Her guardian angel was going ballistic, unable to stop the dark spirits. A gagging noise came from Patti’s throat as she fought, trying to sit up, then convulsing.

  As my arm swung toward the demons, a brilliant golden light poured from the end of the hilt, hot and sharp, piercing the top half of the spirit that was trying to possess Patti. With a piercing crack, the dark spirit imploded and disappeared. Patti’s head fell to the carpet and she coughed. Her guardian angel immediately covered her as the dark spirit above them seemed frozen in shock and fear, its face ugly and contorted.

  I lunged forward just as it spun to flee, but all it took was a slice from the tip of the sword as I swung it through the air, and the spirit arched in pain before imploding and vanishing. Maybe the sword returned the spirit to hell, or maybe it vanquished it—I didn’t know or care.

  A commotion sounded from upstairs, and I realized Kaidan had heard and would be down any second, but I didn’t want the whisperers to know he was here.

  “Don’t come down!” I screamed.

  In a swift move I crossed the room, stabbing the other spirit that had left Jay to join the attack on Patti. With a loud snap, it was gone.

  Jay jumped back, appearing terrified when his eyes landed on the sword. The two other whisperers finally looked up, like two oblivious birds of prey torn unwillingly from their fresh meal.

  They wore twin expressions of realization, then shrieked inhuman sounds, high and grating, a shrill whistle that only demons and their children could hear.

  I yelled, “Move!” to Jay, who obeyed without question as my arm began an arc through the air. The light sliced into the first spirit and narrowly missed the second as it dove backward through the wall to the backyard.

  I could hear Kaidan running down the stairs now.

  “Crap!” I sprinted for the back door and threw it open, racing outside. I glimpsed the demon whisperer as it flew into the trees, out of sight. Away.

  No!

  In the absence of danger, the sword’s light faded into nothing, leaving my hand and arm cold and numb.

  I was in trouble now. Big trouble. Because that spirit was on its way to rat me out to all the Dukes and whispering Legionnaires. They’d know about the Sword of Righteousness. I wanted to freak out, but there was no time for that. Running on legs that were still buzzing with adrenaline, I found Jay and Kaidan crouched next to Patti, who had propped herself against the couch. Her face was pale and damp with sweat.

  I fell on my knees next to Patti and took her in my arms. She held on to me, weakly.

  “Are you okay?” I whispered.

  “I don’t know what happened. I felt so sick and scared . . . and . . .” She shuddered, and I held her tighter.

  “Who was here?” Kaidan asked.

  The sight of him crouched there with wild eyes made me realize how fast everything had taken place. His hair was soaking wet and he had water droplets on his chest and shoulders.

  “I have no idea,” Jay said, thoroughly freaked out. “It was so weird, dude. And you should have seen Anna! What is that thing?” He pointed to the hilt, which I still clutched. “It was all lit up. She moved so fast. I’ve never seen anyone move like that!”

  It hadn’t felt fast to me. It had felt horrifically slow, like a nightmare.

  Kaidan crouched next to me, all coiled tension, taking my face in his hands. “What happened?”

 
“Three whisperers were on Jay. Two on Patti. One was trying to possess her.” Patti’s shaking hand flew to her mouth and she made a strangled sound of disgust. I kept going. “I killed four of them . . . but one got away.”

  “One got away . . . ,” he whispered.

  We stared hard at one another as the danger pressed down on us. Kaidan stood, shoving his hands through his hair, and paced to the wall. He leaned against it with both palms, whispering at first, “Shite. Shite, Anna . . . ,” then yelling and punching a hole through the wall.

  Jay stood as if ready to calm Kaidan, but Patti grabbed his hand.

  “It’s okay,” she told Jay. “They need to go.”

  “You all should go somewhere, too,” I told her. Inside I trembled. I’d put them in danger. “I saw one earlier in the kitchen. I thought I was imagining it, but it must’ve been a whisperer. It saw us hugging. You two need to go into hiding. Just keep moving. Don’t stay in one place more than a night.”

  I helped her to her feet. She and Jay ran upstairs to pack their bags. I turned and found Kai leaning his back against the wall, the palms of his hands pushing against his eyes.

  “Kai.”

  He dropped his hands and stood, looking at me with the same kind of fear that had filled his eyes the night of the summit in New York City. Fear for me.

  “I don’t think they know you’re here,” I said. “That’s to our advantage.”

  He thought about that, nodding.

  We needed to move fast. “You’re not on the suspicion list, so you can stay in the know. We’ll go our separate ways and—”

  “No.” Kai’s hard voice carried an end-of-discussion ring to it. “I stay with you.”

  Oh, no. His attitude was grim and unyielding. I wanted to stay with him, too, but it wasn’t smart.

  “As soon as they catch you with me, they’ll know you’re on my side and you’ll be an immediate target, too. Think this through—”

  “We stay together.” His steely eyes warned me not to argue. I’d never seen him more dead set on something. I knew he’d follow me if he had to.

  I sighed and looked away. “Okay. Let’s get our stuff and get out of here.”

  He softened a fraction with relief.

  We grabbed our bags. Jay gave me a quick hug as Patti embraced Kaidan.

  “Please be careful,” I whispered to Patti.

  “You don’t worry about me.” She talked fast, her voice shaking as she took my face in her hands. “Just remember you can do anything you put your heart to. I’d do anything for you, Anna. I’d fight this battle for you if I could.”

  Patti and I squeezed each other equally hard.

  My throat constricted as I whispered, “I love you.”

  “I love you, too, sweet girl. Now go.”

  With a gentle shove from the strongest woman I knew, we were gone.

  UNCORRECTED E-PROOF—NOT FOR SALE

  HarperCollins Publishers

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

  CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

  MERCENARY

  Kaidan reached for my car keys and took the driver’s seat. I sat next to him, fitting one of Jay’s ball caps on my head as Kai peeled out of the neighborhood. He looked down at the speedometer as if impressed.

  “This little thing has some power.”

  “Yeah, my dad probably had that in mind when he bought it.” It was sad to think that Dad had bought my car knowing I’d have to make an escape in it someday.

  Kaidan did a double take at me in the hat. I wondered if I looked stupid, but then his red badge gave a widening pulse. He tore his eyes away and hit the gas harder, pressing me back into the seat. I was afraid to look at the speed as we merged onto Interstate 81.

  “Where are we going?” I asked.

  He shook his head, and when he spoke he sounded angry. “No idea. Deeper into these mountains, I suppose.”

  I rubbed his shoulder to try and calm him.

  “This is my fault,” he said. “I should have taken an earlier flight, then you would’ve been back at school. None of this would’ve happened.”

  This was the peril of loving—wanting more time together, taking risks. I hated knowing we’d put ourselves in danger, but it was impossible to regret the time we’d had together.

  “It was bound to go down eventually, Kai.”

  “But it didn’t have to be now.” His hands went white as he gripped the wheel, and his jaw tightened. I felt sad for him because I knew he was going into this without any belief we would survive.

  “We have to have hope,” I whispered.

  As he opened his mouth to say something, his phone rang. My heart sped as he pulled it from his pocket.

  We both glanced at the unknown Oregon number, and Kaidan cursed.

  Pharzuph.

  I stayed completely silent while he answered.

  “Hallo.”

  “It’s Pharzuph. This is my new number, so program it into your phone.”

  A chill zapped up my spine.

  “Yes, sir.”

  “Are you in Atlanta?”

  Kaidan glanced at me and I watched, holding my breath. It was still weird to hear Pharzuph speak with a young American voice.

  “Not yet,” Kai said.

  “Meet me at our former home tonight at nine p.m. I’m flying in, and we have some things to discuss.”

  Kaidan cleared his throat. I watched the pulse jump in his neck.

  “I’ll see you at nine o’clock, sir.”

  “Don’t be late.” Pharzuph hung up.

  Kaidan’s hand curled around the phone so hard I worried he’d crush it. “He sounds like a right prick. Even more than usual.”

  “Oh, he’s obnoxious in this new body. You’re gonna want to beat the crap out of him the whole time.”

  He huffed at that and almost smiled. I pried the phone from his hand and twined my fingers with his. We both held tight.

  I turned in the seat to face him. “If we can manage to make it to Georgia without being seen together, I want to stay within a mile of the house to listen.”

  “Anna—”

  “No. You were the one who wanted us to stay together, so you need to let me do this. If anything happens to you, Kaidan, I swear I will show up there. And I will kill him.”

  At the seriousness of my voice and words, his eyes slammed into mine.

  “Keep talking like that, Anna Rowe, and I’ll have to pull this car over.”

  I grinned. “No time for that. I’m gonna lie down and try to stay out of sight.”

  I crawled into the backseat, earning a smack on the bottom as I went, and covered myself with a blanket I’d grabbed from Patti’s. At least this way, from the outside, Kaidan would appear to be alone in the car. His head turned long enough to run his hot gaze over me curled up on the small seat.

  I reached up to poke his shoulder. “Eyes on the road, you.”

  He obeyed, reaching for the radio. “Try to sleep.”

  The odds were stacked against us. A year and a half ago I had held my hands up to the heavens and told them to deal me in, and they had. Now the prophecy was about to happen—this war on earth between the demons and their children—with me leading the way. My stomach was in knots.

  I closed my eyes for Kaidan’s sake, and pretended to sleep.

  Kaidan made the trip to Atlanta in seven hours, stopping once for gas. I was on edge, expecting to hear Kaidan shout, “Whisperer!” at any point, but he never did.

  We stopped talking as we neared Atlanta, and Kaidan turned off the radio. When he pulled the car into a parking lot, I sat up and was surprised by our location. A Catholic church? I gave Kai a questioning look, and he signed to me, Legend says holy water does more than repel evil—it’s like poison to demons.

  I raised my eyebrows. I liked this idea.

  We silently entered the church, searching the skies and seeing nothing but summer clouds. Inside, it was cool, quiet, and empty. We saw the angel statue
at the same time, holding a giant shell—the vessel for the holy water. Kaidan moved fast, filling an empty flask that he’d pulled from his pocket.

  Someone is coming, he signed. Take out your knife. Quick.

  We both pulled out our knives. I followed his lead, dunking the sharpened blade into the holy water, all the while feeling guilty for tainting the blessed liquid in such a way.

  We rushed from the church just as footsteps sounded down a nearby hall. As we jumped into the car and sped from the lot, I looked back and saw a collared man with his guardian angel watching us go. In a gentle gesture, the priest made the sign of the cross in the air, as if blessing us. I lay down in the backseat and smiled.

  Kaidan’s next stop was a rental car place. It was seven o’clock when we stood in the parking lot facing each other. We didn’t dare touch in case any whisperers were out. I tried to pour all my love and support for him through my eyes, and he let out a silent sigh before signing, Are you as hungry as I am?

  I held back a laugh, and nodded. Now that he mentioned it, I was starved. We absolutely couldn’t eat together. It was time for us to separate until Pharzuph left. I was overcome with nervousness. Kaidan’s eyes gave the skies a last scan before he leaned forward for a quick, chaste peck on my lips.

  I’ll be in touch once he’s gone, Kaidan signed.

  I tried to hide my fears as I signed back, I’ll be nearby listening.

  I hated the idea of him meeting with Pharzuph. What was his father planning? Did he really trust Kaidan, or was this a trap? Kaidan had his knives and the holy water, but those couldn’t contend with a gun if Pharzuph suddenly decided to shoot him, like Mammon had done to his son, Flynn, on the island.

  Don’t worry, Kaidan signed.

  I shook my head, slightly amused that he could read me so easily. Kaidan slowly stepped backward, and a painful pit opened in my gut. Taking his lead, I moved toward my car as well. With sad reluctance, we left each other. All I could do now was pray for the best. I’d be ready to jump into action if needed.

  I grabbed dinner and then found somewhere to park in the Rowes’ old neighborhood. I stopped behind a grove of trees up the street, a place Pharzuph wouldn’t pass as he came in. I meditated, trying to calm the nerves that burned like acid. If anything happened to Kaidan . . .