Sweet Reckoning Read online

  He looked half amused and half lusty as he lifted his palms in question. “You’re running from me?”

  Glad he could find humor in it.

  “If you keep being all hot like that, then yes. It’s not safe.”

  “To be hot?”

  “To do it.” I crossed my arms.

  Kaidan’s lips quirked upward. “Do what?”

  “Be serious, Kai.”

  He stepped toward me again and I stepped farther back, running into his rental car.

  “No more sex,” I said in a rush.

  A look of astonishment crossed his face.

  “Just until after the summit,” I added quickly.

  All amusement vanished at the mention of the summit. Kaidan’s face once again turned hard as he stared at me.

  “Kaidan . . . ,” I whispered.

  He continued to stare, the mask in place to hide all emotions from me. I hated that mask. I wanted to yank it off and throw it over the cliff. I went to him and placed my hands on his shoulders. He made no move to touch me back. I lowered my hands down his arms and took his hands. When I spoke, I kept my tone gentle, but firm.

  “You have to pretend not to like me. It sucks, but it’s the smartest plan. If we’re both going to survive this, which I really think we can, and will, this is our best bet. You’re better at hiding your feelings than I am, but at this point it doesn’t matter if they think I have feelings for you. You can even say you made me fall for you to lure me in. Your father trusts you to find me and get me to the summit on your own. That’s huge. He has to think you’re in his pocket until the very last minute. We’ll have freedom to communicate with each other and warn the others. Do you really want to jeopardize one of the only things we have going for us?”

  He closed his eyes and squeezed my hands. When he opened his eyes the mask slipped away.

  “No, I don’t. I’m sorry,” he said. “I’ll do whatever I have to do. Or not do.”

  I let out a relieved breath, trying to push back the waves of emotion. “Thank you. So, from here on out, no kissing, no holding hands or touching until this is all over. No doing anything that could be suspicious.”

  He nodded, lips pursed, and let my hands go. I felt an immediate loss. I missed him already.

  UNCORRECTED E-PROOF—NOT FOR SALE

  HarperCollins Publishers

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

  CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

  PRISONER

  Kai and I went our separate ways that morning so I could hide while he took care of the estate business. I didn’t want to go anywhere too populated where whisperers might be, so I drove around winding back roads, passing farms. When I stopped for gas I went into a nearby drugstore for a drink, tape, glue, and a large bag of candies.

  The plan was to contact Pharzuph that afternoon, and that evening we’d be on a plane to wherever he demanded. I had to conceal the Sword of Righteousness when I flew. Hiding it in a bag of candies had worked for all my trips so far, since X-ray machines couldn’t detect its celestial material. I parked in the back of a tiny church’s lot under shade trees and set to work disguising the hilt, stuffing a piece of banana taffy into my mouth as I went.

  After lunch I got a text from James Bond that said, Done.

  My stomach constricted and I started the car to meet him at the car rental place as we’d discussed. I made it there in forty-five minutes and waited in the parking lot while he turned in the car. When he came out, I moved to the backseat and scrunched down while he took the driver’s seat, setting a white box and some paperwork in the passenger seat, then adjusting the leg room and driving us away.

  “Where are we going?” I asked.

  “Back to my old home so you can shower and get ready.”

  My heart thumped. “Do you think it’s safe?”

  “My father’s gone. The house is under contract, but it’s still mine until the sale is final. If a whisperer shows, I’ll let it know I’m in charge of you. It’ll be fine.”

  “Okay.” I hated the idea of setting foot in that lair, but we didn’t have many options.

  When we got there, Kaidan held my arm as if escorting me inside, in case any whisperers decided to show. Kaidan keyed in a code for the alarm and let me go when the door closed. The house was eerily quiet, and the sheets draped over the furniture made the place feel even spookier.

  Kai led me down to the basement so I could use his shower. I glanced once at his giant king-size bed with its gray silky sheets, and I wanted to vomit remembering Pharzuph’s comment about the smell of lust. I couldn’t smell anything, but still. The thought of how many girls had been in here made my stomach hurt with a vile intensity.

  “Here.” Kaidan handed me a fluffy black towel from the linen closet. I wasn’t sure if his sudden gruffness was part of his captor act, or if being back in his old space felt as uncomfortable to him as it did to me.

  I went into the bathroom and heard Kaidan’s music turn on the moment I closed the door. Everything in the large rest-room was black and shiny. Very masculine. I showered, using all his boy products, and kind of liking the idea of smelling like him all day. Though these products had nothing on the scent of his natural pheromones.

  After brushing my hair and teeth, I dressed in a pair of shorts since I couldn’t wear the hilt now that it was snug in its candy bed. I wouldn’t have been able to wear it at the airport. My knife either. I’d have to change clothes and secure the hilt around my ankle again when we got to our destination—wherever that might be. When I opened the door, Kaidan was sitting on the edge of the bed with something silver in his hands and a grave expression on his face.

  “It’s not too late to run,” he said. He turned the object in his hands and I recognized it as a pair of handcuffs. My tummy fluttered with trepidation.

  “Yes, it is,” I whispered.

  I made no move when he stood and closed the distance between us. The dimmed lighting in his room, and the way he took his time moving toward me, made him seem almost sinister. My heart was beating harder than it should, given the fact that I wasn’t in immediate danger. Without taking his eyes from me, he took the book bag from my hand and let it drop to the floor. I felt the cold metal as he clinked the cuffs over one of my wrists, then the other.

  Heart rate. Too. High.

  Breathing. Too. Fast.

  Kaidan’s eyes trailed down my body and he whispered, “Damn.”

  “What?” I breathed.

  “You look amazing in handcuffs.” Stormy eyes. Spinning, pulsing badge. “And you’re officially my prisoner.”

  The true scent of Kaidan that drove me so crazy wafted around me now, urging my senses into a frenzy. He grasped the short chain between the cuffs and dragged me closer.

  “We can’t,” I whispered, but there was no conviction behind my words, especially when he looked at me that way, all smoking-hot intensity. I forced myself to keep talking, to remind us both of the stakes and the fact that our current feeling of safety was only an illusion. “Remember, you told your father you don’t like me. You’re not supposed to want me, and the whisperers could find us any second. We can’t lose our advantage.”

  My speech did nothing to calm his cloudy eyes.

  “It’s time to call him, Kai. Tell him you’ve found me. And then we’ll call the others to let them know it’s starting.”

  That cleared his head. “Not yet—”

  “Yes. Now. Let’s get it over with before we lose control and ruin everything.”

  His eyes dropped to the floor and I watched the thoughts and emotions warring inside him. With my bound hands I reached into his front pocket and pulled out his phone, holding it out.

  “That was brave,” he said.

  “It’s time,” I whispered.

  It hurt me to push him, knowing the horrors our futures forced him to face, but I couldn’t let this drag out. The longer we took, the more opportunity we’d have to mess up. He took the phone with re
luctance, and it was the first time I’d ever seen his hand unsteady.

  “I love you, Kai.” I pushed up on my tiptoes and kissed his cheek. I kept my mouth close to his skin, closing my eyes and hoping he would feel my words as deeply as I did. “Let’s bring them down. You and me and the others, together. We’ll use our element of surprise while we have it. It’s our time.”

  He rocked his jaw back and forth, mulling it over. I stayed silent, leaning against him. After what felt like an eternity, Kaidan finally nodded, clenching his jaw as he stared down at his phone, and then dialed.

  His face was hardened when he brought the cell to his ear. I concentrated my Nephilim hearing on the phone to listen to their conversation. Pharzuph answered right away.

  “Father.” Kai clutched the phone tighter and his eyes hit mine, filled with more torment than I’d ever seen. “I’ve got her.”

  UNCORRECTED E-PROOF—NOT FOR SALE

  HarperCollins Publishers

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

  CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE

  JET RIDE

  “You’re kidding me.” Pharzuph hooted with evil glee. He sounded young and euphoric—hyper even.

  Kaidan looked like he might throw up.

  “She’s cuffed.”

  “Did you find the sword?”

  “No, sir. I searched her and her belongings, but found nothing.”

  Pharzuph swore. “She must have hidden it somewhere. Doesn’t matter. We’ll get her to tell us.” His confidence rubbed at me like sandpaper, and I couldn’t help but feel ill at the thought of their methods of torture. “Nice job, Kaidan. You accomplished what over five hundred prowling Legionnaires couldn’t do last night. They searched damn near every bar, club, and hotel on the East Coast. Where the hell’d you find her?”

  Kaidan wouldn’t look at me. Everything about him screamed regret.

  “She had a group of mates in her old town who always partied at a lake house. I thought perhaps she’d fall back on them, and I was right.”

  Pharzuph experienced another bout of creepy, proud laughter before getting ahold of himself. “Where are you now?”

  “Our old house.”

  “Excellent. I’ll call an immediate emergency summit in Vegas. It’s our most secure location, and we’re always looking for an excuse to visit Sin City, right?”

  Kaidan let out a dry laugh and rolled his eyes. Weren’t they just in Vegas? What could be so great about one city?

  “All right,” Pharzuph said. “Meet me at the airport in two hours.”

  Kaidan and I exchanged surprised, alarmed looks.

  “Er, it’s not necessary for you to fly down here, Father. I’ll book our flights and deliver her to the summit.”

  “Oh, it’s definitely necessary. I want to be the one to escort her into the summit tonight.” I could hear the smile in his voice, and I realized this was about bragging rights for capturing me and bringing me in. “See you at the jet.”

  Three and a half hours on a plane with Pharzuph? I scratched my arms, which felt like they were crawling with spiders.

  “We’ll be there,” Kaidan said, hanging up. He looked at me. “We’re not going.”

  “Kaidan!”

  He threw his phone on the bed and shoved his hands roughly through his hair. “What have I done?”

  I bent down to my book bag and took out my cell, then texted our planned emergency code to each of our allies to let them know the prophecy was starting. My hand trembled and I fumbled a little from the awkwardness of the handcuffs. I couldn’t believe this was finally happening. Kaidan was freaking out enough for the both of us, so I had to keep my cool. Immediately I deleted the messages and tucked the phone in my pocket.

  He turned to me, desperate. “Anna—”

  “Stop!” I pinned him with a serious look. “No more. Get it out of your head, Kai! We are not running. This is happening whether you like it or not. It’s time to get your game face on and get ready to kick some ass.”

  He stared at me, mouth open. I was kind of shocked myself. My dad would probably have beat his chest with pride if he’d heard me say all that.

  I waited for Kai to argue again, but instead he swallowed and gave me a single nod.

  “You’re right.” He stood there a moment longer, still a little stunned. Then he came forward, took me by the handcuffs, and led me into the bathroom, closing us in.

  “It’s more believable if I keep you in my sight,” he explained. Then he began to take off his clothes as he headed to the shower and turned it on.

  I backed myself against the cool sink and watched as every piece of cloth shed from his body to the floor. I should have looked away, or pretended not to be interested, but I couldn’t. Kaidan was just . . . wow.

  “You’re testing my self-control, luv.” He must have noticed my staring.

  I looked away, but said, “You’re passing with flying colors.”

  He growled low in his throat, and my body tightened.

  “You should really get in the shower,” I said.

  At that, he finally slipped in, closing the cloudy glass door. I let out a breath and relaxed against the sink. A text came through to my cell, rocketing my body into high alert, but I relaxed when I saw Veronica’s name. On my way to Spain!!! And check out my view. . . . She took a selfie pic and got the two guys next to her in the background—dark haired Spaniards, easy on the eyes. Hence her devious smile. I grinned, feeling emotional, and wrote back: I hope Spain is ready for you. <3 Big hugs, xoxo.

  Delete.

  I kept my eyes averted when Kai got out of the shower and dried off, though I could feel his gaze on me. I stayed in the bathroom while he went into the room and dressed, then I joined him.

  He looked gorgeous in a pair of black trousers and a crisp button-up shirt, a pale shade of blue that brightened his eyes. The top two buttons were undone, and his hair was still damp.

  “You look nice,” I said, which was an understatement, but I was trying to take it easy.

  He didn’t respond or look at me as he busied himself tucking his wallet into his back pocket. His anxious, stiff demeanor gave him an angry-looking edge, which would hopefully work in his favor in front of Pharzuph.

  Kaidan’s gaze suddenly shot up, above my head, and I spun. Two gaunt, hideous whisperers had flown in. When they saw how close they were to me, they both hissed and moved toward Kai. A look of annoyed disgust crossed his face at their nearness.

  “We’re leaving now. I don’t need any damned escorts.”

  Orders are orders, one of the spirits gurgled to us telepathically, giving me a suspicious glare.

  Kaidan grumbled loudly and stuffed my book bag inside of his duffel bag along with a few travel things of his own. Then he grasped my upper arm and pulled me from the room. I knew I needed to play it up in front of the whisperers. I tried to shrug away from Kai.

  “Let me go,” I said.

  He yanked me closer and pushed me forward in front of him. The two spirits circled us, watching me warily and seeming to enjoy the fact that I was cuffed and subdued by someone they believed was on their side.

  “Seriously. Where are you taking me?”

  “Shut it,” Kai said. “Don’t make me gag you.”

  I made a show of struggling now and then, glaring at Kaidan, who never looked at me.

  The whisperers stayed with us until the doors were sealed shut on Pharzuph’s personal jet, which was smaller than Blake’s, but still over-the-top luxurious. The leather furniture was crimson colored, offset by amber-shaded wood paneling and tables. Two oversized chairs faced the front of the plane, and in the back was a horseshoe-shaped couch with a table in the middle. Pharzuph sat on the couch with his arms spread wide and his feet up on the table. He was dressed similarly to Kaidan, but he wore tan slacks and a white dress shirt, also unbuttoned at the top. He seemed older today in this setting and in that outfit—maybe a year or two older than Kai—not like the young college
guy I’d first encountered.

  Pharzuph’s eyes flashed bright red when he saw me. He stood, never taking those freaky eyes off me.

  “I had to leave the cuffs in the car,” Kaidan explained. He obviously couldn’t escort a handcuffed girl through the airport without getting questioned.

  “That won’t do,” Pharzuph said coolly. He lifted a panel in the table and pulled out a thin rope, coming forward. “Hold her arms while I pat her down.”

  I hoped Pharzuph couldn’t sense Kaidan’s slight hesitation.

  “I took care of that . . . Father.” Yeah, it must’ve been weird for him to call this kid “Father.”

  “I said, hold her arms.”

  “I don’t have anything—,” I began, but Pharzuph cut me off in a low, deadly voice.

  “Do not speak again. And don’t you dare make a move.”

  Kai came up behind me and took my forearms in his hands while Pharzuph frisked me, touching me everywhere, though thank God it was only through my clothes. Kaidan’s grip got harder and harder as his father touched me. I prayed he could hold himself together as I gritted my teeth and averted my eyes from Pharzuph’s hate-filled eyes. Finally he stepped back, wiping his hands down his sides as if I were grotesque.

  “Tie her up,” he ordered.

  Kaidan pointed to the closest seat and told me to sit.

  With a slight huff I sank into the leather. Pharzuph leaned over the back of my chair, nuzzling his mouth against my hair. I could feel his hot breath, and it took all my willpower not to pull away.

  “I know who you are,” he whispered, his voice deceptively sweet. “And I know what you’re up to. But it won’t work. You’ll never win.”

  I tried to keep my voice steady as I lied. “I have no idea what you’re talking about or what’s going on. Why are you doing this?”

  Pharzuph chuckled. “We’ll see.” To Kaidan he said again, “Tie her up.”