Sage sipped her water. “You’re a vampire, huh?”
Elder Sam shushed her. “It isn’t the sort of thing you announce in the mortal realm.”
Sage covered her mouth. “Oops, forgot.”
Balthazar eyed the group with interest. “Was I responsible for bringing you any of these lovely cherubs?” He snapped his eyes closed and groaned. “Forgive the misuse of the term cherub. It isn’t my intention to insult anyone.”
“No offense taken,” Sage said.
Elder Sam angled his head toward the rakshasa hybrid. “Sage. You found her in a cemetery. I won’t pretend to guess what you were doing there.”
Sage balked. “He’s the one that found me?”
“If I recall correctly—and I always do—you were a beastly little toddler,” the vampire said. “I nearly made a snack of you myself, but then I saw you playing with a corpse and realized that you were a child after my own cold, dead heart. I had no choice but to rescue you.”
Sage shot an aggrieved look at Elder Sam. “No one ever told me I was discovered in a cemetery. That makes so much sense.”
“Did she dig up a body to play with it?” Barris asked. He seemed both fascinated and repulsed at the same time.
“No, she was quite small at the time,” Balthazar said. “I do remember those dark eyes though. Lashes like tiny whips.”
“Then how did I get a corpse?” Sage asked.
“I believe the body belonged to your mother. I don’t know what happened. She was dead when I arrived. You were curled up next to her like a cat.”
Sage dropped her fork and the metal clattered against the plate. “My mother?”
“She was human. Beautiful dark skin, much like yours. She’d been strangled.”
Death was so matter-of-fact to an ancient vampire. Didn’t he realize this wasn’t a mealtime conversation? Mariska would’ve been apoplectic.
Sage frowned. “I don’t remember any of that.”
“Our mind often protects us against traumatic memories,” Balthazar said. “You weren’t crying, sweetness, if it’s any consolation.”
“Sociopath,” Zeph said, smothering the word with a cough.
“Why didn’t anyone tell me this?” Sage demanded. She stared at Elder Sam, who seemed equally surprised by the story.
“He didn’t know, pet,” Balthazar said, his voice smooth like silk. “I never told anyone.”
“Why not?” Sage demanded. “Maybe someone could have identified her. Could have found my father.”
“I suspect your father was long gone by then,” Balthazar said softly. “They usually are.”
Sage opened her mouth to say more but seemed to think better of it.
Balthazar pulled out a chair at the head of the table. “Have you ordered yet? I highly recommend the lamb shank.” He signaled for the server to come over. “Felicia will take good care of you.”
The redheaded waitress approached the table with her notepad ready. She whipped through the orders like a pro and made herself scarce. I sat at the middle of the table and tried to listen to dueling conversations while we waited for our meals. It was no small feat. I was relieved when the food arrived so that the conversations would be easier to follow as more mouths would be chewing.
“I’m sorry,” Barris said quietly.
“What are you sorry for?” Sage asked. “For once, you didn’t do anything.”
“About, you know…what Balthazar told you.”
She shrugged. “It was more information than I had before. Besides, at least I know I was with my mother when she died. She wanted me with her, you know?” She lowered her lashes. “It’s better than nothing.”
Barris nodded. “It’s a lot better than nothing.”
“This has been quite the illuminating lunch,” Rylan said. “Can we do field trips more often?”
Balthazar pushed back his chair. “May I have a word in private, seraph?”
“Sam,” he said.
“Yes, yes.” Balthazar rolled his eyes. “A word, please, Samuel. I appreciate you popping in on short notice.” They stepped away from the table and I strained to eavesdrop.
“This food is fantastic,” Barris said. “Ouch!” He reached down to rub his leg. “Why did someone kick me?”
“Because we’re all trying to listen,” Sage whispered.
“Well, I’m not,” Barris said. “He said he wants a word in private.”
“Which is why it’s worth trying to overhear.” Rylan shook her head dismissively.
Thankfully I had a view of both men and was able to observe their intense conversation.
“By the time my handler arrived, the child was gone,” I heard Balthazar say.
“Who gave you the tip?” Although I couldn’t hear Elder Sam, I could read his lips. Years of practice in the main spire gave me that advantage.
“Anonymous.”
“Come on, Balthazar,” Elder Sam said. “No one’s ever truly anonymous with you. You know everyone.”
Balthazar’s fangs were visible now. “I can assure you, seraph…Samuel. If I knew, I would have more information than I do.”
“Do you know anything about the child?”
“He’s been living in Manayunk with his mother, Maria Mancini. She works the night shift at a facility for the disabled.”
“Human?”
Balthazar nodded.
“And the father?”
“He’s a…” I couldn’t hear the word the vampire said.
“Do you think he’s roaming the streets? That could be dangerous for him and the mortals. Have you alerted the Watchers?”
Balthazar’s tongue darted across his upper lip. “I was hoping to avoid that. Then I’d be forced to explain my involvement, such as it is.”
“Right.” Elder Sam stroked his chin. “Where was the child last seen?”
“Fifth and Walnut,” he replied. “My associates have scoured the area but there’s no sign of him.”
“We’re here now,” Elder Sam said. “We might as well make ourselves useful.”
“Your charges have inhaled their food, it seems,” Balthazar said. “I believe you’re ready to leave.”
Elder Sam produced a credit card, but the vampire waved it away. “I consider finding the boy a favor to me. After all, my handler was the one who failed to secure him in time.”
Elder Sam stuffed the card into his back pocket. “I appreciate it. Any description of the child?”
“Five foot three with brown hair and a slightly thick frame,” the vampire said.
“Thick?” Elder Sam repeated.
“Chubby,” Balthazar said. “The boy apparently prefers the action in computer games to action in real life.”
“That will change at the academy,” Elder Sam said.
We left the restaurant and made our way to Fifth and Walnut, where we fanned out to search for a boy meeting Balthazar’s description. I hoped to find him huddled behind a dumpster or, even better, petting a stray dog.
Barris and I ended up searching as a pair. Although we brainstormed possible magical options to find the boy, we didn’t come up with any solid ideas.
“I hope we don’t encounter any fluffy murder mice,” I said, as we turned down yet another isolated alley. “They love a good dumpster.”
Barris was slightly ahead of me, blocking my view. “Devils alive!”
My hand flew to cover my eyes. “Oh no. Tell me it isn’t fluffy murder mice.”
“It’s worse than that,” Barris said. “It’s a dead body.”
Chapter Five
Elder Sam stood over the dead cambion on the pavement. “I don’t want it going through official channels. There’s too much we can’t explain.”
“But he’s half human,” Rylan said. “Who else is there?”
“The Watchers,” I said, before I could stop myself.
“The Watchers don’t care about cambions,” Zeph said. “They only care if a cambion is causing a problem for a bounder.”
; “You only want an excuse to see your boyfriend,” Rylan said.
“Can you blame her? That nephilim is scorching.” Sage gave her best impression of fire that sounded more like the hiss of a snake.
“He’s not my boyfriend,” I said. I didn’t want to think about Rafe right now. It was hard enough being in the city again without him.
“Cassia is right,” Elder Sam said. “The Watchers are our best bet. Based on Cassia’s report, I think Rafe would be willing to help.” He gave me a pointed look. “Can you handle this?”
I glanced at the boy sprawled across the pavement. How could I say no? “He only lives a few blocks away.”
Elder Sam nodded. “Make it quick. I don’t want to risk anyone passing by and getting curious.”
I spread my wings. “No problem.”
I shot into the air and skimmed the tops of buildings until I reached the rooftop balcony that led to Rafe’s loft. I stood outside the door, struggling to pull myself together. What if he refused to see me? Even worse, what if he tried to hurt me? After all, I was the granddaughter of the seraphim’s most feared adversary. What if he’d had time to consider this and decided I was better off eliminated as a potential threat?
My hand hovered over the door. I took a deep breath and knocked.
The door jerked open. “Liesel, I told you…” Rafe stood in the bedroom of the loft, his top half bare and his lower half covered in a towel.
“By the devil.” My hand clamped over my eyes. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to interrupt whatever you’re doing.”
“Cassia.”
Slowly my hand drifted to my side. “Hi.” I didn’t meet his gaze. I was afraid to look at his face and see contempt there.
“I’m so glad you’re here.”
“You are?” Now I dared to look. His face was as ruggedly handsome as ever with his blond hair and bright blue eyes with flecks of gold.
“I was hoping to see you again so that I could apologize for the way I reacted,” he said. “It wasn’t fair to you.”
As much as I wanted to hear this right now, I knew we had to hurry back to the alley. “I appreciate hearing that, believe me, but I’m here for another reason. There’s an emergency and we need your help.”
He stepped back from the door and motioned for me to come in. “What’s the emergency?” He reached for a T-shirt and slipped it over his damp head, covering his chest. I felt a pang of disappointment.
“There’s a dead cambion here in the city.”
His face turned to stone. “One of yours?”
“Not yet. He was meant to be. He’s only a kid.”
Rafe’s fingers gripped the edge of the towel. “Do you mind?”
I stared at his sinewy muscle. “No, not at all.”
He made a noise at the back of his throat. “I mean you, Cassia. I’d like to put on pants.”
“Oh!” Heat burned my cheeks and I swiveled away from him.
“I take it his death wasn’t an accident,” Rafe said.
I kept my gaze fixed on the wall, fighting the temptation to sneak a peek. “Not under the circumstances. He was in the process of being picked up by a handler to come to the academy. The handler didn’t find him. We did.”
Rafe moved back into my view, fully clothed. “How are you, Cassia?”
My throat thickened. “Good. You?”
“Feeling guilty. It’s been kind of quiet since…” His shoulders relaxed. “Well, you’re back and there’s a dead cambion. I guess things are about to pick up again, huh?”
“Seems like it.” There was so much I wanted to say, but I held my tongue. Now wasn’t the time.
We left the loft, stepped off the edge of the balcony, and flew.
My body felt energized as I soared beside him. It wasn’t like flying next to Elder Sam, which was probably a good thing because Elder Sam was the closest thing I had to a father and Rafe was…hot. And a good kisser. Not that those were his only attributes. He was smart, fearsome, skilled, funny, warm—his hands were particularly warm. I remembered the way they felt on my skin and an involuntary shiver escaped me.
“That bad at the scene, huh?” he asked, mistaking the movement.
“You’ll see.”
We landed in the alley where everyone still waited with the dead cambion.
Rylan whistled. “Wow, you weren’t kidding. He looks like a statue.”
“He has functioning ears,” Zeph said, visibly annoyed. “At least I assume he does.”
“He does.” Rafe shook Elder Sam’s hand. “Good to see you again, sir.”
Elder Sam stared down at the boy. “I wish it were under less dire circumstances. Again.”
The two had met after I’d defeated an attack by a Whistler along the Schuylkill River. The Whistler escaped, but I survived and that was all that mattered, unless…
“Is there any chance this was a Whistler attack?” I asked.
“Unlikely,” Elder Sam said. “They don’t usually leave their victims in plain sight. They prefer to burn them.”
A chill shot down my spine. This boy could have easily been me, or any one of us.
“How did you find him?” Rafe asked.
“A friend reported him missing,” Elder Sam said. He wasn’t about to reveal Balthazar as his source.
Rafe crouched beside the body. “Friend?”
“Hotel Franklin,” I said. The Watcher glanced up at me, and his blue eyes blazed with understanding.
“Got it.”
“They already speak in shorthand,” Rylan said. “Isn’t that adorable?”
“The couple that fights evil together, stays together,” Sage said.
“Wait. Aren’t we considered evil?” Barris asked.
“Depends on who you ask,” Sage said.
“Whom,” Elder Sam and I said in unison.
“I’m only evil when I haven’t had enough sleep,” Sage said.
Rafe turned the cambion’s head from side to side before examining his hands. “He fought back. Hard. Tough kid.”
“I thought as much,” Elder Sam said. “There’s a mark on his leg, too.”
I noticed a red welt on the side of his calf.
“His fingertips are black,” Rafe said. “Looks like he tried to defend himself with his powers.”
Barris studied his own fingertips. “Mine have been black before, when I’ve overperformed.”
“Ha! Overperformed?” Sage said. “When has that ever happened to you?”
Barris gave her a disgruntled look. “Not like you would know.”
“Not like anyone would know,” Sage shot back.
“I need to know more about this cambion,” Rafe said.
“Hey, he said cambion and not demonspawn.” Sage offered her fist to the Watcher. “Knuckles, dude.”
Rafe cast a quick glance at Sage’s outstretched hand before turning his attention to the victim. “We’ll find whoever did this. I promise.” He resumed a standing position.
“Is this a back-alley brawl?” an unfamiliar voice asked. “I’ve always wanted to partake in one of those.”
Rafe turned with a start. “Jessup, what are you doing here?”
Jessup was about two inches shorter than Rafe, with wavy brown hair and pale skin that practically glowed. His wings were white like Rafe’s, but instead of a silver lining, they were trimmed in violet.
“One of my informants said there was a situation in the area,” Jessup said. He observed the rest of us with a cool expression. “A bunch of demonspawn and a seraph. Yeah, I can see the problem.”
Sage took a step toward him, her hands clenched. “You want to say that again?”
“They’re not a problem,” Rafe said. “Why would anyone contact you? The victim isn’t a bounder.”
Jessup scratched the back of his head. “I didn’t know there was a victim. The informant only reported demonspawn activity.”
“Activity is a bit of an understatement,” Rafe said.
We moved aside so that Jessup ha
d a clear view of the boy’s body. His pink lips puckered at the sight.
“That’s a shame,” Jessup said. “Any identification?”
“We know his name,” I said.
Jessup approached the body with caution, as though something might jump out at him from behind the dumpster. Some Watcher. “Then you know the boy?” he asked.
“Not exactly,” Elder Sam said.
Jessup stared at us. “I’ve never interrogated this many demonspawn at once before, but I’m willing to earn my merit badge.”
“Language,” Sage warned.
“And Elder Sam isn’t a cambion,” Rylan added. “He’s a seraph, so show him some respect.”
Jessup took a sudden interest in Elder Sam. I watched the nephilim’s gaze travel over the scars and the missing wings. “Looks like you hit some tough times, brother.”
Elder Sam’s nostrils flared but he said nothing.
Rafe positioned himself between them. “You don’t need to interrogate them. They didn’t see anything.” He motioned to the group. “Jessup and I will take it from here. Thanks for reporting it.”
The rest of the group left the alley, but I stayed by Rafe’s side.
Jessup looked down his nose at me. “Did you miss the part where he said we’ve got this?”
I folded my arms. “You don’t have this without the boy’s identity, which I happen to know.”
“Cassia can help us,” Rafe said. “She’s the one who came to get me as soon as they found him.”
Jessup frowned. “She came to get you? How does she even know where you live?” His expression brightened. “Oh, right. Is this her?”
I bristled. I didn’t like the way he was looking at me. It made me want to reach for my dagger and plunge it into his eye.
Jessup smirked. “Liesel told me about you.” He winked at Rafe. “I can see the attraction, not that I’d dip my wings in the demon pond.”
“She’s a cambion, not a demon,” Rafe said.
Jessup’s mouth formed an ‘o’. “Look at you, using the fancy lingo.” He looked down at the boy, his expression impassive. “If he’s not human, then what are we doing here?”
“He’s a dead child, regardless of his genetics,” I said. I heard the edge in my voice and I didn’t care. Jessup was nothing like Rafe, not that I was surprised.
Demonspawn Academy: Trial Two Page 5