Sweet Reckoning

by Higgins, Wendy

  I reached up and hugged Marek now, and he hugged me back.

  “Keep in touch,” I told him.

  As he walked away, the back of a young girl caught my eye. She was watching out the window, her arms wrapped around herself. Her dark hair hung limp. Just a child. Was she separated from her parents? I had to find out.

  “Excuse me,” I said to her.

  When she turned, I sucked in a breath. Caterina. Her eyes were bloodshot and distant. Her hair had come out of its neat bun.

  “Where is she?” Caterina asked.

  “Who? Oh . . . Jezebet?”

  Caterina nodded.

  I spoke with care. “She’s in heaven.”

  The poor girl looked pitiful. Baffled. I actually felt sorry for her. Jezebet had been working for the opposite side for who knew how long, and Caterina had to feel betrayed.

  “She couldn’t tell you,” I started to explain, but Caterina cut me off with a curt nod.

  “She did not trust me.”

  I bit my lip. What could I say to that?

  Caterina stared at my badge. “Is mine . . . ?”

  “Yours is white now, too,” I said.

  “And what does that mean?”

  I thought about it. “It means you’re not automatically going to hell when you die. You’re not cursed anymore just because of who your father was. You can choose how you want to live your life now. You’re free.”

  She looked more frightened and childlike now. The girl had had no guidance except in evil.

  “Caterina . . . where will you go now?”

  She looked around, lost.

  “You’ll come with me,” I heard, and turned to see Ginger eyeing Caterina.

  The girl’s eyes got big and she shook her head. “No. Nu. I will care for myself.”

  “Bollocks.” Ginger stepped closer. She pushed the hair off Caterina’s shoulder, and the girl flinched away. “I’ll never hit you. But I’ll also not put up with any lying or attitude.”

  Caterina shook her head, staring down at the floor. Ginger didn’t bother with gentleness when she spoke to her. She was as frank as always, which made me think they were a good match for each other.

  “How old are you?” Ginger asked.

  “Thirteen.”

  “I know some of the things you’ve done,” Ginger told her. “I’ve done a lot, too. But that’s all going to change now. Come on.” She held out her hand.

  Caterina stared at her outstretched offering. Based on everything I’d witnessed from the girl, I couldn’t imagine her taking it. But people were full of surprises. Caterina took her hand.

  “Right then,” Ginger said. She marched through our group, pulling Caterina behind her and leaving us all gaping in her wake.

  “Unbelievable,” Marna whispered.

  Blake grinned. “I freaking love her.” He jogged to catch up to Ginger.

  I smiled up at Kaidan, who still seemed dumbstruck, and I twined my fingers with his.

  I’d always considered myself a forgiving person, but when it came to Caterina it was hard to see past the evil things she’d done, and to remember she was young and badly nurtured. It was humbling to see Ginger being more open-minded than me in this matter. I thought she understood the girl’s attitude in a way the rest of us couldn’t.

  It was nearly six in the morning when we made it to the room. We were dragging, and covered in a layer of dust. I couldn’t believe we’d been in this room just five short hours ago, wondering if we’d live or die.

  Caterina sat in a chair with her ankles crossed and her head down, looking nervous. Ginger tapped her shoulder and handed her a cola with ice.

  “No need to be scared of anyone here. They know I’ll kick their arses if they mess with you. Got it?”

  Caterina nodded and stared down at her drink.

  Kaidan dug a T-shirt from his bag and tossed it to Kopano. When he came out of the bathroom, he seemed uncomfortable. The shirt was tighter than anything he usually wore. I peeked at Zania, who was sitting on the floor cross-legged and staring hard at Kope. When she met my eye she tried to hold back a smile, because yeah . . . he looked really good.

  “You tryin’ to show me up, man?” Blake said to Kopano, flexing his lean biceps.

  Everyone laughed and Kope gave his bashful smile, dimple and all, before he took a seat on the floor next to Zania.

  Kaidan sat at the end of the couch and put his arm around me. I squished close next to him, taking his hand. This was weird. It was the first time ever that we could be affectionate without worry or fear. I smiled up at him. Wow.

  We were all here. Alive. And our fathers were gone from earth forever. The quiet that settled over the room told me we were all thinking that same thing. It seemed unreal.

  “So, what’s it mean, Anna?” Blake asked, his eyes dropping to the supernatural badge on my chest. “They’re all white.”

  “I don’t know,” I said. “I mean, I prayed that all Neph, alive or dead, would have a chance at heaven just like regular people.”

  Blake nodded, then got up and walked over to the mini fridge, opening it and pulling out a couple small champagne bottles.

  “Wanna celebrate?” he asked the room. I actually felt surprised when the dark urge stirred inside me and I longed to drink both those bottles and then some. Blake eyed me meaningfully. “Feel anything, Anna?”

  I bit my lip and dropped my eyes, nodding. “It’s still there.”

  “I could’ve told you that, mate,” Kaidan muttered, making Jay and Blake laugh.

  “And I still see the bonds,” Marna said. Ginger agreed.

  The auras and guardian angels were still there, too.

  So our demon urges hadn’t left us—only the stain that made us damned. But we were strong. We’d proven that.

  The room quieted as Blake put the drinks back in the fridge, and my mind switched gears. As much as I didn’t want to get upset, and as morbid as it may have seemed, I needed the details about what Patti had been through.

  “Jay?” I said quietly. “What happened?”

  He didn’t say anything at first. He rubbed Marna’s knee and thought.

  “She knew something was coming. I don’t know how—intuition or something—but she made us separate. She kept hugging me and saying not to worry, she’d see me soon.”

  He got choked up, and I felt my eyes burning all over again.

  “So we separated. Then I got a text from Marna saying y’all were going to Vegas. That things were going down. I couldn’t get ahold of Patti, and I felt like I needed to be here, so I came. I’m sorry, Anna.”

  I grabbed his hand. “You don’t need to be sorry.”

  “I keep thinking if I didn’t leave her . . . if I made us stay together—”

  “You wouldn’t have been able to stop them,” Kaidan said. “They would have killed you or tried to use you against Anna, as well. And if you’d been there, they would’ve seen your bond with Marna.”

  Jay looked down and shook his head.

  Marna put her arm around him and kissed his cheek. “I think it had to happen the way it did, luv.”

  Her eyes darted to mine, a worried expression on her face about what she’d said. I nodded, because I no longer believed in coincidence.

  Zania’s voice was soft when she said, “She is my hero.”

  “Yes,” Ginger whispered.

  I tucked my face in the crook of Kaidan’s neck, overcome.

  “Hey, Kope,” said Blake. “What your dad did for you? That was awesome. You were gone, man.”

  I lifted my eyes to see Kope incline his head.

  “I cannot remember it. It was just . . . there was only pain and darkness, and then I was opening my eyes.”

  Zania shifted next to him, as if the memory was too much. Kope laid his hand on top of hers. After another stretch of silence, Blake spoke again, relieving the room’s tension in the way only he could.

  “So, how ’bout them exorcisms, Kaidan Rowe–style, eh?”

&n
bsp; Kaidan huffed a laugh through his nose.

  “Seriously, dude,” Blake went on. “When you hit Mammon in the eye . . . I was, like, dayum!”

  The energy in the room rose.

  “That was amazing,” Marna said.

  “Good thinking with the holy water,” Kopano added.

  “I wasn’t sure it would work,” Kaidan admitted. “Bloody good thing it did.”

  We all angled toward one another, and for the next hour we talked about the events of the summit, rehashing every single detail, in awe at how things had turned out.

  Caterina stayed put in her chair, trying to keep her head down, but periodically looking up with interest at something someone said before dropping her chin again. Ginger kept a close eye on her, seeming to study her and gauge her reactions and interests.

  And then we began figuring out exactly which of the Dukes had chosen heaven. My father, Kopano’s father, and Jezebet. Melchom, Pharzuph, and Astaroth had not. It was a solemn conversation. No tears were shed. The twins and Zania had no sentimental attachments to their fathers, and were glad to see them go. Kaidan hadn’t said a word. I looked at him, but he kept his eyes averted.

  “Your father showed interest in the beginning,” I said to Blake. “I was hopeful.”

  “Yeah.” He shook his head. “If it was just a choice between going to heaven or hell, I think he would have chosen heaven. But choosing between heaven and earth, he’d definitely wanna stay here. He thought they could stop the prophecy and stay on earth. Bad move.”

  I knew it bothered him, just like it bothered Kai. Kaidan leaned his head into my hand. His chest swelled and fell with a silent sigh.

  “So, what’s everyone gonna do now?” asked Jay.

  Kaidan spoke up right away. “I know the first thing I’m going to do.”

  Surprised and curious, I leaned to the side so I could see his face better.

  “I’m making an anonymous call to the police about Marissa and her trafficking ring.”

  “Yes!” I said. I threw my arms around him. Those words made me fall a million times more in love with him. He could bust the madam now with no fear of having it traced back to him.

  “Nice,” said Jay. “How ’bout you, Anna?”

  Kaidan squeezed my hip. “Anna’s a uni girl now.”

  I shook my head. “I’m already missing class by being here, and after all this, I think I need to take the semester off. I don’t really care where I go to school. If you want to stay in L.A.,” I said to Kaidan, “I’ll transfer to a school out there.”

  He looked at me, his eyes all melty. “That’d be nice.”

  I smiled. It’d be very nice.

  “And what about you, Jay?” Kai asked him. “I could hook you up with some people in the recording business or radio shows in L.A. Maybe we could write more music together.”

  “For real?” Jay’s aura lit up like an orange firework, and we all laughed. “Dude. I’m there! What do you think, Marna? Wanna live in L.A.?”

  “Sounds brilliant to me,” she said. “As long and Blake and Ginger stay in California . . . at least until . . . you know, after the baby.”

  The mood of the room sank again. Ginger took her sister’s hand and looked her in the eye.

  “I’ll be there.”

  Blake had turned, and appeared touched by their interaction. “Hey, Gin. Wanna join the married club while we’re here in Vegas?” He waggled his eyebrows. Surely he was joking.

  All eyes were on Ginger.

  “No.” Her voice was hard. “I’m never getting married.”

  Caterina sniggered. She stared down at her nails and said, “She means that.”

  Blake rubbed his chin, undeterred, then raised his pierced brow at her. “All right. Want to move in with me?”

  Ginger narrowed her eyes at him, tapping her foot at his side. “You takin’ the mick?”

  “Nah. I’m serious.”

  “He is,” Caterina muttered.

  Ginger sniffed. “Fine.”

  “Sweet,” Blake said with a grin.

  “I’m not moving in with him!” Caterina crossed her arms and frowned. There was the girl I remembered. When she saw us all looking at her, she uncrossed her arms and dropped her head again.

  Ginger smiled. I think she took Caterina’s sassiness as a challenge. “When you see Blake’s house, you might change your mind.”

  “What about you, Kope?” Marna asked, shifting the attention.

  “I will finish my master’s soon and return to Africa with my brothers. There is much that needs to be done there.”

  “And you’re just the man to do it.” Marna winked, and he gave a grateful smile.

  I looked at Zania. “Where will you go, Z?”

  She sort of shrugged and looked shy.

  “You don’t have to decide right now,” I said, just as Kopano blurted, “You would love Malawi.”

  Then we all giggled and shifted, trying not to allow the moment to get too awkward. Zania gazed up at Kopano, who watched her with his signature intensity.

  “Yes,” she said. “I think I would love Malawi very much.”

  Marna clapped her hands.

  Caterina made a disgusted sound and spoke fast in her high-pitched little voice. “But . . . you’re all Nephilim. And he is a human!” She pointed at Jay. “I don’t understand this. Are all of you in love?”

  We all looked around, taken aback by the question, an allegation that five hours ago would have scared us to death to hear out loud. And then in sync we burst into laughter, because yes. Yes, we were all in love. We’d defied the oppressive rules, fought back, and won. No more hiding. No more running. No more faking. No more fearing.

  We were free.

  UNCORRECTED E-PROOF—NOT FOR SALE

  HarperCollins Publishers

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

  EPILOGUE

  Six Years Later . . .

  Malawi was everything Kopano had said it would be. Kai and I loved it from the moment we stepped off the plane, holding hands, smiling into the bright sunshine. Zania and Kopano met us at the doors of the orphanage. They’d been married five years now. Zania and I hugged first, while the guys shook hands.

  “Your big day is finally here!” Zania said. She’d been working with us for the past year to make this happen.

  Kaidan took my hand. We were both shaking a little. I was nervous and excited beyond belief to meet our boys—brothers.

  We knew parenthood was hard. We’d been there for Jay after Marna’s soul had passed during Anise’s birth. She’d been taken despite our earnest hopes, but she’d made the most of her last months of freedom. I’d never seen anyone laugh and smile as much as Marna had. She radiated joy, and even Ginger softened under her ray of sunshine.

  It was no surprise that Jay was the hippest rock-star single dad ever, but I knew he was tired, working full-time and then being the only parent for his baby girl.

  Ginger and I spent a lot of time with Anise, keeping her whenever Jay had night deejaying events for the L.A. radio station. Anise was a perfect combination of Marna’s happiness and Ginger’s divaness, walking around in her pink tutu with a hand on her hip. And Jay could do no wrong in his girl’s eyes. She laughed at all his jokes and loved when he called her Short Stuff.

  So. Cute.

  But we all missed Marna.

  We followed Kope and Z inside the one-story building, a relatively new structure built with Alocer’s funds, along with a library and medical facility in the small town.

  We were led down a hall to a sparse room with chairs and toys.

  “Let me get them,” Kope said, leaving us.

  Zania motioned for us to sit, but we declined. I clutched Kai’s hand, and Zania giggled.

  “This is my favorite part. New parents are adorable.” She rubbed my shoulder and I tried to smile.

  When I heard footsteps coming down the hall and Kope’s rumbling voice talking sweetly, my stomach clench
ed with nerves.

  The door opened and Kopano had a boy on each hip. They looked positively tiny in his arms, and I immediately teared up. Don’t cry, I told myself. I didn’t want to scare them. As we all moved closer, the eighteen-month-old boy, Mandala, held tighter to Kope, wary of us. Six-month-old Onani, on the other hand, let out a giant gurgling giggle and waved his arms up and down, making us all laugh.

  I held out my hands, and Onani came to me with no qualms, obviously going to be our “people person.” I checked out his skinny limbs, which somehow still managed to have soft dimples at the knees, elbows, ankles, and wrists. Despite being so thin, Onani’s cheeks were chubby, and his head was a gorgeous mess of black curls.

  I was in love and I couldn’t stop smiling.

  “Hi, Onani,” I said softly.

  He went a bit cross-eyed as he tried to focus on me, taking in every feature on my face with serious curiosity. Then he reached out and grabbed my hair, squealing happily while we all laughed and I unpried his little fingers. I looked at Kaidan and he was watching us in awe.

  “I should have warned you,” Z said. “He loves hair.”

  While I held Onani, adoring the weight of him in my arms, I watched as Kope and Kai both squatted on the floor. Mandala leaned back against Kopano, still wary of Kaidan.

  “I think I have something you might like,” Kaidan said. From one pocket he pulled a cherry red toy car.

  This piqued Mandala’s attention. He took a step toward Kaidan.

  “It’s yours, mate,” Kai assured him. “I brought it just for you.” He held out the car and our boy took it. He crouched down on the ground and rolled the car. Kaidan made a vrooming sound effect and Mandala smiled, making my heart flutter. Kai grinned up at me, and I swear . . . I had no idea I could love him more. But as I watched Kaidan lie on the floor and play with Mandala, my heart overflowed.

  We spent the day at the orphanage, trying to get the boys as comfortable with us as possible before we took them to the hotel. Other children came in and out of the playroom where we stayed, and they all took an interest in us. Zania said I could give them candy, so I became quite popular among the kids, all the while watching Onani trying to crawl next to me.

  “He’s awful cute, isn’t he?” Kaidan asked, grinning at me in wonder. Then Mandala sidled up close, holding his new toy, which nobody was allowed to touch, and he gently petted his baby brother’s head, looking up at Kai for affirmation.