He lets out a half-laugh. “Not a miracle. But I have developed some pretty good hacking skills. I was surprised you went into the law program though.”
“Right, because I’m not smart enough—”
“Shut up, Rach. You’re hella smart. I just didn’t think it would hold your interest. I hope you’re not doing it just to impress Mom and Dad.”
Irritation flares inside me. “You don’t get to come here and just start telling me how to live my life. You have no idea what it’s been like since you’ve been gone—”
“I know, I know. I’m sorry.” He raises his hands. “I just mean . . . I know they can pile on the pressure. But they’re not bad people. They only do it because they want to help. They’ve always been proud of you, you know?”
My throat feels thick as the bedroom door opens and Crow strolls out wearing a navy-blue hoodie zipped to his collar. There’s a smudge of blood on his cuff from where he wiped at his eyebrow.
“Well, this is awkward,” he says, starting to pick up a few of the letters scattered across the carpet. When he drops them on the counter in front of me, I notice they have charity logos stamped in the headers. I also notice Crow is standing way too close. I nudge away from him and go sit on the other breakfast stool beside Jonathon, not wanting it to look as if Crow and I are a couple.
“Sorry about that,” Jonathon says, his eyes on Crow’s cut. Not that he sounds particularly sorry.
“No problem, mate. I probably deserved it.” Crow leans in the corner of his kitchenette, one hand by the sink, the other holding a beer he’s just grabbed from the fridge. “Floor’s all yours.”
Jonathon turns to me. “I’m sorry about the Wi-Fi situation. I should have seen something like this coming.”
“So we were right,” I say. “Someone recruited me to try and find you?”
“Yeah.” He runs a hand over his mouth. “I shouldn’t have come here now. Only, I saw on the map you were with him.” He nods his head in Crow’s direction while pointedly keeping his eyes on me. “Thought he must be trying to kill you. Got here as soon as I could.”
As he shakes his head, his hair ruffles with the movement. He always let himself get a bit disheveled whenever he was studying, too busy with all his projects to do something as trivial as getting a haircut.
“Even now, I can’t stay long,” he says.
My heart starts to beat like a panicked bird against my rib cage. “You’re not leaving me again,” I say.
“I have to, Rach.”
“Why? Because of the Miracle? I’ve already almost died in the past week. And I work for Devils Inc. now anyway. Do you really think Halo Corp. are going to get involved?”
He fiddles with his bottle, thumb running up and down the soggy label and curling back the paper. “It’s not just that. I can’t risk being found. Otherwise, we’ll have an Apocalypse on our hands.”
“We already do, mate,” says Crow.
“Because of the scrolls?” says Jonathon.
“Aye. That’s right. They were stolen.” He pauses. “You know about that?”
“Yeah, you could say that. It’s supposed to be a distraction,” says Jonathon. “They don’t want to trigger the official Apocalypse because Heaven would win the War, and Lucifer would be pissed. Rumors are, he’s still working on a way to win. Call him early, and there’ll be Hell to pay. So, yeah, it’s a red herring. To keep everyone looking in one direction while something else goes down.”
“And that is . . .?” I prompt.
“Because I created the Afterlife app, I always know where someone is. Specifically, I know where Adam is.” He exhales. “I suppose it all starts with the apple.”
Crow and I share a look at the unintentional echo of Gabriel’s discovery.
“Do you know anything about it?” Jonathon asks, interpreting our glance.
“Our friend said it was brought into the Purgatory Vaults about a year ago.” I pause, frowning. “Isn’t that when you went missing?”
Jonathon inclines his head. “Do you know what the apple does? Either of you?”
Crow shrugs. “At a guess, I’d say it gives whoever bites it a taste of knowledge. That’s what happened in the Garden of Eden, right? When Eve was a naughty girl and took a bite?”
“Yeah. Pretty much. When the Purgatory Vaults team brought in the apple, Adam swapped it with a fake, grabbed some of the paperwork, then came to me, begging me to remove him from Afterlife so no one could track him.” Jonathon shoots Crow a pointed look. “I wasn’t going to do it. I don’t get involved in black market dealings.”
The corner of Crow’s lip tugs up. He clearly remembers his own attempt. “So what makes Adam so special then?”
“He said the continued existence of humanity was on the line. And he showed me the legal documents he stole. They were nondisclosure agreements. Three of them. Dated back to Eden.”
Something clicks. “He’s the one who ransacked the room at Devils Inc.! I saw an empty folder in the Legal Archives when I was filing. It was supposed to have a nondisclosure agreement signed by Eve inside.”
Crow runs a hand over the stubble on his jaw. “So something happened in Eden that they don’t want made public. And a bite of the apple could get around the nondisclosures and reveal knowledge otherwise concealed.”
Jonathon nods. Then he shakes his hand, his sleeve now peppered with crumbs from Crow’s unclean countertop.
“So who’s trying to track you down?”
“Everyone knows the story from Eden,” says Jonathon. “The Serpent tempts Eve into biting the forbidden fruit, she gets Adam to have a bite too, and they all get punished. Only, one party gets a worse punishment for their sin.”
“Eve, right? Pain in childbirth, exile, blamed for the sins of all humankind,” I say.
“No. The Serpent,” says Crow, his voice low.
“The Serpent,” Jonathon agrees, a dark look on his face.
I’m about to argue, but Crow cuts over me. “The Serpent’s a Greater Demon, mate. If they’re looking for the apple, then who cares? They’re bound to Hell. Can’t set foot on earth.”
Jonathon looks troubled. “Not quite. You remember the punishments they all received? Adam and Eve were banished from the Garden, but the Serpent . . .”
“Because you have done this, Cursed are you more than all cattle,” says Crow in a low voice. “And more than every beast of the field; On your belly you will go. And dust you will eat. All the days of your life.”
“Yeah,” says Jonathon. “The Serpent had its Greater Demon status revoked. No longer able to take their true form, they were forced into a body they detested. And Lucifer didn’t intervene.”
“So the Serpent is trying to get their Greater Demon powers back?” Crow puts his bottle down and absently drums a thumb on the edge of the counter. “And they need you to track down Adam and the apple to do that. Aye. Makes sense.”
“Does it?” I say. “Newbie here, remember?”
“They want to force a retrial for what happened in Eden,” says Jonathon. “And a bite from the apple might give the jury enough hidden knowledge to call the official story into doubt.”
“Like what?” I say. “What is being hidden?”
“Adam couldn’t outright tell me. From what I deduced, there’s no question the Serpent was in the Garden to tempt them. But Eve was always a free-spirited, curious soul.” He pauses and takes a sip of beer. “I think she was always going to take the apple, with or without the Serpent’s encouragement.”
“Hmm. So if the apple shows the jury that Eve was spending too much time beneath the forbidden tree, or maybe reaching to pluck it from its branches before the Serpent showed up . . .”
“Exactly.” Jonathon looks pleased Crow is following his chain of thought. “I mean, it wouldn’t give away anything conclusive, but it could call ‘beyond all reasonable doubt’ into question. And if the Serpent can use the apple to create that doubt . . . then things are going to get pretty bad. Their powers will be resto
red.”
“And that would be a bad thing because . . .?” I ask.
“Well, I’m guessing they’d want revenge, little D—” Crow starts, but he closes his mouth when he remembers Jonathon. “I’m guessing they’ll use their power to kill Adam and Eve. Only a Greater Demon can do it. Remember what Gabe told you? As the first man and woman, their life forces are linked to all of humanity. And if they die . . .”
When he raises an eyebrow pointedly, the cut across it reopens. Crow rubs the blood with a thumb then sucks it off. Jonathon eyes him with distaste, but Crow’s eyes remain on me.
“If they die, everyone dies,” I say quietly.
“Aye.”
My stomach clenches. Jonathon’s right: he has to disappear. And what will this Serpent do to him if he refuses to tell them what he knows? I take a sip of my beer to force down the panic.
“Shit. So I guess we need to—what, track down the Serpent?”
“Aye,” says Crow. “I’ll message Gabe and—”
“Track her down?” says Jonathon. “You’ve already met her.”
Both Crow and I stare at my brother.
“What?” says Crow.
“Yeah. You’ll have met her, I’m sure of it. Bitter. Powerless. Demoted from her position of Greatness. And what’s more of a demotion than—?”
When I snap my gaze to Crow’s, I can tell he’s already figured it out too.
“Adalind,” I say.
Chapter Thirty-Five
“So that’s why Adalind’s such an arse,” Crow says with a low whistle. “I knew she was bitter, but I always presumed she was demoted from mid-management or something. Jesus. The actual Serpent.”
He looks almost impressed. Then his expression darkens, jaw clenching as he glances at me, then back to my brother.
“Jonathon, mate, you need to get going,” he says.
“Yeah.” Jonathon sighs and stands up. “Probably.”
I grab his arm. “Wait. Not yet.”
“Adalind knows I know about your brother,” says Crow. “Remember in the office when she looked at me funny?”
My stomach drops. “You think she’s watching you?”
“I can’t imagine Adalind lurking on a street corner wearing shades and a fake moustache,” says Crow, “but best not risk it, eh?”
“Okay.” I exhale and get up, scraping back my stool. “But you’re not disappearing again.” I glare at Jonathon. “We’ll find somewhere safe to meet once we’re sure Adalind’s not watching. Okay?”
The corner of Jonathon’s mouth quirks up. “Okay, sis.”
We stare at each other, the small distance between us somehow just as excruciating as when I believed him dead. I don’t want him to leave again.
“I’ve missed you,” he says, pulling me into a hug.
“Me too,” I mumble once we pull back.
Jonathon clears his throat, and I rub my eyes.
“So where is Adam anyway?” Crow asks.
Jonathon pulls the hood of his sweatshirt over his head. “Better that you don’t know. If it came to light you did, she’d have it tortured out of you.”
“Your concern is touching,” says Crow.
“I don’t give a shit what happens to you,” Jonathon says easily, but then he leans over the counter to extend a hand. “Still, while I’d rather she was in better company, thanks for looking out for her while I’ve been away.”
As they shake, Crow does a terrible job at concealing the smile tugging on his lips. He’s proud at having semi-charmed my brother.
I roll my eyes.
He’s such a shit.
“Anytime, mate. It’s not been an easy job, but—”
The door to Crow’s apartment bursts open. Crow is flung back against the sink, the hilt of a dagger protruding from his chest. As his hands flail backward, they bring the pile of dishes clattering down on top of him.
Adalind stands in the doorway, her snake tattoo just visible above the stiff collar of her black tailored suit. Behind her stands Kat, the Omen from the club, and a girl with red hair dressed in black leggings and armed with shadows dancing at her fingertips.
For a moment, I’m too stunned to do anything. Then anger flares in my gut, and the fireball comes to my fingers uncalled. I hurl it at the doorway.
Kat waves her arm, and a cloud of darkness rises to swallow it. With a twist of her fingers, Jonathon’s shadow slips between my legs, rises from the floor, and grabs me from behind, its arms of smoke pinning my hands to my sides.
I cry out, thrashing against it, curses tumbling out of my mouth in an incoherent torrent.
Jonathon steps between me and the others. “Let her go,” he says.
Adalind exhales heavily, her inhuman eyes sliding between the two of us.
“I had hoped we could do this the easy way,” she drawls. “It’s why I’ve been standing outside for the past forty minutes like some kind of idiot. But do you mention Adam’s location? No.” She sighs again, flicking the wing of hair over her eye back. “Looks like we’ll be doing it the hard way.”
She has the audacity to look put out.
A dark movement at my feet catches my eye. A black cat runs through the shadows toward Crow. Smashed crockery dusts his black hair, and a red stain seeps through his blue hoodie. Eyes closed, his hand on the floor is slick with blood.
“Crow!” I yell, but the shadow holding me clamps a hand around my mouth. I taste smoke and copper on my tongue.
The cat stands in front of him and hisses, its fur on end.
Jonathon takes a step forward, hands raised, and I swing my attention back to him.
“Stay back,” says Adalind. “Adam’s location, or I have Rachel killed.” When he says nothing, she turns to Kat. “How easy would it be to kill Rachel?” she asks.
Kat smiles, flashing a pair of dimples. “As easy as . . .” She clenches a fist.
I scream. The shadow squeezes me so tightly I swear my bones are about to break.
“Okay! Okay!” yells Jonathon as blood rushes to my face and pounds in my ears. He raises his arms. “OKAY! STOP!”
Through the spots dancing before my eyes, I see Kat uncurl her fingers. The crushing sensation ceases. As the shadow lets go of my mouth, I gulp in big breaths of air, tasting the metal of blood.
“He said you were his friend,” I wheeze, trying to focus on Kat’s face. Her expression is blank. “Look . . . at . . . him.”
I wrench my head to Crow’s body on the floor unmoving, the dagger sticking out from his chest. The cat has gone, but bloody pawprints stretch across the floor from the growing pool of Crow’s blood.
“He should have let me in on his deal when he had the chance,” Kat says, shrugging. “I was forced to find alternate means of payment.”
Anger sends fire to my fingertips, but because my hands are still pinned at my sides, I only succeed in scorching my own thighs. Adalind watches lazily, then she slips a cell phone out of her pocket and places it on the back of the sofa.
“Give me privileges,” says Adalind. “Admin-level, so I can track him down.”
As Jonathon studies the phone, I desperately try to think of something—anything—we can do, but my senses feel dulled. I can smell Kat’s shadow monster as wisps of it curl up my nose: heavy, bitter, and suffocating.
“Um, now!” Adalind says.
Jonathon doesn’t move. For the first time in our lives, he seems uncertain.
He seems young.
It terrifies me. Jonathon’s my genius big brother. He always knows what to do. He always has the answers.
But in this moment, he’s just a normal guy. A normal, helpless guy.
Adalind sighs, checking her stubby fingernails. Then she looks at Kat, who raises her hand and starts to curl her fingers again. I close my eyes, waiting for the inevitable pain.
“Okay, okay,” spits Jonathon. “Fine! But promise me you won’t harm her.”
“I have no reason to if you do as you’re told,” says Adalind.
Adalind makes a tutting sound, then she exhales. “Fine. I agree not to harm Rachel if you give me what I want.” She pauses. “Amendment. I agree not to harm her directly. Once I find Adam . . . well, my later plans may have an adverse effect on Rachel as well as the rest of humanity.”
“Deal,” says Jonathon, voice cold.
As he goes to the phone and starts to fiddle with it, Adalind slides her gaze to me, face devoid of any emotion. “It’s not personal. Besides, she’s just an intern.”
The anger from that trivial barb gives me something to focus on. “Just an intern? Do you have any idea how long it took me to sort your stupid filing cupboard!” I snarl, feeling myself begin to burn.
“I thought that might make you a little more sympathetic to my cause. Adam left that mess for me to clean up, you know? The bastard.”
“You’re seriously messed up.”
“I just want what is mine, little intern. Is that so wrong?”
“If you’re going to kill everyone, yeah,” I bite back.
She rolls her eyes. “Please. I only want to kill two people. As if I could be assed to kill everyone.”
The anger in my stomach grows, but I’ve no place to release it. I’m burning. If it wasn’t for Kat’s shadow holding me, cold and thick, I think I’d burst into flames.
“You done yet, Jonathon?” Adalind drawls. “I don’t want to be here any longer than necessary.” Her eyes flit around Crow’s messy apartment. “This place is a shithole.”
Jonathon holds up the phone.
“Good,” Adalind says. “Now, give it to me. And don’t follow me. Or I’ll kill her.”
He hesitates. “How do I know that once you have this, you won’t kill us both anyway?” says Jonathon.
She looks at him like he’s an idiot. “Because who do you think would be stuck with the paperwork?”
She has a point.
When Jonathon tosses her the phone, she snatches it from the air. She lets out a small sigh as she looks down at the screen, running a loving finger over its surface.
“Adam, my sweet, there you are. I’ll see you very soon.” She flits her gaze back to us, and her lips twist into an unnatural smile. “And I suppose I’ll be seeing you at the retrial.”
Devils Inc. Page 18