The Providence Trilogy Bundle: Providence; Requiem; Eden

by McGuire, Jamie

  Ryan’s head jerked up. “Excuse me?”

  “Let her do her job,” Jared said, his voice flat.

  “Coming from you, that’s hysterical.”

  The tension between them thickened the air in the room. “Come on, guys,” I said.

  Jared’s eyes were tight, and Ryan leaned forward a bit. Any civility between them had always seemed forced. It was only a matter of time before they exchanged words.

  Jared shifted. “What is that supposed to mean, exactly, Ryan?”

  “You seem to forget why everyone is in this mess to begin with. If you’d done your job by the book, none of this would have happened. So how about you let us all make our own choices without judgment?”

  Jared’s body was rigid; his jaw tight. I waited for him to let Ryan have it—to come back with one of his undeniable and logical retorts, but he didn’t. Without a word, he left the room.

  “Finally, he’s speechless,” Ryan said, relaxing back against the bed.

  “You shouldn’t have done that,” I said.

  Ryan frowned. “Why not? Because he’s Jared? He has no problem telling everyone else what they’ve done wrong, but he hasn’t made the best choices, either. He insinuated I’m keeping Claire from doing her job when he was in the same situation not too long ago.”

  “I know.”

  “Then why defend him? Why can’t you just say, ‘Ryan, you’re right. Jared’s wrong.’”

  “Because he’s trying his best. Because with everything he does, he tries to do what’s right and what’s in everyone’s best interest. He loves me, and your rubbing it in his face after the fact is just cruel.”

  “He should keep his opinions to himself,” Ryan said, crossing his arms.

  “Trying to hold on to some control in a situation where he has none is not unreasonable. Claire is his baby sister. He’s loved her far longer than you have, and he has firsthand knowledge of how hard it is to be in love with your Taleh. He’s just trying to save her from what we’ve experienced. You should think about that.”

  Ryan raised an eyebrow. “So you regret it?”

  “What?”

  “You regret falling in love with him? Knowing everything?”

  “No and no! Of course not. It’s just hard, that’s all.”

  “What isn’t?”

  “A normal relationship?”

  “Says whom?”

  “Normal people.”

  “What would you know about normal people?”

  “I know a few!” I said. Ryan was attempting to subdue a smile. He enjoyed getting under my skin. Poor Claire. She wasn’t the most patient person, anyway, and the most annoying, argumentative, persistent butt nugget—as Bex had once called Ryan—was in love with her.

  “What are you smiling about?” he said.

  “Oh, nothing, feel better,” I said, waving to him before opening the door.

  “Wait! You’re going to leave me alone?”

  “We’re never alone.” I smiled.

  Jared stood in the hallway with Claire. She was looking up at him, whispering words of comfort. He seemed to be a bit calmer, listening to her every word.

  “He’s all yours.” I smiled at Claire.

  “Huh?” Claire said.

  I took Jared’s hand. “He knows the exact thing to say to throw you into a rage, and you just let him.”

  “It’s different with him,” Jared said. “I can’t explain it other than pure, unadulterated hatred.”

  “Once upon a time it was me he was after, and now he’s being just as annoying while pursuing your baby sister.”

  “Exactly.”

  “What if he weren’t?”

  “Weren’t what?” he said, clueless as to where I was going with the conversation. A rush of exhilaration swept over me. Jared being on the wrong side of enlightenment was quite satisfying.

  “In love with Claire. Honey,” I said, standing on my tiptoes to wrap my arms around his neck, “this is a very good thing.”

  “For you, maybe,” Claire grumbled.

  “Did you forget what it means that he loves her? They are meant to be together; not him and me. Best of all? You would’ve had to deal with Ryan either way, but because he loves Claire, it isn’t because you’re watching him annoy the crap out of me—it’s because he’s annoying Claire.” I allowed a proud, wide smile to stretch across my face, even though Claire looked as if she wanted to shove her fist into the wall. Through my face.

  Jared’s face relaxed and he chuckled. “All true,” he said, leaning down to kiss me. “It could be worse. Much worse.” He looked to Claire. “Sorry. Good luck.”

  She glared at both of us as we departed down the hall.

  “Er . . . hey, Nina?” Claire called.

  I turned, noticing again how tiny she was. Her skintight blue leggings and oversized, off-the-shoulder T-shirt made her seem even smaller. Her ankle-high boots scooted across the hospital floor as she approached.

  “Yes?”

  She laced her fingers on top of her head, clearly exasperated. “You really think I’m just being stubborn? You think that’s why he’s my Taleh? Because we’re meant for each other?”

  “Yes,” I said. “You care about him, don’t you?”

  “I don’t know.” She shrugged. She let one hand fall to her side; the other to her mouth. “I guess so.”

  I looked to Jared and gestured with my eyes to Claire. Jared frowned, but when I persistently jerked my head in Claire’s direction, he spoke up. “It’s okay, Claire. I can’t say I like the guy, but I don’t see another purpose for it to happen the way it did. Do you? Because if you do, I’d love to hear—mmph.” He puffed, jerking when I elbowed him in the ribs. I didn’t hurt him, of course, but I still enjoyed his reaction.

  “No,” Claire whispered. “I don’t see another purpose.” She walked slowly to Ryan’s door, deep in thought. She turned the knob and then shook her head. “Doesn’t mean I should muddy the waters.”

  We followed her in, noticing her pulling her chair farther away from Ryan’s bed. She ate her burger quietly, and Ryan watched her for a moment and then looked down when he realized he wouldn’t get the reaction he’d hoped for.

  I felt bad for him. I knew all too well how awful it felt to love someone who insisted on keeping a distance. “So you’re feeling better? When do you report back for duty?”

  “They gave me a week off. Too bad I wasn’t on duty when this happened. Could have saved me a chunk of change.”

  “Don’t worry about the bill, Ryan,” I said. “It’s taken care of.”

  Ryan opened his mouth to argue, but he knew it was futile. He had no way to pay for what the little insurance he had wouldn’t cover. He managed a humble nod. “This is my last time. Next time it’s someone else’s turn. I’m not playin’ around. I mean it.”

  Claire’s frown softened; the corners of her mouth turned up an infinitesimal amount. Her expression reminded me of the way Jared used to try to hide his emotions when he was fighting tooth and nail to stay away from me. Claire definitely had an uphill battle. Ryan was far more persistent than I was.

  We enjoyed our late-night dinner, teasing one another about our last few days together before Jared and I left for Little Corn. Ryan recounted his recovery, and Claire halfheartedly complained about being his nursemaid. Mentions of demons, Shax, and Isaac sprung in and out of our conversation. Discussing the paranormal elements of my life outside of the Ryels felt both a relief and strange. But there we were: sitting around a room, discussing the sickening odor of the hundreds of misshapen creatures scaling the walls of St. Ann’s.

  “Have you heard about Father Francis?” I asked.

  Claire nodded. “He’s home. The first night was touch and go, and then he came right out of it. His doctors were amazed.”

  Jared touched my hand. Ryan’s eyes zeroed in on the movement.

  “So,” Ryan said, “I hear you two skipped town for a while. You’re . . . tanner.”

  “Yes,” I s
aid, nodding once. “We went to Little Corn.”

  “Again?” Ryan said.

  Claire’s eyes didn’t leave Ryan’s face. She watched warily for an expression she didn’t want to see.

  Jared squeezed my hand. “We decided to get married in the chapel there.”

  Ryan nodded. It was obvious an inner monologue was monopolizing his thoughts. Claire didn’t move. She waited silently, but I couldn’t decide what she was waiting for.

  “What’s the rush?” Ryan said.

  “Didn’t you hear her say that she’s pregnant?” Claire said with disgust.

  Ryan’s head jerked in her direction. “Yeah? So?”

  I shrugged. “We were engaged, anyway, Ryan. It didn’t make sense to wait.”

  “You’re married. To Jared.” Ryan’s eyes were wide with shock, his eyebrows as high as he could push them. Claire’s body was tense, her eyes fixed on Ryan. In the next moment, a wide grin was plastered across his face.

  “Congratulations, Nigh! That’s wicked awesome!”

  Claire’s blank stare melted away, and she took a deep breath. She managed a small smile and then looked to me. Had I not seen the same pleading expression on Jared’s face the year before, I might have missed it. She was worried that Ryan was still in love with me.

  “Thanks,” I said, looking down.

  Thinking back on the past year, the dynamic between the four of us couldn’t have been more different. Even so, it seemed every word uttered and every decision each of us made, led us to this very moment. Ryan looked at Claire with nothing less than adoration, and Jared reached over, resting his palm on my belly.

  A knock on the door abruptly disturbed our sweet little moment.

  “Kim!” Ryan said.

  Her clothes were dirty, hair a mess. A small brown satchel hung from her shoulder, secured under her arm. I assumed it was the book. She was forced to keep it with her at all times. Kim was the only one who could keep the Naissance de Demoniac safe from Shax and his demons.

  She didn’t look like herself at all. “You!” She pointed to Jared. “You made me a promise, Half-Breed, and you’re going to keep it.”

  7. Broken Promise(s)

  Kim breathed hard; her arm outstretched with a pointed finger just shy of Jared’s nose. The air in the room was immediately heavy; the hairs on my neck stood on end. The Others were following her more closely, now, just waiting for her to make a mistake. Shax was back in Hell where he belonged, but his failure only made him more determined to have his property returned to him before Kim and Jared hand it over to the safety of the Holy Sepulchre Church in Jerusalem.

  The constant presence of the enemy had taken a toll on Kim. The skin under her eyes was a deep shade of purple. Kim’s typically flippant and impervious nature had slowly slipped away over the last two years. Her possession as a teenager had left her with the ability to take power from demons that Hell didn’t understand, making her the perfect guardian of the book—until it could be returned to the one place Shax couldn’t reach. She was just as desperate to free her family from the Naissance de Demoniac as Shax was to take it from them.

  A nurse walked in, momentarily taking notice of Kim’s curious body language, but quickly dismissed it when she began taking Ryan’s vitals.

  Pulling the stethoscope from her ears, the nurse seemed satisfied. “Doc said you can be discharged, but because it’s late, he wants to keep you one more night and let you go first thing in the morning.”

  Kim lowered her hand, letting it fall to her thigh.

  “Agh.” Ryan huffed. His expression screwed into disgust.

  Claire rolled her eyes. “One more night is nothing. Quit whining.”

  One side of Ryan’s mouth pulled up. “When I get home, you can come into the apartment, you know. You don’t have to sit outside in the Lotus.”

  “No, thank you. I can’t do my job properly and listen to you flap your jaws all night.”

  “We don’t have to talk.” Ryan grinned.

  Jared stood. “On that note, we’ll be leaving”—he looked to me—“preferably before I vomit cheeseburger in Ryan’s lap for insinuating anything remotely intimate about my baby sister.”

  Claire was speechless and I frowned. “Ryan. Really?” I said.

  Ryan laughed hysterically.

  Jared promptly led me to the elevator by the hand. He couldn’t get away from Ryan fast enough. Kim followed us into the hallway. Jared pushed the button and then waited for Kim to speak.

  She crossed her arms, already saying what she had come to say. She watched Jared expectantly.

  He sighed. “I need more time.”

  “You promised. What are you waiting for, anyway? Nina is pregnant. The prophecy has begun. It can only go one of two ways now.”

  “I want to take it back to Woonsocket and spend a couple of days with Father Francis. We could find a weakness. We could find a way to avoid a confrontation all together.”

  “That’s reaching, even for you,” Kim said. Her pale cheeks were turning a soft shade of red. Kim being upset was so foreign to me that I almost couldn’t process it.

  “You and Nina just have a few weeks before summer break. Nina can’t miss any more classes, and I can’t go without her.”

  Kim narrowed her eyes. “You think I care about classes? This is serious, Jared. You promised that if I helped you get the book back you would help me return it to Jerusalem. You promised.”

  Jared rubbed the back of his neck, clearly frustrated. The elevator door opened, and he pulled both Kim and me inside. An elderly couple walked toward the door. The older gentleman held up his hand, signaling for us to hold the elevator, but Jared quickly pushed the button for the doors to close.

  “Jared!” I said, appalled. “Remind me why we can’t just let Shax have the damn thing?”

  Kim shot a sharp look in my direction. “Because it gives him tremendous power, power that someone from the days of Jesus was so afraid for him to have that they risked taking it from him. Now that your fathers have pissed him off, if we hand over his bible, the first person he’ll annihilate with that power is you.”

  Jared squared his shoulders and lowered his chin. “I understand that you want to return the book and why. Trust me; I do. But when we . . . once we do this, Kim . . . it can’t be undone. I will never get this chance again.”

  Kim matched his glare. “Then get it done.”

  The elevator door slid open, and Kim walked into the main lobby of the hospital. She didn’t say another word, and she didn’t acknowledge me at all.

  Jared and I walked to the Escalade in silence. Both of their arguments made sense. Who could disagree with either side when they both wanted to protect someone they love? My first inclination was to insist Jared hold up his end of their bargain, but protecting me meant protecting our child. Bean was my first priority.

  Jared seemed even more conflicted than I. He was a good man, and going against his word clearly bothered him. He was right; we needed to search every clue—every figurative and literal meaning of every paragraph of the prophecy. Forcing Heaven and Hell into a war was a last resort, and we couldn’t be sure unless we explored every option.

  I slept fitfully that night, dreaming about wars and demons and of Bean. My brain ran incessantly, stuck in a pattern of scaring myself awake and then falling back asleep, only to imagine a new frightening scenario. In the hospital, in St. Ann’s, and in the loft, we fought the demons over and over, but every dream ended the same: Bean would be in my arms one moment, gone the next. Panic would take over my every thought, but we all knew was it was too late and nothing more could be done. Desperation would plague me as I insisted Jared figure out a way to find and save our baby, and then unbearable sorrow descended upon me when I realized it was over. Then my eyes would open.

  “Nina,” Jared whispered, following my name with smooth, short phrases in French. For whatever reason, French always seemed to comfort me, and Jared could sense that. His fingers combed through my hair,
and his lips grazed the edge of my ear.

  The sun cast shadows on every wall of my bedroom. I blinked, trying both to clear my vision and remember what day it was and reminding myself that what seemed like a lifetime of heartbreak was only a dream.

  Jared kissed my cheek, and I turned to face him. “That was a rough night,” I said. A tear fell from the outside corner of my eye, down my temple.

  Jared used his sleeve to wipe the wet line away. “I noticed.”

  I looked out the window. “You know what will make me feel better?”

  “What’s that, sweetheart?”

  “Training.”

  Jared nodded. “I thought you might say that. When do you want to start?”

  “Tonight, after I put some time in at Titan. Is Bex busy?”

  “I don’t think so. I’ll ask him, but he’s always up for some sparring with you.”

  I forced a sleepy grin. “You should cut in once in a while. I’m sure I bore him to death.”

  Jared smiled. “We’ll see. I’m going to whip up some blueberry pancakes.”

  “I’m going to whip up a lather in the shower. Do we have salsa?”

  Jared’s head jerked back a bit. “I think we have some left, yeah. Why?”

  “I’m going to dip my pancakes in it.”

  Jared wrinkled his nose and stuck out his tongue. “So hold the maple syrup, then?”

  “No, I want the syrup, too,” I said, ambling to the bathroom. I didn’t look behind me to see what revolted expression was on Jared’s face, but he didn’t move from the bed until I turned on the shower.

  He was probably beyond disgusted, but it did sound good. What wasn’t appetizing about fresh, spicy tomatoes, cilantro, onion, blueberries and pancake batter soaked in maple syrup? My stomach growled. I was suddenly ravenous.

  I rushed through my morning routine and yanked on a Brown University pullover hoody and a pair of jeans. The button was being stubborn, so I sucked my belly in. When I still couldn’t get it buttoned, I lay on the bed. Coupled with sucking in, I finally got it fastened. I made my way down the stairs, uncomfortable and stiff.

  “We need to do some shopping tonight instead of sparring,” Jared said, joining me.