He smiled softly as he walked up to me. His thumb was ice cold as he brushed it against my still swollen lips.
I shivered. “Forget your gloves again?”
He smirked. “At least tell me the other guy looks worse.”
“I made an impression.”
He leaned down and planted a sloppy kiss on my forehead. “That’s my girl.”
I followed him into the living room to check on Damian. Never before had he backed down from an interrogation that quickly. It usually took hours for him to be satisfied with my answers even when I was truthful.
I had a bad feeling about this.
Damian laid on his back on the couch, his forearm covering his eyes. The steady rise and fall of his chest made me think he was asleep but he spoke as soon as I sat down.
“I failed today, niblet.”
I waited. Pushing him would do no good. He needed to say this in his own time.
“We found the boy.”
He didn’t have to finish. I knew what that meant.
“Where?” I asked. I had a feeling it had something to do with the arson at the sentinel headquarters.
“It doesn’t matter. In a few minutes, I’m going to have to get up and give the worst news a parent can hear.” His hands clenched into fists as his voice trembled with emotion. “Fuck.”
My chest tightened. I hated hearing him in pain, but at the same time having him begin to open up to me after years of keeping me in the dark filled me with warmth.
“You can’t save everyone,” I said, echoing Lucas’ words earlier that day. Gods, had it really only been this morning?
Damian sat up and stared at me with wet eyes, his voice raw. “Don’t ever make me have to take that phone call.”
“What are you going to do now?”
“What do you mean?”
“How are you going to go after the people responsible?”
“I’m not. I did my job. It’s over.”
Anger bubbled to the surface. He must have thought I was stupid if he thought for a second I believed he was just letting it go.
“How is lighting up the sentinel headquarters downtown letting it go?”
“Ugh.” He stood up and began to pace. “Things aren’t always what they seem, niblet.”
“That isn’t an answer.”
He stopped, towering over me, the weight of his disappointment heavy on my shoulders. “Are you going to tell me how you knew about that?”
“It’s all over the news.”
It wasn’t even a lie. I had seen the news reports about the fire. Based on the over the top doomsday predictions of the news anchor, you would have thought Armageddon was at our doorstep.
“I tracked the kid there. The fires were a diversion. An effective one.”
More effective than he knew.
“That’s where you found the body?”
My suspicion the sentinels were involved in Lilly’s death was now confirmed.
He shook his head. “Whoever had killed him left him in an alley on the other side of town. Peter called when they brought him in.”
“So you don’t think it was the sentinels, then?”
I debated telling him about Lilly. I’d get in trouble, but if it brought justice to their murderers, I’d take the punishment gladly.
“It doesn’t matter. I’m not pursuing it.”
“Why not? Don’t his parents deserve the peace of knowing that their son’s killer is dead and buried?”
My brother didn’t believe in half-measures. When the entire justice system is biased and corrupt, there are no cells to keep the bad guys locked up. They either met the end of your blade, or you brought them to someone else who would deal with them.
This was personal to Damian. I could see that clearly. This would haunt him forever, especially if he didn’t make it right.
“I can’t.”
He sounded defeated like he’d given up before even trying.
“Yes, you can. We’ll find those responsible, even if it’s every single one of those sentinel bastards.”
“We? No, we won’t.” He knelt in front of me. “I’m serious, Lex. I’m letting this go. For you. For us.”
“You’ve always said the greater evil is to do nothing when evil thrives.”
“I say a lot of things, niblet.” He smiled softly. “If you think it’s evil that I put your life in front of everyone else’s, then you can just call me Mr. Khan from now on.”
I nodded, giving up the argument. I couldn’t change his mind, but I wouldn’t let it go.
He was my shield against the evils of the world. But shields break.
It was time for me to become the sword.
Chapter 15
The next day I stared at a piece of blank paper ready to scribble down my master plan. Two hours later, it was still blank. The best idea I could come up with was stalking the sentinel headquarters on the lookout for the bastards who’d arrested Lucas and me. Then follow them home where I, what? Stabbed them in the back with my fancy writing pen?
I threw said pen across the living room. It bounced against the wall and fell behind the couch. Now, what was I going to write with?
Before I could figure out the solution to that problem, someone rang the doorbell. I was the only one home, and I wasn’t expecting company.
Having to have to get up and find a new writing utensil anyway, I trudged to the front door and peeked out the curtained side window.
Lucas stood in all his half-angelic glory on my porch, haloed by the mid-morning Saturday sun. The cruel joke of a douchey god.
I debated whether I wanted to deal with him on top of everything else. It was easier to forget our epic lip-lock when his face wasn’t staring at me. He knew I was there. He had to have seen the curtain move.
The doorbell rang again. This time he kept his finger pressed the button, the chorus of irritating noise never ending.
I swung open the door and gave him a death glare. “Do you have to be so immature?”
“Because it isn’t immature to pretend you aren’t home when I can literally see you?”
Touché.
I stepped to the side to let him in, lying to myself that the reason was because two brains were better than one and maybe he had some good ideas. I sure as hell didn’t.
It totally wasn’t because he looked so lickable in the plain white tee under his winter jacket.
I led him to the living room and sat down.
He gestured toward the pad of paper on my right. “Homework?”
“Something like that.” I tried to calm the nerves that were threatening to unleash my breakfast out my mouth. “Why are you here, Lucas?”
“Escaping the jaws of death together wasn’t enough to make us friends?”
“Friends call before showing up.”
He snickered. “Would you’ve answered?”
No, I wouldn’t have, but I wasn’t going to admit that. I’m the queen of subterfuge.
I shrugged. “We’ll never know now.”
He moved to sit next to me. I forced myself not to scoot away. Didn’t need him to know he had power over me. He might use it against me.
“I can’t stop thinking about it,” he said, blue-gray eyes keenly searching mine. “Can you?”
“The kiss?”
A slow, devilish smile spread across his lips. “Good to know I’ve been on your mind, but I was talking about the girl we found.”
Of course, he was. Stupid Lex.
“Her boyfriend’s body turned up at the morgue, too.”
He swore under his breath. “Two sounds like a pattern.”
“I’m pretty sure they don’t consider it a pattern until three or four bodies.”
“You think they were the only ones?”
I didn’t. Not if the sentinels were involved. “I can only work with what I know.”
He nodded as if he finally understood what went through my head. I doubted it.
“What are we going to do about
it?” he asked.
“We?”
“You don’t think I’m going to let you do this alone, do you?”
Great. Just what I needed. Another alpha male overprotecting me. “I can handle myself.”
He smiled. “Accepting help doesn’t mean you can’t take care of yourself. It means you’re not stupid. Would you throw down your weapon just to prove that you can win without it?”
He was right. It’s not like I would get extra points beating the map solo.
“How do I know I can trust you?”
He gave me a wounded puppy look. “You don’t trust me? Why?”
“You let them take us. You had the firepower to take them out before they made pudding out of us. But you didn’t. Why?”
He looked exasperated rubbing his temple. “Really, Lex? What kind of attention do you think a fireball would have brought? Not to mention the damage.”
“Our lives were at risk, and you were worried about exposure?”
“They wanted to bring us in, not kill us.” He traced the exposed rune on his forearm. I wondered if he’d had a chance to recharge it and if he had, with who. “It’s a last resort.”
“Where did you learn to do all that?” I waved my hand in his general direction.
He looked at me like I had just asked him my own name. “Where do you think?”
Okay, maybe that was a stupid question. I needed to stop making assumptions based on my own shitty parents. “Your mom or your dad?”
He shook his head. “I learned where every nephilim learns.”
He paused. I gave him a moment to finish, but after a minute I lost patience.
“Okay, don’t tell me.”
He tilted his head to the side. “You don’t know? Isn’t your brother a nephilim?”
I didn’t know where Damian had learned how to utilize magic. I’d never asked. And now I looked stupid.
“I’m sorry if I shattered your illusion that I know everything.”
His gaze drifted, lost in some fond memory. “I spent a very intense summer in ‘05 under the wise tutelage of the great wizard Dresden. Heard of him?”
I threw the legal pad at his head as he burst out laughing. “You’re an ass.”
“Sorry, I couldn’t help it. You look so cute when you don’t know what the hell is going on.”
He wasn’t going to think I was so cute when I threw him out on his ass.
He regained his composure. His face went solemn. “My mom was a nephilim.”
“And your dad is human?”
From the admittedly little I knew about nephilim and magic, the more diluted the angel-blood, the more outside power had to be stolen to charge their runes.
My body tensed. Considering the impressive firepower Lucas had demonstrated yesterday, I found it hard to believe with a nephilim as a parent instead of an angel all of it had come from him.
Which begged the question of where he was supping up.
He averted his gaze, looking guilty. “I didn’t know we were going to delve into our family trees.”
“Anyone ever tell you you’re an evasive bastard?”
He grinned. “You got the bastard part right.”
I snorted. “You expect me to trust you when you won’t be straight with me?”
“Because you’ve been so forthcoming with me.”
The menace in his voice sent an alarm straight to my brain. I jumped up, ready to fight if necessary. I had let my guard down. I had mistakenly trusted the pull between us meant he was safe.
When would I ever stop being so stupid?
His eyes widened and he held up his hands to surrender. “I’m sorry. It’s a touchy subject.”
I dropped my upraised fists but didn’t lower my guard.
He ran his fingers through his hair, distracting me with memories of when it had been my fingers.
“I’m so used to hiding the truth that I don’t know how to stop.”
He stood and cupped my face in his hands. I froze at the unexpected touch. Who was I kidding?
Lucas obliterated my defenses.
“I know I don’t have to hide who I am from you.”
I swallowed. “Yeah, that’s why you like me so much.”
“You think the only reason I like you is because you’re not human?”
I moistened my lips, dangerously aware of how close his were to mine. If I lifted up on my toes, our mouths would meet.
“Isn’t it?”
He smiled. I was starting to get attached to that smile.
“I like you because you’re beautiful and smart. You frustrate me to no end but I’d rather be in a room with you than anyone else. You’re the kind of person I need in my life.”
“What kind of person am I?”
“The kind who when faced with the chance to escape instead goes back to save the guy she doesn’t like very much.”
I swear his face came closer to mine. I held my breath, unable to move away. Entranced. That’s the only word I could think of about his effect on me.
“The kind of person who doesn’t let fear stop her from doing what’s right.”
His breath tickled my nose. I rubbed it, ruining the moment. He didn’t seem to notice.
His thumb grazed my bottom lip sending a shiver through my body. I was puddy in his hands.
“The kind who resists what she wants out of loyalty to her friend.”
I scoffed. “Like I don’t have a hundred other reasons why.”
“Name one.”
Before I could say anything, his mouth covered mine, bringing me closer to Empyrean than any cambion should ever be.
I lost myself in the moment, forgetting about loyalty, forgetting about the dead nephilim who remained unavenged. Forgetting about everything but this boy who turned my insides into hot liquid.
When he kissed me, nothing else mattered. It was only when he pulled away that reality came crashing back down on my head.
Ding-dong.
It took a moment for my brain to register that someone was ringing the doorbell. I rushed out of the living room, cursing and thanking the interruption.
So eager to have an excuse not to be alone with Lucas, I flung open the door without looking at who was outside.
Elena beamed at me. “How’s my Sexy Lexi? I woke up feeling like having a treat yourself day. Who better to do that with than my bestie?”
I couldn’t speak. The vise called guilt choked me.
Her eyes looked up and behind me. The smile vanished.
I didn’t have to turn around to know why.
“Hey, Elena,” said Lucas, sounding every bit like he’d been caught stealing candy from a toddler.
I expected her to turn and run, leaving me to chase her barefoot through the snow. Don’t get me wrong. I’d do it in a heartbeat. I’d risk more than frostbite to salvage our friendship.
But she didn’t run. She didn’t yell or cry, either.
Instead, she forced a smile on her lips. “Lucas, how good to see you.”
Don’t let anyone tell you that Elena Marshall isn’t the epitome of class.
“Did you want to come in?” I asked.
She nodded, and I took her coat. Her eyes never left Lucas’ face. There was no pain or anguish or really anything in her expression. She only looked cold and unaffected.
I think that was worse.
“Can we talk?” Elena turned to me and smiled. “In private?”
I nodded, leading Elena upstairs to my room. I couldn’t even look at Lucas. I didn’t want to know what he was thinking.
I closed my bedroom door to give us privacy, and Elena sat on the bed, still not speaking. Sometimes there is no weapon greater than silence.
“It’s not what you think,” I blurted out.
She raised an eyebrow, clearly not believing me. “What is it then?”
I swallowed, put on the spot. It’s not like I could tell her about the dead nephilim. She’d ask too many questions, questions I couldn’t answer. Besides, I ow
ed it to her to own up to my betrayal. She deserved that much from me, at least.
“I’m sorry. There is no excuse.” I looked at a stain on my carpet instead of her face.
“How long?” she asked, her voice steady but still emotionless.
“Yesterday.”
She wrapped her arms around me, pulling me in close. She smelled like violets.
Was this the calm before the storm?
“You’re not hugging me so you can stab me in the back, are you?” I half-joked. “Then again I deserve it.”
“Stupid girl.” She pulled away.
There were tears in her eyes. Tears because of me.
“You’re my best friend, Lex. I only want you to be happy.”
I was confused. This isn’t how I would have acted in her shoes. “How aren’t you screaming at me right now? I stole him from you.”
“Stole? Oh, sweetie.” She clucked her tongue like a chiding teacher. “It’s not like he was my boyfriend or anything. There was some flirting and one date. Heck, you were there, so it’s almost like I was the third wheel.”
“But you really like him.”
She laughed as if it were nothing. It sounded forced. She was holding back.
“Boys come and go. But us?” She nudged me with her shoulder. “We’re forever, baby.”
I still had my doubts. “You can tell me if you’re upset. I don’t want a festering wound between us.”
She sighed. “Okay, I am bothered. But not because of Lucas.”
“Then what?”
“You didn’t tell me. Not one word that you had feelings for him, too.” Emotion finally leaked into her voice. “I thought we told each other everything.”
“I didn’t want to hurt you. And you had dibs.”
She rolled her eyes. “Dibs are for food and the front seat of a car. Not people.”
“I’m sorry.” I really was. It was clear to me that she was pushing down her hurt to preserve our friendship. I had betrayed her, and she knew it. She forgave me, anyway.
“There isn’t anything you can tell me that I won’t forgive,” she said.
I could think of at least one thing that would change everything.
She linked her arm through mine. We walked back arm in arm to where Lucas was still standing in the foyer. I didn’t think he had moved at all.
“Elena, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean for this to happen,” Lucas said, looking contrite.
Nephilim Falling (Trenton Investigations) Page 9