Beggars couldn’t be choosers, so I had taken what I could get.
And we had finally kissed for real—our first.
Despite the cool breeze as I walked beside Cain, the memory made my face flush and my toes curl in my boots. Now, the little butterfly felt like a kiss in my hand. Always close to me. But I could sense a hidden power inside the little charm. It wasn’t just pretty. It had magic of some strange kind. Something wild and faint, but with the potential to ignite a figurative forest fire.
Cain walked beside me in silence, oblivious to my romantic thoughts as his eyes darted about like my own private security detail. I noticed he kept his palm close to his hip, making me curious of what kind of weapon he was packing.
A car slowed beside us with the windows down, and I caught a snippet of talk radio as it stopped at a red light. “…murder suspect was last seen fleeing into the Penn Valley Park, and is considered armed and dangerous…”
The light turned green and the car took off. I frowned, hoping it had nothing to do with Cain.
“You didn’t murder anyone while I was gone, right?” I asked him in a stern tone.
He tripped, rounding on me with a startled look. “Of course not!”
I nodded, the matter settled. But Cain was now shooting baffled looks my way as we continued on. Hadn’t he heard the car radio? And let’s be honest, it wasn’t like it was a wild leap for me to consider that Cain had killed someone. It was kind of his thing.
I wasn’t that far from the park, but I was more interested in coffee, and already had enough on my mind as it was. I’d thought about Starlight’s never-ending explosion warning, but only to realize that I had no way of calling him. Bears didn’t have pockets to carry cellphones. Even if they did, I didn’t have his number. And calling the bears in Alaska would also do me no good because Starlight was here in Kansas City. He was probably still high out of his mind anyway.
And I really didn’t want to think about meeting Archangel Michael. It made my brain hurt.
I continued walking towards the coffee shop, realizing that we had kind of turned the place into a regular part of our weekly schedules—meeting up at least once a week to grab coffee and maybe a pastry together. But we had never made the morning commute together, and it felt mildly strange, like we’d had a one-night stand and were now trying to maintain some semblance of normalcy. Well, an Angelic abduction was stranger than any one-night stand. Our usual was coffee with a few extra shots of espresso, courtesy of my two favorite baristas, Emily and Ramses.
We walked by a homeless man sleeping in the doorway of an accounting firm. He was using newspapers as a make-shift blanket, and this morning’s newspaper rested on top, catching my eye. King Solomon Moves to Penn Valley Park. I flinched involuntarily at the mention of King Solomon, recalling my own recently discovered heritage—that I was descended from the infamous king—the wisest, richest man in the history of ever.
A picture below the article showed a snapshot of the exquisite new fountain—a large empty throne, complete with six steps leading up to it with a different pair of animals on each step. I averted my eyes as the homeless man stirred, not wanting him to think I had been staring at him.
Cain had dismissed the homeless man as a threat, knowing I could handle a mere human.
I saw the coffee shop ahead and smiled. Coffee would soon be in my belly.
We waited at a crosswalk even though no one else was on the streets. Kansas City was full of terrible drivers and I knew it was better not to tempt fate. Also, I wasn’t in a rush.
In the last fifteen minutes, I’d decided to change my life.
To focus more on living in the moment, relaxing, and fully taking the happy parts of this thing called life deep into my soul. Because my night had proven that things could always get worse.
And my talk with Dorian had shaken me.
Not even considering that Archangel Michael had pretty much said the same thing—that I was a wild, unpredictable, tainted soul held together by broken chains. Oh, and I was pathetic.
I needed to find my special purpose like Steve Martin in The Jerk. I needed to find my favorite lamp. But first, I needed to relieve the stressors in my life.
Step one, not risk getting run over by a commuter after my life-altering epiphany.
Step two, coffee.
Step three…
Feeling suddenly anxious, I decided to take my new life journey only two steps at a time.
A bus drove past, the driver not even pretending to hide the fact that he was checking his phone as he drove, proving the wisdom of my choice to honor the Patron Saint of Pedestrians.
“Doesn’t he know how dangerous it is to text and drive? Idiot could have killed someone,” Cain cursed, shaking his fist at the bus driver—who obviously didn’t notice.
The side of the bus was plastered with another image of the fountain in Penn Valley Park. Kansas City was known as the City of Fountains, so it wasn’t surprising to hear about a new one, but it was surprising to see it so heavily advertised. It wasn’t like anyone in the city cared.
Tourists might care, but the locals couldn’t care less.
The bus disappeared around a corner, the green walking man appeared on the crosswalk sign, and life rolled on. I led the still cursing Cain across the street, spotting the coffee shop ahead.
A few minutes later, I strolled inside the coffee shop, waving as I saw Ramses and Emily behind the counter. Ramses arched a brow at my torn, stained dress, and then grinned like a lecher upon seeing Cain stroll in behind me in his rumpled linen suit. I scowled, shaking my head, but I wasn’t about to defend my virtue from across the lobby of an open coffee shop. Cain strolled past me, pointing at a table near the window as he pressed onto the counter to pick up our drinks. “Morning, robots,” I called out to Emily and Ramses.
“Greetings, human scum,” Emily replied, smiling at my comment even though she didn’t look up from the espresso machine. “We put extra tar in yours.”
“Thank God.”
I made my way over to the chair and sat down with a sigh. Two businessmen were speaking about the fountain in a desultory fashion, something to lube up the old brain muscle before they kick-started their mental faculties to get down to real business. I saw today’s newspaper before them, cringed at the image of the fountain, and turned to look out the window at the street. Cain strolled up behind me a few minutes later, setting a cup down before me. For the first time, I noticed his cuffs were blood-stained.
“Your friends gave me quite the silent ovation,” he said, rolling his eyes.
I glanced over my shoulder to make sure he hadn’t murdered them. “Can’t blame them. I mean, look at us,” I said, indicating our tattered evening attire. “Must have been a helluva romp.”
He waved a hand dismissively, sitting down. “I don’t see you like that. You’re beautiful and all, toots, but after last night…” he trailed off, noting how close the two businessmen sat to us. “Well, you’re like a sister to me.”
I didn’t say the obvious—that sibling love from Cain might not be that reassuring—but the pain in his eyes let me know he had already considered the gibe and was trying to be serious.
The businessmen behind us were commenting on the apparent manhunt at Penn Valley Park. I frowned absently, turning my chair slightly to face Cain.
“Did you get anywhere with those women at the party?” I asked.
“They never had a chance,” he replied, rolling his eyes. “Before this morning, I was bored. Now, I’m wondering if I should have stayed bored.”
“You’ve been bored? Why?”
“Dorian has been too busy to hang out and I’m dying inside.”
I rolled my eyes. “I’m sure you’ll find a reason to continue living. Try focusing on the positive,” I suggested. “I probably need to make some phone calls about last night. People are probably concerned about me.”
Cain made an awkward sound. The look on his face told me he needed to hit me with s
ome truths I wouldn’t like to hear. “That’s a little complicated…” he began, fidgeting slightly with his cup. “You see, no one actually saw what happened. Well, they noticed the gaping hole in the window, but no one actually saw you jump. They just freaked out, thinking you had thrown your magic around, knocked a bunch of people down, and then blown out a window before running out the door.”
I blinked at him, remembering how time had slowed while everyone was busy staring at Le Bone, waiting for him to speak. “Then how did you know?”
“I caught a glimpse of you right as you jumped. And I recognized them,” he said meaningfully, implying the Angels. “It wasn’t hard to put two-and-two together…” He took a sip of his coffee. “I was the first to look down at the street, and I recognized the runes. And the still-rippling concrete…”
I gave him a crooked, thankful smile. “Thank you.”
He smiled back faintly, shrugging off the compliment. “I asked around, but no one saw you leave the room, and by the time they looked out the window, there were no runes or bodies on the street, just debris.”
I tapped my cup with my fingernails, frowning. “They think I snapped, blew some shit up, and then ran away? So, I’m a crazy person…”
Cain sipped his coffee loudly, refusing to comment.
I scowled at him, letting out a breath. “Wow,” I finally said, leaning back in my seat. “So what do I tell everyone? Sorry for crashing the party? I had some bad lobster bisque? And what about you punching the street like a crazy person? I’m sure plenty of people saw that!”
Cain’s cheeks flushed. “Well, you see, there’s a story to that. A long story…” he quickly averted his eyes under my sudden glare. “I…acquired a potion—the how doesn’t really matter, per se—that could throw up a flawless but temporary veil. All anyone saw was a stalled truck blocking the center of the street…”
I grunted doubtfully, not knowing which question to ask first. I was mighty curious to hear how he had gotten the potion, but also how the potion had made him look like a truck, of all things. By the way he was acting—still blushing and not meeting my eyes—I began to wonder just who he had gotten the potion from. And why he was embarrassed about the acquisition.
“Why are you blush—
He shook his head and immediately cut me off. “Nope. I’m not going to talk about her—” he coughed outrageously in a poor attempt to cover up his slip, causing the businessmen to turn and look back at us to make sure Cain wasn’t choking to death. They looked more annoyed than concerned, though.
I grinned at Cain’s discomfort, waving off their concern absently as I leveled Cain with a predatory smirk. “Oh, I think I really want to hear about her…”
His cheeks were almost purple as he took another long drink. “All that matters is that no one saw me losing my shit in the middle of the street, and no one saw the…saw Michael take you. Haven was already shouting to arrest Le Bone when I grabbed your coat and ran to the elevator. He didn’t want to wait to get Le Bone in chains in case he was behind the chaos somehow. Everyone else was too busy whispering about…how you went postal,” he admitted with a wince.
I slumped in my chair, both disappointed that he hadn’t spilled the beans and that my already scary reputation had taken a turn for the worse.
“Damn. Those are going to be some awkward phone calls…” I finally said.
I took another sip of my drink, wondering which two steps I wanted to tackle next. The phone calls would wait. I wanted to think about my story, first. I knew I couldn’t delay too long, but the sun wasn’t even up yet. I had time.
Cain cleared his throat pointedly. “I think you should call Roland first. Maybe don’t delay…”
I frowned. “Why do you say that?” I asked, not liking the uncomfortable look on his face.
Cain thought about it, frowning himself. “The minute he saw you were gone…” he trailed off, shaking his head. “Something inside of him snapped, Callie. It was a subtle thing. Like a frozen pond’s first crack in the spring. It was like he was standing in an empty room, staring at nothing. If Haven hadn’t snapped him out of it to help with Le Bone…” He watched me, gauging my reaction. “I’ve seen that look before, Callie. It usually prefaces a massacre. Trust me. You need to call him before you call anyone else.”
Crap. “Looks like we’re heading to church,” I sighed, feeling nervous. “This isn’t something I should do over the phone.”
“I’ll call an Uber,” Cain suggested, pulling out his phone.
I placed a hand on his wrist, halting him. “Let’s walk. It’s not far, and I could use the fresh air to collect my thoughts before talking with Roland.”
He looked uncertain about my decision, but finally shrugged. “Your call. But we should get going. We still have about two hours before sunrise, give or take.”
I climbed to my feet and began walking towards the door, wondering what the hell I was going to tell Roland.
And what the look Cain had seen on his face had prefaced.
Chapter 15
We exited the coffee shop and I pulled a scarf from my jacket pocket, wrapping it around my neck. I straightened it, careful to keep the emblem concealed from casual view. Cain noticed and his lips thinned. “Are you sure it’s smart to wear that out in public? Pretty sure the Templars are still hunting you.”
I thought for a moment before turning left to walk down the street. “That’s exactly why I’m wearing it. In case they hired a wizard hitman. But I’m pretty sure they left town with their tails tucked between their legs.” Cain grunted, neither agreeing nor disagreeing as he walked beside me. But he was paranoid—a good trait to hold close these days.
A Cross Pattée was emblazoned across the center of my black scarf, and it nullified magical attacks—part of the uniform for Knights Templar, keeping them safe as they hunted down the big bad supernatural folk of the world in the name of God. All Freaks were evil in their eyes.
“Beckett’s been searching all over town for Olin and his renegade Templars,” I told Cain. “Every single one of their old hideouts has been found abandoned, showing no signs of recent activity. I’m pretty sure Olin and his ilk fled Kansas City to regroup elsewhere. But they will be back someday. That’s for sure.”
We continued walking in silence for a few moments before Cain spoke again. “Outside of business, have you talked with Beckett?”
I sighed. “You know I haven’t.”
“You used to be friends, once. Kind of kicked some serious ass together a few times,” he reminded me. I didn’t say anything. “It’s a shame that he fell for Olin’s lies. But Olin tricked a lot of people, didn’t he? Not telling his own Templars he was a werewolf—”
“Do you have a point?” I growled.
“Just a shitty way for a friendship to die.”
I grunted, kicking at a chunk of gravel on the sidewalk. It hit a trashcan, pinning a flyer announcing a music festival in Penn Valley Park a few weeks from now. Someone had put some serious money into the park to advertise it so widely.
“Is it working?” Cain asked, sipping his coffee loudly.
“What?” I asked, tearing my eyes from the flyer.
“My subtle hints. Are they working?”
I was silent for a time, biting my tongue. “Have I told you I’m trying to become a better person? Calm. Serene. Less violent—”
“So, it’s not working,” he interrupted, chuckling. “But the fact that Beckett is now a tiny teddy bear must be a nice karmic kiss.”
I finally laughed, shaking my head. “A sun bear! It helps more than you know.” My smile withered after a few moments. “What he did…it cut deep, Cain. I know he was deceived by Olin, but he made some personal choices that put people directly in danger. My people. And he did it knowingly, not accidentally. That’s not something I can easily forgive.” I let out an angry sigh. “A lot of bad stuff happened that night, and some of it was a direct result of Beckett’s actions.”
Cain chose not to c
omment further.
My thumb cooled noticeably as Nameless overheard me mention the night I had caught him and trapped him. Michael had said he’d quieted Nameless somewhat, but I wasn’t sure what that actually meant. Michael was adamant that I needed to get the Fallen Angel off my finger and into the Seal of Solomon, pronto. I sighed, shaking my head.
Release me… Nameless pleaded from somewhere deep within me, like an echo of a whisper. I shuddered. His voice was fainter than usual, but still too loud for my liking.
The random commentary was one reason I wasn’t entirely fond of my new buddy, even though he was sometimes helpful—like when he’d tried to warn me about Michael abducting me. Another reason was the constant chill. I’d been forced to keep my thumb in my pocket a lot more often to keep it warm, but also so no one saw the moving shadow circling my finger like smoke. So far, I hadn’t noticed any boost in power or anything, just a whole lot of angst, suffering, and begging.
I had never learned Nameless’ real name, and hadn’t thought to ask Michael about it. I found myself idly wondering if changing his name had been the first step towards his Fall from Grace.
I shook my head and clamped down on the voice. “You hear about the man hunt at Penn Valley Park?” I asked, looking both ways before I crossed the street. The park in question was just ahead of us.
Cain frowned. “Manhunt?” he asked. “No. Where did you hear about that?” he asked, just now spotting a sign with the park’s name stamped into it just ahead of us.
I glanced over at him. “How have you not heard about the manhunt? The car that stopped next to us on our way to the coffee shop was blaring the news from his radio. And those suits at the coffee shop were even talking about it.” I gave him a look of disappointment. “Not very perceptive.”
He blinked a few times, as if trying to recall our walk. “The guys behind us were talking about investments. I remember because one of them mentioned Grimm Tech. They didn’t talk about anything local.”
Sinner: Feathers and Fire Book 5 Page 8