Betrayal

by Lee Nichols

  I knew how to use a knife. A strong blow didn’t come from my wrist, but from my whole body. And now the blade slashed through the air toward Bennett’s chest and I couldn’t stop myself. He’d killed Nicholas, so I’d kill him.

  The blade sliced downward, and I saw his face and remembered something he’d once said: There are powers stronger than ghostkeeping. I watched myself stabbing Bennett, and I saw his eyes widen with shock and fear … and love. Even as I killed him, the love shone undimmed in his eyes.

  Neos crowed as my blade cut through Bennett’s shirt and sliced his chest. But I never once stopped staring at his eyes. Those cobalt blue eyes that I dreamed of every night. Those eyes that I would never stop loving, no matter what Bennett did.

  And an instant before the blade plunged into his heart, I pivoted and flicked my wrist. The dagger flung through the air and buried hilt-deep in the siren’s throat.

  She vanished instantly. I’d silenced her forever.

  There are powers stronger than ghosts and ghostkeeping. There’s love. And there’s anger.

  Bennett lay sprawled on his back with blood seeping from his wound, and I stood and faced Neos, unarmed. I’d always thought that anger felt hot. When I’d lose my temper, my face would flush—I’d want to scream as I boiled with rage, everything tinged with red.

  Not this time. This fury was subzero. I didn’t want to scream—I didn’t even want to speak. Ice flowed through my veins.

  They’d tried to make me kill Bennett. That was a mistake.

  Across the ruined study, Neos grew denser and larger, still absorbing power as his wraiths sacrificed ghostkeepers in the basement. The air around him unraveled and formed a sword with a hungry keen edge, shining with blackness.

  I stalked toward him bare-handed and he swung his sword. Shaped from shards of the Beyond itself, the blade could slice through life and death; I couldn’t deflect it, not without my dagger.

  I didn’t need to. I was as powerful as Emma, the woman in the tapestry. I was as powerful as me. I stepped inside his swing—almost into his embrace—and for an endless instant we stood inches apart. His putrid breath touched my cheek, and power shimmered off him like heat off the sun.

  I hooked my left hand under his elbow and drew him toward me, the last thing he expected. I imbued my right hand with dispelling power. Instead of imbuing my dagger, I imbued my flesh and blood that ran down through centuries, until my fist burned with a terrible white light.

  Then I punched through the underside of his jaw. I wrapped my hand around the amulet embedded in his tongue and yanked.

  Black blood spurted across the room and scorched through wood and cloth and leather. The howl as Neos faded into the Beyond was so full of agony and hate and power that it brought me to my knees.

  Then silence. As everything evil faded away with him.

  I shoved the amulet into my pocket and ran to Bennett. He’d been watching, his hands stanching the flow of blood. All I could see was the life left in his enormous blue eyes. He half smiled and said, “That was epic.”

  Then he passed out.

  The team found me there later, cradling Bennett’s head in my lap. Simon had called the Knell’s doctor, and she’d already put Lukas’s arm in a sling and tended the others’ cuts and bruises. When the doctor saw Bennett, she shooed me away, muttering something about “Asarum,” and began to disinfect and bandage the cut across his chest.

  I told the team what happened, and Simon nodded grimly when I got to the part about Neos sacrificing the Knell ghostkeepers. He’d already found the basement with William’s and Gabriel’s bodies—and had refused to allow Natalie or Lukas inside.

  “How are the ghosts?” I asked. “Coby and the boys?”

  “They’re in the Beyond,” Natalie said. “I can feel them. Coby will be fine. You made him. The others … I don’t know.”

  “What about Neos?” I said. “Coby betrayed him. Neos will go after him.”

  “Dude, what’ve you been doing?” Lukas said, his face paling. “Neos isn’t dispelled?”

  I shook my head. “He fled into the Beyond. He lost the amulet and the siren—and I guess most of his wraiths. But he … he’s still strong. All those deaths.”

  “At least the siren’s gone.” Natalie rubbed her forehead. “I don’t think I could take another head-butting.”

  I apologized and finished telling them what happened. Then Simon organized a search for survivors—both living and ghosts. I stayed behind, holding one of Bennett’s purple-tinged hands.

  When he finally stirred, he opened his eyes in panic and starting drawing on his powers, staring around the room with his fists clenched.

  “Bennett,” I said softly. “It’s over.”

  When he realized I was there, the tension drained out of him. He smiled at me and said, “Hey there. I know you.”

  I buried my face in his neck. “I can’t believe I stabbed you.”

  “Remind me never to get on your bad side,” he said, and took my hand.

  My hands didn’t ache anymore, as if they’d been healed by all the dispelling energy, which took the pain and left faint white patterns etched into my skin.

  “Are you coming back with us?” My voice filled with hope.

  “Neos is gone,” he said, with a slow, brilliant smile. “It’s over. I wasn’t kidding, Emma. Take my powers, take my past. All I want is you.”

  I swallowed. He didn’t know. “About Neos …”

  As I told him, the excitement and warmth in his face faded until nothing remained but a hard knot of purpose. “So he’s not dispelled,” he said. “And he massacred the Knell.”

  I closed my eyes against the pain on his face.

  He traced a lock of my hair with his finger. “I need you,” he said, “more than anything.”

  My eyes flashed open. “Then come home.”

  He showed me his purple hand. “Even with this? I can’t stop, Emma. I still need to do what’s right.”

  “Do you know what’s right?” I leaned forward and kissed him. “This is right. You and me together.”

  “I know,” he said.

  I ran my hand down his chest and he gasped with pain. I pulled away and said, “I’m sorry!”

  He smiled, a little sadly. “Me, too.”

  I blinked back my tears and didn’t say anything else. I knew what he meant. We couldn’t be together, not yet. Not until this finally ended, one way or the other.

  21

  Two weeks later, I still hadn’t stopped crying. Every morning I’d wake and the tears would trail down my cheeks until a sob escaped. It took only one week before Natalie stopped knocking on my door, trying to comfort me. She finally understood there was no controlling the flow—those tears were the only thing that got me out of bed in the morning.

  I sleepwalked through the final weeks of the semester, hoping that my grades in Latin and Trig would keep my GPA from disaster. I still wanted to go to college, after all—even if that seemed like an impossible dream, with the Knell failing and Neos still living in the Beyond.

  On the last day of school before winter vacation, Sara invited me and Natalie to her house to celebrate. Lukas was standing with us at the gates, and Sara got a shy expression on her face before saying, “It’s cool if you want to come, too. Though my surprise is for Emma.”

  “A surprise,” I said, flatly. When Natalie poked me in the ribs, I added, “Can’t wait.”

  “Wow,” Sara said. “Get a grip on your enthusiasm, Emma.”

  I followed them to the car while Natalie explained about Bennett. I should’ve been mortified that my friends were discussing how devastated I was about a guy, but with Bennett it didn’t matter. It was the truth and I didn’t care who knew it.

  We gossiped about school and vacation as we drove to the Neck. Sara’s house was the perfect sea cottage, with views of the harbor and the village—if by cottage you meant five thousand square feet of polished wood floors, contemporary kitchen, and modern art. We grabbe
d sodas and chips in the kitchen, then headed upstairs to Sara’s suite, where we found the surprise.

  Harry sprawled over Sara’s yellow satin sofa, looking like a boy with a great deal of experience in sprawling across sofas.

  I smiled for the first time in weeks, and jumped into his lap. “I’m so happy to see you!”

  “Then why are you crying?” he asked, wiping a tear from my cheek.

  “Dude,” Lukas said. “She does that now.”

  “What’s wrong?” Harry asked. “Tell Uncle Harry everything.”

  “Bennett,” Natalie explained.

  “I knew you liked him,” Harry said. “Ever since he tied your tie.”

  I started weeping again. “I hate you.”

  “Then why are you in my lap?” He grinned.

  “Oh please,” Natalie said. “As if you don’t love having a pretty girl snuggle in your lap.”

  “Without paying for it,” Sara added slyly.

  “Ignore them.” I stood and kissed him on the cheek. “I’m glad you’re you again.”

  He turned serious for a moment. “Thank you, Emma. For everything.”

  Then Natalie popped her head into Sara’s closet. “What can I borrow?”

  “Anything,” Sara said. “Oh, there’s a leather jacket that’d be perfect for you. Now, where did I put that?”

  Something rang false in her tone, and I eyed her curiously.

  “Harry,” Sara said, still stagy and forced. “Have you seen my leather jacket?”

  He furrowed his brow. “I’ll admit to keeping a close eye on your underthings, but your jacket? No.”

  “If only there was some way to find it,” she said.

  Then a short gray leather jacket with three-quarter sleeves floated into the room. Well, that’s how it must’ve looked to Sara and Harry—but Lukas, Natalie, and I all saw Coby waving it back and forth in a ghostly fashion.

  Coby! I said. Where have you been?

  Here, mostly, he said with a grin. After I reattached my limbs. Man, that Neos is nasty.

  You could’ve told me you were okay. I was worried.

  He looked contrite. Well, you wouldn’t understand what it’s like to need time to heal and mourn and cry. And cry, and cry, and cry …

  I couldn’t help myself. I laughed.

  “What’s he saying?” Sara asked.

  So I told them. Apparently the three of them had been hanging out at Sara’s house—almost like old times.

  “Watch this.” Harry pulled a beer can from beside the sofa.

  “Harry!” Natalie scolded.

  “It’s empty. But watch. You know AA has twelve steps?”

  He reached for the beer, and Coby snatched it away.

  “He’s like the thirteenth step!” Lukas said.

  Harry beamed. “Exactly.”

  I spent the next couple of hours relaying messages back and forth, and felt better than I had in weeks. When Coby said he wanted to see me turn into a ghost again, I demurred, but he said I owed him.

  Fine, I finally gave in. But only because you’re dead.

  That struck him as funny, and for the first time since I’d summoned him, I saw him laugh.

  I excused myself to the bathroom, pulled Emma’s ring from the chain around my neck, and slipped it on my finger. I slid through the door and flew up to sit beside Coby, where he was perched atop Sara’s bookcase. I landed sort of awkwardly.

  You need to practice that, he said.

  I know, it’s just so … weird.

  You get used to it, Coby said resignedly.

  I turned to look at him, still wearing the suit he’d worn for Homecoming, even more crazy good looking in death than in life. Are you really okay? Even with Neos still out there?

  You kicked his bony ass, Em.

  But he’s still alive and you betrayed him. He’ll come after you.

  Probably. And he’ll try to kill you, too. Coby took my hand, and he didn’t burn me because we were both ghosts. But you’re a hero in the Beyond, Emma. Maybe he’s not gone forever, but you beat him. Nobody thought that was possible. We were staring into the abyss, and you stopped him.

  I guess.

  Stop guessing. He showed me one of his old charming grins. Maybe you still gotta sweat the play-offs, but you know what? You won the game.

  We won the game, I said, and leaned against him.

  Lukas glanced up at me, and I waved, but he ignored me, too interested in what Sara was saying. Though I noticed him glance at Natalie flirting with Harry, almost like he was jealous.

  Which one is he into? Coby said. Sara or Natalie?

  Sara, I think. I mean, he and Natalie … My voice trailed off. What if he and Natalie really were falling for each other? Well, they’re both ghostkeepers, so that’ll never work. Anyway, Sara’s still missing you, Coby. We all are.

  Yeah. But you know what? I think it’s all going to be okay.

  We sat there and watched our friends talking and laughing, and I started to think maybe he was right.

  That night after dinner, I slunk into the kitchen and found Celeste scrubbing pans and Anatole putting the finishing touches on a homemade chai milk shake for me. I’d found solace in the two of them lately, maybe because they were the only ones who really understood how I felt about Nicholas.

  I’d failed him. I knew that he’d betrayed us, that he’d almost killed us all. And I knew that Bennett did what was necessary to protect me—to protect everything—but I still missed the little urchin, with his big eyes and his annoying mums.

  I helped Celeste dry the pots, then sat in the nook and indulged in my milk shake. After a time, Celeste perched on the bench across from me and did her sewing, then Anatole huffed down beside me to engage in some menu planning, which involved a surprising amount of gesticulating and muttering.

  After a while, I started feeling better. Sometimes just sitting quietly was all I needed. I washed my milk-shake glass and said good night to Anatole and Celeste. I’d hardly said two words, but they knew I loved them.

  Upstairs, I stepped into my room—then froze. A strange shape sat on my bed. My powers flared before I realized: “Bennett!”

  His blue eyes were sunken and his black button-down and tattered jeans hung on his sinewy frame, but his smile was perfect. “Don’t ask what I’m doing here.”

  So of course I said, “What are you doing here?”

  “I couldn’t waste another day.”

  “What does that mean?”

  “You know what it means. Any day I don’t spend with you is a day wasted.”

  My heart lifted. “Do the others know you’re here?”

  “No, I snuck in.” He shot me a naughty grin. “I have a secret drainpipe.”

  He looked like hell, but all the charm and mystery I’d fallen in love with were still there. Just being in the same room with him made me feel more alive. “And what makes you think I’d collude with your sneakiness? There is an Englishman downstairs who’d like a word with you.”

  “The only one I want words with is you.” He somehow made that sound sexy, and my body tingled—for once not because of ghosts. “I was wrong, Emma. We belong together.”

  “You don’t think you’ll …”

  “Lose my powers?” He shrugged. “If I keep taking the Asarum, I’ll be okay.”

  My stomach dropped. “Bennett, no. Please, stop. You’re killing yourself.”

  “I can’t stop.” His eyes pleaded with me. “And I can’t stay away from you.”

  I was quiet, not sure what to do. I couldn’t stand what he was doing to himself, but the thought of him leaving made me shake.

  “Then don’t go.” I pulled him close. He was right. We had to be together. To love each other, no matter what the cost.

  He smiled as he ran his hands over me in the moonlight and kissed me. As my eyes closed, I realized he was beginning to feel like someone else. Not the boy I’d spent a night with in New York. He smelled different, looked different, felt different.
/>   And I wondered … could I love this Bennett just as much?

  ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

  Thanks to my agents, Nancy Coffey and Joanna Stampfel-Volpe, their assistant, Deirdre Sprague-Rice, and everyone at Bloomsbury, especially my fantastic editor, Caroline Abbey, and publicists, Deb Shapiro, Kate Lied, and Rachel Wasdyke. And thanks to Melissa Senate, who listens to every complaint along the way.

  About the Author

  Lee Nichols was raised in Santa Barbara, California—the setting of her adult novels Tales of a Drama Queen, Hand-Me-Down, and True Lies of a Drama Queen. The first Haunting Emma novel, Deception, was her YA debut. She attended Hampshire College in Amherst, Massachusetts, where she studied history and psychology. She now lives in Maine and is married to novelist Joel Naftali.

  www.leenicholsbooks.com

  This ghostly mystery is not over yet.

  Read on for a sneak peek at the next

  Haunting Emma book:

  SURRENDER

  I’ve never liked bad boys. On TV shows, when the girl is torn between her sweet best guy friend—who is not-so-secretly in love with her—and the standoffish bad boy, I always root for the best friend.

  But standing in Bennett’s attic room, my arms twined around him, I finally saw the appeal. I shouldn’t have been there. Shouldn’t have let Bennett’s drug-stained fingers stroke my neck, shouldn’t have lied to Simon about him. And I definitely shouldn’t have been kissing him when I was supposed to be downstairs with the rest of the team, trying to figure out Neos’s next move.

  Yet I barely protested when Bennett nibbled my neck. “I—I should—oh—”

  He pinned me with his piercing blue eyes. “Yes?”

  “Um …” I licked my lips. “I forgot what I was going to say.”

  “You don’t have to say anything. Just keep making those little noises.”

  I let out a sound I didn’t recognize as he traced my spine with his finger.

  “Yeah, like that,” he whispered.

  Oh my God. How could I have been so wrong about bad boys? Forget the best friend, I wanted this—the unpredictable charm, the danger, and the heat. Did anything else matter? I closed my eyes and ran my fingers through his hair in the spinning darkness—then stopped when I heard a cough from the doorway.