Sins of the Innocent

by Jamie McGuire

  "I was in darkness for a long time," I said. "A really long time. You saved me."

  He touched my face. "I bargained for a second chance."

  "Bargained what?"

  After a pause, he shrugged. "Everything."

  I looked up at him. "That's where the dream stopped. What happened next?"

  He looked down at me, staring deep into my eyes, with a sweet smile on his face. "This."

  He pecked my lips once and then again. My lips parted, allowing his tongue inside. He pulled me closer, his hands finding their way to cup my jaw, and then his fingers brushed back my bangs.

  He pulled away, touching his forehead to mine and closing his eyes. "I've waited lifetimes for you."

  He looked back, toward the door, and in the same moment, my senses reached beyond the dark creatures surrounding the lighthouse, Levi, and the house employees. A mixture of both good and evil was coming our way--and they were many.

  "Levi?"

  He stood, bringing me with him. "I feel it."

  "They're coming."

  "I know," he said, releasing me to open a wooden chest full of weapons. He loaded a pistol and tossed it to me.

  I pressed on the handle with my thumb, and the clip popped out from the grip. "What am I supposed to do with this?"

  "They're shells."

  My parents had spoken of shells from their travels to Jerusalem where I was born. Thousands of demons had taken over the humans and attacked us, hoping to stop my birth. Possession made it easier for demons to navigate Earth's plane even if it was an abomination and disparagement of the Balance.

  "Shells?" I put down the weapon. "I can't kill anyone."

  He clenched his teeth and picked it up again, holding its grip out for me to take. "These are demons disturbing the Balance, Eden. It's permitted."

  "Once the demons leave them, they're human again. I won't kill them."

  Levi shoved the gun at me. "But you can slow them down."

  I nodded, relieving him of the pistol. I took another from the chest and shoved it into the back of my shorts. "Something else is coming. I can't get a read on it, but it's big."

  "Michael ... I think. Possibly your grandfather. Your family isn't far behind."

  I shook my head. "Something else."

  "We'll know soon enough."

  I followed Levi to the entrance, spinning around when I heard footsteps stomping down the stairs. He moved unnaturally, as if his body were broken. In the next second, Levi's fingers were around Paolo's neck, holding him to the wall with little effort.

  Paolo hissed, his eyes solid black globes protruding unnaturally from the sockets. Levi thrust his face toward Paolo, baring his teeth, a carnal growl ripping from his throat.

  Paolo cowered, but the hissing protest continued.

  "Get me the rope from the chest, Eden. Go," Levi commanded.

  In seconds, I had retrieved the rope. I helped Levi tie Paolo to the thick bottom pillar of the banister. Paolo struggled against the bindings. Once again, we were standing next to the door, holding our pistols close.

  "Is this it?" I asked. "Is this the part where we die?"

  Levi smiled. "This is my father having a temper tantrum. We can handle it."

  "But you said Michael was coming. Why would the Creator dispatch--"

  "He doesn't like it when Hell messes with his plans."

  "So, he's going to protect us until we die? That makes sense."

  Levi cocked his pistol. "Isn't that what they do to those on death row?"

  I peeked out the curtain, seeing fifty shells standing in perfect lines, ten across, five deep. They were all soaked from rain and sea.

  I looked back at Levi. "Don't kill anyone. Promise me."

  Levi winked. "I will do my very best, love."

  Paolo cackled, a frightening sound even through the rope gag across his mouth. "They're coming for you," he said, his words muffled. "And then for her." His accent had changed, his voice low and hoarse.

  I'd heard the voice of a demon before, but the sound coming from Paolo's throat was more than one voice and so different from human that it was unnerving.

  "Silence, Nybbas," Levi barked, unfazed.

  Once Levi called the demon out by name and commanded him, he recoiled and cried out.

  Levi winked at me. "Don't worry. I'll take care of this."

  I forced a small smile. "I believe you ... Levi."

  His eyes fluttered, and then his entire body tensed, his back arched. "No ... no!" His voice bellowed, filling the entire house. "I said no!" He didn't sound like himself as he commanded whatever was attempting to take over his body. He strained, the veins in his neck and forehead bulging.

  "Levi?" I cried.

  He grunted and crouched over, breathing hard, still struggling. I reached out to him, but he held out his hand, signaling for me to stay away.

  He fell to his knees, and then he was still.

  "Are you okay?" I asked.

  He nodded.

  "What was that?" I asked, horrified. "What is it? What's wrong?"

  Levi gripped his knee with a free hand and then stood, seeming fatigued. "They tried to shell me."

  My eyebrows pulled in. "Which one?"

  "All of them."

  Paolo laughed again, his body trembling in delight. His fingers curved in like a primate, his back was bent, and his shoulders hunched. He was soaked in his own sweat, his hair dripping as if he'd been out in the rain.

  Levi approached him. "Silence, demon."

  As Paolo continued to laugh, Levi bent his elbow high in the air, and then letting go, his fist met Paolo's face. Blood spattered as his nose exploded with the blow, and his head fell backward, his body limp.

  "Will they try it again?" I asked, worried.

  Levi rolled his shoulders back and blew out a cleansing breath, offering a comforting smile. "Even as one, they aren't strong enough."

  "You're sure?"

  He nodded and smiled, trying not to look as unsettled as I felt.

  "Good to know."

  "They're here," Levi said. "Your family is docking the Katherine. Let's move."

  I nodded and pulled open the door, pointing my gun at the dozens of shells standing in the pouring rain. I cocked my weapon and pointed it at the woman standing in the middle, her eyes like large obsidian marbles, her skin pale and thin as paper. A human would become very sick after being shelled, and they would never be quite the same after. I scanned their faces, knowing each innocent life would be forever changed because of me and this enduring bid for power.

  "Step back, demon," I commanded, cocking my gun.

  The rain pelted my face and eyes, causing me to squint. The demons would use our compassion against us, many times forcing the death of a shell, but I wouldn't allow that.

  She bared her teeth, her white nightgown translucent, highlighted intermittently by the beam of the lighthouse. I imagined how horrified, how cold and ill, she would be when the demon left her.

  "Leave her!" I said.

  She twitched, the dark spirit inside of her struggling to keep hold.

  A shell attacked Levi, and he easily struck down a man twice his size. With limbs sprawled out in every direction, the man's body slid along the ground and stopped in a shallow puddle.

  "Last chance," Levi said to the creatures standing before us.

  My hair swelled with rainwater and formed droplets at the tips, sticking to my jawline. Within the first two minutes, I was as soaked as the woman before me. I wiped the water falling from my lashes and into my eyes, and just as my focus was broken, the woman sprinted toward me, followed by the dozens of shells around her.

  I threw punches and kicks, ducking from their grip, but they were many. They succumbed to the blows I dealt, but they were as strong as Claire and Bex. Soon, they piled on top of me--punching, biting, scratching, and pulling at my hair and skin.

  I fell to my knees, my palms flat against the grass and mud, feeling the weight of more than a dozen rabid huma
ns on my back. Seconds later, they were gone. Levi was tossing them across the yard, three or four at a time.

  I fought my way to my feet. The adrenaline of being overtaken, even for a moment, put too much force behind my fists. Thirty yards away, a man fell to the ground, lifeless. I froze, my fists at my sides, breathing hard, the rain dripping from my nose and chin.

  "Here!" Levi said, still fighting. "We're here!"

  Michael appeared next to me, dry and unaffected by the rainstorm. "Leave this place!" he bellowed to the creatures so loud that I had to cover my ears.

  The shells shrank back in fear, withdrawing to the sea.

  Samuel appeared next to him, and then I felt an army of Archs and Cimmerians behind me, surrounding the lighthouse and filling up every square foot of earth between us and the cliffs.

  "Wait," I said, taking a step. I looked to Michael, squinting from the rain. "They'll leave them in the Narragansett. They'll wake up weak in the water."

  Michael raised an eyebrow.

  "They'll drown," I insisted.

  Michael frowned at the retreating shells.

  Dad, Claire, and Bex ran to where Levi and I stood.

  Moments before, we had been surrounded by hundreds of Archs. Now, we were alone in the night just as the sun broke through the clouds and the rain let up.

  "Are they following?" Claire asked.

  Levi shook his head. "They're making sure the humans get back safely."

  "That's nice of them," Claire said, surprised.

  "What was that about?" Dad said, two deep lines forming between his brows.

  Levi shook his head, unsure. "She remembers. I think it triggered something."

  "Like wrath maybe?" Bex said, unsettled.

  "I haven't seen that many shells since Jerusalem," Claire said.

  Dad's expression turned more severe as he scanned my face. "What is it?"

  "I wasn't prepared," I said, ashamed to admit the truth. I was still in disbelief. "They overwhelmed me."

  Bex and Claire traded glances, and Dad continued to watch me, unhappy.

  "Well, she's been sparring with us. We're barely a challenge," Bex said.

  "Speak for yourself," Claire said.

  "Enough," Dad snarled. He glared at Levi. "Well? What are you capable of? Can you challenge her?"

  "He held her down in the alley," Bex said. "He can at least best her for a few seconds."

  "More than a few," Levi said.

  I arched an eyebrow.

  Levi noticed my expression and cleared his throat. "I was tasked with her assassination. I'm confident I can challenge her, but I don't think ..." His eyes drifted to me.

  "What? You can't hit her?" Claire said, smirking.

  Levi clenched his teeth. "I know you can't."

  Claire's grin vanished, and she took a step. Dad held the back of his hand to her chest, keeping his eye on Levi.

  "If you sparred with her, could you land a punch?" Bex asked, his question sincere.

  "Yes, but I don't want--" Levi began.

  "It's settled then," I said. "I'll train with Levi." I looked to him, touching his chest. "It's just safer for me in the long run, right?"

  Levi frowned, unhappy with the thought of attacking me for real. "I don't want to do this."

  "You're assuming you'll win," I said, holding out my hand.

  He took it, and we followed my family back to the dock where the Katherine waited to take us back to Newport.

  Morgan was standing in the long line of Backdoor Burger. Its bright orange front door was nestled between two green dumpsters in an alley downtown, but they had the best BLTs in New England. I joined him, tugging on his T-shirt to let him know I'd arrived.

  The floors, walls, and ceiling were of the same type of wood. The bi-level eatery had no windows but plenty of lighting to make up for it.

  A woman at the register was closer to my mom's age than mine. Every time I'd been in there, she had been manning the counter. Her arms were covered in tattoos, and she had a bull ring in her nose. My favorite thing about her was that she always wore Tshirts or hoodie sweatshirts that said something completely inappropriate.

  Today's shirt had a black skull with a spatula and fork crossing beneath it and read, Culinary Badass.

  "Next!" she yelled.

  "Sorry I'm late," I said. "I had a long night."

  "Did you go to a party?" he asked, trying not to look wounded.

  "Of course not. I was at Levi's."

  "Levi's," Morgan deadpanned. "The guy you hate."

  "I don't hate him anymore."

  We took a few small steps as the line moved forward.

  "And why is that?"

  "I've spent some time with him. He's all right."

  "So ... does that mean I don't have to hate him?"

  "That's correct."

  "Cool. Why didn't you bring him?"

  "Next!" the counter woman called.

  We moved forward.

  "We hung out last night. I wanted to hang out with you today, Morg."

  Morgan grinned, appreciative of my sentiment. After ten minutes, we finally made our way to the front of the line to order, only to be given a number to take to our table.

  Morgan chose a two-seater high top in the corner, and we sipped on our sodas while we waited for our BLTs and seasoned fries. We were just two teenagers eating junk food with time to kill instead of demons. That was why I hadn't invited Levi. Morgan was my escape. Everyone needed a break from the difficult parts of their lives even if it was just lunch once or twice a week.

  We chatted about Morgan's summer job and his parents until the food arrived, and then we didn't talk at all. Instead, we stuffed our mouths full of juicy goodness.

  Morgan used a napkin to wipe his mouth, smiling when I reached over to steal his leftover fries. "Just six weeks before you move into Andrews at Brown, huh?"

  "Yeah," I said.

  Since graduation, I had thought I wouldn't make it to college. Now, having Levi's help while still remaining neutral, I was beginning to believe that I might stay alive long enough to have some semblance of a normal life.

  "When do you leave?"

  "Mid-August."

  "Are you nervous?"

  "I wish I could have gotten into Brown. Let's just put it that way."

  "You'll be fine."

  "You're my only friend."

  "For now. But that doesn't mean I'll be the only friend you'll ever have."

  Morgan looked past me, and I glanced over my shoulder to see a group of girls giggling at a table on the opposite side of the room.

  I stifled a smile, and stole another one of his fries. "College is going to be a whole new world for you, Morg. You can be anyone you want to be. It's a clean slate."

  "What if I'm just myself, and I still don't have any friends? That will be confirmation that I'm a complete loser."

  "I like you. You can't be that bad."

  "You don't have any friends either."

  "By choice."

  "Well, it's not a choice for me. People just naturally don't like me. Tell me the truth, Eden. Do I have bad breath? Body odor? Do I dress like a dork? What is it about me that people don't like?"

  I shrugged. "I honestly don't know." I leaned forward. "But whatever it is, no one will know about it in college. High school is a cesspool, and we just happen to fall at the bottom. There is a stigma attached to that. But it has a way of disappearing in college."

  "How do you know?"

  I shrugged again. "My mom told me. Well, she just agreed with my aunt because I didn't believe her. Claire was homeschooled. She's also kind of a bitch but in the best possible way."

  "I've never met your aunt."

  "Count yourself lucky. Levi didn't love her."

  "Wait. We've been friends for years, and I've never met your family or been to your house. You kind of know Levi for a few weeks, and he's already met your aunt? The one who is gone most of the time?"

  "It was a freak accident."

&
nbsp; Morgan was still unhappy.

  "Morg, if it makes you feel better, come over and meet them all. Just ... call first. My grandmother is a little weird about guests."

  "Maybe I will."

  "Good." I looked at my watch. "I'd better head out. Training."

  "You should train with Levi. He seems like he knows his stuff."

  I breathed out a laugh. "Yeah, maybe I should."

  The ground was still wet, even after warming all day in the summer sun. I curled my toes in my sneakers and cracked my knuckles, standing before Levi in the courtyard. My family stood in the corners. Claire could barely contain her anticipation, Bex and Dad watched with interest, and Mom and Ryan looked concerned.

  "You ready?" I asked Levi.

  A permanent frown had taken over his beautiful face since sunrise. "I'm not comfortable with this."

  "Why? Afraid you'll lose?"

  "We're equal, Eden. It will take more than strength. You'll have to use your head."

  "Use my head?"

  "Yes, you can't just--"

  I reared back and head-butt him, my forehead knocking hard into his. He fell backward and then scrambled back to stand.

  "Like that?" I asked.

  Claire hopped up and down, too excited to stand still. "I told you. She's got this."

  Dad hushed her.

  Levi strolled around me in a wide circle. "I want to reiterate that I don't want to do this."

  I crouched into a defensive position. "You're supposed to challenge me. All I hear is talk."

  He put his hands on his hips and looked down. "This is not what I had in mind when I thought about what it would be like to see you again." His jaw worked under his skin, and then he looked up at me.

  "Stop being a baby, and hit her!" Claire yelled.

  "This brings back memories," Mom said quietly to Dad.

  "Just try," I said.

  "Eden ..."

  "We don't have all day!" Claire yelled.

  "Okay then," I said. "We'll try this a different way."

  I went in for the attack, throwing a punch. Levi bent back, preventing my knuckles from connecting with his face by mere centimeters. He threw a punch, and I stepped to the side. He moved past me, and I spun and kicked his back, forcing him several steps forward.

  He turned around, and I frowned.

  "You're not trying," I said.

  I lunged at him again, landing a punch to his mouth, and when he spun, I grabbed him, wrapping my arms around his middle. My back bent, and I let the both of us fall backward. Levi's head crashed into the cement below. Then I grabbed his ankles before tossing him across the courtyard, and he fell back against Bex.