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“Nothing on earth is yours, dark one.”
Rahab turned beet red, droplets of foam forming at the corners of his mouth. “Your kind is not supposed to interfere in our work! We’ve been granted the right to test humanity and deal with our own ranks.”
“It is not her time.” The angel regarded me. “She will serve as a test to many souls.”
There was a dense pause. And then Rahab smiled.
“Fine. It is not her time now.” He waved the gun at me. “But it is hers.” Before anyone could stop him, he pointed the gun at Gerlinda’s forehead and fired. I screamed at the sickening crack and spray of blood. She fell back, hitting the wall and sliding down, dead. Her spirit wrenched itself from the body and was captured by two Legionnaire spirits who swept her from our sight.
The gun I held clattered to the floor and I crouched down. I was so certain Rahab would go against the angel’s orders and try to kill me, too, that I felt for the hilt at my ankle. My hand found the leather cover and fumbled to open it.
The ranks of angels moved toward the stage in unison, filled with righteous anger. None of the Dukes dared move. Rahab stumbled back as several angels surrounded me in a circle of protection.
A long-haired angel noticed what I was doing and swooped down, shielded from view by his brethren.
“You are not to reveal the Sword of Righteousness this night, child,” the angel whispered to me.
Its voice was a balm to my soul, and I uncurled my fingers from the hilt, no longer burdened with the fearful instinct to protect myself. I stood, shaken but strangely at peace.
Every one of the angels stared at Rahab, stricken and offended by the loss of life they’d just witnessed. The leader in the center seemed to fight a battle within, wanting nothing more than to disobey orders so he could take care of Rahab then and there.
“Someday,” the angel promised him. He and Rahab glared at each other as the angels moved backward toward the light, one by one disappearing into it. When the last angel entered the light, darkness descended on the room once again.
A palpable tension filled the room in their absence.
“Someday we will take back what is ours,” Rahab whispered, seething. He turned on my father. “You will punish her within an inch of her death! Now get your filthy offspring out of our sight. All of you! Go!”
There was pandemonium as I jumped off the stage and ran to grab my coat. Nephilim were scrambling, falling over chairs and one another to grab their things and get out of there. My friends stared at me in disbelief. Their faces showed that they’d been through hell that night just as surely as I had. Even Ginger looked worn. But it was Kaidan’s glassy, blank stare that killed me.
During those split seconds I watched him until his sight focused. Seeing me up there had broken something inside him.
Someone grabbed me by the elbow: my father.
“Get out,” he growled, shoving me toward the exodus of Nephilim. Ginger grabbed Marna’s hand and they ran, with Blake close behind. My father pushed me forward and we crushed into the crowd.
I turned, looking for Kaidan. I had to say good-bye. My dad shook his head. In the madness I made eye contact with Kopano, whose worried eyes tore at me.
My father continued to shove me from behind, up the narrow stairs and down the darkened hall, shoulder-to-shoulder with other Neph. I kept turning, trying to peer around my dad’s solid body, frantic for a glimpse of Kai.
And there he was, also attempting to push through the people. I reached my arm back, feeling my dad’s hands firm around my waist. Kaidan’s warm fingers locked around mine, and our gazes held. In those blue eyes was a shattered look that made my soul ache.
“Enough!” my father scolded gruffly, pulling me and breaking my connection to Kai. I screamed out. We burst into the frozen night, where my father hailed a waiting cab, opening the door and flinging me inside. He gave directions to the cabdriver.
“Straight to the hotel,” my dad said to me, throwing cash on my lap. “I’ll deal with you later.”
He slammed the door shut.
“What’s going on at that club?” the cabbie asked as he laid on the gas pedal. “There a fire in there or something?”
I couldn’t answer. I spun around in the seat, staring at Kaidan on the edge of the sidewalk, hands on his head, air condensing like smoke from his lips, watching me leave.
CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE
UNDERNEATH
Going back to school after that weekend was surreal. I tried to focus on Jay and Roni, who were both hurting. They weren’t talking at the moment, despite Jay’s efforts to apologize. The depth of their sadness only gave me more hope for their possible future. It was clear how much they cared for each other.
I kept thinking about how the angel said I would be a test for many souls. Maybe he was bluffing Rahab. Could angels bluff? No matter what he said, there was no way I’d do the work of my father. I would rather die.
Marna had come to me bearing bad news the day after the summit. Kaidan was moving to L.A. right away, and the band would soon follow. I’d been given instructions not to call. He’d left without saying good-bye. Knowing he lived so close had been my security blanket, and now he was gone.
Marna revealed another piece of information about the night of the summit. Kaidan had hidden a knife in the sole of his boot, which would explain the one he held when he’d stood, ready to fight for me. Fortunately nobody had noticed, because the light had been the room’s focus.
It was better this way, I told myself. Safer. I repeated it to myself like a mantra.