Darker Days

The Darker Agency - 1

by

Jus Accardo

For Julia and Nunzio…

Vi sono mancato…

Chapter One

It was hard to piss off my mom, but I’d managed to do just that—piss her off. Big time. Matter of fact, I couldn’t remember the last time I’d made her this mad.

My punishment was pretty severe and totally didn’t fit the crime. At least, that was my opinion. I’d been sent out to deal with a client. Not just any client, but a client from The Ledges—Penance, New York’s very own mini Beverly Hills.

On the doorstep of the opulent Victorian, I listened as the doorbell announced my presence in a yak-worthy, upbeat version of Beethoven’s Fur Elise. It was loud enough to hear over my iPod. Christ. It wasn’t bad enough to use the work of the greatest musical genius of our time as a doorbell, they had to add a bass and cymbals, too?

I flipped off my iPod and pulled the buds from my ears. A few moments later, the door opened, and I was greeted by a middle-aged woman wearing a leopard print bikini, rhinestone flip flops, and huge matching sunglasses. Lord. What possessed these people to spend money on this junk? The price tag for the glasses alone was probably way into the triple digits, yet they looked like something you’d see at a dollar store.

“I’m Jessie, from the Darker Agency. They sent me to deal with your problem.”

The woman pulled down her glasses and blinked a few times. “You’re just a child,” she said finally. “What can you do about it?”

I should have been insulted, but it was the same song on a different day.

“I promise I’m qualified to deal with the issue.” Not that I knew what the issue was. Mom had neglected to tell me. If she’d sent me out alone though, chances were it was easy peasy—which equaled boo-ring as hell.

The woman shrugged and held the door open. Obviously, my age wasn’t a big concern for her as long as I could make the problem go away. Yep. That was me. A regular fairy godmother in Sketchers.

I followed her through the house, trying hard not to touch anything. The décor was as tacky as the woman. Zebra print couch, leopard print rugs—the people from PETA would have a coronary on general purpose alone—and an extremely creepy four-foot statue of Buddha covered entirely in rhinestones. Or maybe they were diamonds. With these people, who knew?

When we got to the back door, she stopped and waved me ahead. “He’s out back. In the pool.”

“He?”

“My husband.”

I froze. “Your husband? Ma’am, if this is a domestic dispute, the police are probably better suited to deal with it…”

The woman came forward, pinning me with an indignant glare. Arms folded and finger tapping, she said, “I called the police. They told me I was crazy.”

Oh, no.

“It couldn’t possibly be my husband,” she continued, voice taking on a slight squeak. Head shaking furiously, she marched to the edge of the deck and waggled a scarlet-tipped finger at the pool. “Your husband died a week ago, they said.”

Oh, hell no.

She scrunched up her nose and stomped a flip-flop clad foot, doing her best impression of a spoiled five-year-old. “He showed up three days ago, and I can’t get rid of him.”

I took a single step forward and peered over the edge. In the middle of the pool, underwater, was a man in a dark suit.

I couldn’t believe it. Mom had sent me out here to deal with a zombie. A frigging zombie!

She must have been really mad…

It was silly, really—my issue with zombies. They were generally harmless. More annoying than anything else. That whole thing about eating brains and craving flesh? Bunch of crap. Zombies smelled bad. They had the whole creeptastic, stare-right-through-you thing going on. But munching people? Not their thing.

There were plenty of other things out there that did that.

From an early age, Mom made sure I knew Hollywood had it all wrong. Zombies didn’t rise from the grave to eat brains and infect people with their chompers. They were a corporeal manifestation of the deceased—her overinflated wording, not mine. They pretty much appeared in a place they found comforting in life—and stayed there. An occasional gurgle or muscle twitch, but otherwise nada. Getting rid of them was simple. A little quartz powder and a match did the trick.

Of course, that was when they weren’t under six feet of pool water.

“Payment was discussed with the agency?” I asked, unlacing my sneakers. The one thing Mom and I learned the hard way—get the money up front. It wasn’t just credit card payments and dinner checks people skipped out on in this economy. We’d been stiffed too many times to count.

The woman nodded and waved a check in front of my face. “Just get rid of that icky thing and it’s all yours.”

Icky thing? She and her husband must have been an epic kind of love…

“I don’t deserve this,” I muttered under my breath. Pulling off my socks, I stuffed them into the shoes, then pulled the iPod from my pocket and set it on the table next to my cell.

“What was that?” the woman asked. She was standing off to the side, tapping her foot. Apparently, I wasn’t moving fast enough.

“Nothing.” This was a clear case of punishment not fitting the crime. All I’d done was sneak off to take some incriminating pictures of the school principal and his much younger new girlfriend at a swingers bar outside town. Marcy Dubois, a girl in my math class—and the principal’s daughter—paid me five hundred bucks to do it! No one in their right mind turns down an easy five hundred bucks…

Apparently, I should have.

Mom had a strict no student jobs rule, meaning I was forbidden to take side jobs from classmates. What I’d done hadn’t even been about the money. Well, it had a little, but it was also semi-personal. Another no-no in Mom’s book. I’d gotten detention four times last week for being three minutes late to class. Three minutes! Plus, I wasn’t a fan of cheaters. If you asked me, I should have gotten a handshake and an oversized chocolate cookie for what I’d done.

Not a soggy zombie.

Squatting down by the edge of the pool, I slipped my legs into the cool water, sending ripples across the surface. The zombie didn’t move. I held my breath and slipped the rest of the way in, fighting back a shiver.

Communication was an issue with zombies. They didn’t chat. Asking it nicely to step out of the water so I could set it on fire probably wasn’t going to fly. I’d have to drag it out. That meant touching it. My stomach convulsed and I fought back the remnants of the tuna bagel I’d eaten earlier.

I was a professional, dammit. I could do this without tossing my cookies—or my tuna.

I let my head slip beneath the water and dove to the bottom of the pool. Extending a hand, I poked the thing’s shoulder. Nothing. Gripping it under both arms, I pushed off the bottom and kicked hard for the surface. When my head broke the water, I nearly choked on the smell. The air stank like a month old dead chicken in the summer sun mixed with rotting road kill. Pungent and able to induce yakking with a single whiff. The tuna bagel tried to make a reappearance, but once again, I swallowed it back and made my way to the edge.

When I got there, I planted both feet on the top step and heaved the zombie from the water. It complied with no resistance, righting itself once we were on solid ground.

So far, so good.

Grabbing my bag from the picnic table, I pulled out a small vial of quartz powder mixed with salt. Fairy Dust, Mom dubbed it. Some girls I knew never left the house without makeup essentials—the hottest shade of lip gloss and a killer waterproof mascara. Not me. I was all about the tools of my trade.

Popping the cap on the quartz, I sprinkled some of the Dust at the feet of the zombie, then pulled the small container of lighter fluid from my back pocket, spritzing the thing down. Still no complaints.

Everything was going fine until I flicked the flint on my lighter. The zombie, previously a lump of stinky silence, let out an otherworldly howl.

“Oh my God!” the woman screamed, jumping back. “What the hell was that?”

I flicked the lighter again and a small flame burst to life “It’s fine. Sometimes they make noise. They’re harmless, though. It’ll be over in a sec.”

With another scream and an angry chomping of teeth, the zombie picked that moment to make a liar out of me. Before I could move out of the way, it lurched forward and knocked me back. Everything blurred for a second. There was a strange, weightless feeling, and then I hit the water.

When I surfaced, the woman was screaming, hopping from foot to foot on a lawn chair near the edge of the pool.

Really? A chair? What did she think that was going to do?

“Calm down,” I called, dragging myself from the water. I grabbed a handful of my long, brown hair and wrung out the chlorine water. “You’ll only make it—”

The zombie let out another cry and lunged forward a few feet toward the woman’s chair. As if the screaming wasn’t enough, she’d started waving one of her pink, bedazzled flip flops at the thing. With a hair-curling screech, she hurled the flip flop at her dearly departed husband’s head. It missed its mark and beaned me instead. “Lady, you’ve gotta stop—”

The zombie roared, pivoted, and charged.

“Crap,” I spat, sidestepping the lumbering carcass. Zombies might be awkward looking, but holy crap could those bastards move. I took off across the lawn, waddling just a little, because running in wet jeans? Sucks. Running in wet jeans with an uber fast walking pile of rot on your ass? Sucks even more.

I rounded the corner of the pool, slipping on the slick surface of the wet deck. As soon as I righted myself, I doubled back and jumped just as the zombie’s arm crashed down where my leg had been. “What is your damage, Stinky!”

The thing skidded to a stop and turned for another go. I scanned the yard. The lighter was in the grass on the other side of the pool. No way was I getting to it in time. I was fast—but the zombie was faster—and since this one seemed intent on munching my limbs, I wasn’t taking the chance. Mom always said the stories about turning into a zombie when bitten were totally false—we’d never even heard of anyone being bitten—but I wasn’t about to be the first.

“Light the grill!” I screamed from across the yard. The woman hesitated for a moment before stepping down from the chair and hobbling toward the large poolside BBQ in no particular hurry. I guessed she could afford to take her time since her ass wasn’t on the menu. She fumbled with the grill controls for several seconds, squealing once and lifting her right hand to examine her fingernails before finally stepping away.

As soon as the flame flickered to life, I sprinted forward. The zombie chomped at the air behind me and even managed to get a few strands of hair.

I sucked in a deep breath and tore across the lawn. Heart thundering and legs pumping, I vaulted onto the table and over the grill. The zombie followed. Unfortunately, I’d overdone the jump. Sailing over the grill—that was my plan. Crashing through the wooden fence and hitting the ground hard enough to knock a few teeth loose—not so much.

“What was that thing?” the woman shrieked.

I climbed to my feet and limped to where she stood, fingers pinched across the bridge of her nose. The lighter fluid I’d doused it in had done the trick. When it tried to follow me, the flames did their job. The zombie lay twitching on the ground beside the grill. “Don’t ask because you really don’t want to know.”

I padded to the edge of the pool, retrieved my vial of quartz powder, and sprinkled it over the burning corpse. A tuft of blue smoke exploded and the zombie stopped moving. When I turned back to the woman, she was staring, face pale.

It wasn’t really possible to keep every civilian in the dark about the things that went bump and tumble in the night, but Mom insisted we try. She was convinced the world wasn’t ready for them—and honestly, I agreed.

She looked from me to the pool, then back again. “Do—do I need to have my pool drained?”

“Doubt it.” I wriggled into my sneakers and glanced back toward the fence, cringing.

Mom was going to rip me a new one. In the past month alone, I’d done at least three thousand in property damage. The month before, it was close to two. It wasn’t that I was careless, really. More like focused. If a piece of furniture or a stupid fence had to suffer so I could reel in the big bad, then so be it. A girl had to have priorities.

I snatched the check from the table and grabbed my phone and socks, along with my iPod. “Thanks and call again.”

“Wait! What about my fence?”

I looked from her to the fence, then down to the flip flop lying off to the side. Those damn rhinestones were probably diamonds. “Something tells me you can afford to have it fixed.”

Chapter Two

“So not your biggest fan at the moment,” I said, closing the office door behind me. The runoff from my jeans had soaked my sneakers pretty good. With each step, I gave a slight squishing noise accompanied by an annoying squeak against the old tile floor.

From across the room, Mom stared. “What happened to you?”

“It attacked me.” Tossing my bag on the couch, I sank into her chair and made sure to grind my butt into the cushion. Got it nice and wet. I was all about sharing the love—and right now, the love was soggy.

She laughed, waving a folder in my direction. “Surely you’re overreacting. It was one little zombie. They don’t attack people.”

“I’m serious, Ma. It tried to drown me. And the client assaulted me with ugly footwear. As far as punishments go, I’d say we’re probably square. I’ve learned my lesson.”

“You’re serious?” Amused expression now replaced by concern, she crossed the room and leaned over her desk to get a better look at me.

“As a coronary.” Once I was sure the chair had sponged up all it could, I stood and huffed past her. Pulling at my favorite T-shirt—the word Fate inside a blood red heart, is a four letter word on the back—I said, “Child welfare would not be happy to hear you tried to feed your only child to a walking corpse…”

“But why would it attack? Did you provoke it?” Folding her arms, she frowned. “Insult it, perhaps?”

I winked at her. “Provoke it? Sure. I went and wiggled my ass in front of it yelling lunch just to see what’d happen.” I’d called it Stinky, but that didn’t count as an insult. Something couldn’t be considered an insult if it was true, right?

Right eyebrow twitching, she fought against a smile. “But you’re okay, right? No bites, broken bones, head injuries, possessions…?”

I smiled and did a little twirl. “All in one piece and still me.”

Mom had a checklist she went through at the end of each job. I was known for taking almost as much damage as I inflicted. Thinking of damage, it was time to come clean.

“Oh, and you’re probably going to get a call from the client. I sorta smashed her fence in the process.”

Mom groaned. “I told you to be more careful.”

“It’s not like I tried to break anything.”

“Something tells me you didn’t try hard enough not to break anything, either.”

“In my defense, it wasn’t a simple trap and slap…”

“We can’t afford this.” She reached down and pulled a white envelope out from under a stack of papers. “This is the bill for that Mercedes you smashed.”

“Oh! So not my fault. How was I supposed to know that Spring Heel was gonna land on the car? If it makes you feel any better, I think he was aiming for my head…”

“If you keep this up, we won’t even be able to afford the rent.”

She was right, of course, and it made me feel horrible. “I’m sorry. I guess I’m a wrecking ball wrapped in blue jeans. Take my cut of this job and put it toward the repairs. Keep my paycheck for the next month, too.” A good start, but it didn’t feel like enough. Sure, it would cover the damages—I hoped—but I felt guilty about upsetting her. The bills that were piling up kept her awake at night. This was only going to make things worse. We got a fair amount of business, but the overhead in our line of work was sky high.

As much as I hated the idea, I knew what would cheer her up. “I’ll even throw in pet possessions for the next month.”

Mom raised an eyebrow. Aha! I had her.

“I swear. Any that come in, I’ll go. No arguments.”

“Deal.” She said, fighting back a smile. “I wish the biggest thing I had to worry about with you was teen drinking and pregnancy.”

“Hey, show me a guy who can take down a dirt demon without pissing himself and I’ll smack his ass and let him take me to prom.”

She rolled her eyes. “On that happy note, the phone’s been ringing off the hook again today.”

“Anything good?” Though Mom’s idea of good rarely matched mine. Hers was artifact theft and conspiracy. Mine was more rampaging spirits and demon possession.

The urban odd couple of the occult—that was us.

“Four cheating spouses, two inheritance scams, a missing child, and a missing sister.”

“Bah,” I gave an offhanded wave. “All normal cases. Boo-ring.”

As far as the good people of Penance were concerned—most of them, anyway—the Darker Agency did the standard detective thing. We solved all sorts of cases. Stolen inheritances, missing loves ones, we even spied on a cheating spouse or two, but what we specialized in was far from common knowledge.

What we specialized in was just a bit…darker.

Demonic possessions, angry ghosts, all the things going bump in the night that the general population had no idea existed, we did it all. They were what Mom referred to as our alternative cases. My favorite kind. We were like the A-Team of the Otherworld, only with a permanent address and laminated business cards.

“Oh. And I managed to get some information out of officer Barnes about that break in at Saint Vincent’s last week.”

Managed to get some information… That could mean a million different things coming from my mom. “I don’t know why you’re so interested. It’s a crumbling church. There’s nothing of value except the building itself.”

“Exactly. Why break into a landmark like Saint Vincent’s? There has to be a reason.”

“Maybe someone needed to pray really bad?” And she said I went digging for trouble? It was just a stupid old church. “Eh. Occultist maybe? What’d you drag out of Binkie Barnes?”

That earned me Mom’s patented look-of-death. “I wish you wouldn’t call him that.”

Was it my fault the guy’s parents named him Bindle Key Barnes? With a name like that, you’re begging for a nickname like Binkie. “He’s the Penance version of Deputy Dewey right down to his fanboy crush on Gale Weathers. He literally turns into a blubbering mass of schoolboy-goo whenever you’re around. That’s kind of hard to respect.”

More glaring.

I threw up my hands in surrender. “Okay, okay. Fine. What did you find out from our illustrious and manly Sheriff Barnes?”

“It wasn’t much. No one was there at the time, but witnesses say they saw a young girl leaving the building around dawn.”

“A young girl, huh? Very specific. Just the kind of Mayberry detective work I’d expect from the Penance PD.”

Mom rolled her eyes as the phone started to ring. “It’s your turn. I’ve dealt with it all day.”

“I have homework,” I complained. “If I don’t focus on my studies, how ever will I get into a good college?”

She ignored me and went back to filing. The phone kept ringing.

I tapped the receiver. “It could be Ed McMahon. You might have won a million dollars.”

She waved a paper at me, grinning. “Then crack out the quartz, baby-girl, because Ed McMahon is dead.”

Huh. She had a point. Sighing, I picked up the cordless and slipped into secretary mode. “Darker Agency, how can I help you?”

“I’d like to speak with Klaire Darker, please.”

“Who can I tell her is calling?” The guy sounded young, but it was hard to tell on the phone.

“My name is Lukas Scott. I’m interested in hiring Ms. Darker.”

I sank into the chair and cringed when my butt hit the cushion. Slosh. Oops. “I can schedule a consultation for you. What day is convenient?”

“It needs to be right away. I can come now.”

Wow. Pushy. Pushy meant desperate. Desperate usually meant money. And money was good. I flicked a pen across the room. It sailed through the air and smacked into Mom’s leg before bouncing to the floor and rolling under the mini fridge. “Consult now?” I mouthed. She nodded and went back to the filing. “How soon can you be here, Mr. Scott?”

“Now,” his voice said as the front door swung open, letting a blast of chilly October air inside. That chilly air stole the breath from my lungs and sent goose bumps prickling along my skin.

Or it might have been him.

Dark, shaggy hair that might’ve been in desperate need of a trim—if it didn’t work so damn well for him. Piercing, liquid brown eyes that radiated trouble—and I loved trouble. He wore a leather jacket over a tight black T-shirt and worn jeans that were just a bit too baggy. Oh yeah. Bad-boy-vibe was off the charts.

“Holy house of hogs getting blasted by the blue birdie brigade…”

“Excuse me?” he said as the door slammed closed behind him. Head tilted sideways, he was staring at me like I had two heads, a forked tongue, and neon spikes growing out of my back.

I swallowed and gripped the edge of Mom’s desk, hoping to God that my cheeks weren’t fire engine red. “Um, I mean, can we help you with something?”

“Klaire Darker?”

“I am,” Mom said, stepping forward. She set the folder down and extended her hand. “And you are?”

He took her hand and gave what my dad would have referred to as a proper shake. “Lukas Scott. I just spoke with your daughter about a consultation.”

Daughter, huh? How had he put two and two together? I studied Mom. We were day and night. She was light skinned with crystal blue eyes and white-blond hair, and I took after my dad, with olive skin, dark hair, and eyes to match.

Mom must have been just as suspicious. “Who referred you to us, if you don’t mind me asking?”

“I’m familiar with your family.”

“Well, then you must know we don’t take cases from minors.” She turned and gave me the I’m-talking-to-you eye. “Ever.”

“I’m aware of your policy, Ms. Darker, and I assure you I’m eighteen.”

She gestured to the seat on my left and he took it. “What exactly is it you need from me, Lukas?”

“I need to track someone down.”

Bah. Missing person? It didn’t get lamer than that. I picked up a pen. “Their name?”

“The family’s last name is Wells.”

Could he be more vague? “Do you have a first name?”

He shook his head. “Nothing current. This person would be the descendant of a woman named Meredith Wells. Born in Penance in the eighteen hundreds.”

I scribbled some notes.

“There’s also something else. A box. I need to find it.”

“What kind of box?” I asked, sticking the end of the pen in my mouth. I needed to do something to distract myself from staring at the guy, so I started picking at the edge of Mom’s address book. “And was this your box? Is it connected to this Wells family you’re looking for?”

He hesitated, then said, “It’s not my box and no, it is not directly related to the Wells family.”

Not directly related. Hmm.

“You’re being a bit vague,” Mom said, slipping into observation mode.

Silence.

We got a wide range of cons and bullshit artists on a daily basis looking to get us to steal their loot for them—we were the best after all—but Mom could always see through it. I attributed this to her time spent with Dad. He might not be around much anymore, but he’d left a lasting impression. It was great for business—bad if you were a teenage girl trying to slip something past your parental.

“What’s inside the box?” she pressed.

No answer.

“I need all the facts if I’m to do my job.” Mom stood and pointed to the door. “If you’re here wasting my time, I suggest you leave.”

“Sin,” he said after a moment.

Mom and I said at the same time, “Sin?”

“Sin. That’s what was inside the box. Seven of them, to be exact.”

“I don’t understand. What do you mean by sin?” She sank back into the chair. He had her full attention again.

Had mine, too.

“The box containing the Seven Deadly Sins. That’s what’s been stolen.”

“Are you serious?” I turned to Mom. She used to tell me stories about it when I was a kid. Some parents told their children bedtime stories about knights in shining armor and fairy tale princesses—I got folklore and boogiemen. “Wasn’t the box tucked away in a little monastery in Tibet?”

“That was never proven. The true location of the box is a mystery—for good reason.” Her lip twitched with the barest hint of a smile. Hah. I did listen once in awhile when she talked. Granted not all the time—but once in awhile.

Lukas cleared his throat. “Not that big a mystery. The box has actually been here. Since the early nineteen hundreds.”

“Here? As in, Penance? No way was something that big sitting under our noses without us knowing…”

“There’s an old church—”

“Saint Vincent’s,” Mom said, stomping her foot. She turned and pinned me with an I told you so smile. “I knew something felt off about that robbery.”

Lukas cleared his throat. “The theft of the box isn’t the worst part.”

I pulled the pen from my mouth and tapped it against the desk. “Not seeing how it could get worse than that.”

“The box was opened.”

Definitely worse. “Color me corrected.”

“Earlier, the Sins were released. They’ve infected human bodies and have five days to find a witch and the person who released them.”

“Back up a sec,” I said. “Infected?”

“Infected,” Lukas repeated. “Think of it as a possession of sorts. When out of the box, they need vessels to carry their essences. They infect a human body—one vulnerable to their sin—and use it as a vehicle. The person is still in there—still conscious and unharmed—but has no control.”

“Jesus,” I breathed.

“What happens if they find what they’re looking for? A witch and the person who set them free?” Mom’s face was pale.

“With all seven Sins present, a powerful witch can use the blood of the one who released them to create a potion that will bind them to the human bodies they invaded. They will be free of the box forever, and those whose bodies they’ve stolen will be lost, their essences destroyed.”

“Craps,” I whispered. “Okay, so seven innocent people, five days.” I turned to Mom. “Gotta love a challenge, right? Gonna have to move fast on this one.”

She nodded, turning back to Lukas. “What happens in five days if they don’t find what they’re looking for? The witch and the one who set them free?”

“If they’re forcibly put back in the box before the time runs out—the five days—then nothing. Everything will go back as it was and the bodies they’ve stolen will be unharmed. However, the box has a failsafe, and this is where the problem lies. After five days’ time, the box will recall the sins. If that happens, the innocent people they’ve taken control of will be recalled with them. Lost forever to the box.”

“Right, then. So less than five days.” Mom ran a hand through her long blond hair and sighed. “We’ve been getting calls like you wouldn’t believe today. I’m guessing our recent flux in business is due to the Sins being free.”

“Hah!” I exclaimed, suddenly remembering the zombie. “I told you I didn’t tease that zombie. I bet the Sins had something to do with it going all Jeffrey Dahmer.”

“Whatever you’ve seen so far is child’s play,” Lukas said, shooting me a sidelong glare. “The Sins were set free in 1959 and after forty-eight hours out of the box they’d destroyed two towns and cost hundreds their lives. It was carnage and chaos the likes of which you can’t possibly imagine.”

“Two towns…1959?” Mom was fascinated. I could tell by the glossy look in her eyes. “The Sins were responsible for the 1959 Penance riots?”

I had no clue what they were talking about because history had always been snoozeville for me. “1959 riots?”

“Penance was founded in the early seventeen hundreds. By the nineteen hundreds, it was a thriving textile town with a high society set that almost rivaled the city.” Mom tapped the edge of her desk. “In 1959, there was a riot at the plant. It spilled into the streets and engulfed the entire town.”

Lukas shook his head. “The riot at the plant was just one occurrence. A single spark in a raging inferno.”

“That sounds ominous.” I was about to make a joke, but Mom glared at me. Sticking the pen back into my mouth, I gestured for him to continue. How dare I interrupt story time!

“The foreman at the mill was one of the town’s most well respected men. On the first night of the Sin’s freedom, he was unlucky enough to encounter Greed. By the time he went to work the next day, he was convinced his salary was unfair and demeaning.”

I snorted. “Everyone in America feels that way nowadays.”

Lukas gave me a strange look and continued as if I hadn’t spoken. “Unfortunately, it was the same day the owner was slated to visit the mill. He came—with his wife and two children. The foreman, having whipped the employees into a frenzy, led the workers in revolt.”

This didn’t sound like a story that ended in picket lines and teamster meetings. “I’m betting it didn’t go well for the owner.”

He shook his head. “He and his family were killed—ripped to shreds and stripped of anything with possible value.”

It was bad enough the guy and his wife had to bite it—but two little kids? “That’s seriously messed up.”

“It was horrible,” Lukas agreed. “And of course, Greed is never satisfied. The survivors of the mill riot wanted more, and they took to the streets to get it, looting and pillaging all the way into the neighboring town.”

“Upping the body count,” Mom whispered, horrified.

“Correct,” Lukas answered. “Enter the other Sins. Lust and Envy ripped families apart, and Sloth decimated the local businesses. Gluttony caused people to consume food in excess, emptying their stomachs only to eat more. In three days’ time, they depleted the town’s food supply and ravaged the economy. The Sins were recaptured soon after that, but of course the damage had been done. The towns were in ruin.”

Something wasn’t right here. Sure, Lukas could be some dorky—but seriously hot—history nerd, but all the detailed intel about the Sins? No human would know all that. He was talking like he’d been there. Like he’d seen it all go down. “This stuff is nitty-gritty—no way did you find this sitting between the dusty pages of some history book. How do you know all this?”

“He’s an Otherworlder,” Mom said. “Obviously.”

“Otherworlder?” Lukas looked from Mom to me, confused.

“Non-human,” I supplied. I loved when she was wrong. It gave me warm fuzzies since, sadly, it didn’t happen often. “Which you obviously aren’t.”

Mom’s eyes narrowed. She must have realized I was right. “Lukas, tell me how you seem to have such an intimate knowledge of the box’s history.”

He was quiet for a moment before standing, shoulders squared. “I was in the box.”

Chapter Three

“You were in the box,” I repeated as a chill crept up my spine.

Expression blank, he nodded. “Yes.”

“You’re one of the Sins,” Mom said, understanding.

“Yes,” he said again.

“Wait. One of the sins? One of the Seven Deadly Sins? Standing here in our office?” I sucked in a deep breath and jumped from the chair. Nodding to Mom, I said, “This doesn’t freak you out at all?”

She ignored me and gestured to Lukas. “So, you’ve…infected this body?”

“This body was infected,” he confirmed. His jaw tensed, then twitched. Arms rigid by his sides, he sat back down.

I did the same, refusing to take my eyes off him. It was because he was a Sin. A bad guy. Not because he was easy on the eyes. Really. “Which Sin?”

“Wrath.”

Mom’s expression darkened. I knew that look. It was the Something smells fishy in Freeport glare. “If you’re one of the Sins, why are you coming to us for help? If they go down, you go down as well.”

“When I said I was familiar with your family, it was because I knew your father, Klaire.”

“How did you know my father?” Mom was queen of the poker face. She might as well have been asking the deli guy for a pound of Swiss for all the urgency in her voice. But I knew her better than anyone in the world. She was thrown by his admission.

“After we were released in 1959, right before the riots began, I tracked down your father and offered my help. Joseph Darker is the one who put the Sins back in the box.”

Mom nodded. “I see.”

She seemed pacified, but I still didn’t get it. “You’re saying you went to Grandpa and offered to help him box up your buddies? Out of what, like, the goodness of your heart?” I folded my arms and laughed. “No offense, but I don’t see Wrath as the tragic hero. It all sounds a little too selfless.”

“You don’t know me.” He scowled. “And it was by no means selfless. I offered my help in exchange for freedom.”

“Your freedom? How would that even work if you have to all be packaged together?” I leaned back and kicked my feet onto the desk. One look from Mom and I dropped them to the floor.

“All seven Sins must be inside the box before it will lock,” he confirmed, voice frosty.

“But you’re a Sin, right? You escaped the box and infected someone. You can’t change what you are… According to what you told us, the box will recall you if time runs out. How could there possibly be a way around that?”

“My daughter has a point. I’m afraid you’ll need to give us a bit more, Lukas,” Mom said. She was watching him with a mix of caution and awe. We met a pretty weird assortment of non-humans on a daily basis—but Lukas might have been the oldest, most famed one yet. One of the Seven Deadly Sins? There was a possibility Mom was getting ready to fangirl all over herself.

Lukas was quiet for a few moments. When he spoke again, there was an edge to his voice. Something dark, but determined. “There is a way to transfer the Sin to someone else. They could take my place in the box.”

What a tool. Figures. It’s always the hot ones that turn out to be asshats. “Let’s forget for a sec that what you just said makes, like, no sense.” I gestured to him. “You’re saying you’d sacrifice this poor guy so you could be free? Keep the body you stole? Kind of a dick move, don’t you think?”

He whirled around, pinning me with a look that, while dangerous, made my stomach do a little flippy dip. “Why would I think twice? It was done to me.”

“You’re saying you’re human but still a Sin?” Mom did nothing to disguise her skepticism.

“I’m saying that this body was infected a very long time ago—but it was mine. It’s always been mine.” He turned to glare at me. “I didn’t steal it from anyone.”

Lukas Scott was one big bundle of surprises wrapped in a nice, swoontastic package. But, if he was telling the truth and was in fact human, then that gave us six people to save instead of seven. Not a huge help, but Mom and I would need every advantage we could get since time was a-tickin’.

I was about to mention this as a good thing to Mom, but something hit me. If Lukas had been infected by Wrath, and this was his original body, then how come he hadn’t gotten it back when the Sins were returned to the box? “Hold up,” I said, standing again. “This isn’t adding.”

“What do you mean?” he asked.

“You said my grandfather put the Sins back in the box in 1959. Did he do it in time to save the people they’d infected?”

Lukas hesitated. “Yes. They all survived.”

“Then what’s your deal?” I turned to Mom. “If he was human, and his body was infected, how come he ended up in the box if everyone else was saved? Didn’t he say as long as the Sins were returned before the time was up, people got their bodies back? Why wasn’t he freed with the rest of them?”

He glared at me, obviously annoyed I’d poked a planet-sized hole in his story. “My situation was different from theirs.”

“No offense, but that’s what they all say.” I waited, expecting him to continue—but he didn’t.

Mom, apparently thinking the same thing I did, said, “I’m going to need a bit more than that.”

“I wasn’t taken over by Wrath in the same way the others were—I had it forced on me. It was fused to my soul by witchcraft.”

“Fused with your soul,” I repeated. “’Cause that doesn’t sound phony…”

His eyes went wide. “Are you accusing me of lying?”

“I dunno—are you lying?”

Mom flashed me a warning glare, then turned back to Lukas. “Please continue.”

“In 1882, one of the times the Sins were released, Wrath infected a man. A local farmer’s son. It grew fond of the body it had stolen, and all the perks that came with it, so it sought a way to keep them. A local witch devised a spell to transfer his essence to someone else.”

“I still don’t get it,” I said, feeling thick. “How could a witch have done that? How could she have separated him?”

“She made him human by stripping the demonic aspect from his essence and transferring it to me.” He flashed me a look of mock sympathy. “It’s something only a witch of immense power could manage. I understand if it’s too difficult an idea to wrap your head around.”

I opened my mouth—then closed it. I had a feeling I’d just been insulted. Politely insulted, but still. Insulted.

“Wrath and I inhabit the same space.” He tapped his chest. “We coexist here. I’m vulnerable to its weakness—being tethered to the box and the limits that entails—but when out, unlike the bodies the other Sins infect, I’m not a puppet. I maintain control. Mostly…”

Mostly? That sounded like a warning label in the making. “So is that the only thing that makes you different from the others? That you have control?”

His expression went from annoyed to I’m about to go postal. “The thing that makes me different is that I don’t belong in that box. I’m human. If the time runs out and the Sins are recalled by the box, they’ll take the bodies they’ve infected with them. Those bodies will be destroyed, their souls—their essences—fed upon by the Sins. Because Wrath and I magically inhabit the same space, my body is spared. It goes into a sort of stasis until the box is opened again and we’re set free.”

Mom studied him for a moment. I knew what she was doing—looking for tells. A flinch here, a twitch there. Something to show he was lying. “Okay, so back to my father. Let’s say you’re telling the truth and he agreed to your terms. He would aid you in gaining your freedom in exchange for helping him capture the others. What happened?”

Lukas gave me one final scowl, then focused on Mom. “I’m sure when Joseph originally made the deal, he was planning to betray me, but we grew close. Became friends. When it came time to lock the box, we decided to transfer Wrath to the person who’d opened it—a priest who thought he could use the Sins for his own gain. It seemed like a fitting punishment for all the lives lost.”

“I’m guessing,” Mom said, “that this is somehow connected to the Wells family you’re searching for, correct?”

“I was betrayed,” he growled. “Joseph discovered that since the spell which fused Wrath to me was made with blood—Meredith Wells’ blood—only someone of the same bloodline would be able to remove it. We tracked down a direct descendant named Mary Wells and procured her aid.”

“And she wasn’t able to do the spell?”

“She chose not to do the spell. We found her and gathered the items needed with only hours to spare.” Fingers knotted tight, he slammed a fist against the desk. Mom’s pencil holder wobbled and toppled sideways, spilling pens and markers across the surface. “When the time came, she insisted Joseph leave the room. As the pull of the box became too strong, she smiled and said I was destined to rot forever. She let the box take me with a smile on her face.”

“Not to paint my father in a bad light, but how do you know he didn’t set you up? Human or not, you’re still tainted by an unspeakable evil. Something that powerful always leaves a mark. Maybe he wasn’t willing to take the risk.”

Lukas’ eyes widened, and I felt kind of bad for him in that moment. The thought that Grandpa might have duped him had never crossed his mind.

I knew why Mom was asking. Poking the lion, she’d once called it. See if you can push buttons and get a reaction. Any reaction.

Lukas shook his head, resolved. “I don’t believe that.” And he didn’t. I could hear the certainty in his voice. He’d trusted Grandpa completely.

Mom was quiet for a few moments. I could almost see the wheels turning. “Say we agree to help you. How will we find the other Sins? And what is it you truly wish to get out of this?”

“I can find the Sins,” he said. “I’ve spent an eternity in their company. I know their—habits. Also, when close enough, I can sense them. As to what I wish—that’s simple. I want my freedom. I want you to track down a Wells witch and ensure she unbinds me from the box.”

Mom frowned. “You’re asking me to condemn an innocent person to take your place. I assume you’ll understand my refusal to pluck a random stranger off the street.”

“I suggest sticking to Joseph’s plan. The person who opened the box and released this hell should be the one to replace me. You’ll see soon enough—it’s what the individual deserves.”

“You said they saw a girl leaving the church the night the box was stolen, right Ma?”

She nodded in confirmation, but Lukas shook his head. “It was a man who opened the box, not a girl.”

“Well, thanks for that, Jonny Sunshine. That puts us back to square zero.”

Mom rolled her eyes. “Do you remember anything about him?”

Lukas frowned. “I’m sorry, no. It happened so fast. I remember he was tall. Also, he had a strange beard. That’s all.”

Mom thought about it for a minute. I knew how her mind worked. She was going over the possibilities. No doubt she felt sympathetic to Lukas’ situation, but could she really trade him for someone else—no matter how deserving they were?

She tended to see more shades of gray than I did. Her take on things was that, if someone did bad, there was a deep-seated reason behind it. Something in their lives had made them that way. She was convinced they needed help, not punishment. Me? Bad was bad. That’s not to say I was strictly black and white, but I didn’t see the range in people she did. Most of the time, I was ashamed of my lack of faith in humanity. Growing up, Mom was the perfect role model for honesty and integrity. I guess I’d just inherited my dad’s darker outlook.

“And payment?” I asked to fill the silence. Silence always made me itch. And hey, a girl had to eat.

And pay for damages inflicted.

Mom kind of glared at me but didn’t object. She couldn’t. With the damage I did on a daily basis, I’d put us into a position that the jobs she’d normally take as public charity—the epic kind that prevented massive body counts and uber-bloodshed—were a thing of the past.

Lukas looked shocked. I guess no one had ever told him nothing in life was free. “I—I have no money…”

Mom shook her head. “Ignore my daughter, please. Payment won’t be necessary. This is not something we can ignore.”

Seven Sins.

Six innocent people.

Five days.

Piece of cake…

Chapter Four

My commute from the office to home was a tough one—through the back door and up a set of narrow stairs to our apartment. The carpet was worn to the wood in the middle of each step, and the fourth, fifth, and seventh stairs creaked. I’d lived here all my life, same as Mom. The building had been in our family for generations. Once an old barn, the bottom was long ago converted into a makeshift office, and the upstairs, a living area.

The apartment was small—I guessed none of the Darkers before us had exceptionally large families—two bedrooms, one bath, and an eat-in kitchen. It was fine. Big enough for me and Mom, and as far as I was concerned, comfy. More space meant more to clean, and neither one of us could be considered domestic goddesses. We didn’t even own a vacuum.

Having nowhere else to go, Lukas convinced Mom to let him sleep in the office. Honestly, I was pretty shocked when she agreed. She had a strict no personal involvement with clients policy. Yet another thing that had come from her relationship with Dad. That was, until I realized she probably wanted to keep an eye on Lukas. Setting Wrath loose on the town would make her twitchy. I knew how her brain worked. She’d made sure I went up to bed long before she did. If I had to guess, she’d put multiple wards in place that would alert her to any funky business.

Despite having what was, for all intents and purposes, an ancient evil cooling his heels on our office couch, I fell asleep fast. I was in the middle of a pretty awesome dream involving me, some chocolate covered popcorn, and a nice quiet corner of a deserted island when a loud crash jarred me awake.

Throwing aside the covers, I jumped out of bed and sprinted into the hall. I skidded to a stop in front of Mom’s door and pushed it open a crack. She was safe and curled under the covers, sleeping peacefully. It was kind of irritating. The woman could sleep through an alien invasion complete with a marching band to announce their presence. Me? A fly farted downtown and I was up.

Another bang.

I took off down the hall, sock-clad feet sliding on the scuffed hardwood as I rounded the corner. The noise had come from downstairs.

From the office.

Lukas.

Taking the stairs two at a time, I burst through the door. I don’t know what I expected to find. Catch him doing something evil? Making the neighborhood pets go rogue? Maybe inviting all his Sin buddies in for a late night raid on the fridge…

What I found was him standing in the middle of the room frowning at the floor. It took a moment for my eyes to adjust to the dark, but when they did, I saw his right hand was bleeding onto a broken glass at his feet.

He looked up. “I didn’t mean to—”

I walked around him and went to the hall closet to grab the broom and dustpan. While I was at it, I made a pit stop in the bathroom and pulled out the first aid kit and a roll of paper towels.

Once the broken glass was cleaned up, I nodded to the pooling blood. “Trying to refinish the floor with your guts?”

“I cut myself.”

“Ya think?” I motioned for him to move closer. When he didn’t budge, I grabbed his hand and pulled him forward. He was surprisingly warm. Not sure why, but I’d expected something cold. In my experience, most evil things were cold.

The glass had sliced open the entire center of his hand, and I was thankful blood didn’t eek me out. My best friend Kendra would have passed out by now. “What happened?”

He didn’t seem bothered by the gaping chasm hacked into his palm or the river of blood gushing all over our floor. Instead, he was focused on me. I saw him watching through the curtain of my hair as I cleaned his hand, and I had to bite my tongue to keep from telling him to look away. The scrutiny made me squirmy. I wasn’t sure if it was because he was technically-maybe-sort of one of the bad guys, or because he was so damn hot.

I was about to start wrapping the wound when he tilted his head to the side, eyes faraway, and asked, “Who is Damien?”

The question took me off guard, and I stepped back, dropping his hand and almost tripping on my own two feet. “What?”

“Klaire was yelling at someone named Damien.”

Impossible. That was totally impossible. There was no way he was here without me knowing. I took another step back and folded my arms. “There wasn’t any yelling.”

“She was yelling at him in her dream.”

Her dream? I had no idea what to say to that. It made more sense, but was a little creepy. “So, you can spy on people’s dreams? Is that what you’re saying?”

His hands flew up in defense. Tiny flecks of blood flicked out and splattered against the wall. “Not on purpose.”

“Not on purpose? What the heck is that supposed to mean? How do you accidentally invade someone’s privacy like that?”

“I can see the focus of someone’s anger.”

“See? Like a vision or something?”

He shook his head. “See is the wrong word. It’s like a whisper in my head. A feeling. It’s the thing I feed on.”

Yeah. That wasn’t too creeptastic. “Thing you feed on?”

“The thing inside me. Wrath, remember?” He rolled his eyes. “It feeds off anger.”

I bit back a smile. Cute and sarcastic—if I had a type, Lukas would be it. Too bad he was kind of annoying, and more importantly, one of the Seven Deadly Sins… I glanced over at the DVD player. Two a.m. Fantastic. I was going to be one cranky kid come morning. Might as well make the most of it and see what I could find out.

Sinking onto the couch, I tucked my feet up and gestured toward the ceiling. “So you go around spreading your mojo and, what, feed?”

“This is hard to explain.”

“So let’s simplify. You spit pissy beams and then suck down the resulting anger orgy?”

His mouth fell open, and for a moment, I thought he might yell at me. His right eyebrow twitched and his mouth hung open in surprise. Taking a deep breath, he finally said, “I don’t spit anything, and I’m not sure what pissy beams are, but I’m fairly sure I don’t do them.”

I leaned back and tried to hide a smile. The hotness factor went through the roof when he got angry. Definitely something to take note of. “Okay. Fair enough.”

He held my gaze for a moment before looking away. When he turned back, his expression had done a one-eighty. Smile in place, he said, “I missed this.”

My own smile widened. He was infectious. “This?”

“Conversation.”

I laughed. “This is more argument than conversation.”

“The last person I spoke to was your grandfather. I wonder…would it be possible to see him?”

The smile faded, and I sighed. “Sorry…He died before I was born.”

“Oh.” He sounded genuinely disappointed.

A few moments passed in silence. Lukas picked at the edges of the peroxide bottle, peeling back tiny bits of the label and dropping them into his lap. Wispy strands of dark hair fell forward, partially framing his face. I turned away, feeling a little guilty. Stop staring at the Sin! I had to do something distracting—something to keep my brain occupied. “What’s it like? Having Wrath inside you?”

He didn’t answer right away and I was worried I might have overstepped. When he did speak, his voice was low, and something about it made my chest tighten. “Like I said earlier, the Sin lives inside—we share the same space. I can feel it trying to push me out sometimes. To take over…”

He shifted on the couch and flexed his fingers and it almost looked like he was in pain. “Always here. Always crawling and clawing to get to the surface. It’s a constant fight to keep it under control.”

“But you said you can control it, right?”

Lips curling into a slight sneer, he leaned forward and said, “You’re not feeling particularly violent, are you?” He held my gaze, and there was something about his expression. Something challenging. It made the air drop in temperature, sending chills up and down my spine, but also sent little tickles wiggling in my stomach. Awesome and terrifying all at once. “It’s part of me, so it’s always there. A little bleeds into the air regardless of my control, and I’m afraid Klaire’s dream was spurred by that.”

“So then, yes to the pissy beams? You caused her dream.”

I didn’t know Lukas from a hell hole in the wall, but the guy looked like he wanted to scream. Taking a deep breath—he did that a lot—he said, “What is a pissy beam, and why do you keep accusing me of doing it?”

“Chill. Pissy—angry. Same thing. Now about the dream?”

“The anger was there already. Wrath just pulled it to the surface and intensified the feeling.”

He still hadn’t done anything about his hand. It was bleeding all over his jeans now. If he let it go much longer, he’d look like an extra from the set of 300.

I gestured to the homemade first aid kit on the coffee table I’d pulled from the bathroom. We had a dozen just like it floating around. My bedroom, the trunk of Mom’s car—anywhere it might be needed. There was even one stashed in the back yard under a faux trapdoor covered in leaves. Grandpa hadn’t been a boy scout as far as I knew, but he’d taught Mom to always be prepared. You never knew when a little triage might be needed. “So what did all that have to do with the glass?”

He set the bottle of peroxide down and popped the lid on the box, eyeing the contents as though unsure what to do with them. After a minute, he pulled out a roll of gauze. Without cleaning the wound, he began wrapping his hand. I guessed when you had an ancient evil living inside you, infection was the least of your worries.

“When Wrath feeds, I feel the anger. It’s brief—a few moments at the most—but it’s powerful.”

“So…you broke the glass because you were angry?”

He ripped the gauze and tucked the lose end in tight. “I broke the glass because Klaire was angry.”

“If anger is always leaking out, how come I’m not mad? Or at least annoyed?”

He shrugged. “Some people are more susceptible. For Klaire, the anger was already there. My presence just brought it to the surface. You are surprisingly even.”

“Even?” I tried not to laugh. Even was the last thing anyone would ever call me. Snarky. Impulsive. Destructive. Never even.

“Most people have at least a small amount of anger festering. In some cases, it’s deeply hidden but always there. You just seem…happy. Content.”

“What can I say, I’m livin’ the good life. Nothing to complain about.”

He smiled. “Your grandfather was like that. He was so different from everyone else. Quiet.”

“Quiet?”

“Peaceful to be around. Not a spark waiting to be ignited. I didn’t have to try as hard to keep Wrath at bay when I was around him.”

Peaceful. Another word never used to describe me. Poor guy. He was clueless. Totally cute—but clueless. “So you can pull anger from people who are already pissed. Can you make happy people angry?”

“Of course. But why would I?”

“Um, because you’re Wrath?”

His lip twitched. For a long minute we just stared at each other.

With a deep breath, he said, “I’m not Wrath. It may inhabit my body and cause certain…side effects, but I am still me. I still retain free will.”

Setting down the roll of gauze, he examined his hand, wiggling each finger in turn. Content with his work, he repeated his earlier question. “Who is Damien?”

“Tell me more about being human,” I countered. I was genuinely curious, but I also got the impression he didn’t want to talk about it. He’d pointedly avoided giving specifics earlier. Clearly, the subject was touchy.

He responded with a brisk nod. Feet kicked up, he stretched across the couch and rolled over.

Message received.

Chapter Five

4 days left…

I woke up the next morning with a humongous knot in the back of my neck, and some serious cottonmouth. When I got downstairs, Mom was already dressed and on the phone, but the shower was running. The couch was empty, so it had to be Lukas. Couldn’t blame the guy. It’d probably been a long time since he’d seen a shower—if he’d ever seen one. He hadn’t told us exactly how long he’d been in the box, so for all I knew, he could be hailing from the times of community baths in the local watering hole.

I poured myself a cup of coffee and sniffed, choking back a gag. Ick. Hazelnut. Couldn’t Mom drink normal stuff? “So what’s the plan?” I asked once she’d hung up.

She stood and took the cup from my hands.

“Hey!”

“I made the Hazelnut on purpose. You’re too young to be a serial coffee drinker.”

That was Mom. Always trying to enforce some kind of normal in my life. It was sweet. Silly, but sweet. Normal was overrated. One of these days, I’d make her understand that.

“I have a few leads to follow up on the Wells family, and some strange calls have come across the police scanner this morning. I’m betting the Sins are out and about. The quicker I find them, the better I’ll feel. With only a few days to hunt them all down, we don’t really have time to spare.”

“Four days isn’t a lot of time, Ma…”

“I know…” She pinched the bridge of her nose and glanced at the door to the apartment. “As much as I don’t like the idea, you’ll have to keep an eye on Lukas. Keeping him with me will only slow things down, and I refuse to set him loose on the town.”

Score! There was a history test fourth period that I’d been planning to skip. Now I didn’t have to worry. “Give me some of the leads. We can start digging around. Might as well do something constructive while I’m babysitting.”

“Oh, you will be doing something constructive. I’ve already called Principal Dubois. He’s aware you’re bringing Lukas with you.”

I froze. “Are you serious? You want me to bring him to school?” She’d gone batshit. “Do you have any clue how much angst and attitude we teenagers spew? It’ll be a nightmare! His head will explode. Plus—time limit, remember? I can do more good by helping you track the Sins. Or the Wells family!”

“You’re taking the bench on this one, Jessie. I don’t want you involved. This isn’t a standard case we’re dealing with here.”

“Bench?” I squeaked. She was only trying to protect me, but I didn’t need it. She’d trained me well and should know better. I wasn’t going to step back and watch her scramble to fix this thing in time—and possibly end up dead in the process. We always had each other’s backs. That shouldn’t change now. “You’ve got to be kidding me!”

“I’m not kidding you.” Her brow wrinkled and she frowned. She leaned forward and grabbed both my hands, giving a good squeeze. “Please, Jessie. Don’t make more work for me. I won’t be able to tackle this if I have to worry about my teenage daughter going head to head with one of the oldest evils known to man. Got it?”

Great. Guilt trip. Something all moms apparently took classes on. “Well, what about Lukas? Bringing him to school is still a mistake.”

“I’ve spoken to him at length this morning. It’s fascinating—how it all works. I don’t believe it’ll be an issue.” She shook her head, a faraway, fascinated gleam in her eye. “He has amazing control… If it looks like there’s going to be a problem, then come back home.”

“Wouldn’t it just be easier to stay home in the first place? Avoid trouble?”

She backed away a step and folded her arms. “Wouldn’t it have just been easier to study for the history exam?”

Busted.

…

Mom left before we did. I went through her papers, hoping to find something about the leads she mentioned, but all I’d found was a small pink Post It note that said, Stop stalling and go to school!

The first part of the day was basically uneventful. No teacher-student death matches or science room frog corpse fights. There were whispers in the hall about a small scuffle between the mascot of the football team and a linebacker, but they were both tools on their best days. I was betting their inner ass was more to blame for that one than rampaging Sin.

“Okay, let’s go over it again,” I said as we entered the cafeteria for lunch. “Who are you supposed to be?”

This was the fourth time since we’d gotten to school that I’d made him repeat it. I’d managed to avoid most of my friends, but lunch period would be a free-for-all. When we’d stopped at my locker to dump my books, I found three notes asking who the hotness was I was toting around. They’d be all over him like vultures on a corpse the second we sat down.

Lukas sighed. “I’m your cousin and I’m visiting from out of town. We’re moving here, and I was sent ahead to check out the school.”

“Good. And you’re sure people aren’t going to freak out? Start slapping each other silly with plastic trays?” By the time we made it to the cafeteria, lunch was almost over. Suited me just fine. The last thing I needed to deal with was a massive food fight—or worse—a multi-person spork duel.

“It’ll be fine,” he said through gritted teeth.

He kept saying he was fine, but he didn’t look fine. Shoulders rigid and jaw tense, he looked like a guitar string ready to snap. His head tilted now and then as people passed like he was listening to something, and every once in awhile his fingers would curl into a fist until his knuckles turned white. If that was fine, then I was the Easter Bunny in drag.

A few more steps. “No impending explosions?”

“I’m fine,” he snapped. “Being trapped in the box didn’t make me an idiot.”

“Someone’s a touchy Sin this morning,” I muttered, readjusting my backpack. I’d loaded the thing up so I didn’t have to keep stopping by my locker. By the end of the day, I’d be in serious need of a chiropractor. “Okay. Let’s get this over with.”

We wove through the crowd and settled at my usual table in the front corner of the room. A set of aqua blue eyes bordered by ultra thick lashes pinned me before my butt even hit the seat.

“So, um, Jess. Introductions puh-leese?” Kendra said, eyebrows waggling. She tapped the side of her tray with a neon pink-tipped fingernail while the other hand fluffed her blonde curls. She’d been talking about cutting her hair lately, but it’d never work. She needed it to hide the horns.

Kendra was a novice witch with some seriously bad luck—or lack of skill, as Mom put it. She’d been forbidden from doing magic after a spell went awry and she ended up outfitting herself with a small pair of black horns. She’d been trying to fix the horn on her car… As a lesson, her Mom made her keep them until she could get rid of them on her own. It’d been three weeks now and she still wasn’t any closer.

She bit off the tip of her carrot. “I tried to get your attention all during math. If I didn’t know better, I’d say you were avoiding me.”

I shot a quick glance at Lukas. He was watching Kendra with a blank expression. “I wasn’t avoiding you… I was just—”

“Not in a sharing mood, huh?” She pouted. “Can’t say I blame you, but…”

“Down, girl.” I snickered and hitched a thumb sideways in Lukas’ direction. “Lukas is a cl—”

“Hey, Jess.” Garrett Redding thumped his loaded tray on the table, wedging himself between Lukas and me.

“—own,” I fumbled. “Lukas is a total clown…”

Garrett didn’t seem to notice. He stuffed half a cheeseburger into his mouth and chewed noisily. Why did football players have to eat like pigs? He took a long swig from his Pepsi, then swiveled to face Lukas. “Where’d you come from?”

“I’m Jessie’s cousin. From out of town.”

“Lukas is here to check out the school. See how he likes it,” I said, ripping open the bag of Cheetos I’d brought. Steering the conversation away from Lukas was the best thing I could do. I popped a Cheeto into my mouth, and asked, “How’s your mom doing?”

A few weeks ago, Mom and I had tracked down Garrett’s MIA Dad. He’d gone to work one day and never came home. When we finally found him, he was in the burbs of Pennsylvania with his other family. Mrs. Redding had an idea her husband had been cheating—she just never expected to find an entire family. In the end, she was just happy to know the truth. And have proof. The way I’d heard it, Garrett’s dad made a cushy six-figure salary. We’d given Mrs. Redding enough ammo to take him for everything and then some. The whole thing had given me warm squishies.

Garrett nodded and downed the rest of his soda in one gulp. Thumping his chest twice, he let out a yak-worthy burp and said, “Copasetic. She wants to have you guys over for dinner. Ya know, to say thanks.”

“It’s no big. Just doing our job and all that.”

Garrett shrugged. His eyes lingered on mine for a second, like there was something more he wanted to say, but instead, he turned to Lukas. “Where ya from?”

“Yes, Lukas,” Kendra snickered, leaning her elbows on the table. “Where are you from?”

“My family is from Penance originally, but I’ve moved around a lot.”

Huh. From Penance? That was new information. Useful, too, if he was telling the truth. Penance was big on history. I was betting Marnie Phelps—the town clerk—kept records in the basement of Town Hall, along with boxes full of donations from days past. If Lukas didn’t want to share about his past, maybe I could dig up some dirt.

“Looks like you’re not the only new kid in town. Did you get a load of the new chick?” Garrett let out a sharp whistle. “Hawt! Girl’s got a pair that would drive a priest crazy.”

Lukas blinked. “A pair of what?”

Garrettt held both hands in front of his chest and pumped them up and down. “Dude, she’s fappable.”

Kendra groaned and flicked a perfectly manicured finger at him. “Classy. Real classy.”

Lukas closed his eyes and sighed. “It saddens me to bear witness to the decline of the English language.”

“New chick?” I asked in an attempt to side track them.

“There.” Garrett pointed to a gathering crowd across the room as a blonde girl sauntered into the room. “Hottie at twelve o’clock.”

At the other end of the table, Lukas paled. He gripped the edge of his seat and whispered, “She’s one of them.”

The girl was surrounded by what looked like almost every guy in the school. She was at the center, talking and giggling as the crowd hung on each word like she was spouting the formula to end world hunger. Or the cheat codes for Halo.

As if she’d heard Lukas speak, she turned and winked in our direction. The crowd reluctantly parted, and she strode toward us, working the cafeteria floor like it was a runway in Paris.

“How did she get away with wearing that?” Kendra whispered in awe. She’d gotten sent home on the first day of school this year for wearing a skirt that was two inches too short. It was a sore spot.

The girl’s too-tight black sweater dipped to a dangerous V, showing off cleavage that would make a porn star proud, and ended just above her belly button. The skirt—if you could even call it that—hung at least seven inches above regulation and bordered on sheer.

“Totally hating her right now,” Kendra whispered as the chick made it to the table. I knew how she felt.

“I remember you,” she purred, settling beside Kendra, across from Lukas.

“You guys know each other?” Garrett was all but drooling. Eyes wide, he snapped his fingers in front of Lukas’ face. “Lukas. Dude. Introductions.”

“We know each other very well—though we’ve never been formally introduced. I’m Vida.” She giggled, and I instantly wanted to crack her in the jaw. “At the moment, anyway.”

She held out her hand, but Lukas didn’t take it. In fact, he was glaring at it like it was covered in fungus. I had to bite down hard on my tongue to keep from laughing at his expression.

She didn’t seem to take it personally. Withdrawing her hand, she tugged the edge of her shirt, pulling it tighter around the chest area. “Are you enjoying yourself? This place is a feast, isn’t it?”

Garrett, who was obviously floored by Lukas’ lack of interest, leaned farther across the table, eyes glued. Vida winked and blew him a kiss. I kind of felt bad for the guy. If this kept up, he’d be drowning in his own drool by the time the bell rang.

I snapped my fingers to get her attention. “Where are the others?”

At the sound of my voice, Vida’s smile turned arctic. For a moment, she said nothing. Finally, tossing her hair, she laughed. A delicate sound that grated against every one of my nerves like someone rubbing two chunks of Styrofoam together. “Another Darker? Really, Lukas? When ever will you learn?”

“Vida,” he warned.

“Relax. She’s much too boring to waste my time on.” Vida swiveled in her seat and scanned the room. “But that one,” she said with a wicked smile and a nod across the room. “That one has promise.”

Before I could blink, Hanna Fisher, head of the cheerleading squad and all around bitch, was out of her seat and across the room. She made a beeline for the geek squad, passing the jock table and catching the attention of everyone in the room.

I’d been going to the same school as David Ogden since the first grade. He was the ruler of the nerd herd and pretty much defined the stereotype. Head of the math club, co-head of the chess club, and dressed in clothing that would make a Sunday school teacher cringe. He had a serious acne problem and glasses thicker than the paperback growing mold at the bottom of my book bag. A really sweet guy, but definitely not someone on the Penance Hot To Trot list.

In short, he was the kind of guy that got his jollies from HBO late night and the Victoria’s Secret catalog—not real time action.

Imagine his surprise when Hanna came over, hopped in his lap, and started sucking on his face like he was Ian Somerhalder.

Several seconds of shocked silence ticked by before the entire cafeteria erupted in hoots and hollers. Someone from the jock table—I couldn’t see who—tossed a handful of french fries at them. Someone else let loose a sharp wolf whistle and started chanting, “Take it off, take it off!” I jumped from my seat to tear them apart, but Mr. Spoker got there first and dragged Hanna—kicking and screaming—from the room. I felt bad for David and his friends. They were probably going to have to walk around with their binders hanging low for hours after the show Hanna gave them.

I whirled and stalked back to the table where Garrett was still staring at Vida like she’d invented Cheese Wiz. With a roll of my eyes, I said, “Lust, I take it?”

Vida answered me with an over exaggerated yawn. “Not as smart as the last one, is she?”

Lukas gripped the edge of the table tighter and leaned forward. “Vida, where are the others?”

She blew him a kiss. “I know you’re not going to work with the little human here to put us back in that dreadful box. Not after what happened last time you betrayed us.”

Lukas didn’t answer, but Garrett did. He chuckled, tilting his head and grinning from ear to ear. “Little human. She’s so damn adorable.” Elbowing Lukas, he added, “Isn’t she adorable?”

Lukas rolled his eyes.

Vida laughed and pinched his cheek. Turning to me, she said, “I’m only going to give you this warning once, Darker girl. Back off, or else.”

“Like that’s the first time I’ve heard that before.” Well, it was actually. Today, at least.

Vida smiled. She rose and turned to Garrett who was still staring at her chest. “This one will be fun.” She extended a scarlet-tipped finger and bopped him on the nose before turning and sashaying back into the crowd.

Kendra shook her head. “No one’s ass should shake like that. It’s unnatural.” When she turned back to me, there was a mischievous smile on her lips. Leaning across the table, she whispered, “Little human? Last time? Someone has some sharing to do…”

Craps. I glanced back at Garrett who was staring after Vida like a love-sick puppy. “Yeah…so about Lukas…”

Chapter Six

I got away with telling Kendra that Lukas was one of Mom’s clients and needed twenty-four-seven protection because of something he’d gotten mixed up in. It wasn’t technically a lie…She’d let it go—for the moment—but I knew she wouldn’t let it rest forever. She and her mother, Cassidy, were a few of the only non-client humans—witches were technically human, therefore not considered Otherworlders—who knew about the things that growled and grumbled in the night.

And even though Kendra knew what the Darker Agency did, Mom forbade me to involve my friends in agency cases. I couldn’t blame her, really. I’d let Kendra help me hunt down a poltergeist a few years ago, and she’d broken her arm, inciting a ranting phone call and some serious threats from her mom. Cassidy Belfair was not the kind of woman you wanted to piss off.

By the time the last bell rang, even though we hadn’t seen Vida again, my skin was still crawling. The girl had presence. A creepy one. Lukas was on edge, too. He kept looking over his shoulder and standing very still, as if listening for something. Twice, I caught him sniffing the air—once he even sniffed Matt Hawker. That had been hard to explain.

In a badly timed attempt to multitask, I got caught passing a note to Sheri Reame in seventh period science and ended up with after-school detention. She’d slipped a paper into my locker earlier that morning offering to pay me two hundred bucks me to find out who her boyfriend was cheating with. Mom would freak on me if she found out, but it technically wasn’t a case. It was a simple exchange of information. I already knew who her boyfriend was playing the tonsil Olympics with—hell, half the school knew. So on the off-chance I was caught, I had a solid argument. At least I thought so.

Sometimes, Mom didn’t quite get my logic.

“This school is the perfect place for Vida to feed. She doesn’t need to work for it,” Lukas said, examining a red pen. He pulled off the cap and began shaking it—why, I had no idea.

I snatched it from him and stuffed it into my bag. “Nothing really happened today. Other than that thing with Vida at lunch. If she was feeding, wouldn’t there have been more…I dunno, porn star moments?”

He tilted his head. “Porn star moments?”

“Ya know, like sucking face and having gropefests?”

He scowled. “Why is it so hard for you to speak English?”

“That is English. Not my fault you can’t understand it.”

He took a deep breath and continued. “If I had to guess, they’re somewhere lying low and biding time. Attracting attention to themselves will only make their mission to find a witch and the one who opened the box harder.” Reaching across the desk, he picked up my cell phone and began pushing random buttons. “They know you’re going to try and recapture them in order to save the bodies they’ve taken. My best guess is they’re trying to figure out how to get rid of you.”

“Get rid of me?” I snapped, rescuing my cell. Mom had just replaced it last month after I’d dropped it in a pile of Hell Hound drool. That stuff ate through plastic quicker than you could say oopsie.

“They know you’re a Darker, and that equals trouble for them. They’ll need to get you out of their way if they hope to succeed.”

“How is that, anyway? I don’t look anything like my mom. Am I wearing a sign on my back? Kick me, I’m a Darker?”

“I imagine one of them followed me to your mother’s office.”

“Maybe.” It was logical. Made perfect sense. And that’s probably why it irritated me. “So that thing about being born in Penance, was it true?”

“It was true.”

Aha! Now we were getting somewhere. “How old are you?”

“You ask a lot of questions,” he said, sighing. “It’s impolite to pry into people’s personal lives, you know.”

“This isn’t prying. It’s me trying to get the information I need to do my job.”

“My age has no bearing on the case. And I didn’t hire you—I hired Klaire.”

Ouch. That was a low blow. But I wasn’t deterred. Besides, pushing his buttons made him do this little scrunchie face. His lip curled up at the right hand corner, and his left eyebrow rose slightly. He probably meant to look annoyed, but it was totally hot. I didn’t date, but no one said I couldn’t enjoy the scenery once in a while. “What did Vida mean back in the caf—about the last time?”

“Who is Damien?” he countered without missing a beat.

I sighed. “You’re kind of annoying. Has anyone ever told you that?”

“No,” he replied, scowling. “But I get the impression people tell you that all the time.”

I bit down on the inside of my lip to keep from smiling. “Ouch. You’ve wounded me. Deeply.”

Lukas didn’t answer. Instead, he pulled the notebook from in front of me and began flipping through it. Opening to a random page, he pointed to the intricate swirl of dark lines. “What’s this?”

I twisted in my seat. “The Chinese symbol for fate.”

Something sparked behind his eyes. “You sketch?”

“Not really—unless stick figures count?”

He flipped to the last page and read aloud. “I set my own course through the ocean of life.”

“Jonathan Lockwood Huie said that. It’s one of my favorite quotes.”

He traced the words with his index finger before flipping to the next page. “Why?”

I shrugged. “It’s all about choice—at least that’s what I get from it. No one can tell you what to do or who to be—you have to make your own choices. Your own mistakes.”

He seemed to consider this, then nodded approvingly. “I like that.”

I tried to keep a straight face but couldn’t help grinning. “So glad I have your approval.”

From the front of the room, Mrs. Manning sighed. She was waiting for detention to finish so she could go down to the teacher’s lounge to make copies. At least, that’s what she’d told us. Really, she was waiting for detention to end so she could sneak a nip from her flask. After I’d ousted Mr. Glenn for taking bribes in exchange for grades, most teachers were leery about leaving me alone with their stuff. Manning was no exception.

She was sitting behind the desk, drumming her fingers impatiently. I could almost swear she was counting. When the big hand on the clock hit twelve, she all but jumped to her feet and said, “All done. You’re free to go. Next time remember to save it ’til after my class.”

I hopped up, as eager to get out of there as she seemed to be, and dashed into the hall to check my cell. One text from Mom.

Better B behaving. Will B home by 5. Straight 2 the office aftr school.

Straight to the office? Please. We both knew that wasn’t going to happen. Sometimes, I wondered if she said this stuff because it was a preprogrammed Mom thing. I crammed the phone back in my pocket and turned to Lukas. “Okay, so any suggestions?”

“Suggestions?”

“On where to start.”

“It shouldn’t be hard to track them. They’ll need to feed often.”

“How do you know?”

“Because Wrath does.”

“Oh…” I’d kind of walked right into that one.

“Any ideas about what to do when we find them? One better, what to do with them when we find them? We can’t put them back in the box one by one, right? It has to be a package deal? Not that we even have the box…”

“We can, actually.”

“Can?”

“They can be put individually back into the box. It won’t lock without all seven, but we can store them inside.”

“Well, score! Now we just need to find the box.”

“That will prove harder than tracking the Sins.”

“What’s it look like?”

“How should I know?” he said with a bit of a bite.

“Um, because you were inside it?”

“Please explain to me how being inside the box would tell me what the outside looked like.”

“You’re on the snarky side, you know that?”

“I don’t know what that means, but I get the feeling it’s an insult,” he said. I could tell he was trying hard not to smile, which made him look even more amazing.

I shrugged. “Actually, it depends. Me? I’d take it as a compliment.”

“Definitely an insult, then,” he muttered, turning away.

I could’ve kept it going. Pushing his buttons could easily become my new favorite pastime, but I had bigger fish to flay. Sinful, demon fish. “What about starting with the witch? I’m better at digging this stuff up than Mom. I usually take the missing person cases. Got a natural knack for it, I guess. Maybe we should start our own search. Are you sure it has to be someone from the same bloodline? I know a few pretty badass witches. I bet I could find—”

He shook his head, jaw tight. “It has to be the same bloodline.”

“What happens if the family died off and there’s no one left?”

“The family didn’t die off.”

“How do you know?”

His tone got sharper and he took an almost menacing step forward. “I just know.”

“You can’t possibly—”

With a growl, his fist shot out, crashing into the locker behind me. I froze. The sound echoed through the empty hall and bounced off the walls like a rogue ping-pong ball. For a second, I didn’t dare breathe. Lukas’ face contorted in anger, his hand splayed over the shiny new dent. His breathing was shallow.

Neither of us said a word. The only sound I heard was the subtle whoosh the air made as it passed in and out of his nose. His jaw was tense and shoulders taut, and in that moment, he looked truly frightening. More like a demon than an actual boy. And deep down, a sick part of me liked it.

“I’m sorry,” he said finally, hand slipping from the door. He took several steps back and closed his eyes. “The witch is a sore spot. Talking about her makes me angry.”

Angry.

OhMyGod.

Idiot. It hadn’t occurred to me until now. What the heck was wrong with me? How had I not seen it? “It wasn’t random,” I said, horrified.

He didn’t respond. Only turned and started down the hall.

“The witch who fused you with Wrath—that Meredith Wells chick… You knew her.”

Chapter Seven

I caught up to him as he reached the main door. “Wait!”

He stopped but didn’t turn around. “I don’t want to discuss it.”

“That’s fine,” I said, reaching for his hand. “We don’t have to—”

He jerked away and whirled to face me, eyes radiating a mixture of anger and surprise. “What are you doing?”

I stared down at my hand, horrified. What was I doing? “I—”

“I’m dangerous, Jessie. Don’t ever forget that.” Without waiting for me to respond, he crashed through the doors and stalked down the front steps in a blur.

I hurried after him.

“I don’t think so,” I called, almost tripping on my open shoelace. He could be dangerous, I didn’t doubt that, but I also believed he had a genuinely good soul despite the thing living inside him. It wasn’t fair to pass judgment based on something that had been done to him. He was right. Wrath lived inside him, but Lukas had free will. Each moment he chose to fight it. I would bet my iPod and a year’s supply of chocolate that he would never intentionally harm someone.

“You’d be wrong,” he snapped.

“Nope,” I said, resolved. “I’m wrong about a lot of things, but I’m an awesome people reader. And you, pal, are good people.”

For a second, I thought he might hit me. His eyes locked on mine, and I could have sworn there was a spark of red in them—but it was over as fast as it started, and I couldn’t be sure.

He took a deep breath and rolled his shoulders. Like magic, the tension seemed to drain away, leaving him a bit pale and tired looking. “It’s a struggle to control it. Again, I apologize for the outburst.”

“You have nothing to apologize for. I’m the annoying one, remember?”

He gave me a small smile. It was fast. Over too soon—which was a shame because it was a nice smile. One I could definitely get used to seeing on a daily basis. “Yes. You are.”

I swung the book bag over my shoulder and nearly fell backward. Stopping to unload all the books would’ve been a smart move. Now I’d have to lug them all the way home. “So you never answered me. Where do we start?”

“Klaire is looking for a Wells descendant. We should wait and see what she comes up with.”

“Um, hello? Why is everyone but me not seeing this? We have four days! I don’t think my math is off when I say that’s less than one day per Sin. We can’t exactly stand around cooling our heels. Besides, I’m not really the wait around type.” I started walking.

We moved past the edge of the school’s property and crossed over to the main drag. Penance had three distinct areas all divided by Purgatory Lane—someone’s idea of a bad joke. The Ledges—the good part of town. The Flats—the not so good part of town. And East Side. The bad side. Also known as The Pit.

There were two ways I could get from school to home. The long way—basically a huge circle around The Pit—or the short way through The Pit. Mom didn’t know it, hell she’d probably kill me herself if she found out, but I went through The Pit a lot. I’d made a fair amount of cash there, too. Just last week, I’d helped out an elderly couple by banishing a particularly violent ghost from their spare bedroom. Sure, I’d gotten paid—enough to pay for the damages I’d done to a client’s dining room set the week before, with some left over to buy a kick ass silver and bone butterfly knife—but I’d also helped out people in need. Win-win.

My reasons for steering us through The Pit today were less monetary. If the Sins were looking for a place to chow down after school let out, my guess was that The Pit would be ground zero.

About a mile in, Lukas must have figured out what was going on. “Jessie,” he warned. “This is not a good idea.”

“What?” I tried to look innocent. Probably failed, too. Mom always said I was as readable as the Sunday comics. And just as predictable. She told me I took after Dad in that respect. He never could pull one over on her. It was one of the reasons he chose to leave. “We’re going back to the office. Like Mom asked. We’re just taking a little detour.”

A noticeable shiver went through him as he stopped walking to scan the area. Face pale, he said, “This place—we shouldn’t be here. I shouldn’t be here.” Doubling over, he braced both hands against his knees, knotting fingers in the fabric. “I told you, it’s hard to control. I can’t—”

When he straightened, it was all I could do not to gasp. His eyes, previously brown, now blazed a furious blood red. “Are you okay?” Dumb question. Anyone with red eyes could probably not be classified as okay.

He gave a sharp shake of his head, gritting his teeth. Pain. He was in pain.

And it was my fault.

I nearly jumped out of my skin when, across the street, a black Ford Explorer blew through a red light and crashed into the back end of a Honda Civic. The crunching metal and shattering glass made me twitch in surprise even though I’d watched it all go down. The driver jumped from the SUV and started pounding on the Honda’s window. “I’m in a Goddamned rush. Get this piece of shit out of my way.”

On the sidewalk a few feet from us, a couple began screaming at each other. I watched, horrified, as the woman pushed the guy, and he, in turn, pushed her back. Within moments, they were punching and kicking each other like a schoolyard death match.

All around us, anger, rage, and violence bled into the air. Stifling and thick.

Lukas crashed to the ground like a stone. Fists knotted in his hair, he was shaking, breath coming in shallow gasps as chaos exploded all around us. A sheen of sweat now covered his forehead, and every few seconds, he’d gasp, eyes rolling back into his head.

I dropped to the sidewalk beside him. “Lukas. Lukas, look at me.”

Nothing.

I grabbed his shoulders and gave a small shake. There was no response. “Lukas, you have to control it.”

A man stormed past us and threw a metal garbage pail through the front window of Karson’s Pawn Shoppe. “I won’t pay these prices. It’s a rip off!” Behind me, glass shattered. I closed my eyes as bits and pieces rained across my back and over my head.

Lukas was unfazed. He continued to stare ahead, looking right through me. I had to do something. Fast. In the distance, an echoing bang split the air. The sound bounced off the buildings around us and made the tiny hairs on the back of my neck stand tall. A gunshot? Another car wreck? Someone was going to get hurt—or worse—killed. I had no idea how far this would spread. Or how fast.

I shook him again. Nothing. Drastic. It needed to be drastic. I could hit him, but that’d probably piss him off even more. The last thing I needed was to get my ass handed to me by an angry Sin.

So I did the only other thing I could think of.

Throwing myself forward, I grabbed the sides of his face and pulled him toward me. At first, nothing happened. I sat there, balanced awkwardly on my knees with my lips pressed against his. It was warm. Soft. Not unpleasant, really—just weird. After a moment, his lips parted and I froze. He sucked in a breath and reached out to cup my face on either side. His fingers curled around chunks of my long hair, and for a second—just a second—I was terrified. Butterflies-in-the-stomach, freefalling into chaos kind of terrified. Not because I thought he was going to hurt me, but because I thought he was going to kiss me back.

But he didn’t.

Slowly, he pulled away, mouth hanging open wide enough to remind me of clown face on the fourth hole of the Penance miniature golf course. I never could get the ball into that hole… Bringing his right hand up, he ran a finger along his bottom lip, never taking his eyes from mine. A chill replaced the space he’d vacated. A surprisingly unwelcome one.

Disappointed. I was actually disappointed.

Around us, the sounds of arguing began to taper off. Sirens blared in the distance and a fire truck flew past, the breeze from it sending my loose hair flailing in all directions. Things seemed to be cooling down.

“What were you thinking?” When I didn’t answer, he kept going. “Are you crazy? Why would you do that?”

Wonder what he’d think if I told him he’d just sort of been my first kiss? Heat rose in my cheeks, and I tamped down a burning feeling in the pit of my stomach. I wouldn’t let him see his indifference bothered me. “It was the only thing I could think of. I needed you to snap out of it.”

“And you thought that was the best way to do it?”

I didn’t trust myself to speak, so I simply shrugged.

He climbed to his feet. “I lost control—I’m sorry.”

Control? I’d had my face smushed up against his, and he hadn’t taken advantage of it. That was control-a-plenty in my book. Or maybe I’d done something wrong. I wasn’t unkissable, right? I mean, I lacked skill—obviously—but…

He looked around, taking in the disaster. Guilt. It was evident in every twitch of his lip and flinch.

Oops. He was apologizing for the violence, not our almost-lip lock. “It wasn’t that bad,” I lied. Truth was, it’d been terrifying. Like the apocalypse had blown into town and smacked everyone upside the head. And I was worried about kissing? Brain meltdown, Jessie!

“I need to get out of here.” He didn’t wait for me to get up before starting back the way we’d come.

I didn’t argue.

Chapter Eight

It was almost four when we got back to the office. Lukas had settled on the old couch in the waiting area—the one Mom said Grandpa always hated. I could understand his dislike of the thing—and I’d never even met the guy. It looked like cheesy yellow and brown flower-infested curtains had thrown up all over it. To make things worse, the mustard yellow carpet matched the flowers perfectly and reminded me of a bad seventies movie. Most of the pictures on the wall—badly painted scenes of people dressed like pimps—had given me nightmares as a child. The place was a shrine to the days of platform shoes and fringe. I’d been pushing Mom to update the place, but as she pointed out, we were broke.

“You sure you’re okay?” I’d asked at least twelve times since we’d walked through the door. Pale and shaky, at least he didn’t look ready to collapse anymore. His eyes had returned to their normal color and he’d relaxed. For the most part. Every now and then I’d catch him watching me with an odd expression.

“I’ll be fine.”

“You want something to eat? Some water maybe?”

“Water would be nice, thank you.”

A quick dash to the kitchen. When I returned, I set down a glass and settled across from him on the chair. It took a lot to make me feel guilty. Hold your nose, jump in feet first, and think about it later—that was my mantra. When your mom owned an agency that dealt in the creepies, you kind of had to think that way. If I did something rash, it was because it needed to be done. No apologies. Not from me. This time, though, I’d acted stupid. Made a bad choice without thinking through the consequences. Lukas and all those people on the street in The Pit had paid the price because I felt like I had something to prove. “I’m sorry.”

He sipped the water and set it down on the coffee table. “Sorry?”

“That whole thing back there—it was my fault. We could have gone around. I was trying to get the jump on snagging the others.”

“Oh. Yes, it was.”

I held back a smile. Lukas didn’t sugarcoat things. You never had to wonder what he was thinking. It was a nice change from, well, pretty much everyone else. “I didn’t know what would happen.”

“I know.”

“I mean, you seemed to hold it together at school, so I thought…”

He leaned back. “You had no way of knowing my limits.”

“So I did the only thing I could think of.”

“You tried to kiss me.”

Tried? Suddenly my cheeks were flaming for an entirely different reason. “Yeah. Well, I know I lack the experience of someone your age—what are you, like four hundred?”

I could see he was fighting a smile, and it made me want to smack him. This wasn’t funny. “Not quite, no.” His face flushed slightly. “And the kiss was…nice.”

Huh. Didn’t see that coming. My mouth dried out and the breath caught in my throat. It was like someone had sucked all the air from the room—then cranked the heat sky high. My heart started dancing crazy. Like one of Kendra’s crazy speed metal bands.

I cleared my throat. “I think for it to have been considered an actual kiss, there had to be lip movement.” And maybe some tongue—I wasn’t sure. I’d never had a real boyfriend. There was Tommy Jensen in the first grade, but shin kicking followed by a sloppy gum-infested peck on the check didn’t exactly define going steady.

Then it hit me. Suddenly, the warm temperature took on a distinct chill. OhmyGod. Had I actually said that out loud? Where was a large rock to hide under when you really needed it?

“That’s not true,” he insisted, leaning forward a few inches. His voice was low and deep. It sent tiny tremors tickling up and down my spine, making my already thundering heart beat just a bit faster.

I found myself leaning forward as well, drawn almost like a magnet to the sound of his voice. Every impulse I had was screaming for me to move away—look away—but there was something about him that held me there…something so enticing in his eyes. They were dangerous and addictive.

We were less than six inches apart now, breath mingling. “At the risk of sounding inappropriate, I’d really like to do it again,” he murmured.

The only sound I could hear was the hammering of my heart. Oh.My.God. He was going to kiss me? For real this time? Excitement erupted, sending a million tiny shockwaves through my body. “You—um—wow, I—”

He pulled back and folded his hands neatly in his lap. “But I was raised a gentleman, so don’t worry.”

All the air whooshed out of the room like someone had just jammed a pin in a Jessie-sized balloon. I’d never been bummed about the office not having AC. Right about now, though, I needed to cool down—and distract my mind from this madness. “So…um, what exactly happened? I mean, I know you lost control, but why? What was different from school?”

He took another sip of water. When finished, he set the glass down and started again. “That place was full of black. Rage and death. There was so much of it…”

It made sense, and really, it was stupid that I hadn’t figured it out earlier. The Pit was where most of our calls came from—both human and Otherworlder. We’d stumbled onto entire bars that catered to freaky demon fetishes. Naturally, things got out of hand on occasion. People went missing. Things were stolen. It was a total cash cow from a business perspective, but for someone like Lukas, it must have been hell.

“What’s it like? When you lose control. It almost looked like you were in—”

“Pain?”

I nodded. “It hurts, doesn’t it?”

“You and your questions. Your grandfather was like that. It must be a family trait.” He leaned back again and glanced up toward the ceiling. “Yes, it does hurt. I’m fighting to keep control—I’m always fighting… Random anger here and there is hard, but manageable. But earlier, in that place, I was surrounded by so much of it. It senses the nearness of the very thing it feeds on and struggles for control.”

“It?”

“Wrath.”

“How—how painful is it?”

He stared at me, and I found the whole roller coaster starting all over again. Butterflies in the stomach, heated cheeks, heart jumping like a thrasher in a mosh pit…

I’d been boyfriendless for a reason. I didn’t want to get involved with anyone. I’d seen what it did to people—falling in love—and I wanted no part of it. Yet here I was, getting all hot under the collar for some guy. And not just any guy. One of the Seven Deadly Sins.

Irony, thy name is Jessie.

Mom would probably say it was hormones and walk away beaming with pride. She’d been pushing me to take an interest in something—someone—other than the agency. Somehow, though, I was pretty sure this wasn’t what she meant.

“It’s like being ripped apart—over and over again. Like being set on fire, dipped in ice, and then lit up again.”

“Jesus.” That cooled the mood quick. I was almost sorry I’d asked.

“The harder I fight, the worse it hurts when I finally lose control—which will happen more and more as time goes on. From the moment we’re released, the box is calling us back. It’s faint at first. A whisper in the crowd. But as our time runs out, the call becomes stronger and more painful, making the Sin more frantic to feed.”

“I’ll make sure Mom keeps her deal with you.” The passion in my voice surprised me. Mom was the good guy. The selfless one. I wasn’t the bad one, per se, but I didn’t inherit her patience with humanity. Nine times out of ten, if a person had an issue, it was my opinion that they brought it on themselves. Human and Otherworlder. Lukas was different, though. It wasn’t pity that I was feeling—I didn’t believe in that. It wasn’t even that he was incredibly hot—though that might have helped…a little.

I got the feeling he’d been royally screwed for no good reason, and that pissed me off. “We’ll help you become human again.” I took his hand and squeezed. To my surprise, he didn’t pull away. “We’ll fix this.”

He’d never expected us to honor our part of the deal—I could tell by the look on his face. A mix of shock and relief. “And who will we transfer the sin to? What innocent person do we punish for my misfortune?”

“Like Mom agreed. We’ll go with the original plan from 1959. We’ll find the bastard who opened the box and give him a taste of hell.”

Lukas looked down at my hand on his and opened his mouth, but the buzzing of the office phone interrupted him.

I stretched across the couch and grabbed the cordless, almost taking out the lamp in the process. “Darker Agency.”

“Jessie, I’m on my way home,” Mom’s voice crackled on the other end. Stupid cell reception sucked in this area. The town had been fighting against getting an additional tower installed. Some crap about it being an eyesore.

“Perfect. Pick up a pizza or—”

“Jessie, listen to me carefully. I found the person the Sins are looking for. The one who opened the box.” On the other end, I heard Mom talking to someone. “Take the phone,” she said.

There was some shuffling and a slight pause. The person on the other end sucked in a deep breath. “Hello, Jessie.”

Two words. That’s all it took to tear my world down. And not so much the words as the voice behind them.

“…Dad?”

Chapter Nine

Ten minutes later, they breezed through the door casual as could be. Mom first, followed by a face I hadn’t seen in almost five years.

Still impossibly tall with dark, wavy hair, he stopped in the doorway and stared. New additions to his look included a closely clipped goatee, a silver earring, and a new tattoo snaking down his arm and around his right wrist. He hadn’t aged a day since I’d seen him last. It might have been due to the fact that I’d built him up in my memory. Constantly looking at old pictures to keep his face fresh in my mind.

Or it might have been the demon blood running through his veins.

I’d heard the story a thousand times. How my very human mom fell in love with my deadly demonic dad. They met when Mom was just sixteen. She was working with Grandpa at the agency, and the way she tells it, Dad sauntered in looking for help retrieving a powerful amulet. According to Mom, the sparks were instant. There was more to it than that, but I’d blocked it out. Mom and Dad smoochies were not a thought I cared to entertain.

Grandpa, of course, didn’t approve, but who could blame him? What father would want his daughter to hook up with one of the very things he’d spent his life battling? In the end, it hadn’t mattered. Mom was like me. Stubborn to the core. She loved my dad—demon or not—and refused to give him up.

I crossed the room and threw myself into his arms. He smelled the same way I remembered. Slightly spicy with the tiniest hint of sulfur.

“I’m sorry, Jessie.”

“It’s true? You’re the one who opened the box?”

“I’m sorry,” he said again, pushing me away. His eyes found Lukas, and the tone of his voice changed instantly. It was deeper and darker. Demonic. “Wrath.”

Lukas’ eyes widened, and he took an unsteady step back. “Please—for everyone’s sake, don’t come any closer. It’s very hard for me to control my anger and you—”

“Make it harder?”

“Yes.”

Dad advanced a few steps wearing a wicked smile. “I’m a demon. We do that.”

Shadow demons, like my dad, had strength and speed, but their big claim to fame was shadowing. It was their trademark move and made them excellent employees for higher ranking demons, put to work as assassins and thieves. They had the ability to blend in—to become one with the shadows—and travel between them. Virtually undetectable, my dad could take you out before you even knew he was there. I’d slept with my lights on for an entire year when I was six because of a story Dad told me detailing a job he’d done once. That had been the last time Mom let him pop in to put me to sleep.

“Stop.” I grabbed Dad’s arm and pulled back. It was like trying to move a mountain, well, up a mountain.

“There is a Sin in the room with my family.” His voice was calm, but I knew better. I hadn’t spent much time with my dad, but I knew that tone. I’d heard it a thousand times from a thousand different demons. Threatening. Dangerous. It was the last sound you heard just before your world went splat.

“There’s a Sin in the room because you opened the box,” I said calmly. Hah. Take that, logic.

He turned to me, expression softening. “I didn’t open the box on purpose.”

“So what happened exactly?”

“We got word it was stolen and about to change hands. Valefar, my boss, sent me to stop the trade. There was a woman—I didn’t see her face. I chased her for the box, easily overpowering her. Too easily.”

“Too easily?” Mom came up beside him and rested a hand against his shoulder.

Dad nodded. “She all but surrendered the box—and then she tripped me.”

“She tripped you? As far as attack methods go, that one is a little middle school if you ask me.”

Understanding creased Mom’s features. “She wanted you to open the box.”

Again, Dad nodded. “I believe so. I tried to stop it from opening, but it was too late.”

“Why would you want to stop the box from being opened?” Lukas asked. He was watching Dad from across the room with a mixture of fear and awe. “You’re an instrument of Satan. Bred to spread evil.”

We stared at him.

Dad scoffed, offended. Arms folded and nose turned up, he said, “Ignorant human. You are a perfect example of why your species is inferior.”

Mom cleared her throat, and Dad amended with a wink, “Most of the species.”

Lukas looked confused. I patted him on the shoulder and shook my head. His view might be a little archaic, but it really wasn’t any different from the rest of the world’s. “The whole heaven-hell-angel-demon thing? So not what you think. I’ll explain later.”

“I’m not sure I want to know,” Lukas said, sinking back onto the couch. He ran a hand over his face and sighed. The poor guy was having a rough few days. “They’ll be looking for you. They need you to keep their freedom. There’s nothing they won’t do to break their tie to the box.”

“They’ll have to find me first.”

Mom was pale, and I could see the worry in her eyes, but she was a tough cookie. A woman used to kicking ass and taking names. A little thing like this wouldn’t slow her down. “This changes things,” she said with a quick glance in Lukas’ direction. He met her gaze for a moment before she turned away.

“Changes…?” And then I understood. Dad was the bastard that opened the box. The one we’d planned on switching Lukas with. “Craps,” I spat.

On the couch, Lukas remained silent and unsurprised. He’d figured it out before I did.

Dad leaned against the wall next to Mom’s desk. “Fill me in.”

“Lukas was human—trapped in the box,” I said.

Dad narrowed his eyes. “Human? How is that possible?”

“A witch,” Mom supplied with a frown. She moved around to the other side of the desk and settled into her chair. “And as you know, something done in blood cannot be undone without the same.”

“Ah.” Dad nodded. “Never been a fan of witches.”

“We were planning to transfer the sin to whoever opened the box…”

“I see.” Dad turned to Lukas. “You’ve found a descendant then, I take it? Of the one who trapped you?”

“We were searching for one,” Lukas said. “We’ve had no luck.”

“And this descendant you’re looking for can remove the Sin?”

“I believe so, yes. It’s how I became infected. By magic.”

Dad didn’t look convinced. “But you need someone to transfer the sin to. Is that correct?”

And this is where the problem was. Assuming we could find a Wells witch, we were now short one bad guy. “What about another demon? We bust bad ones all the time. Could we just—I dunno—pick a bad one and transfer the sin to them? Problem solved.”

Mom rolled her eyes, and Dad actually looked annoyed. He fixed his gaze on me, and in that moment, I was almost glad he’d been absent during my early years. The parental stare of death would have been hell coming from him. “Even if it were possible—which it’s not—I wouldn’t condemn one of my kind to that.”

Oops. No wonder Dad was mad. All demons came from the Shadow Realm and most were, in some small way, related. Technically, when we sent a demon back, there was a good chance we were deporting a relative of his—and mine. A distant relative, but still. We shared some small amount of blood.

“What do you mean, if it were even possible?” Mom asked.

I couldn’t help staring at them—my parents. Mom in the chair, and Dad standing beside her; they looked like the perfect couple. So normal… It was hard sometimes for me to remember they weren’t normal. Mom being human and Dad, well, not. Demons could look normal when it suited them, but you could spot them if you knew what to look for.

From the time I could talk, Mom taught me how to pick them out in a crowd. There was always a slight difference in eye color—usually too bright or too dark. Height was another indicator. Demons tended to be a bit taller than normal humans and had long, unusually slender fingers.

But the real way to sniff out a demon—the foolproof way, as Mom would say—was to pay attention to mannerisms. The devil really was in the details. Contrary to TV and movies, I’d never come across a volatile demon. They really didn’t go around wreaking random havoc—not unless it suited their plans. Demons were actually a pretty mellow bunch. Always observing. Waiting for their in. They didn’t talk much and never blinked—if a demon was looking at you, you knew it.

“The Seven Deadly Sins are the core demons. Ancient and powerful. You can’t transfer one demon essence to another. It won’t work.”

Hell. That meant the original plan was out. We couldn’t just grab an innocent person off the streets. And if demons were immune, we were going to have to find an alternative. Fast. Today had obviously been a waste. Sure, Mom found the person who opened the box, but I didn’t see her toting any Sins along when she and Dad came through the door.

I glanced over at the clock on Mom’s desk. After five already. That pretty much only left three full days and change to find six Sins and hopefully track down a Wells descendant.

Lukas stood. He was trying to be discreet, but I could see him glaring at Dad out of the corner of his eye. Dad, in turn, hadn’t taken his eye off Lukas. “I think I’d like to get some air, if you don’t mind.”

Mom must have noticed the tension between them, too. Always eager to diffuse a bad situation before it got started, she waved toward the back door and said, “Of course. If we need you, we’ll call.”

As soon as he was through the door, I turned to Mom. “Okay. Options?”

She shook her head. “Realistically? I don’t know that there are any.”

I stared. “So you’re giving up? Miss, I’m a woman of my word even if it kills me? You promised him you’d help.”

She turned to Dad. A look passed between them and I’ll admit it, I was a little jealous. Not only of her time spent with him before I was born—which was crazy, of course—but of the fact that she had someone who so clearly understood her as well as I did. “I know—and I shouldn’t have. Even if it hadn’t been your father, I don’t know if I could have condemned someone else to Lukas’ fate.”

I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. “But you said—”

“What was I supposed to say, Jessie? We’re talking about the Seven Deadly Sins. We need Lukas’ help to track them.”

“So you lied? Figured you’d use him to get what you want with no intention of keeping your word?” I was going to be sick. This was something I’d do. Not her. She was perfect. Noble. She’d never screw someone over like this…

“Jessie…”

She was upset.

Good. So was I.

“It’s not that I have no intention of helping him—I just thought maybe we could find another way. It doesn’t look good, but I’m not giving up. There’s still time. I’ll still search for the witch, but finding the Sins has to take precedence now.”

“Time? How can there be time to search for the witch if you won’t let me help?”

She opened her mouth, then closed it. Sighing, she said, “I have your father’s help, now. And maybe there’s a way to break Lukas’ tether from the box. Keep him out while putting the others back inside.”

“With Wrath still inside him?” I said skeptically. I knew she didn’t believe it, and it pissed me off that she’d try to pass off such a blatant lie. To me of all people. Like I couldn’t see through it? Her words might as well have been made of plastic wrap. Just as clear and twice as flimsy. For the first time I could ever remember, I was ashamed of my mom.

“Other witches, Voodoo priests, an elemental mage—we’re not out of options yet. Let me talk to Kendra’s mother. She might have an idea. They’re long shots—very long shots, but I won’t give up so long as you promise to tread lightly with him.”

I balked. This just kept getting better and better. “Tread lightly? What’s that supposed to mean?”

She glanced at Dad again. God, I wished she’d stop that. “You just seem—”

I grabbed my purple hoodie from the couch, pulled it over my head, and made my way to the door. I was not giving her a chance to finish that thought. It was pure insanity. “Whatever. He’s just a client. I’m trying to do what’s right, here. Apparently, I’m the only one.”

Chapter Ten

I found Lukas standing in the fading light on the back deck. “How ya doing?”

Without turning, he shrugged. I didn’t have to ask. I knew he’d heard every word.

“Listen—”

He turned to face me, lips weighted down at the corners. “You don’t have to explain. I already knew.”

“You knew? Then why did you agree to help?”

He shrugged again and turned back to the yard. The crickets were out in force, joined by the distant cry of a hawk. After a few minutes of silence, he said, “July fifteenth, 1864.”

“Huh?”

“My birthday.”

“Wow. You’re an old man,” I joked, but it fell flat.

“Technically, I’m only eighteen. I was trapped in the box in 1882. I don’t age inside.”

I stepped forward and leaned against the railing beside him as the wind kicked up. “You knew Meredith Wells, didn’t you?” It was a risky question considering how he’d reacted earlier, but I wanted to know. Needed to know. “Like, personally?”

He fiddled with a loose piece of wood that had splintered from the railing. Pulling it off, he turned it over several times before flicking it out into the grass below. “Meredith was beautiful. Long, dark hair, eyes the color of the ocean, and a smile that could chase away the rain.”

“Sounds like a swell chick.”

He nodded, picking at another piece of loose wood. “She was amazing. And she was mine—at least, I thought so.”

I stared. “Yours? What, like, your girlfriend?” And Mom wondered why I didn’t date?

“Fiancé, actually.” He swung both legs over the side of the railing and settled on the edge. “We were to be married the spring following my eighteenth birthday.”

I followed suit, letting my legs dangle next to his. It wasn’t until that moment that I realized how much taller he was than me. He had to have at least eight inches on my five-foot three. It was ridiculous timing, but I was tall enough that if I leaned against him, my head would rest perfectly on his shoulder. “And she was a witch?”

With an umpf, Lukas pushed off the railing and landed on the grass below. “A very talented one. Her family was wealthy. Very prominent in Penance. There were whispers about what she was, but no one believed them. A Wells woman would never toy with such things,” he said in a mocking tone. “Fools. Every last one of them.”

I followed him down, feet landing with a slight squish in the soft October grass.

“One evening, I caught her with another man. A local farmer’s son. I was more angry than hurt, really. Her actions chanced ruining a merger that would put both our families in favorable situations. It was selfish, but then, Meredith was a selfish woman. I begged her to see reason—to turn him away. I told her I would treat her like a queen…but it wasn’t enough.”

Lukas tilted his head back, watching the sky for a moment. Fine by me. This presented the opportunity to give him a nice, long, appreciative once over. That Meredith girl must have been nuts. I didn’t know what the standards for hot were in 1882, but in 2013, Lukas was serious real estate. Long, angular face and a generous mop of dark hair. His nose was just slightly off center—he must have broken it at one point—but it completed him so perfectly. It gave the lines of his face character. It fit.

“She chose him over you?”

“She did. But it wasn’t that simple. As I said, our union would have put our families in a favorable place. The marriage was arranged as a merger of wealth and status. Our parents had gone to great lengths to secure the union. I knew if her father found out what she’d done, he’d disown her. That wasn’t something Meredith could have handled. She liked her life of privilege. Her elegant parties and fancy dresses. Being waited on hand and foot. She’d never lifted a finger in her life.”

“So you threatened her.”

He nodded, tearing his gaze from the darkening sky, and started to walk. “I thought it would make her see reason, but she didn’t take it very well. Maybe her emotions were heightened by him, I don’t know.”

“Him? Wait—you mean she was shacking up with the original Wrath? That’s the guy you found her with?”

His expression twisted in pure disgust. “Yes. The farmer’s son was the one infected by Wrath. She’d seen him a thousand times, but he was beneath her notice. Lowly.” A bitter laugh escaped his lips and his fists curled tight. “I can only guess that when they crossed paths, after he’d been infected by Wrath, she saw something in him. Something different—and powerful. Meredith’s reasons for doing anything were always her own, but she craved power above all else. Maybe she thought she could get something from him. Or possibly, she saw him as an amusing distraction. Whatever the reason, it sickens me to think about it. At least, even now, I am still human at my core. He though, he was never human. He was a thing. A soulless demon.”

Even though I was sure he didn’t realize it, his words stung like salt crammed into an open wound. Voice remarkably steady, I said, “Not all demons are disgusting. They’re not things. My father’s a demon. I’m—I’m half demon, and I’m not a thing.”

He flinched like I’d slapped him. As I’d suspected, he’d been clueless, but that didn’t make it hurt any less. “I didn’t mean—”

“Whatever,” I said, trying to sound casual. I wouldn’t let him see his less than stellar opinion of demons bothered me. “So then what happened?”

He hesitated, almost as if to make sure I really wanted him to continue. “I don’t know the whole story. She’s long dead, and I will never know the truth behind her motivations. All that is certain is that she devised a way to set Wrath free—to essentially make him human—all she needed was someplace to store his essence.”

“So she damned you to an eternity inside the box? No offense, but your taste in girls sucks.”

“I didn’t choose her. She was chosen for me.”

He didn’t sound happy about it. Understandable. I mean, who would be, right? Getting told who you had to look at for the rest of your life? Who you had to kiss? Barbaric if you asked me—especially when your betrothed was a big fat ho.

“So who would you have chosen? What’s your type?” I started wondering again what it’d be like to kiss him. Actually kiss him. For real. Considering his aversion to demons, I’d probably never find out.

“Type?”

I rolled my eyes. I had to keep reminding myself we had a bit of a language barrier sometimes. “What kind of girl were you interested in?”

He thought about it for a few moments. “I don’t know that I had a type. I could have had anyone I wanted, really.” Expression darkening, he finished with, “If I’d been allowed to choose.”

“Wow. Cocky much?”

He frowned. “It was just fact. I inherited my father’s looks and stood to one day inherit his fortune. It made me desirable. And really, the girls were all the same back then. Demure and obedient.”

I stopped and plucked a leaf off a low hanging branch. Twirling it between my fingers, I said, “So you’re saying they were all snoozeville?”

He cocked an eyebrow and my pulse spiked. Oh, yeah. Meredith was an idiot. Whoever coined the phrase ugly as sin had never set eyes on Lukas Scott.

“Boring,” I supplied, after a deep, brain-clearing breath. “Dull.”

“Ah. I suppose dull is an adequate description. Things are very different now. Free. Women seem to stand equally against men.”

“Careful—normally this is a chick-only household. Estrogen is combustible under the right circumstances. And yeah, men and women are equal.”

“But to allow women to have such freedoms—is it safe? I must admit, the thought of Klaire—or you—doing the things Joseph Darker told me of…”

Good thing it was dark. He probably didn’t see me getting ready to deck him. How was that possible? To go from kissy thoughts to kick-your-ass thoughts in a matter of seconds? I’d never met anyone who could make my head spin on a dime like this before. I loved it and hated it at the same time. “What? Makes you sick? Gives you the creeps?”

“Worries me.”

“Huh?”

“Do the men in this century not look after their women? To allow them to participate in such dangerous things—”

“Whoa. First off, something you’re gonna need to know if you have any hope of not getting creamed in public—women can take care of themselves. We can ass kick with the best of them.” I winked. “In some cases, even better.”

I glanced back toward the house. It was nothing more than a fading silhouette barely visible through the brush. God, had we really gone that far? It felt like we’d just started walking.

It was Lukas. He was easy to talk to. To just be with. He made my brain itch with his backwards thinking and stone-aged comments sometimes, but underneath it all, he had a sense of humor and a kind heart. Not to mention a pair of arms I could see myself dreaming about.

I was about to suggest we start heading back, but Lukas’ eyes widened suddenly and he rushed forward. Whatever caught his attention, I was happy for it. My brain was venturing into places it shouldn’t go.

He stopped at the edge of the old railroad tracks that went through the back end of our property. Bending low, he brushed the tips of his fingers along the rusting metal and let out a long sigh. “Are these—I was just a child when these tracks were laid,” he whispered. “Everyone was so excited…”

I couldn’t imagine how displaced he must feel. If it were me, back in the same town I’d grown up in—over a century ago—I was pretty sure there’d be some freaking out. “This has gotta be weird for you.”

He stood and brushed off his jeans, giving the tracks one final look. “Did you know our families were friends? The Scotts and the Darkers?”

“Really?”

“Simon Darker—an ancestor of yours—was very close with my mother.” He laughed. “I do believe I was the one who set the Darker family on its current professional course.”

Ahha! Now we were getting to the good stuff. I leaned against the pine tree behind me. “How so?”

“When I was freed the first time in 1910, it was Simon I sought help from.”

“You’re saying the box was opened before the riots?”

He nodded. “Yes. Just once, and the rest weren’t out long.”

“So, why Simon?”

“I couldn’t go to my mother. She was a devout Catholic and I’d been gone twenty-eight years without aging a day. It would have caused her great stress to see me, and she was very ill. I knew Simon had always been secretly fascinated by the occult. He was my only choice.”

“So you went to Simon and said what? ‘I’ve been trapped in a box all this time—help a guy out?’”

He snorted. “Obviously it wasn’t that simple. At first, it was quite hard to convince him I wasn’t a dem—”

I glared at him.

“Evil,” he finished awkwardly. “But once I did, he was more than eager to help. He always believed that Meredith had something to do with my disappearance, but could never prove it because she disappeared shortly after.”

“So what happened? I mean, you mentioned Meredith’s descendant screwing you over in 1959. The same thing couldn’t have happened in 1910?”

He took a deep breath. “It did. Simon found a member of the Wells family and explained what her ancestor had done. The woman—Margret was her name—was ashamed and vowed to right the injustice. She told him she knew of a spell that could grant me my freedom. The time came and things were going fine, but in the middle of the spell she stopped.”

“Stopped?”

“She was speaking—then silent. I saw the others called back to the box and everything went black.” He thrust both hands into the pockets of his jeans and shrugged. “I don’t know what happened. Not with the spell. Not with Simon…”

“Where were the other Sins while you were working with Simon? They didn’t want out of the box for good?”

“They didn’t find out about the spell to gain their freedom until 1959. Technology was more advanced. I was able to get to Joseph Darker faster than I had Simon. We had more time to search for a Wells witch, and I suppose they became suspicious. They found out about the spell and what we were doing, but it didn’t matter. Mary Wells never intended to free me.” He sighed. “You asked me why I agreed to help—even though I knew Klaire had no intention of freeing me.”

“Yeah…” For an insane, brain-blocked moment, I thought he might declare that I was the reason. That from the moment he’d laid eyes on me, he knew we were destined to be together.

Then he opened his mouth.

He spread his arms wide and flashed me a wicked smile. In the fading light, he looked almost mad. The slight gleam in his eyes, coupled with the tilt of his head and crook of his lip made the whole scene seem surreal somehow. Spinning twice, he said, “Maybe it’s my penance. Eternity in the box. I made mistakes—we all do—and maybe this is my punishment. My destiny. To hold Wrath in my body so no one else has to.”

Seriously. I had to stop letting Kendra drag me to those cheesy romance flicks.

I sighed and stepped closer. “Unless you went on a mad killing spree, I don’t see what you could have done to deserve this. It would take a special kind of asshole to be worthy of getting locked in that box…”

There was something more he wanted to say. I could tell by the way he watched me, but instead, he simply plucked a pinecone from a low hanging branch and crushed it between his palms.

I was about to suggest heading back to the house—standing out here alone in the dark with him was doing strange and confusing things to my stomach—but a loud roar split the air.

Chapter Eleven

“That didn’t sound good…” I said, looking past the open field and beyond the tracks. A second boom came, this one accompanied by an angry looking plume of gray smoke and a series of smaller bangs. With a quick glance toward the house, I turned on my heel and took off toward the chaos without a second thought.

Footsteps pounded against the ground behind me. Lukas. I don’t know why I was surprised he’d followed—but I was. Surprised, and something else. Glad? Grr. Why would I be glad? Obviously something in my brain had short circuited—spending more time with him wasn’t going to make it any better.

Another boom, this one even louder than the first. There was a slight shake to the ground and in the distance, someone screamed. I picked up the pace.

I crashed through the brush at the edge of the field and hit the pavement of the lot behind Al’s Antiques. The ground was wet and my sneakers slipped, momentarily disturbing my momentum, but I righted myself and kept going. Another boom. Louder. We were getting closer.

Rounding the corner of the building, I came to the sidewalk and pulled up short. Lukas plowed into me from behind, sending us both lurching forward into the street, but it didn’t matter. There was no traffic to worry about. Why? Because people were all on foot. Everywhere.

Flankman’s Department store had opened in Penance over a hundred years. They’d started out selling food and simple supplies, then in more recent years branched out to become a kind of sell-all store. TVs, clothing, groceries—Flankman’s had a little of it all. Family-owned, like most things in town, it was almost a landmark.

Well, had been like a landmark.

The glass storefront was shattered, only a small portion—the top part of the F and bottom half of L—remained. Smoke billowed from the top floor where the founder, Martin Flankman’s, original apartment had been. The entire right side of the roof was in flames and the fire was creeping across.

Another boom spilt the air. Just behind the building, shooting over the roof, a cascade of red and blue streaked across the sky. Fireworks. Someone had found Pete Flankman’s secret stash.

I was so busy staring into the sky, that I wasn’t paying enough attention to my surroundings. I backed into something solid—a man balancing two twelve packs of beer in his arms. George White.

“Watch it, bitch,” he snapped, taking a step back. He hugged the cases close like they were precious, eyes darting back and forth to keep watch for any harm that might come to them.

I didn’t answer. I didn’t know what to say. George was cranky on his best days, but I’d never seen him downright rude.

People were running around like quartzed demons. Cursing, screaming, and the occasional shoving match everywhere you looked. It was insanity squared…then I took a closer look through the broken storefront. People were inside, frantically filling their pockets and arms with as much as they could carry.

“Oh my God—you guys are looting Flankman’s?” I whirled on George—who was still standing there glaring at me. “Pete Flankman is your friend, George! What the hell?”

“Are you eyeballing my beer, kid?” Eyes narrowing, he set one of the twelve packs down and took a step forward. “You thinkin’ of taking it from me?”

My mouth fell open. “Have you gone bonkers?”

George snarled and leapt forward, swinging the remaining twelve pack at my head like a baseball bat. I moved to get out of the way, but the corner of my shoe clipped the curb and everything started tilting upward. Something strong wrapped around my waist and suddenly I was flying backward just as George slammed the case of beer down where I’d been. An explosion of glass and amber-colored liquid erupted from the wrecked cardboard box and oozed out onto the concrete. With a growl, George left the smashed case, retrieved the other, and lumbered off toward the street without another word.

“Hell in a hailstorm…” I huffed.

“It’s Greed,” Lukas whispered, warm breath tickling the side of my face. Inopportune moment aside, I realized something right then—I liked the sound of his voice. Odd time for a revelation. Still, it just…hit me. He had a really nice voice. Warm and deep. It reminded me of hot cocoa—and there was nothing nicer than hot cocoa.

For a moment, I didn’t move. I was tilted back, arm raised at a slightly odd angle and leaning against him. He’d caught me before I hit the ground and dragged me away from the curb. I was pretty sure his intention hadn’t been to whisper in my ear, but it gave me warm tingles regardless.

Kendra would have a blast-o-million if she could see this.

“Do you see him?” I managed to pull myself away and move aside as a tall woman missing one shoe came blasting from the store. She had an armful of clothing and a Twix bar dangling from her teeth and was giggling like a loon.

“I don’t think Greed’s here anymore,” Lukas said, taking a step toward the burning building. “I don’t feel him.”

Sirens wailed as two fire trucks came speeding up the road. A whole slew of new people. “Oh, craps. Will they be affected? Like if they go in?” Then it hit me. “Even bigger craps—will we be affected?”

Lukas shook his head. “Anyone arriving after the initial infection has a very slim chance of being affected. If someone particularly susceptible were to happen along, then yes. Otherwise, it’s safe.”

I couldn’t really classify this disaster as safe, but whatever. “Okay. Small favors. I’ll take what we can get. Any idea how to diffuse the situation? If Greed is gone, how come the people aren’t going back to chill? Back in The Pit, soon as you calmed down, everything was fine.”

He looked a little pale, and I felt guilty about bringing it up. “What happened earlier wasn’t on purpose. I didn’t infect anyone, I just lost control and some of the anger Wrath harbors leaked out. As soon as I regained my senses, Wrath’s influence faded.”

“So you’re saying no one new will go all grabby?”

He blinked twice then nodded slowly. “Yes. And for those affected, it will wear off in time.”

More sirens, these from the Penance PD. “Oh great. Barney Fife is here.”

“Who?” Lukas dodged something and pulled me with him. A pair of red women’s pumps flew past, narrowly missing our heads, followed by an unboxed toaster from the middle of the chaos.

“What are you doing here, Jessie?” Binkie—err—Officer Barnes yelled, jumping from his squad car. A second later, his entire face lit up. “Is Klaire here, too?”

I rolled my eyes. “Don’t you have more important things to worry about at the moment? Like, oh, I dunno, the riot going on inside Flankman’s?”

He looked past me, eyes wide, then cleared his throat. “Of course I do. I was just making sure she wasn’t—” he shuffled sideways then started toward the door, “…inside.”

As Officer Barnes was swallowed by the crowd, three more police cars pulled up in front of the building. Thank God. No way was one small town cop going to be enough to get this under control. Four probably wouldn’t do the trick either.

Luckily for them, I was more than happy to help. “Come on,” I said, motioning to Lukas.

We stepped over the remains of the storefront and into the main room. It was a disaster. There were two kids fighting over a small pile of candy while two women—I guessed their mothers—battled it out over a canned ham. Behind them, Officer Barnes was trying to restrain Mrs. Mesher, the elderly woman who lived down the road from Kendra. She swung her cane, catching him across the shin as he snapped the cuffs into place.

A loud clatter rang above the din, and I whirled to see a man swinging a baseball bat at the beverage cooler. Because opening the door would have been too easy, right? He hit it once. Then twice. On the third swing, the glass shattered, but did he stop there? Of course not. He swung again, hitting the shelf. Bottles exploded, assorted liquids shooting in every direction.

I managed to duck a projectile can of Pepsi but wasn’t so lucky with the two liter bottle of root beer that landed at my feet. The plastic bottle bounced twice and slammed into my shin, fizzing and spitting until the cap shot off and caramel colored soda covered me from head to toe.

“Ick!” I flicked my hands and pushed a strand of wet hair from my face.

“That was mine!” the man screamed, rushing forward.

There was probably no point in telling him three more sat on the floor by the cooler, along with an entire row still up on the shelves. I spread my legs apart, ready to take him on, but it was unnecessary. Lukas intercepted him before he got halfway across the room.

Charging like a bull, he tackled the larger man, forcing him down to the ground. The man struggled, but Lukas dodged him and delivered a sharp jab to the side of his face. The man’s eyes rolled back, and his head lolled to the side.

I held my hand out to help him up, not bothering to hide the smile on my face. “Impressive.”

He returned the grin with one of his own. “Don’t look so surprised.”

From the corner of my eye, I saw something move. A blur of blonde and bright blue. When I turned, Kendra was standing over a man, lips pulled back in an angry snarl.

“That’s mine,” she growled.

“Uh oh…”

“What?” Lukas said, scanning the room.

I pointed to Kendra. “Greed infested normal people are bad—green infested witches are probably worse.”

His gaze swiveled. “Your friend is a witch?”

I nodded. “Kendra doesn’t have very good control over her power.”

“Do I want to know what you mean by that?”

“It means she could do some serious damage. We have to stop her.” I let go of his hand and started forward. “Kendra?”

“Don’t come any closer,” she snarled. Bending down, she scooped up the box at her feet.

I peered over the rim. The box was full of shoes and Kit Kats. Figured. There was no one on planet Earth who had a bigger shoe fetish then Kendra. “Trust me, I don’t wanna take your shoes away.” Another step. “I just wanna get you out of here before someone gets hurt.”

She backed away, lips pulled back in an angry snarl. Funny, little known facts about witches. They’re usually very moody and hard to get along with. They prefer night over day and prefer to only associate with their own kind. Kendra’s mom was the stereotypical witch. Surly and combative, she worked as a night guard at the corrections facility and rarely left the house during the day unless necessary.

Kendra, on the other hand, was an anomaly. She was bubbly and thrived on sunshine. Her favorite place in the whole world was the beach, and she had always kind of been afraid of the dark.

Kendra set down the box and closed her eyes. I held my breath as her lips began to move, chanting something too low for me to hear. It took a moment, but when I realized what she was doing, every muscle in my body tensed. A spell. She was going to try to do a spell.

I took a step back, dragging Lukas with me. “Oh… This isn’t going to end well…”

Kendra’s eyes flew open and a loud crash filled the air. Then another. To our right, the remaining beverage cooler doors exploded one by one. A chorus of screams erupted, and people dove for cover. A few feet away, an old woman cried out and fell to the floor clutching her arm. Seeing blood, I dropped to my knees, dodging projectile glass to crawl to her side and check on her.

But I only made it a few feet. The ground was solid one moment, and gone the next. My world tipped sideways, then upside-down and I was flying backwards through the store. I hit the far wall hard, teeth banging together with a brain-jarring snap. The sound echoed inside my head and caused my ears to ring.

A warm hand grasped my arm, tugging me upright. Lukas. My vision cleared to see him standing over me, brows furrowed with concern. “Are you all—” The air whooshed from his lungs, the sentence stolen, as a large man plowed him over on his way to the door.

“Craps!” I watched him go down as Kendra took me by surprise, hitting like a Mac truck with no brakes. Stars bloomed behind my eyes as I tipped back and lost my footing. I crashed to the ground again, jamming my left shoulder and bending the fingers on my right hand back at a completely unnatural angle.

“I’ve spelled myself,” she said with a wicked grin. “I’m faster and stronger than you. You can’t take them away from me!”

Spelled herself? Oh, she was going to be sorry later. I gave her a quick once over to search for extra appendages. A tail, spikes…another set of horns… But whatever the side effect, it wasn’t plainly visible.

Kendra kicked out, but I managed to roll away as the pointy toe of her favorite black boots sailed by, inches from my face.

“Not cool, Ken!” I scrambled back to my feet as she turned for another round. This time, as she passed, I jumped back and grabbed a chunk of her hair. Girl move? Totally. But it did the trick.

Kendra let out a howl as I yanked back. She teetered for a moment before losing her balance. Unfortunately, so did I.

I went stumbling inelegantly forward into Lukas, knocking us both to the ground. When we untangled ourselves, I turned around, and Kendra was gone.

Chapter Twelve

“We need to find her. She’s all amped. Knowing how wonky her powers can be, who knows what kind of damage she can do?”

Lukas dusted off some debris from the front of his pants and frowned. As he bent forward, tiny bits of glass fell from his hair to the floor.

I turned to take stock. The crowd was thinning, most of the looters gone—along with a huge portion of the store. The counter had been destroyed, and the cash register was nowhere in sight, but there was a pile of nickels on the floor two kids were fighting over. I stepped forward, pulled them apart, and shoved them in the direction of the door. They went, but not before calling me several names that would have made a trucker blush.

With every step, glass crunched under my shoes, scraping against the previously pristine hardwood floors. Mr. Flankman was going to have a coronary when he saw them. He’d once chased me from the store because I tracked mud inside.

From where I stood by the counter, I could see out to the road. The police had people cuffed and lined up along the sidewalk side by side like a prison yard. Some were still screaming and trying to get to each other, and the police were having a hard time keeping them all apart.

“How are we going to find your friend?”

“I have no idea, but we need to hurry.”

“Oh, you need to hurry all right. You need to hurry your ass right along home,” a voice said from the door. I looked up to see Mom and Dad standing there—and hell in a hailstorm, did they look pissed.

“We heard the explosion and saw the smoke from the field. I thought—”

Mom held up a hand and shook her head. I closed my mouth immediately. “No, Jessie. You didn’t think. You had no idea—”

“Klaire!” Officer Barnes called from across the room. He released Tom Aaron, the local postmaster, and started toward us. Tom let out a maniacal giggle, grabbed the box of shoes Kendra had abandoned, and took off.

Mom peered around him, eyebrows cocked. “Um, Officer Barnes…Tom is—”

“I was hoping to see you here.” He puffed out his chest and hitched up his pants, stretching them tight over places that would give me nightmares for weeks. “You look lovely today.”

Was he blind? He’d never met my dad, but the guy was standing right there. Seriously close to Mom…with his hand around her waist! He didn’t think that might mean something? I cleared my throat. “Officer Barnes, this is my d—”

He leaned close and flashed Mom a cheesy grin. “We should have dinner tonight.”

“Jessie…” Lukas tapped my shoulder. “Look. Over there.”

I followed his gaze and a sticky lump formed in my throat. “Is that who I think it is?”

“Vida,” he growled and started forward.

I grabbed a handful of his shirt and yanked back. Last thing I needed was two Sins slugging it out in the middle of Flankman’s department store while Binkie Barnes drooled all over my mom with Dad looking on. “Down boy. Bigger problems right now.”

“And then breakfast tomorrow,” Barnes finished with a suggestive swing of his hips.

Mom, a class act to the core, simply smiled. “Bindle, I don’t think you’ve met Damien.”

Officer Barnes gave Dad a dismissive wave and continued to stare at Mom.

Dad looked annoyed, but I had to give him credit. He kept it together. “I’m Jessie’s father,” he said. My parents had never been officially married, but that didn’t mean anything. As far as they were both concerned, he was her husband and she his wife. A stupid piece of paper didn’t matter to them. Telling Officer Barnes he was my dad was his way of saying this is my family so back the hell off.

But Binkie didn’t take the hint.

“How nice for you,” he said, pushing Dad aside. “So about dinner… Clothing is optional.”

“Officer Barnes!” Mom exclaimed, eyes wide. “What is the matter with you?”

He winked and said, “I’ll make it worth your while.”

Dad took Mom’s hand and nodded to me. “Out. Now.” He was losing his temper. Leaving seemed like a pretty good idea.

They turned and started for the door, and Lukas and I followed—but so did Officer Barnes. In a move I would never scrub from my brain no matter how hard I tried, he reached out and slapped my mom across the ass. The sound was like a gunshot echoing through a churchyard. He whistled and said, “Hot damn, baby’s got back!”

I thought the riot had been bad. It was nothing compared to the look of fury in Dad’s eyes when he whirled on the guy. His hand shot out, and he had Officer Barnes pinned to the wall across the room before I could even blink. “If you ever touch her again, I’ll snap your bones like twigs and feed them to the armies of hell.”

“Twigs,” Officer Barnes nodded like a bobble head. “Armies of hell.” His head swiveled back to Mom and he smiled. “Hands off the hot—”

Dad grabbed two handfuls of Barnes’ uniform and jerked him closer. Judging from the look in his eyes, Officer Grabby Pants was about to be paste.

Beside me, Lukas went rigid. There was a flash of red and a sharp intake of breath, and I knew we were teetering on the verge of a meltdown. I rushed forward before Dad could take it any further. “You need to chill.” I hitched a thumb back toward Lukas who was starting to twitch. “You’re going to set Lukas off. This is all the work of the Sins, right? Maybe Officer Barnes was hit by Lust.”

For a moment, I didn’t think Dad would leave it at that. I held my breath, waiting for the blow that thankfully never came. With a final shake, he stepped away and rejoined Mom across the room, never taking his eyes from Officer Barnes.

I stepped back to where Lukas stood, still stiff, but looking much less like a balloon ready to pop. “You okay?”

He gave me a slight nod.

Voice still laced with anger, Dad said, “Jessie, take Lukas and go back to the office. Your mother and I will clean up here.”

I wanted to argue but decided against it. Going head-to-head with Mom over little stuff was one thing, but Dad? Hell no. “Kendra was here. She was affected, too.”

Dad nodded. “We’ll find her. Go.”

…

“You didn’t tell them about Vida. Why?” Lukas asked.

We’d cut back through the field and crossed the train tracks in record time. I didn’t know how long Mom and Dad would be and had no intention of pushing my luck. Back at the office, Lukas settled in the main room while I went upstairs to take a shower. Soda and long hair did not mix well. Plus, I hated the smell of root beer. The only thing keeping me from burning my clothes was our serious lack of funds.

The phone kept ringing, but I let the voicemail get it. If I picked it up and something juicy popped, I’d be way too tempted to hop a bus and go out on my own. That would only add to the hot water I knew I was already in.

“I didn’t think right then was the perfect time to tell her I’d gone head-to-head with lust at school.” I picked at the edge of the couch. There was a small rip in the end cushion that I’d systematically made bigger over the last few months. It wasn’t on purpose—just habit. “I’ll tell her later. No sense in making her worry more than she needs to right now.”

Lukas stood and began to pace the length of the room. “Any witch powerful enough can free them—they’re not bound to the box by a specific bloodline like I am. That scene at the store was deliberate.”

“Deliberate? Yeah, they deliberately wanted to cause trouble.”

He shook his head. “You don’t find it odd that it was so close to your home?”

I shrugged. “Penance is a small town. Everywhere is close to home.”

“No,” Lukas insisted. “That place we were this afternoon—that would have been a much stronger feeding ground. There was a lot of negative energy and they could have done maximum damage there. This was done to draw you out.”

I stood. “Well, they didn’t try very hard, did they?”

“I believe they’re still testing the waters. They need to know what they’re up against. What your limits and weaknesses are. They’ve underestimated the Darker family in the past. I don’t believe they’ll make the same mistake again.”

Lukas, not paying attention, ran right into me. His hands shot out to steady me, fingers grazing the bare skin of my arms where I’d rolled up my sleeves.

Even with just the dim light shining in from the other room, I could see him flush. He pulled away in a flash, like he’d just gotten caught copping a feel or something. “I’m sorry.”

I grabbed his arm and placed his hand back on my bare forearm. It was pleasantly warm in contrast to the chilly air and, guiltily, I liked the way it felt there. “You gotta get over this stone-age mentality. It’s not like you’re grabbing my boobs or anything!”

“Am I interrupting something?” Mom came through the door, followed by Dad.

Lukas pulled away so fast he lost his balance and landed on the couch, eyes wide. “Klaire, I—”

She looked from him to me and sighed. “Do you mind if I talk to Jessie for a moment?”

“Of course.” He climbed to his feet and scampered out the door without another word. Dad turned on his heel and followed. I hoped he wasn’t going to go all demon-Dad on the poor guy. Arm contact must have been equal to ass grabbing back in his day. He was seriously freaked without an added lecture.

Mom waited till the door closed, then turned to me, expression grim. “Your father went to his boss Valefar to request an extended stay.”

I swallowed. They had to be worried if Dad was willing to request shore leave. The lower ranking demons needed special permission from their bosses—AKA masters—and it never came cheap. If they weren’t here on official business, they needed special permission to stay for any length of time. Dad used to visit me on my birthday every year. But on my seventh one, he brought uninvited company in the form of a party crashing fire demon. After that, Valefar revoked the birthday visit privileges. “And?”

“He has permission to stay until we get this all sorted.”

“Not that I’m not glad to have Dad around—and the extra help would be great—but is it really safe for him to be running around town with the Sins lose? I mean, they need him, right? For the spell? Without his blood, they can’t be freed…”

She shook her head. “I said that, too, but truthfully, I need his help. And you know your father. Stubborn as the ocean is deep. Don’t worry. He can take care of himself.”

I settled across from her, unsure what I should say next. The silence that hung between us was, for the first time I could remember, uncomfortable.

“What about Kendra?”

Mom sighed. “We found her a block from the store and brought her home. I explained to Cassidy what was going on.”

“You told her about the Sins?”

Mom’s lips twitched. “I didn’t have any choice. They’re one of the few families I know with permanent residence in Penance that could do serious damage if affected. They’re more dangerous if unaware. Plus, I need her help, too.”

“Her help?” Cassidy Belfair wasn’t the helpful sort unless she was getting something out of it.

“Lukas says the Wells family is local to these parts. The Belfairs are, as well. Witches keep detailed histories. If anyone can help me locate a Wells witch, it’s Cassidy. Considering my time limit, I didn’t see another option.”

I wanted to argue, but couldn’t. I wondered how the conversation had gone. Mom and Cassidy had never really clicked.

“What about Kendra? She’ll be okay?”

“Your father believes it will wear off in a day or so. She’ll be back to normal.”

“Oh, good… Lukas said pretty much the same thing.”

Mom shifted in her seat. “Yeah…” There was more coming. I could tell by the way she tapped her right foot and ground her teeth. All tells that there was something pressing on her mind.

I nodded and glanced away, bracing myself for the lecture. Actually, I kind of looked forward to it. This was painful—forcing small talk. While a part of me wanted to get away with running off half-cocked to Flankman’s, a bigger part wanted something other than what happened between us earlier to focus on.

“We think you’re right about Lust. Bindle Barnes must have been affected. I know he’s always—had a thing for me—but he’s never spoken out of line like that, much less gotten grabby.”

“The whole thing was way disturbing…” The truth was, I’d probably never be able to scrub the scene from my memory. I was scarred for life.

“It would explain his behavior.” She laughed. “I believe that was the only thing keeping your father from shredding him limb from limb.”

A few moments of silence ticked by. When I didn’t say anything, she continued.

“About Lukas… I know you’re—disappointed,” she said. “But I did—”

I held up my hand. “I love you, Mom. But you’re right. I am disappointed. I put you on this kind of pedestal and seeing you fall off…”

“That’s not fair. I’m only human, and I make the choices I feel are right. They’re not always easy, and sometimes it sucks, but that’s what being an adult is.”

“I just—could we not do this now? Shop talk only. Agreed?”

I knew she was hurt, and I felt bad about it, but I needed a little time. She was my idol. My superhero role model. I knew I was too old to think that way, but there it was. I’d just been told Santa Claus didn’t exist. That took a bite out of your butt in the worst possible way.

It was obvious she wanted to say more, but instead nodded. After a deep breath, she said, “So, I’ve been talking to some people.”

Talking to some people. That was a loaded statement coming from my mom. It could mean anything from chatting up the neighbors about strange sounds at night to chaining a demon down and jamming quartz splinters under its nails to get information—all without misplacing a single hair.

“The last time you said that to me, I had to come pick you up in The Pit because you’d insulted the leader of the local were coalition by suggesting he go fetch you something.”

And she wondered where I got the attitude from?

She rolled her eyes. “Something feels off about this one.”

“Off? What do you mean?”

“This is the Seven Deadly Sins we’re dealing with here. Don’t you find it odd that they’ve been keeping a low profile?”

“The phone’s been ringing off the hook,” I pointed out. “And what about Flankman’s? That’s your idea of low profile?”

“It’s all been petty things. And Flankman’s could have been a thousand times worse. It should have been a thousand times worse. Remember Lukas telling us about the 1959 riots? Nothing even remotely close to that has happened. I believe what we’re seeing is simply a side effect of the Sins being in the area.”

“Like the zombie in The Ledges…”

“Exactly.”

“Or, maybe they’re staying off the grid so they can focus on finding a witch. Once they’re bound to the human bodies, they’d have an eternity to chase chaos with a side of mayhem. Lukas told me they found out about the spell to free themselves right before going back in the box last time. They know about it now, so it makes sense that their approach is a little different this time around. They’re shooting for total freedom from the box. He says he thinks they’re testing us to find out what our weaknesses are. If they take us, the Darkers, out then we can’t stand in their way and they’ll be free.”

“Maybe,” she said. I could see the wheels moving, though. She didn’t think it was that simple. And she was probably right.

Because there really was no such thing as simple. No black and white—only different shades of gray. In our line of work you had to remember that everyone—human and demon—had an alternative motive or hidden agenda.

“So we’ll need to step things up. Beat them to the punch—whatever it is they’re up to.”

“Jessie—”

“I can handle myself. Please. One. Just let me go after one.”

“This is not like our normal cases.”

“Normal? Ma, I know you’re desperate to introduce normal into my life, but it’s time to face facts. We’re not normal. I’m not normal—and I like it that way. Last week, I evicted a nest of hell hounds in the park, got a twelfth century ghost out of the record room in town hall, and two days ago I went shopping with a witch and a necromancer. What about that screams normal to you?”

Silence.

“What about the box then? We need it to capture the Sins. I can track that.”

She rolled her eyes. “Cause that’s so much better. Don’t you think the Sins are guarding the box like Fort Knox?”

This was getting me nowhere. I needed a tactic change.

“Lukas has amazing control. Today went fine.” No reason to tell her about our little run in with Vida yet. It wasn’t like I was withholding helpful information. “At least let me take him back to school tomorrow. Just in case we can’t help him, he deserves to live a little while he can.”

She narrowed her eyes. “Since when do you consider attending school living?”

“Cooping him up here at the office is only going to make him stir crazy. Hasn’t he been cooped up enough?”

She thought about it for a moment. “It would help to know he was being watched. It’ll be hard for me to keep an eye on your father and Lukas while searching for the Sins, and we’re running out of time.”

“Exactly.” My superior negotiating skills hard at work. I was the master. “And technically, he’s in the same boat as Dad. The Sins are going to need him in order to follow through if they find a witch.”

“I can’t say I’m happy about my teenage daughter toting around the incarnation of rage.”

“Is that a yes?”

“Your father won’t like it.”

“I love Dad, but it’s you and me out here. It always has been. We have to be able to rely on each other.” It was a low blow, but I was desperate. If Lukas was right and the Sins were testing us, I had a strong feeling Vida, as well as the others, would make another appearance at school. All I’d have to do is take one down, and Mom would see I could handle things fine on my own. “I’ve been helping you out here for years. You trained me, and I’m careful.”

“Says the girl who does more property damage than a rampaging poltergeist.” She leaned forward, lowering her voice. “You can take Lukas with you tomorrow. I’ll take your father out and search for the Sins while we wait to hear back from Cassidy about a Wells witch—but Jessie, be cautious. It doesn’t look good. I can’t spend time searching, and you seem to be… Remember there’s a better than average chance he’s going back with the others.”

“No worries. He’s a client—I’m just trying to make good on our deal, that’s all. We said we’d help, so we need to try.”

She said nothing, but I could tell by the look on her face she wasn’t buying it, which annoyed me.

Lukas was narrow-minded and annoying. Sure, he was nice to look at and had a voice that could make an Eskimo melt, but he was a client. Just a client. The idea that I could be getting attached to someone like that was insane.

Absolutely insane.

Chapter Thirteen

Mom and Dad had gone to bed hours ago. I didn’t even want to think about what they were doing up there.

It was going on three-thirty and I’d given up on sleep. I was beyond beat—hell I couldn’t even remember coming downstairs—and I was hoping a cup of cocoa would help, because really, there wasn’t much a cup of cocoa wouldn’t help.

“Where’d you come from?”

I jumped, sending the milk to the ground. It bounced once then poured out across the tile floor in a sea of pure white.

“Three a.m. is not the time for the birds and bees lesson,” I grumbled, snatching the nearly empty container from the floor.

Lukas must have been oblivious to my now craptastic mood, because he kept talking. “Can’t sleep?”

“No,” I mumbled, shaking the container. “Probably can’t have hot cocoa now, either, thanks to you.”

“I’m glad actually.”

I grabbed the paper towels from the counter and began mopping up the mess before the urge to hit him won out. “You’re glad I can’t sleep? Or that I can’t have cocoa? ’Cause either way, not the way to win me over—I like sleep and love chocolate.”

“I was hoping for some company.”

I gave an inward groan. Perfect. Be more of a bitch, Jessie. “What about you? Can’t sleep?”

“No,” he said, dropping to his knees beside me.

I shook the carton of milk again. Might be just enough left. “Hot cocoa?”

“Never had it.”

Never had it? That was a crime! I forced a smile and climbed to my feet. “Well, then you’re in for it. Hot cocoa and Beethoven—two things I love about life.”

A grin spread across his face. He folded his arms. “Ludwig van Beethoven? Really?”

I split the remainder of the milk between two mugs, stirred in the cocoa mix and set the microwave timer. “A fan?”

“The man was a musical genius.”

I slammed the spoon down. The guy was annoying as hell, but at least he had good taste in tunes. “A-frigging-men!”

He stood. “Beethoven was a bit before my time, how do you know of him?”

“His work is kinda timeless. Still popular today with a select crowd.”

And stupid doorbell companies…

His grin went from ear to ear. I couldn’t help thinking he should smile more often. It lit up his entire face. “I have to say, this surprises me about you.”

“I strike you more as a death metal type, eh?”

“Death metal?”

The microwave dinged. “Never mind.” I pulled out one of the steaming cups and handed it to him. The tips of his fingers skimmed the top of my hand, and we both froze. Butterflies raged in the pit of my stomach, and that warm-all-over feeling I’d felt when he caught me from falling outside Flankman’s returned—with a vengeance.

“Let’s go sit,” I said, taking a wide step to the left. Distance. Distance was my friend. Bad butterflies. Bad. Apparently they didn’t hear the conversation I’d had with Mom. The one about Lukas being nothing more than a client.

We settled on the couch across from each other in silence and sipped our cocoa.

After a few minutes, my curiosity got the better of me. “Back at school, Vida said something about last time. What did she mean? What happened when you helped my grandfather round the Sins up in 1959?”

He set the cup down and looked away.

“I’m sorry. I tend to be on the nosy side. You don’t have to tell me.”

He thought about it for a moment. “I propose a trade.”

“Trade?”

“A question for a question.”

“Anything goes?”

A few moments passed. Finally, he said, “Agreed.”

I settled back against the cushion and sipped my cocoa. This could get interesting. “Then the question stands.”

He actually looked annoyed. Like he thought I was going to ask something else? Grumpy had a lot to learn. “They made things—uncomfortable for me. I don’t know that words could properly describe it. Madness. All the emotions attached to sin—anger, pain, longing—all forced on me at once. I was like one raw nerve exposed to violent elements with no way to get free.”

“This was while you were inside the box? I thought you said you kind of slipped into a stasis?”

“I do, but I can still feel. It’s like being half asleep. You’re aware of what’s going on around you, but instead of choosing not to open your eyes—you can’t.”

I couldn’t imagine what that must be like. The hell it must be. To be trapped somewhere, unable to defend yourself. “I’m sorry.” It was a pitiful response, but what else could I say? Sucks to be you seemed a little mean.

“After a few decades, it wasn’t as bad. They bore easily.”

“So the rest of them are, what, awake in there?”

“Not in the same sense that you are out here, but yes. There’s a certain consciousness while inside.”

I swallowed back a lump. “Well, I guess that answers my question.”

Lukas nodded. He took another sip of his cocoa. “Your father’s a demon.”

“That’s not a question.”

He considered it for a moment. “I suppose my question is, what kind of demon is he? You said he wasn’t evil—so what does he do?”

“Demons aren’t all bad. And they definitely aren’t the tools of Satan.” I remembered his comment and did my best not to snicker. “Demons are actually just Otherworlders. From the Shadow Realm.”

“So demons aren’t from hell?”

I waggled a finger at him. “It’s my turn.”

“Oh. Yes, of course.”

The expression on his face reminded me of Mom. That look she got when digging into something ancient. Something legendary. This stuff fascinated Lukas almost as much as it did her. He watched me with those warm brown eyes and my stomach gave a little squeeze. God. I was going soft. One look from a pretty face and I caved. “The Shadow Realm is hell—just not the hell you’re thinking. There’s no fire and brimstone.”

His eyes widened. “So there’s no devil?”

“Lucifer is real. He’s the high king of the Shadow Realm.”

“And heaven?”

“No clue. I’m sure if there’s a Shadow Realm, its opposite is out there—though I doubt there are winged cherubs skimming the sky on cloudmobiles.”

“So your mother is human, and your father is a demon…” He looked a little sheepish. “As you pointed out earlier, you’re half demon—” Shoulders squared, he leaned forward just a bit. “Something I do not find disgusting, by the way. Do you—I mean, can you—”

I rolled my eyes. It was the first thing Kendra had asked when she found out what I was. She’d wanted me to go all demon on Farah Kinkaid for stealing her sixth grade crush. “Can I do anything cool, you mean? Other than being just a little tougher, I got zilch. No cool abilities.”

“So you’re saying you’re normal.”

Such an evil word, normal. One of the worst in the English language, in my opinion.

“Suckily so. Human-demon hybrids—not that we’re common—don’t inherit any special tricks. Something to do with the genetics not mixing well, I dunno.”

“Is that why you don’t see your father often? Because he’s a demon?”

“Most can’t leave the Shadow Realm without special permission. Like a temporary hall pass… It requires rank. Dad’s a lower ranking demon. Unless he’s on official business, he needs his boss Valefar’s permission to be here. Plus, Mom doesn’t like his element.”

“His element? What does that mean?” Lukas set down the mug and scrunched up his nose. God. I loved when he did that.

“She doesn’t like the work he does for Valefar. Dad’s like the demon equivalent of a mafia hit man. She didn’t want me exposed to that kind of world—which is funny considering what we deal with for the agency on a daily basis. Dad agrees, so he keeps his distance for the most part. He sends letters and gifts, and we talk on the phone now and then, but that’s about it. He spent a lot of time here when I was younger, but when I got old enough to start asking questions, he came less and less.”

He looked confused. “I thought you said he was a good guy.”

And here’s where the different shades of gray came in. “He’s not what you’d consider good in, like, the biblical sense. But he loves us—me and Mom—and he doesn’t harm anyone who hasn’t earned it.”

“Hasn’t earned it?” Lukas looked horrified. “Who’s to say who earns it and who doesn’t?”

Gah! How could you want to strangle someone and kiss him at the same time? “There’s that stone age thinking again. I hate to be the bearer of bad news, Lukas, but the world’s changed since your time. People suck. They steal, they lie, and they kill each other in horrible ways for no good reason. Some are just bad. Badder than the demons.”

He frowned. “I can’t believe that.”

I shrugged. “That doesn’t mean it’s not true.”

The look on his face made me feel guilty again. Was it really so wrong to let him cling to his version of a peaceful world? The fact that he was still able to see goodness after all the hell he’d been through was pretty amazing. Rare. The guy was rare. Deadly and tainted by Wrath, but at his core, innocent and good. Who was I to try and jade him?

Craps.

Hanging out with Lukas was killing my conscience. Not that I’d admit it—especially to him—but it was kind of nice to talk to someone who didn’t see the dirty sides of the coin. In our line of business, you kind of had to look for the bad. Had to always be suspicious. Lukas was a refreshing difference. A little like Mom. He wanted to see the light instead of the dark. The good over the bad.

I sighed and went for something in the middle. “Look, not all people are bad. That’s why we do what we do. Because there are innocent people out there. Ones worth saving. I’m just saying, your view of demons? It’s all wrong. They’re just like people. Good and bad.”

Silence. I started to stand, figuring after my rant he didn’t feel like talking anymore, but he stopped me. “It’s your turn.”

Instead of sitting back down in the recliner, I sank onto the couch next to him. Closer than I’d intended. There was one question burning at the back of my brain. It was a risky one, given the subject, but I had to know. “Did you love her?”

“Who?”

“Meredith. Were you in love with her?”

He didn’t answer right away. Gazing into his mug like it held the secrets of the universe, he sighed. “No. She was beautiful, yes, but she lacked substance. There were never any surprises.”

“Then why marry her? Why talk her out of running off with someone else? If she left, you could have been free.”

“Because we were promised to each other. It was the right thing to do. I could never have dishonored my mother by refusing.” He set the empty mug down and leaned forward, resting both elbows atop his knees.

“I can’t imagine being with someone I didn’t love.” I laughed. “I can’t even stand to be in the room with someone I don’t like.”

“You’ve been in love?”

“I didn’t say that.”

“What you said—I assumed—”

“Hell no. I’m not stupid.” This was a sore subject for me, but fair was fair. He’d spilled about Meredith, so the least I could do was even things out. “I see what my parents go through. They love each other more than the air they breathe, and it’s done nothing but cause them pain.”

“So then you haven’t agreed to be courted?”

I choked, sending hot cocoa shooting from my nose. Better than soda, but it still stung like a mother. “Courted? We call it dating now, and, um, no. I don’t date.”

“Why don’t you—date?”

I tried to squash the happy little wiggle that squirmed in my stomach at his question. Why was he asking? Was he interested? “First off, there’s no one at my school I’d even consider dating.”

“Why not?”

“They just can’t appreciate a girl like me.”

He smiled. “Beautiful, but unbelievably annoying?”

Major pulse spike. Maybe I’d been a little lax in the male attention department if the first guy to call me hot to my face sent me into a hormonal frenzy. I held my breath. Keep it together, Jessie.

Gesturing to myself, I said, “Beautiful?—hardly. Cute, maybe. But I was referring to my deeper characteristics.”

“Such as?”

“Oh, I dunno—funny, smart—able to kick most of their asses.” I snorted. “That bugs all guys.”

Lukas’ smile faded. “Not all.”

The wiggle in my stomach came back and, this time, I did nothing to push it away. Craps. The truth came stomping through the room like a were on steroids…

I was totally falling for one of The Seven Deadly Sins.

Chapter Fourteen

Three days left…

“Jessie!”

At first, all I saw was a mass of black hair. I smelled fabric softener and the faint, lingering hint of chocolate. When I tried to move my legs and found them stuck, I pulled back.

Oh, hell in a hail storm…

Now I understood why Mom sounded so pissed, and under the circumstances, I really couldn’t blame her.

My leg wouldn’t move because it was wrapped around Lukas’.

“Whoa. Whatever it is you’re thinking, this isn’t it.”

Lukas stirred. When he opened his eyes and saw me, he paled and tried scooting away, but we were too tangled. He tumbled off the couch to the floor, pulling me down, too. I landed hard with my arm folded awkwardly behind his back. Something metallic under the couch caught my eye. I untangled myself and pulled it out, giving it a quick shake. “Oh, look. I found your keys!”

She didn’t look particularly thankful. “Not my keys.”

I managed to stumble upright and stuffed the key ring into my back pocket. “I couldn’t sleep. Lukas was awake. I guess we fell asleep talking.”

Without taking her eyes from me, she said, “Lukas, do you mind giving us a moment?”

Ah, craps. I knew that tone. The demon crap was about to hit the fan.

With a quick nod, Lukas scurried from the room. He got to the doorway and looked back once with a frown before disappearing around the corner.

Mom stepped around the couch and came to stand in front of me. “Would it be redundant for me to ask what the hell you’re thinking?”

I forced a smile. “That’s a dumb question. I don’t think, remember?”

“Jessie—”

“Seriously. This wasn’t anything. I couldn’t sleep. He couldn’t sleep.”

She narrowed her eyes. “You looked pretty sleepy to me.”

“It really wasn’t what it looked like, you know. I felt bad for the guy. Trust me, it was painful. He’s seriously annoying. Likes to insult me every chance he gets.”

“So annoying that you curled up on the couch with him?”

I rolled my eyes. “I was on the other end of the couch. It was probably the teddy bear syndrome.”

Eyes wide, she asked, “The what?” I’d stumped her with that one.

“Don’t give me that look! You know exactly what I mean. You fall asleep on a plane or in a car or something, and end up with your head on some stranger’s shoulder. Just habit.”

She opened her mouth, probably to tell me I looked as full of crap as I felt, but the phone rang.

Saved! I hitched a thumb toward the stairs and shuffled to the right. “I’m just gonna go get ready for school.”

“That sounds like a great plan,” she said, reaching for the phone. I left her scribbling notes and went to get ready.

It took me thirty minutes to shower, dress, and gather my stuff for school. As I was getting ready to head downstairs, my phone beeped to remind me there was an English paper due sixth period. Perfect. That would give me something to do to keep from falling asleep in science. Mom had been trying to get Dubois to transfer me to honors classes, but he insisted I wasn’t bored—just lazy. When Mom pointed out my grades, he insinuated I was a cheat. The guy really hated me.

When I got back to the office, Mom was at her desk sifting through papers. I decided not to push my luck and went to find Lukas. One more late entrance and Dubois would have me scrubbing toilets. He was famous for slave labor punishments.

Halfway down the hall, my phone chirped. I pulled it from my pocket, expecting to see an I’m Sorry text from Kendra for trying to kick my ass at Flankman’s yesterday, but it was from Garrett.

Meet b4 class?

Not sure I’ll have time, I replied, and pocketed the phone.

It dinged in response almost immediately. Make time. Important.

Important? The only thing I could think of was something related to the job we’d just done for his family—Garrett and I weren’t friends. Not really. We didn’t hang in the same social circles.

I couldn’t worry about it now, though. We had sixth period math together. I could hook up with him then. I stuffed the phone back and got about three steps.

“You wanted to help, right?” Mom came up behind me waving a small pink slip of paper. Garrett and the text were forgotten. “Can you make a stop on the way to school? With everything going on with Lukas and your father, I’m starting to get backlogged—and the calls keep coming. There just isn’t enough time, and we still have bills to pay.”

“Sure,” I said, hoping for something good. I wasn’t picky. A nasty possession. Gruesome haunting. Even a rogue witch would have made me happy.

She handed me the paper. A name with an address on the edge of The Pit. “Time to make good on that promise.”

Alarm bells. Flashing neon lights and foghorns. I wanted to hand back the paper without even looking at it, but I couldn’t.

“It’ll be fast—I swear. You won’t even be late for school.”

I sighed. “What is it?”

“It’s a pet possession.”

“I kind of got that… I meant, what kind of pet?”

She flashed a smile, but said nothing. She didn’t have to. Her silence said it all.

A dog. I had a thing about dogs…

…

“So demons can possess animals?”

Lukas was fascinated when I’d told him about our little side trip. Either he was over the whole demons are the tools of Satan shtick, or he really liked dogs. Either way, his enthusiasm was funny—and a little creepy, too.

“Demons can possess anything. It makes for interesting work. Remind me to tell you about the demonic toy box! You haven’t seen freaktastic ’til you’ve seen Thomas the Train try to gnaw your leg off.”

“So I’ll get to see one? A demon?”

“You have seen one. You met my dad.”

“Like a real one. Evil.”

I rolled my eyes. Like a dog with a bone, he was. There was a better than average chance Dad would be insulted if he found out Lukas didn’t consider him a real demon. We hopped off the bus by the mall and walked the rest of the way. The house was a small blue Cape Cod with a narrow stone walkway. The lawn was a bit overgrown, and the hedges were in desperate need of a trim, but it was cute. I loved our apartment, but I’d always fantasized about the whole white picket fence thing. I’d always wanted a tire swing.

I flipped my phone to vibrate—Mom had a thing about the cell ringing in the middle of a job—and hammered on the door. A moment later, an elderly woman appeared.

“Are you from the pound?”

“The pound?”

Lukas stood tall and squared his shoulders. “We’re here to slay your dem—”

I slapped my hand over his mouth.

A man stepped up behind her. “Yeah, Mom. These are the animal control people. I called them, remember? About Mr. Winkie? He’s very sick…”

Mr. Winkie? Mom had assigned me to exorcize a demon named Mr. Winkie? That was just insulting…

The old woman frowned, then nodded and smoothed a hand over her snow-white hair. She held the door open, expression sad, and said, “Oh, yes. Please see that he doesn’t suffer? He was my husband’s dog…”

The man gently nudged the old woman aside and waved us in. “Thank you for coming so quickly. My father’s dog is—we think it has—rabies.” The man gave me several awkward winks that I guessed were code for My mother doesn’t know the doggie is possessed, can we keep it that way?

I took the hint and glanced over at the woman. “I’m so sorry about your dog. We’ll make sure he doesn’t feel a thing.”

She nodded and hobbled from the hall into the kitchen.

“My cousin suggested I call you. She said you helped her once with—” he swallowed and leaned forward, peanut butter laced breath puffing out across my face, “—a ghost.”

Since we obviously didn’t advertise our supernatural cases, most of our Otherworlder clients came to us through referral. Luckily, my family had been doing this a long time so there was no shortage of them—which was a good thing.

“Where is—” I took a deep breath and forced the words out, “Mr. Winkie?”

The man pointed down the hall.

Setting down my bag, I pulled out the Fairy Dust. Next came an empty spray bottle, which I handed to the man. “Fill this halfway with warm water. Not hot, not cold.”

He nodded and dashed from the room as a horrible wail split the air.

If I had to guess, Mr. Winkie wasn’t happy to see us.

Lastly, I pulled a set of spongy earplugs from a small satin pouch. Normally, I would have flipped on my iPod and cranked up the volume. I usually went with Beethoven for exorcisms, Bach for ghosts, and Sick Puppies for information digs. But since I’d rushed this morning, the player was still sitting on my nightstand.

The man returned with the water and pointed to the door at the end of the hall. “It’s in the last room on the left.”

“I have to warn you that the chances of saving the dog are slim.” It was much harder—nearly impossible—to salvage a possessed animal compared to a human. People had more to hold on to. Families, friends, material things… Animal minds were simpler and therefore far more frail. It sucked, but barely one in ten animal possessions had a happy ending. “How long has he been this way?”

The man hesitated, then looked back toward the door. “My father died a few weeks ago. We noticed a change shortly after.” He looked uncomfortable, fiddling with the coins in his right front pocket. “It’s—it’s okay if you can’t save him. The dog will just remind her of Dad anyway. Make things harder, ya know?”

Wow. What a humanitarian. I turned away from him and looked to Lukas. He wasn’t going to be fascinated with this in a few minutes. Motioning for him to follow, I started toward the room. When we came to the door, I put the ear plugs in and said, “You’re gonna want to cover your ears.”

I turned the knob and pushed it open. Disaster. That was the only word that came to mind. A twin-sized mattress laid overturned and shredded in the far corner of the room, springs poking obscenely through the top. The curtains hung in tatters, their edges blackened and smoldering. I took a step forward and something crunched beneath my feet. Glass. On the far side of the room, a full-length antique mirror laid in pieces on the floor.

Playtime was over.

Pulling the vial of Fairy Dust from my pocket, I tipped it into the spray bottle full of water. It fizzed and sizzled for a moment before turning the appropriate shade of violet. Cap tightly back in place, I looked around the room.

Nothing.

“Are you sure it’s in here?” Lukas scanned the room with a disappointed expression. He let his hands slip from his ears and took another step inside. When nothing jumped out at him, he picked up the edge of the mattress and peered underneath.

I took a deep breath and tried not to gag. “Smell that? Sulfur. It’s in here.”

As if on cue, a low growl rose from the wreckage. A moment later, in a puff of inky black smoke, the dog popped into view. Squat legs and tall, pointy ears, the dog was beige and white with a stubby tail.

A corgi. The demon had possessed a corgi.

“Here puppy, puppy,” I said, waving the spray bottle. “Time to go home.” Pressing the lever down, the quartz mixture spritzed toward the dog. Winkie was fast, though. He snarled and leapt out of the stream with time to spare. “Dammit!”

In a beige and white blur, the corgi streaked across the room. When I caught sight of him again, he was crouched on top of a small wooden dresser by the door.

“Absum ex meus os potissimus abyssus.” Spray bottle ready, I took a step forward.

The dog jumped from the dresser and shot across to the other side of the room.

“Stand still or I’m going to neuter you!”

He responded by letting out a hair curling growl—and disappeared in a puff of black smoke.

“It’s gone!” Lukas breathed, darting to where the dog had vanished. He nudged a pile of sheets with the toe of his shoe.

“Thank you, Captain Obvious.” I tossed my bag to him. Holding the bottle out, I pressed the handle and started spinning in a circle, blanketing everything in a wash of water. “Per putus sal salis of orbis terrarum, EGO transporto vos tergum ut diabolus regnum.”

Another growl. Then a very undog-like yelp.

“Absum ex meus os potissimus abyssus.”

With a hiss, Winkie reappeared on the ruined mattress, lips pulled back to reveal several rows of black, razor teeth. Hackles up, it charged.

I didn’t have time to react. One minute it was on the mattress, the next it was flying through the air—straight at my head.

With more force than you’d think possible, the little demon dog hit me, sending us both to the ground. The spray bottle flew from my hand and rolled out of reach, skittering to a stop when it hit the wall. I was on my back, the dog perched on my chest, just staring. Neither of us moved.

“What should I do?” Lukas whispered. There was a hint of panic in his voice.

“Whatever you do, stay calm.”

The dog cocked its head back and forth, probably trying to decide what part of me to chomp first. A finger or chunk of shoulder. Maybe a tasty nose.

I had no desire to find out, because really, I liked my nose fine right where it was. Slowly, I extended my arm in the direction the bottle had bounced. “Try to kick the spray bottle over.

Lukas took a step to the right. The dog’s head swiveled at a wholly unnatural angle and it growled.

“Okay—bad idea.”

Mr. Winkie must have agreed, because he chose that moment to shoot forward…

And drool on me.

Warm drops of thick, foul smelling slime trailed down my cheek and neck as the thing’s ragged tongue covered my face.

“Oh my God! Get it off! Get it off!” Last year, I’d been bitten by a demon dog and it had been like losing a limb—but this was a thousand times worse. Its saliva was sticky and smelled like rotting fish. After a few attempts, I managed to push the dog off and stumble to my feet.

In a black plume, the dog disappeared. A moment later, he popped up crouched on the ground by the door, stubby tail whipping back and forth. It stretched forward, toes flexing and backside waving in the air, and gave a playful arf.

Lukas dropped my bag to the floor. “Did that thing just—”

I looked down the front of my shirt and cringed. Covered in slime. Fantastic. I’d have to rock slime-chic the rest of the day because I wouldn’t have enough time to run home and change.

“Where did the demon go?”

I sighed. The smell of sulfur was already fading. “It’s gone.” Craptastic was an understatement. Today was shaping up to be an epic fail.

I probably shouldn’t have taken the client’s money—I hadn’t actually exorcized the demon since it’d left on its own—but the way I saw it, I’d ruined a good shirt since demon drool stained worse than cooking grease. That had to count for something, right? And I had chased it away, after all…

Digging into my pocket, I pulled out my cell to flip the sound back on. When I unlocked it, I saw there were five new texts and two missed calls. All from Garrett.

Fan-frigging-tastic.

Chapter Fifteen

“Where were you this morning?” Garrett came up behind me as the lunch bell rang. “I was late waiting for you.” He stared at the stain on my shirt. “What happened?”

I slammed the door of my locker. “I told you I probably wasn’t going to make it. And why would you wait for me?”

Glaring at Lukas, he said, “I see you still have your shadow.”

Shadow? Since when did Garrett give a damn who I hung with?

He shrugged and stuffed both hands into his pockets. “Whatever. Can we get a few minutes of stalker-free time? I need to talk to you.”

“Right now?”

“Yes. Right now.”

Five minutes wouldn’t hurt, right? What could possibly happen in five teeny tiny minutes? I turned to Lukas. “You remember where we sat yesterday?”

He nodded once, but never took his eyes from Garrett. Garrett, in turn, glared at him.

“Mind giving us a sec? I’ll meet you in there.”

The second bell rang as Lukas reluctantly headed for the cafeteria. I waited for him to disappear around the corner before turning to Garrett and asking, “Okay, what’s the emerg—”

Without warning, he zoomed in and pressed his lips against mine. I did my best not to gag at the taste of Newports and orange soda, and pushed him away immediately.

“—ency…” I finished, blinking. “What the hell was that?”

A sly smile—the Garrett Girl Charmer, it had been famously dubbed around school. “A kiss.”

“Obviously, but why did it land on my lips?”

“That’s what I need to talk to you about. Us.”

This was not happening. “What are you talking about? We’re not even friends!”

“I think we’d be good together.” He leaned in again, breath tickling my cheek. “I want you to be with me.”

Back pressed against the locker, I sucked in a quick breath. I could face down an entire nest of rampaging harpies, but the idea of brushing off the sudden amorous advances of a sort of friend made me almost pee my pants. Where was the balance in that?

“Aren’t you, like, dating Holly Gillman?”

“I quit her this morning,” he said, voice dark and sweet. He grabbed my hand, thumb stroking circles just below my wrist. His palms were clammy and calloused and scratched my skin in a way that gave me sick chills. “I’ve heard the talk. I know you don’t date—”

“You’ve heard the talk? What talk?”

“The guys—they talk. I told them they were wrong, that you weren’t an icy bitch—”

“Icy bitch?” I didn’t know what pissed me off more. The fact that, apparently, my lack of interest in climbing into the back seat of Harry High Schooler’s Chevy to let him shove his tongue down my throat classified me as icy, or that they’d taken the time to discuss it at length.

“It’s okay. I set them all straight. I told them we’d hooked up.”

Oh. This kept getting better and better. Now I wasn’t just an icy bitch—I was an icy whore.

“I’ve always thought you were a hottie—I just didn’t realize until yesterday how much I wanted us to hook up.” He brushed a strand of hair from my face and tucked it behind my ear. “I know you’re rockin’ the big ‘V.’ It’s cool. I wanna be your first.”

I was usually pretty level headed. A smidge impulsive, but calm in a crisis. At that moment, though, coherent thought ditched. Garrett’s fingers brushing my skin in a so not platonic way turned the bagel I’d scarfed during English to lead in my stomach. I wondered how turned on he was going to be when I yakked all over the front of his shirt.

A bubbling knot of panic formed and the words flew from my mouth before I could stop them. “Sorry. You’re not my type.”

Eyes on mine, his lip twitched and he shook his head. Several seconds of silence passed before he snapped. “I don’t believe this shit!” Letting go of my hand, he began stalking back and forth like a rabid animal.

All I could do was stare because the whole scene was surreal. “Where is this coming from anyway? Since when are you crushing on me? I mean why…” He hadn’t realized until yesterday how much he’d wanted us to hook up… Duh!

Vida. She’d touched Garrett yesterday at lunch. Hit him with her nookie ray or something.

“Wait! I get it now. This is a misunderstanding. You don’t really—”

“Don’t tell me how I feel!” He stopped and whirled on me. Striking out, he slammed the wall next to my head, fist passing so close, it sent my hair fluttering.

To our right, a dangerous growl filled the air and the stench of sulfur drifted down the hall.

Seriously? Today was approaching cataclysm, and I hadn’t even had lunch yet.

Garrett spun around. “What the hell is that?”

“Where is it?” I pushed him away. Mom would kill me if the damn demon doggie I let get away from me started munching on students.

“What is it?”

“You wouldn’t believe me if I told you.” I slipped to the left, putting some distance between us. God only knew what Mr. Happy Hands would try to grab next. I had no interest in finding out.

Soft plinks filled the air—nails tapping against the tile floor if I had to guess—stopping a few feet away. The growling came again, followed by a foul-smelling breeze. Wonderful. Apparently, in addition to Garrett, I had a demon dog stalker.

Garrett jumped back, flattening himself against the lockers as the blood drained from his face. I held my breath, wishing I hadn’t left my bag—with all my supplies—in the locker. If the thing materialized, I could grab it, but otherwise, I was flying blind. When Garrett didn’t move, the growling faded, along with the smell.

I scanned the hall one last time before accepting the inevitable. He was gone. Hopefully for good this time. “I’m going to lunch.”

“Wait.” Garrett reached for me, but I dodged him.

“No way. We’re not having this conversation right now. Or ever. Trust me—you’ll thank me for this later.”

“I think I love you!”

“No you don’t,” I called over my shoulder, hurrying away from him. Ten steps, give or take. That’s what it took for me to walk from Garrett to the cafeteria. When I rounded the corner, I couldn’t believe my eyes.

Pandemonium.

I stepped across the threshold and ducked just in time to avoid a rogue carton of chocolate milk. It smashed into the wall behind me and exploded, sending liquid chocolate missiles in every direction before falling at my feet.

“You slept with him, didn’t you, you whore!” Simone Mills screamed as she launched herself across the table at Kelly Kline—her best friend. The two collapsed to a chorus of enraged screams as the rest of their table ignored them. Simone, being the larger of the two, wound her hand around a chunk of Kelly’s long brown hair and yanked hard. The smaller girl let out a scream loud enough to wake the dead as a portion of the hair pulled free. I reached the girls, pulling them apart just as Simone geared up for another go.

Just beyond them, Jack Harding and Mark Gotten exchanged blows as the crowd around them cheered. Mark was clearly winning, having grounded Jack. There was blood trickling from under his nose, and his lip was already starting to swell. To their right, the new math teacher Mr. Hipsey watched the fight with hungry eyes. It was like he was doing all he could not to dive in and join the beat down.

“Jessie!”

It surprised me to see Kendra in the corner next to our normal table. As I walked in, she pointed to the floor underneath it where, tucked in a ball, Lukas was huddled and looking like a raw nerve about to explode.

I raced across the room, dodging flying objects as I went, and skidded to a stop in front of her. “Kendra?”

“I think there’s something wrong with your cousin!” She leaned a little closer, arms folded. “The Seven Deadly Sins, Jessie? Really? You kind of left that part out!”

Cassidy must have told her. I felt guilty, but now wasn’t the time for apologies. “What happened?”

She jumped back as two of the guys from chorus—I couldn’t remember their names—rolled across the floor kicking each other and screaming. “He started shaking, mumbled something about leaving, and poof. Everyone went apeshit. He crawled under there and hasn’t moved.”

“Craps.” I dropped to my knees and grabbed his hands. When he lifted his head, his eyes were blood red. “Lukas, listen to me. You need to calm down.”

Kendra knelt beside me. “Which one is he?”

I gestured to the chaos. “Isn’t it obvious? He’s Wrath—sorta.”

Her eyes grew wide. “Sorta? Do I even want to know what that means?”

“Probably not.”

“And yesterday. The chick that came over to the table. I bet my family’s spell book that was Lust. Am I right?”

I rolled my eyes. Kendra was smart and always there when you needed her, but holy crap was she easily distracted. “I promise I’ll fill you in—for real—later on. Right now, we kinda have a small issue to deal with…”

She blinked, then frowned. “Oh. Right—sorry. What can I do to help?”

Some kind of spell to put everyone to sleep so they couldn’t do each other any more damage would be awesome, but since Kendra didn’t have reliable control over her magic, I didn’t dare voice the suggestion. With our luck, she’d turn everyone into toads, and let’s face it. That would have been much harder to explain than this.

“It’s the crowd. They’re way too amped. We need to get him out of here.” I turned to Lukas. “Lukas? Lukas can you hear me?” He was staring right at me, but the glazed look in his eyes said he didn’t see me.

Behind us, a chair crashed against the wall, and Kendra let out a toe-curling scream.

I turned to her. “Go into the hall and hit the fire alarm—then get as far away from the school as possible.”

She shook her head, strands of blond whipping back and forth. “Leave you alone? No way.”

“I got this. I promise.”

She didn’t budge.

“I’ll be fine,” I pressed.

Reluctantly, she stood and made a beeline for the door. A few moments later, the fire alarm went off. The noise got most people’s attention, and they swarmed the door, making their way in chaos mode to the nearest exits.

I focused on Lukas. Sliding my arm under his, I hauled him to his feet. His skin was hot to the touch—not the comfortable warm it’d been last night when our hands had touched—no, this was scalding. Almost on fire. We started for the door but only made it several steps before he collapsed, dragging us both to the ground.

“Lukas, please!” I tried in vain to get him standing again. Without his help, it was pointless. He was too heavy. Times like these were when a little of Dad’s demon genetics would’ve come in handy.

“Jessie.” His voice came in a strangled growl. “Have to get out—” He grabbed my arm and used it to pull himself upright.

Some stumbling and a few pulled muscles later, we made it into the hallway.

“Farther,” Lukas gasped. His fingers were digging trenches into my arm. “Outside.”

Outside was a no go. That’s where everyone would be gathered because of the fire alarm. From bad to worse. But the gym was right down the hall and, more than likely, empty. “I’ve got a better idea.”

By the time we’d made it down the hall and to the gym, Lukas was shaking and pale. Damp hair clung to his forehead and the back of his neck as he struggled to stay on his feet.

“It’s okay. We’re out.” I steered him toward the bleachers. He stumbled several times, and I thought for sure we’d both topple to the ground again, but we made it without wiping.

His breath came in shallow pants, fingers clamped like a vice around the edge of the bench. After a few minutes, his breathing evened. “Are you okay?”

“Other than wanting to hurt your friend—I’m great.”

“My friend? You mean Kendra?”

The corner of his lip curled up and he shook his head, angry. “The boy in the hall. That whole disaster was his fault. Whatever you were arguing about sent me over the edge. I felt it. There was no way to pull it back in time.”

I sighed. “Maybe school is a bad idea.”

“I need to stay away from everyone.” He rubbed a shaking hand across his cheek. “The pull of the box is intensifying. It’s making it difficult to keep Wrath under control. Someone’s going to get injured—or worse.”

I was about to tell him modern high school was a dangerous place regardless of his presence, but the speakers above the door squealed to life.

“Can I have everyone’s attention,” Principal Dubois’s voice crackled with static across the PA system. “Due to the fact that I no longer feel like being here, school is dismissed for the day.” In a sing-song voice, he ended with, “You don’t have to go home, but you can’t stay here.”

Even from inside and down the hall, we heard the hoots and screams of appreciation from the student body on the front steps. Idiots. They didn’t think this abnormal? Since when had Dubois ever let us leave early?

He nodded and looked to the door. “It’s one of them.”

I bit my tongue against an instinctive Duh. “I figured.” The look of agony on Lukas’ face back in the cafeteria was the only thing keeping me from jumping up and charging out to find them. You’re losing your touch, a little voice inside my head chided. Letting him slip under your skin.

“It’s okay,” he said, watching me like my skull was made entirely of glass and he could see right through. The twisted wheels turning—itching to charge. “Mostly everyone’s cleared out. It should be safe to have a look around.”

Part of me screamed victory, while another hesitated, terrified to repeat the incident in The Pit. “You sure?”

He watched me in that way of his. Searching, yet somehow distant. Annoying, yet at the same time intriguing. “Positive.”

The halls were so empty that I heard each tap my sneakers made as they hit the floor. Every now and then, my foot would turn the wrong way and the rubber would make an annoying squeak. Stealth had never been a strong suit for me.

We passed the cafeteria and hooked a right to head through the English wing. At the end of the hall, two girls were playing tug-o-war over a green football jersey.

“Give it to me. I want it!” The taller one screeched. It was Gabriele Murphy, the editor of the school paper.

“It goes better with my eyes!” the other wailed. I didn’t know her name, but we shared the same gym class. At the beginning of the year, she’d spiked a volleyball at Kendra’s head because Jeff Brennan, her summer fling, had been talking to her in the hall before class.

I stormed up to them and yanked the shirt away. They’d already started to tear it, so the rest was easy. With a loud rip, the jersey separated down the middle. I handed one half to Gabriele and the rest to the other girl. “Here you go. Enjoy!” I turned back to Lukas. “Greed again?”

He shook his head, distracted. “Envy.” With a few steps toward the science lab, he cupped his hands to either side of his face and peered through the window. “Vida.”

I elbowed him to the side and stood on my tiptoes. Principal Dubois was locked at the lips of Mrs. Hastings—the guidance counselor. Good thing I hadn’t eaten lunch. I seriously would’ve lost it.

We left them to their gropefest and continued down the hall, peering into classrooms as we went. Everything was empty. Like the mall on the first day of school. I was about to suggest we call it, convinced the Sins had scattered already, when we came to the teacher’s lounge.

Pushing though the door, I froze, trying to digest the scene before me. Mrs. Manning had her feet kicked up onto the table, shoes off and stare vacant. Around her head, a fly circled, landing finally on her cheek. I waited for her to shoo the bug away, but she ignored it.

Across the room, Mr. Marks sat in front of a small TV screen, expression eerily blank. There was nothing but static on the screen, yet he still seemed enthralled. Every few seconds his eyebrow would twitch along with his right cheek. On the floor by his feet was an overturned cup of coffee leaking out across the floor.

As I watched, James Farley, one of the school’s janitors, shuffled past. He slipped in the cream-colored liquid, losing his balance and landing hard on the floor. When Farley finally pulled himself into a sitting position, two of the fingers on his left hand were twisted at an odd angle. Broken. Instead of cursing the pain, he simply sat there staring ahead as the cuff of his pants soaked up the coffee.

“They’re just… It’s like they’re dead. Breathing, but dead.”

“Sloth,” Lukas said in a low voice. “He would have them sit here and waste away—starve to death slowly—and feed from the resulting energy.”

The looting at Flankman’s had been bad. Chaos and fighting. People had gotten hurt… But it was somehow more unsettling to see those people just sitting there. Blank and expressionless. It was like they were alive, but trapped. Trapped—like Lukas. “No, he won’t. We won’t let it get that far. The Sins are going down.”

I scanned the room and, in the far corner, saw a man I didn’t recognize. He leaned against the wall, watching with pale blue eyes and a bored expression. Bored—yet more alive than the others.

I stalked toward him. “Leave them alone.”

He barely glanced my way before yawning and casually waving me off. “Go away.”

“Sloth, right?”

“Tony,” the guy responded. He spoke with a thick city accent and nodded his head a lot. Turning to Lukas, he said, “That’s this body’s name, anyway. I like it. Wrath?”

“Lukas,” he said in an icy tone. “My name is Lukas.”

“You’re the human, aint’t ya? Tough break gettin’ stuck in the box, kid.” He almost sounded sympathetic. “Vida’s lookin’ for ya.”

Turning back to me, Tony said, “Lookin’ for you, too. Not fans of ya family.”

“The feeling’s mutual.”

“What’s a little laziness, eh?” Tony grinned. “And ya should be thankin’ me. I got yas out of school.”

“I’ll be sure to add you to my Christmas card list. Where are the others?”

“Listen up, girly. The thing ya gotta worry about is Vida and her new friend. The rest of us just wanna be left alone. I ain’t hurtin’ no one in here.”

That got my attention. “New friend? What new friend?”

“Sometimes we don’t get what we want.” Lukas’ fist shot out, lightning fast, and caught Tony across the lower jaw. There was an instant of shock before the man’s head rocked back and his eyes rolled up. He crumpled to the ground like a sack of quartz powder, expensive looking suit jacket bunching at the waist.

“Effective, but badly timed. Now we don’t know what he was talking about.” I poked him with the toe of my sneaker. Twice. Just to be sure. If it were me, I’d play possum if outnumbered and wait for an opportunity to strike. “And getting him back to the office is going to be a little tricky now. Ya know, with him out like a light and all… Unless you’re rocking the super strength thing.”

Lukas frowned. “He wasn’t going to come quietly.”

He had a point. I scanned the room and saw a roll of duct tape on the edge of one of the desks. Grinning, I grabbed it and waved it back and forth.

“What’s that?”

I bent over Tony and went to work. “This is the coolest invention of the twentieth century.” Once Tony was secured, I handed Lukas the roll.

He peeled the edge back, letting it dangle from the tip of his finger in awe. “This is amazing.”

I took the tape from him and gave it another wave. “Awesome,” I corrected.

“What?”

“This is awesome. Use the language of the land, gramps. Jeez. Didn’t you have slang back in the stone ages?”

“Awesome,” he said, as if trying the word on for size. “And that means amazing?”

“Yep.”

He nodded and wiggled his finger. “We had slang in 1882. Do people still use ragamuffin?”

I choked back a giggle. “Um, no. No they don’t. Ragamuffin? Seriously? That’s such a lame word!”

He stared at me for a moment before shaking his head. “Sometimes, I want to beg you to put me back in the box.”

“Aren’t we the High Drama Dude?” I toed Tony again and put the roll of tape back on the desk.

“Is it strong enough to hold him?”

“It’s strong enough. Trust me. The captain of the football team used this stuff to hang our rival school’s mascot from the sign in the quad. I’m not known for my school spirit, but it was pretty damn funny to see a dude in a purple chicken suit suspended mid-air.”

“You’re not like anyone I’ve ever met.”

“I’m full of surprises.”

His grin widened, and the butterflies came rushing back. “You really are.”

Chapter Sixteen

Getting Tony out of the school was easy. The teachers in the lounge were far past noticing anything. With Sloth gone, hopefully they’d go back to normal sooner rather than later. Between Lukas and me, we were able to drag Sloth across the tiled floor with little trouble. He slid along nice and easy against the well polished floor. Once outside, though—that presented a challenge.

My options were limited.

Public transportation wouldn’t work. I couldn’t come up with a reasonable excuse as to why two teenagers would be dragging around an unconscious, duct taped man in a dirty designer suit.

Carrying him was out of the question. Tony wasn’t a small guy. Even with Lukas helping, we’d end up doing more dragging than actual carrying. There was a human in there—I didn’t want to give him road rash.

Really, there was only one option. Mom. I pulled my cell out and dialed the office. This wasn’t exactly how I pictured presenting my victory, but unfortunately it was all we had. But even that didn’t work. The machine picked up on the fourth ring and I hung up.

“No answer. Makes sense, though,” I said to Lukas as I punched in her cell. “She and Dad are out hunting down the Sins.” It went right to voicemail. I snapped the phone closed and stuffed the cell back in my pocket. “Well, now we’re officially screwed.”

I stepped from the brush and glanced up and down the street just as a red Mustang turned the corner. It slowed, horn honking twice as it pulled alongside the curb. “Hey, beautiful, lookin’ for a ride?”

Great timing—wrong person. With the way he’d acted earlier, it was probably a bad idea to even consider this, but I was desperate. The longer we stood out in the open, the better the chances were of someone happening along. “Hey, Garrett…Yeah.”

The Garrett Girl Charmer beamed out at me from inside the Mustang. “Well then hop on in.”

This was the tricky part. “Um, actually, I have a few people with me, too.”

“Assuming you mean your shadow,” he grumbled.

“Lukas is here, yeah, but I’ve also got someone else…it’s a work thing. One of my mom’s alternative cases.”

Garrett, as far as I knew, had no idea about Penance’s supernatural underground, therefore had no clue what an alternative case meant, but I seemed to have his interest.

He perked up a little. “A work thing?”

I turned and motioned for Lukas. He appeared from the bushes, dragging Tony along.

“Dude…” Garrett put the Mustang in park and jumped from the car. “Is he like a criminal or something?”

I moved to help Lukas. Together, we lifted Tony off the grass and leaned him up against the side of the car. “Sort of. Deadbeat Dad. The family paid us to find him. Kind of like yours.”

Garrett nodded and opened the back passenger’s side door, moving to the right so we could set Tony inside. Before I could stop him, Lukas made his way around to the other side and slid in next to Tony, forcing me to take the front seat.

Great.

Thankfully the drive was short—and silent. Garrett kept his eyes on the road and hadn’t tried to grab anything or profess his undying love. He did however, keep glaring into the backseat through the rearview mirror. I couldn’t tell if he was looking at Lukas or Tony.

He pulled the car alongside the curb in front of the office and killed the engine. Whatever Vida’s touch had done, it seemed to have worn off. Everything appeared to be back to normal. “Listen—about before…”

“All good.”

In the back seat, Tony stirred. He was pulling against the tape, glaring at the building like he knew just what was coming. Lukas flung open the door and climbed out, dragging him along. Tony cooperated for the most part, trying to be a bit more discreet in testing his bonds.

I opened the door to follow, eager to give Mom the good news. We’d found one of the innocents. Two down—technically, counting Lukas—only five to go. I had one leg out and was mid-swing with the other when Garrett grabbed my arm.

“Wait—we need to talk.”

Oh, hell in a hailstorm.

“I’m sorry about my meltdown earlier.”

I was hoping he wouldn’t do this. Awkward apologies were something I didn’t do well. “I told you, it’s cool. Momentary brain blurb. It’s already forgotten. It’s not like you meant what you said.”

“Jess—I meant everything. I love you.”

There was that word again. That evil, four-letter word. Love. This was all a bad dream. A product of one of my notorious sugar binges right before bed. That, or I’d entered Bizzarro Land and had forgotten to leave a trail of neon breadcrumbs.

I lurched forward and scrambled from the car before he started getting grabby again. It would be hard to explain to Mom—and everyone else—why his balls were lodged firmly in his throat and he was singing soprano.

Next to Lukas, Tony mumbled something that, without the duct tape, probably would’ve been pretty colorful. Lukas spun him toward the office and started walking. A few times, he stopped to glance back over his shoulder.

“Well?” Garrett called. He leaned across the seat, poking his head through the open window. “Don’t leave me hanging.”

I didn’t answer. Instead, I spun to follow Lukas up the walk. He’d stopped and was waiting by the door. Our eyes met, and for a moment, I got the feeling that he’d been watching Garrett because he was worried. About me. The thought made me happier than it should have.

As Garrett gassed the engine and tore away from the curb, I heard him laughing. The sound sent chills up and down my spine. Vida had zinged him yesterday. It had to wear off soon, right? I’d just keep away until then.

With a sigh, I made my way up the walk to where Lukas stood with Tony. He shook his head and gave the Sin a small shove through the door. “I really don’t think Klaire is going to be happy about this.”

“Are you nuts? The fact that I snagged a Sin all on my own is going to blow her away!”

Eyebrows raised, he stopped.

“Okay, maybe not all on my own, but you know what I mean.”

Sloth gave one last attempt at struggling free, but Lukas flipped him around and pinned him face first against the wall. One arm locked at the small of his back while the other wedged behind Tony’s neck, Lukas said, “I think you’re wrong.”

…

“I was very specific with my instructions. School. Home. Not once did I suggest you flounce off on your own and try apprehending one of these things.”

Yeah. So my plan to impress Mom with my mad Sin-catching skills kind of backfired as Lukas predicted. Actually, backfired was putting it lightly. She was probably going to bench me for weeks over this one.

“I don’t flounce. More like swagger. And they’re people, Ma. Not things.”

“I don’t care if they’re defenseless little kittens dangling over a tub of acid—I told you to stay away.”

She was stalking the office floor, steam all but puffing from each ear. Mom didn’t get angry with me often. Sure, she got annoyed—she was constantly irritated at my unwillingness to embrace normal teenage activities—but angry? Not so much.

“You need to chill. You’re gonna set Lukas off.”

She took a deep breath. “I have the mind to handcuff you to the furniture in your room.”

“That’s a horrible idea. We’d end up spending a fortune on furniture repair.”

She rolled her eyes and settled into the chair behind her desk, fighting a smile. That was more like it. The good thing about Mom getting pissed? It never lasted long.

Drumming her fingers against the desk, she eyed me. “Still, you did an excellent job.”

Score!

“But it doesn’t change my mind. I don’t want you involved in this case, Jessie.”

And there went the air from my happy balloon. “After what I just did? You can’t be serious!”

“I am. If you want to help by picking up some of the slack from the other cases, fine. I do not want you messing with the Sins.”

I felt a normal teenage tantrum coming on. “You trust me to take down demons and other creepy crawlies, but not this? How is that fair?”

Mom stayed calm. She was used to this. It was one of the few things we argued about. I wanted more responsibility. A chance to prove to her that I could handle myself. She insisted on keeping me in the kiddie pool. “This isn’t about fair.”

“Then what is it about? Skill? I’m perfectly capable—”

“You don’t need to remind me what you can and can’t do. I’m well aware—and very proud. But this is different. I can’t properly keep an eye on you, and catch the Sins, and protect your father, and make sure Lukas doesn’t turn the town upside down, and find the box. I’m just not that good.”

For a second, I thought about flattery. On a normal mom, it might have worked. Sure you are—you rock! Are you kidding? You’re totally that good. On my mom, though, it’d never fly. She had the best bullshit meter in the country. “But I just proved you don’t have to do this alone. I snagged Sloth without even a hair out of place. If this is about your whole fascination with normal—”

“This has nothing to do with normal, either.” She sighed. “This has to do with keeping my seventeen-year-old daughter off the radar of one of the oldest evils around.” She stood and leaned over the desk. “We don’t have time to take things slowly, Jessie. I only have three days to find these people or they’re going to die. This morning your father and I tracked them to a warehouse downtown, but they’d cleared out by the time we got there.”

I opened my mouth, then closed it. There was no sense in arguing—or telling her technically I was already on their radar because of Vida. For all my beef with logic, I understood her reasoning. I didn’t like it and didn’t agree—but I understood. She was doing the mom thing. I couldn’t blame her.

Much.

Gritting my teeth, I retreated up the stairs to my room. I slammed the door and dove for my cell. Time to make good on my promise to Kendra. The cell rang five times, and I was about to hang up, when she answered. “Hey—”

“Took you long enough,” she snorted. “Before you say anything, though, I need to apologize.” Knowing Kendra, she was tapping her fingers and biting down on her bottom lip—nervous tics.

“Nothing to say. It’s all good.”

“All good?” she squeaked. “We are talking about the same thing here, right? The part where I tried to kill you at Flankman’s yesterday?”

“Kill is a little dramatic, dontcha think? I mean, you were using magic. How much harm could you have done?”

She gasped, but I could tell it was totally fake. Kendra had a definite flair for the dramatic. “Jessie!”

“Seriously, it wasn’t you, Ken. Don’t sweat it.” I readjusted the cell and rolled onto my back. “Was surprised to see you at school, though. Thought for sure Cassidy would keep you home.”

“Not even,” she mumbled. “She couldn’t get me out of the house fast enough.” There was a slight pause, then I heard her take a deep breath. “She’s helping your mom with something, isn’t she?”

Feeling a spike of guilt, I glanced toward the door. “Yeah. We need to find a family. They’re one of yours.”

Kendra’s voice got a little lower. “Do you know the name?”

Kendra and I had a slew of things in common. We were both part of a small, lesser known community. We loved the same music and laughed at all the same jokes. We also both had parents that wanted to keep us safe.

“Wells. Ring a bell?”

She was quiet for a moment before exhaling into the receiver. “Not even a little one.” A pause. “Listen, I’ll hit you back later, okay? Mom’s on my ass to do the dishes. If I take any longer, she’s liable to curse me with a tail.”

Do the dishes. I sat up straight and swung both feet over the edge of the bed. That was code for someone listening.

The coven Kendra and her mom belonged to was full of some seriously badass women. They all kept pretty close tabs on each other, terrified that their secrets would spill into the supernatural world. Sometimes, I worried what they were hiding. I’d seen them go to extreme lengths when they thought someone had been compromised. Anyone that paranoid of people getting into their dirty laundry had to be hiding something bad.

“Yeah, totally cool. We’ll hook up in school tomorrow,” I said, meaning call me back as soon as you’re sure it’s clear.

There was a faint snap, then some rustling paper. “You gonna be okay?”

“Totally. You know me and Mom. The Darker girls have it covered.” I hoped I sounded more convincing to her than I did to myself.

“Stay safe.” And the line went dead.

I rolled upright and kicked at a stray sock on the floor by my feet as I grabbed my iPod. Volume cranked and eyes closed, I flopped backward onto the bed and let the calming sounds of Beethoven’s Ninth wash over me. My life was kind of like his music. Chaotic at times but balanced. Peaceful in its own strange way. I was betting Beethoven would’ve made an awesome monster masher. The guy’s dedication to his craft was boundless. Hell, he used to stick his head into icy water to stay awake. If that wasn’t dedication, then I didn’t know what the heck was.

I stayed like that for a while, letting the calming melody soothe my nerves as I tried to think. I understood where Mom was coming from, but she was going to have to cut the apron strings eventually. I was almost an adult, and I’d seen more than most people did their entire lives. No. I wasn’t going to be benched. She needed me. We’d just talk this out. Like adults.

I swung my legs over the edge of the bed and opened my eyes. At first it was just a dark blob in my field of vision. Then it took shape. A person’s shape. I stumbled back, yanking the bud from my left ear along with the small silver hoop earring. Lukas was standing over me, looking down with a strange expression on his face. He thrust a white mug at me. “I thought this would make you feel better.”

As soon as my heartbeat stabilized, I took the cup. Chocolate milk.

“It’s not the same as what you made the other night—I couldn’t figure out how to work that damned machine in the kitchen—but it’s surprisingly good.”

I took a sip and nodded. “It’s great. Thanks.”

I expected him to leave, but he stayed where he was. Watching me.

“So why the chocolaty olive branch?”

“Olive branch?”

“Seriously. Your time would be so much better spent watching TV to learn the language,” I muttered, trying to hide my smile. “Why bring me the chocolate milk?”

He shrugged. “You seemed upset.”

“So what? I thought I was irritating.”

He tried to hide a smile, too, but it broke free and crept across his lips. Our eyes met for a moment, and a rush of warmth shot through me. Right before he turned and strode from the room, he said, “You are.”

I watched him leave and downed the chocolate milk in one swig. Very few things in life couldn’t be made better with chocolate. Well, chocolate and sharp weapons. As I set the cup down next to the bed, my cell started going nuts. I caught it just before it vibrated itself off the edge of the nightstand.

Sumthg wrong w/me. Come ASAP.

Garrett.

Chapter Seventeen

This was murky water. On one hand, the text could be a trick. The memory of his chilling laugh and confident stare as he pulled away earlier flashed through my mind. But on the other hand, what if it wasn’t? I had no way of knowing what the effect of direct contact with a Sin was. For all I knew, he was shriveling up from the inside out and in terrible pain.

My first instinct had been to ignore the text. But the longer I sat there thinking about it, the more I wondered what Mom would’ve done in my position. She’d go, that’s what. If there was any chance Garrett—or anyone else—was in real danger, then she’d go. She wouldn’t want me to go, but as far as I was concerned, that was splitting hairs. I didn’t want her to know about Vida yet, and that meant handling this myself. If I asked for help, then I’d have to explain. If I explained, there would be some kind of lecture.

Garrett had lived two blocks away from me since the fourth grade. We’d never been friends—mainly because we didn’t travel the same social circles. Hell, until last month when the agency took his Mom’s case, we’d never even spoken other than the time he’d stolen my cookie in fifth grade. But I’d spent some time with him since then. He wasn’t my idea of optimal stimulating company—the guy was obsessed with football and old cars—but he wasn’t horrible.

Garrett’s house was a cute Victorian with a nicely manicured lawn surrounded by huge flowerbeds. It was approaching fall so everything was starting to die off, and still it somehow managed to look amazing. Bright red and gold leaves gathered around the edges, giving the whole scene an autumn tone. We had tons of trees out behind the office—but they were all pine. The most they dropped were pinecones and huge blobs of sap that stuck to everything.

I made my way up the steps, and with a deep breath, knocked on the front door. “Garrett?”

After a few minutes, when I got no response, worry started creeping in. Images of him writhing in pain, curled up in a corner of the house and unable to speak, flounced through my brain. Imagine my surprise when I turned the doorknob and found it unlocked.

Upon pushing through, I was greeted by a homey room drenched in warm inviting colors and decorated with birds and flowers. A lot of flowers. Disturbed blared from speakers bolted to the walls on either end of the room, causing the small knick-knacks on the mantle to shimmy and rattle.

I made my way through the living room and into the kitchen. Other than the music, there was no sign of life. From there, I searched the den and master bedroom. Still, nothing. With each step, I grew more and more concerned. What if I’d taken too long to come? “Garrett? You here?”

I was about to start up the stairs to the second level when the music went silent. I whirled around to see him standing in the doorway between the hall and the kitchen wearing a devious grin. “You came.”

I had no clue where he’d come from—or how he’d managed to sneak past me. Granted I wasn’t hyper aware like Mom, but a civie high school student shouldn’t have gotten the drop on me. I knew right away something was wrong. Maybe his smile was just a little too wide. Maybe it was the strange pitch in his voice.

Or it might have been the way he crossed the room in three easy steps and pinned me to the wall with his body.

I sucked in a breath and tried not to gag. Newports and orange soda again. “This isn’t funny anymore, Garrett.” I pushed against him, but he only smiled.

“I’m glad you finally realize that.” He nuzzled my ear.

My blood ran cold. Every nerve in my body twitched. This was wrong. Twisted. Garrett was one hell of a hottie, but not once had I ever entertained a what if fantasy. It wasn’t just that I didn’t date—it was more like even if I did, Garrett wouldn’t have been my type.

“Listen to me,” I said, pushing a little harder. He didn’t budge. Desperate times—desperate measures. I’d go with something I didn’t use often. The truth. “Remember Vida? That foreign chick from the caf the other day? She wasn’t human. She hit you with some kind of nookie beam. That’s where this is coming from. You’re not really into me—you just think you are.”

He chuckled. “This is just one of the things I love about you. Nookie beam? Please. Just face it—” He slid the tips of his fingers down my neck and just inside the shoulder of my shirt. “You want this as much as I do.”

“Wait—want what?”

“You feel it, don’t you?” He moved against me. Warm breath puffed across my neck and tickled my ear.

Something solid pressed against my stomach.

Oh, I felt it all right. And it was making my skin crawl.

My heart banged into overdrive. Desperate now, I lashed out anywhere I could. Elbow to the neck. Kick to the shin. Nothing fazed him. If anything, he liked it.

God.

“Tell me you don’t ever think about me.”

“I don’t ever think about you,” I said without hesitation.

“You’re lying,” he said, sliding his other hand down my back and over my butt. He looped his thumb into my back pocket, fingers grazing the right cheek.

That was it.

There was no thinking—just reaction. I pushed off the wall and knocked us both to the ground. By the look on his face as we landed in a tangled heap, he thought I’d given in.

He got the proper message when I kneed him in the nuts.

He curled into a fetal position, hissing in pain. “I’m so sorry—but you’ll thank me for that later!”

On my feet and out the door, I didn’t make it far before a blood-chilling roar shattered the silence.

“Jessie!”

Garrett came barreling out in a flurry of hormone-fueled rage. There was no way I could outrun him in a straight race. He was faster than I was—the football team’s running back—but I also knew he was a klutz, and one of the few useful things I’d inherited from my dad was his unnatural grace.

I needed a way to lose him. Obstacles. I took off into the woods at a speed just under run like hell. Behind me, the brush exploded as Garrett followed, not far behind.

“Get back here!” he screamed. I’d never heard a voice full of so much venom. For the first time ever, I was actually scared—of something human.

Scratch that. I was terrified. So terrified that I could almost taste it. Like something metallic and foul I couldn’t spit out. I loved the rush of the job. How the adrenaline got pumping as the chase started and you fought to take down the baddie, but this was different. My heart hammered in a way that made me think my ribs might explode at any minute, and the blood pounding in my ears made it hard to concentrate. Every muscle in my body spazzed and my brain demanded my legs move faster—only they didn’t. Couldn’t.

I managed to stay ahead of him, but just barely. A few times he got so close, I could feel the disturbance in the air as he made a swipe for me. I opened my mouth to scream—but no sound came. Of course not. My body couldn’t spare the breath. Or maybe I was too afraid. Fear did funky things to the body, didn’t it? God knew I’d seen some things.

Deeper and deeper, I plunged through the brush and soared over fallen trees and rocks. Garrett kept pace, never falling more than ten or twelve feet behind.

“Don’t be like this, baby,” he called. He didn’t sound like he was out of breath. Me? I was gasping for air. I couldn’t keep this pace much longer. “I need to be with you!”

I hadn’t been out on these trails in a long time, but I knew we must be getting close to the cliffs. I’d started to double back, thinking maybe I could outrun him, with the obstacle course of the forest having hopefully worn him out a little, when my sneaker caught in an exposed tree root. I went down hard, sliding in the mud and brush. Up. Get up, Jessie! I ignored the stinging in my hip and throbbing in my wrist, and clamored to my feet.

I only got two steps.

Something crashed from behind, knocking me back to the ground. Again I tried to scream, to make a sound—any sound—but the only result was a mouth full of dirt and dead leaves. Violently spitting and gasping for air, I struggled against the weight settling on top of me. It was useless. I managed to flip onto my back, but Garrett was seated confidently across my waist, legs pinning mine into the forest floor.

“It’s him, isn’t it? He’s the reason you don’t want me.” Eyes blazing, the tone of his voice chilled the air to an almost arctic level. He leaned closer, slamming his hands down on either side of my head. Bits of dirt and twigs flicked into the air, making me flinch.

It took me a second to realize the him he was talking about was Lukas—who was supposed to be my cousin.

I pushed up with my knees, but got nowhere. His face was inches from mine. I inhaled, but it felt funny. Shaky. Like there were a million nervous butterflies all flapping away just beneath my rib cage. “Garrett—you’re not yourself. You don’t really feel this way about me. Think about it. You were chasing Holly a week ago. You were convinced she was the meaning of life!”

He faltered. Brow furrowed and lips twisted in a scowl. “Holly—”

I nodded. “Yes, Holly. Your girlfriend. Then, two weeks ago you were drooling over Amy Gilmer. Remember? If you had this epic love for me, don’t you think you would have known?”

He straightened, confused. “I was interested in hooking up with her. At Joe Carson’s party.”

“That’s right!”

The dark in his eyes seemed to lift and he leaned back, giving me some space. The expression on his face was a mix of terrified and horror. “I dunno what’s wrong with me, Jess. I’d never hurt anyone… I’d never hurt you.”

I exhaled. Some of the pressure in my chest disappeared and the tension in my muscles started to melt away. The blood still rushed like a freighter in my ears, but my heartbeat was slowing down. “It’s okay. I’m—”

“I’ve got this heavy lump in my chest,” he continued, ignoring me. “This blackness that’s poisoning things.” His hands flew to his temples and he closed his eyes for a moment. “I can’t think straight.”

“It’s not you. Something happ—”

But Garrett wasn’t coming up for air. Eyes open again, he said, “I won’t get angry again. I promise. We need to be together. It’s destiny.”

My throat was dry. “I choose my own destiny, and I’m sorry, I don’t choose you.”

He trailed his finger from my shoulder, all the way down to my wrist. It left sick goose bumps in its wake. “You will.”

His fingers lingered there for a moment before moving to the button of my jeans.

“I know you’re scared, but I’ll be careful.”

I could hardly hear him. My heart started up again, hammering against my ribs. This wasn’t happening. This couldn’t happen. “Garrett, please—”

He slipped the button through the hole. When his fingers went for the zipper, I started to scream.

Thrashing. Kicking. Clawing. Anything to keep from remaining still. I was screaming incoherently—no words—just sound. Awful, ear-damaging sound. Anything that might attract attention. It bounced off the trees and echoed though the forest. My muscles were on fire, straining and pulling to get free.

But it was useless. Like a bimbo from a bad horror flick, I’d run us into the woods. Away from his house. Away from people. We were secluded.

Idiot. I was an idiot.

I continued to thrash, pinned down by strong hands wrapped securely around my neck to keep me in place. Through my hair, I could see his eyes. The icy, almost inhuman sound of his voice was nothing compared to the spark of madness I saw gleaming there. This person wore his face—had his body on like a cheap suit—but it wasn’t Garrett.

The zipper slipped a few teeth and I stilled.

“You’ll see,” he whispered in my ear. Funny how at that moment, I thought about Lukas and the way I’d felt when he’d whispered in my ear. Amazing how the same thing, done under such different circumstances, could have such a vastly different effect.

I tried to push him away again, but my energy was gone. Stupid, stupid, stupid. Instead of the wild thrashing, I should have conserved.

“We’ll be so good together,” Garrett continued. “We were meant to be.”

And then he was gone.

The pressure of his body lifted and the space where he’d been was nothing more than chilly, empty air.

“Where I come from,” a dark voice snarled. “You treat a woman with respect.”

Garrett crashed through the trees and landed somewhere to my right. It was too dark to see, but I knew that voice. Lukas.

“You never raise your voice,” Lukas hissed, his dark silhouette advancing. “You never use foul language.”

He grabbed Garrett by the shirt front and spun him around. Slamming him up against the nearest tree, he said, “And you never lay hands on her.”

For a moment, all I could do was watch. Watch and think. About running myself into the middle of nowhere. About what had almost happened. About what Lukas might be capable of doing to Garrett… Everything felt watery and surreal, but I still knew right from wrong. Regardless of how twisted my insides felt, this hadn’t been Garrett’s fault.

Hip throbbing and wrist on fire, I staggered to my feet just in time to stop him. Garrett was limp in his arms, head lolling awkwardly to the side. His eyes were closed and, even in the dark, I could see the trail of red leaking from his nose and the right corner of his lip.

“Lukas—Stop…” I grabbed his arm as he was about to strike again. My heart hammered so hard that I was sure it would explode from my chest, and I could barely breathe, but I managed to say, “Vida. It was Vida. She touched him in the cafeteria yesterday, remember? He wasn’t thinking straight. He was infected.”

The muscles in his arm twitched, but he didn’t lower his fist.

“Nothing happened. I’m okay.”

He turned to me, eyes wide and mouth agape. For a second, he actually looked angry. Not at Garrett, but at me. “Nothing happened?”

“He knocked me to the ground. That’s all. You got here before it could go any further.” I tugged on his arm again, this time harder, hoping to God he couldn’t hear the terror I felt. “You got here in time.”

Lukas took a deep breath and held it. Slowly, he blew out through pressed lips and lowered his hand. I grabbed it and squeezed, afraid he’d lash out again.

His fingers wrapped tight around mine. He was squeezing so hard, I thought my fingers might pop off. “You’re all right?”

I nodded. “I’m all right.” Truthfully, I was numb, but telling Lukas that would only make things worse.

With my free hand, I tugged the cuff of his shirt. “Let’s get him back to the office. Mom will know what to do with him ’til this wears off.”

Chapter Eighteen

Garrett screamed for almost an hour after we got him back to the office. It got so bad that Mom had to gag him so the neighbors wouldn’t call the cops. Most of it was incoherent. Rage-fed growls and a string of inventive curses, but once in awhile, he’d scream my name.

Mom asked if I was all right and let it drop. She promised to pick it up tomorrow, though, because technically, I’d snuck out and she wasn’t thrilled. It probably hadn’t helped that I’d been covered in mud and wearing the forest floor as a fashion accessory when we walked through the door, either.

I didn’t know what I’d tell her. What I could tell her. With a mom like mine, the last thing you want to do is tattle on someone. His fault or not, she’d have Garrett hanging upside down over an unending pit of ravenous, flesh eating demons for trying to hurt her little girl. And with Dad there? I didn’t even want to think about the things he’d do.

I’d sat quietly and listened to Mom call Mrs. Redding at the hospital to tell her we got into the liquor cabinet. Since we were snockered, Mom told her she was going to keep Garrett here overnight and would bring him home in the morning.

In truth, an associate of Mom’s, a Voodoo priestess named McKenna, was coming over at first light to fling a whammy on Garrett. It would help speed things along. After McKenna did her mojo, Garrett would sleep for a day and wake up normal.

We hoped.

After everything was squared away, Mom and Dad slipped away to follow a lead they’d heard on the police scanner. A nightclub downtown had erupted into a scene from a porno gone wrong. They hoped to catch Lust. I was instructed to stay put, and I think I made Mom more suspicious when I didn’t bother arguing. They headed out and I promptly left Lukas curled up on the couch and retreated to shower.

When I got back to my room, I heaved my backpack onto the bed and pulled out the first thing my fingers touched. My history book. Flipping to a random page, I sucked in a deep breath and gripped the edge of the book like it might try to run away. The words danced in blurry waves, and everything grew hazy. The fiery unease I’d been trying so hard to tamp down since we’d left the woods ignited, and the tears spilled over. I’d been doing a great job ignoring what happened—what could have happened—but here in the dark, alone, it was a neon elephant dancing a jig with bells on in the middle in the room.

I don’t know how long I sat there—curled into a ball and crying like a baby—before he came in.

I didn’t look up as he crossed the room, or as the bed sagged under his weight. I didn’t pull away or stop crying when he slipped behind me and wrapped his arms around my shoulders. Normally, I would’ve sucked it up. Even Mom didn’t get to see me bawling like a baby. But part of me wanted Lukas there. I wanted him to see that under my hard shell and weirdness—according to him—I was just a human girl.

Just a girl…

“You’re all right now,” he whispered. His voice sent soothing ripples over my skin and chased away the numbness. A tiny voice in the back of my mind raged at me over the reaction, but for once, I ignored it.

We sat there, silent except for my occasional sniffle. The moon peeked through the window on the other side of the room, casting our shadows across the wall behind the bed.

After a while, the silence got too heavy. Plus, there was something I’d been wanting to ask him. “How did you find me in the woods? How did you know?”

“I saw you leave. Out the window. I followed.”

Wow. Way to be stealthy. I seriously needed to work on that. “Why?”

He didn’t answer right away. When he did, his voice came barely above a whisper. “I’m not sure. I suppose I was worried. About you.”

A few more minutes passed. All I could hear was the soft sound of Lukas’ heart beating in my ear. With the window open, the cool night breeze blew through the room, chilling the air. His arms, wrapped tight around me, were almost electrifying in contrast. I snuggled closer and breathed in deep. He still smelled like the forest—which should have bothered me after what happened—but there was something else. Something comforting. Something all Lukas.

“Tell me something.” I felt comfortable—safe—and somehow that felt wrong. Too intimate. It went well beyond liking his voice and taking comfort in his presence, and that scared me. “About you. Tell me something no one else knew. A secret.”

“Painting,” he answered almost instantly.

I shifted around so I could see him. With his head tilted down, his bangs had fallen across his eyes so that the only part of his face I could see was from the nose down. He was smiling. Not a passing grin or a two-second smirk, but a genuine smile.

It was amazing. It lit up the dark and made the butterflies in my stomach dance in crazy circles.

“Painting?”

“It’s all I ever wanted to do. Paint.”

“That’s a secret?”

He nodded, smile fading. “It was. I never told anyone.”

“Why would you keep that a secret?”

“Where I’m from, a man is expected to follow his father—not pursue unrealistic dreams.”

“What did you paint?”

“Anything. People were my passion, though.”

“Why people?”

“Because there’s so much to see. When you paint someone, you have to look at them. Really look at them. You can see it all—everything they keep hidden. It’s all in the eyes. Truly a window to the soul.” He sighed. “It was my peace. My calm. It kept me grounded when all else was in upheaval.”

“It sounds nice.”

“Your turn. Tell me something about you.”

“There’s nothing secret about me.” I gave him a small smile and swiped a hand across my damp eyes, suddenly embarrassed. “I’m an open book.”

“Surely there’s something. Do you like helping your mother at the agency? Don’t you ever get scared?”

Not until today. “I was raised around this stuff. It’s second nature to me. I guess my big confession is that normal people scare me.”

“Normal people? Why would normal people scare you?”

“Things aren’t the same as your time. Read the paper—watch the news. Demons and all the other nasty things that go bump in the shadows—they have an excuse most of the time. It’s their nature. People, though? They’re horrible because they choose to be. Humans are more dangerous than any Otherworlder I’ve ever come in contact with.”

“Working with your mother, you must see human atrocities.”

“I guess—they just never happen to me. It doesn’t seem real. It’s a pretty messed up world where a girl can take down a high ranking demon but—”

“What happened with your friend wasn’t—”

“I know…” It was the truth. Garrett would never have done anything to hurt me if he’d been thinking straight. He just wasn’t that kind of guy. But even knowing that, I wasn’t sure I could ever look at him—or people in general—the same way again.

Lukas was right. I’d seen plenty in the years I’d been helping Mom. But it was different. Detached. People were bad—but I was never the target of that bad. I’d never been made to feel like a victim. It scared me because, really, Garrett was my lifeline to normal. Not Garrett specifically, but school. I meant it when I told Mom I had no interest in living a normal life, but I did like to visit on occasion. But now, every time I closed my eyes, I saw him hovering above me. I felt the weight of his body pinning me down. Pressing the air from my lungs…

“I believe the effects on Garrett were heightened because he has feelings for you.”

An insane giggle slipped past my lips despite my best efforts to keep it in. “That’s hysterical! Garrett doesn’t have a thing for me.”

Lukas shook his head. “That is one thing about women I see has not changed. You are all so oblivious…”

“Quite the comedian when ya wanna be, eh?”

He chuckled, then took a deep breath. Face serious, he said, “I have a confession as well.”

For some reason my heart sped up. His arms still around me, we were face to face—inches apart. “Oh?”

“The day I asked for your help, that first day in the office—it wasn’t about securing my freedom from the box. It was about revenge.”

“Against the witch?”

“Yes.”

“But Meredith Wells is long dead.”

“It was Meredith’s bloodline that kept me there—trapped. The Wells bloodline. When the box was opened, all I could think about was destroying her descendants.”

“But if you destroyed the descendants, you’d never be free.”

“It didn’t matter. I was consumed by anger and hate. I’d been betrayed by the same line three times.”

“It’s understandable that you’d want revenge.”

He nodded. “Jessie, that’s only half my confession.”

“There’s more?”

“There is. As I said, it was about revenge in the beginning. I didn’t care about what happened after I destroyed Meredith’s line.”

“And now?”

He tilted his head to the right. The curtain of hair parted and the moonlight glittered off the light in his liquid brown eyes. “I don’t want to go back. I’m willing to let my revenge go—as long as I can stay.”

“Well, this is an awesome time to live—”

He reached out and cupped the side of my face. “You.” He leaned closer—our lips were almost touching now, but he didn’t push forward. “I want to stay because of you. I’ve never come across someone like you. Your strength and determination is astounding. It’s odd because you’re so incredibly infuriating—”

“Kids our age don’t say things like incredibly infuriating—just so you know.”

“Shh.” He placed his index finger across my lips. “My entire life, all I wanted was to find something different. Special. I never would have guessed I’d have to sleep for so long to find it.”

He paused, face so close to mine. A lot of girls would have pulled away. Maybe I should have, considering what had almost happened earlier, but being there with Lukas, in his arms, made me feel safer than I had in a long time. His nearness wasn’t uncomfortable like it had been with Garrett. In fact, it was just the opposite. It made me feel ten feet tall and nearly bullet proof. If this was anything like the feeling Mom got around Dad, then I understood everything.

And then he kissed me. At first, I didn’t know what to do. His lips moved over mine, soft, warm, and tasting faintly of the ketchup he’d slathered his french fries in at dinner. Arms tightening around my waist, he urged me closer, teasing my lips apart with his tongue.

I mimicked his movements, terrified I was doing it wrong. But he didn’t complain. Instead, a small noise of contentment sounded low in his throat. The sound tickled my stomach and sent a chill racing up my spine. Seconds later, that single chill exploded into fireworks. Grand finale on the Fourth of July fireworks.

Falling. It was like falling. Wind in your hair, freefalling into perfection plus. In that moment, I really understood the fuss people made about love. The look in Mom’s eyes when she talked about Dad. The sappy grin I saw girls wearing as they gossiped about their first dates. I got it. And for the first time, I thought maybe, just maybe, I could have it, too.

After a few moments, he pulled away, and even in the dark, I could see his face flushing.

“I apologize. That was highly inappropriate.”

I almost giggled. I wondered what he’d think of HBO or Showtime if he thought that had been inappropriate. “I’ve got a news flash for you—that’s not as inappropriate as it was in your time.”

“Such things are kept between husbands and wives among honorable society. But you—”

“Me?”

“You do strange things to my control.” He sucked in a deep breath. “One minute, your simple presence is enough to pull me back from the brink—I would have killed your friend in the forest had it not been for you—and the next… The next, you make me forget myself entirely.”

I clucked my tongue. “So much to learn, young Jedi. So much to learn.”

“Jedi?”

“Shh,” I whispered. Taking his face in my hands, I said, “Did you want to do that again?”

Chapter Nineteen

2 days left…

When I woke up, Lukas had gone—but I wasn’t alone.

And for some reason, I wasn’t in bed.

“Mom?”

She was sitting in the armchair across my room, coffee in hand. Bleh. Hazelnut. I could smell it. “Can I ask why you’re sleeping on the floor in the corner—and what that thing drooling on your foot is?”

I looked down to see none other than Mr. Winkie, head resting on my foot and snoring softly. A trail of green, slimy drool leaked down my sock and pooled on the floor beneath my ankle. Good thing my room wasn’t carpeted. The stain would never come out. “For crap’s sake…”

“Something you’d like to tell me?”

I shook off the demon and climbed to my feet. The possessed corgi stretched and gave a lazy yawn. With a single yip and several swishes of the tail, he disappeared in a thick cloud of stinky black smoke.

I waved it away and readied myself for a lecture. “Apparently, work followed me home from that pet possession the other day.” Arching my back, I stretched toward the ceiling to release a crick in my neck, muscles protesting as though I’d been down there all night. “And as for the floor, you can ask, but I can’t answer.”

She let it go. “We need to talk.”

Normally, a statement like that from Mom wouldn’t worry me. But lately, I’d broken so many rules—and with what happened with Garrett—I was nervous. I wasn’t ready to talk about it. I might never be ready.

“I’m afraid I have some bad news.”

Bad news sucked, but I breathed a sigh of relief. Any morning that didn’t start with a lecture was a win in my book.

She hesitated, then set her coffee down on the floor beside the chair. “Jessie, I know you’re a smart girl, but I’m feeling the need to remind you Lukas isn’t human.”

I rolled my eyes. “He used to be.” This couldn’t be a result of him being in my room last night because she would have railed me for that right off the bat. Wanting me to get out and date aside, she’d be fuming if she knew I was sucking serious face with a guy on my bed in the middle of the night. Probably more so if said guy was one of the Seven Deadly Sins.

“Yes, he was. But we can’t help him.”

The air chilled. “Why would you say that? What about our other options? You said—”

“I’ve exhausted all my leads. I talked to everyone I could think of yesterday, and then some. There’s no way to keep Lukas out without transferring Wrath to someone else. And even if I was willing to do it, the Wells family is gone. Cassidy called this morning. She said they dropped off the grid in the mid-nineteen-hundreds. I have to focus on collecting the Sins—and finding the box. If time runs out and the Sins are recalled on their own, the six innocent people whose bodies they’ve stolen will go with them. They’ll die, Jessie. I cannot let that happen.”

I had to fight to keep my voice steady. “I know.”

“Finding this particular witch will only help one person. I raised you to be practical, Jessie. We can’t sacrifice six people for one—no matter how unfair his situation is. It’s a hard decision, but it’s the right one. You understand that, right?”

I only nodded. I didn’t trust myself to speak anymore.

“Unless a miracle happens, Lukas will end up going back into the box with the others.”

“I know.” My voice cracked a little.

“Do you? Because you seem to be getting attached.”

Deep breath. She was right. I was raised with both feet firmly planted in reality, and my head clear of the clouds. Last night with Lukas made me lose sight of that. I did have feelings for him, and to make things even more complicated, he felt the same way. But regardless, it didn’t change anything. We had no way to keep him here. The needs of the many trumped the needs of the few. She was right. It was hard, but it was reality. One I’d been acquainted with at a very early age.

“I know,” I said again, this time stronger. “And you’re right. I am getting attached. But I’m not an idiot. I know how it’s gonna end.”

“Jessie—”

“It is what it is.”

I needed to get out of the room. Away from the conversation and away from her.

“At least a little good came out of it. I think we both learned something on this one.” I started rummaging through my drawers for clothes. A black sock. A white one. A random shirt. Whatever I could get my hands on.

“Oh?”

“This thing with Lukas—my attachment—is the perfect example of why I won’t end up like you.” I glared at her as I passed and spoke, even though the declaration was pointless. The damage was done already.

Her eyes went wide. “Like me?”

I could see she didn’t understand what I was getting at, but she was hurt all the same. All I’d ever said growing up was that I wanted to be just like her. And I did. In every area except this.

A part of me dug my heels in, wanting nothing more than to stop—but I couldn’t. I was a planet-sized Jessie-boulder rolling at warp-speed down a steep hill. I drove my point home with cruel accuracy. “Miserable. Missing someone you can never have. It’s not worth it.” I slammed the door behind me—my first act of truly juvenile teenage behavior.

…

I didn’t wait for Lukas before heading to school. Mom didn’t want us getting any more attached? Fine. Neither did I. There was no reason for me to lug him around. It would only make things harder. Let her play babysitter.

The first thing I noticed when I got to school was Garrett’s absence. I didn’t know if he’d remember anything that happened—for his sake, I hoped not—but I couldn’t forget. And I needed some time.

Contrary to my I’m an island rant this morning, I’d grabbed Mom’s phone book on the way out the door. I might have made the decision to let my feelings for Lukas slip into the background, but that didn’t change the fact that we’d made him a promise. The Darkers were girls of their word. I’d keep fighting ’til the last possible minute, even if Mom was ready to give up. She wouldn’t let me help find the Sins? Well, then I’d help another way.

By the time I hit third period study hall, I was itching to crack open the phone book. All Mom’s Otherworlder contacts in one nifty, leather-bound bundle. I knew which ones to stay away from—Jenna Mason, the owner of the Black Cat bar, and one of Mom’s best friends. As soon as we got off the phone, she’d be running to Mom to tell her what I was up to.

Allen Bane—leader of the local were pack. We’d too recently pissed him off. That whole incident with him and Mom and an ill-timed game of fetch wasn’t about to blow over any time soon.

And McKenna Blaire—the Voodoo priestess with a mouth for gossip. Not besties, Mom and McKenna still talked. And worse than that, they knew a lot of the same people. McKenna had a mouth like a bullhorn. One call to her and the entire Otherworlder population would know what I was up to. And so would Mom.

There was one specific number I was looking for. I flipped to the N’s—Mom had the book organized not by name—but by association. I needed the N’s for necromancer.

I’d just punched Paulson Miller’s name into my cell when a low growl filled the air.

Oh, hell in a hailstorm. Not now.

I looked around. No one else seemed to have heard it. Trying to play it cool, I glanced around the room. The sound seemed to be coming from the front row. Right next to David Ogden’s desk. He chose that moment to look up. He caught my eye with a cheesy wink and a thumbs-up.

Really? A thumbs-up? Did the dude really think a thumbs-up was a turn on? That smooch with Hannah the other day had given him all sorts of confidence.

Creepy, Hi, I’m a stalker in the making confidence.

At the front of the room, Mr. Dakota looked up from his papers as the door opened. On top of his desk, a shimmer of black smoke trailed upward from the floor. I couldn’t see beneath his desk, but I was betting my vial of Fairy Dust that Mr. Winkie was lingering close by.

Mr. Dakota’s mouth fell open as in sauntered Vida wearing a black skirt that looked like it belonged on a first grader and a bright red corset top that left little to the imagination. If she bent over too far, I had no doubt she’d pop out of it—cartoon sound effects and all.

She slid slowly across the room and over to his desk. “I need to see Jessie Darker in the hallway. You don’t mind, do you?” The words dripped like honey from her lips as she trailed a finger over the edge of his desk. My demon dog stalker gave another growl, but one look from Vida in his general direction and he fell silent, another puff of black smoke tufting upward to tell me he’d split.

Dakota waved a hand in my general direction, then pointed toward the door, never taking his eyes from Vida—or her chest.

I contemplated staying put. She couldn’t make me leave with her—but I was curious. Plus, if opportunity presented itself, maybe I could bring her in. I’d probably get crap from Mom, but in the end, it would be one less innocent for her to find. She’d have to appreciate that—even if she wasn’t willing to admit it out loud.

Gathering my things, I started down the aisle toward the door. Vida stood in the doorway with a sickeningly sweet smile plastered on her ruby-tinted lips.

“Where’s Lukas today?” she asked as the door snapped closed behind us. From the hall, I could see Dakota craning his neck, trying to get another peek at her. He wasn’t even trying for subtle. Ugh. Men.

I shrugged and stuffed both hands into my pockets. “A girl’s gotta have some alone time now and then, ya know?”

She giggled. “You’re more amusing than your ancestors, little Darker girl.”

“Somehow, I don’t think that’s a compliment.” I gave her a minute. When she said nothing, I pressed it. “Something tells me you didn’t call me out here to chat about pedicures and—” I nodded to her chest, “—implants.”

Vida giggled again. “Oh, they’re real—and she’s quite proud of them.” Circling like a vulture, she tapped the side of her head and said, “She’s in here, you know—totally aware of what’s going on.”

Stopping in front of me, face inches from mine, Vida grinned. “And let me tell you, she likes it.”

“Two peas in a skanky pod then, eh?”

“More than you know.”

I didn’t say anything. She was plainly hinting at something, but I refused to give her the satisfaction.

She frowned, obviously disappointed that I wouldn’t play her game. “Has Lukas told you how he was infected?”

“Yeah. He told me about the witch.”

She clucked her tongue. “Of course he did. But there was more to it than that, silly girl.”

She began to circle again. “That witch would never have been able to do what she did to some random person. The vessel has to be viable.”

Even though I hated playing into her trap, I was curious. “Viable? What does that mean?”

“Open.” She gestured to herself and rolled her baby blues. “Take dear little Vida, for example. Not an innocent white rose, this one.”

Stopping, she leaned against the wall across from me and ran a hand down her—Vida’s—body. “I was only able to enter her because she embodied the basis of what I am.”

“So—you’re saying she was a big ho?”

“Several months ago, Vida seduced her stepfather.” A noticeable shiver ran through her, and her grin got wider. “She still thinks about it.”

All I could picture was some potbellied old guy in a dirty white wifebeater and cigarette hanging out of his mouth. Probably smelled like stale beer, too. “Eww.”

She winked. “The way she remembers it, he was quite yummy.”

“Okay, so you’re saying each person had to have walked the walk—sinned the sin.”

She shook her head. “Embodied. You’re thinking small potatoes. Each infested person had to be stained by it.” The words slid off her tongue like poison. Arms folded, she leaned back against the wall. “Tell me, little Darker girl, has Lukas told you what he did to open himself up to Wrath?”

“Doesn’t matter. He doesn’t belong with you, and he’s not going back in that box.”

Vida laughed. “Oh, I think you’ll find you’re wrong about that. On both counts.”

“Actually, Lukas belongs with me,” another voice said. She strolled down the hall toward Vida and me, the heels of her boots clinking a steady rhythm as she came.

Black jeans sat on slender hips paired with a blue blouse unbuttoned dangerously low, and the girl’s dark hair hung wild down her shoulders. She could definitely rock the bed-head look—I was a little jealous.

“Ah,” Vida said, smiling. She pushed off the wall and stepped aside to let the dark-haired girl pass. “Let me introduce you to our witch.”

Hand extended, the girl grinned. “I’m sure you’ve heard of me. Name’s Meredith.”

Chapter Twenty

“Meredith,” I repeated.

“In the flesh.” She twirled several times, then turned to Vida. With a chuckle, she said, “Are you sure she’s a Darker? She’s much scrawnier than the last two.”

“Last two—hell in a hailstorm!” The wheels in my brain, admittedly spinning a bit slower than normal, started piecing it all together. Meredith was a witch. A powerful one. Time and the ravages of age had nothing on her. “It was you in 1910 and 1959…”

Meredith sighed. “Not as fast as the last two either, I see. If you’d done your homework, you would have found I was an only child. After I disappeared, my parents had—an unfortunate accident. No further pitter-patter of Wells feet. I’m the only remaining Wells witch.”

“No way.” I had to remind myself to close my mouth. Mom was going to have a field day with this one. We were used to weird, but this was in a league all its own.

“Yes, way,” a new voice said. I turned and saw Kendra making her way toward us. Attention fixed on Meredith, she wore a determined scowl. “She’s telling you the truth.” She stopped beside me, eyes narrowed on the other witch.

My gaze swiveled back to Meredith. “So you killed your own parents?”

“You say kill, I say ended their suffering. To-ma-to, to-mah-to. They were young and took my disappearance hard. There was talk of another child—like I could be replaced. I had to make sure that didn’t happen. I don’t share well.” She giggled and winked at Kendra. “I’m only human after all.”

“How did he not recognize you?”

“Oh, baby—I’m a witch.” She snapped her fingers. Like someone dumped an invisible bucket of bleach over her head, her dark roots brightened. The blond crept downward until it reached the tip of her hair. Blue eyes shimmered and changed. The shape became narrower. The color darkened. Hear heart-shaped face lengthened, cheekbones becoming higher and more defined with the subtle hint of a flush. After a few moments, it was a totally different person standing there, giving me the stink eye. “I can make you see whatever I want.”

Beside me, Kendra snorted. It was a cross between awe and envy. “If you’re all powerful, you think you’d at least get rid of the split ends.”

For a moment, something flashed in Meredith’s eyes, but it passed quickly, giving way to amusement. She leaned forward, and just when I thought things couldn’t get any weirder, took a big whiff of Kendra. “A Belfair. How interesting—and sad.”

“Do I wanna know why she just sniffed you?” I leaned close and whispered to Kendra.

But Kendra didn’t hear me. I didn’t know the whole story, but there were some knots in the trunk of her family tree. The Belfairs were very defensive about their history. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“You used to be an impressive lot.” Meredith shook her head and began to circle us. “Powerful and revered. Look how far you’ve fallen…”

“Huh,” I said, trying to derail the direction the conversation had taken. Kendra was one of those rare, happy, shiny people, but she had her buttons, same as anyone else. The only difference was, when she got going, it usually ended badly—for her. “If you ask me, you did Lukas a favor.”

Meredith tilted her head to the side, long hair swaying gracefully back and forth. “Oh?”

“Yeah. Locking him inside that box was way better than spending life with you. You’re flat out cow-shit crazy.”

Kendra snickered, and Meredith lost her grin. Stalking forward, she growled, “Lukas is mine.”

For a minute, all I could do was stare. “Lukas is yours? Are you serious?”

She held her ground, saying nothing.

“I don’t know how dating was in your day, but stick a guy in a box for over a hundred years and he’s not going to greet you with flowers and candy. A hatchet, maybe. And a continuous loop of Bob Saget skits—but not flowers and candy.”

She laughed. The sound was annoying, and it made my fingers itch to smack her. “I made a mistake. I’m here to rectify it.”

“There isn’t enough chocolate milk on the planet to rectify what you did to him.”

“You’re underestimating the effect I have on him. Lukas worshiped the ground I walked on. He’ll be begging me to take him back.”

Holy crap. This chick was crackers.

“Huh,” Kendra said with a frown. “They say it’s the first thing to go…”

Meredith whirled on her. “What?”

“The mind. I mean, you’re how old? That’s gotta be the reason for this delusion.”

The humor returned to Meredith’s grin and she squared her shoulders, turning back to me and all but dismissing Kendra. “You’re playing with fire, and you don’t even know it. Your number’s almost up.”

“Maybe you should count again,” I countered, taking a step closer. Kendra was right beside me. “Because after we send the Sins back to the box, I’m coming after you.”

Meredith’s grin widened even further. She leaned forward. “Oh, honey, I’d love to see you try.” Then she nodded to Kendra. “And even more than that, I’d love to see you try. Suppose you could pull a rabbit out of a hat—or would that be asking a bit too much?”

Kendra twitched like she wanted to move forward, but I grabbed her arm as the bell rang. Moments later, the hallway filled with students. They swarmed around us, oblivious to the electricity sparking between our stare down. For a few moments, no one moved. I’d always loved my job. Kicking Otherworlder ass and taking names. But I’d never felt such an urge to lay the smackdown on someone as I did with Meredith. The girl just brought out the crazy in me. Suddenly I was really glad Lukas wasn’t there.

Surprisingly, Meredith backed down first. With a smile, she said, “This is going to be fun. It was well worth the wait.”

“So was there a point to this whole show? You’re not just here to ask me to be your Facebook friend?”

The second bell rang and the halls cleared—but we weren’t alone anymore. Several others had joined the party.

“Gang’s all here,” Vida purred. She pointed to the tall woman on the end. “Let me introduce you around. I think you’ve seen some of their handiwork around town? That hot ticket is Envy.”

The woman—maybe somewhere in her early thirties with bleach-blond hair and pouty pink lips—winked and blew me a kiss. “I just love your jacket.”

“Next, we have Gluttony, and standing next to him, well that little tyke is Greed.” An overweight older man stood with his arms resting on the shoulders of a small child. The little girl couldn’t have been more than eight, complete with shiny Mary Janes, snow-white knee-high socks, and a worn teddy bear hanging from her left hand.

The little girl glared at me. “And Tony. Let’s not forget about Tony.”

“She’s already met Tony, Ava,” Meredith said in a light tone, then turned to glare at me. “We’re going to need him back, by the way.”

From the back of the group, a small framed redhead pushed forward.

“This is the one you’ll really want to meet,” Vida said, excited. “Something tells me you and Amari have a lot in common.”

The woman stepped up and flashed us a wicked grin. “Oh, yes. She’s just full of me.”

It had to be Pride. Everyone else was accounted for. Huh. I was actually kind of insulted.

She reached out to touch me. With an echoing slap, Meredith knocked her hand away. “Hands off,” she snapped. With a nod to Vida, she turned and started in the other direction. One by one, they followed. Like a conga line of evil sheep.

Over her shoulder, Meredith called, “That is really a nice jacket, by the way. We’ll be seeing you again real soon, Jessie Darker. Real soon.”

I watched them disappear around the corner. The urge to book like a little kid in a room full of clowns was overwhelming, but I held it together. I took Kendra by the arm and backed down the hall slowly until I made it to the exit—I didn’t trust Meredith not to come at me from behind as soon as my back was turned.

I couldn’t get out of that school fast enough. I didn’t even bother being discreet about it. Normally, I’d have taken my time to be sure I wasn’t caught—Dubois had it in for me already—but not this time. And considering how blasé some of the teachers were acting today—Sloth hangover, I guessed—I didn’t think anyone else would either.

Once we made it several blocks away, I unleashed question hell on Kendra. “Your mom said they couldn’t find anything on the Wells line.”

Kendra’s face turned bright red. “Don’t blame her, Jessie. You know the coven has rules.”

Then it started to sink in. “Wait—you’re saying Cassidy lied to us?” Cassidy Belfair had never been a fan of the Darker family, but I couldn’t help feeling betrayed. Kendra and I had been friends since kindergarten. She should love us by association if nothing else!

Kendra looked uncomfortable. “The coven is scared of this chick. Like, terrified. After Mom went to bed last night, I snuck downstairs to peek at the information she’d found. I didn’t understand it all at first. There were like six names—all with birth and death records. And then I found the pictures.”

“All Meredith,” I confirmed.

Kendra nodded. “Back in the eighteen hundreds, she was strong, but nothing too special. What the Elders today would call a mid-level witch. But in 1882, something changed. Suddenly, her magic was off the charts.”

“Changed? What changed?”

“No clue. The Elders don’t know, either. All I know is that they’re terrified of her.”

Whatever it was didn’t really matter. All that concerned me was getting her to free Lukas somehow. “Don’t get me wrong, I’m thankful you told me, but what will they do if they find out?”

Kendra shrugged, then flashed a sad smile. “What can they do—take away my magic? Big deal. I suck at it anyway.”

I grabbed her hand and squeezed tight. “It won’t always be that way. I think, eventually, you’re going to be badass. Just like Cassidy.”

“That’ll be the day.” She sighed and kicked at a stone. “I’d settle for being able to turn soda to beer.”

“It’ll happen, Ken. I have faith.”

“I’m glad one of us does. I can’t help being jealous. My little cousin Mindy has more juice than I do.” She shook her head. “But, anyway. Time to dish. I wanna know more about your tall, dark sin.”

I couldn’t hold back my smile. “Assuming you mean Lukas.”

She nodded enthusiastically and the tip of one of the horns peeked out from under her blonde curls. “What’s he like?”

There was no need to put any amount of thought into my answer. The response came as naturally as breathing. “He’s annoying and stubborn.”

“So, the perfect match for you, then?”

“Smart ass.” I snickered, punching her lightly in the arm. “He’s also sweet, and under all his stuffy grandpa tendencies, he’s actually pretty funny. Oh. And he’s an amazing kisser.”

“OhMyGod!” I knew that’d get a reaction from her, which is why I saved the tidbit of information for maximum effect. She was hopping up and down like a five-year-old at the toy store. “How could you keep that from me? Spill. Right. Now.”

I giggled, caught up in her enthusiasm. The deepest parts of my mind chided me for it. There was no future with Lukas. A relationship from the box was more long distance than I’d be able to handle. But I wanted this moment with my best friend. For as much as I hated normal, I realized it wasn’t as overrated as I’d been making it out to be. Normal could be just as exciting as paranormal. “All I’m gonna say is, thank God he’s not Lust.”

“Amen to that, sistah!”

I don’t know what it was, but something told me to turn around. When I did, I saw we weren’t alone. There was someone behind us. Several someones, actually. And they were getting closer with each step. At first I didn’t think anything of it. It was just group of people walking down the road on a pretty fall day. But as they closed in, it was easy to see just how out of place they were. Girls like that would never be walking down the street in The Pit.

Girls like that would never be walking anywhere—unless there was an audience.

Perfect hair and sky-high skirts, these girls were runway wannabes in stripper chic—and I had no doubt that they were following me.

“Hey,” one of them shouted. “Wait up.”

I didn’t stop. Hell, I didn’t even slow down. I leaned close and grabbed Kendra by the arm. “Don’t turn around. We have company.”

“Company?” she squeaked, letting me tug her along.

“Hey,” the same voice snapped. “I’m talking to you.” She rushed forward and grabbed my arm, spinning me around. Kendra came with me by default.

I flashed her my best innocent smile. The one I used on Mom when she caught me nosing through the filing cabinet at the agency. “Me? Sorry. Totally didn’t hear ya. What’s up?”

There were three of them. All blond and of the Bimbo Bitch school of fashion. Any minute now, I expected to see one of those annoying toy doggies pop its head from each designer purse. Where was Smokey—that’s what I’d started calling my demonic doggie stalker—when you actually needed him?

“I really like your jacket,” the tallest one said. She ran perfectly manicured fingers through her long hair. “Can I try it on?”

I balked, sure I hadn’t heard her correctly. A sidelong glance at Kendra revealed she was just as stumped as I was. “You want to try on my leather jacket?”

She offered me a wolf in sheepskin smile. 100 percent predatory. “Please.”

Kendra folded her arms. “You don’t seem like the leather type.” With a dismissive shrug, she started walking again.

I turned and started after her.

Behind us, three sets of heels clinked the ground in unison.

“That was rude,” one of the others said, jumping out in front of me. She had on a tight white t-shirt that said bitch in pink and white rhinestones, and when she grabbed my arm, her fingernails dug into the skin. “My friend likes your jacket. You should give it to her.”

“Your friend can buy one of her very own. I hear the biker Barbie look is hot right now.” I wrenched free and took a step back.

“There’s no reason to be a bitch about it,” the original one said. “She’s just being a good friend.” Before I had time to blink, her hand whipped out and caught me hard across the cheek.

“Bitch!” Kendra snapped, slapping the girl right back.

I’d been drooled on by zombies, screamed at by banshees—even peed on by weres—but bitch-slapped by a girl wearing hooker heels and too much makeup? That was a first.

One of them made a swipe for me, but I dodged her and started to run. Luckily, Kendra took the hint and followed. So did the girls. I had to give them credit. To run—much less keep up—while wearing those shoes was impressive.

I got about eight feet before something rammed me from behind. My knees buckled and I collapsed under the weight of one of the girls. “Give—me—that—”

I jammed my elbow up, aim dead on. The girl let out a howl that would have made a banshee proud. She rolled to the side clutching her face and sobbing. Beside me, Kendra was fending off one of the others.

“Cow!” The shortest screamed as she charged. She grabbed me from behind while the third, having grounded Kendra, jerked on the cuff of my right sleeve.

Even if it hadn’t been one of my dad’s old jackets—even if it’d been a tacky pink blue-light special, I wouldn’t have given it to them. Mom had given me the jacket two years ago. It was worn and way too big, but it’d belonged to my dad. It was some small part of him that I got to keep with me on a daily basis. And sure, he was around right now, but when this was all over, all I’d have was a stupid jacket.

The Three Stooges of Bloomingdales were not getting their grubby little French manicures on it.

I jerked my head back and heard a sickening crunch. There was a slight buzz, but no real pain. Hybrid demon spawn kids didn’t get special super powers—but we were a tad more resilient than normal kids. I’d been known to take a little more of a lickin’ and keep on tickin’.

The blonde at my back screamed and let go. The one tugging on the jacket managed to free my right arm and was working on the left. She had the entire thing in her hands except the left sleeve—which was still on my arm. When she realized I wasn’t going to let go, she hit me again. Put her weight into it, too. Her fist grazed my chin as something sharp sliced into my lower lip. A ring.

Hell in a hailstorm. She really wanted my jacket. And that’s when I remembered what Meredith had said.

That is a really nice jacket, by the way…

Sonofabitch!

“Kendra,” I yelled. She was just picking herself off the floor. “Envy! They’re infected by envy.” And sure enough, on the periphery of my vision, I saw one of the women from the hall at school walking toward us wearing a huge grin. Envy.

The envy-infected girl came at me again, screaming incoherently. I doubted she knew where she was at that point, much less why she was doing what she was doing. Eyes glazed and fingers curled, she charged me like a rabid animal. I didn’t have to put any umpf behind the punch. She flew at me like a runaway train and wrecked herself on my fist. That was the good news. The bad? She stumbled back, knocking into Envy who was now standing by the curb. That whole thing about how bad things happen in slow motion? A load of crap. In fact, time seemed to speed up and take on a dizzying quality.

Envy, knocked back by the infected girl, teetered on the edge of the curb for a split second before tipping back into the street. Right into the path of an oncoming city bus. The vehicle tried to stop, the horrific sound of squealing tires mingling with the scent of burning rubber, but it was too late.

On impact, the body convulsed, a bright green light gathering in the woman’s midsection. Pulsing twice, it rocketed from her body—up her throat and out her mouth—and into the air.

There was no time to react. As I stood there, mouth hanging open and helpless, the ball of light collided with Kendra. She screamed. A horrible sound that, for as long as I lived, I’d never forget. Every limb went rigid. Her head rocked back.

And then, nothing.

As quickly as it started, it was over. Kendra rolled her shoulders and shook out both hands. “Ken?” I said, taking a tentative step closer. “Are you okay?”

She smiled at me, and that’s when I knew. A spark of something dark gleamed in her eyes. Kendra wasn’t in the driver’s seat anymore.

“Stay tuned, little Darker girl,” Envy said in Kendra’s voice. “Things are about to get interesting.”

As I watched her stroll away, casual as could be, I realized Mom was right. Something about this case was way off.

And I had a feeling I’d just figured it out.

Chapter Twenty-one

By the time I pushed through the office door, my lip was good and swollen, my hip throbbed, and I was pretty sure a few of my teeth were loose. Oh, and I lost my best friend to the dark side. That, too. As the door closed behind me, three sets of eyes turned my way, and I felt like a fish in a bowl.

“Do I want to know?” Mom asked from behind her desk. Standing over a large map, Dad on one side and Lukas on the other, she looked from my ruined lip and scuffed chin to my muddy jeans.

I touched a finger to my lip and cringed. “Zombie assault, toxic dog drool, and now attacked by a college chick wearing a pink rhinestone belly shirt. I’m not having a good week.”

“Attacked?” Dad growled, stepping around the desk. “What do you mean, attacked?”

“Relax, Damien,” Mom said. She placed a reassuring hand on his shoulder and gently pulled back. “She’s fine.” She turned to me for confirmation, and I nodded.

“As all right as possible. I know we don’t need another problem, but unfortunately we have one.” I took a deep breath. “Kendra is Envy.”

“Infected, you mean?”

“No. I mean, the body Envy took over had…an accident. Kendra was there with me and it took her over as a replacement.”

“How—”

“Think about it, Mom.” I came around and sank onto the couch. “Ken is wicked jealous of the coven. She can’t even do the simple stuff. She’s the perfect host.”

“This is bad. Kendra may not have the ability to tap into her powers yet, but they’re there.” Mom turned to Dad. “Will Envy be able to access them?”

Dad shook his head, genuinely concerned. “In theory, I’d say it was possible. When demons possess humans, they have access to their skills and memories. Kendra’s power is a part of her…” He slipped his hand into Mom’s.

“Let’s not wait around to find out.”

“Oh, and you were right. About something being off? Remember how you said it was odd that the Sins weren’t running crazy? I think it’s because someone is keeping them on a leash and pulling their strings.”

Mom’s eyes widened. I knew that look because I’d seen it a thousand times in the past. Each time I tried to talk my way out of something. Dad didn’t look convinced either, glancing from me to Mom, brows furrowed. He was subtler than she was. Probably not wanting to discourage me.

Lukas shook his head slowly. He rolled up his own map, securing it with a thin rubber band, and set it down beside Mom’s. “That doesn’t sound probable.”

“I know how it sounds, but it’s true. I had a little run in with Vida at school today and—”

That got everyone talking.

“Who’s Vida?” Mom and Dad asked in unison, while at the same time Lukas surged forward, fingers clenched, and said, “What did she do?”

They didn’t come up for air, either. Going a mile a minute despite my best efforts to get a word in. I was about to scream—the only thing I could think of drastic enough to grab their attention—but someone did it for me.

Or, something.

An eerie growl filled the room, and a puff of black smoke erupted on top of my desk. Everyone froze mid-sentence, all eyes whirling toward the other end of the room.

“What is that?” Dad asked, taking a step closer.

“That—” Mom said with a sigh, “—would be your daughter’s new pet.” Something told me Mom and my new shadow wouldn’t be snuggling up or going for walksies anytime soon.

Dad gave the demon corgi a once-over, then turned to me. He looked almost proud. “You’re keeping a demon as a pet?”

“I’m not keeping him as much as he’s keeping me. He followed me home from a job and just kind of stuck around.” On the desk, the corgi barked once, then circled several times, plopping down on top of a stack of neglected paperwork to watch the show.

Lukas cleared his throat. “About Vida?”

Vida. Right. I took a deep breath and turned to Mom. “Vida is one of the Sins.” I swallowed the lump forming in my throat. “Lust.”

And I could see it in her eyes. She knew me better than anyone else on earth and was starting to connect the dots. “And you’ve met her before, I take it?” She didn’t have the details—and hopefully she’d never ask—but I knew in the very pit of my soul that she’d just figured out what happened with Garrett.

“At school yesterday.”

“And what happened?” Her voice was even, but she was upset. I could tell by the way her fingers drummed across the top of her desk. Mom was a picture of stillness and self-control. She didn’t have nervous ticks.

“At first I thought it was just another case of threats. You know, we’ll get you, and your little dog, too—she doesn’t like me very much. Thinks I’m a troublemaker.”

Mom’s expression didn’t change. “You have that effect on people.”

“But then she introduced me to a few of her friends.”

“The other Sins?” Lukas asked. “You’ve seen them?”

I nodded. “Them—and someone else.”

Mom was genuinely surprised. Her fingers stopped tapping and she stood. “Someone else?”

This was the part I’d been dreading. Meredith was, understandably, a sore spot for Lukas. How bad was he going to blow when he found out she’d been alive and living free all this time while he was stuck in the box? “They found a witch…a powerful one.”

Lukas looked angry. “Already?”

“There aren’t many in the area. The Belfairs and the rest of their coven, plus a few solitaries. I don’t see anyone offering their aid.” Mom paled as the reality of what she’d just said hit her. “Oh, no…Are they being forced by the Sins?”

“It’s not someone from the coven, and no, they’re not forcing the witch to help them, either. She’s doing it on her own. I think she actually found them. If I’m right, this is the girl Dad took the box from. The one that tripped him.”

“What person in her right mind…” Mom breathed.

“That’s just it. This chick? She hasn’t had her right mind for a really, really long time. Probably not ever.”

I turned to Lukas. Showtime. “The witch they found—it’s Meredith Wells.”

Mom pinched the bridge of her nose and sank into her chair. “Wells? As in a descendant of the witch that trapped Lukas in the box? I looked everywhere, and Cassidy said—”

“Technically, Cassidy lied to you, Ma.” I shook my head, attention still on Lukas. He didn’t look good. Jaw clenched. Fingers knotted. Eyes stormy. “She found a Wells witch. Not a descendant of Meredith Wells, but Meredith herself. Kendra confirmed it.”

“That’s impossible.” Lukas’ voice was icy. “You must have misunderstood. She’s related to Meredith Wells.”

“She’s not,” I said softly. “She is Meredith Wells.”

“She wasn’t in the box.” His fingers curled around the edge of Mom’s desk, muscles in his arms taut like rubber bands ready to snap. “There’s no way she could still be alive.”

“If she had the power to trap you in the box, there’s no doubt she’d have the power to prolong her own life.” Dad snorted. “See? A pain in the ass, those witches.”

“You said you think she’s pulling their strings? Controlling them?” Mom was in all work mode. “What makes you think that? What did she say?”

I wanted to yell at them. We were wasting time chatting about this. We needed to get out there and find this bitch before she did any more damage. Instead, we were standing there playing twenty questions.

“I didn’t realize it at first,” I said with a bit of a bite. “She told me who she was, pretty much told me to stay away from her guy—then said she liked my jacket.”

“Liked your jacket?” Mom asked. “A little strange, but okay.”

“No,” I said, shaking my finger at them. Why were they not getting it? “That’s what did it. On the way home I was attacked by those girls and they wanted my jacket. Would have killed for it. Then Envy showed up to take in the show.”

“You think this Meredith girl sent them after you?”

“More like had Envy send them after me,” I snapped. In the corner, on top of my desk, Smokey let out a low growl. They were starting to annoy me with all the questions. Hadn’t I made it clear? If Mom kept this up, I was likely to start swinging.

Wait…

Swinging?

Horrified, I whirled around. Lukas was pale and shaking and looked ready to collapse.

“Out! Everyone out.”

Dad cursed and stepped forward to grab my arm, but I jerked away.

“You guys out. I’m staying.”

“Absolutely not!” he roared and made another swipe for me.

I dodged him again and turned to Mom, eyes pleading. “I can calm him down.”

She looked torn. Unsure and maybe a little sad, she nodded and grabbed Dad by the arm. Despite his protests, she was able to haul him out the door.

Once they were gone, I turned back to Lukas. My earlier vow to distance myself from him and the feelings festering between us was forgotten. There was a little voice in my head still nagging me to keep away, but I pushed it aside. All I could think about was stopping his pain.

“Deep breath,” I said, tilting his head up. “Don’t be angry. Look at it this way. Meredith being alive is a good thing.”

Red eyes rose to meet mine. “Get—get out. I can’t control it.”

I let my fingers trail along the lines of his face. Across his cheeks and around to his ears, tucking a strand of hair back. “You can. I know you can. You’re amazing, Lukas. You can do anything.”

“No,” he snapped, voice taking on an otherworldly twang. “Get—Ahhhhh!” The scream that ripped from his throat stilled my breath and sent the temperature in the room plummeting. Still, I didn’t budge.

“Deep breaths,” I said softly. No sudden movements. No angry thoughts. I closed my eyes and let the contentment I felt for my life wash over him. The amazing relationship I had with my mom. Seeing my dad again. Meeting him… “You can do this.”

Slowly, the thickness in the air thinned, and Lukas’ breathing evened out. Our eyes met and he leaned close, wrapping both arms tight around me. “My mother was the only one who ever believed in me, Jessie. She would have liked you.”

I smiled and pulled away. “I’m sure I would have liked her, too.”

“What were you saying before? About it being good that Meredith was still alive? If she’s behind all this, that means all the chaos is her fault. I don’t see how that’s good.”

“Yeah, but it also means something else.”

“Oh?”

“A chance for payback. We’ll get her. She won’t get away with it this time. I promise.” Obviously at that moment, I would have said just about anything to keep him calm. But they weren’t just words. I meant them.

She was going down.

…

Mom called Kendra’s mom to tell her what happened. There was so much screaming, Dad and I could hear it in the other room. I half expected us to grow tails and start walking around on all fours. Mom assured Cassidy that we’d get her daughter back, but the witch wouldn’t take any chances. She would involve her coven. Not ideal, but we couldn’t blame her. After that, Mom and Dad left to follow a lead. A call came across the police scanner saying most of the town was down at Shaker’s bar tying one on. The bar had run out of food and was nearly out of beer and it was starting to get ugly. Mom was hoping to snag Gluttony.

So off they’d gone…but not before giving me something to occupy my time.

Since she didn’t want me going back to school and didn’t trust me to keep myself out of trouble if left to my own devices, I was handed a stack of case files as thick as an encyclopedia.

It was almost three-thirty and we’d interviewed three new clients, found a missing person—who wasn’t missing, only hiding to avoid an impending break up with the client—and did some recon for an insurance scam case.

I was bored to tears, but Lukas loved the fact-finding process and was actually a huge help when it came to interviewing. There was a good chance his bullshit meter was better than Mom’s.

We’d stopped at Didi’s, a small place on Main Street, for munchies. A seasonal store, they’d reopened early October and would be around until the last week of February dishing out the most amazing hot cocoa the world had ever seen. My favorite was the mint-spiked hot chocolate they’d introduced two years ago.

Lukas’ eyes drifted closed as he bit into his almond biscotti with a contented sigh. “Food has certainly improved since my day.” He waved the biscotti. “This is unbelievable.”

“Right? They have the best stuff here,” I said, taking a swig of my cocoa. “So… We have Sloth stashed in the basement, and Mom’s hoping to snag Gluttony. We’re gonna run out of room…”

He stopped mid-chew, eyes flying open. “Absolutely not.”

“What?” I said defensively. “You don’t even know what I was gonna say!”

He bit off another piece of biscotti and tried to hide a grin. “I do. And the answer is no.”

At the sight of his smile, my heart hammered just a bit faster. “As if you could stop me, Grandpa.”

He leaned forward, resting both arms across the tabletop. “I can try, demon girl.”

“Come on. It makes sense. Just one little peek around the church.”

“The box won’t be there.”

I grabbed his hand and pulled him up. “Then there’s no harm in going to take a look-see.”

Chapter Twenty-two

We took the bus across town to Saint Vincent’s. I was a little miffed that the driver wouldn’t let me bring my cup onto the bus. I refused to toss it, so I downed the entire thing in one gulp and dumped it in the trash at his feet before making my way down the aisle, Lukas following behind.

Halfway there, I thought the driver was going to pull over and kick us off because Lukas wouldn’t sit still. He kept hopping from side to side to stare at the scenery as we passed. This was the farthest into town he’d been in over a hundred years, so I guessed I could understand his excitement.

“Everything is so different,” he said as we made our way up the old cobblestone path outside Saint Vincent’s. He’d been virtually bouncing since we’d gotten off the bus. “There are so many large buildings!”

I turned the knob and pushed through the church doors. “You should see the new Stop-n-Shop. A real work of art.”

His enthusiasm was infectious, and it made me smile.

“Since I don’t see you in church on Sundays, Miss Darker, I’m going to assume this isn’t a sudden crisis of faith,” a voice said as the door closed behind us.

“Father Sanders.” I smiled. Father Sanders had been the priest in our church for as far back as I could remember. He loved going to the park on sunny summer afternoons and telling stories to the kids on the playgrounds. For a priest, he had one hell of an imagination. “What are you doing here?”

“I’m head of the historical department. You’d know that if you and your mother took more of an active interest in this community.” He inclined his head toward Lukas. “And who is this?”

“This is my cousin Lukas. His parents are thinking of moving to town so they sent him ahead to check things out.”

Father Sanders smiled and extended his hand. “Penance is a wonderful place to live. Welcome.”

Lukas took the priest’s hand and gave it a firm shake. “Thank you, Father.”

“So about that active community thing,” I said with a smile. “That’s actually why I’m here.”

“Oh?”

“Mom sent me over to have a look around. You were robbed earlier in the week, right?”

He bristled. “I don’t believe you could consider it a robbery. This is merely a historical landmark. There is nothing on the premise of value to steal.”

“So you’re saying nothing was taken?”

“I’m saying there’s nothing here to take.”

“Are you sure?”

He smiled and shook his head. “Ah, how I’ve missed your stubbornness. I’ve never met anyone with such a disability in regards to the word ‘no’.”

“Well, you know me. I aim to please. Mind if we just have a look around? If I go back too fast, Mom will accuse me of slacking. You know parents. And I totally heart this place. History is kinda my new thing.”

He didn’t look convinced—which made a lot of sense. His sister Ana Sanders was my history teacher last year. I’m sure he’d heard about my many forays into napland during class. “History?”

“Seriously!” I glanced sideways at Lukas and felt the heat rise to my cheeks. “History is looking pretty hot these days.”

OhMyGod…

“Really?”

I nodded, making sure to avoid Lukas’ gaze. I couldn’t believe I’d actually said that out loud! Clearing my throat, I said, “We have a report due, and it’s totally drawn me into the eighteen-hundreds.”

Father Sanders brightened. “We have quite a bit of memorabilia from the mid to late eighteen-hundreds. If you’re truly interested, I can leave word with Kelly at the historical society. I can’t allow you to leave the premises with any of the items, but you’re welcome to browse.”

“That’d be awesome.”

“Consider it done.” He glanced over his shoulder at the door. “I need to speak with Phil about the tulips. Just let me know when you’re ready to leave so I can lock up.”

I nodded and gave him a salute. “Will do.”

With a wave, he turned on his heel and disappeared through the door.

I waited until I saw him pass by the window and head across the grounds toward the tool shed. “Okay. If you were an ancient box, where would you be?”

Lukas scanned the room, frowning. “Not here.”

I contemplated flipping him off but decided the gesture would be wasted. He probably had no idea what it meant. Instead, I went to work. The main room was pretty straightforward. The old wooden pews had been restored and lined either side of the room. The podium at the front showed its age and obviously hadn’t been fixed like the pews, but it was still standing. I thought I remembered hearing something about an upcoming fundraiser for further restorations. Something about an ice cream social. Maybe Father Sanders was right. We needed to be more involved. And hey, if there was ice cream, I could totally be persuaded.

Lukas took one end, and I took the other. By the time I’d worked my way around the room, into the back, I was starting to get discouraged. We’d been searching for over an hour and had zilch. We couldn’t hang out much longer. We’d been there too long already, and pretty soon, Father Sanders was going to get suspicious.

“I can’t even figure out where the heck the box was, much less where it is now.” I leaned back and slid down the wall to the ground. “I mean, it wasn’t just sitting out in the open on a shelf. It had to be stashed away somewhere.”

“You mean in some kind of hidden compartment?”

“Don’t ya think? It couldn’t have been just stuffed in a drawer or box somewhere.”

“Maybe it was. Maybe whoever put it here had no idea what it was.”

“No way.” I shook my head. “I don’t believe that for a second. Why wouldn’t someone have opened it before now? Or thrown it away? No, whoever put it here had to know what it was. They had to have stashed it somewhere—but where?”

Lukas glanced around the room and shrugged. He hadn’t been expecting to find anything, yet he still seemed just as discouraged as I did. “There aren’t many places here to hide something.”

He was right. I’d searched along all the walls and under the pews, examining each and every crack. There were no visible seams hinting of secret hiding places, nor were there any of the other usual signs. Buttons, latches, oddly placed pictures, and rugs. We’d searched the building from top to bottom. Lukas was right. There was nothing here but a couple hundred years worth of dust and a lot of spiders.

I climbed to my feet and went to the window, looking out over the old cemetery.

“There’s one place we haven’t checked.”

Lukas balked. “We’ve turned this place inside out.”

“Inside.” I tapped the window. “But not out.”

“Surely you’re not suggesting we dig—”

“Eww! Of course not. But it can’t hurt to have a look around. If anything’s been disturbed recently, we’ll be able to see it.”

He didn’t look convinced but followed me out to the yard anyway.

There were only about fifty or so headstones, all ranging from 1712 to 1910. Most of the markers were crumbling, large pieces lying on the ground beside them, and in several cases, missing altogether. I tripped over a pale granite one that had cracked and fallen into the path. Strong arms caught me before I hit the ground, guiding me around the hindrance. It had been there a while, the brush and weeds growing up around it, nearly concealing the stone from view. Lukas let go, cheeks slightly flushed, and we started forward again.

We wove between the poorly manicured rows searching, but nothing appeared out of place or disturbed. At the back of the lot, there was a single stone mausoleum. I started forward, thinking I might have some luck inside, but stopped after realizing Lukas had fallen behind. When I turned, I saw him kneeling in front of a headstone several rows over.

“Sarah Scott,” I read out loud as I came up behind him. “Your mother?”

Lukas pulled away some of the overgrowth in silence, then ran his hand over the stone’s smooth surface.

Across the top, a thick vine with tiny white flowers spilled down the side and twined around the stone beside it. I bent down to pull them apart, but Lukas grabbed my hand and squeezed.

“No,” he said, nodding to the second stone. “Leave it. They’re finally together.”

I brushed a pile of leaves from the front of the second stone and bit back a gasp. “Simon Darker.” Under his name was his birth date and date of death—1845 to 1910—as well as a single sentence. One I was familiar with. It was the same thing Mom had printed on Grandpa’s headstone. “A bright light along the path that grows darker.”

Lukas climbed to his feet with a slight smile on his lips and pulled me up. “It gives me peace to see them together.”

“You’re saying Simon had a thing for your mom?”

Lukas nodded. “He loved her—and she him. It was just never meant to be.”

Never meant to be. More evidence that my family was destined for heartbreak. I didn’t understand how their rotting in the ground next to each other could be construed as peaceful. To me, it seemed depressing. But it made Lukas happy for some reason, so I refrained from my usual commentary.

I took a step back and turned back to the church. “Come on. There’s nothing here.”

“You’ve given up on the box?”

“Hell no. But this gave me another idea.”

“Oh?”

“Well, the box isn’t here—that much I’m sure of. And since neither of us knows what it looks like, much less where it could be—I suggest asking someone that might.”

“Who would possibly know where the box might be?”

“Simon Darker, of course.”

Chapter Twenty-three

By the time we got to Paulson’s, Lukas was excited about the idea of seeing Simon again. A little weirded out at first, he was worried Paulson would be summoning an actual corpse and not a spirit. Rotting flesh and smelly bone. The guy had a lot to learn.

On the way over we’d stopped by Zeets, the small family-owned candy store on the edge of The Pit, and bought a box of white chocolate-covered pecans. His Scooby Snack. Paulson would do just about anything for them, and I had a feeling he’d need buttering up.

Especially after what happened last time he did me a solid.

He opened the door wearing a huge grin. Strong arms wrapped around me, and I caught the scent of sandalwood and pine. “It’s been too long, Jessie girl.”

I returned the hug and pulled away. “Same.” Pulling Lukas closer, I said, “Paulson, this is my friend Lukas. He’s kinda why we stopped by.”

Paulson nodded in acknowledgment and eyed the box in my hands. “Are those what I think they are?”

I held out the chocolates. “Made this morning.”

He waved us inside and gestured to the sofa. Flipping open the lid, he popped one of the small candies into his mouth and sighed. If he didn’t finish them before we left, I’d be surprised. “Klaire don’t know you’re here, does she?”

“You automatically assume I’m doing something I shouldn’t be.” I pouted.

He said nothing but held up the chocolate and gave the box a slight shake.

“Okay, so I am, but still. Benefit of the doubt, please?”

“Let’s get something straight right off the bat—no promises. I got in a heap of trouble last time. Your mama didn’t speak to me for months.”

I nodded and held my right hand up. “It’s simple this time, I swear. I just need to talk to a relative of mine.”

“I assume you mean on your mama’s side,” he said dryly. Paulson was mom’s oldest friend. They’d known each other since grade school. He was the only of Mom’s friends who knew about Dad and my semi-human status. He’d never approved of Mom’s choice in men, but he’d stood by her regardless, sitting on the couch for hours as she cried herself to sleep in those first days after Dad made the decision to stop coming around. They didn’t know I knew—and I had no intention of telling them—but Paulson was as loyal as they came.

“Of course.”

“Do I get to ask why?”

“Will telling you it’s a long story get me off the hook?”

“I know you, Jessie. Saying you want me to summon a relative is specifically vague. Which one?”

“One that has a shared history with Lukas’ family. There’s an item—I need to ask him about it.”

“That sounds innocent enough.”

“Yep.”

Paulson narrowed his eyes and popped another chocolate into his mouth. “Which is exactly why it’s not. Fess up, Jessie girl. What’s the deal?”

I groaned. “Seriously. That’s all, I swear.”

“Then why don’t Klaire know you’re here?”

“She kinda asked me to stay out of this one.”

He set the chocolate down and jabbed a finger in my direction. Yep. The box was more than half empty already. I should have brought two. “And heaven forbid she knows what’s best?”

“Of course not. She’s just being over-protective. Like usual. I swear—it’s just a simple Q and A.”

“There’s no simple with you, kid.”

“Please,” I prodded, sticking out my bottom lip just a hair. The pretty please pout. Paulson had been a sucker for it since I was five.

For a second I was worried. I knew a few other necromancers, but none of them were what you could consider trustworthy. Paulson dragged it out a few more minutes, but when he rolled his eyes and folded his arms, I knew I had him.

Yeah. I was that good.

“Fine,” he said. “But I’m not leaving the room this time.”

I nodded, feeling a little bad. Mom was going to kill him for this. Last time I’d come to him for some secret help, fifteen people had been hurt, and I’d ended up with a broken arm.

Mom would find out this time, too. If I was right, Simon would have some important information to share. I’d just have to double up on the chocolate covered pecans next time and up the charm.

Paulson went to work gathering his supplies. Silky bags, small wooden boxes, and vials of oddly colored liquids. “You remember that movie you, me, and your mama went to see?”

I laughed. “Oh my God… What was it called? The Bone Whisperer, right?”

Paulson snorted. “All it takes is a sprinkle of some special dust, the right words, and a few old bones and you, too, can summon a spirit from the great beyond. What a load—”

“Mom wanted to kill you for talking through the entire thing. The rest of the people in the theater, too. I thought they were going to jump us in the parking lot.”

Paulson pulled aside an old area rug and drew a chalk circle in the middle of the room. “I was simply stating how fake the whole thing was. You’d think Hollywood would at least put a little research into it…”

I watched as he sprinkled some kind of bluish powder around the outside of the circle. He was setting up here? “Don’t you need to do a summoning at the person’s grave site?”

He chuckled and capped the blue powder, setting it aside. Next, he picked up a small, oddly shaped jar and poured clear liquid into the center. It hit the air and filled the room with the smell of bleach. “So cliché. Nope. As long as you have a purified area, you can summon anywhere.”

“Purified?” Lukas asked, examining one of the jars. He twisted off the cap and took a whiff, wrinkling his nose.

Paulson reached for the small white pouch beside him and dumped it upside down. Several yellowing bone fragments fell out, bouncing across the scuffed wooden floor. “Spirits leave a sort of residue in the air. It gets in the way of summoning.”

I reached across the couch and stole one of the chocolates. “How can a necromancer’s house be purified? Aren’t you always complaining spirits pop in constantly? Wouldn’t there be residue all over the place?”

Aside from being able to summon a specific spirit, necromancers were a natural draw to wandering ones. Like a hopped-up metal rod in a lightning storm, Paulson once said necros put out a sort of energy that drew spirits in.

He glared at me. “All that disgusting residue floating around? I purify at least once a day. Sometimes twice, depending on traffic.”

I shot him a look of mock surprise. “You never struck me as a neat freak kinda guy.” Well, half of it was mock. I’d never heard him talk that way about the spirits before. He always said he loved them. Said they were a part of who he was. They got annoying sometimes, but without them, he always swore he’d be lonely. He once told Mom that several had been with him since childhood. They popped in and out sporadically, but were never far away.

Turning back to the circle, he asked, “Ready?”

“Don’t you, like, need something that belonged to him?” Not that I had anything belonging to Simon Darker, but still.

Paulson rolled his eyes. “Another cliché. I just need his full name…”

“Simon Darker.”

He nodded and waved me over. “Just need a drop of your blood. Since this Simon guy is a relative of yours…” Paulson reached into his pocket and pulled out a small Looney Tunes lighter. Positioning the blade over the top, he flicked the flint to sterilize the steel.

I held out my hand and tried not to cringe as he nicked the tip of my finger with his blade. There was a slight pressure as he squeezed the tip. Several drops of crimson trickled from my finger and fell over the bones he’d placed in the center.

He then uncorked a small glass vial and poured its thick red liquid out into a smaller circle—just inside the chalk line and around the bones. A closer look and I realized it was blood. After the circle was finished, he set the vial aside and sprinkled a fine black powder over the bones. It fizzled and sparked as it fluttered to the floor.

I’d never seen this done so I really had no clue. I would never understand necromancy. And considering the ingredients—I didn’t want to.

“IO evocare thee, alto padrone del Indistinto Regno. Apparire prima me.”

I didn’t understand a word he said. “That’s not Latin.”

He snorted. “Of course not. It’s Italian. Latin is more popular in demonic summoning.”

“Oh,” was all I could say. I’d never heard that before, but again, I knew nothing about this kind of stuff. He could’ve told me we had to dress in panda costumes and chant Michael Jackson songs around a fire at midnight, and I’d have to take him on his word.

“Remember, he won’t be able to stay long. You’ll have to ask your questions fast before he dissipates.” Paulson dropped to his knees. Eyes closed, he repeated himself. “IO evocare thee, alto padrone del Indistinto Regno. Apparire prima me.”

For a moment, nothing happened. The room fell silent and Lukas stiffened beside me. Paulson’s shoulders tensed as he braced both hands flat against the floor.

The air chilled. Though there were no windows or doors open that I could see, a strong gust of wind whipped through the room and sent my hair fluttering into my face. A second later, Paulson’s deep voice broke the silence. “Venire in avanti cosØ noi Maggio crogiolarsi al sole in tuo gloria.”

A blue spark flared to life in the center of the circle, then a crack like lightning filled the air. The bones shimmied and twitched, and the ground beneath our feet trembled. Across the room, a vase wobbled off the edge of the mantle and crashed to the floor, sending bits of glass scattering in all directions. Above our heads, the chandelier rattled and quaked. One bead came loose and fell to the floor. It bounced several times before clanking into the corner, falling still.

The smoldering remains of the bone and dust grew into a deep blue mist that stretched from floor to ceiling. As I watched, the smoke swirled and began to take shape. The shape of a man.

“Simon?” I choked. The man in the smoke had a small button nose like Mom, and the same deep, crystal-blue eyes. He was broad shouldered with a thick graying moustache and chubby cheeks and reminded me of a picture I’d seen of my grandfather. I stepped forward, but Paulson grabbed my arm.

“You can’t touch him, Jessie girl. Just trust me on this one. You don’t even wanna try.”

Of course, it was in my nature to ask why, but I let it go. Turning to the shadowy figure, I smiled. Now that he was there, I didn’t know what to say. Introduce myself? Politely inquire how the afterlife was treating him? Launch right into it?

He watched me, silent for a moment, before smiling. “It’s nice to finally meet you, Jessie.”

“You know who I am?”

He rolled his eyes. Yep. Exactly like Mom. “Do you really believe I’d shuffle off the mortal coil and leave my line without protection?”

He turned to Lukas, and his smile widened. “Lukas. My old friend. I assume my summons to this place has to do with you. The box has been opened again?”

Lukas smiled. “It’s good to see you, Simon.”

Paulson cleared his throat, then looked away.

I could take a hint. “Simon, we don’t have a lot of time. I need to ask you about the box—and the Wells family.”

“The box? It’s in the church of course.”

I shook my head. “It’s not. It’s been stolen. We already looked.”

Simon chuckled. “Silly child. Of course it wouldn’t be easy to see. I cursed it. When the Sins are released, the box automatically returns to its resting place.”

“You cursed it?” Lukas asked. “Were you a witch?”

Simon laughed. “Of course not. But you don’t do what I did without picking up a trick or two along the way.” Simon’s ghost winked. “I had some pretty powerful friends.”

“Isn’t that risky? The box going back to the church, I mean. What if the Sins get ahold of it?” As much as I wanted to give them time to chat, we didn’t have that luxury.

“The only way the Sins can touch the box is if it’s handed to them by a human. They can’t take it from the sanctuary themselves. It’s part of the curse.”

“We looked everywhere,” Lukas insisted. I wanted to laugh. I’d looked everywhere. He’d just kind of followed along telling me what a waste of time it was.

“There’s a chamber beneath the church. The box rests there.”

Hidden compartment. I knew it!

A flash of light burst from the ground beneath Simon’s feet.

“Time is short, Jessie girl,” Paulson whispered.

Crap. We needed to hurry. “The Wells family. What do you know about them?”

His face instantly darkened. “There is no Wells family. Only that murdering whore, Meredith.”

“You knew it was her?”

“Not at first.” He turned to Lukas. “I’m sorry about what happened, son. By the time I discovered the truth, it was too late. And unfortunately there’s no way to free yourself. She killed off her entire line, and when I tracked her down, I trapped her.”

“You trapped her? How did you trap her?”

“I had a witch friend who owed me a favor. Lorna Belfair. Together, we trapped Meredith Wells for all eternity. She was put into a deep, magic-based sleep and we buried her in hallowed ground.”

Belfair? Huh. That would explain why Cassidy lied to Mom. Her line had history with Meredith. If she thought the other witch was still trapped, of course she’d never tell us where to find her.

“Buried? As in, you buried her alive?” My stomach convulsed. Just the thought made my blood run cold. Sure, she was a murderous, unhinged bitch, but no one deserved that.

“She wasn’t awake. She didn’t feel a thing.”

“Well, she’s awake now. And let me tell you, she’s pretty damn pissed.” And if it was Simon that trapped her, boyfriend envy wasn’t the only thing she had against me. No wonder she seemed to hate the Darkers.

I didn’t think it was possible for a ghost to pale, but Simon proved me wrong. “You and your mother are in grave danger. She will stop at nothing to get her revenge. She—” At his feet, another spark of white. “How did it happen?”

I rolled my eyes. “Sorry—no clue. I haven’t gotten the chance to chat with her about it over a latte.”

Paulson sighed. Expression sad, he said, “I can’t keep you here any longer, Mr. Darker. Your time is up.”

Another flash. Simon flickered. “You can help Lukas, but you can’t—alone—need help. Talk to V—”

And with a final, brilliant flash, he was gone.

…

“We need to talk.”

Every time someone said that lately, my skin started to crawl. Kind of like when someone yelled fire. You just knew the shit was about to hit the fan.

Lukas had been too quiet on the way back from Paulson’s. I’d suggested taking the bus, but he wanted to walk. Really see the town. We’d gotten back to the office to find it empty—Mom and Dad were still out searching for Sins, I guessed.

He settled on the couch without bothering to flip the lights on, waiting for me to sit across from him. “It’s over, Jessie. We tried, but—”

I laughed him off. “Haven’t you been paying attention? I’m stubborn. It’s not over ’til it’s over.” It was one of Mom’s favorite sayings—and I’d always hated it. Yet at that moment, it was all I could think of, and really, it was perfect. A true blue mantra for the stubborn.

His expression didn’t change. “It’s over,” he repeated. “I’ve been in the box for 147 years. You don’t know what it’s like—but I do. I won’t condemn someone else to that.”

“I told you, we’ll find another way. Simon said there was someone out there who could help.”

He shook his head and stood. Stepping forward, he settled on the cushion next to me. “There is no other way. My only salvation would be to damn someone else. If I do that, then I truly am evil.”

“There are plenty of bad people out there. You don’t know what it’s like—but I do,” I repeated his words with a bit of bite. “Monsters that prey on little girls. Men who butcher their wives. Women who kill their own kids—take your pick. They’re evil. Not you.”

Again, he shook his head.

“I don’t understand. Last night you said—I thought we—” I couldn’t finish. Everything I’d said to Mom that morning was forgotten. Now, all I wanted was to find a way to keep him here. With me.

This was why I had rules. Unbreakable and set for my own sanity rules. I’d crossed the line—big time—and now, I’d have to pay the price. Lukas Scott had pulled me down hard. Was this how Mom felt when she had to say goodbye to Dad? Like the air was too thin, and the ground was going to split open and gobble her up?

“I want to stay. I never imagined meeting anyone like you, and now that I have, do you really think I want to leave?” He tilted my head up, and I fought a shiver. His fingers skimmed along the lines of my jaw, thumb tracing the outline of my bottom lip. It was like heaven. And hell. Things I’d never imagined—feelings I didn’t know could exist—all surged through me. Feelings like this could save a person.

Or ruin them.

“Lukas…”

He shook his head. “Meredith did me a favor. I would have never been happy in my time. I wasn’t meant to be there. When I was trapped the first time, I had nothing to hold on to but rage and thoughts of revenge. This time will be different. Easier. I’ll have your memory to keep me grounded. You’ll be my serenity.”

I opened my mouth to tell him I agreed, that he was meant to be here. Now. With me. But he kept talking.

“But I’m not a killer—please don’t ask me to be. A good man wouldn’t sacrifice others to get what he wanted.” His expression darkened. “No matter how badly he wanted it.”

He sounded more like he was trying to convince himself than me.

I remembered what he’d said in the woods by the train tracks. “Maybe it’s my penance. Eternity in the box. I made mistakes—we all do—and maybe this is my punishment. My destiny. To hold Wrath in my heart so no one else has to.”

“Meredith said something at school today. About how she was only able to do what she did because you were viable. What happened, Lukas? What did you do?”

He let go of my chin and pulled away. I wanted to drag his hand back, but I resisted, instead focusing on the sound of his voice.

“She’s right. I was very angry.”

“What were you angry about?”

There was a spark of red in his eyes. A flash. There and gone in an instant. “My father was not the noble gentleman the public knew and loved. He was a monster. Violent and cruel.”

“You hated him.”

Lukas laughed. “I didn’t only hate him, I wanted him dead.” He sighed. “He ruled our home with an iron fist. Treated my mother like a servant rather than a wife.”

I remembered his reaction when he found me in the woods. The spark of rage in his eyes as he told Garrett not to hurt me. He’s a monster! He’d been taking out his anger over his dad on Garrett.

“He hit her,” I whispered.

“I’d had enough of his treatment. Of her—and of me. The night after I found Meredith with the farmer’s son, I confronted my father. I was erratic. Confused. I removed my mother from the house and promised to return to finish him off. I meant it. I would have but—”

“But Meredith got in the way.”

He nodded. “Only hours after I secured my mother at the home of her sister, Meredith found me. Knowing what I know now, I understand it all. You see, it was she who pushed me—the day prior—to take action against my father. I suppose she set me up from the start.”

“I’m sorry,” I said softly. I couldn’t imagine growing up in a place like that. How scared he must have been as a child.

“I deserved what I got,” he said, voice barely above a whisper. “Had he been alive when I was released in 1910, I would have killed him without a second thought. Even after all those years, I wanted him dead. It was the first thing I thought of when my feet hit solid ground. First him, then Meredith.”

I took his hand. “That doesn’t make you evil. It makes you human.”

“I was a monster. Just like him.”

There was no point in arguing with him because he believed without a doubt that he belonged in that box. Nothing I could say would absolve him of that.

“Then we do belong together,” I whispered, leaning closer. “Because I’m part monster, too.”

I’d heard it a million times. Whether we like it or not, we all become our parents. Mostly, that had never bothered me. My mom was beautiful and smart. She could kick ass like no one else I’d ever known. She was brave and witty and good-hearted. Did I want to grow up to be just like her? Sure I did. Except for one tiny little thing. I wanted to learn from her mistake. Mistake. Just one. A single decision that had resulted in a lifetime of pain and longing.

All or nothing—I guessed it was true. Other than my sometimes questionable methods and slightly screwed morals—which I was convinced came from Dad’s side—I’d become my mother.

In every way.

“I want you to stay,” I whispered. Something warm trailed down the side of my cheek. A tear.

We’d only met days ago, but somehow it felt like I’d known him so much longer than that. He’d seen me at my strongest—and my weakest—and wasn’t bothered by it. He was the first person aside from Mom that it felt okay to be normal Jessie around. Normal Jessie who was one hell of a monster masher—as well as a teenage girl.

He leaned in again, forehead resting up against mine. “My whole life, I was waiting. I didn’t know what for, only that I hadn’t found it. Then I find you—a hundred years later and waiting for me.”

He let go of a bitter laugh and I sighed. “Shame I wasn’t born a little earlier, huh?”

His hands slid over my cheeks and tangled into my hair. “Or I a bit later.”

Our lips met, and for a few blissful minutes, the painful goodbye looming overhead disappeared.

Chapter Twenty-four

One day left…

The first thing I heard when I woke the next morning was screaming. Cursing, actually. Words that would make any self-respecting biker do a double take. It wasn’t a voice I recognized, so I assumed Mom’s Gluttony hunt had been successful. Two down. Four to go.

The next thing I realized was that I wasn’t in bed.

Sleepwalking again. It had to be the stress of everything going on. This time, I’d ended up cramped in the hollow under my desk. Uncurling myself, I pushed aside the chair and crawled free.

In my absence, Smokey had taken advantage of the empty bed. More accurately, my pillow. If I found a trail of demon dog slime anywhere near it, it was all over for him. I pulled up on the covers, shaking the bed and jarring him awake. He glared at me, barked twice, then disappeared in a puff of stinky black smoke. Off to do whatever it was he did all day, no doubt. I’d given up on trying to get rid of him. And he’d come in handy several times. Besides, I was kind of getting used to having him around.

Thankfully, it was Saturday, which meant no school to worry about. My mind drifted to last night and everything Lukas had said. Mom was the optimist, not me. No matter how I fought it, I knew he was right. We were out of options. I couldn’t force him to pawn Wrath off on someone else. He’d never be able to live with himself. It didn’t matter how we felt or how long we’d both waited to find each other. The outcome had been inevitable from the start. Lukas knew that from the moment he’d entered the office, even if I hadn’t.

As for what Simon said about help, with no real clue, we had no idea where to start looking and time was short. There was only one day left, and Mom had raised me to be realistic. I knew I wouldn’t give up—I was too stubborn for that—but in my heart, I didn’t believe we’d find the answer in time.

There were two ways I could approach this. I could do what I always did—turn away and distance myself. Losing Lukas would hurt no matter what because I was past the point of no return. I’d fallen, and I’d fallen hard. I wanted the chance to get to know everything about him. What foods he liked and what he hated. I wanted to learn about all his annoying habits and have the opportunity to complain about them to my friends. To walk hand in hand in public, out in the sunshine and free… But that would never happen, and getting further involved would only make things worse.

For me.

But Lukas had said going back would be easier this time since he’d have something good to hold onto. Serenity.

The other option was for me to do what was best for Lukas. I could make our time together—what little we had left—count. Mom didn’t want me involved with finding the other Sins? Fine. I had more important things to do. I could squeeze in as many good memories as time would allow and give Lukas something real to hold onto.

Being a jump-in-without-looking kind of girl, I decided to do just that.

I gathered some clothes and tiptoed into the bathroom. I could hear Mom moving around downstairs but was hoping to get in and out of the house without running into her.

When I finally made it down to the office, everything was quiet. It looked like I was still in the clear. I was careful not to let the door slam as I slipped outside and into the sunshine. Mom might be able to sleep through a nuclear war, but when awake, her hearing was like a dog on steroids.

“You’re up early.”

“Yeah,” I said, shuffling closer to the sidewalk. So much for getting out unnoticed. I wasn’t sure why I’d even tried. “Stuff to do. Cases to crack. The usual.”

Mom took a step forward. “Where you off to?”

“Um, I wanted to hit the craft supply store.”

She looked confused. “Craft supply? Since when have you taken up macramé?”

“I was thinking of making you a macaroni picture for the fridge. Maybe a cute little kitten. Or a werewolf?” I rolled my eyes and took another subtle step toward the sidewalk. “Not for me. For Lukas.”

And just like that, she was down the walk and by the car, keys in hand. “I’ll go with you.” She held out the keys and flashed a tentative smile. “Wanna drive?”

I didn’t have to think twice. Mom’s car, a white 2011 Mustang GT with black and red stripes, was normally off limits. I snatched the keys and slid into the smooth leather driver’s seat before she had second thoughts.

We drove the entire way in silence, Mom breaking it only as we pulled into the parking lot of Michaels.

I went right for the door handle, but Mom cleared her throat. “I never once regretted it. You need to know that.”

I didn’t ask her what she meant. I knew. Letting go of the handle, I sank back into the seat and twisted sideways. She looked sad.

“You’re my entire world, Jessie. You and your father. And I know it seems to you that what we go through might not be worth it, but I assure you, it is. Every minute I have with him—borrowed, stolen or otherwise—is worth all the moments I spend missing him.”

“I’m sorry about what I said.”

She undid her seat belt and twisted to face me. “Don’t be sorry. Never be sorry to tell me what you think. But don’t be closed-minded, either. I made my choice, and I’ve never looked back.”

“I know you told me not to get attached…but I did.” I sucked in a deep breath. “You’ll say it’s only temporary and that my feelings will fade, but I’m not like that. I don’t know what it is I feel for him exactly, but I know I care, and I know that the thought of never seeing him again makes it hard to breathe.”

“Oh, honey. Your grandfather said exactly the same thing to me. I was younger than you when I met Damien, and I knew. From the moment I saw him, I knew. There has never been, and never will be, anyone else for me.”

I was dangerously close to crying.

She took my hand and squeezed. “Do I want that for you? Of course not. I want you to find someone normal and be blissfully happy. I want you to go to college and get married. I want you to have a real, conventional job that doesn’t involve mortal danger and bloodshed. I want you to be normal. But as you’ve pointed out—many times—you’re not normal. Maybe there will be someone else for you down the line—and maybe there won’t. But you can’t avoid love because you’re afraid to get hurt, and you can’t choose who you fall in love with. If Lukas is the right one, then I’m sorry you have to go through this.”

Another mom might have sugarcoated things. Told me it was just puppy love and assured me that one day my white knight would come along and sweep me away to make all my dreams come true. But that was total crap. And my mom had never lied to me. I was lucky that way.

Sort of…

We were in and out of the store in no time, which suited me fine. Mom was a little too fascinated by all the colors yarn came in. Fearless monster masher, my ass. In another life, she must’ve been a crocheting soccer mom. I had a mental image of her surrounded by knitted tea cozies. Or—even more twisted—knitted knife cozies.

“An artist?” Mom held out the plastic bag containing an oversized sketchpad, some colored pencils, and a set of watercolor paints. “I’m warning you now. If I catch him painting you nude, he’s a dead man.”

“Oh, that’s sick.” I tossed her the keys as I neared the Mustang. She’d flinched the entire way over. Every time I turned too sharp or went a mile over the speed limit. To save her sanity—and my nerves—I’d let her drive home.

“Don’t move,” a raspy voice breathed in my ear. I was about to whirl around when something hard jammed into the small of my back.

I held up my hands, the plastic bag with Lukas’ supplies dangling back and forth. “Not moving.”

On the other side of the car, Mom froze. “That’s my daughter.” Her voice was even. To anyone listening, it might have sounded like she was ordering coffee or chatting up an old friend. Me? I could hear the barely contained venom.

“Step back,” the voice snapped. “Move into those bushes.”

Mom nodded, putting her own hands up so he could see them. “I’m moving to those bushes.”

Once in the shadow of the trees, the man said, “That’s a sweet ride. I deserve it. Keys. Give me your keys and your wallet.”

“It’s fine. I’m just going to set them down.” Arm extended, the keys dangled from her thumb. Bending slightly, she repeated, “I’m just going to put…them…”

Eye’s locked on mine, she gave the slightest nod. “Down.”

I dropped to my knees as she hummed the keys at the man’s face. He stumbled back, surprised, and I sprinted forward. Unfortunately, I didn’t make it far. Something latched around my ankle, wrenching my feet and taking me down hard. The air expelling from my lungs in a single, violent whoosh as the man’s shadow loomed overhead. Fumbling with my pocket, I groped for the butterfly knife hidden there. It was one of the things I never left home without. But just as my fingertips brushed the cool, comforting iron, I was hauled to my feet.

The next few seconds were kind of fuzzy. Misty watercolor memories, my ass. They were more like hazy black fog. There was a tickle in the back of my throat and a loud bang that resonated in every one of my limbs. A swimming head and burning eyes, combined with an all over ache, made me feel slightly ill. There might have been screaming, too—I couldn’t be sure.

The first thing I thought was, hell in a hailstorm, he’d shot me. Me. I’d survived things that would make Rambo piss himself, and some normal dude with a gun comes along and blows me away? Where the heck’s the poetry in that?

But he didn’t shoot me. The gun wasn’t even in his hand anymore.

It was in mine.

But that wasn’t all. Not only was the gun not where it started out—neither was I. One minute I was staring down the blackhead-covered nose of a whack job with a gun and bad breath, the next I was standing behind said whack job. With his gun.

I was confused. No way had I moved that fast. Plus, I was pretty sure that was something I’d remember doing. It reminded me of the way Dad traveled—shadowing—but half-demon, half-human offspring couldn’t do that.

But first things first. The man spun around, just as surprised about what had happened as I was. I used it to my advantage. One well placed, denim-clad knee to his hot box, then, as he crumbled, a good one to his head. He went down like a sack of quartz.

“What—” Mom started, then whirled around as, behind us, someone gasped.

I followed her gaze, and off to the side, a few cars down, was a small girl wearing shiny Mary Janes and snow-white knee-high socks. The same small girl Meredith had introduced me to back at the school.

Ava—AKA Greed.

Chapter Twenty-five

“Ava,” I breathed.

“Who?”

I grabbed Mom’s hand and started running. “Greed. That’s Greed!”

There was a moment of hesitation, then Mom was flying along beside me while trying to dig her phone from her pocket.

Ava’s eyes widened and she took off. She raced through the rest of the lot and into the street. Squealing tires and horns blared as she ignored oncoming traffic and headed for the park.

“We should split up,” I huffed as we came to the entrance. “One of us hit the main gate, the other go around to the side. Lukas said the Sins are bound by the limitations of the human bodies they hijacked. She’s technically just a kid. How fast can she possibly move?”

Mom shook her head. “She’s a kid that can turn people into raving lunatics willing to rob you blind at any cost!”

“This isn’t the time for the Mom thing. There’s a Sin in the park. Right in front of us. Are you really gonna let her get away?” Low blow, but she needed to see the bigger picture here. We only had one day left, and opportunity had presented itself to us on a nice shiny platter.

After a moment, she nodded and pulled out her cell. “You go in here. Keep your distance and text me if she changes direction.” With a final look, she sprinted in the other direction, heading for the back gate of Penance Park. I watched her disappear before taking a deep breath and stepping into the park.

Everything was quiet. It was still early in the day and there was a definite chill in the air. Most people had abandoned the playground for the season, opting for indoor games instead. The park stayed open year-round—the hills in the back section perfect for sledding—but tended to be deserted after Labor Day.

I passed the swing sets and baseball field and didn’t see Ava, but two young girls—ten or twelve, tops—were fighting over a Barbie doll as their mothers tried to pull them apart. They kicked and screamed at each other while the confused women did their best to remedy the situation. There was really nothing I could do to help them other than finding Ava, so I kept going.

When I came to the monkey bars, I caught site of her for a moment, but she disappeared in the brush behind the picnic area, heading toward the pavilion. I pulled out my cell and texted Mom—Heading twrd pavil—and started to run.

“You can’t stop us,” Ava said as I entered the courtyard. She was standing atop the rock wall that bordered the pavilion, in the shadow of a large pine tree. She giggled—a sound that made it easy to forget it wasn’t only an innocent little girl standing in front of me, but an ancient evil determined to cause chaos. Anyone who happened to be walking by would see me facing off against a cute, seemingly innocent child. “We will be free this time. They will see to that.”

I stopped when I hit the large oak tree at the edge of the awning and stepped into the shade to reduce the sun’s glare. “They? Meredith’s not working alone?”

She giggled again, then pointed a finger to my left. Mom had come in from the other side and was standing a few feet away. We could both rush the kid, but the chances of us making it to her before she got away was slim. If she made it to the pavilion, there were too many ways she could lose us.

“You don’t know anything. This is so much bigger than you stupid Darkers. This is destiny centuries in the making.”

I snorted, earning a stern look from Mom. She was all about the serious while working, but this kid was making me laugh. “Destiny? Someone’s been watching too many Saturday morning cartoons. No such thing.”

Ava grinned. It looked out of place. A truly disturbing expression on a face that should have been so innocent. “You, Jessie Darker, are about to find out that isn’t true. The hard way.”

She made a move—a flinch really—a simple twitch of her leg, hinting that she was about to run. I didn’t think, only reacted.

My mind sent the necessary impulses to my brain, commanding my legs to move forward, but there was no motion. Instead, something buzzed inside my head. A persistent knocking against my skull. There was a strong feeling of vertigo, then darkness. Something heavy and black, and somehow comforting, enfolded me in its embrace. The scenery dimmed and faded. The next thing I knew, I was standing on the edge of the rock wall behind Ava, heels of my sneakers teetering over the rim and head swimming like an Olympic champion. I reached for her without thought, hand covering her small mouth and fingers clamping down over her nose.

She struggled and fought to throw me off, but Sin or no Sin, she was physically just a child. As soon as her body went limp in my arms, I released her nose and let her slide carefully to the ground below.

When I glanced over at Mom, her face was pale and the look in her eyes scared me more than anything I could ever remember.

…

Like me, Mom never went anywhere without the essentials. Quartz powder, duct tape,…handcuffs.

She pulled the shiny metal cuffs from the small box under the backseat of the Mustang. “Carefully,” she said, handing them to me.

The metal was cool in my hands—a serious contrast to the warmth of Ava’s small arms. I snapped the first brace into place, and then the other, then took a quick look around to make sure no one was watching us. Thankfully the coast was clear. Even I wouldn’t be able to come up with an excuse as to why we were handcuffing a small child and stuffing her into the backseat of our car. “Good thing she stole a kid’s body, eh? Carrying her through the park would have been a bitch otherwise. Help me get her in the car?”

Once we got Ava buckled in and situated, I climbed into the passenger seat. Mom started the engine and pulled away. It only took five minutes. We were both thinking about it—the thing that had happened not once—but twice in less than an hour. Mom was just the one with the guts to say it.

“That wasn’t normal.”

“Normal.” I shuddered. “You have kind of an obsession with that word, ya know?”

She rolled her eyes.

“I thought I’d started sleepwalking again. Now, I’m not so sure. I think I’ve been—I’ve been shadowing.”

Mom didn’t even flinch. “That’s impossible.”

I tilted my head back and gnawed my bottom lip. “Were you there when the guy tried to shoot us? And then with Ava in the park? Apparently, it’s not.”

“There has to be another explanation.”

“Maybe I’m just some uber-special, super powerful hybrid kid destined to save humanity from the forces of evil. A long lost member of the Justice League!”

“I’ll go out and buy you a cape,” she said, voice dripping with sarcasm. “Please try to be serious.”

I wanted to tell her my brain had overdosed on serious lately, but decided to keep it to myself. “Oh! And a mask. That’s important, too. Secret identity and all.”

“Or maybe you were just sleepwalking.”

“Then how do you explain what just happened?”

“Stress? Neither one of us saw you move.” I could tell from her voice that she didn’t believe that. How could she? Mom was nothing if not logical.

“I’ve been waking up in strange places lately. And the other night—the one you found Lukas and I on the couch? That night, I was sitting in bed, then poof. I was downstairs in the kitchen.”

She pulled up to the red light on the corner of Conclave and Main and turned to stare.

Eyes wide, Mom smacked me across the back of the head. “And you thought that was normal?”

“I’m seventeen. Teenagers do weird crap all the time. We don’t analyze. I was tired. I just figured I didn’t remember coming down the stairs.”

A few seconds of silence ticked by. The light turned green and Mom tapped the gas.

“I have something else to tell you, too.”

She gripped the wheel and sighed. “Why does that sound ominous?”

“Don’t be mad at him, but I went to see Paulson.”

“Paulson? Why on earth would you—” Lips pressed in a thin line, she growled, “Jessie, I told you to keep out of it!”

I threw up my hands in surrender. “I know! But it was the only way. I needed to find out why Meredith seems to have a bug up her ass when it comes to us. Plus, I thought he might have some ideas about the location of the box.”

“Meredith—what are you talking about?”

“Our relative Simon Darker figured out who Meredith really was when he tried to help Lukas the first time the box was opened. Only he found out too late. He and some witch—a Belfair witch—trapped her, but not before flinging the whammy that killed him. Somehow she got free, and now she’s got a serious grudge against the Darkers.” I took a deep breath.

Mom knew me too well. “And?”

“And what?”

“Did he have any ideas about the box?”

“He says it’s at the church.” I swallowed. “Which is another confession…”

“You already went to the church,” she sighed again and flicked the blinker. The car veered to the right as we turned down Gingham Avenue.

“Yeah—but we didn’t find anything. Simon says the box is safe, though. The Sins can’t touch it unless a human hands it to them willingly.”

“You’re forgetting something.”

“No, I’m not.” I protested. I’d been over the whole thing a million times in my head. There was nothing I’d missed.

“They have a human.”

I blinked. “They do?”

Mom sighed. “Meredith may be a witch, but she’s still human.”

I didn’t answer. There was nothing I could say that would gloss over that little oversight.

“Anything else—that Simon said? I’ve had enough confessions for one weekend. I’d like to get them out of the way now.”

“The only other thing he said was that we could get help.”

“Help? Dealing with Meredith or help for Lukas?”

“Both, I think?”

“I don’t suppose you know who we’re supposed to get help from?”

“Wouldn’t that just make things too easy? No challenge.”

“I’ve had enough challenge with this to last me a lifetime.”

“I second that.”

We were quiet for a few moments.

“What about the shadowing?”

Mom glanced into her rearview mirror at Ava. The kid was sitting in the back seat sulking like a pro. “I still don’t truly believe that’s what it is. Let’s forget that you’re seventeen. If you were going to start shadowing—why now? But it’s moot. Half-demon children do not inherit demonic traits. My human genetics overwrite them. For now, you tell no one. Not until we have everything figured out.”

“Not even Dad? He might be able to—”

“Especially not your father.”

I wanted to argue, but the fact that we’d just missed our turn caught my attention. “Um, did you forget how to get home?”

She glared at me from the corner of her eye. “We’re making a little pit stop.”

“Oh! Ice cream?” I hitched a thumb toward the back. “What about the Sour Puss? I don’t think she deserves any…”

“No ice cream,” Mom said with a slight smile. “How about some religion instead? I feel it’s my duty as a parent to reinforce your faith in God. Let’s check out that church.”

Chapter Twenty-six

“Twice in one week?” Father Sanders greeted us at the door, then froze. I walked in, followed by Mom—and Ava, who was still cuffed, mouth covered in duct tape. Mom had wanted to leave her in the car, but I’d argued that not only would we be toast if someone saw her, but the Sins were slippery bastards. There was no point chancing her escape.

“Hello, Father.” Mom stepped up and took his hand. “It’s been too long.”

His eyes went wide, and he took a step back. “What—what is going on? What are you doing to that poor child, Klaire?”

“We’re here about the robbery last week,” she said, ignoring the question.

Father Sanders backed himself to the wall, eyes glued to Ava. I felt really bad because he looked ready to pass out. “I told Jessie the other day. Nothing was taken.”

“On the contrary, Father, something was taken. A box.”

“A box? What kind of box?”

“You’ve known me since I was a child, Father. Let’s cut the crap. You know damn well this is no child, and you know exactly why I’m asking about the box.”

My mouth fell open. “Ma!”

“You knew my father,” she continued, ignoring me. “I know you’ve heard the rumors about my family.”

Father Sanders watched us and said nothing.

Then I understood what she was getting at. “Are you saying he knows about the box?”

Mom was quiet. It was Father Sanders who answered. “It’s been in this church since the early nineteen-hundreds.”

“Simon Darker arranged to have it stashed here,” I said, finally understanding.

Father Sanders nodded. “Indeed.”

“Then you must’ve known why Lukas and I were here the other day. Why didn’t you say anything?”

“Against the rules.” He walked around us, making his way to the back of the church.

“Against the rules?” Mom asked, following him. “What rules?”

“Simon’s rules, of course.”

“I would think those rules don’t apply to future generations of Darkers.”

He turned to glare at us. “Those rules apply especially to future generations of Darkers.”

I threw up my hands and leaned back against the cool stone wall. “I’m confused.”

“Simon didn’t want this life for his family.”

I snorted. “And Lukas thought he was the one who set the Darkers on their career path through Simon.”

Father shook his head. “It was Simon’s death that sealed the Darker family fate. After putting the Seven Deadly Sins back into their box and securing its resting place, Simon went in search of the witch. He managed to trap her, but not before she wounded him fatally. While searching for answers to Simon’s death, his brother Charles took over what eventually became the Darker Agency. He spent his life tracking down demons and such, following leads to his brother’s death. When Charles finally passed on, his son took over. Then, after that, his son and so on.”

I could tell Mom was fascinated—she always had a thing about genealogy, and considering ours was so whacko, I had to admit it was kind of interesting—but we were here for a reason. “If we have any hope of saving the people infected by the Sins, we’ll need the box.”

The priest looked confused. “You already know it was stolen.”

“If our information is correct, the box has returned to its hiding place.”

He didn’t look like he believed her.

“Please,” I pushed. “Could we at least take a look?”

Mom placed a hand on his shoulder. “The Sins have located a witch powerful enough to free them from the box. Permanently. If we don’t find it before they do, there’s a chance she’ll be able to set them free. This is our only lead.” She nodded to Ava who was glaring at the priest. “I’ve been hunting the Sins down, but if I don’t return them to the box before their time is up, six innocent people will die.”

Sighing, he went to the middle of the room and bent down beside the podium. After a moment of searching, there was a metal click, and a loud rumbling. A second later, a rush of cold air filled the room.

Mom and I turned to the back of the church. Behind the altar, a narrow doorway had opened in the old stone.

Mom narrowed her eyes. “I thought you said you checked everywhere?”

I wanted to crawl under a rock. Under a piece of furniture? That was a rookie mistake. I thought about blaming it on Lukas. Saying he’d checked the front room while I’d checked the back, but that was low. Even for me.

We followed Father down a set of dark, narrow stairs to a cavernous stone chamber. Candles mounted along the walls burned to light our way, and I wondered how often someone came down here. They looked brand new.

“Holy Father—” Father Sanders stopped when he got to the middle of the room and fell to his knees, making the sign of the cross. At the other end, sitting on a slab of quartz, was a simple wooden box.

“That’s it?” I’d expected something garish. Inlaid with gems and bright shiny trimmings. This thing looked like it’d been nailed together by a fourth grader, then thrown around a football field for a few months.

Mom stepped forward and reached for the box, but Father Sanders stopped her. “Wait.” He moved to the right of the quartz slab, reaching up into a small overhang. When he pulled back there was a small pouch covered in dust wrapped around his fingers. “Take these.”

Mom held out her hand. “What is it?” She pulled the small string and dumped the contents into her palm. Two jagged bluish-gray crystals tumbled out.

“They’re chalcedony stones. Keep them on you at all times. They will prevent you from becoming infected should the Sins target you.”

Mom closed her fingers around the stones and nodded once. “Thank you, Father.”

By the time we left the church, we had the box, another Sin, and were one step closer to putting the Sins—and Lukas—back.

…

“So how does it work?” We had the box, and we had a couple of Sins downstairs. I was eager to get cracking.

I leaned against Mom’s desk. We’d come home from the church to find Lukas leafing through one of the office magazines. He told us Dad left an hour earlier after getting a report from his boss that there was a disturbance at the mall on the edge of town.

“Only one way to find out.” Mom nodded to the basement stairs. “Shall we?”

I clapped my hands and shimmied in my seat. I was sure she’d make me stay upstairs. “Oh! I get to come, too?”

She rolled her eyes. “If you promise to behave.”

Lukas snorted and grabbed the door, holding it open. “Unlikely.”

Mom snickered and guided Ava toward the stairs. She paused for a moment, looking from Lukas to me. “I’ll give you two a few moments. Meet me downstairs.” She disappeared around the corner.

I took Lukas’ hand and led him around to Mom’s office. She had a separate space from the main room, but she never used it. She said it reminded her too much of her father. It made sense. Everything inside had been that way for as long as I could remember. All the pictures on the walls and the books on the shelves. She’d cleaned off the desk top, but I’d peeked in the drawers once. All of Grandpa’s stuff was still there.

I closed the door behind me. “So, I got something for you.”

Lukas looked genuinely surprised. “Oh?”

When we’d gotten back to the car after chasing Ava, the stuff I’d bought for Lukas was still there. I held it out to him. “Yeah. Supplies. Paper, pencils,…some paint. No big deal.”

His lips split with a smile that lit up the entire office as he took the bag and peered inside. “Really?”

“Thought you might like to mess around with them. You said painting gave you peace and stuff…”

He wasn’t saying anything and I started to feel stupid. He just kept looking from the bag to me. Me to the bag. Over and over again. Of course, a notebook and some stupid pencils weren’t going to make him feel better. He was hours away from being stuffed back into eternal torment.

I shrugged, trying to play it off. “It’s stupid, I know. I just thought—”

He took my hand and pressed it to his lips, then held it tight against his cheek. “It’s amazing.”

My heart kicked into high gear. “Really?”

He nodded, leaning close. “No one has ever given me anything so thoughtful.”

His smile, the way he smelled, the spark in his eyes…they gave me courage. Forgetting for an instant that I didn’t know how to flirt—much less be sexy—I closed the distance and kissed him briefly. “Is it better than this?” I kissed him again, this time winding my fingers through his hair.

I heard the bag thud softly as it hit the floor. A second later, both his arms encircled my waist, dragging me close. He pulled away for a moment, eyes on mine. “I doubt there’s anything in heaven and earth that could be better than this.”

And that was it. The conversation was over. His lips returned to mine with a vengeance, fingers digging into the skin above the waist of my jeans, trying to pull us closer together. Something tickled my brain. A thought that whispered this wasn’t the time or place for this, but I didn’t care. We didn’t have a time or place for this. Now was all there was.

All there would ever be.

Confidence bloomed in the pit of my stomach and I pushed forward, backing him up against the wall. A small chuckle escaped his lips as the kisses dipped lower. First he was tickling my bottom lip with his tongue, then his lips, warm and soft, were trailing eager, hungry kisses down the side of my jaw.

I gasped, my fingers clenching as he hit the hollow of my neck. Head tilting back, I closed my eyes and reveled in the sharp tingling sensation that spread through my entire body. Hell in a hailstorm. Why the hell had I avoided kissing if this is what it felt like?

A few moments later, he pulled away, breath ragged and face flushed. “I’m—I’m sorry. That was…”

I grabbed the side of his face and tilted it toward mine. “Totally awesome? Hot as hell? Why, yes. It was.”

He grinned. “I don’t wish to disrespect you in any way, Jessie. You are…”

“Amazing?” I said with a nervous giggle. His gaze warmed my skin and made the butterflies explode from my stomach.

“I could lose myself completely in you… Fall from grace and never once look back,” he whispered. Mouth covering mine, he kissed me again—but it didn’t last long. “You are the most amazing person I have ever come across—and that makes you dangerous.”

Something in his eyes made the butterflies still. “Dangerous?” Although, I knew exactly what he meant. I felt the same way about him. In a matter of days. Lukas Scott, with his dark hair and liquid chocolate eyes, had made me forget about every one of my rules.

He nodded, letting go of me. With a wide step back, he said, “I want this—you. So much so, that my heart wants nothing more than to find a way to stay here. Any way to stay here. Even if it means helping Meredith free the other Sins.”

A lump formed in my throat. “Lukas…”

He shook his head. “I wouldn’t do it. I want to—but I wouldn’t.”

We stayed like that for a few minutes. Staring at each other as our breathing evened out. I wanted him to come closer, to kiss me again, but I knew he wouldn’t. I could see it in his eyes.

“We should get downstairs,” I said, pulling the office door open. I couldn’t stand it anymore.

He nodded and followed me around the corner and down the basement steps.

When we reached the bottom, Mom gave me a funny look, and for a second, the normal teenager in me was sure she knew exactly what we’d been doing. But after a moment, she simply nodded to Ava, and said, “We don’t know what to expect, so I want you to hang back.”

“You sure you don’t want me to take a bus out of town?” I stepped off the landing and froze. The basement I remembered was gone. “Whoa. I know I don’t come down here often, but when did we have the dungeon installed?”

Tony and another man—the one Meredith had introduced as Gluttony—were cuffed to a long chain that looked like it reached about a foot short of the door. Each had a cot with a brand new blanket and fluffy pillow. Not quite the Ritz, but better than jail, I was betting.

Ava was in the corner, still bound by the cuffs, but the duct tape had been removed. She scowled silently between Mom and Tony.

“I had your father install them. What was I supposed to do? Leave them huddled on the floor bound by duct tape?”

The one I didn’t know surged forward. He hit the end of his chains and stumbled back, snarling. Droplets of spit flew from his mouth, and I had to force myself not to gag at his stench. “Let me go!”

Beside him, Tony yawned. “Don’t mind him. He gets cranky when there’s not excess ta be had.” A moment later, he noticed Lukas standing off to the side and narrowed his eyes. “I’ve still got a headache from that knock ya gave me, kid. Not cool.”

“Apologies,” Lukas said with sincerity. “I acted rashly, but I was afraid you’d leave me no choice.”

“No real harm. If I hadn’t been so busy runnin’ my mouth, I’da clocked ya first.”

Mom stepped in front of me and turned to Gluttony. “Tell me where the others are.”

The Sin’s eyes widened and he backed away. “Go to hell,” he spat. “You’re going to put me back in there no matter what I tell you.”

She held the box out and flipped the latch. Gluttony’s eyes rolled back as he let out a deafening roar. With a snap, Mom slammed the lid down. “Yes, but I can make it quick, or drag it out. Looks painful.”

Gluttony’s expression changed. He started laughing. Eyes on Lukas, he said, “Whatever you do to me, it won’t compare to what we will do to him for betraying us. Again.”

Lukas’ face remained impassive, but I could see it in his eyes. Fear. Whatever the Sins had done last time, he helped put them back, and that had left its mark. It turned my stomach, knowing that soon they’d get the chance to do it all again.

I didn’t think. Snatching the box from Mom, I pointed it at Gluttony and flipped the lid.

“No!” he screamed. “Don—”

He doubled over, a low growl escaping his lips. In a brilliant flash of bright orange light, he threw himself backward against the wall, mouth opening in a scream that never came. His body convulsed, limbs twitching as a strangled gurgle rose in his throat. Stubby fingers wrapped into the fabric of his blue T-shirt, kneading the skin beneath in violent spasms. It almost looked like he was trying to dig the light from his gut. Was this what Lukas had to look forward to? Would I have to watch as he twitched and squirmed in agony, then disappeared in front of me?

The light collected at his middle, then moved up slowly, settling at the base of his throat. Pulsing several times like it had with Envy, it burst from his mouth, accompanied by an almost deafening bang, right before it crashed into the box.

The large man Gluttony had been wearing like a bad toupee collapsed.

Mom ripped the box from my hands. “What the hell were you thinking?”

“I—” I looked from her to Lukas. What wouldn’t sound stupid? The truth? That listening to Gluttony fling threats about what they were going to do to Lukas once he was beyond our reach was driving me cow-shit-crazy? “He wasn’t going to tell us crap.”

“Little lady’s right,” Tony said. “Glutt isn’t a snitch.”

Mom sighed. “If I open it again, will he get out?”

I rolled my eyes. “As if he’s gonna tell you the truth!”

Tony sighed. “Believe what ya want, but no. He can’t escape unless you let him out. Think of it like a one-way traffic jam. When there’s incomin’ traffic, outgoin’ can’t get past. As long as you don’t pop that puppy for any reason other than to stick one of us back in, you’re safe.”

Mom looked from him to Ava. “I don’t suppose either of you would like to tell us where the others are?”

The child sat in the corner, silently sticking her tongue out, but Tony answered, “My lot in life is live and let live. I’ve got nuthin’ against you guys, but I won’t betray my own.”

“Fair enough.” Mom nodded and raised the box. “I apologize in advance—especially if this is painful.”

Again, Tony shrugged. “It’s uncomfortable, but it doesn’t last long. Besides, it’ll give me some time to myself. We all try to keep our distance from each other, but it gets a little crowded in there.” He turned to Lukas. “Good luck, kid. I really don’t have anything against ya. Far as I’m concerned, ya did what ya hadda do.”

And with that, Mom opened the box again. Tony’s reaction was a little different. Maybe because he didn’t fight like Gluttony. Arms spread wide, he leaned his head back and smiled. The light that collected and glowed beneath his clothing was blue. It pulsed several times before rocketing the length of his torso and out his open mouth.

Tony—the real one—fell to his knees, gasping for air. Snapping the box closed and setting it down on the steps, Mom rushed forward to help him, but he waved her off. “I’m okay,” he choked out after a few tries. He climbed to his feet and smiled. Extending his hand, he said, “Tony Vitola—the real deal. Attorney. Nice ta meet ya.”

“What do you remember?” Mom helped him to the cot, then motioned for Lukas to help her pick the other man off the floor. They managed to get him on the other cot, but I wondered how long he’d stay that way. The guy was huge. That little cot wasn’t going to hold him long.

Tony pulled off his suit jacket and said, “Everythin’. From the moment it took me up until it left. I could feel it. Squirmin’ inside. I felt it leave—” He shuddered and sank back onto the cot. With a not so discreet sniff of his shirt, he cringed. “I need a showah.”

“I don’t suppose you could share anything useful?” Mom asked. She didn’t look hopeful, though. “Something that might help us find the others?”

Tony frowned. “Sorry. The one that was in me—Sloth—kept his distance from the others. He wasn’t lyin’ when he said he wouldn’t nark on em, but he didn’t know anyways.”

Lukas came up behind me. “What was it like?”

Tony rubbed a hand across his face and sighed. “I was in town on business. Needin’ a coffee fix, I head down to this town’s sorry excuse of a Starbucks. I make it to the front door and BAM.” He clapped his hands together and I jumped. “Suddenly, I was ridin’ shotgun in my own skin suit. Is that how ya feel?”

Lukas shook his head. “It’s much different for me. How much damage did he do?”

“Not a lot. He was a little like you, I guess. Not really interested in the carnage and chaos the others wanted. Mostly went around turnin’ people into slackers. Didn’t really hurt no one—then again, who knows? Not like he had the chance thanks to you.”

“Well, that’s a relief at least.” Mom sagged against the wall.

“Am I—can I go home? My wife Marie and the kid’ve probably got me dead in a ditch somewhere.”

“Of course,” Mom said. Pushing off the wall, she started for the stairs and motioned for him to follow. “This way.”

“Wait a sec,” I called. “Can I ask what you did? To become viable? I mean, there must’ve been a reason you were infected.”

An odd look crossed his face. He looked away for a moment, and just when I was sure he’d ascend the stairs and say nothing, he spoke. “I was fifteen. My parents went out most Fridays. Usually, they hired this chick Melissa to watch my younger brother Cody, but that night, she wasn’t available. I didn’t wanna do it—I had better things to do.”

Tony tilted his head up, lost in the memory. “I heard him callin’ for me—I heard the splashin’—but I ignored him. Thought he was just tryin’ to bug me. I didn’t feel like gettin’ off the couch to check.” He stared at me. “My parents came home just after midnight and found him in the pool. He drowned because I was too lazy to bother.”

From the corner of my eye, I saw Lukas grow pale. He opened his mouth, then closed it again, silent. I knew how he felt. What could you say to a confession like that?

But Mom knew what to say. She always did. Stepping close, she put a hand on his shoulder and gave a gentle nod. “I’m sorry.”

Tony gave her a thin smile. “It was my fault, and I’ve learned to live with it. Actions—or lack thereof—have their consequences.”

He climbed a few steps and stopped.

“I could feel it, ya know. That box is startin’ to call ’em back.”

“There’s not much time left,” Mom confirmed.

Tony turned to Lukas. “You’re not like me. You’re goin’ back in, aren’t ya?”

Face impassive, Lukas squared his shoulders and nodded.

Tony frowned and gave him a sad smile. Turning to me, he said, “Enjoy what time ya got left. That box? It’s startin’ to hum like the subway durin’ rush hour.”

Chapter Twenty-seven

After Mom sent Greed back to the box and found out where Ava—an eight-year-old girl reported missing by a family in The Ledges—belonged, she’d gone to take the little girl home, giving me the rest of the day off. I figured it had something to do with what Tony said, but I didn’t care. I’d made my choice—to make what little time we had left count—and that’s what I intended to do.

I’d taken Lukas to see the latest paranormal action flick—Time Turners—at the Cineplex. He had his first tub of greasy movie theater popcorn, sat in his first gum-infested movie seat, and made his first trip to second base.

Both of us did.

He pulled away as the lights flickered back on, leaving a chill where his hand had been. Just under the edge of my shirt, above the waist of my jeans. I’d purposely sat us in the back row, determined to get him to kiss me again. After how hot things got in the office, and how ashamed he’d looked afterwards, I was sure it would be a fight. But all it took was my hand resting just above his knee and a simple nuzzle of his neck, and he was hooked. We’d barely seen half the movie.

Around us, moviegoers were rushing the aisle, determined to be the first out of the theater. We stood and joined the back of the line. The credits were still running, and an explosion rocked the screen, catching Lukas’ attention. He jumped, caught off guard by the action, but smiled despite it. “And it’s all fake?”

“Yep,” I said, taking the empty popcorn tub from him and tossing it into the trash as we passed. “They get paid crazy cash to pretend. We get pennies to do the real thing. Go figure.”

“That seems…backward.”

“It’s a crazy world.” I looped my arm around his. “We should hit the ice cream place down the road. They have this frozen cappuccino slushy thing—you haven’t lived ’til you’ve tried it.”

“That sounds great,” a deceptively delicate voice said behind us. “Are you buying? ’Cause I find myself a little short on cash these days…”

Lukas’ expression morphed from happy to holy hell in an instant. “Meredith?” he breathed, whirling around.

“Lookin’ good, Lukas. Real good.” She took a step forward, eyes appraising. “This century’s clothing accentuates your…assets.”

He didn’t answer. Then again, she didn’t give him time. Blowing a kiss, she turned on her heel and bolted in the opposite direction.

Lukas didn’t hesitate. He took off after her.

And I took off after him. I called out several times for him to stop. This was exactly what she wanted us to do. But Lukas ignored me.

Down the street and around the corner, Meredith ran like a cheetah on crack. Either the chick was rocking some serious training, or she’d mojoed herself into channeling a professional sprinter. I managed to catch up to Lukas with little trouble, but catching Meredith was another story. She kept her generous lead, seeming to slow only when we were in danger of losing sight. She really wanted us to follow. Knowing that, I should have stopped. Should have grabbed Lukas by the back of the shirt and hauled his ass back to the office. That was what the logic bird perched on my shoulder chirped in my ear, anyway.

Of course, it wasn’t what I did.

We followed her into the new real estate development at the edge of The Ledges. A cheerful billboard showing off a very PC interracial couple lounging on their front lawn at sunset greeted us as we approached. The picture showed swanky houses sitting on perfect, plastic looking lawns, and behind them, fluffy white cloud-lettering read Heaven’s Gates. Sometimes, the people of Penance took the whole biblical thing just a little too far.

Most of the homes were still empty. They’d only finished the first round and had just broken ground on the second set.

“You think she went inside one?” We stopped running to get our bearings and scan the area. There were several squawking black birds on the lawn to our right, but other than that, everything was still.

Lukas bent over, trying to catch his breath. “I lost sight of her just after she turned the corner.”

I glanced down the street. Six houses. Three on each side. It was getting dark, and there weren’t as many streetlights out this way—not yet—but the white house on the end caught my eye. The door was open. A big walk this way sign. Meredith obviously wasn’t one for subtlety. “That one.”

We raced over the lawn and stepped across the threshold. At first, everything was quiet. The white marble entryway spilled seamlessly into a sprawling living room, carpeted in lush royal blue. The walls were accented with gold trimming, and the baseboards had thin strips of delicate, blue-flowered wall borders that went around the entire room.

Empty.

Cautiously—and to Lukas’ irritation—I took the lead and steered us toward the kitchen. A few take-out bags on the floor in the middle of the room, half a six-pack of Pepsi, but no Meredith.

The rest of the first floor played out the same. Each room was empty but with small signs that someone had been there. An empty soda cup. A handful of dirty napkins. Half a cheeseburger…

“Let’s check upstairs,” I whispered. Stupid, really. The whispering. She’d left the door open on purpose. She already knew we were there. Trying to be stealthy had no advantage, but it was habit. Mom had ingrained it on my soul at an early age. Besides, I needed the practice.

Up the spiral stairs, we finally found Meredith in the master bedroom. She was all smiles, wearing tight black jeans and a blue shirt that looked like she’d painted it on—and she wasn’t alone.

Against the far corner of the room, a guy—probably in his early twenties—sat bound to a rickety looking chair. He struggled against his bonds, eyes darting from Lukas to me like he was trying to decide if we were there to help—or make things worse.

“It certainly took you long enough,” she said, patting her friend on the head like a good puppy.

I gave her a casual shrug. “We stopped for Chinese on the way. I never deal with crazy on an empty stomach.”

“Aren’t you sassy?” Meredith grinned. “So how are you enjoying the shore leave, Lukas? Life out of the box all you remember?”

He crossed the room and grabbed her shoulders, pushing her back against the wall. For a second, I thought he was going to hit her. I knew that expression. The twitch of his lip, the flash of red-hot rage in his eyes, all signs that control was slipping. But he reined it in. “What are you doing here?”

“At the moment? Getting assaulted.” She wiggled under his grasp, never losing her smile. “Don’t get me wrong, I don’t mind you assaulting me, but if you’ll kindly let me breathe, I can fill you in.”

It took a moment, but surprisingly, Lukas released her and stepped back to where I was. “Talk,” he commanded.

“I can understand that you’re not happy to see me. After all, the last time we met I wasn’t very…friendly.” Her smile widened. “But what’s done is done. I have an offer for you.”

“’Cause we’d want whatever you’re selling,” I said.

“You’re very rude,” she said, eyes narrowing in my direction. Lukas was right. She was beautiful. Meredith had that kind of dark, sensual look that guys went crazy for. Too bad all the rocks in her head were loose and rattling around. “I don’t much care for your attitude.”

I smiled. “I don’t have an attitude—I’m just spunky.”

“I’ll warn you once more. Don’t interrupt me.” She began to pace. “I don’t take kindly to it. They always interrupted me. Like the things I had to say were of no importance.” Sugarcoated smile back in place, she turned to Lukas. “I miss you and want to make up for what I did. Now that some time has passed, I can admit I was a bit rash.”

“Rash?” Lukas repeated, eyes wide.

Mom and I had gone up against some winners, but this chick took the cake. “You trapped him in the box with the Seven Deadly Sins and slaughtered your entire family. That’s a little past rash, don’t you think?”

Meredith sighed. She stopped pacing, head swiveling toward me, and frowned. “I asked you not to interrupt me.”

I met her gaze and smiled sweetly. “And last year, I asked for a puppy. Didn’t get it, though.”

She sighed and snapped her fingers. “On top of rude, you’re very disrespectful. I’ve wiped my ass with bigger, badder things.”

I bit back a laugh. “And that’s supposed to—”

At first, it was a tickle blooming deep in the pit of my stomach. In seconds, it turned into a sort of falling sensation. The feeling that comes as the roller coaster crests the hill and starts its downward plunge. My mouth went dry and the surface of my tongue started to itch. Suddenly, it was impossible to swallow.

Meredith giggled and waved her hand. It was like an invisible boxer walked up and sucker punched me in the gut. The air expelled from my lungs and I shot backward, crashing into the wall.

Head cracking hard against the plaster, everything swam for a minute. A muddy mix of colors swirled and danced as I struggled to fill my empty lungs. I tried to step away but found I couldn’t move my legs. Or my arms. My mouth opened to protest—at least it tried to—but that didn’t work, either.

Meredith winked at me and turned back to Lukas.

“What did you do?” he demanded, rushing to my side. I could feel his fingers clamp down around my arms, could feel their warmth and the pressure as he tugged, but he had as much luck as I did.

“Oh, relax. As soon as we’re done here, I’ll let the bitch go.” She snapped her fingers twice. “Now pay attention because I’m only going to say this once.”

He let go of my arm and gave her his full attention.

“As I said before I was so rudely interrupted—” She glared at me. “I realize I may have acted a bit rash when we saw each other last.”

“You condemned me to an eternity in hell—all for a man you’d just met.”

She laughed. It was an insane sound that reminded me of a cross between a witch’s Halloween cackle and shattering glass. “You think I locked you in that box because of Wrath? Silly, simple Lukas.”

“I did nothing to you,” he growled. “If not because I threatened to tell your father of your affairs, then why?”

“I’ll admit—your threats made me angry.” She reached out and stroked his cheek. “Very angry. You were trying to control me. Telling me what to do. Everyone was always telling me what to do. Poor, feeble Meredith. A simple woman. She needs to be coddled and controlled. It grew tiresome.”

The man bound to the chair was thrashing. Back and forth and side-to-side. Even plastered to the wall, unable to move, I could feel it. Lukas’ rage was starting to bleed into the room. Either Meredith was immune—or she was just too nuts to be affected.

“But that wasn’t what earned you the reservation. I did stick you in that box because of another man—but it wasn’t who you think. It wasn’t Wrath. He was merely a tool used to get my plan from point A to point B.”

This sucked. Not only was I stuck to the wall like a fly on paper, but I had to listen to this whack-job ramble about her skanky, multiple affairs? I was never going to complain about one of Mom’s punishments again.

Lukas was angry, but he was also confused. I couldn’t blame him. I didn’t get it either.

“He found me outside church that Sunday morning in 1882. I could smell the power long before I laid eyes on him. He made me an offer. Unimaginable power and a chance to win my freedom in exchange for a favor in the future.” She winked at me, then smiled at Lukas. “He saw how trapped I was and offered me a spell. He told me where to find Wrath and said if I accepted his offer, I could not only set myself free, but also make you pay for threatening me. It was the perfect solution.”

“Solution to what?”

“So we could be together, silly.”

“If it wasn’t Wrath you wanted to be with, then who? Who was this all about?”

“Lukas, you silly, silly boy. I’m referring to your father, of course.”

Chapter Twenty-eight

Lukas stood, stone-faced. At his sides, both arms laid flat against his body, rigid. I could see from my spot on the wall that his knuckles were white as his fingers knotted in the fabric of his jeans. Of every possible answer she could have given, that was probably the last one he ever expected. Also the worst. Some of the anger faded—but only for a moment. When it returned, it was ten times greater.

Blood pounded in my ears. My heart beat against my ribs. Every bone in my body—every muscle—pushing and pulling to break free. I’d never wanted to hurt anyone as bad as I did right then. Lukas’ anger. It was affecting me.

“You—you did all this for him? You wanted to be with a monster?” Lukas roared. “You knew how he treated us.”

She smiled. A disturbing grin made of cruel intentions and a side-order of crazy. “I guess it takes one to know one. I needed to get rid of my parents to get their money, and I needed to get rid of you to preserve my good name. Even with my parents dead, I’d still be expected to marry you since they’d gone to all the trouble of arranging it. Society was so closed-minded back then, don’t you think?”

She held her hand out as Lukas started to charge. He froze mid-step, a look of shock on his face. It was like he was a movie and someone had pushed the pause button.

“I was willing to kill you, your mother, and my entire family—which I did anyway—to get what I wanted. If that’s not a monster, I don’t know what is.”

“You—”

“I’m not finished yet.” She pinched two fingers together, and Lukas was silent. She then circled back to the man in the chair. Running a finger down the length of his face, she turned back to Lukas. “Like I said, I was a bit rash. But I’m here to make up for it. Things didn’t work out between your father and me, and I’ve decided to give you another chance. I’m offering to transfer Wrath to him and set you free. You can walk away from the box and never look back. We can finally be together.”

With a snap of Meredith’s fingers, I could speak again. My jaw was sore, and my throat hurt. It felt like I’d been screaming for hours. Every muscle in my body spasmed, and I was pretty sure once I could move, I’d crumble to the ground like a heap of Jessie-shaped Jell-O. “What—what did he do?”

“Not as righteous as your grandfather, are you?” She gave me a knowing grin. “He was a very bad boy. Harrison here has quite a temper. Last week he beat his girlfriend to death and buried her body in the woods outside town.”

She turned to the man tied up in the chair and tweaked his nose. “What was it about, Harry? She didn’t want to go see the same movie as you?”

Under the duct tape, Harrison mumbled something as tears spilled down his cheeks. He struggled to move away from her touch, and I wondered how much of a monster it made me to think that maybe he deserved a one-way ticket into the box. If what she was saying was true, the guy was dangerous, not to mention sick. Who murders someone because of an argument over a movie? A crazy person, that’s who. One who deserved to be punished.

Lukas was pale. He’d collapsed and was shaking, looking from Harrison to me.

I could talk—but I still couldn’t move. Probably a good thing. I would have charged Meredith like a freighter without so much as a second thought. And judging by the way she had the universe at her fingertips—literally—it wouldn’t have ended well for me.

“Well, Lukas? Let me show you the world you’ve been missing.” She leaned forward and ran a finger down the right side of Harrison’s face. “There’s so much you don’t yet know. We could be so powerful together.”

Silence.

“Lukas…”

He didn’t pick his head up, but he tilted sideways, watching me through a curtain of hair. I couldn’t bring myself to say it. Not out loud. But he knew. I could see it in his eyes. And when he finally spoke, voice full of anguish, he proved he was a better person than I was.

“No.”

Meredith balked. “No?”

“No,” he said again, this time with more force. “I won’t do it.”

I couldn’t leave it alone. “Lukas, maybe—”

“NO!” he roared, and if I could have moved, I would have flinched.

Meredith frowned and ripped the tape from Harrison’s mouth. The sound it made tore through the room, making me cringe.

“You bitch. Let me go!” he screamed.

“Okay.” It happened so fast. Meredith’s face twisted into a mask of fury and rage. For a minute, I thought she’d finally been affected by Lukas. Her hands shot out, and with a sharp twist, yanked Harrison’s neck to the right. When she pulled away, he was sitting there, silent. Eyes wide and head hanging at a wholly unnatural angle.

“Never tell me what to do,” she breathed and kicked at the legs of his chair. It wobbled and toppled to the side with a thud. Harrison’s head smashed against the floor, but it didn’t matter. It’s not like he could feel it anymore. “Those days are over. What to wear. How to act.” She turned to Lukas and winked. “Who to marry. Never again.”

With another snap of her fingers, I was free. “Don’t even think about it, Darker girl. I don’t want to kill you. Not yet.”

I could move and I could talk, but that didn’t mean my common sense had returned. “Oh, that’s right. Huge vendetta? ’Cause Simon Darker buried you alive? How was that, by the way?”

I half expected her to launch herself across the room, but she only smiled and shook her head. “Laugh while you can. I told you before. Your number’s almost up.”

That was the second time she’d said that. “Yet here I am.”

“Jessie,” Lukas warned. He was still on the ground but seemed to have gained some control. I could feel it in the air. I was still annoyed but was sure that had more to do with Meredith being, well, Meredith, than Lukas.

“You think you have it all figured out, but you don’t have a clue. Your fate has been arranged for a long, long time.”

“My fate?” I laughed, remembering what Ava had said in the park about destiny. A knot of worry formed in the pit of my stomach, but I ignored it. “Sorry, Girl Interrupted, but I make my own fate.”

Meredith shrugged. “We’ll see about that.”

“You’re playing with fire. If you think you’ll be able to control those Sins once they’re bound to human bodies, you’re in for one hell of a shock. No matter how much power you think you have—”

“Control the Sins? It’s never been about controlling the Sins, you simple little girl. It’s about so much more…” She laughed, snapped her fingers, and disappeared. Her voice lingered in the air. “The countdown begins, Darker girl.”

…

“You doing okay?” Lukas had been quiet since we’d gotten back to the office, and it was making me twitchy. He’d calmed down, but there was still an edge of anger to him that wasn’t fading.

“We should have gone after her,” he growled. “We just let her get away!”

“And how were we supposed to do that?”

He sounded like me. Normally, Mom would be the voice of reason and I’d be the one jabbing to plunge in headfirst. Kick ass and ask questions later—that was my take on things. I didn’t like playing for the other team. “She disappeared into thin air. How do you follow someone who does that?”

He relaxed a bit. “She’s more powerful than before.”

“Well, duh. She’s had time to learn some new tricks.” I pulled my feet up onto the couch, remembering something Kendra said. “Kendra said she used to be a mid-level witch, but in 1882, something changed. I’m guessing that thing was meeting the He she referred to… The one who gave her the spell to fuse Wrath to your soul.”

“If only we knew who he was. Another witch, maybe?”

“Could be,” I said and shrugged. “We could try asking her. Think she’d talk?”

He looked at me like I was crazy.

“Oh, come on. I bet all you have to do is go in and bat your eyes and she’d be a waterfall of intel.”

Lukas rolled his eyes. “Your mind is a truly disturbing place.”

“Why thank you.” I did a little bow. “Side note, though, what she said about the Sins—that really bugs me. Let’s forget for a minute about her twisted little failed happily ever after from 1882. She obviously arranged for the box to be opened, but she says she didn’t do it to gain control over the Sins. Why bother? I mean, what’s the point?”

“Revenge, maybe? Possibly, her plan was to use them to destroy your family for imprisoning her then let them get taken by the box.”

I shook my head. “Granted, her sanity’s rivaled only by garden gnomes, but that seems like a lot of trouble to sic something bad on our tails. There are easier ways to get at us.”

He flushed. “She did insinuate she wanted to mend fences with me.”

I laughed. I couldn’t help it. “Don’t get me wrong—you’re about as awesome as a guy could get—but releasing the Seven Deadly Sins just to get her ex back? No way. There’s more to it than that.”

He reached across and took my hand. “I have a bad feeling.”

“I’m not getting the warm fuzzies either. I mean, I agree that she seems to still have a thing for you, but there’s no way I buy that she cracked open that box just to relight an old flame.” I looked at the clock. “Wonder where Mom and Dad are.”

Perfect timing as always, Mom answered by charging through the door, Dad on her heels. I stumbled to my feet as they barreled into the middle of the room. “What—”

The large glass window on the front side of the office exploded inward, followed by a loud crack against the door.

I jumped back and stumbled over the coffee table, taking the magazines Mom kept piled so neatly with me. “What the hell?”

Mom caught me before I went down and grabbed my arm, hauling me across the room as Dad snatched the back of Lukas’ shirt.

Pushing Lukas toward the hall, Dad said, “Move!”

Our footsteps pounded against the hardwood as we sprinted around the corner and up the stairs to the apartment. Twice, I stumbled because Mom still hadn’t let go of my arm. She was taller and had longer legs. Longer legs, wider steps. If she wasn’t careful, I’d end up on my ass at the bottom.

We’d barely reached the top or the stairs when Dad pushed Lukas aside and called out, “Shut the lights!”

I threw myself at the wall and flipped the switch without question. It was evening now, and the light coming through the window at the end of the hall cast lengthwise shadows on the floor. It was all Dad needed. One hand on the large bookshelf, his hulking form dissolved into the darkness, shelves and all.

The end of the shadow stopped just above the top of the stairs. It was the perfect position for Dad to get the bookcase to the edge and shove it over. It tumbled down the stairs, books flying and small bits of wood cracking off as it went. When it reached the bottom, it crashed to a stop, wedging itself between the last few steps and the door.

Just in time, too. Screams split the air as the things—whatever they were—pounded against the door.

“That won’t hold them for long,” Mom said, taking inventory. She had a small gash across her forehead and a set of three similar ones across her right thigh through her jeans. Dad was about the same. Several scrapes across his cheek and down to his chin. A few shreds here and there. Nothing major.

“What are they?” Lukas asked, staring at Dad. He’d never seen him travel before.

Hell, I’d only seen it once or twice in my life and it never failed to impress. Had I really done that? Moved through the darkness like he did? Watching him in action, I was less sure that’s what had really happened.

“And why did you bring them home with you?” I added, making sure the windows were all locked. We’d shut ourselves inside the master bedroom, but the barricade at the bottom of the stairs wouldn’t last long. Pretty soon our company would come a knockin’.

“Lamiae,” Mom said, throwing open the closet door. “Nasty things with a bitch of a bite.”

Tossing boxes aside, she uncovered the trapdoor in the floor. As Mom pounded the right corner, it popped open to reveal her secret stash. You name it, it was in there. Everything from hand grenades to holy water. I had one just like it—only less stocked.

Mom didn’t trust me with explosives. Go figure.

Dad watched the door. “We tracked Kendra through town. Almost had her, too, but we were attacked.”

I grabbed the blade she held out and gave it a quick poke with my thumb. Nice and sharp. Perfect for gutting demonic home invaders. “Lamiae? Don’t they usually snack on kids?”

“These appear to be equal opportunity eaters.” Mom tossed a crossbow to Dad, along with a bundle of arrows.

“What’s a lamiae?” Lukas asked, taking the knife Mom thrust in his face. He was looking at it as though it might start singing show tunes. For the embodiment of rage, the guy was a bit of a pacifist sometimes.

Slamming the closet door closed, Mom jumped to her feet. “Demons. Humans consumed by the grief of losing a child. They made a deal to become this—to feel no more pain. Usually, they feed on small children.”

The office door rattled. Low growls and a strange mewling drifted in from the hall.

“This is the work of that witch,” Dad said. “Lamiae don’t hunt in packs.”

A crash sounded downstairs. More were coming in.

“She’s beginning to get on my nerves.” Mom stepped back, pulling me with her as the bedroom door exploded inward and hell broke loose.

They were hideous. I’d never seen one up close and personal before—and would have been happy to keep it that way. Standing about six feet tall and slightly hunched, they were pale with black splotches all over in varied sizes.

The one at the front was completely bald and dressed in rags that might have once been a business suit, with sunken black eyes and a row of razor-sharp black teeth. The others were pretty much the same. Identical, vacant black eyes and deadly teeth. Some had small patches of long, wispy white hairs dotting their skulls, while others had full heads of hair.

“Whatever you do, don’t let them bite you. Their venom isn’t deadly, but it will paralyze you.” Dad swung at the first lamiae through the door. It howled in rage—a gravelly sound that echoed through the room—and lunged forward, knocking him to the side like he was made of feathers.

With my back to Mom’s and Lukas by my side, I started swinging.

The first wave came at us fast and hard. Mom took two down right off the bat, slicing into them with the machete I’d given her for Christmas two years ago. Headless, the lamiae dropped to the floor, twitching and silent.

Close to the door, Dad took out three of his own. He’d dropped the crossbow, choosing to rely on more natural weapons. Blending in and out of the shadows, he tore through the room armed with nothing but his bare hands and a wicked smile. The lamiae never stood a chance.

Lukas wasn’t doing badly for a first timer. He’d apparently gotten over the knife and had already grounded one of the lamiae and was wrestling a second to the ground. For a brief moment, I panicked when it looked like the creature might have gotten the upper hand. Chomping black teeth dripping with green, tar-like fluid, and a purple forked tongue seemed intent on taking a huge chunk out of his face. But Lukas, always surprising me, tamped it down and hacked through the thing’s neck. A quick glance my way and a smile. A smile. He was enjoying himself. God. He was frigging perfect.

The thrill of the fight and the surge of adrenaline was the kind of thing I lived for. Nothing made me feel more alive than facing off against some big bad and cutting it down to size.

One by one, we took them down. Twenty minutes later, we stood in the wreckage of the room, all covered in viscous, black blood, smelling like mold, and gasping for air. Ruined bodies spread out before us, things were finally silent.

“I haven’t had a workout like that in some time,” Dad said, wiping a hand across his jeans. It left a trail of black slime. His eyes met Mom’s, and suddenly I could see why there’d never been anyone else in her life. Why there’d never be anyone else. She and Dad were two of a kind. A pair of deadly peas in a pod. He crossed the room and swept her into his arms.

“Reminds me of our first date,” he laughed softly.

Mom’s reply was a soft chuckle and a quick peck on the lips.

Their first date? They went mashing on their first date? Seriously. Now I was way jealous.

I flicked a glob of slime from my own hand and reached under the bed to pull out the first aid kit. Nothing devastating. A couple gashes, a crap-ton of bruises, and I was betting quite a few strained muscles judging by the way Mom was moving, but all in all, pretty clean. No broken bones and no sliced arteries. Any fight you could walk away from was a win. Any fight you could walk away from without needing a transfusion or a cast? Epic win.

Silence set in as we went to work, checking each other over and taking stock. The bedroom door was in two large pieces out in the hall, and we’d never get the lamiae bloodstains off the floor. Time to carpet the apartment. Why was it that all demon bodily fluid stained?

Lukas and I sat on the floor, leaning against Mom’s ruined dresser as I cleaned a sizeable slash on his forearm. Dad was over by the closet stitching up Mom’s shoulder while she bandaged her own wrist. Battlefield triage had nothing on us.

Unfortunately, the silence didn’t last long. From the first floor, something loud shattered. More glass.

“What was that?” Lukas was on his feet and in the doorway before I could stop him.

Seconds later, he got his answer as another wave of lamiae swarmed the stairs. He scrambled back into the room as the window behind us shattered.

Bottlenecking the doorway and crashing through the windows like ants to a picnic, the lamiae were everywhere. Three times as many as before. We held them off for a few minutes, but even with one and a half demons, the incarnation of rage, and the queen of kick-ass, we never stood a chance.

It all happened so fast. One minute, we were licking our wounds, the next we were drowning in carnage. They swarmed Lukas, two hitting him from behind and knocking him to the floor. I launched forward to help, blindly shoving through the crowd, but one of the lamiae grabbed me. I jammed my elbow back and heard the bone-crunching crack as it connected with the thing’s head. It howled in pain and made another attempt, but I whirled around, wedging my sneaker hard into its gut. It careened backwards, colliding with the two advancing on Mom, and knocking them all to the ground like icky bowling pins toppling for the perfect strike. When I turned back, Lukas had managed to wrestle himself out from under the first two, but there were too many. I watched helplessly as more came, one baring its teeth and piercing the skin at the hollow of his neck. He screamed, eyes rolling back as they dragged him back to the ground and I swallowed back a cry as he disappeared beneath them.

Dad was next. Three of them piled on top of him, teeth piercing the flesh of his legs and forearm in multiple spots. Demons were tougher than humans. It took a little more effort, but with a few extra chomps, the venom did its trick and Dad crumbled to the floor just like Lukas.

“Stay close!” Mom yelled above the chaos. I heard her, but barely. The only other sound I could hear was the whooshing noise her machete made as it sliced through the air—and lamiae flesh.

We kept them off for a few minutes, but there were just too many. Even for us. Stuck in a small space with limited resources and two soldiers down for the count, this wasn’t going to end well.

Something hit me from behind. A sharp knock between my neck and right shoulder blade. Vision swam and a chill raced up my spine as the ground kind of wobbled, taking me down. A second later, there was a sharp stinging in my left shoulder. Mom screamed, and when I tried to turn around, the world went dark.

Chapter Twenty-nine

12 hours left…

Something was ringing. Soft and distant. Too low to be my alarm and too warbly to be my cell. Fingers splayed, I felt underneath me. Cold and hard. A little slippery. Not soft. Not my bed.

Screaming. Black blood and crooked teeth. Flashes of steel and the sound of clinking metal.

The lamiae.

Craps.

Eyes open, I struggled to my feet. Everything was hazy. Like someone had come along and coated the entire room in several layers of plastic wrap. Blinking, things snapped into focus for a second—bodies and blood—then out the next. Faint shapes and blurry colors were all that remained.

“Mom?” My throat was sore. Like I’d swallowed something too hot. When I got no answer, a knot started to form in the pit of my stomach and a chill tickled my spine. “Dad?” I tried.

Nothing except more ringing.

What the hell was that? Still wobbly, I made my way toward the sound. Something on the floor—something big and unmoving—sent me to the ground. I landed hard on my knees, hand thrust in front of me. When I pulled back, my fingers were coated with something dark and sticky. I sniffed it and almost gagged. I wiped them down the side of my shirt and, after several failed attempts, stumbled upright.

“Lukas?” I called. From somewhere behind me, he groaned. Good. Alive. That was all I needed for the moment. “Mom?”

Still no answer. The quiet was wrong. She should be answering me.

The ringing continued. It seemed to be coming from somewhere below. The office, maybe. When I got to the stairs, I crouched down. I didn’t trust myself to get down them without tripping, so I inched one step at a time on my butt like I had when I was a kid. Even then, I managed to slip once and slide a few extra steps, bruising my tailbone. It was official. Now everything ached.

When I hit the bottom, things snapped back into focus again—this time for a few seconds longer. I was able to see the source of the noise. The phone on Mom’s desk.

“Ma?” I called as everything phased back to blurry again. The lamiae venom. It had to be. After a few spills and not-so-near misses with the furniture on the way across the room, then several swipes of nothing but air, I managed to grab the phone. Several more attempts and I actually got it to my ear.

“Look who has finally decided to grace us with her presence,” an annoying, sing-song voice said on the other end.

“Who the—” The venom might’ve been making me slower, but at the sound of her voice, it all clicked. That knot in my stomach exploded and the air got caught in my throat. “Where are they?”

Laughter.

Gripping the edge of the desk, I let myself sink to the floor. Things were still a blurry mesh of shapeless blobs of color, and it was starting to make me nauseous. If I hadn’t sat down, I probably would have fallen down.

“You have—” My mind went blank. I had to concentrate. The venom was making it nearly impossible to focus. Mom. Dad. Trouble. The chill in my spine spread throughout my body. This couldn’t be happening—the venom was making me hallucinate. “If you hurt them—”

“Here’s how it’s going to work,” she said, all business now. “You bring your spunky self to a location of my choosing—along with Lukas, the box, and the three Sins you’ve got—and Mommy and Daddy go free.”

“I wanna talk—”

More laughter. “I don’t care what you want, sister. This is all about what I want now.”

“You said this wasn’t about the Sins. Why do you want the box?”

“One more question and one of your parents doesn’t see tomorrow,” she warned.

I pinched the bridge of my nose hard. Meredith’s elevator didn’t go all the way to the top. Arguing with crazy never got you anywhere good. Thinking about Mom and Dad, I bit my tongue. If I pushed her, she might really hurt them. “Where?”

“Some place festive. Give me a bit. I’ll call you back.”

“How—”

The line went dead.

…

Lukas squirmed a little in his seat. “You’re quiet. Are you okay?”

“Well, I’m not feelin’ the double rainbow, but I’ll live.”

“She said nothing else?”

I poured thick pink liquid onto the towel and blotted Lukas’ neck. Made from demon blood—which ironically had healing properties—and an obscure herb in the wilds of Australia, the Lupkee elixir was given to Mom by an Aborigine woman we’d helped once. We used it sparingly—worst cases only. Most Otherworlders, if they got enough salvia into a human’s bloodstream, caused serious infection. The Lupkee elixir was sort of supernaturally charged penicillin. We’d never had any serious after-effects from a bite, so I guessed it worked.

The lamiae bite foamed and sizzled, and Lukas took it like a trooper. The crap stung—I knew because I’d complained like a baby when he’d cleaned mine.

“She was vague,” I said, slapping white medical tape across the gauze. “Wouldn’t give me any info. Said she’d call back.” And in the meantime, I had to sit on my thumb and hope her particular brand of nuts didn’t explode all over my parents. Freaking awesome.

It was after midnight—we must have been out for hours after the attack. Stepping back, I fished into my back pocket for my cell, but what I pulled out wasn’t a phone. It was a key.

“What’s that?” Lukas took the small key ring from me. “Guardian Self Storage,” he read aloud.

I took the key back, examining it closer. “I found this under the couch the other day. Totally forgot about it.”

“What does it go to?”

I shrugged and pocketed the key. “No clue. It’s not mine, and it’s not Mom’s, which means it had to belong to Grandpa. He must’ve had a unit at the place a few blocks over.”

“A unit?”

“It’s like a locked room you keep stuff stashed inside.”

“And it’s not here?”

“No.”

“Why would someone keep their belongings someplace else?”

“A lot of reasons. Maybe they ran out of space, or maybe they wanted to keep something hidden.”

“Hidden?”

I nodded. “Yep. And knowing us Darkers, I’ll bet that’s exactly what it is.”

“You think Joseph had something to hide?”

I smiled. “Everyone has something to hide.” Grabbing my hoodie, I pulled it over my head. There was no way I could sit here in the dark waiting for Meredith to call back. My mind would come up with too many scenarios. Mom’s sharp tongue and Meredith’s random temper flares.

“Let’s go find out what. Knowing what I know of my grandfather, maybe we’ll find something useful.”

…

After making sure any calls to the office phone would be rerouted to my cell, Lukas and I set off for the storage place on Gateway Drive. Three blocks of brisk walking, and we stood in front of the darkened gates.

“It doesn’t look like you’re allowed entry at this late hour.”

A crooked smile slipped across my lips. “I know we haven’t known each other long, but do I really seem like the kinda girl to let that bother me?”

I dragged him away from the front gate and around to the back. I knew for a fact that the cameras attached to the perimeter fencing were there for show only. They didn’t even have night security.

Once we hopped the fence, I pulled the key out for another look.

Lukas peered over my shoulder. “Which one is it?”

Flipping the key over, I squinted against the dark. I had to lean back because Lukas was blocking my light. “Looks like it’s unit number seventy-five.”

Mom’s birthday was July fifth. I hadn’t gotten to meet my grandfather, but the stories Mom told were of a gruff man with an ooey-gooey center. Apparently, Grandpa had been the sentimental type.

The sign above us pointed to the lower numbers at the back of the lot. “That way,” I exclaimed and took off. I could hear Lukas’ footsteps behind me. In and out, I searched the rows ’til I finally found seventy-five. Holding my breath, I slipped the key into the lock. It was a perfect fit! Pulling up on the handle, I slid the door up and froze.

“Hell in a hail storm…”

It didn’t take me long to figure out why Grandpa kept this stash a secret.

A collection of the most dangerous tools and artifacts I’d ever read about. That’s what Grandpa had been trying to hide. Mom would be speechless if she could see this.

Speechless and drooling.

“What’s this?” Lukas held up a small black stone.

“Oh my God! Put that down!” I snatched the rock from him and gently laid it on the box it’d come from. “Shaking that stone will summon a demon of death.”

“That sounds bad.”

“Um, hello? Demon of death? Yeah. Just don’t touch anything.” Once I was satisfied he could be trusted not to get us both obliterated, I went to work.

As far as organization went, there wasn’t any. Mom must have gotten her pack rat mentality from Grandpa. There were piles of unlabeled boxes, stacks of old books—I even scoped out what might have been a rotting apple core. Or it could have been half a sandwich. I couldn’t tell, and honestly? I didn’t want to know.

“Here,” I said, picking up a pile of books. “Go through these and see if you can find anything useful.” The chances were slim, but at least it was safe. He couldn’t accidentally curse us or summon something ugly.

Actually…

“And don’t read anything out loud.”

While Lukas set to work on the books, I started on the first pile of boxes. The first few were smaller than the rest and stuffed with rocks.

Well, more like stones. Quartz, onyx, chalcedony—the boxes were full. Some stones were loose, others hanging from delicate chains of silver or leather cords. Some were polished, shiny, and as perfect as anything you’d see in a new ager’s jewelry display. Others were in their natural form. Seemingly pulled right from the earth. Hell, some were still covered in dirt.

The next box I opened was full of papers. Old receipts, bills, I even found a Sears advertisement. There had been a big sale on refrigerators that week. Box after box, there was nothing that could be considered helpful to our current predicament.

“I think I found something.”

Lukas was sitting on the floor against the door with piles of open books spread around him, and I couldn’t help thinking how comfortable he looked. This was his element. Researching and fact-finding. He was like a kid in a candy store, face lit up and eyes hungry. I sank to the ground. “Okay…”

He pushed the nearest book across the floor. “What do you see?”

The page was spider webbed with names, all connected. “Looks like a family tree.”

“Look further than that,” he huffed, thumping the page. “Look at the details.”

I picked up the book and eyed the open page. It started with Simon and ended with my mom, but other than that, I didn’t get it. “They’re all…Darkers?”

Lukas pulled the book back. “Male. All the Darker offspring are men—until Klaire.”

I still didn’t get it. “Um, okay. So?”

He set the book down. “You don’t find that odd?”

“Well, sure it’s a little funky, but no cause to alert the papers.”

Pointing to the top of the page, he sighed. “And this? Is this simply funky?”

His finger was on Sarah, Simon’s wife. I shrugged.

“Look at the dates. Specifically the date of death.”

“1868. So?”

Lukas rolled his eyes. “Simon and Sarah’s son Andrew was born in 1868. The same year she died.”

I still didn’t see what he was getting at. “Medicine wasn’t what it is now. A lot of women died in childbirth back then.”

“You’re correct. But don’t you find it odd that the same thing happened to all of them?”

As I skimmed the left side of the crudely drawn tree, I saw he was right. Every woman before Mom died in childbirth. How had I not seen that? “Holy craps.”

“So the question is, why was Klaire different? Not only was she the first female offspring to the Darker line, but she was the first mother not to die in childbirth.”

“That’s the question? I’d think it’d be why was it happening in the first place!”

Lukas frowned. “Well, of course. But why did your mother live when you were born? What broke the cycle?”

Broke the cycle.

I didn’t answer. Instead, I started digging through the pile of books in front of us. There was a knot forming in my stomach. A big one. When I didn’t find anything, I jumped to my feet and dove into the pile still against the far wall. Something. There had to be something here. Something that contradicted the itching fear building in the back of my head.

Lukas was oblivious. “It couldn’t have been because you were a girl,” he continued. “I imagine if that were true, Klaire’s mother would have lived.”

There were a million possibilities bouncing in my brain as to why the Darker wives always died in childbirth. It all started with Simon’s wife. Simon, who had pissed off Meredith by accusing her of Lukas’ murder, then later, trapping her with the help of a Belfair witch. His accusations caused her to flee town, never getting her skanky little happily ever after with Lukas’ dad. She could have easily laid the nasty mojo down. Cursed the Darkers.

But why wasn’t my concern anymore. Lukas was right. There was an obvious pattern. One that was broken with Mom.

With my Grandfather and Grandmother.

After about ten minutes, I got to the bottom of the pile and found what I was looking for. A journal.

Flipping through, I followed the dates leading to Mom’s birth. He’d known. Grandpa had seen the same pattern Lukas had—and he’d tried to stop it.

“Listen to this,” I said. “‘Shelly is about to give birth. It will be any day now, and I’ve still found no alternative. I have no choice. I won’t let her die.’”

“He knew it would happen,” Lukas said.

“Not only that, sounds like he had a plan.”

“You believe it was Joseph who stopped the cycle?”

“I’d bet my iPod on it.”

“How?”

“Yeah, see that’s the thing…” I leaned back and let the book slip to the ground. Grandpa was one hell of a monster masher. He had resources even Mom couldn’t muster. If he couldn’t find a way to shake this thing, it had to be heavy. And there was only one way I could think of to get rid of something like that.

“I think he made a deal.”

Chapter Thirty

The idea that Grandpa made an agreement with a demon to save Grandma knocked me through Fruit Loops. I’d never met the guy, but Mom said on more than one occasion that Grandpa had been all about the rules. She’d told me once how, after a particularly bad case involving a demon deal, he’d lectured her for hours about asking for a demon’s help. The end results were never what you hoped for and tended to leave a lasting shadow on the family.

You had to choose your words carefully. Demons couldn’t lie, but they could manipulate words like nobody’s business. If you made a deal to save your sweetie from lung cancer, you might end up with it yourself if you weren’t very specific—which the general population wasn’t.

Still… I could understand doing something drastic out of desperation.

After going through the rest of the items in Grandpa’s storage unit, we finally made it back to the office a little after five a.m. I had to keep moving. Keep doing—even if it felt like there was no hope left. The minute I stopped, I thought about Mom and Dad, and I couldn’t do that. Not if I wanted to keep my crap together.

Who could I go to for help? Another witch? The only one I knew enough to ask for that kind of help would be Kendra’s mom, and knowing what I knew now about the Belfair’s involvement with Meredith in the past, it wasn’t likely to happen. Plus, a witch couldn’t get me where I needed to go.

There was Paulson, who’d do pretty much anything for Mom. He’d been carrying a burning torch for her since the fifth grade, but there wasn’t much a necromancer could do in a situation like this, either. Plus, he’d already done me a serious solid by contacting Simon.

Simon.

“Hell in a hailstorm…”

V…

There was one possibility I’d overlooked. One I’d never even considered.

“Valefar.”

“What?”

“Valefar. Dad’s boss.” I turned to Lukas. “When Paulson summoned Simon, he said there was a way to help you. He started to give us a name. Something that started with the letter V.”

“And you think it’s this Valefar?”

“It’d make sense. Dude’s one of the oldest demons in the Shadow Realm. If anyone has a way to save you, it’d be him.” I stood and started to pace. “And if he can save you, then he can help me get Mom and Dad back.”

I had to find a way to get to the Shadow Realm.

“Why would he help us?”

I didn’t answer, and he understood.

His expression went from thoughtful to worried in a single beat of my heart. “He won’t. You’re going to do the same thing Joseph did. You’re going to make a deal with him.”

“I just have to be careful. Demons can’t lie. As long as I’m very specific with my request for help and the terms I agree to, there shouldn’t be an issue. Once he makes a promise to help, he’s bound to it.”

“Okay,” Lukas said, though he didn’t seem 100 percent convinced. “But you said only demons could go to the Shadow Realm. That’s where he is, right? How will you speak with him?”

“When I was a kid, Dad used to tell me stories about the Shadow Realm. He said to get there, you had to embrace your inner darkness.”

“Darkness?”

The quirk of his eyebrow and the sudden paling of his skin told me he wasn’t understanding. “Not darkness as in evil—darkness as in the thing that shadow demons are born from. He said he could feel it, stirring inside him. It was like a song calling him home. He told me all he had to do was think of home—focus on that tiny pull inside him that was always there—and boom. Instant free transportation.”

First, though, I needed to be sure I wasn’t crazy.

Half-human offspring of demonic parents were supposed to be normal. We didn’t get inducted into the superpower club. For whatever reason, though, I seemed to have gotten a free pass. Regardless of Mom’s denial, I knew what had happened in the parking lot at Michaels. It was the same thing that had been happening for days now, even if I hadn’t realized the truth. I’d shadowed.

She’d asked why it was happening now, and it was a valid question. I’d been doing what I thought was sleepwalking for years, though never thinking twice about it. At night, there was no effort involved. I was cloaked in shadow. It was possible that it’d been my body’s subconscious way of telling me to pay more attention. I’d never shadowed while awake before the incident in the lot because, well, I’d never tried to.

Stepping into the darkness of the hall, I stopped at the bottom of the stairs and closed my eyes. The shadows on the wall were dark, inviting things that called to me. Cool blackness washed over my body, and a small tickle formed in my stomach. The same feeling I’d gotten in the parking lot before I ended up behind the guy trying to rob us. A pounding in my head and an itching in my limbs.

Then, just like that, I was at the top of the stairs.

“Jessie?” Lukas’ frantic screams rose from the first floor.

I opened my mouth to answer, but no words came. The reality of what I’d done—what I’d really done—hit home. It was like a trip to the dentist on Christmas day. Exciting and terrifying all at once. On one hand, this was the coolest thing to ever happen. I’d just done something amazing—something they all said I couldn’t do. No more normal for me! On the other hand, it was wrong. Other than the fact that hybrid kids didn’t inherit demon genetics, the feeling that came with shadowing left me itchy inside. Itchy and cold.

“I’m up here,” I finally managed. “Top of the stairs.”

He skidded to a stop at the bottom, eyes wide. “Did you just—”

I nodded. “I did it. Like, consciously did it. I shadowed.”

…

“I don’t like this.”

“Honestly? Neither do I.” Climbing onto the bed, I shook my head and took a deep breath. We’d spent the last twenty minutes arguing over what I was about to do. “I don’t know who else to go to. This is over my head.”

“Meredith’s not going to just release your parents, Jessie. You know that, right?”

“Hence the search for help.”

“This is foolish.”

“I’d gladly take an alternative plan, if you’ve got one.”

He glared. “You’ve never been to this place. This Shadow Realm? How do you know it’s not dangerous?”

“Only one way to find out.”

He didn’t let up. “Why can you do this now? You said you were normal.”

That was the million dollar question, wasn’t it? “I’m supposed to be.”

“But you’re not?”

“I don’t know anymore.” I shook my head.

Even though a part of me had always wanted this—to be something more than normal—I couldn’t deny that it scared me a little. My stomach felt queasy, my ears rang, and every muscle ached. There was a feeling deep in my gut that told me this was a bad idea, and that once I crossed the line, there’d be no turning back.

Normally, Mom would be there to sit down with me and beat this thing to death by overanalyzing it, but not this time. This time, it was all me. And wasn’t that what I’d wanted? To prove myself?

Suddenly, I wasn’t so eager.

If Mom were here, she’d glare at me and say something like Be careful what you wish for. I was getting the word irony tattooed on my ass—right next to the words Live with free will or die.

“I understand why you’re against this, but does it even matter? We have to stop Meredith or those people are going to be dragged back to the box, and they’re going to take my parents with them. I have to do whatever I can. I won’t let that happen.”

“Please,” he said, and a part of me just about died. The look on his face, the concern I saw there, caused an aching deep in my chest. Settling on the bed beside me, he shook his head. “Let me think for a bit. I’ll find another way. All right?”

He wasn’t going to let it go. In a way, I didn’t blame him. For some crazy reason, he cared about me. We had no idea what I’d be walking into—if I could even pull this off. Still though, my parents’ lives were at stake. Kendra’s life was at stake. I had to try.

“I’ll give you a little time. But think fast.”

He nodded, thankful, and brushed the lightest of kisses across my forehead.

“Could you grab me a glass of water from the kitchen?”

I almost felt bad for tricking him. Without question, he hopped from the bed and disappeared into the hall. Poor Lukas had a lot to learn. I vowed to make it through this—and find a way to keep him here—so I could be the one to teach him.

Eyes closed, I cleared my mind and focused on the intricate picture Dad had painted of the Shadow Realm all those years ago. Dark, starless skies that never changed. Shimmering trees with branches sharper than a new blade’s edge. The buildings, he’d said, were alive. Living, breathing organisms. There were no inanimate objects in the Shadow Realm. Everything had a life force. Everything had a purpose.

Everything was dangerous.

Like with the top of the stairs, I focused on wanting to be there. Be in the Shadow Realm. I took a breath, letting myself feel the spark of darkness I’d known deep down was always there. The room blurred, the edges growing watery and vague. Something moved, and a noise, loud and panicked, broke the air around me. Lukas.

“Jessie! No!”

The tug was small at first, then slowly, as it ramped, became a pull. Violent and painful. I tried to open my eyes, suddenly freaked and sure I was making one of the biggest mistakes of my life, but I couldn’t. Or maybe I did. I had no clue because everything turned black. I felt like someone had jerked me to my feet and tossed me into the air. I was soaring up—then plummeting down. A scream spilt my lips and the sound echoed in my ears, bouncing off the walls of my brain and making the hair on the back of my neck and arms stand up. It was wrong. Primal.

Demonic.

When I hit the ground, the air was knocked from my lungs, and I felt like I’d been run over by a speeding semi. Beside me, someone groaned.

Heel of my hand crammed into my eyes to clear away the fog, I saw Lukas pushing himself off the ground a few feet from me. “What the hell?”

“I grabbed your hand at the last minute.”

“That worked?”

He frowned. “Apparently.” Eyes narrow and accusing, he added, “You lied to me.”

Wow. He was almost as good at the guilt trip game as Mom. “As sorry as I am for lying, I’m not going to apologize. This is my parents we’re talking about, Lukas. And my best friend. And a handful of innocent people. I can’t let them down.”

For a second, I thought he’d call bullshit for sure, but instead, he smiled. “You are truly amazing, Jessie Darker.”

I returned the smile and held out my hand to help him up.

And that’s when the snarling started.

“Don’t move,” I whispered. While I’d never expected to vacation here, I suddenly regretted not doing a bit of research. A few vague bedtime stories from Dad did not prepare one for a place like the Shadow Realm.

Slowly, I started to turn, but the thing growling at our backs charged and hit me like a linebacker.

And just like the last time it knocked me to the ground, it drooled all over me.

“Bad demon!” I shoved the corgi away and struggled to my feet. “Bad Smokey!”

Lukas fought back a grin. “He followed us here?”

“He’s a demon. He lives here, I guess.” When he wasn’t spewing toxic slime on my clothes or acid pee in my shoes, anyway. I looked down at my self-appointed new BFF. “Valefar?”

With a short woof and an erratic swish of his tail, Smokey bounded off.

“I guess we should follow him.”

Chapter Thirty-one

Dad was right about the beautiful. I’d never seen—or imagined—anything quite like the Shadow Realm before. Dark sky with no moon or stars, and air as thick as the bathroom after Mom—the hot water hog—got done showering. Everything had a slight sheen to it. A small sparkle. We’re not talking vampire in the sun kind of glow, but an occasional twinkle.

On either side of us, tall buildings that seemed to hum with a life of their own lined the street. Bathed in an assortment of dark colors—blues, purples, and deep reds—they towered into the sky, some stretching so high that they disappeared from sight.

We’d landed on a sidewalk beside the narrow roadway. It seemed normal. Pale concrete, complete with sidewalk cracks and spots of dead, yellowing grass peeked through. The road was a little different. One lane of oddly shimmering blacktop that, every once in awhile, seemed to emit small puffs of white smoke.

We started walking, careful to stay on the path. The grass beyond looked innocent enough, but Dad’s words from childhood bedtime stories echoed in my head. Everything in the Shadow Realm can and will kill you if given the proper chance.

Every now and then, I’d hear something—almost like a whisper. About three blocks in, I realized the sounds seemed to be coming from the middle of the road. Stopping, I stooped low and extended a hand to examine the blacktop. Smokey was in my face in an instant, teeth bared and growling.

“Okay, okay. I get it.” I rocked back on my heels and withdrew my hand. Standing, I pulled a piece of paper from my pocket. An old receipt from Starbucks. I let go and the paper fluttered to the ground, landing on the blacktop. It hit the surface, and I was surprised when it sent ripples out in every direction.

“I think it’s liquid or something.” No sooner had I leaned back in for a closer look did the paper dissolve in a puff of smoke and flame, fizzling into extinction.

“Huh. I guess that’s where the hotter than hell stuff started.” I looked down at the corgi circling happily at my feet. He barked twice and licked my shoe, leaving a trail of yellow slime behind. “I guess I owe ya.”

Smokey waggled his butt in response and trotted ahead.

The trees overhead were a serious contradiction to the lava-like roadway. Like a winter wonderland, the branches and leaves were encased in what looked like ice. Stunning, they were the only thing here that wasn’t dark and creepy. They reminded me of the branches that used to overhang the sledding trail in Penance Park until they’d crashed through the power lines a few years ago during an ice storm and had to be hacked back into oblivion.

Lukas, equally amazed by the foliage, reached for a low hanging branch before I could stop him.

With a hiss, he jerked back his hand, tilting it upward. An oozing red line leaked from the tip of his pointer finger down to the joint. The leaf fell from the branch and fluttered to the ground, but instead of landing gracefully on the sidewalk, it embedded itself in the concrete with an audible thwap. A moment later, it crumbled into nothingness, leaving behind a powdery green pile.

“Oookay, so local plant life—off limits.” I stepped back and pulled Lukas with me. “Let’s get moving.”

As if agreeing, Smokey barked once and started forward, his body almost waddling on short legs.

Both sides of the road were lined with buildings and stretched as far as my eyes could see in every direction. Some were dark with no signs or numbers on the front and appeared abandoned, while others seemed occupied. Occasionally, I’d catch a glimpse of something peering out from one of the windows. A human-like figure here, a stooped, fanged thing there, shadowed in a strange illumination. Thankfully, they were all inside while we stayed—arguably safe—on the outside.

After a while, Smokey stopped and turned with a snort. Across the street was an impressive onyx building with tinted glass and an opulent revolving door. It was bigger than most of the others, its twinkle just a bit brighter and more pronounced. It stretched into the cloudless sky, thousands of small illuminated windows covering its front. From the street, you could see people—or what passed for them here—moving around inside.

“Value Far Corporation,” I said out loud. The company my dad worked for. Valefar’s company.

“This is the place?”

“It is,” I answered in a grim tone. The black, tar-like river stretched out in front of us. “No idea how we’re going to get across, though.”

Lukas scanned the area and sighed. “Nothing to use as a bridge.”

“Too wide to jump.”

“Can you shadow across? It’s nighttime. That’s just one big shadow, right?”

I closed my eyes and focused on the other side of the road. After a few minutes, I was sure nothing had happened, and opened them. “Apparently not.”

“Now what?”

“Do you wish to cross?” A deep, velvety voice—James Earl Jones with an otherworldly twang—filled the air.

We whirled around. A man in his late twenties in worn jeans and a brown bomber jacket, stood with his arms folded. He wore a disturbing smile and reminded me of the creepy janitor at school. The one that watched the students in the hallway a little too closely.

“The river. Are you looking to cross?”

“We are,” I answered simply.

“Then it’s your lucky day, little demon. I can help you across.”

I ignored the little demon comment. It shouldn’t be insulting, right? That’s what I was. “How?”

He flashed a wicked smile and snapped his fingers twice. To our right, the tar began to churn and spit. Something began to rise from the muck. Something pale and long. A concrete path. Wide enough for a single person, it went from our end all the way to the other. “It’s my job. Think of me as the Ferryman…” He twirled around, then bowed. “Only with a bit more style.”

Lukas started forward. He made it to the edge of the sidewalk when the man grabbed his arm.

“Of course, you’ll need to pay the piper.”

“Pay?” Lukas pulled his arm free. “Money?”

The man shook his head and laughed. “Unnecessary. A small token will do.”

“A small token,” I repeated carefully.

“A strand of your hair.”

“That sounds—innocent,” Lukas said with a shrug. “Strange, but innocent.”

“Anything but.” I narrowed my eyes. “A strand of hair can do a lot of damage in the wrong hands.”

The man shrugged and took a step closer. “I could take it from you. At least if you give it willingly, you get to cross the road.”

“Why do you want it?”

He waggled an unnaturally long finger and clucked his tongue. “Would you believe I like the way it smells?”

Without hesitation, I pulled a strand free. I knew this was a bad idea. Epically stupid, even. But I needed to get my parents away from Meredith. And to do that, I needed to get across that road to Valefar. And apparently, to get across the road, I had to give in to this guy’s freaky Pantene fetish.

Smiling, he took the hair and waved us ahead. “Carry on.”

Without looking back, I stepped onto the concrete bridge and started across. The road was longer than it looked. Much longer. It took us close to ten minutes to walk across. Each time it seemed we were coming to the middle, the path ahead shimmered and stretched.

The further we got from the edge, the noise I’d heard earlier, the faint whispering, grew louder. Suddenly, they didn’t sound so much like whispers, but screams.

“What’s that?” Lukas stopped and pointed.

In the road—water—the stuff I’d thought was white smoke rising from the surface was something else.

“Are those—” He sounded sick.

I couldn’t blame him. Closer now, we could see the shape of the white puffs rising from the black surface. Faces. People. And those whispers? Not so much whispers as screams for help.

“Souls, I’d guess.” A white puff rose from the blackness a few feet from the bridge. A woman’s face, her mouth open in a scream that sent the tiny hairs on the back of my neck twitching, floated up to knee level, then dissipated in a soft pop. I shuddered and tugged at Lukas’ sleeve. The less time we spent here, the better it would be for my sanity. “Let’s keep moving.”

When we finally made it to the other end, my feet were starting to hurt.

“This is it.” We stood in front of the tinted glass revolving door. Something inside me stirred. Dual voices in the back of my head fought each other. One screaming for me to push forward—that this was where I’d been destined to end up. The other telling me to turn around. That once I stepped over that threshold, there was no turning back.

If it’d been anyone other than Mom, I would have gone with voice number two. She’d kept me away from Dad’s side of the family for a reason—and I trusted her. But her involvement trumped everything. The prize went to voice number one as I stepped up to the spinning glass door and tucked myself inside.

The lobby wasn’t what one would expect to see in hell—on first glance. Bustling and bright, the walls were bathed in a crisp coat of white paint and the soft, beige carpet was in pristine condition.

A bubbly blond woman sat behind a massive semicircle desk on the other side of the room, armed with a smile and teeth so white they almost sparkled. She was chatting with a tall man in a black pinstriped suit and a leather briefcase.

That was all on first glance.

We stepped up to the desk and the room flickered. It was like someone had flipped a switch. Suddenly, the white walls were blackened and stained with something that looked suspiciously like dried blood. There were things stuck to the wall in places—chunks of something. I couldn’t make out what, and I didn’t really want to. The beige carpet was thread bare and burned, still smoking in some places. The receptionist was no longer a blonde with a cheerful smile, but a stooped, hairless thing with black skin and squinty blood-red eyes. When it smiled, it bared several rows of sharp, decaying teeth that dripped slimy black liquid. The stuff pooled at its pointed chin for several seconds before falling with an audible plop to the desk below.

The desk itself was a thing of horror. Made of bone and skin and oozing blood. The goo trickled down the sides, collecting on the floor by the base of each leg. To the left of the receptionist sat a large pinkish, purple glob. It gave a wet squishing sound as the creature picked it up and took a large bite, bits slipping down its chin and mingling with the black slime.

I bit down on the inside of my cheek to keep from crying out in surprise—and terror. Cool. I had to play it cool. Demons were a lot like dogs. They could smell fear. Squaring my shoulders, I took a deep breath and hoped my voice didn’t shake too bad. “I’m here to see Valefar.”

Like a mega rubber band, the nightmare snapped back to the previously pristine room. There was no way Lukas had seen what I had. He’d be freaking. Hell, I was freaking. Acid churned in my stomach, and I was having a hard time not screaming out loud.

“And do you have an appointment?” Her voice was deceptively sweet, and even though the illusion was back in place, I could still hear the wrongness. The off-pitch canter and the slight, nearly unnoticeable warble.

Craps. “I don’t, actually.”

The creature shook its head. Blond curls bounced back and forth as ruby lips turned downward. “I’m sorry, then. He’s a very busy guy. I can take your name and see if he has time to squeeze you in?”

Wasn’t she a helpful little monster? “Darker. My name is Jessie Darker.”

The room flashed again. White. Black. White again.

The receptionist grinned. “Well, then. There’s always time for a Darker.” She pointed to the doorway behind her desk. “Through that door. His office is on the top floor.”

Lukas took my arm and started to lead me around the desk. The blonde’s hand shot out. “Afraid not, hunny bun. She goes up. You stay down.”

“No way,” I said. “He comes with me.”

She rolled her eyes. “If you want up, then you’re going alone.” She turned to Lukas and winked. “He’ll be fine here with me. Stained mortals are just too yummy for words.”

Oh. Yeah. Because that made me feel better. “He’ll be safe?” Because if she gave me her word, then Lukas would be fine. She wouldn’t be able to hurt him.

The receptionist nodded with a little too much enthusiasm.

“From you and anything else that might come across him, right?”

She flashed a mock frown. “You know your stuff. You have my word. He’ll be safe.”

I pushed open the door and stepped through. As it closed behind me, I heard her mumble, “Spoilsport.”

Chapter Thirty-two

The elevator opened to a sprawling hallway lined in red and gold. I waited for the room to shimmer like the lobby, but thankfully, it didn’t happen. I was sure the pristine carpeting and flawless paint job wasn’t real—just a glamour to put people at ease. But honestly? It wasn’t really working.

Forty-seven. That’s how many steps it took to get to the end of the hall. And to Valefar’s door.

Twenty-two. That’s how many times I thought about turning back and heading home to try finding another way.

And sixteen. That’s how many deep breaths I took as I stood in front of the door, trying to gather the guts to knock. But it wasn’t necessary. As I raised my hand, the door creaked open and soft light spilled into the hall.

Subtle. Real subtle.

I’d never met Valefar before, and when I stepped into the room, the guy that stood before me wasn’t what I expected. Wasn’t even close.

Black leather pants—what was it with demons and leather?—black silky button down, and worn black shit kickers. The guy had a generous mop of unruly blond hair and a pair of the brightest blue eyes I’d ever seen. The color belonged on the cover of a Caribbean vacation brochure—not a demon’s face.

Hotness aside—and yeah, he was hot—he looked a little older than me. Early twenties, tops. I knew that wasn’t his true form. Dad had told me once Valefar was among the oldest in the Shadow Realm’s hierarchy. The older demons were, the less human they looked.

His smile widened at my approach. “Now this is a pleasure.”

“Do you know who I am?”

“Little Jessie Darker. You’re Damien’s girl.”

“You’re not surprised to see me? Here?”

His smile widened, and he winked. “Not in the least, Sugar Plum. What can I do for you?”

“I need help.”

He laughed and clapped his hands together. The sound echoed through the room, making me jump. “I like you. No beating around the proverbial bush.”

I stuffed both hands into my pockets. Play it cool, Jessie. “No time.”

“As I’m sure you know, my aid—should I choose to give it—does not come free.”

This was the part I’d been dreading. “I know.”

“What is it you need?”

“You sent my dad to stop the sale of the box containing the Seven Deadly Sins.”

He picked up a small blue container and popped something into his mouth. I tried not to imagine what it was. “I did.”

“And as you’re aware, the box was opened.”

“I am.” He held out the box and I forced myself to look inside. “Hershey’s Kiss?”

Hershey’s Kiss. My favorite. I shook my head. “The Sins found a witch. They’ve taken my parents.”

“What would you like me to do about it?”

“Obviously, I’d like your help getting them back alive,” I snapped.

In the blink of my eye, he was in front of me, lips twisted in an angry snarl. “Watch your tone, child.”

I froze.

He took a step back. “So you’d like my aid in reacquiring them, yes?”

“Yeah.”

“And what are you willing to trade?”

I had to be very careful. Wording was tricky when it came to demons. Making deals with them was even trickier.

“If you want me to consider helping you, I need something in return.” He waited a moment.

“I’m guessing you won’t take a check?”

He shook his head. “What else ya got?”

“Um, I have a fifty dollar gift card to Barnes and Noble, but something tells me you’re not a reader…”

Circling like a vulture, he said, “May I make a suggestion?”

“Sure.”

“Service.” He stopped and leaned back against the edge of his desk.

“Huh?”

“Your parents for fifty years of service.”

“Why not just ask for my soul while you’re at it,” I yelled. Somehow, though, when I’d chosen to go this route, I knew this would be his request. Mom was too eager—too willing—to keep Dad and his element away from me. There was more to this than they’d said. Unfortunately, I didn’t have time to find out what. Not with their lives on the block.

“I just did.” He circled again. “I would own your soul for the next fifty years. Think of it as—a loan. In that time, you would work for me—in a similar manner as your father. Should you breech that contract in any way, I keep possession of your soul.”

I didn’t answer right away. He smiled. “Take it or leave it, pumpkin. Going once…”

“Fifteen years.”

He raised an eyebrow. “Fifty five years. Going twice…”

“There has to be something else. What good would I be to you? I’m a useless human.”

He laughed. Not a snicker or giggle, but a full-blown belly laugh. It was seriously creepy. “Simple human? Hardly. You got here, didn’t you?”

“What would I have to do?” I was desperate. The truth was, no matter what he said, I’d agree. I refused to lose my parents. But the least I could do was make it seem like I’d bargain.

“Nothing hard, actually. If rumors of your reputation are true, you might even enjoy it.”

Rumors of my reputation? I had a reputation? Despite my situation, I was kind of proud. A rep. That had reached hell.

“You’d mostly be enforcing deals like ours. Checking up to see that words were being honored, dunking the ones that weren’t.”

“Dunking?”

“You saw the souls in the river on your way in, I trust? All poor bastards that reneged on their deals.”

And with that, a moment of clarity came. I understood now why Mom told Lukas she’d help him even though she was sure she couldn’t. I idolized my mom, but up until that moment, I never truly realized what an amazing woman she was. The choices she had to make. The things she had to sacrifice. All for the greater good. And now it was my turn to step up and make the hard choice. It’s what I’d been begging for, and now that I was standing on the cusp, I wanted nothing more than to go back to arguing with her about it.

“Better hurry. Deals like this don’t last…”

I wanted more time. Time with Lukas. Time to think. Time to have been a kid.

But time was up.

“Lukas. I want Lukas freed from the box.”

“That,” he said with a slight frown. “I cannot do.”

“You can’t.” I knew I should watch my tone, but I couldn’t help it. Demons were a braggy bunch. I’d never heard one admit there was anything they couldn’t do. Wouldn’t? Sure. Couldn’t? Not an ice cube’s chance in hell.

“I can’t free him. But someone else can.”

It was Simon all over. “So I’ve heard. A name might be nice, though.”

Valefar shook his head. “Do we have a deal or not?”

“Tell me what to do to save Lukas,” I growled. He couldn’t dangle that and really expect me to let it go.

“Lukas is not part of our deal. Just your parents. Them for fifty-five years.”

“You said fifty, not fifty-five!”

“And you had the audacity to haggle. That automatically raises the price.”

“What about Lukas?”

Arms folded, his jaw tightened. “I like you, Jessie. I’ve given you a freebie by telling you there’s a chance to save him. Do not push your luck. You’re a smart girl. You’ll figure it out. Now. Our deal. Going, going, gon—”

“Fine,” I said. “My parents and a question for fifty-five years.”

He smiled, stomping his foot triumphantly. “Done.”

I swallowed. “We have a deal.”

“Excellent!” He reached for my hand. The moment our skin touched, a sharp pain exploded in my stomach. Knees giving out, I crumpled to the ground, Valefar’s hand still gripping mine.

Scraping skin. Like someone was dragging the tip of a knife over my stomach and abdomen. Warmth flooded my limbs, spreading from my stomach and out to the tips of my toes and fingers. A wave of vertigo and the strong smell of salt water. Gasping for air, I pulled the edge of my shirt up. My previously too pale skin was now decorated with a scrolling design—like Celtic knot-work dripping with intricate, blood red leaves. It was beautiful—but it shouldn’t have been there.

“What—”

“That is Desakay. In the Shadow Realm, it symbolizes destiny. I thought it fitting. Each leaf represents one year of service. As the years pass, the leaves will disappear. When they’re gone, you have your freedom.” He held out his other hand. In it, a pointed black stone with red veins hung from a think leather cord.

“What’s that?”

“With this around your neck, you need only call out my name and I will hear you.” He took a step back. “And?”

I turned the crystal over in my hands a few times. It was beautiful. The smooth surface was slightly warm to the touch. “And what?”

“Your question?”

Oh. Wow. Way to play it smooth… “My Grandfather—Joseph Darker. I think he made a deal with a demon.”

“That’s not a question.”

“I want to know. For sure.”

“Why do you want to know?”

“We had a deal,” I warned.

“Not to worry. I’ll answer your question. I’m merely curious.”

“These things tend to come back and bite people in the ass,” I said. “I’d feel better if I could see it coming.”

He laughed. “I’m afraid it’s a little too late for that…”

“What does that mean?”

“You’re correct. Joseph Darker did make a deal. To prevent the death of his wife during childbirth.” Valefar grinned. “But you already knew that.”

I nodded. I hadn’t known, but I’d been pretty sure. “Who did he make the deal with? And what were the terms?”

He waggled his finger, lips curling at the corners. “Tsk, tsk, Sweet Pea. That’s two questions.”

Technically, he was right. I was an idiot. I knew better and still phrased it wrong. Good thing Mom wasn’t here to see this. I’d been insisting I could run with the big dogs, when really, I was still a small, stupid puppy.

Hands on his hips, Valefar winked. “But as I said before, I like you…so I’ll give you one more freebie. Ask your question again.”

I’d end up paying for this somehow, I just knew it, but it didn’t matter. I needed to know. “Okay… Who did Joseph Darker make the deal to save his wife with?”

“He made the deal with me, of course. Why do you think you’re here?”

Chapter Thirty-three

Suddenly, hell wasn’t such a warm place. The chills racing up and down my spine could’ve kept ice cream solid for weeks. “What?”

He shrugged. “Let’s not be dramatic. What we have is a mutually beneficial relationship.”

“I don’t understand. I’m the terms? My grandfather died before I was even born.”

“My apologies.” He rounded the desk and settled into his chair. “Nasty curse the Darker family had on them. Nasty indeed. The women always died in childbirth. That Wells witch was a vindictive one, wasn’t she?”

“So he came to you to stop it.”

Valefar nodded. “And of course, I agreed—for a price.”

“Me?”

“Your mother, actually.”

“My—”

“I agreed to lift the curse over your family in exchange for the service of Joseph’s child.”

I felt sick. “He wouldn’t do that.”

“You’re underestimating the love the fool had for his wife—but you’re correct. He didn’t want to do it. He agreed—but with a clause.”

“Clause?”

“Little known thing about Darker genetics—they only seem to produce sons.” He waved his hand in the air. “Annoying, but true. He thought he was being tricky. Joseph agreed to willingly hand over his child—only if it was a girl. He never expected it to happen.”

“If we only have boys, how did he just happen to have a girl?”

The demon winked. “Stick with me, baby. I’ve got tricks you couldn’t imagine.”

The office seemed to be getting smaller. “Okay, so obviously Mom doesn’t work for you.”

“Joseph had to hand the child over willingly. Of course when she was born, he refused.”

“And you couldn’t just take her.”

He snapped his fingers, frowning. “Doesn’t work that way. There are rules—even for someone like me.”

“What do I have to do with any of it?”

“I was furious when Joseph double-crossed me, but I’m the kind of demon that can see the bigger picture. I could have dunked him right then and there, but I chose to wait until I knew the next generation was on its way.”

“Dunk him? You mean he’s—”

Valefar frowned. “In the river? Of course. Come on, now, you don’t strike me as dim. Where else would someone who’s gone back on his deal be?” He stood and came around to the front of the desk. “The Darker line owed me an employee. You were kind enough to supply me with one.”

For the first time in a long while, I had nothing to say. Speechless. No point to argue, no opinion to express. Just nada. I wanted to play with the big kids. Make my own choices and finally step away from the kid’s table.

I’d gotten my wish. And although I had a feeling this was the most monumentally stupid thing I’d ever done, it would save Mom. And that was all that counted. I couldn’t go head to head with Meredith on my own. She’d metaphorically spanked me like a prison yard bitch the last time we tried. When the enemy could simply snap her fingers and incapacitate you, you needed to pull out the big guns.

Valefar shooed me to the door. “We’re done here.”

“What about my parents?”

“All in good time, little demon. All in good time. Right now, though, it’s past your bedtime.”

With a snap of his finger, the room shimmied and stretched, then disappeared altogether.

A second later, I was back in my own room, on my bed.

“Lukas?” I was off the mattress and down the hall in a flash, panic rising in my chest. “Lukas, are you here?”

He rounded the corner as I came to the top of the stairs. “What happened? I—”

“Valefar. He must have sent us back here.” I made my way down the rest of the steps. The lights were off, the only glow coming from the clock above the DVD player. Everything was exactly how we left it. Including the hour. According to the clock, only two minutes had passed since we’d gone to the Shadow Realm.

“How did it go?”

Giving him the gory details wouldn’t really help. “He’s going to help us.”

“And?”

I shrugged. “And now we have to wait for Meredith to call.” I sank into Mom’s chair. “I’m sure she’ll leave us hanging—but that’s a good thing.”

“A good thing?”

I opened Mom’s top drawer and pulled out a thick leather-clad book. Thumping it onto the desk, I tapped the cover. “It’ll give us some time to figure out what Simon and Valefar meant about saving you. They both said there was a chance, and that it was right under our noses. All we need to do is find out what it is.”

He sank into the chair across from me and peered over the stacks of paper. “And that’s going to help?”

“Simon’s brother Charles started this. From the dates, I’d bet it wasn’t long after you got re-trapped in the box and Simon was killed. It categorizes and lists every Otherworlder he ever crossed paths with.” I opened the book to a random page. “All the Darkers since have added to it. It’s like an Otherworlder encyclopedia.”

“You think something in there will tell us where to look?”

We were running on time fumes. In less than six hours, Lukas would be pulled back into the box, and I would lose him forever. This was my last chance to save him. “If there’s something out there that’s got the power to help you, it’ll be in here.”

…

I slammed the book closed with a heated snap. All night and we still had nothing. I wasn’t a pessimist by any definition, but I was seriously starting to doubt we’d find what we were looking for in time.

On the couch across the room, Lukas had his nose buried in a book. Every once in awhile, I’d glance over and catch him watching me with an odd smile on his face. He meant what he’d said about going back in the box. He didn’t want to—he’d miss me—but he was at peace with it. He felt he deserved it because of what he’d been planning to do to his father.

“We’ve only got a few hours left,” I said, voice low. If someone else had said it in a similar situation, I would’ve been tempted to slug them. Stating the obvious was a serious pet peeve. But I felt compelled to say something—and that was all I could come up with. I slammed my hand down on the desk and kicked at the chair.

Lukas stood and came to the edge of the desk. “Jessie, you did all you could.”

“I guess no matter how hard I tried, this was inevitable.”

“What was?”

“My family is cursed.”

“Not anymore. Didn’t you say Valefar lifted it?”

“That’s not what I mean. In love. We’re cursed in love.”

“Why would you say that?”

I shrugged. “Simon loved your mother. They had to die to be together. Grandpa lost Grandma not long after Mom was born—even with the deal he made. Mom fell in love with someone she could never really be with. And now—” I sucked in a breath, unable to continue.

His lip twitched.

I wouldn’t say it. The “L” word. The worst four letters strung together to make the most evil word in all history. The best thing about Lukas, though? I didn’t think I had to say it. He knew how I felt without all the stupid words and mushy, overdone sentiment.

“If it hadn’t been for the box, I would have never met you.” Leaning across the desk, he cupped the side of my face and smiled. “I know this is hard for you to understand, but being here, the time we’ve had together… Knowing that the perfect someone for me was out there—it makes it all worth it.”

“How can you even say that?”

I was leaning forward now, so our faces, our lips, were just a fraction of an inch apart.

“I would have been nothing more than dust and bones long before you came into the world—yet I wasn’t. I got to find you.” His lips brushed mine once and he pulled away. “I got to know you. How could I regret that?”

I couldn’t stomach the acceptance in his eyes, so I looked away. Scanning the room for something else to focus on, my gaze found yesterday’s mail. A bill from Citibank, an ad from the local food store—and peeking out from the bottom, something that looked like a postcard.

Sliding the flyer and bill to the side, I picked up the small card. It was decorated with a scantily clad bimbo in a string bikini strolling across the sand. When I flipped it over, the bottom dropped from my stomach.

Sorry I didn’t give you a heads up before I left. I got called on a last minute job that turned into a vacation op. Neck deep in senoritas and margaritas–wish you were here.

-Love Paulson

The postmark said it was mailed two days ago from Cancun, Mexico. Two days ago, Lukas and I had been standing in Paulson’s living room—with Paulson.

“What’s wrong?” Lukas stood.

I wanted to say the postcard was a fake. How hard was it to forge someone’s handwriting? I did it all the time. Or maybe, Paulson had been on vacation and had the hotel he was staying at mail it for him. Maybe they’d forgotten and mailed it late.

But all that aside, Paulson would have mentioned being in Mexico when I’d seen him. He’d been trying for years to get Mom—and me—to go away with him. Strictly on a platonic level, he’d say to Mom, even though we all knew that was crap.

I handed Lukas the postcard. He skimmed it several times before setting it down. “You think it was Meredith?”

“Had to be. When we first met back at the school, she told me she could look like anyone she wanted.”

“But your friend seemed to know you. He mentioned something about the last time he saw you.”

“There are ways around that. Any third-rate psychic could give her that information. Or a demon.”

A demon.

Lukas didn’t get it. “But why would Meredith help us find the box?”

“Sonofabitch! They played me,” I whispered, falling back into the chair. My head was spinning like the Tilt-a-Whirl at the local fair. “I’m such an idiot!”

“I don’t understand.”

“I knew that summoning ritual had to be performed at Simon’s grave. I knew it. The things he used—the name and my blood?” If there was an award for biggest screw up ever, I was a prime candidate. “I walked right into it.”

“Walked right into what, Jessie? What are you saying?”

“It was a set up. He was the one she was talking about. The one who gave her the spell in 1882. Valefar’s been helping Meredith all along.”

Chapter Thirty-four

Three hours left…

I was still stewing over my own stupidity when the alarm went off. Meredith had called close to six a.m. and instructed me to meet her at eleven with Lukas, the box, and the other Sins. We’d fallen asleep on the couch going through Mom’s book again. And again.

I slipped out of the office and made my way upstairs. We had three hours ’til we needed to meet Meredith. She’d set up shop in the old Morgan House—a bed and breakfast on the edge of town that closed three years ago because of a fire. It was good luck. I knew the layout of the place fairly well. We’d gotten rid of a few ghosts from the fire over the years.

There was still a chance to make this all work. I had Greed, Gluttony, and Sloth plus Lukas—she had Lust, Pride, and Kendra, AKA Envy. There was still a chance to save Kendra and the last two people if we could put the Sins back into the box before the time ran out. And Lukas…well, I still had no idea what to do.

Digging into my closet, I started yanking out supplies. Obviously, the traditional stuff wouldn’t work in this case. Fairy dust, fire, binding spells—I had a feeling those things would only make Meredith giggle with a case of the tickles. But under all that power and insanity, witch or no witch, the bitch was still human. And humans, no matter how powerful, had their frailties.

I pulled out the gift Dad sent for my sixteenth birthday. Shiny and new—still in its antique case. Most girls my age would’ve gone for the potpourri or lavender incense to calm their nerves—but not me. The smell of new steel was comforting.

It smelled like home.

Once I was dressed and heavily armed, I pulled the last item from the closet. An old book of wards Kendra had given me a few Christmases ago. Meredith could work some pretty badass mojo. Anything I could do to negate even a little bit increased our chances. Sure, Valefar had agreed to help free my parents—no matter what game he was playing, he couldn’t go back on his word—but that still left the last three Sins and their innocent rides to deal with. And of course, the queen of crazy herself, Meredith. Something told me Valefar wasn’t going to do any extra work.

“It’s almost time to go,” Lukas said from the doorway.

Moving to my desk, I picked up the chalcedony crystal and stuffed it into my pocket, then pulled out a black Sharpie and opened the book. Tapping the page, I handed the marker to Lukas and pulled my shirt forward.

“You need to draw this on my back.”

He flushed a little, but didn’t question. There was a small pop as the cap came off, and the slight whisper of marker on skin. The cool felt point was an epic contrast to the fiery tips of his fingers as both glided across my back. Round and round, I could almost picture the intricate design taking form. He was an artist and I was his art.

After a few minutes, the tip of the marker lifted, leaving only the warmth of his fingers. They retraced the design, skimming feather light across my back from shoulder to shoulder. Up the back of my neck, then down my spine.

A shiver ran through me, and I tried to turn around, but Lukas stopped me. “Wait,” he whispered, voice sort of hoarse.

The tip of his finger went to work again, this time in specific patterns. Letters. The first one was easy. It started behind my right shoulder.

I

A few inches over, the next.

L

“For the first time,” he whispered. “I feel no regret.”

O

I closed my eyes to keep the tears from spilling. This wasn’t fair. I wanted more time with him.

V

E

“Lukas…” I didn’t want him to finish. It’d only make things harder.

Y

“Shh.”

O

U

I turned to face him. He knew how I felt about the “L” word, so he’d found a way to tell me without actually speaking it. “You’re going back in the box.” A stupid thing to say in the middle of my first, hot, semi-naked moment with a guy, but it was the elephant in the room. The big-with-bells-on, stupid, death row elephant.

“I know. But, I’ve accepted it. You need to do the same.”

I closed my eyes and leaned into him. “Kiss me.”

With a whisper-light touch, his lips brushed mine then pulled away. For a moment, I was sure that was it, that he was done and would leave, but a few seconds later, his warmth returned, and my world exploded.

He spun me around and lifted me onto the desk, hands everywhere all at once. I let my shirt fall to the floor, oddly uncaring that I was sitting up in my room, kissing the hottest guy in existence—also someone technically old enough to be an ancestor—in nothing more than my black sports bra and favorite monster mashing jeans.

Fingers skimmed my bare arms from shoulder to wrist, then back again before trailing up my neck to tangle in the long strands of my dark hair. These kisses were different than before. Greedy. Laced with anger and passion and need. The intensity of it all scared me a little, but more than that, it drove me higher than I ever thought possible.

I wrapped both legs around his waist in an attempt to pull us closer together. No space. I wanted nothing between us. Suddenly, my jeans, his clothing, it all felt too restricting. I made a move to tug at the edges of his T-shirt, but he stopped me, instead capturing my wrists in his hands and tucking them away behind my back.

“No,” he breathed, lips against mine. “Just be still.”

I obeyed, a sharp thrill shooting like electricity through my entire body. I expected him to do the honors himself, but instead, his hands circled my waist again, fingers digging into the skin. I gasped—not in pain, but surprise—and nipped at his bottom lip.

“Just be…” he inhaled sharply, fingers flexing as I trailed a line of kisses down to the hollow of his neck. “…still.”

“We could…” I managed. “I want to…”

Heart hammering to match my own, Lukas tensed in my arms.

A moment later, an unwelcomed chill blew through the room. The scorching heat and tingles faded all too fast, and I realized he’d moved away.

When I opened my eyes, he was gone. Out the door and already making his way down the stairs.

I started to follow, but a flash of white caught my eye. Something folded—a piece of paper on the edge of the desk.

Unfolding it, my breath caught. In astonishing detail, a sleeping version of me was captured on the paper. One arm tucked under the couch pillow, the other wrapped around a large book. Several strands of hair lay across my cheek while the rest blanketed my bare shoulder. Lips slightly parted as if mid-whisper. The girl looked so young. So innocent. There was something powerful on that page. So deep. Was this how Lukas saw me? This delicate thing that looked so fragile? So breakable? At the bottom of the page, scrawled in elegant cursive, it said, My Serenity.

The paper slipped from my hands and fluttered to the ground.

Chapter Thirty-five

One hour left…

Rene Morgan and her husband opened the Morgan house the year I was born. Up until the fire several years ago, it was one of Penance’s only tourist draws. Apparently, some big travel magazine had done a spread on them. Now the formerly beautiful three-story Victorian was a pale, hollow ghost of its glory days.

We were about to start up the walkway when Lukas doubled over.

“What is it?”

He sucked in a deep breath and glared at the house. Straightening, he said, “We have to hurry. Time is short. The box is preparing to call us back.” With a quick glance at my bag, he started forward again. I followed.

I raised my hand to knock, but thought twice. This wasn’t a social call. The lamiae hadn’t knocked when she’d sent them to snack on us.

Adjusting my backpack, I turned the knob. Unlocked. Not a shocker. I stepped through the door, Lukas on my heels. There were a few candles lit around the room—witches lived for candlelight for some reason. They cast odd, dancing shadows on the wall that seemed to follow us with each step we took. I took a breath through my mouth in hopes it would help with the stench. The air was thick with dust, and the place smelled like burnt plastic and mold. It made my eyes water.

A few steps in and my sneaker came down on a creaky board. I cringed as the protesting wood announced our entrance with an echoing moan. So much for the element of surprise.

“What’s this?” Lukas stepped around me and picked a small yellow piece of paper from the floor. “Basement,” he read aloud and turned it around so I could see. It had a big smiley face on the front.

Creaking to our left announced the door—I assumed to the basement—opening.

Lukas snorted. “She always was all about showmanship.”

I couldn’t help smiling. Holding out my hand, I said, “Well, let’s go give her the ride of her annoyingly long life.”

We rounded the corner and started down the dark stairway. Flickering light at the bottom told me Meredith hadn’t bothered magically rebooting power to the house. It made navigation tricky—but not impossible.

“You made it!” she squealed as we reached the bottom. “I was starting to wonder which one of your parents I’d have to torture first.”

Under my T-shirt, the black crystal Valefar had given me lay warm against my skin. Not yet, a tiny voice inside my head whispered. Wait.

“Okay, so we’re all here. Now what?”

“Where are the other Sins?” she asked casually. She was leaning against the wall at the far corner of the room, grinning like we were all old friends. Around the edges of the unfinished basement were the other three Sins—Amari, Vida, and Kendra. Standing flush against the wall and still as stone, they watched us in silence. At the other end of the room, Mom and Dad sat in a corner side by side. Next to them, a woman lay crumpled and unconscious.

I held up my bag and nodded to my parents. “In the box. Let Kendra and my parents go.”

“Give me the box first.” She turned to Lukas, batting her eyes. “And you come stand over here by me.”

Neither of us moved. Meredith sighed and put her hand out, wriggling her fingers. “Come on. Hand it over. Time’s almost up.”

“Kendra and my parents first.”

“Aww. Someone has trust issues.” She snickered. “Fine, then. I don’t have time to do this the easy way.” With a snap of her fingers, Lukas was in front of her, and just like the other day, I couldn’t move.

As if some unseen force was dragging him to the ground, Lukas struggled to stay on his feet. “Meredith—”

“If you won’t take my gift voluntarily, I’ll force it on you. You’ll thank me for it later—after you realize you still love me.” From out of nowhere, Meredith produced a small blade. Slicing open the palm of her hand, she held it against his forehead and began to chant. “EGO dico in phasmatis of Ira, solvo is vultus. EGO dico in phasmatis of Ira, peto tectum in alius cognatio populus.”

Pale and shaking, Lukas let out a blood-chilling scream. It bounded off the walls and echoed in the small space, making the hairs on the back of my neck stand at attention. Fists balled tight, he lost his battle with gravity and collapsed under an invisible weight at Meredith’s feet.

“Phasmatis of Ira, EGO to order vos licentia is somes.”

The girl. She was going to transfer Wrath to the unconscious girl.

But nothing happened. With more force, Meredith repeated, “Phasmatis of Ira, EGO to order vos licentia is somes.”

Eyes blazing, Lukas let out a laugh. The sound rivaled the most spine-numbing cry I’d ever heard. When he spoke, his voice had an inhuman echo to it. “You can’t take it unless I let you.”

“Phasmatis of Ira, EGO to order vos licentia is somes,” Meredith said again, louder and with more force. Fingers threading through his hair, she was starting to look annoyed.

I could feel the ward tingling against the skin on my back. It was fighting the magic that kept me rooted. Just a little more… Any second I’d be free.

“Phasmatis of Ira, EGO to order vos licentia is somes.”

More laughter from Lukas. Only this time, he was standing. With a growl, he knocked Meredith’s hand away and took a single step forward.

Meredith might have been cuckoo for Cocoa Puffs, but I could see it in her eyes. She knew a roadblock when she saw one. Expression morphing from annoyed to amused, she thrust both hands out and sent Lukas flying backward without laying a finger on him. He careened through the wooden banister and crashed against the wall, landing with a thud at the bottom of the steps.

Satisfied he was out of her way, Meredith turned to me. “Fine. Your turn, then.”

I laughed. “I hate to tell you this, Mer, but I’m not an angry girl. That transfer mojo won’t work on me.”

She was still smiling. Not a good sign since I’d just poked a state-sized hole through her little delusion.

“For Wrath, you mean? Of course not. He won’t give up the Sin to save a stranger. I wouldn’t expect him to give it up and trap you in the box.” Her smile widened. “But someone else is more than willing.”

I tried flexing my arm. No luck, but the fingers on my right hand twitched. Getting there. Just needed to stall things a little longer…

“I don’t understand something,” I mused. “You said, and I quote, Your fate has been arranged for a long, long time. If you planned to off me then what was that supposed to mean?”

She started pacing, head tilted in reflection. For once, I was glad she loved hearing herself talk. It might buy me the time I needed. “Well, just between us girls, I wasn’t supposed to touch you. That was the deal. Valefar did me a solid back in 1882 by giving me that spell and a way to gain my freedom. He said he would ask for a favor in the future, but imagine his surprise when he came to collect and found me buried like last week’s trash.”

“Yes. Imagine that…”

She ignored my sarcasm as though I hadn’t spoken. “We have quite a history. He does me a favor—I do him one. It’s all very convenient. I owed him for the spell, and then again for freeing me from Simon Darker’s prison.”

“So he told you I was hands-off and you, what, pretended not to hear? Because this is kind of the opposite of leaving me alone. Just, yanno, FYI.”

Meredith grinned. “He cut me a deal. I owed him two favors, but he would wipe away all my debt if I simply found the box containing the Seven Deadly Sins and arranged to have a person of his choosing open it. A demon named Damien. He told me I was free to exact my revenge on the Darker line with the single stipulation that I leave you alone. He even said I could take Lukas back if I wanted.” She leaned in close and giggled. “I agreed, of course. I was free and got to have my revenge on the Darker line, and I could have another chance with my fiancé. Really, I was making out in the agreement. But then I met you at the school, and I knew there was no way I could do as promised. You insulted me and waved Lukas in my face. He was mine first, and you had no right to him.”

Lukas said Meredith had always been a spoiled child. Obviously, nothing much had changed. She threw away her toy, bored with it, then as soon as someone else showed an interest, she wanted it back. “You put him in the box—or have you forgotten? Why the hell would you care?”

Her eyes narrowed. “I told you I changed my mind about that.”

“So now what? You’re obviously planning to double-cross Valefar. Is that such a good idea? Demons don’t take kindly to backstabbers.”

“I admit, I do feel badly about going back on my word, but there are just some things a girl can’t ignore. I was hoping you’d be open to Wrath. That would have been poetic, but Pride will have to do.”

My blood ran cold. The box. She was going to put me in the box.

Hand still dripping from the cut she made, Meredith reached for me. “EGO dico in phasmatis of Superbia—”

From the other side of the room, Mom let out an anguished scream.

That was the moment my knees unlocked. Hand going straight for the knife in my belt, I launched myself at the witch, ready to draw blood.

But as fast as I was, a witch was always going to be faster. She blinked out of existence, reappearing by the base of the stairs where Lukas was just getting to his feet.

“Look out!” I yelled as she appeared behind him.

Lukas swiveled and threw his weight at her middle. Caught off guard, they both hit the concrete floor and rolled a few feet.

With Meredith occupied, I turned and started for the other end to free my parents but didn’t get more than three steps when something hit me in the back of the head. I went down on one knee, catching myself before I tumbled completely, but my bag wasn’t so lucky. It slipped from my shoulder and crashed to the floor a few feet away.

I saw the box a fraction of a second before she did. Throwing myself forward, I shot it across the floor toward Lukas. It skated over the concrete, coming to a jarring stop when it hit his feet. He grabbed it and whirled to the wall. Chained by Meredith’s magic, Kendra, still controlled by Envy, had no place to go.

“I’ll make your eternity more painful than you can possibly imagine,” she snarled.

There was no hesitation. No retort on Lukas’ part. In one swift motion, he had the latch undone, the box opened and aimed. For a moment, nothing happened. Then, as a bright green light began to form, Kendra’s eyes went wide.

“NO!” Kendra’s body bellowed. Her scream was cut short as the light surged up her throat and out her mouth, diving for the box. Finally free from Envy, Kendra, slumped forward, eyes closed and silent.

One down. Two more to go. I left Lukas to recapture the other Sins and was on my feet again, lunging for my parents. Somewhere behind me, I heard Vida scream and saw a flash of dark blue light shadow across the wall. Lust had been banished. Only Pride left.

“Why didn’t you just shadow out?” I panted as I fumbled the knife.

Dad held out his wrists, bound in thick rope. “Soaked in quartz.”

I got the blade to the rope and was about to slice when I was jerked backwards. The knife flew from my hands and clattered to the floor, just out of Mom’s reach.

“Not so fast. We have unfinished business.”

I climbed to my feet. Lukas was inching his way around the room, behind Meredith and over to where Amari—AKA Pride—stood against the wall.

“Your family has been a thorn in my side for over one hundred years. Simon Darker threatened me.” Meredith laughed. “Me!”

She held her hand out and I was stuck again. This time, the ward was useless. She’d underestimated me last time. Not again.

“He told people I’d killed my parents. And Lukas.”

I couldn’t help it. “You did!”

“And then you come along and try to take what’s mine.”

Lukas was almost to Amari.

Meredith glared at me, then, with a smile, whirled toward Lukas. Pointing to Amari, she said, “Not that one.” Like it was attached to a giant rubber band, the box flew from his hands and landed in hers.

“EGO dico in phasmatis of Superbia, solvo is vultus. EGO dico in phasmatis of Ira, peto tectum in alius cognatio populus.”

Like someone had dropped a building on my shoulders, my knees buckled and I crumbled to the ground just as Lukas had before. With each word she spoke, the pain intensified. Lukas had said it was like being pulled apart and set on fire. That didn’t even come close. It started in my legs, spreading like poison throughout my entire body. A pulling sensation accompanied by fierce heat. A thousand tiny fingers were gripping my skin, tugging hard enough to remove it from my bones. With my eyes closed, I could almost see them. Ripping and shredding my flesh.

Meredith’s palm, sticky and wet, rested against my forehead. “Phasmatis of Superbia, EGO to order vos licentia is somes.”

A scream ripped from my throat.

“Phasmatis of Superbia, EGO to order vos licentia is somes. Phasmatis of Superbia, EGO to order vos licentia is somes. Phasmatis of Superbia, EGO to order vos licentia is somes.”

Most of the breath left my lungs in a single, painful push. One word. I only needed to be able to say one more word. “Val—” The rest was lost to an involuntary scream as the remainder of the air squeezed from my lungs.

Meredith grabbed a handful of my hair. Jerking me forward, face in mine, she whispered, “Phasmatis of Superbia, EGO to—”

I couldn’t gather the air to scream it, but I did manage a whisper. “Valefar…”

Meredith was close. She heard the word and, for a minute, looked utterly confused. She blinked several times before pulling away, eyes wide.

Everything went silent. Mom’s yelling. Lukas’ curses. Even the occasional dripping pipes had stopped. It was like the entire room just…froze.

“Stand, Jessie,” a deep voice boomed from behind me.

Like someone had opened a window on a cool, spring day, the air rushed back and most of the pain faded.

Valefar stood in the middle of the room. He was wearing the same clothing I’d seen him in earlier, along with the same amused expression. Part of me was surprised. Deal or no deal, in the pit of my stomach, I was afraid he’d find a way to weasel out.

“Free your parents.” His voice was even, but something underneath it all gave me the chills. Like the eye of a hurricane. Dormant and waiting to decimate. In that instant, I felt sorry for Meredith. If the look on the demon’s face was any indication, she was screwed.

Grabbing the knife from the floor, I made my way to where Mom and Dad were bound. With a little pressure, the blade sliced the rope like it was cutting through pudding.

I was so focused on freeing my parents that I didn’t notice Dad’s expression. Once his hands were free, he reached for the black crystal on my neck. I’d tucked it under my T-shirt, but in the confusion, it must have slipped out. He tugged it—lightly at first—then harder. The string stayed firmly in place. Like a shackle, I couldn’t help thinking.

“What did you do?” he whispered.

“What I had to.” I turned to Mom and cut through her ropes. She said nothing, looking back and forth between Dad and me with a slightly panicked look on her face.

“We had a deal,” Meredith cried as I stood. My dad was helping my mom off the ground, while Lukas came to stand beside me.

Valefar laughed. “I honored my end of our deal. Are you not free? Did you not have ample opportunity to exact your revenge on the Darker clan?”

Meredith was shaking her head. In fact, her whole body was shaking. There was a good chance she was going into shock. “I—”

“I don’t understand,” Lukas said. “You helped Meredith in 1882 for a favor, but how did you know you would need one? Joseph hadn’t been born yet so you had no way to know he’d go back on his.”

Valefar winked at him. “I make it my business to secure favors whenever possible. Deals. It’s what demons do, boy. You never know when something might come up.”

Meredith ran her hands through her hair and let out a whimper. She was looking at the ground and rocking back and forth. Valefar patted her shoulder and leaned close to whisper in her ear. The witch stiffened, eyes growing wide.

Straightening, the demon flashed us a smarmy grin. “I knew Miss Wells had a tie to the Scotts. The Scotts have a very interesting history with the Darkers. And the Darkers have always been…interesting to me. I freed Meredith from Simon Darker’s earthy prison and arranged for her to get the box. I promised that she would get what she wanted—an opportunity for revenge—and instructed her to ensure Damien opened it. By involving Damien, I surmised it might eventually lead Jessie to seek my aid. When she arrived on my doorstep, it provided me with the opportunity to satisfy the deal Joseph Darker made.”

“That’s so…contrived,” I said.

Valefar turned to me and tipped an imaginary hat. “I’m a demon, Sugar Plum. It’s how we roll.” His grin faded. “You requested my aid in freeing your parents. I have done so as promised. You plan on honoring your end of our deal, correct?”

“What choice do I have?”

“No!” Dad roared. He whirled on Valefar. “Do not do this. I have served you faithfully for the last thousand years. Spare her.”

The demon’s expression darkened. “It is done. And because I like you so much, Jessie, I’m going to throw in an extra gift.”

“Gift?”

“No,” Mom whispered. She was gripping Dad’s hand, face pale.

“You especially will like this one, Klaire Darker. I promise.”

“I want to leave,” Meredith said, voice shaky. “Can I go now?”

“In a moment, dear,” he answered offhandedly and turned to Lukas. “I’m going to free you.”

“But you said—”

“Ahh, very true. Let me rephrase.” He turned to Dad and made a sweeping gesture. “I’m going to let Damien free you.”

Dad hesitated for a moment, gaze lingering on Mom. Watching Valefar and him, I wondered if there wasn’t some kind of boss-employee demon mind-meld thing going on.

Valefar turned to Meredith, who was standing a few feet away. She was still shaking and had a glazed, faraway look in her eyes. “When I met you, you were nothing more than a spoiled, stupid child. I gave you great power and freedom from your oppressive life by supplying you with the spell and suggesting you use it on Lukas Scott.” He circled her. “I then came to your aid once again by freeing you from Simon Darker’s prison and offering to supply the opportunity to get revenge for the wrongs done to you by the Darker family. You were told that Jessie Darker was off limits. You were about to betray me by condemning her to the box. Our agreement is void.”

“She tried to steal Lukas!” Meredith protested. This was a Meredith I was unfamiliar with. Her voice lacked confidence and spite. Instead of the all-powerful witch I’d been so worried about facing, Valefar’s arrival had reduced her to nothing more than a whining child.

“And whose fault is that? I gave you the tools to succeed—you simply failed.” To Dad, he said, “You’ve been loyal, Damien. You will be hard to replace.”

Everything happened so fast. Too fast. One second, Dad was next to Mom and me, the next he was in front of Lukas, my blade in his hand. In a motion too fast for human eyes to follow, Dad buried the blade deep in Lukas’ gut.

“No!” I screamed, rushing forward. I caught him as he collapsed, face frozen in shock.

Valefar disappeared in a puff of black smoke, his voice lingering for several moments. “All debts have been satisfied. I release you, Damien of the Shadow Clan, from my service.”

Chapter Thirty-six

No.

Someone had pushed repeat on the iPod in my brain. It was the only thing I heard.

No. No. No.

Lukas’ eyes fluttered and rolled back until all I could see was white.

“Jessie,” he coughed and tried gasping for air. All he got was a lungful of blood.

“Shh—you’ll get called back to the box. You’ll be okay.” The tears spilled over and fell with soft plops, some hitting his cheek, others landing on the concrete.

It was like someone had popped a balloon full of acid in my chest. Each moment was more painful than the last, and sitting here watching as he moved toward his last breath was the hardest thing I’d ever done. I’d known I was going to lose him. He was going back in the box. But somehow, the idea that he was out there still—in some form—made it a little easier to deal with. But this…

“I meant it, Jessie,” he said. He was fading. I could see the light dying behind those beautiful brown eyes. “Because of you…it was worth…”

And he was gone.

As unexpected and fast as he’d appeared in my life, he’d left it. Air. There just wasn’t enough of it. Everything was silent. The only thing I heard was an annoying sniffle. Normally, I’d tell whoever to suck it up. Work to do and all that. But this time—this time it was me.

I brushed the hair from his face and placed the tiniest of kisses across his forehead. He still smelled like Mom’s lilac shower soap. “I love you,” I whispered, the tears falling harder now. “I know I’m too late, but I love you.”

Someone pulled me to my feet. Dad. “You need to back away.”

Everything blurred and took on a ragged, red tone. For an instant, I was sure Lukas must still be alive—there was no other way I could feel such anger…such rage. I whirled on Dad, lashing out. In that moment, he wasn’t my dad. He was a demon. One I wanted to strike down. Lukas had been so very wrong. I had anger. A lifetime worth had pushed to the surface and was ready to explode.

I hit him in the stomach, his chest—anywhere my fists could make contact. “This is setting him free? Killing him?” I screamed over and over again.

He let me pummel him for a moment before grabbing my hands and nudging me away like I was made of feathers. “Jessie, this was the only way to keep him from the box. I’m—”

Three things happened at once. On the floor to the left, the box started to shake and Meredith, still cowering in the corner, started to scream. The latch shimmied and rattled until it finally flipped open and the top shot up. In the blink of an eye, Dad was beside Lukas. His stomach had started glowing—a deep pulsing red—while on the other side of the room, Amari began to thrash and scream.

Time was up.

“Get back,” Dad growled, leaning over to retrieve the knife. Even with all the screaming, I could hear the sound it made, wet and wrong, as he pulled it from Lukas’ stomach.

There was a moment of silence. Amari spasmed and with one final scream, her entire body exploded in a shower of violet light. It bounced off several of the walls before diving into the box.

Lukas’ light pulsed but didn’t engulf his entire form. Centered in the middle of his stomach, it flashed twice then shot up the length of his body, out his throat, and across the room.

Right at Meredith.

Right into Meredith.

She didn’t get the chance to scream. I could see in her eyes she wanted to—seconds before the light swallowed her whole. She might’ve even tried, but like Amari, she exploded into a ball of light, ricocheting off the walls before diving into the box. This time, the latch snapped closed and locked behind her.

The Seven Deadly Sins were dormant again.

And Meredith had gotten what she deserved. A lifetime stuck in Lukas’ shoes. It hurt to know he hadn’t been able to see it. He deserved to see it.

Fresh tears trickled down my cheeks as Dad guided me to where Mom was standing. I wanted to lash out, to hit him again, but I had no energy left. All I could do was stand there and stare at Lukas’ lifeless body.

With my blade in his hand, Dad made a small incision at the center of his palm. He was frowning. “You should know I would never do something to hurt you, Jessie. Have some faith in me.”

Positioning his clenched fist over Lukas’ mouth, the blood dripped across his lips. One. Two. Three. Four. Drop after drop of blood. Lifesaving blood.

Of course. Demon blood could heal. We’d been using the Lupkee elixir for years. It was made, in part, with demon’s blood. I dropped to my knees beside Lukas as Dad stepped away. A few moments passed and the knot in my chest threatened to unravel, taking my sanity along with it. What if Lukas was different because of Wrath? What if he’d been dead too long? I knew there was a limit, I just didn’t know what it was.

Just when I was about to start shaking him—because that would have done a world of good—his lip twitched. Then, a second later, his fingers. A twitch here, a flinch there. It was working. Slowly, his eyes opened. He didn’t smile or say a word. He only stared. Liquid brown eyes I’d been sure I’d never see again. I wrapped both arms around him as he struggled to sit up.

“This gift comes with a price, I’m afraid.” Dad stood over us, face grim.

I climbed to my feet and helped Lukas do the same. He looked from me to the box. “I don’t understand.”

“Wrath needed a live host. By killing you, I forced it out. Meredith was the angriest person in the room. The perfect candidate.”

Mom was looking at him funny. Hopeful, yet disappointed somehow. “You said there was a price?”

Dad hesitated. “A demon increases his rank solely by how many minions he commands. Those minions come to us two different ways. With our master’s permission, we can choose special individuals at the time of death. The resurrected is indebted to service for eternity. The other way is people seek us out and choose to serve for an agreed upon length of time in exchange for something. I needed only one more minion to gain myself freedom from Valefar. He granted it by allowing me to save Lukas.”

Dad turned to me, expression darkening. “Of course, that’s because he’d already found my replacement. How long?”

Mom spun around, confused. She’d seen the crystal but didn’t know what it meant. “How long, what?”

Looking Dad in the eye, I squared my shoulders. I’d made my choice. I didn’t regret it. “I did what I had to do.”

Mom’s face paled. “What you had to do?” She turned to Dad. There was panic in her voice. I’d seen Mom worried plenty of times. But panicked? That didn’t happen often. It made my stomach flop because it was about to get worse. “What is she talking about, Damien?”

“How long?” he repeated.

I took a deep breath. No apologies. Truthfully, I was terrified of what I’d done. Seeing Valefar with Meredith. Hearing the panic in Mom’s voice. Dad’s expression… It was starting to sink in. I’d condemned myself to Valefar’s vision. To his supposed destiny. I’d given away my free will. If I could get a do over, would I do the same thing?

Yeah, I would. Without thinking twice. “Fifty-five years.”

Then Mom understood. “Fix it,” she snapped, grabbing a handful of Dad’s shirt. If I didn’t know how truly panicked she was, I would’ve been worried. “Get her out of it!”

Dad reached out and pulled at the black cord around my neck. It still didn’t budge. “There is nothing that can be done about this.” While sad, his voice held the tone of acceptance. This was his area of expertise. If there was a way to break a deal, he’d know about it.

“How could you do something so stupid?” she spat. The panic was gone. Now came the anger. This was better. This I could deal with.

“I was what, supposed to let you die?”

She grabbed my shoulders and gave a good shake. “Do you know what you’ve done?”

“Yeah. I think I do.” I rushed on before she could stop me. “I made a choice. One that was mine to make.”

She let go and took a step back. She was angry, but there was something else. Pride, maybe?

Dad cleared his throat. Turning to Lukas, he said, “I’ll need a strand of your hair.”

Without question, Lukas complied.

Dad closed his hand around the hair and whispered something. When he opened his palm, a blood-red crystal with black veins on a black cord had taken the place of Lukas’ hair.

Something stirred in the pit of my stomach. It was the exact opposite of mine.

“Once around your neck, this seals our deal,” Dad said. He held the crystal out to Lukas. “You will be bound to me and bound to my will. Should you need me, you have only to speak my name, but be warned—it works both ways.”

“So you’re saying Valefar can just snap his fingers and pull me back to the Shadow Realm? Whenever he wants?” Okay. Maybe I was an idiot.

“This is why dealing with a demon is a bad idea. Unless you know what you’re doing, you never get full disclosure.”

I looked over at Mom. She’d seen me do it all. Jump from the roof. Kill my first demon. Have my first beer. Nothing I ever did fazed her. Now she’d seen me make—in her eyes—the biggest mistake of my life, and I think it might’ve broken her.

I tried to lighten to mood. “So, no fair. Lukas’ is a better color than mine. What gives?”

“Each hierarchy has its own color.”

There was a glimmer of hope in Mom’s voice. “Hierarchy? So that means—”

“I’m not tied to Valefar anymore.” He took her hand, and I could see it. Why regardless of Paulson’s years of devotion and endless waiting, it would always be Dad. “I can’t stay permanently, but I can spend a considerable amount of time out of the Shadow Realm. I am my own.”

Lukas slipped the cord around his neck. “So that’s it? I’m normal now?”

I took his hand and squeezed. “That’s right, Pinocchio. You’re a real boy.”

“With obligations,” Dad said. “You care about my daughter?”

Lukas looked from Dad to me, smiling. “I waited 147 years to find her.”

Dad nodded. “Good. Then it will make your assignment easier. You will stay with Jessie and ensure no harm comes to her.”

“I would have done that without the request.”

At first, Dad’s smile was one of an approving father. “I know.” But it didn’t last. His expression darkened. It reminded me of Valefar’s when I’d snapped at him and that scared me. “But so we’re clear for future reference—it was not a request. It was an order.”

Lukas nodded.

Dad turned to Mom and took her hands. “I will see you again soon, Klaire. We will have the life we deserve.” He kissed her briefly and was gone.

Chapter Thirty-seven

I folded my arms and took a step back. “I’m not doing it. The month is up. I’m off the hook.”

“Please?” Mom begged. “Just this once. You can keep the payment.”

“No way. Last time I did one, I got saddled with that thing.” I nodded to the corner of the office. Smokey was nestled on my old pillow—I’d given it up after a nasty round of demon dog yak—gnawing on a yellowing bone that looked suspiciously human. It looked old so chances were he hadn’t killed anything. Recently, anyway.

“You know you love him. He’s grown on you.”

I snorted. “Yeah. Like a genital wart.”

“Is that a yes?”

“Fine. But only if I get the Suffield case.”

She shook her head. “Not a chance.”

“Then no deal.”

She raised her eyebrows. “Haven’t you done enough dealing for awhile?”

We hadn’t really spoken about the deal I’d made with Valefar. I didn’t think she knew what to say, really. She was furious, and I was pretty sure she was spending her nights researching ways to get me out of it, but there was no reason to hash it out. What was done was done.

“Fifty-fifty,” I pushed. “You keep the case, but I get shotgun.”

She thought about it for a moment.

“What could go wrong?” I pressed. “I’ve got a demon doggie—” I nodded to Lukas. “And a guard doggie.”

“Yes. Quite the entourage.”

“And let’s not forget my superhero cape.”

We’d been doing a lot of this since that day in the Morgan house basement. Compromises. As my mom, she was furious about what I’d done. Irresponsible. Reckless. Stupid squared. But as a girl after my own heart, she understood. In the same position, she would have done exactly the same thing.

“Course, she didn’t say that, but I knew.”

I watched her from across the room, and deep down, I knew we were the same, me and Mom. We’d stop at nothing to keep the other safe. And even though she’d tried to fight the lack of normal my entire life, I could tell she was proud. She was even starting to accept it.

Slowly.

“Dishes for a month.”

“Two weeks.”

“Three.”

“Three and radio control for a month.”

She sighed and set a stack of papers down on top of the filing cabinet. “Done.”

“That was Vida on the phone,” Lukas said from behind Mom’s desk.

“How’s she readjusting?”

We’d been able to save all the hosts except for the one Pride had taken. Melissa Hanover, a daycare worker from Jersey who’d been at the Penance hotel visiting her sister, was still among the missing. Unfortunately, she’d remain that way. The others had been lucky. They remembered everything that happened, but escaped in relative health. Sure, there were probably some serious therapy bills in their future, but they had their lives. And their freedom. That was more than poor Melissa could say.

They’d all gone back to their lives, content to never look back. All of them except Vida, that is. In the weeks following her return to reality, she’d kept in touch on an almost daily basis. Regardless of the trouble Lust had caused while wearing her body, I was starting to like the girl.

“She was wondering if Klaire would stand on her behalf. She’s filing paperwork with the court to emancipate herself.”

Mom nodded. “I’ll call her back later.”

Things at school were mostly back to normal. After what happened to Kendra, Cassidy all but forbade her to so much as speak to anyone with the last name Darker. Thankfully, Kendra was standing up to her mother more and more lately and assured me nothing would ever stand in the way of our friendship. Hell. She even managed to get rid of her horns and was practicing—with strict supervision.

Lukas nodded and reached for the phone. A moment later, it started to ring.

We’d only seen Dad once since everything had gone down. He was still setting things up in the Shadow Realm, but assured us he’d be home next week. He also warned us that Lukas, who now had his demonic blood pumping through his veins, would start to develop demon-like resources. Of course, when we asked him what the hell that meant, he’d bailed like someone had lit his ass on fire.

Dad wasn’t the only one who’d bailed. A week after everything went down, I heard from one of the football jocks that Garrett had transferred schools. He was now attending East Lake high. I’d tried calling him once, but got his voice mail. I hadn’t tried again. Honestly, I would never admit it to anyone, but I was secretly glad. In the deepest recesses of my mind, I understood what happened wasn’t his fault. Vida had wammied him. But that didn’t change how I felt. I still woke up in a cold sweat some nights. I would try again. Eventually… I just needed some time.

Mom nodded to Lukas, talking excitedly into the phone. “You know he can’t live on the couch forever, right?”

“Well then start paying him. I’m more than happy to help him find a place of his own.”

She rolled her eyes. “That’s just what I need.”

“What about teen pregnancy and drinking binges? If Lukas had his own place, we could have major grope fests! Total teenage normalcy. That’s what you wanted, right?”

“I’ve changed my mind. I’m chaining him to the couch.”

“Hey, like you always say—be careful what you wish for.”

“Yeah, yeah. Because it will bite you in the ass.”

Something whizzed between us and pinged against the wall. A marker.

“Consult?” Lukas mouthed. The boy caught on fast.

Mom nodded and waited for him to hang up. “What ya got?”

He leaned back, smiling. “A woman in The Ledges swears the Sandman just tried to kill her.”

Acknowledgments

To my parents for simply being who they are, and my brother, who continues to be my technical guru, thank you for always being there. To my husband, who makes every dream I have a reality, I don’t deserve you. Hopefully the universe never figures out its mistake.

Thank you to my editors, Erica and Liz. You guys are always so giddy when I come to you with a new story. I can’t wait to pitch you my latest idea. It involves zombie llama and pumpkin pie…

A huge thank you to my first readers, Katy, Christa, Terri, Mary, and Lori. Your enthusiasm made all the difference in pushing these characters forward.

And to my amazing publicity team, Dani and Anjana, and everyone else from copyedits to Pamela who designed my drool-worthy cover, a thousand thank yous. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again. It takes an entire village to raise a book and I’m eternally grateful.

About the Author

Jus Accardo is the author of YA paranormal romance and urban fantasy fiction. A native New Yorker, she lives in the middle of nowhere with her husband, three dogs, and sometimes guard bear, Oswald. When not writing, she can be found volunteering at the local animal shelter or indulging her passion for food. After being accepted to the Culinary Institute of America, she passed on the spot to pursue a career in writing and has never looked back. As far as she’s concerned, she has the coolest job on earth—making stuff up for a living. She is the author of the Denazen series: Touch, Toxic, and Tremble, as well as the Darker Agency series and the upcoming new adult Ruined. Visit her online at www.jusaccardo.com.

Also available from Entangled’s digiTEEN line:

BENT by Christine O’Neil

My name is Maggie Raynard, and apparently, I’m a succubus. Who knew, right? After sixteen years being just plain old Maggie, I found out I can kill people with my face hole. Sounds cool in theory, but when a boy kisses you and promptly Rip Van Winkles, things go to shit pretty fast. That was months ago, and he’s still not awake. To top it off, the new guy at school, Mac Finnegan, has made it his prime objective to ruin my life. I’m stuck trying to deal with these new powers without any sort of guidance while also dealing with regular high school problems like dances and annoying guys who can’t seem to mind their own business. But Mac isn’t just any boy. He’s got secrets too. I’m going to find out what they are, even if it kills me…

Content

Darker Days
The Darker Agency - 1
by
Jus Accardo

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

Chapter Eleven

Chapter Twelve

Chapter Thirteen

Chapter Fourteen

Chapter Fifteen

Chapter Sixteen

Chapter Seventeen

Chapter Eighteen

Chapter Nineteen

Chapter Twenty

Chapter Twenty-two

Chapter Twenty-three

Chapter Twenty-four

Chapter Twenty-five

Chapter Twenty-six

Chapter Twenty-seven

Chapter Twenty-eight

Chapter Twenty-nine

Chapter Thirty

Chapter Thirty-one

Chapter Thirty-two

Chapter Thirty-three

Chapter Thirty-four

Chapter Thirty-five

Chapter Thirty-six

Chapter Thirty-seven

Acknowledgments

About the Author