Sacrifice Read online

  I clutched the dagger tightly and rolled out from under her, kicking out. My feet connected. The Lilitu went skidding back into the sanctuary wall.

  I was vaguely aware of the Guardsmen racing to join the fight, but I kept my eyes locked on the Lilitu facing me. Slowly, I stood and edged away from her. If she attacked again, I’d be ready for her.

  The Lilitu clamped a hand over her nose. Dark blood seeped through her fingers, spotting a few oily-metallic drops on the ground at her feet. But then she straightened. She lowered her hand, staring me down haughtily, completely ignoring the fact that her nose was streaming blood.

  “I had envisioned great power. Instead?” She shrugged. Again, I saw disgust flicker over her face. “I find a simpering fool, eagerly wearing the Guard’s collar. You are no Daughter of Lilith. You are weak. Pitiful. You will be destroyed.”

  Anger swelled in my chest. “You’re one to talk. Maybe you haven’t noticed, but you’re kind of surrounded.”

  “Them?” The Lilitu, glancing around at the half-dozen Guardsmen ringing her, looked like she might actually laugh. “They are like ants; they are no threat.” Two smoky, bat-like wings unfolded in the air behind her.

  “She’s cloaking,” Gretchen shouted.

  The smoky wings snapped closed around the Lilitu. She blew me a kiss, then barreled toward the closest Guardsman.

  “Chris!” Gretchen raised her daggers. The Guardsmen ringed Chris, trusting their training to protect them against the demon they could no longer see. They moved through the ancient Mesopotamian fighting form at the root of all Guard training. Their blades, slicing through the air in perfect synchronicity, narrowly missed the Lilitu. She dropped to her knees and slid through an opening on the far side of the line of Guardsmen.

  “Braedyn?!” Gretchen, trapped on the other side of the fray, gave me a desperate look.

  “I’m on it!” I raced forward, chasing the Lilitu back toward the Seal. She’d lost some time, scrambling to her feet. I closed the distance between us before she reached the Seal. As her foot crossed the edge of the Seal, I grabbed her arm, spinning her around.

  “I don’t care how many of you try to convert me,” I hissed. “I’ve made my choice.”

  The Lilitu smiled, but the effect was chilling. “You mistake my purpose. There is no place for you among our number, traitor.”

  “Then—?” I glanced over my shoulder. The Guardsmen were edging closer, still uncomfortable with a cloaked Lilitu in the room. “Why come here? Why attack me?”

  “I owe you no explanations.” The Lilitu took a step backwards, toward the heart of the Seal. I gripped her arm tighter, but she pulled me onto the Seal with her.

  When my foot connected with ancient round stone, I felt a wash of power. It circled through the Seal like a vortex, drawn into the heart of the stone. Standing there, I felt it pulling on me—but it wasn’t until my foot actually slid forward that I realized the sensation wasn’t simply in my mind. There was something else—something drawing the power inwards. Something deep within the Seal.

  Alarmed, I let the Lilitu go, stumbling off the Seal. As soon as I’d stepped off the ancient stone, the draw of the power released me. It was like someone had flipped a switch, turning off a powerful magnet. I stumbled, unbalanced.

  “What the hell—?” I looked up, meeting the Lilitu’s gaze. Her cold smile deepened at my confusion. My eyes dropped back to the ancient stone at our feet. I’d never felt anything like that before. The Seal—somehow it was changing, almost as though it were taking on a life of its own. But that wasn’t possible, was it? I sought out the Lilitu’s face once more, but if she had answers, she wasn’t likely to share them with me. Her amusement shifted to disdain.

  “As I said. Pitiful.” The Lilitu slipped back through the shimmering veil over the heart of the Seal, and in the blink of an eye, she was gone.

  “Braedyn!” Gretchen rushed forward and steadied me. “What did she do to you?”

  “It—it wasn’t her. It was the Seal. It tried to pull me in.”

  Gretchen’s eyes slid from my face to the stone at our feet. I felt her hand tighten on my arm. “What?”

  “Something’s happing to the Seal.” I shook my head, at a lost to put the feeling into words.

  “Okay. Okay.” Gretchen bit the side of her lip, thinking. “Maybe we should get you out of here for the time being, just to be on the safe—”

  “Gretchen.” I covered her hand with my own, as much for comfort as to draw her attention back to the Seal. “Do you see them?”

  Gretchen’s breath came out in a hoarse curse. As one, we stumbled several paces back from the Seal.

  “We have to tell Ian and Thane.” Gretchen’s eyes found my face. She looked haunted, sick. “You go. I’ll finish the shift.”

  I turned and ran for the mission’s doors. But I couldn’t stop myself from steeling another look back. There, in the center of the Seal, the shimmering veil between our world and the Lilitu plane was crisp and clear now. And through the veil of shadow, Gretchen and I had seen dozens of gleaming eyes in the darkness. Watching. Waiting.

  The question was, what were they waiting for?

  Chapter 2

  The Guard had no answers by the time the first day of spring semester rolled around.

  Despite waking early, I felt sluggish that morning. There was something off about going back to school, knowing the door between our worlds was sitting ajar—that the stage was set for the final battle. All of a sudden I was expected to focus on things like uniforms and schoolbooks and grades. How? The world as we knew it could come crashing down around our ears at any time.

  And yet, the routine was also a strange balm to my nerves. Going through the motions of normalcy, even if everything else was standing on its head, felt comforting. Absentmindedly, I pulled a fresh shirt out of my closet and donned it. The New Mexico winter was still bitterly cold, so I skipped the plaid skirt in favor of grey pants, topping the whole ensemble off with a cozy burgundy school sweater. I glanced at myself in the mirror. Sometimes it still surprised me—seeing the girl in the reflection. Growing up, I’d always felt like a bit of a wallflower, perfectly happy to go unnoticed in the background of high school life.

  Until my Lilitu powers began to develop.

  Now, even if I wanted to blend in, I couldn’t. I’d never need to wear eyeliner or mascara to highlight the drama of my eyes. No foundation could match the natural perfection of my skin. My brown hair, once so listless and mousey, shone like brushed silk. My lips—meant to draw attention like the vibrant flower draws in bees—curved in a perfectly enticing pout that no lipstick could amplify.

  These were my weapons, whether or not I wanted them. This deadly beauty was my Lilitu heritage.

  “Your dad’s almost done banging around in the kitchen.” Karayan stood at the door to my room. Her eyes strayed over my uniform almost wistfully. When she noticed me watching her, she glanced away. “He sent me to tell you, ‘breakfast is served in T-minus five minutes.’”

  I picked up my brush and ran it through my hair. “Welcome to the ritual first-day-of-school pancake extravaganza.”

  Karayan’s lips quirked up in a small smile. “You’re going back after three weeks off. You’re telling me that rates a first-day-of-school pancake extravaganza?”

  “Oh yes.” I flashed Karayan a smile. “And be forewarned; Dad takes this stuff pretty seriously. There are also birthday pancake extravaganzas, holiday pancake extravaganzas, and hey-that-new-movie-I-want-to-see-comes-out-tonight pancake extravaganzas. The differences are subtle, but they are real.”

  Karayan leaned against my doorjamb, grinning. “Should I be worried?”

  “Only that you’re going to be ruined when it comes to other breakfast foods.”

  “That good, huh?”

  I shrugged in answer, as if to say, don’t take my word for it… you’ll find out soon enough.

  Karayan shook her head. “Okay, whatever. He’s setting three places. I’ll
see you downstairs.”

  Karayan slipped back down the hall. I turned away from the mirror, feeling a pang. I set my brush down and picked up the cameo Dad had given me for my sixteenth birthday; a beautiful carved angel, suspended from a velvet chord. It was his way of telling me that no matter my ancestry, he knew which side I was on. Sure, I might have been born a Lilitu, but I had a family who loved me. Friends who trusted me. I had a place to belong.

  Karayan—well, she was still getting used to her return to the Guard. And the Guard was still getting used to her.

  I fastened the cameo around my neck. It rested comfortably against my collarbone, peeking out from the top of my shirt. Time to get the second half of junior year started.

  I walked down the hallway, passing Dad’s room on the left. I could smell the spicy scent of his soap wafting along the hall. He must have gotten up and showered before I’d even woken up. So maybe I wasn’t the only one having trouble sleeping.

  Downstairs, I spotted Karayan hovering in the doorway to her room—formerly our guest room. Though, honestly, she hadn’t done much to make it hers yet. Aside from a few scattered clothes, the room had all the personality of a motel. I hesitated, then bypassed the entrance to the kitchen, heading instead for Karayan.

  “Is something wrong?”

  She looked at me, feigning nonchalance. “Nope.”

  “Okay. Well, I’m going to grab something to eat.” I started to turn away, but Karayan cleared her throat.

  I stopped. Karayan caught her bottom lip in her teeth. She looked unsure. The gesture was so uncharacteristic that I stared. “Karayan, you’re not thinking of leaving us again?”

  “‘Leaving us?’ That implies there’s an ‘us’ to leave.” Karayan shrugged. “The Guard hasn’t exactly rolled out the welcome mat.”

  “You know you’re welcome here,” I started.

  “Sure. Murphy’s great. But he’s not exactly a typical Guardsman. Most of them treat me like a time bomb.”

  “What about Thane? Have you two had a chance to—?”

  “Thane?” Karayan snorted derisively. “He’s the worst of them all.”

  “He’ll come around. It’s just going to take time.”

  “I get that this optimistic thing is one of your endearing qualities, but Thane is never going to come around. Trust me. We’ve got the kind of history that—” Karayan spread her hands. “Some mistakes can’t be forgiven. And when those mistakes are made by Lilitu? Let’s just say, the Guard has a long memory.”

  Her words burned in my ears. I dropped my eyes, at a loss for words. It hadn’t been a month since Senoy, one of the three Guardian Angels tasked with fighting the Lilitu, had died in my arms. Because of a mistake I had made. Because I’d trusted the wrong person. Because I hadn’t listened to the Guard.

  Karayan must have realized she’d struck a nerve. “But what the hell do I know? Come on. Let’s eat.” Karayan looped an arm over my shoulders and guided me toward the kitchen.

  Dad had set three plates on the kitchen island. He was transferring a nice stack of golden pancakes to the last plate as we entered.

  “Morning, sunshine.” Dad gave me a warm smile and gestured to the fridge with his chin. “Mind grabbing the maple syrup?”

  “Sure.” I headed to the kitchen, breathing in the rich aroma of pancakes fresh off the griddle. The buttery scent had my mouth watering in two seconds flat. I grabbed the syrup out of the fridge and set it on the island, taking a seat on the middle stool.

  Karayan took the seat to my left. Dad set the last plate of steaming pancakes in front of her.

  “What do you like on your pancakes? We’ve got it all.”

  Karayan looked at my dad, her eyebrow arched. “All? You intrigue me.”

  I groaned happily, drowning my pancakes in maple syrup.

  Dad rubbed his hands together, ready for the challenge. “Butter, peanut butter, syrup, chocolate chips, blueberries, strawberries, bananas, whipped cream, cream cheese—”

  “Easy, tiger.” Karayan grinned. “Hook me up with some blueberries and whipped cream.”

  “Coming right up.” Dad strode to the fridge.

  I took a bite of my pancakes and glanced at Karayan, catching her in an unguarded moment. She watched my dad with a vulnerable gratitude I’d never have expected to see from the snarky and self-confident Lilitu. For the second time that morning, I felt a pang in my chest. No matter how coolly she played it off, I knew Karayan had longed to be part of a family like this since she was a little girl. But while I’d grown up with Murphy, Karayan hadn’t been so lucky. Thane had raised Karayan as a soldier, a weapon. And when she’d finally exploded in retaliation, he’d used her desertion as justification that no Lilitu could be trusted, ever. Murphy, on the other hand, had raised me as his daughter. And while it had taken me time to forgive him for hiding the truth of my lineage for so long, the truth was—I was incredibly grateful to have Murphy as my dad.

  Dad returned with a bowl of blueberries and a canister of whipped cream. He waited for Karayan to scoop out all the berries she wanted, then shook the canister with flourish.

  “Say when.” He sprayed piles of gorgeous whipped cream over Karayan’s pancakes.

  Her eyes widened at the bounty. “When.”

  Dad stepped back, folding his arms over his chest and waiting.

  Karayan took a bite of her pancakes. A half a second later, her eyes closed and she smiled blissfully. “Braedyn, you do not exaggerate.”

  “Told you.” I gave my dad a thumbs-up. He beamed.

  “Okay, scoot over, kiddo. All this cooking’s fired up my appetite.” Dad took the stool to my right. For a few heavenly minutes, we ate together in companionable silence.

  When the front door opened, Karayan stiffened next to me. We both knew the only people who’d just walk into our home unannounced were Guardsmen. I glanced at Karayan, but she was keeping her eyes fixed on her plate, her expression neutral.

  Hale walked into the kitchen with his usual focus.

  “Murphy. Girls.” Hale offered his hand to Dad, who stood to meet him. The men shook hands briskly.

  “What is it?” All levity had left Dad’s voice.

  Hale hesitated, eying Karayan uncomfortably. He glanced back at Dad. Dad’s eyes flicked over to Karayan with just the tiniest flash of worry.

  “We’re almost done here,” he started.

  Karayan, who’d caught all the unspoken wariness of the Guardsmen, stood. “Thanks for the pancakes, Murph.” She daubed at the corners of her mouth with a napkin and gave Hale a pointed glance. “I’m going for a walk. It’s a little stuffy in here.” Karayan abandoned her half-eaten pancakes and walked out of the kitchen. She headed straight for the front door, closing it behind her a bit harder than necessary.

  I glared at Hale, torn between giving him a piece of my mind and going after Karayan.

  “How’s it working out?” Hale asked, before I had a chance to speak. He studied Dad’s face carefully, clearly concerned.

  Dad sighed. “You should give her some tasks. I think she’s feeling a little… adrift. She needs to know her place in the organization. Until she feels like part of the team, I don’t think she’s going to fully trust us.”

  “Trust is a two-way street.” Hale frowned. “As for giving her some tasks… I’ll work on finding something for her to do.”

  “So, what brought you here?” Dad gestured to the empty stool Karayan had just vacated. Hale took it.

  “Thane and Ian are concerned.”

  Dad shook his head ruefully. “When are they not concerned?”

  “They’re worried about the timing of this attack.” Hale’s eyes flicked to my face briefly. He gave me a small smile. “And as happy as we are that you weren’t seriously injured, it brings up all sorts of uncomfortable questions.”

  “Tell me about it.” I pushed the last of my pancakes away. Suddenly they didn’t seem as appealing.

  “What questions, specifically?” Dad leaned closer,
giving Hale his full attention.

  “Why now? The Seal’s been open for weeks, why haven’t they tried to breech it before? Are they testing us?” Hale’s eyes shifted to mine again. “Or was it because Braedyn was there? Are they targeting her?”

  I heard Dad shift behind me, and it didn’t take much imagination to picture the expression on his face. I kept my eyes riveted on Hale, though, hoping for more.

  “Uh-oh.” Dad pushed back from the island and stood. “Look at the time, kiddo. You’re going to be late.”

  “What?” I stared at Dad. It took a moment for what he was saying to register.

  “For school. Not the way you want to start the last semester of your second-to-last year at Coronado Prep, is it?”

  I stared at Dad. He gave me a neutral smile, and clapped a hand on my shoulder. I sighed, recognizing the look. No use arguing. He wasn’t going to budge.

  Lucas slid into the passenger side of my car, looking as harried as I felt. He ran a hand through his dark hair, sweeping glossy, dark bangs back from his face.

  “Another exercise in pointlessness,” he grumbled.

  “That’s the winning attitude I love to see on the first day of school.” Gretchen reached through the window and tousled his hair affectionately.

  Lucas grimaced. “Gretchen, seriously? I’m almost eighteen years old.”

  Gretchen ignored him and gave me a smile. “Drive safe.”

  “If you insist.” I tried to catch a glimpse of something in Gretchen’s face, but if she knew anything more than I’d managed to glean before Dad shooed me out of the kitchen, she wasn’t giving it away.

  “Cute.” Gretchen stepped back from the car and waved. “Have fun at school, kids.”

  I pulled into the street. In my rear view mirror, I saw Gretchen heading into my house, presumably to join the conversation with Hale and Murphy. Whatever they were keeping secret, I vowed not to pry. The last time I’d tried to work behind the Guard’s back, I’d ended up helping the incubus Seth open the Seal between our worlds. I couldn’t afford to make another mistake of that magnitude, not ever again.