Incubus (The Daughters Of Lilith) Read online

  Lucas’s eyes widened in outraged surprise. “For a skinny kid, you’ve got a pretty big mouth. Why don’t you shut it, before someone shuts it for you?”

  “Yes, you’re very threatening,” the boy said, flicking his eyes over me impartially. “But I’m guessing your girlfriend’ll give it up without the macho display of manhood, so you might as well save your energy.”

  Lucas took a step toward the kid, fury snapping in his eyes. I grabbed his arm.

  “Come on,” I said quickly, surprised by Lucas’s sudden rage. “Ignore him. He doesn’t know what he’s talking about.”

  “Right,” Lucas said gruffly.

  “Of course not,” the blond boy sighed in a mocking tone. “How could I possibly understand? You’re the only two people in the history of the world who’ve ever felt this deeply, this purely.”

  I felt Lucas stiffen with rage beside me, but we were at the sanctuary door. I pulled us outside. The sun had dipped below the mountain while we’d been inside the mission, and the sudden cool air was the slap in the face we needed.

  “You okay?” I asked Lucas, who was still staring back at the sanctuary like he was brewing for a fight. “Hey. Lucas.”

  Lucas startled, then saw me watching him. He gave me a grudging smile. “Sorry. We’ve got way bigger problems than some undernourished tow-head with an attitude.”

  I smiled, letting some of the tension ease out of my back. I led the way to my car, but as I unlocked the doors I caught Lucas shooting one last glare at the sanctuary behind us.

  Chapter 4

  By the time we got home, the Guard was already settled around the worn round table for dinner. Spaghetti. Gretchen must have been on kitchen duty tonight. Gretchen had many skills, but cooking was not one of them. Everyone looked up when Lucas and I entered, but it wasn’t until I saw Thane’s expression harden that I realized Lucas and I were still holding hands. I pulled my hand away quickly and shrugged out of my sweater, taking the seat next to Dad. Lucas sat between Gretchen and Hale on the other side of the table.

  “Heads up.” Matthew tossed him a dinner roll, which Lucas caught with a tight smile. Neither of us were in a very playful mood.

  “Everything okay?” Dad asked, sensing our unease.

  Thane’s gaze flicked from me to Lucas, suspicion creasing the edges of his eyes.

  “I’m not sure,” I said. “We found something at the mission.”

  “When was this?” Gretchen turned on Lucas.

  “You went back to the mission?” Dad asked with a frown, echoing Gretchen’s disapproval.

  “It was something one of the kids at school said,” I pressed on. “We didn’t want to bother you guys until we knew more, just in case it turned out to be nothing.” I glanced at Lucas. He watched me, eyes mirroring the tension we’d both felt since leaving the mission. Only part of it was tied to our discovery, but the Guard didn’t need to know about the almost-kiss.

  “What did you find?” Hale asked, setting his fork down.

  I looked back at Lucas. “You tell them,” he murmured. “You’re the one who figured it out.”

  “What if,” I felt my cheeks redden, suddenly acutely aware of how crazy this sounded. But everyone was listening. Even Thane put his fork down, waiting. I cleared my throat. “The floor of the mission,” I started again. “Most of it’s covered by this one huge round stone. It’s got these carvings, like the ones on our daggers. But there are more symbols that I’ve never seen before, all around the stone.”

  “When you say, ‘like the ones on our daggers,’” Dad began.

  “They’re exactly the same,” Lucas said, anticipating him. “No question. Braedyn spotted them first, but we both recognized the symbols immediately.” Lucas gave Dad a humorless grin. “It’s not like they’re easy to confuse with something else.” The room grew silent, dinner laying forgotten for the moment.

  “Go on, Braedyn,” Hale said quietly.

  “We know Ais came to Puerto Escondido looking for the seal, hoping to open it for the Lilitu to come through, right?” I asked. Hale nodded, waiting for me to get to the point. I took another breath. “What if the monks found the seal centuries ago, and built their mission to hide it? What if that stone is the seal?”

  For a long moment, no one spoke. Hale sat back slowly, lost in thought. Thane and my dad traded a glance.

  “Hm. Interesting.” Dad picked up his fork, spooling a strand of spaghetti around it absently.

  “It does make a kind of sense,” Hale said.

  I’d expected a bigger reaction. Something closer to shock and amazement, not this calm consideration of the idea. Lucas glanced at me, sharing my surprise at the group’s measured response.

  “How does that make sense?” he asked Hale.

  But it was Thane who answered us. “Puerto Escondido has been a stronghold of the Guard for centuries. This is one of the few places on earth where the Guard has maintained an almost continual presence.” Lucas and I turned to stare at Thane. “We’ve long known that this place has some kind of significance to the Lilitu, but what exactly?” Thane shrugged unhappily. “Too much of the history of Puerto Escondido has been lost.”

  Gretchen gave a little laugh of disbelief. “Lost? If those monks knew they were sitting on top of the seal, how exactly do you lose track of information that significant?”

  “Off the top of my head? I suspect the Lilitu had something to do with it,” Thane snapped.

  “Regardless,” Hale said. “We’ve got our new priorities. Thane, I need you to dig into this. Find out whatever you can. Make some calls.”

  Thane nodded.

  “Gretchen, you and Matthew swing by the mission tomorrow. Recon only.”

  “On it,” Gretchen said.

  “That means no hunting, you two,” Hale said, gesturing at Matthew and Gretchen with his fork. “You find any trace of Lilitu presence, you report back immediately.”

  “I think it’s time for us to do a full inventory of the armory,” Dad said.

  “Right.” Hale and Dad exchanged a grim look. “We’ll start tomorrow.”

  With that, everyone turned back to their food, lost in unhappy thoughts. Everyone except for Lucas and me.

  “That’s it?” I asked. “You’re sending Gretchen and Matthew to swing by the mission?”

  “We don’t have the resources to put a guard on the place full time,” Hale said around a bite of spaghetti. “But we’ll add it to our rounds.” He took another bite, ending the conversation.

  “What about us?” Lucas asked. “What should we be focusing on?”

  Hale looked up, but Dad answered before he had a chance to swallow his food. “School.”

  “But, we can help.” Lucas looked at Gretchen, hoping for some support. She avoided his gaze. He looked around the table, frustration edging into anger. “You wouldn’t even know about the seal if it weren’t for Braedyn and me.”

  “So, as a reward for stupidly risking your safety, you want us to let you throw your future away?” Dad spoke quietly, but there was a dangerous edge to his voice. Lucas glanced at me helplessly.

  “The boy has a point,” Thane murmured. “What good will school do either of them if the Lilitu win?”

  Dad’s fork hit the edge of his plate with a sharp clatter. “School matters. Braedyn’s education matters. It matters to me, because it means we live in hope. I am fighting to give Braedyn a future. In this future, she graduates high school. She goes to college. She builds a life of meaning for herself. I’m not giving that up. It’s what she deserves.”

  I felt my chest tighten. Hot tears sprang into my eyes. Dad believed in me absolutely, and listening to him talk, I could almost see the future he dreamed of.

  “How?” Thane glanced at me impersonally. “She is Lilitu, Murphy. What kind of future do you really think she’ll have? Marriage? Children? These things are impossible for her.”

  “That’s not true,” Lucas said. His whole body was coiled tight with anger. Thane eyed him,
unmoved.

  “If you think the Guard will allow her to take the life of a human man in order to create a Lilitu child, you’ve missed the entire point of our existence,” Thane said. He turned back to his plate, dismissing the entire conversation.

  “This discussion is moot anyway,” Hale said. “We’ve got bigger problems.”

  “You’re fools if you believe that,” Thane said around a mouth of spaghetti. “More immediate problems, yes. But bigger problems?”

  “Enough,” Dad said, pushing back from the table and standing to loom over Thane. “She has done nothing to earn your distrust.”

  “She’s Lilitu, Murphy,” Thane said, sounding almost bored. “She earned my distrust the day she drew her first breath.”

  “Sit down,” Hale commanded. But Dad didn’t budge.

  “It’s no wonder you drove Karayan away,” Dad said through gritted teeth. “You don’t have the capacity for fatherly love.” That got Thane’s attention.

  “Karayan should have been a warning to us all,” Thane hissed, lurching to his feet. “Instead of trying to raise up another demon, we should have drowned it at birth.”

  Dad lunged across the table, grabbing Thane by the throat. Chaos erupted. Gretchen and Matthew tried to pull Thane back while Hale worked to pry Dad’s hands free from his throat. Everyone was shouting.

  Lucas turned toward me, pleading with his eyes.

  “If I ever have children,” I said, surprised by the strength in my voice. “They will be human.”

  This pronouncement cut through the chaos, leaving a stony silence in its wake. Dad turned to look at me, uncomprehending. Hale took advantage of the moment to wrest Dad back from Thane. Thane was breathing hard. His hands lifted to massage his throat, but he kept his glare fixed on Dad.

  Everyone else in the room was watching me.

  “I don’t—” Dad started. “Braedyn?”

  “Sansenoy made me an offer,” I said. Uncertainty edged a tremor into my voice, but the time had come to tell him. “He has the power to make me human.”

  Dad’s face lit from within. Unbidden, tears glistened in his eyes. He grabbed me, pulling me into a fierce hug. “God... thank you, God,” he murmured into my hair.

  As Dad embraced me, I saw Gretchen and Matthew turn to Lucas. Gretchen’s face broke into a rare smile as she pulled Lucas close. Matthew caught them together in a hug and ruffled Lucas’s hair, beaming.

  “That’s, I’m—” Hale looked stunned. A slow smile spread across his face and he shook his head. “I’m so happy for you, Braedyn.”

  “Just like a Lilitu,” Thane growled. Dad released me and turned to Thane, genuinely stunned. Thane’s lips twisted into a bitter smile. “Have you forgotten why she was suffered to live in the first place?” Thane said. “Without a Lilitu ally, the Guard has virtually no chance of victory in this coming battle.” Thane glanced at me, eyes simmering with outrage. “And she abandons her duties now, at the critical moment.”

  “I’m not abandoning anything,” I snapped. “Why do you think I haven’t taken him up on his offer yet?”

  “No,” Dad looked at me, urgently. “We can find another way to defeat them,” he said quietly. “This isn’t your responsibility.”

  “The hell it isn’t,” Thane said. “If you won’t do your part, demon, then—”

  “Thane!” Hale grabbed the front of Thane’s coat, cutting the older man off mid-sentence. “Get out.”

  “You know what’s at stake,” Thane growled.

  “Out.” Hale’s voice left no room for argument. Thane straightened, summoning what dignity he could, and left. When we heard the front door slam, Hale turned back to me, eyes heavy. “It’s your choice, Braedyn. But Thane isn’t wrong.”

  “No,” Dad said again.

  “Dad, it’s okay.” I took Dad’s hands in mine, willing him to listen to sense. “There are things I can do to help as a Lilitu that I wouldn’t be able to do as a human.”

  “Those things put you at risk,” he whispered.

  “I’m at risk anyway,” I said. “We all are.” I glanced around the room. Gretchen and Matthew still had their arms looped around Lucas, but they were watching us with solemn expressions now. Lucas’s met my eyes and nodded grimly.

  “There’s something else,” I said, taking a deep breath. “A caveat.”

  Dad stiffened, drawing back to get a better look at me. “Which is?”

  “I can’t harm humans.” I glanced at Matthew unintentionally. His expression hardened as our eyes met, and I knew he was remembering our kiss. I’d fed off his life energy, drawing enough to weaken him badly. That he’d volunteered to give me that energy to find and save Lucas didn’t matter. It was after that kiss that I’d discovered the deep red petals on all the roses in my dream garden. “Every time I feed off someone’s energy, I lose another bit of my humanity.”

  “I didn’t know,” Matthew said.

  “Me neither.” I smiled a thin smile and shrugged. Dad put a hand on my shoulder, drawing my attention back to him.

  “Braedyn, think carefully about this. The longer you go on as a Lilitu, the more you’ll face temptation.” his eyes flickered to Lucas before he could stop himself.

  “I know,” I whispered. “But this is something only I can do.”

  After a long moment, Dad nodded. I could tell he wasn’t convinced, but he held his tongue. Lucas met my eyes with a warmth I could almost feel.

  “So,” he said into the sudden quiet. “School. I think we can manage that.”

  The group chuckled, and returned to their seats at the table. As we continued with dinner, I saw Lucas staring wistfully at Hale and Dad. I could see how much he wanted to be included as a full member of the Guard, but for my part, I wasn’t in a hurry to take on more responsibility. Deep down I knew Lucas would be getting his wish sooner rather than later. And even if I became human tomorrow, I didn’t have that much longer to pretend to be a normal girl.

  Finding the seal affected Lucas more than I would have guessed. When I went over to the Guard’s house the next morning, Gretchen, sifting through a handful of mail in the living room, pointed wordlessly into the kitchen.

  I found Lucas leaning against a cracked tile counter, picking through a bowl of dry cereal listlessly.

  “Hey,” I said gently. “You ready for school?”

  He looked up and I felt my stomach twist a little. His beautiful eyes were drawn, tired. His hair even more tousled than normal. He didn’t have to tell me he hadn’t slept all night. I’d waited for him in the dream, but he’d never materialized.

  “How do you do it?” he breathed. “How do you act like everything’s the same as it was yesterday?”

  “Because it is,” I answered, my voice harsher than I intended. Lucas winced at me, raw emotions coursing through his features. Softening my tone, I moved to the counter beside him. “The seal was there yesterday. It was there the day before, too. If we’re right, it’s been there for centuries. That hasn’t changed. The only thing that has changed is now we know.”

  Lucas nodded, letting his eyes drop to the floor. “I guess you’re right.”

  “Lucas?”

  “I don’t know,” he said, anticipating me. “I don’t know what’s wrong with me.”

  “Besides being exhausted?” I asked. “What kept you up last night?”

  “We’re practically living on the doorstep into the Lilitu world.” Lucas looked up at me, eyes drawn with exhaustion. “That doesn’t creep you out?”

  “Sure it does,” I said.

  “I guess there are some benefits to being able to will yourself to sleep.” Lucas pushed his bowl of cereal away. “We should get a move on or we’re going to be late. The last thing I need is an after-hours detention.” Lucas offered a weak smile. “I’m kind of looking forward to a normal day at school, actually.”

  We made it through morning classes before we saw him.

  “No.” Lucas came to a dead stop in the entrance to the dining hall.
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  “What?” I asked, sensing the anger welling inside him. I followed his gaze and stared. “No way.”

  Two steps behind us, Cassie and Royal peered over our shoulders, straining to see whatever it was that had stopped us in our tracks.

  The skinny blond boy from the mission was sitting at a dining table alone, wolfing down a plate of enchiladas. He paused between bites to take a swig of milk. As he set his glass down, he saw us and froze. Lucas took an unconscious step toward him. The skinny boy stood abruptly, picked up his plate, and fled in the direction of the kitchen.

  “I don’t get it,” Royal said. “What are we staring at?”

  Lucas and I traded a quick glance. “Nothing,” Lucas said. “My mistake. I thought I saw a cockroach.” He gave Cassie and Royal a smile. “Let’s eat.”

  “Oh, yay,” Cassie said half-heartedly. “So hungry now.”

  “You guys sit.” Royal had that look on his face he gets when he’s planning something devious. “I’ll grab the food.” He turned on his heel and hurried away. I caught sight of something black and pink in his hands as he turned away from us.

  I followed Cassie and Lucas to our usual table. Royal appeared with a tray piled with food a few minutes later. Coronado Prep served family-style lunches, so we took turns passing around the serving tray of enchiladas. One of the best things about this school was the kitchen staff. They didn’t do authentic New Mexican dishes every day, but when they did they were spot on. I scooped two enchiladas onto my plate and the aroma of seasoned chicken jolted my stomach awake. Handing the dish off to Lucas, I took a bite. The tender chicken would have been delicious on its own, but coupled with melted cheddar and green chili sauce it was heaven. Judging by the sudden silence at our table, I wasn’t the only one savoring the meal.

  “You must be Miss Ang.”