Dark Calling (40 page)

“I do no
t
know
why this is happening.  I dislike it and welcome it at the same time.”  He let’s go of her and straightens his legs.  “You ask me why I gave you the Grimoire.  It is because through you I learned to empathize.  That is where you imagine yourself in another’s situation, correct?”

Unable to speak, Keely nods stiffly.

“Yes, all right.
  I asked myself how I would feel if I were you.  And then I had to ask myself how you would feel.  You would not want this to happen.  You would not want to be forced to do something that would hurt another.  You would want to be warned.  You would want a choice.”

Keely clears her throat softly. 
“It’s a prophecy.  Someone looked into the future and saw me do this.  I don’t have a choice.  If I did, they would have prophesized that I didn’t do it.  Apophis was right to try and kill me.”

Anger flows through Keely agai
n.  Nearly overtakes her.  “Do no
t say that,” Asmoday says through his teeth.
 
“
You do
have a choice.  The future has no
t happened yet. 
You can change the prophecy.  I ha
ve watched it
change already.  The girl has no
t always worn your face.  She was many others before she was you.  As Apophis killed t
hem, they changed.  But you do no
t have to die to change
it again.  Go to your Hierarchy
.  Explain why
y
our fathe
r wants you.  Obtain their allegiance
and protection.”

“You’re going against our father?”
Keely asks, dismayed.

“
I am choosing correctly.”  He dips his head at her.  “My loyalty is to you, Princess.  Whatever you choose.”

“Please don’t call me that.  And please stop bowing.  You’re a Prince; you shouldn’t bow to your sister.”

Very quickly, something tweaks at Keely’s heart.  Discomfort.  Deception.  Guilt.  She gives him a look
that lets
him know she feels it. 
“Asmoday, what are you lying to me about?”

He brushes his hand over his honey colored hair.  “I have not lied,” he says quietly.  She tests his statement against her—
his feelings.  He’s being honest.

“Why did you feel guilty a moment ago?”

“I cannot reveal all to you at this time.  That is all.  I promis
e I am not telling you untruths
.”

Keely was not born yesterday.  She has pretty good instincts, probably because of her heritage.  “Are you lying by omission?  Because by not telling me something I should know
you are lying to me still.  Or allowing me to believe something that isn’t true is just like lying.  Are you doing either of those things right now?”

After a moment’s thought, Asmoday simply says, “Yes.”

“Are you going to elaborate?”

“No.”

“Then how can I trust you?”

“Because you know you can.”

The pitiful thing is he’s right.  She knows without a doubt, she can trust Asmoday.  So what is he keeping from her?  And why?

Aware of her reluctance, Asmoday takes her hand.  Elec
tricity runs between their fingers
.  The cord hums.  Elation and comfort
swell Keely’s heart.  But it’s all wrong.  She shouldn’t feel this.  Not with him.  Not with her brother.

“It is all right.
”

“No it’s not.  Why are you doing this to me?”

“I a
m not.  It i
s happening to me too.”

“I don’t want
it.” 
It’s so much easier when she’s with Nick.  She knows her feelings are hers.  She doesn’t question her safety with hi
m.  She doesn’t feel sick
for
caring about him.

“I’m sorry, Keely.”

And she knows he is.

“I’m sorry too.  This must be just as strange for you as it is for me.  I keep forgetting that.  But I want you to understand, I c
annot ever act on these feelings
.  It will never happen.  You’re my brother.”

“
Where I a
m from, things like that do not matter.  Often, families mate within themselves to keep the lineage pure.”

“It matters to
me.  I wasn’t raised where you’
re from.  Here we’re taught it’s wrong.  I think it’s gross.  Not you yourself.  Just
the thought of
being with my brother.”

Asmoday nods as if he understands, but Keely isn’t convinced he does.  “I can care for you as a brother does.  For now.  Maybe y
ou will come around,
”
he says.

“I wo
n’t.  You understand that I have feelings for
Nick, don’t you?”

“Yes.  But y
ou love me as well.”

“No.  I feel something else for you.  It’s this cord bindi
ng us.  Witnessing your emotions
and mine.  Always feeling connected to you.  And you’re my brother.  We have the same blood, so there’s that connection as well.”

“Now that I understand love, it is very easy to reco
gnize.  You have love for me.  I think y
ou also have lust, which I thought was love for a long time, but now know is very different
,
although often comes together.”

Keely pulls her hand out of his.  “I do not.  You’re my brother.”

“
If you say it enough, you may just talk yourself out of your feelings,” Asmoday laughs.
  “We are connected.  I kn
ow your convictions as well as
I know my own.  You
cannot hide from me.”

“Please just stop.”

He sweeps his hand over her cheek, brush
ing back her hair tenderly.  “I wi
ll take you home.”

“I was going to Bryon’s.”

“You are safer in your home,
”
he states firmly.

“Why?  Why am I all of a sudden safer there?  Apophis got in there before.  He can do it again.”

“Apophis will not come for you there.  He knows we are watching.  You are being protected from multiple sides.  He would be a fool to make an attempt on your life.”

“He wants me too.  Just like our fat
her.  He had the Grimoire.  H
e must know the prophecy as well as you.  I think he wants me to fulfill it now. 
I don’t know what changed his mind.  I gue
ss the power.  But I think he’
ll try to get to me before my father does.  And if I don’t do this for him, he will kill me so I can’t do it for anyone else.
”

“Then you should not be out wandering
around a corn field by yourself,
”
Asmoday says.  He raises a brow.

“I’m not.  I’m with you.  And you can take me to Bryon’s.”
  Keely smirks at him.

“I would prefer for you to go home and call Bryon to come to you.”  Before she can interject, Asmoday adds, “You cannot afford to
take risks.  Not if you
want to change your destiny.
  Besides, you are very damp.  You could use a change of clothing.
”
  His eyes graze over her disheveled appearance.

Keely knows he is right once again.  It’s a little annoying.  “
When I get upset, I have panic attacks
.  I feel trapped in that house,
”
she admits.

“Then I will come get you.  No more jumping from your window.”

“Were you watching me?”

“You were upset.  Scared.  I came to check on you.”

“And you watched me jump from the window?  You could have helped me out.”

Asmoday smiles at her causin
g her insides to jump.  “I did no
t know you were going to do it until you
w
ere already committed.  I didn’
t want to startle you and cause you to injure yourself.”

“Well, thanks.  I guess.”

“I ha
ve been staying close, so next
time wait for me.  I will come,
”
he assures her.

“You’re staying close?  Where?  Is that why I haven’t felt the cord snap?”

“Yes,” he says
,
only answering her last question.
  “
I do not
want to
experience that again.”

“
Yeah, neither do I
.”
 

“Keely?  Nick is here,” Kevin says from the other side of her
bedroom
door. 

Keely looks around
trying to orient herself.  In a panic she looks at Asmoday who apparently finds this very amusing.  She doesn’t think she will ever get used to him—whatever it is he does.  Teleport
ing
?  Anyway, she has only been back a few seconds and her body doesn’t quite know it. 
If her
dad opens the door and finds Asmoday
here
,
he will flip.  And her mom…  She can’t even finish the thought.  “I’ll be right down,” Keely croaks.

Asmoday wanders over to her desk.  Starts poking through the piles of sketches.  “Your artwork is really quite nice.  Your father is a painter.  You have a similar eye.”

“Um, I don’t want to be rude, but I have to be.  I need to go downstairs.”  Keely throws a thumb over her shoulder at the door.

“Yes, go.  I will
be fine.”  He picks up a sketch of the field they were in minutes ago.  He is mesmerized by it.  “You captured it perfectly,” he says in a whisper.

“You’re going to stay?  In my room?  Alone?”

He gazes at her and smirks.  “I promise not to raid your panty drawer.”

“Oh, ew.  You
better not.  And don’t leave my room.”

He starts to bow his head, but stops himself.  “Of course.”

Keely stares at him for a second hoping this doesn’t blow up in her face.  On her way to the door, she catches a glimpse of herself in the mirror.  She’s a me
ss.  Her clothes are wet
and her hair is tangled and wind-blown.  She does an about face and goes to her closet.
  T
ugs a plain black
v-neck tee and a pair of jeans
off their hangers
.  Goes to her bathroom and changes as quickly as she can.  She rips a brush through her hair causing it to frizz to twice its normal volume.  It will have to do.

She practically runs through her room with one last glance at Asmoday.  One side of his mouth lifts slightly in a wicked smile that does very bad things for her nerves.  She shuts her door and bounds down the stairs.

Her first instinct when she sees Nick is to hug him, but she doesn’t.  Not with her mom in the room.  Not after the conversation they had.  She smiles at him
in place of the hug.  He doesn’t smile back.

“What’s wrong?”
she asks quickly.

“We’ve been
summoned.  Tomorrow at noon.”

“Both of you?” Kimberly asks stunned.

“Yes.”

“What do you mean summoned?  To what?”

“The Hierarchy
.  They’ve decided to take council.”

“Oh.”  Keely has mixed feeling about this.  After all, Asmoday just suggested she go to them for help, but Nick may get in trouble.  “Wait, why do they want me to go?”

“I don’t know for certain.  My dad says they just want to speak to you.  To meet you.”

“They want to make sure you’
re not a threat,” her mom says.  “It’ll be fine.  You just tell them what you told me.  That you want to honor the Angel and attend
Deus Lucem Academy to train for Guardianship.”  Her expression doesn’t match her words.  She doesn’t look like everything will be fine.

“Should I be worried?”

“No.”

“Yes,” Nick sighs.

Kimberly fixes Nick with a glare.  “Don’t make her anxious.  She’s prone to panic attacks.”

“Excuse me, Mrs.
Kiem, but don’t lie to her.  She needs to be prepared.”

“But you said they just want to meet me.”

“They do, Keely.  They want to get a feel for you.  Like your mom said, they need to verify that you
aren’
t a threat.  But the fact that your dad wants you alive…”  He leaves it in the air.  They have already discussed this.  She knows how bad this could get.

“Mom, you said no more lies.”  She stares heavily at her mother.  “Do you think it is at all possible that they could decide I am too big of a risk?  Could they decide to kill me?”

“Of course not,” Kevin says.  “They’re the good guys, right?”