Dread Nemesis of Mine (37 page)

A shout of victory went up from outside. I
raced around the cabin and toward the shed as Cinder, covered from
head to toe in dirt, emerged from the doorway. A couple of Templars
patted him on the back. Cinder smiled awkwardly, and I had to admit
his attempt didn't look nearly as frightening as the first time,
though one Templar jumped back when he saw it.

"They're through," Elyssa said, taking me to
the door and pointing up a long sloping tunnel. Some forty feet in,
a patch of daylight slanted in. "Looks like the earth simply
swallowed it up centuries ago, so there's no direct access to the
surface. Your golem kept digging up at a slant until he found the
top."

"Did anyone make sure it's the right place?"
I asked.

"Yeah, they sent up a scout. He confirmed
it's in the graveyard."

"Awesome! When do we move out?"

"My father is coordinating with Christian on
the best way to move in the troops. Either way, it'll take a while
to move so many people through in single file."

"We'd better go through first," I said.

Elyssa crossed her arms. "You're not planning
on anything rash are you? Maximus might be wounded, but he's far
from done."

"No, but I don't want to be stuck waiting
behind hundreds of Templars either."

"Hmm. Good point." She winked and walked back
toward the cabin, leaving me alone.

Beck Andrews sauntered over from the group of
Templars, an amused look on his chiseled face. He looked like a
male model, and seemed to dress accordingly, with fashionably
tortured jeans and an untucked, button-up shirt. "Dude, where do
you find these people?" He jabbed a thumb at Cinder. "You're like a
traveling circus."

I felt anger stir inside me at the sight of
him, remembering how he'd prematurely led Thomas Borathen to us,
after we'd captured Vadaemos Slade, just to get brownie points.
Apparently, I hadn't completely forgiven him yet. "That's funny,
Beck. You're like a travelling douche yourself."

He laughed. "Aw, c'mon. Don't tell me you
still have hard feelings—"

I got in his face so fast, I didn't even
remember crossing the distance. My leg throbbed with pulsing cold.
"If I had hard feelings, you'd be a puddle of red mush right now."
I felt a cruel smile spread across my lips. "Luckily, I'm a
forgiving guy."

For once, Beck actually looked a bit scared,
wide-eyed and back on his heels. "Crap, dude, I'm sorry, okay?" He
took a step back. "I shouldn't have done it, I see that now."

"Oh, really? I wonder how all the Templars
who died that day feel about it." The cold anger inside me swelled
like an alien presence, choking my heart with thorny vines. "I
wonder how Elyssa's dead brother feels about it."

His face went white, and his mouth hung open.
"I—I didn't think—"

"That's right, you didn't
think
."

Beck's eyes flicked to the ground. "Do you
know how hard it is to make a name for yourself when your father is
a screw-up? How everyone talks about the screw-up's kid behind his
back? How nobody gives you a fair shake just because of who your
dad is?" He blew out a ragged breath. "My dad didn't get
transferred because I kissed Elyssa. I only wish it was that
simple. No, you see, Commander Borathen didn't want my dad because
he sucked at his job. I just wanted to prove myself to the
Commander. To show that I was better than that."

The comment about his father struck me hard,
reminded me of the prejudices I'd suffered because of my lineage. I
forced down the irrational anger boiling in my chest. Forced myself
to ignore the cold ache in my leg. Then I took a deep calming
breath. "And you thought hogging the glory would do that."

"Yeah, I did." His shoulders sagged. "But
you're right. Because I called the Commander, all those Templars
died. Jack died." He looked me in the eye, his face screwed up in
pain. "I'm responsible for their deaths."

Now, I was the one who felt bad. Beck was no
more to blame for those deaths than I was, but I'd wanted to hurt
him.
Mission successful, jackass.
"Look, Beck, you're a
special kind of asshole, but even I don't really blame you for
those deaths. Daelissa freed Vadaemos. If it hadn't been for the
extra Templars Thomas brought along, the rest of us might not have
survived the hellhound attacks that followed." I shrugged. "In a
way, you might have saved the rest of us."

His gaze seemed to focus on something in his
mind before he looked back at me. "Do you really believe that?"

"Yeah. Much as I hate to admit it, I do. Just
don't let it go to your head, okay? It's already big enough."

A wistful smile crept over his lips. "I'll
try."

Elyssa called my name. I looked at her over
my shoulder and turned back to Beck. "Well, I gotta go get ready.
Are you going to Atlanta?"

He shook his head. "Nah. I've got to do
cleanup here." He held out a hand. "Good luck."

I resisted the urge to say something snarky,
and gave his hand a firm shake. "Just try not to be a douche in the
future, okay?"

He laughed. "I'll do my best."

I turned, and Elyssa motioned me to the
cabin. It was time to get ready.

Bella, Adam, Meghan, and Katie were ready in
ten minutes. Elyssa and I grabbed our bags and met them while
Thomas and Christian lined up the troops.

Thomas grabbed my arm and took me aside
before we went through the door. "The Arcanes at The Ranch added an
extra charm to our Nightingale armor that should keep Maximus's
cursed bullets from penetrating."

"Really? That's great news," I said.

"Except it'll take a week to upgrade all the
armor." Thomas glanced back at the milling troops. "I've authorized
you and Elyssa for the upgrade."

"What about the rest of my team?"

His jaw tightened for an instant. "Your
team?" He seemed to struggle internally for a moment before
continuing. "I know my orders have never stopped you before. I
expect you'll continue to leap before looking no matter what I
say." His expression softened. "Mr. Slade, I would appreciate it as
a father if you thought twice before taking my daughter in harm's
way."

My mouth went slack at his sudden change in
tone. "Sir, I can assure you there is nothing on this earth I value
more than Elyssa. You think I'm hard to control? Elyssa makes me
look like a puppy on a leash."

A smile broke through his grim façade.
"That's one thing we can agree on." He pulled out a phone and
tapped in a message. "I've authorized your…
team
for
upgrades. Good luck." He turned and went back to Christian, talking
to him as if our conversation had never taken place.

I rejoined Elyssa at the door.

"What was that about?" she asked.

"Uh, you know. He wished us good luck and all
that jazz." I hurried through the door.

Elyssa tugged on my arm. "How about you tell
me what he really said before I jerk your arm out of the
socket?"

I looked up the ramp where the rest of our
group was already exiting and sighed. "He told me the Arcanes
figured out how to block the cursed bullets and are upgrading the
Nightingale armor. He wants me to make sure we all grab a set
before embarking on anything crazy."

"Figures," she said, her lips curving into a
pleased smile. "Overprotective to the core."

"And you're eating it up."

She pinched her brow. "After years of him
treating me like nothing more than a tool to be honed and shaped
for the Templars? Hell yeah. It's about time he started treating me
like a daughter."

I squeezed her hand and walked up the ramp
toward daylight. "All my life I thought I had the perfect family."
My heart sagged. "And in the space of a month, the fantasy
shattered. My mom left me to be with Ivy and her family. My dad is
marrying a succubus. My sister thinks I'm evil." I forced a smile
and looked at Elyssa. "Your family was never close. Your dad sounds
like he's always been the commander in chief of the family while
the rest of you were trained like monkeys. But now you have a
chance. Maybe you'll get the great family after all."

Elyssa stopped and pressed a hand to my
cheek. "Oh, Justin, I'm sorry. Even if my family hasn't always been
the greatest, I grew up with great brothers." She squeezed her eyes
shut. "Jack and Michael were always there for me when my parents
weren't." She opened her eyes, wiped a tear away. "We have each
other now. We have our own future to make."

I kissed her softly on the lips and smiled.
"I know, babe. I just wish—I wish we could have it all. Great
families. Huge gatherings for the holidays. No insane angels
threatening to invade the world."

She laughed. "One step at a time, honey
boo-bear." She pecked me on the nose and we resumed our climb into
the light.

We emerged in an area devoid of graves. I
looked around the area and spotted Jack's grave in the distance.
The large Conroy headstone loomed not far behind it. This insane
roller coaster ride had started here. My sister had contacted me
here. Deep down, a question still burned in my guts.

Had Ivy been the one to lie about Maximus
kidnapping her? Had she sent me into Maximus's ambush?

Another figure emerged from the tunnel.
Cinder, still filthy, approached. "I hope it is okay for me to come
with you, Justin."

I nodded. "Until the bitter end, buddy."

He tilted his head. "Buddy? Does this mean
you consider me a friend?"

A wince almost crossed my face before I
stiffened my expression. This man—this thing was a golem. It wasn't
even alive. And here I was acting like it was just one of the gang.
It wasn't a friend. It wasn't an enemy. It was just a construct of
metal and fake flesh, nothing more.

Katie stepped forward and took Cinder's hand.
"You're my friend. You kept me safe after we busted out of
Maximus's place. You dug that tunnel all the way from one end of
the planet to the other so we could get here."

Bella took his other hand. "You were created
a slave to serve the purpose of an evil master. Somehow, you've
thrown off those chains and taken control of your own destiny,
Cinder. You may also call me friend."

They were right. I knew it. More importantly,
I felt it. This being had no choice in his creation, no choice in
who or what he was. What mattered was what he did now, and as far
as I was concerned, he was doing the right thing. I patted him on
the shoulder, and nodded. "Yes, Cinder. You're my friend."

Elyssa raised an eyebrow, but apparently
wasn't quite ready to give the golem a friendship bracelet just
yet.

Cinder nodded solemnly, though he probably
didn't know any other way
to
nod. "I am grateful for the
friendship you have entrusted me with, Katie, Bella, and Justin. If
it is within my abilities, I will not let you down."

Templars began emerging from the tunnel in
single file. People at a nearby funeral looked our way, confusion
plain on their faces as more and more figures poured from the
tunnel.

We made our way to the cemetery exit where a
convoy of Templar vehicles waited. I surveyed the nearby streets
and buildings, body tensed in anticipation of a fireball and a
horde of vampires. Even when nothing happened, I didn't relax until
the driver pulled onto the road and headed out. The others looked
tense as well, crowded as we were into the back of a large SUV.

"Well, I guess Daelissa doesn't know about
our new mode of transport," Bella said, offering a smile.

"My father asked us to hand over the key and
the map," Elyssa said.

Alarmed looks met her statement.

"Obviously, I told him no."

"And he didn't argue?" I asked,
surprised.

"Oh, he argued, alright. But I told him
Nightliss made it clear Justin was supposed to use them."

My forehead went tight. "She didn't say
that."

Elyssa grinned. "I know that. But he
doesn't."

"
Elyssa
," Bella said in a scolding
tone. "Lying to your father is not nice."

"Oh, give me a break," Elyssa said, rolling
her eyes. "After all he's done to me, he deserved it."

Bella's eyes twinkled. "I have the feeling
this is just the beginning of your revenge on that poor man."

I checked my phone. It was three in the
afternoon the week before Christmas. I could hardly believe how
little it felt like the holidays to me. Everyone else would be
doing last-minute shopping and preparing to put on the ugliest
sweater in their wardrobe for a special visit to a relative. I
wondered if the Conroys or the Slades celebrated Christmas. It was
almost laughable to think of demon spawn or my evil grandparents
putting up a tree and festive lights in their yards.

I chuckled as another thought occurred to
me.

"What is it?" Elyssa asked, nudging me in the
ribs.

"Every time this year, me, Harry, and Mark
used to get together for a huge sci-fi marathon. We'd drink tons of
hot chocolate and eat obscene amounts of candy."

Elyssa's mouth twisted sideways. "Do I even
want to know what you watched?"

"Now that I think about it, all that
make-believe stuff on T.V. seems pretty normal compared to my
reality."

She laughed.

I shook my head. "It was so stupid, in
retrospect, but I guess I kinda miss it."

"You miss your nerd friends, and running
around with a foam sword?" Elyssa said, a smirk still on her
face.

I nodded. "Remember the time you joined us
and kicked ass?"

"You were into LARPing?" Adam said from
behind.

"What in the world is a LARP?" Meghan
asked.

Now they were into my area of expertise.
"Live action role playing." I turned my head to face them. "We
dressed up like fantasy creatures and beat the crap out of each
other with foam swords and shields."

Adam nodded. "I used to LARP myself, back
before my parents…" He looked out the window. "It was fun just
being a kid. Not a care in the world."