Silver Smoke (#1 of Seven Halos Series) (41 page)

"Where have you been?" he asked, trying to keep the accusation out of his voice.
Give her a chance
to explain
, he reminded himself.

"Trying to figure out how to get your powers back." She spoke softly, with none of the playfulness that normally filled her voice. The difference startled Pilot in a way her presence couldn't.

"My powers?" he asked.

Her voice just above a whisper, she said, "Aren't you curious why you don't have powers?"

Pilot finally looked at her. She wore her usual black ensemble, and the dim lamp lighting reflected off her pale, platinum blonde hair while relinquishing the rest of her face and body to the shadows. Her wet, silver eyes twinkled like the surface of a lake beneath a full moon.

"I've been wondering," he admitted.

Her shoulders fell back from their stiff, upright position. "You should have powers, and I think I know how to get them back for you." Her voice picked up, returning to a normal volume. "We just need Brie's help."

The mention of Brie shook sense into Pilot, bringing him back from the alternate reality he'd been living in with Kennedy for the past several weeks. He had thought, at the time, that it was okay to escape his mundane day-to-day with her—that it didn't hurt anyone. Now, he realized how very wrong he'd been about relationships—they couldn't function in a vacuum, fueled by desire. This was all his fault.

He choked on his own emotions hanging in his throat. "Brie said you're some sort of assassin for Silver Smoke."

Kennedy opened her mouth to speak, but something in his face made her pause. He could see her mind churning, as if she were reversing a car, backing up and changing course. "You didn't hear that from Brie."

Pilot's skin tingled, sensing manipulation. "So it's true. You do kill people."

"I've done what I had to," Kennedy said defensively. "You know what my sister is like. She would have killed me if I didn't do her bidding. I didn't have a choice."

Pilot wanted to accept her answer at face value. Her wounded gaze lured him in and he wanted so badly to trust her it hurt.

"Were you sent here to kill Rykken?"

"Not this time." Kennedy pierced him with her eyes. "If I had been, he'd be dead already." Her words were snappy and alive, far from how she'd greeted him, but closer to her normal demeanor. She walked toward Pilot and pushed his hair out of his face. "I know you're surprised about my past, but everyone has one.

The things I've done to survive don't change what we have." She leaned in closer, until he could smell her hair. She probably hadn't washed it in days, judging from how shiny it was, but it still smelled amazing to him. "I'm still the same girl you met in the school library," she whispered, "the same girl you held and kissed just outside this window, in your hammock—"

"You're a murderer," Pilot said, pulling away from her. He needed to keep his head clear and her touch wasn't helping.

"You are young," she said coldly. "You don't understand." Her words were harsh, but the pained look on her face told him that he had hurt her. She turned away from him, staring at James' desk. She picked up a framed picture of his mother and James. "And don't think that Milena never killed to save her children."

Pilot felt like she'd slapped him. "My mother wasn't a murderer."

"She was," Kennedy said, folding her arms. "She just defined murder differently."

Pilot fell into his dad's chair, glaring at Kennedy. "Why are you here? To taunt me with secrets about my dead mother?" Pilot felt a deep sadness in the pit of his stomach, desperate to rise into his throat. He swallowed, determined not to tear up.

"No," Kennedy said softly. "I came here to tell you I love you."

Her words immediately softened him in a way that made him hate himself for being so weak for her. She crawled into his lap, pulling his willing arms around her and tucking her head under his chin.

"I'm sorry," she said. "I should have been honest with you from the beginning, so you wouldn't doubt me like this." She pulled away from him slightly and looked into his eyes. "The Hallows didn't give you and Brie the whole story." She stroked his cheek, and her lips found his. They tasted of Mentos, and slightly of blood. "If you want to be a part of Silver Smoke, I've figured out how. But you have to trust me."

"Why would I want to be part of Silver Smoke?" Pilot asked. "Look what your sister has done to you." His anger toward Kennedy was melting away, replaced by anger toward this unknown sister of hers.

Kennedy studied his face. "We can overthrow my sister if we can reclaim your powers." She must have noticed the skepticism bubbling along Pilot's lip line, because she added, "Taking over Silver Smoke is the only way I can guarantee your safety, and Brie's. "Her face contorted as he deliberated over her words. "And it's the only way we can be together."

"You could leave Silver Smoke," Pilot countered.

"No," she said with sad eyes, "I can't. This is the only way for us, Pilot."

Pilot's breath escaped slowly. He didn't understand all the whys, but he believed Kennedy, despite all the warnings. Kennedy had a past that he didn't agree with, but that didn't mean her future couldn't be better. He shouldn't turn his back on her now, not when he could save her. They could save each other.

Wasn't that what love was about?

All he needed was Brie.

He looked down at Kennedy's face. She was waiting for his response, her eyes glistening. "Will you come with me?" she asked.

"What about Rykken?"

Kennedy's head wobbled. Surprise flashed in her eyes, then anger. "Do you think that your friendship with Rykken is real?"

"Yes," Pilot responded automatically.

Kennedy rocked her head, pity in her eyes. "It's not. Thessa needed a way to tie you to Honolulu, in case something happened to Milena. Cora manipulated the two of you to become friends."

"That's not possible." Pilot felt a stab of pain mixed with a slight sense of guilt at the mention of Cora's name. He had forgotten about her completely. He didn't trust the other Hallows and wouldn't think twice about leaving them, but Cora... "Cora would have told me," Pilot said. "She's not capable of lying like that."

Kennedy pulled his cell phone out of his pocket and pressed some buttons. "Ask her then," she said, a layer of something he didn't understand over the normal tone in her voice. She taunted him with the phone, set to Cora's number. All he had to do was press the green button.

Pilot pushed her claims out of his head and pushed a red button to clear the number from the screen.

"Rykken is my best friend."

Kennedy's eyes flashed, reminding him of oncoming headlights in the middle hours after sundown and before sunrise, when the night was at its darkest. "Do you want to know the truth, Pilot? Or do you want to believe the lies these Hallows are spinning to you and your sister?"

He gently pushed her out of his lap, until she stood up, facing him. "What's the truth then?" he asked.

His body shivered; the room was chilly without her in his arms.

"The truth is that Milena didn't care about you, or James. She only cared about protecting Brie. She forced James away, and Cora convinced him to buy a home on this island. Thessa found Rykken nearly dead on the river, and she planted him where she needed him—in a water polo camp you just so happened to be attending. She used you to tie the family closer to Honolulu, in case something happened to Milena."

Pilot felt cold all over. "How do you know that?"

"Because I was
there
, watching. Not you. I've watched Rykken though, since he first came to this island."

"Why Rykken?" Pilot asked. "What are you keeping from me?"

Kennedy tossed her hair over her shoulder. "It doesn't matter. He's a Hallow; he belongs with the others. He can't come with us."

Nothing Kennedy said made sense. "You're manipulating me," Pilot said.

"Don't you understand?" Kennedy said, the rage slicing through in her voice. "It's not me that's manipulating you. It's the Hallows!"

Pilot jolted out of his seat. "You manipulated me with the book. You tricked me to use it to unbind Rykken's powers."

"Yes, it's true. At first, I only saw you as a tool. But that was before I knew who you were—a son of Michael and—"

"Who I am?" Pilot was disgusted. He turned and hurled his balled fist through the Atlantic Ocean section of James' map, halting upon sharp impact into the solid wall that didn't give nearly as much as he hoped.

When he wrenched his fist free, he turned around.

Kennedy's mouth hung open, her shoulders uncharacteristically hunched over.

"You're just like every other girl, Kennedy." Pilot enunciated every syllable, giving them crisp edges.

"You don't care about me—you only care about who my family is and what they can do for you!"

Kennedy deflated into the chair in front of James' desk. "No, I didn't mean it like that—"

"Son of Michael," Pilot said, scoffing, as he sat back down. Pain seared through his right arm up to his shoulder.

"I know that's what it looks like," Kennedy said, assuming a calm, rational demeanor.

Pilot thought about what Thessa had said.
The royal family was made up of Michael's children... The
family only had daughters...

"And with your father being as famous as he is, I understand why you would expect that. But I have real feelings for you and—"

"Sons of Michael must be rare if you value dating me so much," he said.

"The Hallows didn't tell you?" Surprise caked Kennedy's expression. "You have no idea how rare sons of Michael are. You would be the first in over 2,000 years."

Pilot's heart plummeted to his stomach. "I'm done." Pilot stood abruptly. "I can't listen to you anymore." She had told him everything he needed to know in her reaction. Son of a musician, son of Michael—what did it matter? No matter what world he lived in, he was destined to be a status symbol in some bigger power play.

Kennedy relinquished her seat. "You aren't ready to listen to me," she said sadly. She circled the desk to the other side. "I need to take care of someone."

Pilot looked up. "Rykken?"

"I'm going to finish the job I should have finished years ago."

"You're not going to kill him, are you?"

"It doesn't matter if I do," she said matter-of-factly. "You're too worked up to reason with, though, so I need your sister's help to convince you. And to convince her, I need Rykken anyway, to show her...

well, I'll let her explain to you later." Pilot was struck by her frankness; he could practically see Kennedy's mind working, mapping out the next steps in her head, like she was playing a game of checkers.

The corner of her lips fell as she whipped her hair out of her face. "But sure, I might kill him. He's dangerous to us. You'll understand why someday."

Pilot lunged at her across the desk, but his hands slid away from her skin like it was wrapped in satin.

Kennedy looked down at his hands as he struggled to grab on to her, pity behind her eyes. "And we'll be on more equal footing when you finally get your powers."

"I don't care about my powers!" He screamed obscenities at her until he noticed that her expression hadn't changed, as if she didn't believe any portion of his anger was real.

She sat him back down firmly. He struggled, but it was fruitless—despite how much raw strength he should have over her tiny frame, she barely flinched at any of his movements. "Yes, you do care about your powers," she said softly. "And you can't have your powers and me and Brie all safe and sound unless I do something about Rykken."

Pilot's voice felt raspy. "You. Can't. Hurt. Him."

"Would you prefer me to trap him, so he can never live a normal life? Or turn him over to my dear sister?

Who knows what she would do to him."

"I won't forgive you if you hurt him."

"Forgiveness comes in time, Pilot. And you'll have forever to forgive me, once you embrace your place in Silver Smoke."

These words confused Pilot more than anything else she had said. She made it seem like he already had a place in Silver Smoke, like he was... destined to be there.

Pilot's thoughts rolled, the pieces coming together. When Pilot was just beginning to surf, he tried to tackle a wave far beyond his abilities. His balance was off and he was too far up on the board. When the wave overtook him, his board came up behind him, smacking into his body before the ocean pulled him into somersaults underneath it.

The meaning of her words hit him just like the board, knocking the wind from his lungs. He swallowed.

Kennedy looked at him sadly. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you sooner," she said.

"What do you see for us?" Pilot asked softly. "Even if..." he stopped. He couldn't bring himself to finish the sentence. "Even if what you're saying is true, we can't be together if you hurt Rykken."

"It is you who will want forgiveness from me someday. When you figure out that I'm the one telling the truth, and the Hallows are the ones lying to you." Kennedy gave him a soft kiss on the lips. He hungered for more, but he didn't kiss her back. Not yet—not until he had time to think about his new revelation.

"Don't worry," she said, her body turning into a hollow shell, a flicker of her physical body. "I've already forgiven you." Then she disappeared.

*****

"It's sweet that you wanted to make dinner for Rykken tonight," Annie said. "I feel terrible for him

—getting kicked out of his foster parents' home and everything."

Brie smiled politely. "I'm glad James is letting him stay." James was still in LA, but he said yes right when Pilot asked, to Brie's relief. Rykken's social services worker faxed James the paperwork and waived the interview process; the deal was done in just a few days. James' willingness to let Rykken stay with them, despite the potential publicity and security risks, warmed Brie's heart.

When Brie glanced up, Annie was staring at her. "Have you told James about you and Rykken yet?"