Sweet Reckoning (6 page)

“We need to meet so you can take me to them,” she said. “This has to stop.”

“You’re here? I don’t think this is a good—”

“Just meet me.” She sounded desperate.

We met in front of the superstore in Cartersville. We both stepped out of our cars into the humidity, searching the skies and crossing our arms.

“Take me to her,” Ginger demanded.

I hesitated.

“I think Marna needs to get this out of her system,” I told her. “I’m worried that the more you try to stop her, the more she’ll cling to him.”

She appeared to be barely containing her anger. “I swear, Anna. I’ll chain her up if I have to, but she is not staying another night with him. I won’t let her endanger herself for some stupid human boy.”

I took a deep breath. These were touchy circumstances. If whisperers caught Marna hooking up with a boy, just for fun and not for the purpose of making him cheat, her father would have her killed. Worse yet, the Dukes would probably make a spectacle of her death as a lesson to the other Neph about the importance of working.

“If I take you to her, will you promise to try and stay calm?”

Ginger gave me a tight smile. “I’ll be calm.”

I so did not believe that, but while I couldn’t tell her how to deal with her sister, I
could
tell her how to deal with my best friend.

“I can’t have you yelling at Jay. He doesn’t understand.”

“Fine.”

“All right. Let’s go.”

I took us to Jay’s house and texted him from the gravel driveway to let him know we were there. I didn’t want to walk in on anything.

Ginger followed me in, wearing a face of stone.

Jay opened his bedroom door as we came down the hall. He wore jeans and was pulling a shirt over his head. I opened my senses to feel the anxious confusion in his gray aura.

“What’s going on?” he asked, looking back and forth between us.

“It’s hard to explain, Jay,” I said.

His guardian angel stood close, protective as ever.

Ginger never stopped moving, so Jay stepped out of her way and we all went into his room. Marna sat on the bed with one of Jay’s pillows on her lap. Something about her seemed . . . off. I couldn’t put my finger on it. I searched the room, wondering where the strange vibe was coming from.

Jay walked over and stood next to Marna, who gave her sister a defiant stare as Ginger’s sharp eyes went from Marna to Jay, and back to Marna.

Oh man. She did not look happy. The twins could sense romantic bonds between people—everything from attraction to love and marriage. Was that what was happening to me? I’d never sensed bonds between people before, but I couldn’t place the awareness I was experiencing.

“I’m sorry,” Jay said. “But I don’t see what the big deal is. We’re both adults. We’re just . . . hanging out.”

“Just hanging out?” Ginger asked sweetly. “Not falling in love?”

My heart kicked with surprise. Was that what she saw between them? But . . . he’d just been in a relationship with Veronica! I felt light-headed. This was so like Jay to let his heart be snatched up by another so quickly.

I watched Jay and Marna exchange a tender glance, and sure enough a fluff of pink floated up around Jay. Then he looked at me and his eyes dropped to the floor, a wave of gray guilt covering over the pink.

“It’s time to go,” Ginger said in her don’t-mess-with-me voice.

Marna lifted her chin. “I’m not leaving, Gin. I’ll take the red-eye to New York and be back in time for our flight.”

“Don’t do this,” Ginger warned.

Jay looked at her like she was crazy. Marna flung the pillow aside and stood face-to-face with her sister. I rocked back on my heels and gasped, slapping a hand over my mouth. My body reacted—heart pounding, limbs shaking, a chill of disbelief zipping down my spine.

“Anna?” Jay came over and grabbed my arm.

“What?” Marna asked. “What’s wrong? Why are you staring at me like that?”

She brushed a hand down her flat stomach, where my eyes had locked.

God, please. Don’t let this be happening.

The faintest recognition of buttery light pulsed from her abdomen.

I felt like I might hyperventilate as the reality of the situation crashed over me. Marna would be gone within the year. Dead. Because she was pregnant.

“You guys . . . had sex.”

It was a rude comment under any circumstances, and I couldn’t believe it was the first thing to leave my mouth. But I had to know if it was Jay’s. If it wasn’t, he didn’t need to be a part of this.

“Dude.” Jay’s cheeks reddened.

They’d definitely had sex.

Marna and Ginger converged on me, pushing Jay back, searching my face for answers.

“What is it?” Ginger asked.

“Yeah, you’re freaking me out.” Marna crossed her arms, and I forced myself to stop staring. When I looked up, I could feel the wetness of tears on my cheeks.

“I’m so sorry,” I whispered.

I was scared to say it. Scared to put the words out there and make it real. A sob rose up in my chest and I covered my mouth again. Sweet Marna.

“Anna.” Jay squeezed in and whispered to me, “Don’t cry. We didn’t plan for this. I know it’s fast, and . . . I know Veronica’s going to be hurt—”

“It’s not that.” I made a spontaneous decision. Jay needed to know what he’d gotten himself into. I gathered all the courage I had in me, trying not to cry harder.

“Marna.” I took her hand. “You’re pregnant.”

The three of them stared at me. Ginger was the first to react. She grabbed my shirt in both fists and shook me, screaming, “
Shut up!
You shut your bloody mouth!”

Jay tried to pry her off me, and I grabbed her wrists, staring her in the eyes. “I’m sorry, Ginger.”

She shoved me away like I’d burned her, and stumbled back into Jay’s desk, looking rabid. Marna stood still with her eyes wide.

Jay glared at me. “This is not cool. Why would you say that?”

“She can’t be,” Ginger whimpered. “She had the surgery. We both did.”

Jay’s head swung toward her, a look of confusion on his face. I’d worry about him in a minute.

Right now, my mind searched for a possible answer. “We heal fast. Maybe the surgery corrected itself before it had a chance to take? But . . . I wonder why you never got pregnant before this?”

“Anna!” Oh, man. Jay looked appalled, and I couldn’t blame him.

“I usually don’t . . . ,” Marna whispered. Her eyes were glazed when she looked up at me. “I do other things, if I can help it. You know . . . anything but?”

“A half-arsed worker, just like you,” Ginger mumbled.

“What the hell are you guys talking about?” Jay sounded frustrated now.

Ginger ignored him and yelled, “This is stupid! You can’t possibly know she’s pregnant, Anna. She’d be less than a week!”

“I’ve always been able to sense it,” I said. I opened my mouth to explain and became very aware of Jay’s stare. He looked at me as if I were a stranger. “Jay,” I whispered, “I have a lot to tell you.”

“You’re being weird, Anna. You’ve always been weird, but this ain’t right.”

My eyes watered again. His words hurt. I knew what it must sound like to him.

Ginger stepped up to Jay. “I need you to shut up and stay out of this while we figure it out. Then we’ll all leave you alone and you won’t have to see any of us
freaks
again.”

His face scrunched in bafflement.

“Stop it, Gin!” Marna grabbed Jay’s arm, and he wrapped it around her, glancing at our faces like he’d found himself in another dimension.

“I’m not going anywhere,” Jay said. “I just want to know what’s going on.”

“I can sense a warmth,” I said, pushing on despite the overwhelming awkward tension. “It’s like an aura, but different. I can feel the extra life force—”

“It’s a multicellular freaking zygote!” Ginger screamed. “Not a life force! Not a
soul
!”

“I didn’t say . . . I meant, I just don’t know.” It was so hard to explain. “It’s like . . . an extension of Marna, only a tiny, separate entity.”

Ginger started pacing. “Oh, God. Oh, God. We need one of those morning-after pills.”

Marna’s eyes widened. “I’m not taking any pill!”

“An operation, then!”

Marna shook her head. “It doesn’t work, Gin. You know that! Other Neph have tried it, and it kills them just the same.”

Jay dropped his arm from Marna’s shoulder and stepped back. I’d never seen him so freaked out. The twins kept arguing.

“Those other Neph couldn’t have been as early on as you,” Ginger reasoned. “If there’s no soul in the thing yet, then you’re safe. When do babies get their souls?”

Both sisters looked at me, and I shook my head. “I have no idea.”

I knew souls were created in the heavenly realm, and the Maker knew every detail of our earthly lives and our purposes, starting from conception, but it was never specified at what part of the process the soul was embedded in the flesh.

“I’m not having an abortion,” Marna said. “I don’t care if there’s a soul yet or not. I’m not having one.”

“Why the hell not?” Ginger’s voice reached an all-time high. She got in Marna’s face. “Don’t be an idiot! There could still be time!”

Marna blinked and tears streamed down her cheeks. “And I could die today! I’m not doing it!”

Jay and I stood watching, silent.

Ginger was shaking. Marna covered her mouth, her eyes spilling over as she sat on the bed.

“I’m . . . I’m going to have a baby, Gin,” she whispered.

“You will be dead, Marna.
Dead!
You won’t get to enjoy it. You can’t be a mother!”

“But you can raise her and tell her about me—”

Ginger reeled back, scowling. “I don’t want anything to do with this creature! And how will I raise your stupid baby when I’m working? Shall I ask Grandfather Astaroth to babysit?” She looked wildly around the room, then grabbed Marna’s wrist. “We’re going to a clinic. Now.”

Ginger turned, and Marna twisted out of her grip. “I’m not going!”

A vicious, crazed scream tore from Ginger’s lips. Marna tried to reach for her, but Ginger slapped her hand away.

“Gin, please,” Marna sobbed.

Ginger turned to me, and I froze. “You! Fix this. Pray.”

“I am,” I promised her. “But I don’t get everything I ask for, Ginger.”

“You’re His little prodigy child, aren’t you?”

“No. I don’t have any more access than you or anyone else! Maybe we could all pray together?”

I reached for her hand, but she yanked it away.

“I am
not
praying. He let this happen! He bloody hates us!”

Ginger made a sound that broke my heart, and then reached for her keys and ran from the room. Marna covered her face. I pulled her to me and we hugged, both of us crying. My heart was in shreds.

“Give her some time,” I whispered. “She just needs a minute to herself.”

I glimpsed at Jay, who’d backed himself against the wall. Marna and I pulled away and faced him. He didn’t look scared anymore. He didn’t look anything. Just kind of blank and pale, like it’d been too much for him and he’d shut down.

“Jay?” Marna whispered.

We didn’t step any closer to him.

In a robotic voice, he asked, “Can you please tell me what’s going on now?”

Marna and I looked at each other. She gave me a nod. I turned to Jay’s guardian angel, half expecting him to shake his head, but he only watched me sadly.

“It’s going to sound crazy,” I told Jay. “Even worse than the conversation you just heard.”

“It could not get any crazier. Just tell me.”

I took a deep breath. “There are angels on earth, Jay. And demons, too.”

He didn’t move.

“Most of them are in spirit form, and you can’t see them,” I continued. “But twelve of the demons are in human bodies. They’re called the Dukes.”

I looked at Marna’s pinched face, and she nodded for me to keep going. Jay was still in zombie mode.

“Our fathers are two of the Dukes,” I whispered. “Same with Kai, and Kope, and Blake. We’re children of demons.”

No reaction whatsoever.

“We’re called Nephilim,” Marna said. “But we usually just say Neph.”

Still he was unresponsive, eyes glazed. Marna looked worried.

“We can prove it to you,” I said. “Come with me. We’ll leave our cell phones here. Marna, you stay here and listen, okay?”

She nodded. I motioned for Jay to follow, and he did. We got into my car and drove down the street, almost a mile away. I felt his eyes boring into the side of my face the whole time. I stopped the car and parked.

“Tell me something nobody else knows,” I said softly. “When we get back to your room, Marna will tell us what you said, because she can hear us right now.”

“How can she hear us?”

“We have supernatural abilities—heightened senses.”

At first I didn’t think he’d play along. His eyes widened, but he was silent.

“Uh . . .” He finally spoke, and his voice came out quiet and dry. “Okay. I used to dream of Marna when I was with Veronica. I always woke up feeling guilty, but I couldn’t help it. And I’m pretty sure I’m still dreaming now. Only it’s not such a good dream anymore.”

Oh, Jay.

“I know this is a lot to take in. I only found out when I was sixteen, and it’s still hard for me.”

He looked at me now, really looked at me.

“Angels and demons aren’t real, Anna. They can’t be.”

“They are,” I whispered.

He stared at me. “I just don’t get it. You’re both
sweet
. How can you be . . . part demon?”

“We have urges, Jay. Worse than any human could understand.”

“Urges.” He continued to study me.

“Drugs and alcohol for me.” He sort of swayed backward as understanding rocked him. I kept going. “The twins deal with adultery—cheating. We’re meant to hurt people.”

His brown eyes swelled while he pieced everything together. “The night I was deejaying . . . New Year’s Eve . . . when we . . .”

“Yeah,” I said. “She saw a bond between you and Roni. There were demon spirits there watching, and she worked on you, but she liked you. Genuinely. And it says a lot that she loves you, now, completely single.”