Thrall (15 page)

“Holy...” The bouncer staggered back into a wall, and then turned and ran out of the club. Every instinct I had urged me to turn and run after him, but I couldn’t leave Dad alone.

Across the dance floor, I saw Lucas emerge from the back hall with Derek. Derek’s eyes were dull, unseeing. But Lucas’ face went rigid with shock. I wondered if he’d ever seen a Lilitu unmasked before. The Lilitu retreated from Dad and glanced at Derek. Lucas’ grip on Derek tightened uneasily.

Gretchen burst through the club entrance with Hale close on her heels. I saw Hale’s eyes widen slightly when he saw me, but Gretchen was focused on the Lilitu.

She joined Dad, drawing her own daggers. They moved, flowing through the steps of the fighting form with lethal power. I had a vision of an army of soldiers trained like this. Suddenly the fight seemed a little more even. The redhead stumbled back in the face of their attack. After a moment’s fury, she turned and fled to the back hallway, knocking Lucas and Derek hard against the wall as she passed. She was gone.

I felt my knees go weak with relief.

Gretchen turned toward me, but her eyes focused on something behind me. Her face tightened with determination. “Another one! By the bar!” Hale spun around, daggers in hand, ready to fight. I looked over my shoulder. The brunette Lilitu, wrapped in her shadowy cloak, was preparing to spring.

“Get the boy out of here! We’ve got this covered!” Hale shouted to Lucas.

Lucas pushed Derek into a run. They raced across the dance floor. Lucas grabbed my hand as they passed, pulling me toward the main entrance. “Come on!”

“My dad...”

“He can handle this! Move!” Lucas half-dragged me out the club’s front door. As we fled, we heard another terrible shriek behind us.

Outside, the night air seemed colder than it had been when we’d arrived, just half an hour ago. It bit at my eyes, stung when I breathed it in. People huddled by their cars, confused and disoriented.

“The bouncer,” I said. “He saw her.”

“It won’t matter.” Lucas said, glancing back at the club bitterly. “You’ll see.”

Derek swayed on his feet between us. Lucas and I steadied him. Derek didn’t look good.

“Best thing we can do is get him out of here,” Lucas said, seeing my worry. The three of us made it to my car. I tossed the keys to Lucas and helped Derek around to the passenger side. Lucas opened the driver’s door and grabbed his leather jacket, pulling it on against the cold. The Firebird had a fold-down back seat. I crawled into the car and pulled the back seat down, then got out to make room for Derek.

“In,” I said, expecting resistance. To my surprise, Derek got inside wordlessly.

“He’d walk off a cliff if you told him to,” Lucas murmured. “His will has been compromised. We need to get him out of here. Come on.”

Lucas drove back to our houses. When he parked, I helped Derek out of the back of the Firebird and pulled him toward the Guard’s house. “No,” Lucas said. “I’m working on the back door. It doesn’t lock.”

“You have all the weapons,” I whispered.

Lucas scanned the area, thinking fast. “Okay. Get inside your house and lock the doors. I’ll be right back.” Lucas ran into the Guard’s house. I led Derek up the front walk to my house. The porch light was out. It made the portico - which usually felt welcoming - seem dangerous. Derek tripped on the flagstone path. I caught him and we made it to the front door.

“You’re going to be okay,” I said, more for my benefit than for his. I pulled the keys out of my purse and fumbled to open the front door. I felt the lock click and relief washed over me. I opened the door.

She was standing on the other side, smiling. The honey-blond Lilitu I’d seen with Derek at Homecoming. She’d never been at the club; she’d been waiting for us here. Semi-transparent ebony wings folded gracefully behind her. They shimmered even blacker than the darkness of the house.

“You,” I stammered.

“Hello, Braedyn.” She smiled, and her green eyes gleamed. I only saw a hint of the other form behind her face. “I think you have something that belongs to me.” I felt the keys drop out of my hand but I didn’t hear them hit the floor. She grabbed my arm and jerked me into the house. I skidded across the floor and fell.

Looking up, I could see Derek and the Lilitu silhouetted in the doorway. The streetlights outside edged them in a cold gray light. She pushed Derek into the house. Unresisting, Derek staggered to the floor next to me. Instinctively, I grabbed his hand. It was shaking. I gave his hand a squeeze I meant to be comforting and his eyes found my face. Maybe there was still a flicker of Derek inside.

Then the Lilitu slammed the front door and everything was dark.

I heard the door lock, felt it like a jolt in the marrow of my bones. The Lilitu took a step forward into the darkness. My eyes, adjusting, could make her out against the windows.

“Who are you,” I asked.

“I’m Karayan.”

As I focused, details rose up out of the shadows. I could see my house clearly, but everything was rendered in shades of gray. I sucked in a sharp breath. Night vision. If this was another symptom of my disease, that meant she could see us, too. I shifted my gaze and sure enough, Karayan was staring at me from across the foyer.

“I’ve been waiting a long time to meet you,” she said.

I grabbed Derek’s arm and pulled him to his feet with a strength born of desperation. “Stay with me,” I hissed into his ear. He didn’t argue. I had to guide him; I don’t know what he could make out in the dark house, but it couldn’t be much.

“Really?” Karayan called from the foyer. “You’re going to make me chase you?” I ducked into the guest bedroom with Derek. He pressed against the wall, breathing fast. He wasn’t winded from our dash down the hall - this was sheer panic. I heard Karayan walking down the hall. When she spoke, she sounded amused, confident. “Okay... but you should know I’ve never lost a game of hide-and-seek.”

I struggled to open the window into the backyard. It was stuck fast - we weren’t getting out this way. I grasped for a plan, but my mind was blank. I pulled Derek down behind the bed and crouched beside him.

“That’s her, isn’t it?” Derek asked.

“Quiet,” I whispered. Derek nodded. We waited.

I heard Karayan stop just outside the guest room and cursed myself for the obvious choice. We were sitting ducks in here. But instead of entering, Karayan turned and continued on. I didn’t buy for a second that she’d missed us. She knew exactly where we were. She was toying with us. But it bought us time. I heard her voice down the hall. It sounded like she was entering the kitchen.

“Oh, by the way,” she called merrily. “I’ve decided what I’m giving you for your birthday present. I hope you like it.” I heard the click of a light switch. A warm glow spilled out of the kitchen into the hallway before us. I looked at Derek, who had his eyes squeezed shut. “It’s a story, so pay attention.”

I edged forward and peeked out of the room. The hall was empty. I didn’t waste any time. I pulled Derek into the hall. He resisted, but I shoved him around the staircase back toward the front of the house.

I heard the refrigerator open in the kitchen. “Ooo, red velvet.” Derek and I reached the foyer, staying pressed against the living-room side of the main staircase. If Karayan walked into the dining room, she’d spot us as soon as we left the shelter of the staircase to move toward the front door. We’d have to risk it. It was the only way we were getting out of here.

“We’re going to have to run,” I whispered to Derek.

He shook his head. “No. No. She’s right there.”

“Derek, this might be our only chance.” I pulled on his hand, but Derek planted his feet, refusing to budge.

“She’ll see us,” he moaned.

It was no good. I looked around, trying to come up with another idea. And then I felt it - the seam to the door of the crawlspace under our stairs. My old hiding place. I found the hatch and opened the door. The crawlspace was a lot smaller than I remembered, but there would be room enough for two people to hide if we crammed in.

“Inside,” I commanded quietly. Derek scooted into the closet without a word.

Karayan must have finished taste-testing my cake, because she started talking again. “Okay, story time. In the beginning, God created two beings out of clay. Adam and Lilith. They were equals in Eden.”

I slipped into the closet after Derek and eased the door closed. The hatch made a tiny click as it latched. I almost screamed when the stairs creaked overhead. Karayan must have been in the foyer as I was closing the hatch. I felt an icy wash of fear. We listened as Karayan walked up the stairs. Her voice reached us clearly, even through the wood paneling.

“But Adam... You probably know the type. He didn’t want an equal, he wanted a groupie.” We listened as Karayan reached the top of the steps and walked into the upstairs hallway. I glanced at Derek in the dark. He hugged his knees tightly, eyes staring blindly in the darkness of the crawlspace.

I heard Karayan’s voice, muffled but intelligible. She was in Dad’s room. “And then one day, Lilith saw the Archangel Samael in the garden. For the first time, she understood love. She left Adam for Samael, even though it meant disobeying God.”

Derek reached a hand out to me. “Will she find us here?” he asked. I shook my head no, pretending a confidence I didn’t feel.

Karayan’s voice sounded at the top of the stairs. “Samael was afraid of God’s wrath, so turned her out. Brokenhearted, Lilith refused to return to Eden. To punish her, God sent three angels to kill one of her children every day until she went back to Adam. Does that seem fair?” The stairs creaked above our heads.

I felt a fervent hope that she’d go back to the guest room. Maybe she thought we were still hiding there. My thoughts raced ahead, trying to predict her next move. If she went into the back hallway, we could still make a break for it.

“Lilith let the pain of Samael’s betrayal temper her will,” Karayan continued. “Instead of crawling back to Adam like a broken thing, she chose to fight for her children, for her birthright. Some of us are still fighting. An eye for an eye...” Karayan had reached the bottom of the stairs. I didn’t hear her for a moment. I couldn’t tell where she’d gone. Then a shadow broke the line of light edging the closet door. I didn’t have time to scream.

Karayan ripped the door open, splintering the hinges. She jerked me out into the living room with a strength that belied her delicate form. She smiled. “And a life for a life.”

“Don’t hurt him.” My voice trembled.

“Weren’t you paying attention?” Karayan asked. “It’s us against them, sweetie.” I shook my head helplessly. Karayan studied me. “The Guard wants to put you on a leash. Come with me. I can teach you how to use all those shiny new powers you’re starting to develop. I’ve seen you with those schoolboys. You’re a natural. Now,” she said, smiling. “This is the part where you ask me to take you under my wing. Sort of a big-sister little-sister thing.”

I stared at her. “You’ve been watching me?”

“You think I scope out high school dances for kicks?” Karayan laughed. “Teenage boys are fun, but they can get a little clingy.” Her eyes glinted cruelly, and I knew. She wasn’t going to let Derek go.

“Derek, run!” I shouted. Derek obeyed me, gathering all his courage to scramble out of the closet and race for the door.

Karayan didn’t take her eyes off my face. “
Derek. Stop.
” There was a new quality to her voice, a sparkling resonance, as though it was underscored with a throaty chime. It froze Derek in his tracks.

“Derek?!” I shouted, feeling panic rising in my throat. “What are you doing? You have to get out of...!” Karayan drove a fist into my stomach, hard. I felt my knees buckle and fell against the wall. I caught myself, doubling over. A searing pain spread across my belly. I felt like gasping and retching at the same moment. I dragged in a ragged breath. Karayan grabbed my hair at the nape of my neck and pulled me onto my feet. I hissed in pain. All the defiance I’d felt three seconds ago was gone, replaced by stinging terror.

Karayan forced me to the front door. I was still gasping. Every step sent a new stab of pain down my side. We passed Derek. He stood, still as a statue. Only his eyes, wide with animal terror, gave him away. Karayan unlocked the door and opened it. The cool night air greeted us. She shoved me over the threshold. I fell to the porch, cradling my side. Karayan towered over me, the soft waves of her honey-blond hair framing a grim expression.

“You don’t know the Guard yet,” she said softly. “I think it’s time for you to see exactly what they’re capable of.” Karayan reached a hand out to Derek, not even bothering to look at him. He took her hand, all resistance gone. Karayan gave me a look full of pity, then kicked the front door shut in my face.

“Don’t hurt him,” I screamed at the door. There was no answer. I scrambled to my feet, grabbing the doorknob, but it was locked. I dropped to my knees, searching the porch for my keys. Even with my heightened vision, I couldn’t see them anywhere. I stood and threw my body against the door. It didn’t budge.

I saw my purse on the front porch where I’d dropped it. My cell phone was peeking out of one corner. I snatched it and speed dialed Dad.

It only rang once before he answered. “Braedyn? What is it?”

“Dad? She’s here! She’s got Derek in the house!”

There was a fraction of a moment of silence, and then Dad cursed. “Get away from there. We’re on our way.” The line went dead. They were coming, but they wouldn’t get here soon enough to help Derek.

Forcing myself to move despite the burning in my stomach, I raced across the lawn to Lucas’ house.

The front door was standing ajar. I hurried inside and went straight for the basement stairs. Lucas was charging up with a sack full of weapons. When he saw me, he froze.

“Braedyn?”

“She’s in my house,” I said. “With Derek.”

Lucas’ whole demeanor changed. He dropped the sack and pulled out a set of the daggers I’d seen him training with. The difference between the way Lucas and Dad handled the daggers was as stark as night and day. With a sick sense of dread, I knew we were no match for Karayan. She’d already beaten me, and he was just a kid. That thought didn’t seem to cross his mind. He raced past me, out of the house.