Sweet Evil (The Sweet Trilogy #1)(104)

Footsteps echoed off the high ceilings until shiny black shoes showed under my stall door.

“You’re sick. Let me in.”

“No. I’m fine now.”

“Shall I send Marna, then?”

“No. I just want to be alone. Go away in case the spirits come back.”

There was a long pause and I prayed he would hurry and leave, because the emotions I’d kept at bay all night were surfacing. I knew that when they made it to the top I was going to have an ugly, slobbering cry that needed no witnesses. Please don’t say another word....

“You did... well tonight.” The reluctant sentiment in his voice was like a hammer busting me wide open.

“Go,” I said thickly. “I want to be alone. Please just go away!”

There was a weird chanting sound coming from the people outside, and as I strained to listen, still unable to use my extra senses, I realized they were counting down. Cheers erupted and party horns trilled.

“Happy New Year.” His feet turned to leave, and the moment the door clicked shut behind him I dropped my head to my forearms and wept.

“Some rise by sin, and some by virtue fall.”

—William Shakespeare, Measure for Measure

CHAPTER THIRTY

SOME BY VIRTUE FALL

Someone knocked on my apartment door at six thirty the next morning. Six thirty! I shuffled down the hall, unable to stand straight. My stomach was still upset, and my head pounded as I spied my dad through the peephole. I opened the door and he walked right past me, heading for the kitchen.

“Help yourself,” I told him.

“Mornin’ to you, too, grumpy.” He poured himself a glass of tea and threw together a sandwich. I stared, bleary-eyed.

“You got sick last night.”

How could he tell? Did I smell bad? He took a bite, frowning at me.

“I forgot to drink water,” I mumbled.

“Or it could have been the Four Horsemen shot,” he suggested.

“How did you... ?” I began, then figured it out. “You were nearby the whole time!” He nodded. “Well, what was I supposed to do with that spirit breathing down my neck? He said he’d leave me alone if I gave him a show. I couldn’t exactly say no to the shot.”

“Don’t ever give a bartender free rein. Order only what you can handle.”

I sighed and dropped onto the couch, pressing my temples. It was way too early.

“We’ll talk about it on the plane. Get up and get ready. We’re going to New York City.”

Flying first class was nice. Too bad I couldn’t enjoy it. My gut was wrecked and my head was splitting. I chugged water and tried to eat a croissant.

The Dukes had called an emergency summit, and all Nephilim were required to attend. Neph from all over the world had left the night before to begin the trek. My friends were flying in on Pharzuph’s personal jet.

On the way to the airport I’d asked my dad why the Neph had to go. He said Neph were invited to summits only when one of them was in trouble. A strange sense of numbness had crept over me at that point. He’d sent a few of his trusted whisperers out to hunt down information, but all they learned was that a female Nephilim was not working up to par and would be dealt with as a reminder to all. We’d been silent the rest of the way to the airport, but my brain worked overtime.

It was too much of a coincidence that the Dukes would call an emergency meeting hours after I’d been tested. The unyielding tension on my dad’s face told me more than he was willing to say.

“Someone whistled last night,” my father said during the flight. The plane hummed with white noise from the engines. Nobody sat next to us.

“It was Kopano.”

“Did you tell him about that?” he asked.

I bit my lip and shook my head.

“So he listened in on your training.” He sucked air through his front teeth. “Ballsy.”

“You’re not mad?”

He lifted a shoulder and let it drop as if it made no difference. Then he raised the issue of the summit again, and my insides constricted.

“Sit as far away from the Dukes as you can tonight,” he instructed. “Neph don’t talk at summits. Don’t speak out, no matter what happens. If there’s a problem, I’ll take care of it. And don’t pull out that damn sword unless I tell you to. It’s our absolute last resort. Once that cat’s out of the bag there’s no going back.”

Together we’d rigged up a holster for the hilt around my ankle. He’d found a leather pouch to hold it so my bare skin wouldn’t be zapped. I was wearing black pants that flared enough at the bottom to hide it. He hadn’t thought metal detectors would be able to sense the celestial material, and he’d been right. I made it through airport security without notice.

The most terrifying thing about the summit was not knowing what to expect. I needed to prepare for the worst.

Ridicule. Torture. Pain. Death. Hell.

A tremor of terror racked me at the thought of eternal damnation. At the same time the plane hit a pocket of differing air pressure and the cabin dropped, shaking. I gripped the armrest. Not eternal, I told myself. It would be only temporary; I could make it. I closed my eyes in meditation. And then another horrific thought surfaced. What if Kaidan or Kopano tried to stop the Dukes from hurting me during the summit? They’d cause themselves to be subjected to punishment, too. The idea of anyone intervening was too much. A tear trickled out.