Sweet Peril (The Sweet Trilogy #2)(14)

“Sister Ruth was right. You’ll need allies. We’ll need to build an army of Neph willing to help when the time comes. Not all the Neph can be trusted. I’ll have to research them. It could take a while. We’ll have to be patient and careful in the meantime. The Dukes are a suspicious group and we’ll never be fully off the hook with them after that summit. I can’t touch the Sword of Righteousness, but I can show you some basic sword skills and get you in some classes. You’ve got that leg holster we made for the hilt, so you’ll need to keep it on you at all times. We’ll get you a passport right away. You’ll need a partner who can travel with you to recruit the other Neph. I can talk to that son of Alocer and see if he’s willing. The two of you can go on long weekends and school breaks. Maybe even—”

“Whoa, whoa, whoa, Dad.” My brain flipped out when he said “army” and then short-circuited at the mention of “sword skills.” I wasn’t some “Giant of Old” like the Bible called Nephilim.

“What?” he asked. “You don’t want to work with Alocer’s kid? I thought you liked him.”

“I do. Kope’s great. And he’s the only one whose father isn’t keeping dibs on him. I get that. But as far as the prophecy . . . what if . . . I don’t know. This thing is so huge. How do we even know it’s about me? It just says ‘A Nephilim pure of heart,’ so there could be others. What if I . . .” Can’t do it.

When I looked into Dad’s eyes, I found a rock-solid faith there. He pointed at me. “You can do it. And you will. Don’t doubt yourself, ’cause if the Maker wants to use you, you gotta be all in.”

I swallowed hard. “But . . . I’ve been working,” I said in a small voice.

Next to him Patti’s eyes spilled over.

It was my deep-down terrible fear—that one day I’d touch the Sword of Righteousness and it would no longer zap me. I hadn’t touched it since before the summit.

“No, baby,” Dad assured me. “Your heart is pure.”

“But how do you know?” I whispered.

Dad shook his head. “Tell me how you feel about the people around you when you have to work.”

“I . . .” I glanced at Patti, who gave me a small nod. “At first I always get a little, I don’t know, thrill or something, when I can get them to drink. Like a rush of power. But then it fades, and I feel sorry for them. I worry about them and I feel guilty. I hate it.” The last part came out barely a whisper.

“That’s how I know your heart is pure, Anna,” he said. “Through it all, you choose to love them. You could have come to loathe humans like many of the Neph do, or to feel indifferent toward them as a way to make it easier on yourself, but that’s not you.”

I chewed my lip and stared down at the table. So many elements of this puzzle were unknown, but I hoped he was right.

“Go get the hilt,” Dad ordered.

I looked up at him, a sharp pang of fear ripping through me.

“Go get it,” he said more softly this time. I went to my room and took the leather-clad hilt from my purse on the dresser. Then I walked back to the table and lay the hilt in the middle, sitting in my chair. Dad pushed back a little, taking his hands off the table and leaning away from it. A flash of fear crossed his face and was gone just as quickly.

“Sorry,” I said, pulling the hilt closer to me.

He cleared his throat. “Go ahead and open it. Just, uh, don’t point it at me.” He looked a little sheepish saying that. “Even though I’m sure it’ll know I’m not a threat. It’s just that a single slash from an angel’s sword is what sent me to hell in the first place, so, yeah.” He cleared his throat again.

“Is that what the sword does?” Patti asked. “Sends souls to hell?”

Dad eyed the hilt with discomfort. “It disperses justice as God would have it. It can send a soul somewhere, or it can wipe a soul from existence. It knows what to do when it hits. Go ahead and touch it, baby. Don’t be afraid.”

I stared at it for a long time before wiping my sweaty palms on my shorts. With shaking hands I opened the top of the leather casing and let the hilt slide out a few inches. I sucked in a breath and brought my hands down to the shimmery metal.

I gasped as an electric current blasted through my skin, zapping up my arm. Then I curled my fingers around the hilt and let the buzz throb through my body. No flaming sword came to life from the hilt, because I wasn’t in danger. But it worked. It recognized my heart and would allow me to wield it. Every cell of my body was alive with its energy.

Patti and Dad were both watching me, their eyes shining with hope and love.

I could do this. I wanted to live with purpose. I needed there to be a worthwhile reason for all the pain.

I slid the hilt back into its case.

“Dad?”

“Hm?” He glanced up, having been lost in his own imaginings.

“When can I go to California? To tell Blake and Kaidan?” His eyes narrowed at me and I fumbled on, a tightness clamping over my insides. “’Cause they live the closest. They need to know, right? Allies and all?”

He entwined his fingers and put them behind his head. “Maybe I’ll tell them myself.”

My shoulders slumped, and I quickly squared them back again. He was testing me. Patti could tell, as well. She crossed her arms.