Sacrifice (28 page)

Drops of an oily ichor spotted the ground between them. That’s when I saw the dagger clutched tight in Amber’s fist. She’d managed to slice a thin line across the Lilitu’s stomach—not deep enough to cripple her, but it did give her pause.

It was the moment’s distraction I needed. I charged forward as the Lilitu recovered. The demon caught Amber’s wrist and slammed it into the stone wall, sending her dagger flying into the shadows.

“Spotter,” the Lilitu hissed, gripping Amber’s neck in one clawed hand. Amber’s eyes bulged in panic—

Just as I hit the demon from the side. I drove my dagger into her exposed ribs, up to the hilt. She released Amber reflexively. Momentum did the rest—I’d thrown myself against her hard enough to send us both crashing to the stone floor. We skidded away from Amber, coming to rest at the base of another support column.

I pushed myself up off the Lilitu with my good arm, adrenaline flooding my system.

Only—the Lilitu’s eyes were blank, staring. She’d died before we’d finished our slide across the floor.

That’s when I started shaking. Bile rose in the back of my throat—a reaction to both the pain in my arm and the bitter after-taste of the adrenaline. I staggered to the column for support, then dropped to my knees, heaving the contents of my breakfast onto the floor.

The Guardsmen reached us then. Hale went to Amber, catching her face in his hands and peering into her eyes. “It’s going to be okay, Amber. I just want to make sure you weren’t hurt.” He ran his hands over her frame, searching her quickly and impersonally for wounds.

“I’m fine.” But Amber’s eyes were rooted to the dead Lilitu, and her face was pale.

A second Guardsman knelt beside Rhea, trying to revive her. “Who’s got the smelling salts?”

“Here.” The third Guardsmen reached into his pocket and tossed a small parcel over. Without waiting to see how Rhea responded, he prodded the Lilitu’s body with his boot, ensuring the demon wasn’t going to rise up again.

I heard Rhea’s groan as she was jerked back into consciousness by the powerful odor of the smelling salts.

“Easy,” the Guardsman was telling her. “You had a bad fall.”

“What happened?” But then Rhea’s eyes found me. She pushed the Guardsman out of her line of sight. “You.”

Rage flared through my body. “Are you
kidding me?!
”

Hale, who’d finished his examination of Amber, turned. “Stand down, Rhea.”

“This marks the
second
time a Lilitu attacked through the Seal. Both on her watch.” Rhea rose to her feet, unsteady but driven by fury nonetheless. “Are you going to tell me that’s a coincidence? She’s a
liability.
”

“She saved my life,” Amber said. I turned. Amber stood, wrapping her arms around herself as though cold. “If it weren’t for Braedyn, that demon would have killed me.”

Rhea shook her head.

“It’s true, Rhea,” Hale said. “None of us could have reached her in time.”

“It doesn’t prove she’s harmless,” Rhea said. Her eyes raked over me. “How do we know she didn’t put the Lilitu up to this, in an effort to make herself look like the hero?”

“You’re insane. I’m on
your
side.” I glared at Rhea. But nothing I did would ever be enough to win her trust—that was perfectly obvious now.

“Outside.” Hale bent over the Lilitu’s body and pulled my dagger free. He cleaned the blade on the Lilitu’s clothes. When he looked up, Rhea hadn’t moved. “Outside, Rhea. And if you ever raise a hand to Braedyn again, I’ll see you court-martialed.”

Rhea sneered. “Clay would never discipline someone for attacking a Lilitu.”

“Are you willing to bet your life on that?” Hale’s voice held a steely note I’d never heard before. “Last I checked, the penalty for mutiny was still death.”

Rhea’s face grew still. She glanced at the other Guardsmen, looking for backup. They avoided her gaze. She scoffed, smiling faintly. “I could use the fresh air.” She turned and walked out of the roof-less mission, where we had fresh air to spare. The doors swung shut behind her before any of the rest of us moved.

Hale moved to my side. “Let me see your arm.”

“Don’t,” I hissed. But Hale was exceedingly gentle. He felt for the fracture, wincing in empathy when I gasped.

“You’re lucky the bone didn’t break the surface of your skin,” he said. He pulled his T-shirt over his head. I glanced quickly away. Hale’s chest was a pile of well-defined muscles. They rippled smoothly under his skin as he worked, tearing the shirt into strips. He fashioned a field splint, binding my arm securely to the empty hilt of a set of daggers, then carefully looped a swatch of shirt over my neck to keep my arm secured. “I’ll drive you to the hospital. We should get a cast on that before you start to heal.”

“What about the Seal?” I glanced at Amber. She looked shell-shocked; she’d be no use for the rest of the shift.

“I’ll send Rhea back in here when we’ve gone.” Hale glanced at his watch. “The patrol should be reporting back soon. We’ll wait for them.”

I nodded, trying to breathe through the pain. Now that the adrenaline was fading from my system, the dull, throbbing ache in my arm seemed to grow more intense with every heartbeat.

Thankfully, the Guardsmen—perhaps alerted by Rhea’s appearance at the mission doors—returned sooner than we expected. As Hale was collecting my things, Amber approached me. She shot a look at the Seal, clearly still shaken.

“I guess—I guess Hale was right about you.” Amber blushed, staring at her feet. “Look, I’m sorry. I’ve treated you pretty freakin’ horribly, but it’s over now, I promise.”

I stared at Amber, not bothering to conceal the wash of disbelief moving through me.

Amber read my expression and bit her lip. “Right. I guess it’s going to take more than an apology to make up for—”

“No.” I cleared my throat. “That’s—I mean, it’s okay.”

Amber met my gaze, troubled. “How can you say that after everything—?”

“Braedyn, we should get a move on.” Hale gestured for me to join him at the mission’s doors.

“Right.” I glanced back at Amber. “See you at practice.”

Amber smiled faintly, then nodded. I can’t say the moment wasn’t awkward. But it was also a welcome relief. After all, we were fighting for the same side. Now—at long last—Amber knew it, too.

Dad joined us at the hospital, freaking out, as expected. After the chaos of the fight at the mission, the long wait in the emergency room felt even more boring than usual. Is it a bad thing that I was starting to get comfortable in hospitals?

By the time we got home—me sporting my swanky new cast—Karayan was waiting for us on the porch. News of the attack must have spread throughout the Guard. I could see the concern etched into Karayan’s features.

Dad helped me out of the car and walked me to the door. Hale, carrying my bag, followed.

“Seriously? Tackling a full grown Lilitu with a broken arm?” Karayan caught me by the shoulders, searching my face for any sign of pain.

I shrugged, smiling loopily. “It’s cool. Paracetamol. It’s definitely doing the trick.”

Karayan glanced at Dad.

“Painkillers,” he offered by way of translation.

Karayan shook her head, but stepped aside. Dad opened the front door for me. Before I walked through it, I glanced back at Karayan and Hale. I saw Karayan searching Hale’s face for any kind of reaction. He avoided her gaze entirely—seemingly as ignorant of her presence as if she’d been cloaked. When Dad turned back for me, Hale held out my bag.

“Take it easy tonight, Braedyn.” Hale put a hand on my good shoulder and gave me a comforting squeeze. “You did good.”

“Thanks.”

Hale turned and walked away. Not once did he acknowledge Karayan’s presence. Her expression fell, the open pain on her face so intense it pierced the comfy haze of my painkillers.

“Braedyn.” Dad held his hand out for me. But I saw his eyes shift to Karayan, and his brow crease with concern. “Would you care to join us for dinner, Karayan?”

Karayan looked back at us with a haunted expression. “No. Thanks. I’m not hungry.” Across our lawns, I could see Hale ascending the stairs to the Guard’s front porch.

“Alright.” Dad seemed to sense Karayan needed space. He gestured to me. “Okay, kiddo. This calls for some comfort food.” Dad ushered me inside.

Behind us, I heard the sound of Hale slamming his front door and I knew—whether or not he wanted to acknowledge it—Hale was just as miserable as Karayan.

Dad ladled a bowl of steaming chicken tortilla soup out of the stockpot. We’d decided to eat in the kitchen, perched at the island. It felt cozier in here. We’d done this a lot when I was younger. Back when I’d thought I was human.

I’d just taken my first sip when the doorbell rang.

Dad stood, setting his spoon down. “I’ll get it. You just rest and eat up.”

I was more than willing to take that advice. But when Dad opened the door, I heard a sound that made my heart soar.

“Is she okay?” Lucas’s voice was tight with worry.

“Yeah, Lucas. Honey—?”

But I was already crossing the dining room. As soon as he saw me, Lucas’s face melted into a smile of relief. I crossed to him, throwing my good arm around him, letting him hold me tightly. For once, I didn’t care who might see us hugging.

Dad cleared his throat. “I’ll just give you two a minute.”

I pulled out of Lucas’s embrace and gave Dad a smile.

“Don’t let your soup get cold.” Dad planted a kiss on the top of my head, then retreated into the kitchen, leaving Lucas and me alone in the foyer.

“I heard.” Lucas ran a hand through my hair, sweeping it back from my shoulder.

“Well, it was turning into a crap day even before the demon attack.”

Lucas’s his face clouded with worry. “What do you mean? What happened?”

I sighed. “Nothing I couldn’t have seen coming. Karayan and Hale—” but I stopped, unsure how to explain. “It got—messy.”

Lucas’s eyebrows drew together as he tried to puzzle out what exactly that could mean.

I cleared my throat, trying for an indifferent tone. “And then Hale said—he said no relationship between a human and a Lilitu could ever work.” I may have tried to hide my despair, but Lucas saw through the effort easily.

“Hey.” Lucas glanced toward the kitchen. “Come with me.” He pulled me into the living room. We sat together on the couch, and Lucas curled an arm around my shoulders. “We’re not just any human and Lilitu,” he whispered. “You’ve got an exit strategy. And that means we’ve got a future.”

I sighed, unwilling to contradict him.

“Hale doesn’t know us. He’s not the one who gets to make that call.” Lucas brushed his fingers lightly over my lips. The sensation sent a bolt of sensation zinging through my core. I looked up, meeting his gaze. “Braedyn. I think it’s time.”

“Time—?” I breathed. My heartbeat kicked up a notch, stirred by his words. But there was so much on the line. “The Guard—”

Lucas lay his finger across my lips once more. He leaned closer, brushing his lips against my ear. “Do you love me?”

“Yes.”

“Do you want this?”

“Lucas—”

“Just answer the question. Will you share one perfect night with me, Braedyn Murphy?”

I met his gaze, frozen with indecision. “Yes.” I could barely hear my own whisper over the sound of my thudding heart.

“Then what the Guard wants shouldn’t matter.”

I studied his beautiful face, the line of his jaw, the greenish cast to his hazel eyes. A swell of warmth coursed through my body. I did want this night.

“Okay.” With that, it was as though all the walls I’d so carefully constructed against this moment came crumbling down. We were really going to do this. I couldn’t fight a giddy grin. “When?”

“You should have a chance to heal,” Lucas said, eyeing my cast.

“So—Sunday night?” I knew I’d heal quickly, and now that I was motivated, I’d make every dream from here until the weekend count, gleaning all the energy I could.

Lucas laughed quietly. “Okay. Sunday night.”

With those two words, we parted, full of anticipation for what the coming weekend would bring.

Chapter 14