Burning Emerald (18 page)
Authors: Jaime Reed
“It would be safer for her not to get tangled in something so ... complicated. Now, you promise you won't tell. Keep this between us. No outsiders.”
My nod felt more like a twitch, but passed as a sign of compliance, at least enough to gain back my personal space. Subtlety was not his strong suit and his sudden “concern” for my family's well-being was a page right out the villain handbook, one of those don't-let-this-happen-to-you sermons Mom went on about.
Behind the creepy delivery, Tobias presented a good point. Mom had enough on her plate. She was one step away from a nervous breakdown, and this would only add to her sleep deficit. This was my dragon I had to slay, not hers, and I couldn't hide behind her skirt forever. On this one occasion, silence was golden.
I returned to class with my mission in my sights. I knew what I had to do for the sake of everyone, and for my own peace of mind.
17
“H
ey, guess what, there's an incubus in town disguised as my classmate and he wants to bond with me and murder Calebâtrue story,” I blurted out.
ey, guess what, there's an incubus in town disguised as my classmate and he wants to bond with me and murder Calebâtrue story,” I blurted out.
Not smooth by any stretch of the imagination, but it was the quickest way to remove this Band-Aid.
There was silence on the other end of the phone, as I'd expected. I treaded the floor of my bedroom, waiting for Angie to find her voice. Our weeklong game of phone tag had ended when I finally caught her before she went to bed. She currently stayed in Amsterdam, procuring local artwork and God knows what else. As a second mother, Angie seemed more laid-back and equipped to handle supernatural drama than my mom.
Finally, she spoke. “Are you sure it's a real incubus?”
“Yup,” I drawled, tapping my fingers against the first volume of her journal.
“How long has he been in town?”
I summed up the past month, leaving nothing out. She remained so quiet that I thought she had either fainted or hightailed it to the airport. Her stilted breathing alerted me that she was still on the line; her voice cracked under what I assumed was awe and fear.
“How long have you had these trances? Do they last long? You may need to see a doctor about that. Not all daydreams are innocent; it may be a symptom of absence seizures.”
“Seizures? Like epilepsy?”
“Not as bad, but it can be if not treated.”
“Tobias said that as long as I feed, Lilith won't try to take over.”
“I agree. Our spirits don't become aggressive to us unless we don't feed. Or ...” she paused.
“Or what?”
“Or when they need to mate.”
I swallowed hard. “So, Tobias's presence is triggering this?”
“I have no doubt, but I believe it started long before Tobias. Have you zoned out around Caleb?”
I winced. “Sometimes.”
“Samara, this is a very precarious stage in a Cambion's life. You're new to this and unprepared for the changes that are occurring in your body.”
My upper lip curled. “Uh, Angie, I've already had this talk with Mom when I was like five and I still have nightmares from it, soâ”
“I'm not just talking about puberty, but the changes with your spirit,” she interrupted. “Adolescence is a very delicate time in a human's life. Your thought patterns and hormones are erratic and you're more susceptible to everything, especially the influence of a demon. This is a perfect time for your spirit to take over. Nadine already endured the changes, but this is a new body, and you have to suffer through the phase. Lilith is going into heat, she wants to feed and mate. Simple as that.”
“I don't get it. Why is she acting this way now? I thought she loved Capone.”
“Welcome to the animal kingdom, little one. This is also why Cambion males and females keep away from each other; the attraction is at its strongest at your age. Lilith desires a mate, and whoever is strong enough to claim her will win. She came to Capone because he was the only option, but now he has a competitor. The demand will drive you crazy, but you must appease her, so I suggest you increase your intake of energy until it passes, but not too much. That is, unless you wish to bond with Caleb.” The statement hung in the air in anticipation.
“Uh, well, I ...” This was awkward. I didn't want to talk about this with Angie. That invisible wall between parents and children existed for a reason.
“I never knew Nadine had a mate. She never told anyone. But she kept a lot of things private in her later years,” Angie supplied.
“Did you know that she tried to kill herself?”
The dead air that occupied the line hurt my ears.
“I'm aware.” Angie cleared her throat. “That was a dark time in her life that she dared not to repeat. Do you know why the bracelet was so important to her, why she never took it off?”
I looked down to the object in question on my wrist. “For her protection? In case she got kidnapped?” I guessed.
Angie laughed softly. “Hardly. This is my daughter we're talking about here. While it held that purpose, it was also a reminder to her promise. Every day, I would monitor the signal from her bracelet. Each motion vowed that she would never leave me by her own volition; that her love for me was stronger than her need to die.”
Silence fell between us again, and though she spoke from thousands of miles away, her pain couldn't have felt any closer if we shared the same body. Blood may be thicker than water, but Cambion ties outlived the flesh.
Moving to a less depressing subject, I opened the journal and flipped to the page I'd bookmarked. “There's an entry about one of your ancestors who met an incubus. Going by this, the incubus can only bond with succubi or Cambion females. Since the Cambion is mortal, he'll share the life expectancy of his mate, and live for as long as
she
does. He may keep all his powers, but if his mate dies, so will he.”
she
does. He may keep all his powers, but if his mate dies, so will he.”
“That's sounds about right. Cambions intertwine the same way; their lives are each other's.”
“There's no way to reverse it?”
“As you know, if a Cambion consumes enough life energy, takes enough lives at once, he becomes a full demon, becoming immortal. If his mate undergoes the transition, he might regain his immortality. This is theory, of course. I wish I could be more help, but I'm afraid my experience with incubi are limited.”
“No, no. It's okay, it's a good theory; it explains a lot.” I trailed off, my mind busy analyzing this new discovery.
If the accounts were true, then that meant Tobias should've died with Nadine. I'd known this beforehand, understood it, but hadn't quite grasped its significance until now. Lilith was keeping him alive. Similar to my connection with Caleb, I was his lifeline, but I was certain Tobias wouldn't allow me to die of old age. To be fair, what was a measly eighty-odd years to an immortal?
“Are you sure you don't want me to come to Virginia? I can be there in ten hours.” Her urgent tone reclaimed my attention.
The thought of Angie swooping down and declaring war on my town made me cringe, but it was good to know she had my back in case shit went down. “No, it's okay. I just wanted you to know what's going on. I can't really tell Mom.”
“You need to tell her soon. She has to be warned. Have you protected the house?”
“Yeah. I put oil over the cars too. I don't think Tobias would hurt my family. He's trying to get into my good graces.”
“Be careful, he just might. Incubi are charming and irresistible, even to us. Remember that. But also remember that you have a sentient in your body. Above anything else, Lilith's vessel is her top priority. Nothing will invade her home without your consent. Don't let her take over. You will choose your mate, not her.”
After another thirty-minute pep talk, Angie promised to drop by for Thanksgiving, but I wasn't banking on it. She had a family of her own, a husband, a son, and two other Cambion daughters to look after, and I didn't want her abandoning them to deal with my issues. At some point, I'd have to see her soon, for the connection with Lilith demanded that she reunite with her source occasionally.
I stretched across my bed and looked over Angie's journal, hungry for more words of wisdom from the past. The Petrovskys were the oldest and most esteemed Cambions in existence, springing those under their dominion into action by a single word. These entries not only followed the Petrovsky bloodline, but listed over fifty Cambion clans, stretching across East Asia, Europe, North Africa, and South America. Three major families lived in the United States alone, including a powerful family who ran the entire East Coast.
These chronicles also served as a Cambion rulebook, establishing codes of conduct far different from those of the outside world. One particular law brought a chill to my spine, ringing truth to Tobias's conviction. Killing your own kind was a big no-no in this dark society, and Angie would have been well within her rights to put Caleb and his brothers to death for their negligence.
Not only had they been spared, but they'd been adopted as extended members of Angie's dynasty. Caleb's family was beyond broken, with a fallen patriarch and a tarnished reputation. Bonding with Caleb would connect the families permanently, granting security and prestige. I just wasn't ready for that kind of power play, and I refused to be pressured into anything, no matter how sweet the temptation.
Thinking of Caleb reminded me that I hadn't harassed Haden and Michael for a good twelve hours, and I was overdue. I grabbed my phone again and bombarded the brothers with a new round of texts. Michael must've been bored keeping watch, because for the past week, he'd been dressing Caleb up and sent pictures of him to everyone he knew. Today's uploaded image included that blond elf wig, a pink bra (no doubt borrowed from one of the nurses), and bright blue eye shadow. Michael was one sick puppy, but he helped take the edge off of waiting for the unknown.
Caleb still showed no improvement and I knew he needed more energy from me. I could almost hear him crying out, dragging through the wasteland for one drop of water, but for his own safety, the energy from his brothers would have to make do until I figured something out.
The ring of the doorbell shot me to attention. I raced downstairs and peeked through the front window to find the last man I wanted to see. At first, I didn't recognize him due to his casual attire and the pleasant look on his face. David Ruiz paced back and forth on the front deck, appearing out of breath and out of time.
I pressed my back against the door and asked in a deep man voice, “What do you want?”
“Hello, Samara,” he greeted cheerfully. “Nice to see you again. Is your mother here?”
So much for disguising my voice. “She ain't here.” I moved to the dining room window and opened the pane by an inch. “I'm not allowed to have company inside the house while she's out.” It wasn't a total lie, but he didn't need to know that. And where was Mom? She should've been home from work by now.
“She told me to meet her. She wanted to discuss a few things over dinner. I'm surprised she didn't tell you.” He pulled a cell phone from the inner pocket of his blazer and began to dial. He waited a beat before he smiled at the voice on the other end.
“Hi, Julie. I'm at your house, but where are you?”
Julie?
Had I missed something?
Had I missed something?
“Yeah... . Okay, that's fine. I can wait.... No, no trouble at all.... All right, hold on.” He bent down and slid the phone through the crack in the window. “She wants to talk to you.”
I put the phone to my ear and waited for Mom to tell me whether she'd lost her mind. Clearly she hadâshe ordered me to allow him inside to wait for her. Too distracted with chewing me out for ditching class, she'd forgotten to tell me that she'd invited him for dinner. She was running late at the office and would be home in fifteen minutes, and that was sixteen minutes too long for me.
I closed my eyes and called on the forces of the universe to get through this meeting. I had to act normal and not give away anything that might make him suspicious. A difficult feat, seeing as the man was a six-foot-tall accusation.
Cursing under my breath, I balanced my shoulders and opened the door. “Come on in.” I handed him his phone.
“Thank you. I didn't mean to inconvenience you.”
“Not at all,” I assured behind a plastic smile. “You can wait in the living room.”
“You have a very nice home.” He strolled around the sitting area, perusing the knickknacks and figurines placed around the room.
I stood by the entryway with my arms folded, not daring to cross the threshold. “Thank you.”
“You can relax, Samara. I'm off duty.” He stopped in front of the fireplace and picked up a picture of me. “This is adorable. How old were you?”
I studied the photograph from where I stood. “Ten. It was Easter at my nana's house.”
“Hmm. You shouldn't hide your natural eye color. You're prettier without contacts.” His dark stare had a hardness to it, not quite human, but more of an android on a search-and-destroy mission.
I shrugged. “It's just a phase, I guess.”
He returned the picture, then picked up another. “A sentimental gesture, I suppose. Because Nadine Petrovsky had green eyes as well, a very unusual shade, very clear and prismatic.” He offered a plaintive smile. “I'm sorry. The pictures in her file are very precise, and the color is a very hard thing to forgetâso vivid.”
“Right ...” I drew out the word.
“Tell me, how have you handled the grieving process? I'm sure it must be hard for you living within the same room the murder took place. Have you spoken to any grief counselors?” He stepped near the couch in the exact place where Nadine had taken her last breath, as if an X marked the spot for him to stand and mock me.
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