Desire: #4 Brightest Kind of Darkness (27 page)

My dad looks from Ethan to me, then nods curtly and turns back down the stairs. When he shuts the bathroom door and we hear the faucet running, Ethan chuckles quietly.

“What?” I look at him innocently.

“You have a bit of a devilish streak.” Tapping the end of my nose, he leans close and whispers in my ear, sounding captivated, “An angel with horns. Now that’s hot. I love seeing this side of you.”

Even though I grin, pleased by his comment, I feel like there’s something he hasn’t told me about his Corvus. I don’t like to think of Ethan and the powerful spirit inside him not getting along. The next chance I get, I’ll talk to the raven spirit about Ethan.

An hour later, I pace by my front window and watch Ethan flinging snow with the shovel. After clearing a path for Houdini to do his business, he’s now digging his car out. According to the news, it had snowed four feet in twenty-four hours. A new record for Blue Ridge. I stop pacing and gnaw the inside of my cheek, wanting to help. Ethan refused to let me, saying I should stay inside where it was warm. Sometimes he takes the whole “Southern gentleman” thing to extremes.

There’s just too much snow for one person. I grimace, hating that he’s out there by himself. Just as I move to grab my coat, my father says, “Come take your phone, Nari. It almost got swept into the trash with the egg carton.”

Once I pick my phone up, Dad stops stirring the pancake batter and looks at me across the island. “I know something more is going on with that boy, Nara. Tell me what it is.”

“Nothing, Dad.”

My dad shakes his head. “That raven symbol means something. I’m not sure what, but something.”

I curl my hand around my phone and mentally count to five so my voice sounds calm when I answer. “It really is a symbol of protection and good luck. Stop being so negative about Ethan. If you want to be a part of my life, I’d like you to try to accept him, because he’s here to stay. Nothing you can say or do will change that.”

Chapter Eighteen

Nara

After taking Houdini out, I walk inside shivering at the brisk night air. Shrugging out of my coat, I hang it on the rack, glad that it had warmed up enough over the last few days to melt all the snow we’d gotten on Christmas Eve.

Mom has been working like crazy this past week to tie up some loose ends at work. I didn’t say anything when she headed out during her “vacation time” this morning, calling behind her, “I’ll be late, sweetie.” I know what she’s doing. I learned my avoidance techniques from her.

The day after Christmas, David called and made another excuse as to why he couldn’t come over. Since then, he hasn’t come by or called, which made it pretty clear to Mom that whatever they had was over. I’m sure she wonders if the reason he changed his mind about their relationship is because she invited my dad to dinner.

I feel bad that I’m partially to blame for chasing my mom’s boyfriend off, but I console myself with the belief that if he could so easily dump my mom, then he’s not worth her time.

Sighing, I give Houdini a dog biscuit, then pat him on the head. “It’s just you and me tonight, buddy. Want to watch a movie?”

A text from my mom buzzes on my phone. When I check it, I see Ethan had sent me one while I was outside.

Mom: I think I’m ready to see those videos your father left you. Tomorrow night? We’ll order pizza.

I smile at her text. Dad never did give Mom the Christmas present he brought for her. Maybe he realized it was too soon, but he has stayed in touch. He’s been working out of Aunt Sage’s house, and last night he called to tell me he’ll be moving to Blue Ridge permanently in a couple weeks.

Me: Sounds good. Don’t work too late.

Mom: Unfortunately all the work I’ve created this week means I have to stay to finish it. Bleh. Off to get it done.

I snicker, then read Ethan’s text.

Ethan: Trying one more time with our parents. This restaurant is a hole in the wall that my Dad picked. He’s usually the caviar type. Samson’s skeptical. I’m either really hungry or pleasantly hopeful. What have you done to me?

I laugh, happy that they’re trying again so soon.

Me: I make you smile.

Ethan: Always.

Feeling all warm inside, I start to set my phone down when it rings. I quickly answer it, smiling. “Hey Gran. Are you glad to be back in your own place now?”

“Hello, Inara, dear. I think you should come over. I need an intervention. I’m about to kill Clara.”

Chuckling, I sit on the stool and tuck the phone between my shoulder and ear while I untie my shoe, then toe it off. “What new rivalry is going on between you two now? It’s probably something I can handle over the phone with you.”

“You’re not hearing me, Nara. I need you to come now.”

I freeze in toeing off my other shoe. Gran has never called me Nara. Nor has she ever spoken to me that way.

“Is everything okay, Gran? I mean
really
okay?”

“I want that book.” Gran’s voice had changed, sounding harsher. My face prickles as the demon continues, “You need to bring me the book or I’m going to kill the old woman. You have twenty minutes. Better hurry. The clock is ticking.”

The demon hangs up, cutting off my chance to threaten him if anything happens to Gran.

My hands are shaking so bad, it takes me three tries to finally hit the button to dial Ethan’s number. While it rings, I clamp my lips shut to keep from panting and jam my foot back into my tennis shoe.

“Nara?”

“I know you can’t talk. Just listen,” I gush out. “Harper’s Inferi has Gran. I have to be there in less than twenty minutes. He wants the book, so I need you to move it and hide it—”

“Nara—”

“Don’t tell me where,” I cut him off and yank my coat from the rack. “That way I won’t be lying when I tell him where it is.”

“Don’t you dare go alone. Wait for me!”

“This is my Gran, Ethan,” I say, tears filling my eyes. I grab my keys and head for the door. “It’ll take me the full twenty minutes to get there. I can’t wait. I have to save her if I can.”

I hang up on him before he can say anything else and rush out the door.

My tires screech as I barrel into Westminster’s parking lot in a record seventeen minutes. I don’t even bother with the front desk. I quickly bypass it and head for the bathroom right off the lobby instead. I wait anxiously for the shuffling group of retirees to finally make their way toward the elevators, and then I slip out of the bathroom and blend in with the crowd.

I knock once on Gran’s door. When Gran’s sweet voice calls, “Come in, Nara,” behind the wood, my stomach churns with nausea. I wipe my sweaty palms on my jeans, take a deep breath, then open the door.

The second I walk in, my heart jerks. Gran is standing to the left of the couch, rocking on her heels, a satisfied smile on her face. Clara’s laying down with her eyes closed, fully stretched out on the sofa. The whole set up looks very wrong. I rush toward the sofa and fall to my knees beside Clara, hoping to see her chest rising and falling. When I don’t detect anything, my heart jerks. Maybe she’s in a deep sleep. God, please let that be the case.

“I got here in the time frame you gave me. What happened? Did you knock her out?” I ask calmly, while I’m freaking out on the inside.

Gran waves toward Clara like she’s a piece of trash not worth her time. “She got on my nerves, so I killed her.”

I open my mouth to speak, but nothing comes out. I’m just so devastated that an old woman’s life is worth so little to this vile creature.

“What?” Gran shrugs at my look of horror. “I had to hitch a ride on the Clara train to get Gran to take off her broach, but then Clara freaked out once I hopped off. Her squawking did me in. Be glad I smothered her. I really wanted to rip her throat out.” Her eyes narrow on my empty hands. “Where’s the book?”

I stand on shaky legs and move closer to Gran, addressing the demon inside her. “It’s somewhere safe.”

Gran takes a step back, wary. “I told you to bring it here,” the demon hisses.

I jerk my chin up. “And I need a guarantee that you won’t kill my Gran once I tell you where it is.”

“Do you really think I’m falling for that again?” the demon says, snorting.

My balled fists shake by my side, but I speak with conviction. “I was there when you double-crossed Danielle. And you killed Clara despite me meeting the deadline you gave me, yet you’re calling me untrustworthy?”

Annoyance crosses Gran’s face. “It took me a while. Lots of time and patience watching from a distance and waiting for just the right incentive. Then sweet old Gran shows up for Christmas. I can tell how much this old bat means to you.” The demon snaps Gran’s dentures twice, then taunts, “I can’t believe you’re going to let her die.”

“No!” I rush up to Gran and press my hand to her chest, yelling, “Get out. Get the hell out of her!”

My body shudders and my chest feels tight like it did with David, but the demon in Gran only shakes her gray head, groggy for a second. Shoving me off Gran, he says, “What are you doing? Do you think you can expel me from her?”

Before I can respond, he sneers at me and grabs Gran’s left hand, jerking it downward. The sound of snapping bone makes my stomach heave.

Swallowing my nausea, I step forward, hand raised, my chest aching. “No, please, no!” I beg the demon. “I would never risk Gran. The book is buried in the Oak Lawn Cemetery graveyard on the right side of Frederick Holtzman’s gravestone.”

The demon rolls Gran’s head from one shoulder to another, then reaches for Gran’s left forearm. Leveling hateful eyes on me, he says, “You’d better not be lying or I’ll yank her whole arm off next.”

My heart jerks when he lifts Gran’s frail arm and her hand dangles limply. “I promise!” I sob. “That’s where I buried it. I’m not lying.”

“Better move fast.” Gran lets out an evil laugh, then her head lolls back and her body starts to fall.

I catch Gran before she hits the floor, but my shaking legs won’t hold us, and we slowly sink to the floor together. Gran starts to moan, then quake all over. I’m so terrified for her, I just hold her close. I don’t know what else to do.

“Nara!” Ethan opens the door at the same time my Gran goes very still.

“Help me, Ethan. She’s not…oh, God…she’s barely breathing!”

Before he can take two steps into the room, my father walks through the doorway behind him, police and paramedics in tow.

Pandemonium ensues around me. Police asking questions. My father taking control of everything. I feel like I’m dreaming while the paramedics work on Gran, trying to get her vitals leveled out.

Ethan had moved to the doorway, staying out of the way. I glance at him a couple of times, but I don’t really see him. I’m just so worried about Gran. They keep taking her pulse and calling out numbers that sound incredibly low, worried looks on their faces.