Fallen Darkness (The Trihune Series Book 2) (11 page)

Chapter 24

Lucas watched the
nheqeba
run down the street. He wanted to go after her, but the expression on her face when she saw him on the balcony leadened his feet. He’d recognized the fear whitening her cheeks, racing her heart, but hadn’t felt it coursing through him. The hit he’d taken two nights ago from the wife and child beater prevented it.

If he pursued her, she’d just continue to run.

He’d followed both Fathers into the church that morning, ready for another day of search and find nothing. Although at least the end was coming. Soon Lucas could officially tell Cade coming to Philadelphia had been futile.

As they walked up the aisle, he’d heard the too fast heartbeat. Lucas thought it was one of the
choghens
and wondered if a trip to the hospital would throw off his timeframe. Then he focused and realized the sound was from above. He’d made an excuse to the Fathers and crept up the stairs.

The scream pierced the air as he reached the third step. Panic tightened his chest. His own.

He hit the top step just as the
nheqeba
wrenched to a seat on the floor. After realizing who it was, his reaction made perfect sense. They’d only spoken once, but he’d been listening to her voice for weeks now as she addressed customers and her employees.

Lucas stood on the church steps until the
nheqeba
was out of sight. Back inside, he took the stairs three at a time to reach the balcony.

A black backpack lay on the floor, an indent in the middle like the
nheqeba
had been using it as a pillow. A half-eaten loaf of bread and a jar of peanut butter sat a few feet away. He stepped over the pack and knelt next to the pile of music books strewn on the floor.

He stared at the book the
nheqeba
had touched right before her brown irises turned a bright golden yellow. Her body jerked once then her head and gaze slowly moved as if she were seeing things he didn’t. Lucas had called out once, but she hadn’t reacted. Finally she snapped out of it and her irises faded back to brown. What the hell?

Who was she?

What was she?

Not a Behn obviously.

Woyrs eyes didn’t change. It was the one thing that remained the same when their bodies turned.

Fallen’s eyes didn’t change.

The demon that attacked Gabe didn’t have yellow eyes. Nor the one who’d kidnapped Emma.

Lucas had never sensed evil from this
nheqeba
. There was no way she was associated with Apollyon.

He finished stacking the other music books and tapped the edges of the one that had started her trance. Had the
nheqeba
found some mysterious object? If so, the same thing wasn’t happening to him. Lucas placed his whole palm on the cover. Waited a beat. Nothing. He picked it up. Held it in his hands. Flipped it over. Stroked the back. Nothing. The power had come from the
nheqeba
, not the object.

So what was she?

His gaze fell on her backpack.

Chapter 25

Kate would’ve left for Chicago right then, but she didn’t have her damn pack. No ID to get a bus ticket. No frickin’ money. After discovering her idiocy, she double backed and waited in the shadows across the street from the church. The police never showed. Which didn’t make sense? Why hadn’t Rich Guy called the police? Why was he at the church anyway? He didn’t look like a priest.

Her spot offered a view of the front and left side of the church. She couldn’t leave her pack there. Had to get it back. As soon as he left the building, she’d sneak back in. Kate frowned.

He had to wonder how she got in. Probably would find the tape covering the side doorjamb. Well, she’d break a frickin’ window if she had to.

She waited all morning and most of the afternoon before the front door opened. Two priests walked out and, she held a breath, R.G. was behind them.

With. Her. Backpack.

Slung over his shoulders.

As if it belonged to him.

“Bastard.” She barely held herself back from whipping across the street and ripping it from his shoulders.

He stilled, turned his head in her direction.

She sucked in a breath. He couldn’t see her. She was in the shadows. Against the wall. The sun was in his eyes. He couldn’t see her. But he stared right at her. Her heart pounded and she ducked farther behind the green prickly bush.

R.G. took one step in her direction.

Her breath caught on a gasp.

One of the priests called to him. The older one. R.G. turned, spoke, then glanced back in her direction before following the priests to the house next door.

Kate stood behind her bush, seething. Anger was better than panic. Although that wasn’t too far away. All was not lost. If he still had the bag, she at least knew where to get it.

Her stomach growled. “Oh, fuck off,” she snarled, and settled in to see where her bag went next.

Kate waited all day. R.G. never once left the house. The younger priest went out for an hour or so but that was it.

It had to be close to starting time at the bar. If she didn’t show, Bev would fire her. Kate might be able to get her pack from R.G. with all the money intact, but she might not. She couldn’t afford to lose her job right now.

Why did this have to happen?

A couple hours later, Tina asked, “You okay, tonight? You seem distracted.”

Kate lifted her thumb off the club soda button and set the beverage gun back in its holster. Her hand was shaking. “I think I’m coming down with something.” She had to get it together. Twice she’d served the wrong drinks. Had messed up a kitchen order. Bev shot her a few glances already. Any more screw-ups and she’d be sent home.

“Do you want to skate out early? I can cover for you.”

Kate picked up her tray. “No, thanks. I can stick it out.”

Tina shrugged. “Let me know if you change your mind.” She sucked in a breath. “He’s baaack.”

Kate froze. Had to catch her tray from falling with her other hand. Her palms began to sweat inside her gloves. Then her eyes narrowed.

Her backpack was in his hands. He was swinging it around like it was a toy.

What game was he playing? She stormed away from Tina, liquid spilling out of the three tumblers on her tray.

“You’re sitting in my section,” she hissed, jerking her head to the cluster of free tables on the right.

His eyebrow rose, but he nodded a second later.

She pivoted and headed back to the table whose drinks she carried. Her gaze fell on Tina. Still by the bar, mouth open, a hint of betrayal in her wide eyes.

Shit
.

Chapter 26

Lucas sat at a table in the
nheqeba’s
section, fighting a grin. She probably didn’t find the situation amusing.

She delivered drinks to a couple, walked back to the bar, and spoke to the other waitress, too quietly for him to hear. The waitress’s gaze darted to his every once in a while before she finally nodded. The
nheqeba
turned and started toward him. He stared at her anything but simple brown eyes, searching for traces of gold. None. Even up close, not a fleck of yellow.

The
nheqeba
cleared her throat, clearly annoyed. “Here’s your scotch.” She set a glass in front of him.

He hadn’t even seen her carrying it. The
nheqeba
had her pad open, pen out, and was scribbling intently. Gaze down, she said, “You’ll have a hamburger, rare, with pickles.”

Lucas raised his eyebrow, hiding another smile. So she’d paid close attention to him, too.

“And an appetizer of mozzarella sticks.”

He frowned. “I don’t eat—”

“Those are for me.” Her narrowed eyes flicked up, daring him to protest.

His mind flashed back to what he’d seen on the floor next to her bag. “Of course. Then I’ll also have a second hamburger.” He cocked his head, studied her. She was frowning now. “Medium well?”

She sniffed, started to write again. “Just medium.”

He didn’t try to hide his smile this time. She glanced up, scowled, and stormed off. Lucas chuckled. He lifted his glass and took a sip. This was the most fun he had in a long while.

When he finished his drink, she swept by with another one and, without a word or a glance, set it on the table, grabbed the empty, and kept on walking. He grinned so wide his cheeks hurt.

Ten minutes later when she emerged from the kitchen carrying three plates, two hamburgers, and cheese sticks, he stood. A few steps in her direction, she raised her head, met his gaze. Her look stopped him.

“What are you doing?” she snapped when she drew closer.

“Helping you,” he answered, taking two plates from her. Her grip tightened before releasing.

“It’s my job.”

He had no reply for this, so said nothing. She’d set the remaining hamburger plate in front of his seat so he placed the one in his hand in front of hers. Strange. He liked serving her.

When she turned as if to walk away, he lightly caught her gloved wrist. “Where are you going?”

She stiffened, then jerked her arm.

He let go immediately.

“I have to work.”

“But the food?”

“Will keep until I have a break.”

“Of course.”

The
nheqeba
bounced off, assisted other customers, refilled drinks, and delivered food orders. She’d made half a dozen trips to the bar before she came back, hands on her hips. “Why aren’t you eating?”

“I’m waiting for you.”

She frowned. “Your food’s getting cold.”

He shrugged. “No more than yours.”

“Mr. Rich Guy’s gonna eat cold food?” She snorted. “You probably never ate anything not heated to the perfect temperature before in your life.”

He studied her for a long moment, before saying quietly, “I don’t think you know me well enough to make that assumption.”

Her cheeks pinkened. Mouth pressed tight. She turned and left, disappearing into the kitchen.

Lucas reached for his drink. He and Father Gregory were leaving tomorrow afternoon. They’d managed to finish searching through the relics in the basement this morning. Nothing key-shaped had been found. There were a few maps. Most of early Behn and Woyr territories. He wasn’t sure if they were the maps in the prophecy, but Lucas was happy to not be going home empty handed.

The sweet spicy clove scent of the
nheqeba
reached his nostrils a few seconds before she did. She set a full glass of scotch in front of him and another glass with pop in front of the mozzarella sticks. The chair squeaked against the floor when she pulled it out. Without a glance at him, she lifted her hamburger with two gloved hands and took a bite.

Lucas watched her chew quietly, hands still gripping the burger, gaze on her food, before he pulled his own plate in front of him.

The
nheqeba
had finished her burger and almost all of the mozz sticks before Lucas had eaten half of his own three-quarter pound. He should’ve ordered more food.

“So what’s your game?” she asked, finally lifting her head.

Slowly chewing the bite he’d just taken, Lucas used the time to study her up close. Never had he wanted to just gaze at someone so much before. It was strange. Her mouth was pressed together too hard, her expression too wary, the circles under her eyes too dark. Was her exhaustion permanent?

She intrigued him. And he wanted to see her eyes turn yellow again. Why did they do that? What happened in the balcony? What had she seen? Why had she been sleeping in a church? Why did she have two IDs?

“Is your first name really Katherine?” He leaned forward so his voice wouldn’t carry.

She stiffened and her eyes flashed. Not yellow, though. “You went through my bag,” she said through clenched teeth.

“I did.”

“You had no right,” she hissed.

Lucas lost his voice.

Flushed cheeks, eyes almost spitting fire. Never mind. His attraction wasn’t strange. He’d never seen anyone so beautiful in all of his centuries.

“I want it back,” she demanded.

Gaze still glued to her, Lucas reached for the bag by his feet and passed it to her over the table. Surprise jerked her back but she snatched the pack out of his hands. She pushed her chair away from the table and set the bag on her lap. “Everything better be in here.”

“I did not steal from you, Katherine.”

She scowled and began leafing through the bag. Her cheeks turned red and Lucas wondered what she was embarrassed about. Velcro tore and he knew she was searching for her IDs and money. Who was the girl in the picture inside the pink pouch? Her daughter? Where was she now?

Katherine zipped the bag closed a few moments later, keeping it on her lap, a protective arm around it.

“Anything missing?” Lucas asked.

She narrowed her eyes. “No,” she bit off.

“Good.” He took another bite of his burger.

“Why did you give me my bag back?”

Lucas raised an eyebrow. “Would you rather I didn’t?”

The
nheqeba
shook her head. “No. I mean why did you just hand it back to me? You didn’t ask for anything in return.”

A lump rose in his throat. He examined her expression. She didn’t look on the verge of tears, but she was too tough to show any sign of weakness. He cleared his throat. “I don’t want anything from you, Katherine. I came here to return your bag. It belongs to you.”

Her gaze swept over his face as if gauging the truth of his words. She scowled. “Well your ethics didn’t stop you from snooping.”

He chuckled. “No they didn’t. I didn’t say my morals were high.” She glanced away, but he could’ve sworn a smile touched her lips.

“I have to go.” On her feet, pack slung over her shoulder, she picked up her plates and half-empty glass of pop. Then hesitated, gaze bouncing, landing everywhere but on him. “Thanks.” She spun, walked two steps, then turned back. “Kate.” She raised her gaze to meet his. “You can call me Kate.” Before he could say anything, she was halfway to the kitchen.

Lucas watched her go. “Kate,” he said softly, a smile spreading across his face.