Incubus (64 page)

age.”

“Sounds familiar,” Lucas said. Seth met his gaze and they shared a look of understanding.

Seth moved another stack of papers and revealed a worn, leather-bound journal. “This is it,” he

said.

I moved closer, eager to discover Angela’s theories. Seth handed the journal to me and I opened it

on the desk. I started scanning Angela’s notes. A few minutes later, I pulled the desk chair back so I

could sit down. We’d found the mother lode.

I read and read and read, flipping through Angela’s journal. She had stumbled onto several

disjointed pieces of information that—taken together—seemed to lay out the monks’ grand plan. As I

read, I’d pause to share the most telling bits of research to the guys.

“She thinks the monks believed they had to perform a ritual to, this is a direct quote from her

research, ‘thwart the coming of the mother of demons.’” I looked at Lucas.

“Lilith,” he said grimly. “What kind of ritual?”

I scanned farther down on the page, then flipped to the next page, which contained an itemized list

of the contents of the monks’ pantry. The journal was blank after that. I flipped back a few pages,

trying to see if I’d missed anything. “It’s not here,” I finally realized.

Seth, perched on the desk to my left, glanced at his watch for the hundredth time. “Lunch ended a

while ago,” he said. “I think we should be getting back.”

“Just a little longer,” I pleaded.

“My mom is going to be home anytime,” Seth said. “She’ll freak out if she finds us here. Trust me,

it’s not worth the drama.” When I still didn’t budge, Seth pulled on my shoulder. “Okay—I’ll bring

you back the next time she leaves town. I promise. Can we go now?”

With effort, I set the journal down, watching as Seth buried it under the stack of papers where he’d

found it.

We hurried out of the house, trying not to leave any sign of our visit. On the way to my car, it finally

hit me. What all of this really meant to me, personally.

I froze in my tracks. Seth and Lucas, hurrying toward my car, stopped when they realized I was no

longer with them. They turned back.

“Braedyn?” Lucas asked.

“Lucas,” I whispered. My hands started to tremble. Lucas crossed the distance between us in half a

second.

“What’s wrong?”

“If this ritual is real,” I said. “That means there’s a way to keep the final battle from ever starting.”

Lucas searched my face, uncomprehending. “My duty to the Guard will be fulfilled.”

Understanding entered Lucas’s eyes, but he needed to hear me say it before he could believe.

“I can become human,” I said.

“What?” Seth, just a few feet behind us, stared at be blankly. “How is that possible?”

But I couldn’t answer him. My eyes were locked on Lucas. He pulled me in tight, crushing me to

him with the force of his emotion.

Lucas released me, beaming. “Do you really think—”

“We have to find out,” I said. “If it’s real—if it’s really real...” I twined my arms around his neck,

afraid to speak the words and break this magical spell. Lucas lifted me off my feet, spinning me in a

wide circle. I shrieked with laughter, not caring for the moment that we still knew nothing about this

ritual, if it really existed, or if it could be reproduced.

For now, we had hope. That was enough.

Chapter 7

We’d missed most of fifth period so we waited for the bell before sneaking back onto campus for sixth

period. Sixth and seventh period were an agonizing wait, and when final bell rang I felt my shoulders

sag with relief. All I wanted was to get home and talk to Dad about this ritual.

It wasn’t until I opened my locker that I remembered I’d practically commanded Karayan to meet

me in the plaza today. “Crap,” I muttered.

“What’s wrong?” Cassie asked at my shoulder.

I jumped, startled to find her there. “Just remembered there’s something I have to do today.

Speaking of which, aren’t you working in the costume shop?”

“Yeah, actually I need to get over there.” Cassie pulled a folded piece of paper out of her pocket

and handed it to me.

“What’s this?”

“You tell me. Someone slipped it into my locker by mistake. It’s addressed to you.”

I looked down at the note, which had my name written on it in a strong, confident hand. I opened

the note. It read:
Fair warning. I can’t take my eyes off of you. Your secret admirer.

“Ooooo,” Cassie teased, reading the note over my shoulder. “A secret admirer.” Something about

the note gave me chills. I looked up and saw Amber passing in the hall. Her eyes found my face,

haughty and cold as ever. “What do you think Lucas would—”

“I’ll catch you later, Cass.” I left her standing at my locker, rushing off to catch Amber at the

drinking fountain. “Hey,” I said, grabbing Amber’s arm.

Amber pulled angrily out of my grasp. “Touch me again,” she growled.

I shoved the note under her nose, interrupting her. “What’s this supposed to mean?” Amber

glanced at the note, gave me a disgusted look, and turned to walk away. I stepped around to block her.

“Answer the question.”

“Why do you think I’d have any idea what that means?” Amber asked. Judging from the look on

her face, she’d never seen the note before.

Uncertainty washed through me. “You didn’t write this?”

Amber scoffed. “Please. I might be watching you, but there is no universe in which I’d say I

admire
you.” Amber pushed past me. This time I let her go.

Down the hall, Cassie was waving at someone. It was Mr. Hart. As he waited for Cassie to join

him, Mr. Hart noticed me watching him and gave me a brief, inscrutable smile. Then Cassie was

standing beside him and they were walking out of the building toward the performing arts center.

I looked back down at the note and turned it over.

There, drawn by a very capable hand, was a single, graceful rose. My mouth suddenly went dry.

The rose was nearly perfect, full of dark red petals with just a touch of white at their base. I knew this

rose. There was only one place it grew. My dream garden.

Lucas came with me to the plaza that afternoon. He didn’t trust Karayan, and he wasn’t shy about

letting me know it.

“She wrote that note to scare you,” he said. “To show you she can get close to you.” Lucas glanced

at me, grim. “Or close to your friends. She left it in Cassie’s locker.”

I bit my lip, unconvinced. “Why, though? Why threaten Cassie?”

“Ask her.”

We arrived to find Karayan already sitting at a little table outside an artisan coffee shop. She saw

me coming and stood. Her lips thinned when she saw Lucas with me.

“Oh look. You brought your puppy.” She gave Lucas a condescending smile. “And no leash. He

must be very well behaved.”

Lucas glared murder at Karayan. “Watch it,” he growled. “I’m a
Guardsman.
”

“My mistake.” Karayan smiled, but her eyes glinted with something cold and unfriendly.

“Chill out,” I snapped. “Both of you.”

Karayan waved to the empty chairs at her table. The gesture was impatient rather than inviting.

When we sat, Karayan leaned closer, lowering her voice. “Talk fast. I’d rather not be seen with you

two.”

I slapped the note down on the table in front of Karayan. She glanced at it, then looked at me,

bored.

“So you’ve got a secret admirer,” she said. “Am I supposed to throw you a parade?”

“We know you wrote it,” Lucas said.

“Me?” Karayan smiled, amused. I flipped the note over. Karayan’s eyes found the rose. She

stopped smiling.

“So you didn’t draw this?” I asked.

Karayan shook her head, picking up the drawing. “Who else has been in your garden?”

“No one,” I said.

Karayan pushed the note back across the table. “Well, clearly
someone’s
seen your roses. And

apparently she wishes to remain anonymous.”

“How do you know it’s a she?” Lucas asked.

“Because only a Lilitu could force her way into another Lilitu’s—” but Karayan suddenly stopped,

struck by a thought.

A fist of lead closed around my heart. “The incubus?” I asked.

Karayan gave me a sharp look.

“You know?” Lucas asked. “You know there’s an incubus in town? Where is he? What does he

want?”

Karayan frowned at him, clearly irked by his presence. “Sorry. I don’t know anything about your

party crasher.”

“Who is he?” I asked.

“That’s the kind of thing that’s usually included in the blanket ‘I don’t know anything’ statement,”

Karayan said, as though explaining something to a toddler.

I took a slow breath, pushing my irritation down. “I need your help to identify him.”

Karayan crossed her arms and leaned back in her chair. “Well, I’m not actually looking to join the

Guard right now. But thanks for the invite.”

“Forget this,” Lucas said in disgust. “We don’t need her.”

“That’s debatable,” Karayan muttered, examining her sculpted nails.

“You think we’d take you in?” Lucas snapped. “After everything you’ve done? Knowing what you

are?”

“And what do you think I am, little Guard dog?”

“A selfish, soulless killer,” Lucas shot back. “There’s no place for you in the Guard.”

“Something we can agree on,” Karayan said, her tone dangerously quiet. “I’ve never been very

good at turning off my brain.”

Lucas glared at Karayan, opening his mouth to fire back.

“Lucas, please.” I laid a hand on his arm. It took a moment before he could pull his eyes off of

Karayan. When he’d calmed down enough to listen, I spoke. “Let me talk to her for a minute.

Privately.”

“Fine. I’m tired of looking at her face.” Lucas stood and walked away from our table, shoving his

hands into his pockets. I watched as he walked into a bookstore a few doors down.

Someone was standing in the bookstore’s window, watching us. I couldn’t make out too many

details, other than his short-cropped hair, which seemed to gleam platinum under the display lights.

But there was something about him... A strange tingle shot down the back of my neck.

“Alone at last,” Karayan murmured.

“You don’t have to bait him like that,” I said, pulling my eyes away from the stranger.

“Oh, I know I don’t
have
to.” She smiled, taking a sip of her coffee. “But it’s so much fun.”

“Karayan.” I glanced back at the bookstore window, but the stranger was gone.

“Ugh. You’re spending too much time with the Guard. It’s very bad for your sense of humor.”

“I’ll work on it,” I said. “In the meantime, I really do need your help.”

Karayan smiled at some private joke. “That’s rich.”

“I’m serious.”

“Perpetually.”

“Do you not care at all about this world?”

Karayan looked down at her coffee, playing with the rim of the cup. “I don’t know why you’re

asking for my help.”

“Whatever happened to being my mentor?”

Karayan laughed humorously.

“That’s funny?”

“What’s funny is you not knowing how powerful you are.” Karayan looked up, and for a change,

her gaze was serious.

“Don’t play games with me,” I said.

Karayan rolled her eyes. “Whatever you think I can do, you should be able to do it yourself.”

“I’m asking for your help,” I said through gritted teeth. “Are you going to give it to me or not?”