Requiem (30 page)

His eyes fell away from mine, and I knew the
answer.

“
Why is this happening?” I
cried, pulling away from his grip.

“
Nina,” Claire said as I
passed.

I ran outside into the rain. Since the day
Jack died, my life had spun so far out of control it was hard to
remember what my life was like when I was just like any other girl.
It wasn’t fair. Eli had instructed me to be strong, and not to
mourn the normal life I once had, but I didn’t want to
die—especially for a choice I didn't make.

Jared was immediately behind me,
encompassing me in his warm arms. “I’m sorry,” he whispered, his
voice pained. “Let me find another way.”

“
No,” I said, wiping my
nose. “Let’s just get it over with.”

A few moments later, the rest of the group
joined us. They all waited patiently for my answer.

Charles fidgeted. “I wish there was some way
we could help you.”

Kim hooked her arm with her father’s. “I'm
helping them,” she said, her eyes strangely soft and sad. “I won't
leave her side until it's finished.”

Charles nodded, squeezing his daughter to
his side.

“
Okay,” I said, shaking off
the fear. “How are we going to do this?”

“
This is crazy!” Ryan said.
“Tell her, Jared! There’s no way we’re using her for demon
bait!”

Jared cringed, but he didn’t speak.

Claire grabbed my hand. “We choose our own
fate, right Nina?” she said, managing an encouraging smile.

“
Yes,” I said. “If it’s
going to happen, I want it to be on my terms.”

“
You’re all insane!” Ryan
said, horrified. “I feel like I’m watching you all sentence her to
death!”

Kim opened the door to the Sentra. “Now all
we need is a plan,” she said.

Jared tugged on my hand. “Ride with me.”

I squeezed his fingers in mine, knowing he
faced the same fate as I. The ride home was quiet; no radio, no
talking, just the noise of the road under the tires, and the rain
pounding against the windshield.

The window wipers danced back and forth,
clearing the rain drops long enough to let the next droplets splash
into their place. Headlights from oncoming cars whizzed by, but
they were driving slow because of the weather. It was Jared that
was disregarding the speed limit by at least thirty miles per
hour.

The decision to use myself as a distraction
was mine, but the plan was up to Jared. He would be forced to map
out our every move, hoping that it was perfect enough to spare our
lives.

“
We can do this,” Jared
finally said, lifting my hand to his lips. “It’s going to work, and
we’ll have the book, and then we can save you.”

“
I know,” I said with a
small smile. “I trust you.”

“
Sweet potato fries,” he
said, his cloudy eyes glossing over.

“
Sweet potato fries,” I
smiled back.

Chapter
Seventeen

The Roof

Jared paced, brooded, and once in a while,
when his thoughts were particularly tormented, he winced. The color
had long left his face as he played back the different scenarios in
his mind. Back and forth he paced, so many times that I watched the
floor, wondering when he would wear a trail. His inner turmoil
could have set the room on fire. It was unbearable to watch, but I
couldn't leave him; not when he was planning my death.

Claire sat next to me, holding my hand,
suffering Jared's torture as I did. Jared had the most to lose, so
the plan was his alone. Each decision, from the moment we left the
house until the book was safe within its walls, fell on Jared's
shoulders. Watching that responsibility slowly tear him apart was
agonizing.

I did not envy his position. Just he thought
of doing the same made me feel sick to my stomach.

Jared stopped mid-step. “Ryan?”

“
Yeah, man?” Ryan said,
standing. He had never been a fan of Jared, but we all shared a
common thread. Whether we liked it or not, if one of us was hurt,
we would all fall. A loss would affect all of us differently, but
it would change our lives in the same horrific way.

“
Come with me,” Jared said,
leaving the room.

Ryan glanced at Claire, and then followed
Jared into the hallway. Claire's grip on my hand tightened.

“
You can hear them,” I
said.

She looked down at our hands, and then
closed her eyes. “Don't ask me to tell you, Nina. Let Jared do this
his way.”

“
Okay,” I nodded, trusting
her judgment.

Ryan returned with a solemn expression.
Uncomfortable at best, afraid was a more honest description. He
took a few steps toward Claire and I, and then held out his
hand.

“
Feel like going to the
pub?” he asked me.

My eyes veered to Claire, and my head turned
slightly unintentionally. “Um...I guess,” I said, looking back to
Ryan.

“
Good. Give her something
shiny, Claire,” he said, pulling me to stand.

Claire reached behind her and held out her
pistol. “Take it,” she shrugged, trying too hard to seem
indifferent. “I have seven more at home.”

My first instinct was to ask a dozen
questions, but something told me time was an issue. Jared wanted
this to be over.

I took a deep breath. “On the bright side,
if I die, I don't have to worry that I didn't study for the test I
have in the morning.”

“
You're not going to die,”
Ryan said. “This is just a test run.”

“
A test run,” I said,
looking at the gun in my hand. “Okay. Let's see what they've
got.”

I followed Ryan into the hall, passing Jared
along the way. He didn't meet my eyes, so I grabbed the sleeve of
his shirt.

“
You don't exactly exude
confidence. Can you just pretend?”

He forced a smile. “I'll see you soon.”

“
Good job,” Ryan said
dryly, pulling me behind him.

In Ryan's truck, we took the short trip to
the pub. Every bump, every pot hole, every street light seemed
especially big or bright, as if my mind wanted to record every
second of my last moments on earth.

The truck slowed to a stop in the parking
lot across the street, and I looked out the window to the pub.
College co-eds meandered on the sidewalk, congregating in small
groups, laughing and chatting without a care in the world. I had
seen a few of them in the halls of Brown, and I wondered what they
would say when they heard the news, and what the news would even
be. Would the papers call it an accident? A murder? A suicide? I
shuttered when thoughts of myself post-mortem. Would demons allow
me any dignity or mercy at all?

“
Ryan? If it comes down to
it, don't let them take me, okay? I don't know what things
something so evil is capable of...but I don't want to....” I
struggled to say it aloud, “Don't let me suffer, okay? Take care of
it. You know what I mean?”

“
What?” he said, his nose
wrinkling. “You mean you want me to issue a mercy shot before they
drag you off to torture you.”

I didn't remember Ryan being so blunt
before. Perhaps the desert had taken every bit of sensitivity he
had left.

“
I don't want to be alone
with those things. Even for a minute. If they take me, I'm giving
you permission.”

“
Stop,” Ryan said. “I won't
let anything happen to you, and I know Jared, Claire and Bex are
all watching. You act like you've never been bait
before.”

I sighed. “Can't say that I have. Let's get
this over with.”

Ryan stepped out, and then walked around,
opening the door. We walked into the pub hand-in-hand, and Ryan
scanned the dozen or so faces, picking a spot on the corner of the
bar. He ordered a shot and two beers, and then rested his elbows on
the dark wood in front of him. The music was blaring, and the loud,
variable tones of conversation blurred into one another.

“
So what's the plan?” I
asked over the music.

The bartender set our drinks on the bar, and
Ryan tossed him a twenty. “I don't know. I'm just following orders.
So far it's to drink, but not too much where I can't aim straight.,
or it affects Claire.”

“
Aiming's not going to
help,” I grumbled. “Why do you get a shot and I don't?” I asked,
watching him throw his back.

“
Jared said you get one
beer.”

“
Just one?” I picked at the
label on the bottle. “I guess he drinks when I do.”

We didn't bother to toast to anything. I
tried my best to forget that I was terrified, and sipped on the
bitter, dark liquid until it was gone. Ryan ordered another round,
but when the bartender placed a full bottle in front of me, Ryan
grabbed it with his other hand, drinking from them both. So much
time had passed since I'd had any alcohol at all, just the one
round helped to drown out the laughter in the background that
became increasingly annoying as time dragged on.

When Ryan finally stood, I couldn't help but
breath a sigh of relief.

“
That's it? We're done?” I
asked.

Ryan shook his head. “No, we're just
starting. Zip up your coat, we're going for a walk. Once we hit
that door, I need Oscar-worthy drunk, giggly college kid on the
sidewalk, okay?”

“
Well, I've never felt so
giggly in my life, so this should be a breeze,” I
deadpanned.

Ryan pushed open the door, and I hooked my
arm in his. We walked a block, and then made a turn. After two
blocks, we turned in a different direction.

“
This is obvious,” I said,
noting the dark street.

“
Sshh, we're being
followed,” Ryan whispered.

“
Goody,” I said, trying to
keep my steps in line with his.

Before we reached the corner, two men
stepped onto the sidewalk from the alley. Ryan stopped, pushing me
behind him.

“
Hi there, boys,” Ryan
said.

One of the men smiled. “That's a pretty
little girl you got there.”

Ryan was clearly irritated. “Thanks. Tell
your boss I'm insulted.”

“
And why's that?” the other
man said, amused.

Ryan smiled. “You're smaller than I
expected,” he said, looking up at the ominous man looming over
him.

Without warning, Ryan headbutted the first
goon. The man stared into Ryan's eyes, stunned. Blood suddenly
streamed from his nose, and then he stumbled back, finally falling
to the ground.

The second man pulled his weapon. His small
smirk quickly faded when Ryan and I traded glances, and then pulled
ours. Every nerve in my body was on edge. Instead of fear, I was
fighting back a smile. Pointing a gun, and being on the offensive
was so empowering that I had to work to keep from giggling with
excitement.

“
He set us up!” the man
said, kicking at his partner, shaking as his kept his gun pointed
in our direction.

“
Get up, Lenny! We got set
up!”

“
Put your gun on the
ground!” Ryan growled. His voice sounded different than what I was
used to. No doubt residuary from his tour in
Afghanistan.

The man did as Ryan commanded, and then
scampered off, pulling his friend with him. I clicked the safety on
the pistol in my hand, habit from my lessons with Jared, and then
stuffed it into the back of my jeans.

“
That was the plan?” I
asked.

Ryan put his hands low on his hips, spitting
on the ground. “No. That was most definitely not the plan. They
were supposed to take you.”

“
Take
me?”

“
Well...not
take
you, take you...try
to take you, I guess. I really don't know.”

“
That makes me feel a lot
better!” I huffed.

Ryan froze when a clicking sound echoed in
the alley behind us. Donovan stood just feet away, pressing the
barrel of his gun to Ryan's head.

“
So they're trusting humans
to watch their Taleh's now, are they? I don't care if you are some
sort of hero, I ain't buyin' it,” Donovan said, looking
around.

I reached for my gun, but a warm hand
encircled my wrist. “She's a brave little pistol, isn't she?”

If it weren't for the voice, I would have
expected to turn and see Jared standing behind me. The same warm
skin, the smell, the blonde hair—but his eyes were a lighter blue
than Claire's—almost white. He was so tall I had to take a step
back just to get a good look at him.

“
Isaac?” I
whispered.

He smiled, and then smirked at Donovan. “I'm
famous.”

“
And dead if we don't get
the hell outta here. They wouldn't leave her alone.”

“
Of course not,” Isaac said
calmly. “But we'll play.”

Isaac and Donovan led us down the alley to a
waiting car. Isaac wasn't nearly as gentle as the other celestial
beings I'd met. It shouldn't have surprised me; a Hybrid that
protected a man who worked for demons had to have been so far
detached from his origins and core beliefs. I didn't dare attempt
to let my mind linger on what he was capable of.

After tying both of our
hands behind our backs, Donovan hit Ryan on the head with the butt
of his gun, and after a short
crack
, Ryan fell limp. Isaac slipped
a black cover over his head, and then tossed him into the back seat
of the car. Ryan's head fell against the door on the other
side.