Silver (13 page)

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“Show me,” Sasha says, still eyeing my bracelet
.

I set the bracelet down on the table and fold my hands in my lap.

Sasha takes a seat across from me and grabs the bracelet. “Amazing!” She holds it in her hands and closes her eyes, then lets out a squeal. “Ohmigod!” She sounds like a sorority girl.

“What?” Sherri stares at her.

“It's
hers,” Sasha says.

Sherri's mouth falls open.

“I know it's mine.” I reach over to take the bracelet back, but Sasha leans away from the table, keeping it out of my reach. “Give it back,” I say.

She ignores me, staring at the charm, turning it over in her hands. “It's not possible. Gwyn's line is supposed to be dead.”

“Give it back!” At my words, the silver chain flies from her hand and sails across the table, landing in front of me. I close my hand around it and pull it against me.

Sherri laughs out loud. “I told you.”

“How old are you?” Sasha asks.

“Sixteen,” I answer automatically, although I'm not sure I owe this woman anything.

“Impossible,” Sasha says to Sherri.

“She does have the charm.”

“What about it?” I tighten my grip.

“That charm,” Sasha says, “was made by Danu herself. For her oldest daughter Gwyn.”

“You're a Seventh Daughter,” I say to Sasha.

“Your family told you, then.”

“Sort of. And a boy.”

Sasha inhales. “A boy?”

Something keeps me from saying Blake's name. His secret isn't mine to share. “He just told me the story about Danu. It wasn't hard to figure out the rest, given the weird stuff that's happened to me.”

“Who is this boy?”

“Just someone I talked to at a party.” Not a complete lie. “I told him about the weird stuff, and he told me he knew a fairy tale about women with powers.” Less true.

Sasha's expression doesn't change. I have no idea if she believes me or not. “What was his name?”

I take a breath. “I was pretty wasted.” A total lie.

A shadow passes across Sasha's face. She tries to cover it with a brilliant smile, and I'm reminded of Blake. The smile is a mask. “I'm sure you'll remember it in time. Perhaps when your powers are more fully in your control. For now, it's important that you understand that the ‘
fairy tale'
you heard is a lie. The true story of Danu is known only by her ancestors.” She leans back in her chair. “Danu was a goddess, but she was born on Earth, the descendant of a human mother who had enchanted a god.”

Sounds like the same story to me, but I keep my mouth firmly shut.

“When the Milesians banished the gods to the underworld, the demigods were the only hope to bring the gods back to their rightful place on earth.”

“The Milesians?” The men who would burn me as a witch.

“Mortals who came to Ireland speaking of one true God. The gods had ruled Ireland and its human inhabitants for centuries, but the Milesians fought against them. After our gods killed their leader, they retaliated, tricking the gods into sharing Ireland equally. The Milesians divided the earth between the underworld and the corporal world, taking the top half for themselves. Effectively banishing the gods from the earth.”

“Where does Danu fit in?”

“The gods left a legacy. Demigods, like Danu, who might someday conquer the mortals and set the gods free. But there was no tolerance of magic in the human world, and the Milesians hunted down the demigods, killing them when they were young, before they had the power to strike back.” Sasha leans back in her chair. “Danu let her heart get in the way of her fate. She fell for one of the killers, so much so that she brought him to the spirit realm, intending to bind him to her for eternity. It worked too well. Killian claimed a piece of her soul, and with it something even more precious. Magic.”

She purses her lips. “Even after Danu made Killian a demigod in his own right, he didn't love Danu. He confessed his plans to marry another woman, and vowed to do so despite the magic that bound him to Danu.”

I might know something about Killian's rejection. I keep my head down and let her keep talking.

“Danu ached for the loss of the part of herself that Killian carried. His absence left her feeling physically ill.”

I almost say something. I bite my lip hard instead.

“Danu returned to the spirit realm, seeking a way to break the bond.”

I can't keep quiet now. “Was there a way?”

Sasha raises her eyebrows at me, not appreciating the interruption to her story. “No. They were tied to each other until death. When Danu returned to earth, it was many years later. She was still a young woman and she still ached for Killian. But it was Brom, Killian's son, who lived on Killian's farm then. When Brom smiled at Danu, the pain seemed to disappear.”

“Because she loved him?”

Sasha ignores my question. “Brom and Danu fled together, starting their own life in a village far away from Killian and his bride. They had children of their own and lived a peaceful, quiet life for many years.”

“So there was a happily ever after.” I don't add that Sasha has left out some important details, like Danu burning Killian's land and causing a drought over all of Ireland.

“Hardly. Killian's rage only grew after Danu ran away with his oldest son. He used the power he stole from Danu to hunt down and kill the remaining demigods in Ireland. All that remained was Danu.”

So Blake left out some important details too.

“With the bond, Danu could feel Killian's rage, and she knew that he would pursue her. She created protective charms to keep Killian from discovering her and her children.” Sasha's eyes find my bracelet. “In the end, it wasn't enough. It was Gwyn who found her mother's body, laid out in a field, her heart cut from her chest.”

So much for happily ever after. “Killian murdered her?” I can't keep the shakiness from my voice. The whole heart-ripping thing hits a little close to home.

“It's been that way ever since,” Sherri jumps in. “Killian's descendants exacting revenge every seventh generation.”

“What do you mean?” I ask.

Sasha shakes her head vehemently. “Not now, Sherri. It's too soon.”

“There was an attack tonight.”

Sasha's pale skin goes whiter. “Tonight?”

“They came after Brianna. I saw the flashes of silver light. Two humans were hurt.”

The anger that Sasha masked earlier returns to the surface, hardening her features to a point. She's even more beautiful when she's angry. “So it's true. The Sons are here.”

“And they're hunting.” Sherri takes a sip of her Diet Coke, not the least bit fazed by the direction this is going.

“Hunting?” I ask.

The gleam in Sherri's eyes is somehow more disquieting than her words. “For us.”

So it isn't enough that I'm the lucky number seven in my family who gets saddled with crazy powers, not enough that I'm bonded with a guy who wants nothing to do with me or that my two best friends think I've morphed into some kind of disloyal skank. Might as well throw in the fact that a bunch of demigods want me dead.

Sasha explains that the Sons of Killian have mastered their powers over the centuries, using them to increase their prowess as crusaders against magic. They've hunted and killed Danu's descendants, nearly succeeding in eradicating magic from the earth. Except, of course, their own.

I half-listen while Sasha talks about the rumors that the Sons of Killian have increased their powers through selective breeding, deliberately seeking out women who have some ancestral link to the gods and goddesses. Over the centuries, the Sons have been extremely successful. And as far as Sasha can tell, the three of us represent the last of Danu's direct descendants. The last of the Seventh Daughters.

It all seems a little coincidental. “Don't you think it's strange that we're all here?” I ask. “The three of us? And the Sons?”

Sasha practically rolls her eyes. “It's inevitable. We're drawn to each other. To magic.”

Even as I listen, my mind keeps wandering back to Blake bathed in silver light. He didn't attack me—not on the beach, and not when we were alone together in the Heights. I'm pretty sure that tonight, he saved my life.

The lecture over, Sasha walks over to the mini-fridge, her hips swaying. “We can't launch an attack until we know which ones are the Sons. And Brianna isn't seventeen yet.”

“She's got powers,” Sherri replies, as if I'm not sitting right next to her. “I say we nuke 'em!”

“Nuke?” Sherri has my full attention now.

“Spontaneous combustion.” Sherri says the words slowly, drawing out the syllables as she twists a piece of gum around her finger. She snaps the gum back into her mouth, flicking her hand toward the plant in the corner so casually it might be an afterthought. The plant bursts into blue flames, dark smoke rising against the wall.

“Sherri!” Sasha waves a hand at the plant with more haste. The fire is doused with a surge of water that materializes out of thin air. All that remains is a charred pile of ashes and the thick smell of damp briquettes. “You'll set off the fire alarm.”

“You get the point,” Sherri says to me.

I do get the point. And more—the blue fire sends off alarms in my head. “The wildfire,” I say. “That was you.”

Sherri shrugs. “It wasn't like I planned it. I was having a bad hair day.”

I understand all too well how it could happen. What I can't understand is Sherri's nonchalance. “Those were people's homes.”

Sherri laughs. “They're just humans.”

“How can you say that?”

Sherri glares at me. “The humans are meant to serve the gods, and they need to be put in their place. When the gods return, the humans will pay with more than a few possessions.”

“When the gods return?”

Sherri rolls her eyes. “Have you been paying attention at all? Maybe I should put it in terms you understand. Earth minus the Sons of Killian equals the return of the gods. It will be amazing. We'll rule alongside them. And you can help us.”

At the mention of me, Sasha brushes a piece of lint from her jacket. “She's not ready. We need to keep her hidden until she turns seventeen. You can continue your efforts to infiltrate the Sons.”

Sherri shakes her head. “Like that's going to be easy now that they know about her?” The way she says “her” is not exactly flattering. “They'll be looking for us now.”

Like the blue wildfire wasn't a giant clue? Still, there's no denying that I've compromised the Seventh Daughters. It might have helped if I'd known the danger ahead of time.

Sasha sighs. “They must be surprised to find even one of us. They won't suspect there are others. There's no reason to change our plans.”

“What are you planning?”

Sherri's face twists into an expression that reminds me of her former self, hard lines and distorted features. “To hold hands and sing ‘Kumbaya.' What do you think? We're going to stop them from killing us and finally end this thing.”

“How?” For some reason I need to hear her say it out loud.

“The blazing inferno wasn't enough for you? I forgot how slow you can be sometimes.”

The last vestiges of shame and guilt I've carried since dumping Sherri freshman year float away on a cloud of indignation. “You can't kill him.”

“Him?” Sherri narrows her eyes.

My pulse quickens in my throat. I've said too much. “The Son that attacked me and Austin.” At least Sherri doesn't know there were two.

She blows a strand of her newly straightened hair off her face. “I'm not going to sit around and wait for the Sons to kill me. You of all people should understand why we have to do this. You should be dead right now. Why aren't you?”

I can't let them find out about Blake. I stare down at my can of soda. “He never got close enough.” I slow down my words before I blurt something that will reveal too much. “Austin got in the way. Then I sent the Son flying into the fountain and he passed out.”

Sherri watches me with the intensity of a sniper, keeping me squarely within her scope. I want to go back to being invisible. “But he got away.”

How does she know that? “Right.” I stumble on the word. “I was helping Austin and he disappeared.” I'm not sure why I don't out Jonah as a Son. It would serve him right to have Sherri after him.

Sasha tries to mask the look of skepticism on her face and fails. I wait for her to call me out. She saunters back over to the table with a can of Coke, full sugar. “I'll keep her at my house until her birthday,” she tells Sherri. “It's safe there.”

Sherri nods. “Fine. It'll be easier without her around.”

“I can't just disappear for a week.”

Sherri grabs my arm when I try to get up. “Don't be stupid. They know who you are now. And they won't be happy. Not only did you get away, but there were humans hurt. It's way too public.”

“So they can't risk another attack for a while.” I hope I'm right. Besides, some of us have priorities that do not include fighting over something that happened a thousand years ago. I have no intention of getting involved in this battle.

Sherri and Sasha exchange another look. Sherri finally lets go of my arm. “It's your funeral. Just don't mess this up any more than you already have.” The threat hangs in the air. Way to make new friends.

“We'll be in touch.” Sasha flashes a gorgeous smile that's meant to charm me and comes nowhere close. I rush out of the conference room before they can change their minds about letting me go home.