“My mother was an angel,” I blurted. “A guardian angel.”
There. I prayed I wouldn’t live to regret it.
He looked away from the road to study my face.
“But angels of light aren’t permitted to possess humans.”
“I guess she broke the rules,” I said.
He ran a hand through his hair, letting it flop back down across his brows.
“That’s unheard of. Definitely something you should not tell anyone else. Wow.”
Kaidan began to chuckle then.
“What’s so funny?” I asked.
“You. You’re a walking contradiction. Horns and a halo. I don’t believe it.”
I gave a deadpan “ha, ha” at his jibe. Meeting his father had stolen my sense of humor.
“Are there a lot of other people like us?” I asked. “Nephilim?”
“Not really. More than a hundred. Used to be thousands, but that’s a story for another day.”
I sat there marveling at the thought of others out there who had spent their childhoods developing unusual powers, as I had.
Kaidan slowed at the exit for Cartersville and we both quieted as I pointed directions. He pulled into my neighborhood and parked outside of the apartment building. He looked up at it with skepticism and cut the engine. I wasn’t ready to get out yet.
“What does it mean to be Nephilim?” I asked. “How much are we like our fathers?”
He leaned his seat back a few inches and laced his fingers behind his head.
“We feel a pull in the direction of their sinful natures. We’re viewed as their property, their pawns. Nephilim work to advance the demonic cause, promoting sin among our peers.”
He said it matter-of-factly, as if he had no opinion or feeling about this atrocity whatsoever.
“That is sick.”
He ignored me. “The demons have specific jobs. My father is the Duke of Lust. Your father, Belial, is the Duke of Substance Abuse.”
His words smacked me, leaving behind a sting. Even though I’d had a feeling about my nature, it still made me ill to hear it. And the son of Lust? He just went up a few notches on the danger scale.
“I can’t believe this. It’s so wrong.”
He continued to ignore me, scrunching his eyes as he’d done at his house. “Which one of these places is yours?”
I looked up at our apartment and pointed.
“Can you not hear that? Or do you never listen? There’s a woman crying in there.”
“Patti!” I said. I flung off my seat belt, jumped out of his car, and sprinted for the building, leaving Kaidan without a good-bye.
CHAPTER NINE
TO GO OR NOT TO GO
I rushed up the concrete stairs and into our cramped living space, not even bothering to shut the door behind me. Had the demons gotten to her? Patti was sitting on the sofa, and turned when she heard me enter. Her eyes were bloodshot. I went straight to her, crouching at her feet and putting a hand on her arm.
“What’s wrong?” I asked.
“The brakes went out in the car today. I’m sorry, honey. I’ll have to use all of the money I started saving for our trip.” She broke into another sob, wiping at her eyes with her sleeve.
That was it? Oh, thank goodness. I let out a breath of relief and let my head fall back.
In my peripheral vision I saw movement in the corridor and remembered I hadn’t shut the door, but when I stood to close it, Kaidan was standing in the doorway, rubbing the back of his neck. Oh, crap. Crap, crap, crap! I didn’t expect him to follow me! I moved to shut the door before Patti noticed, but it was too late. She was already looking at him. Then she looked at me.
“Anna?” Patti and I stared at each other with large eyes before she said, “That’s him, isn’t it?”
“Patti... I’m sorry.”
She looked at Kaidan as if expecting him to do something threatening, but he only switched his stance from one foot to the other. He looked like he might turn and bolt. Patti stood from the couch and went to the door.
“Well, you may as well come on in,” she said with attitude. He stepped in and she closed the door, then put her hands on her hips and surveyed him.
He appeared almost as nervous in front of Patti as I’d been in front of his father. It made him seem younger. What did he think she might force him to do—sing hymns with us? The absurdity of it, plus the knowledge that I was in deep trouble, made the corners of my mouth turn up, a nervous reaction. Patti narrowed her eyes at me, and I pressed my lips together. The silence stretched on and I needed to fill it.
“Patti, this is Kaidan. Kaidan, Patti.”
They regarded each other with uncertainty, and then to my surprise she stuck out her hand and he shook it.
“You must be a pretty special young man if Anna is willing to break a promise to see you.”
He glanced at me, and I looked down.
Patti turned her full scrutiny on me now. She wore a funny expression as she eyed me.
I remembered Kaidan’s red shirt hanging on my frame and my ears got hot. I began babbling an excuse.
“Oh, this!” I said. “This is just nothing. My shirt got torn accidentally, so Kaidan loaned me one of his. I know it looks bad, but it’s the truth—I promise.” My heart sank as I realized my promises would never again carry the weight they once had. Patti cleared her throat and crossed her arms.
“Can I talk to you alone for a second?” I asked her.
“You can have a seat,” she said to Kaidan, voice tight. “Can I get you something to drink?” Of course her Southern hospitality would kick in, even at a time like this.