Sweet Temptation

Marna kicks him in the leg just before she’s yanked back by the hair by the small but substantial Neph Caterina. Kobal jerks when he’s kicked, shooting Duke Jezebet in the arm. She screams. Kobal aims again, but Kopano bursts through the crowd and takes him down. They wrestle on the ground. An enemy Neph runs past me, toward them, but I snatch him by the back of his shirt, spinning him and smashing my fist into his nose with a crunch. Then I shove him aside to deal with his bleeding and I shake out my hand. Blake dives for Kobal’s arm, wrenching the gun away and cracking Kobal in the eye with the handle.

I want to dive into the fight, but I refuse to leave Anna unguarded. Belial looks at me and nods his approval. We are her last line of defense.

As spirits swoop down, trying to overpower Anna with their vile whispers, I cast furtive glances back to be sure she’s okay. She is slashing the hell out of any who are stupid enough to get within arm’s reach.

Our allies work together to take down Dukes and enemy Neph. Marek retrieves my knife from Thamuz’s dead body and corners one of the enemy Neph. I can only assume we’re rounding up the Dukes in order to fulfill the prophecy, but as the battle rages on I’m beginning to wonder when the hell that’s ever going to happen.

In the middle of the fighting I see one of the sons of Thamuz crawling forward, grabbing for a small handgun that’s been knocked to the ground.

I shout to one of Kopano’s brothers, who’s standing closest, and he rushes for the Neph, but it’s too late. The son of Thamuz has made it to his knees and shoots half a second before he’s knocked down violently by Kope’s brother. Zania cries out as Kopano curls in on himself, shot in the chest, and falls to the ground.

Oh, fuck.

“No!” Anna screams. She tries to run, but I grab her arm and yank her back behind me.

Zania is at Kopano’s side, trying to stop the bleeding with her hands. From the corner of my eye I see someone rushing our other side and hear Belial yell. I turn just as Belial and Blake are grabbing Duke Sonellion’s arms. He thrashes, pushing toward Anna, and Blake swipes his feet out from under him. Anna raises the sword and I get the hell out of the way. She stabs him straight through. His chest arches up, then there’s a puff of smoke as his soul is extinguished.

Good riddance, Duke of Hate.

We look back over at Kopano, who’s now surrounded by Zania, his brothers, and his father. He’s so still. It makes something in my chest twist in agony.

“It’s not his time!” Duke Alocer cries out. My eyes are glued to the scene as Alocer’s spirit begins to rise from his skin, and his body slumps to the floor.

Anna gasps. “Oh, my gosh . . .”

Alocer, in spirit form, floats above Kope for a mysterious moment, and then sinks, disappearing into Kope’s body. My mouth drops. My God . . . his father is possessing him. He’s healing him. Saving him. Zania lets out a sob as Kopano’s body lurches. When his chest rises and falls in a pattern of regular breathing, his body heaves to dispense the invasive spirit. Alocer pulls himself from Kope’s form and looks down at his son. A few people cheer. Zania looks at his father’s spirit with open gratitude. Kope blinks up at him.

I’ve always known Duke Alocer loved Kopano, but to see it burns my chest with longing. I seek out my father in the mass, and he is watching the interaction with loathing. He can make no move, though. Duke Jezebet, who turned out to be a longtime ally of Belial, stands behind him, pointing a knife at his back.

Zania kisses Kope’s forehead, crying with joy, and I nod to myself, huffing out a breath of relief. Anna lets out a laugh. He’s going to be okay.

Nearly all of the remaining Dukes and enemy Neph are disarmed and detained, but I’m not sure how long we can hold them. They are still struggling viciously and screaming their anger like savages.

“It’s time,” Anna says.

“Yes!” I shout over my shoulder.

Does she know what’s to happen next? Does she sense that angels are coming?

And then her voice turns sweet and reverent in the air behind me. . . .

“Father . . . let your will be done.”

She’s . . . praying? That’s not at all the tactic I was expecting, but each word sends a tingle down my spine. I’m not the only one who feels it. Others around us look up.

Through the fighting I see my father again. He’s staring at Anna. For a moment I imagine that the look of shock on his face means something different, like perhaps he’s having an epiphany, and I feel a lightness of hope. And then his eyes burn red and he opens his mouth with a war cry. All hope vanishes when I see the bloodlust in his eyes—his hatred of her and what she’s trying to do. He backhands Jezebet, who drops the knife and grabs her bleeding nose. Father charges. I raise my arm to stop him, knife up.

Belial rushes from the side and tackles him with a forearm to the throat. His head slams against the floor. Father is large in his new body, but Belial is massive and holds him down while I crouch at his side.

He struggles against Belial, his face furious, and I shake my head. “It’s too late, Father. This is your opportunity to make amends.”

It would be stupid to harbor a grain of hope at this point. And yet, I am still disappointed in his response.

“I will not grovel at His feet!”

Belial shakes his head and mumbles, “You gonna be groveling in hell, brother.”

Father tries to spit at him, but it ends up on his own chin. I look up at Anna, nodding for her to continue.