Sweet Temptation

She reaches for her shirt and tries to put it on, but there are buttons missing from when I went all Incredible Hulk. I toss her my red T-shirt and she puts it on.

No girl has ever worn my clothes before, and it’s the embodiment of sexiness. I imagine her wearing it the morning after we’ve had an all-night shag fest.

I shake my head. What the hell is wrong with me? Father is waiting.

I lead her up the stairs to the sitting room, and I lean against the wall to watch helplessly as the wolf licks the fawn.

She maintains her norm of complete innocence as Father questions her. I listen and learn all the things I was too afraid to ask, though I’m still unsure how she came by the information. She has no idea her demonic father’s name is Belial or what he does. Belial most likely doesn’t know she exists. She and I met coincidentally at a gig, and she’s just learning what she is. My head is spinning with thoughts when I hear Father say to Anna—

“. . . you reek of innocence. Yes, that’s right. I can smell it—your virginity.”

I nearly topple over in surprise, and Father laughs at the look of horror on Anna’s face. There is no way she’s pure. No. Way.

Father smacks his knee in astonishment. “A sixteen-year-old Neph virgin! How do you expect to be a bad influence on humans if you aren’t behaving badly yourself?”

Anna says nothing, but her eyes dart around nervously. I’m still gaping in shock at the revelation. Father informs her she’s the daughter of the Duke of Substance Abuse, and I am so floored, so gobsmacked by her innocence, that blood rushes inside my ears and I can hardly concentrate.

She was never out to kill me or test my loyalty. My God, she was truly drugged by that human boy! And probably was telling the truth about never having been kissed. How is this possible? It’s just my luck that I’d stumble upon her. If I’d known, I could have urged her to move far away from Father and other Dukes, but I was consumed by my own paranoid assumptions. I mean, really, what are the bloody chances?

Oh, fantastic. Now Father is pulling out his bag of recreational drugs, and Anna is practically shivering and drooling as she looks at it all. I want to warn Father that Anna and drugs are not a pretty combination, but I clamp my mouth shut.

I can’t let myself feel bad for her. Father knows about her now, so she’s no longer my problem. It’s too late for “should haves.” Anna will have to work now like the rest of us. It’s her legacy to push drugs and alcohol. As a Neph, she has to be a “bad girl” by society’s standards in every way but still recognize when to be seemingly docile to stay out of trouble. Her ability to tempt others will be wrapped up in a blend of her sensuality, tolerance for substances, and a personality that makes her sin appear fun and harmless. Neph learn from an early age that sex, drugs, and alcohol go hand in hand. It’s what’s expected by the Dukes, so Anna cannot remain a virgin. She’ll learn and she’ll be fine. She will grow to enjoy it.

I will not feel bad.

My head snaps up when I hear Father say my name. He’s still talking to Anna.

“Kaidan will take good care of you. He’ll have you working to the best of your abilities in no time at all. Don’t take too long about it, though. Learn what you need to, and get to work.” He turns to me and I stand straighter. “I’m expecting company this evening and you are to join us. Marissa is bringing one of her nieces.”

Acid rises in my throat. “Yes, Father.”

Anna is staring at me with curiosity, and I have to look away.

My mind is whirling when I return home from taking Anna to her apartment. So much has happened in the span of a few short hours. I can’t believe she’s lived with an adoptive mother all these years, a woman named Patti who loves her fiercely—even I took to the woman straightaway. And I can’t believe what I’ve agreed to. I’ve gone completely mad, but the thrill of it is all-consuming.

Her words tumble through my mind as I let myself in the front door of my house.

“What will happen if I don’t, you know, do all the stuff your father told me to? Because I’m not going to . . .” “I want to wait until I’m married . . .” “My mother was an angel . . . A guardian angel . . .” “What does it mean to be Nephilim?”

The girl is half angel, half demon. An anomaly. I’d laughed and told her she’s a walking contradiction, but truly I’m mesmerized. I keep wondering what it must be like to be both. It’s unheard of. And to be raised and nurtured by a human . . . wow.

And though it’s all fascinating, her stubbornness against changing her ways cannot possibly last. Now that Father knows about her, she belongs to the Dukes—at least her body does. And they expect her to use her body for their purposes. Tomorrow morning I’ll be up bright and early to begin teaching her the ways of the Neph—

My thoughts are interrupted when I pass the sitting room. I stop dead in my tracks, shocked at myself for forgetting. Father is standing beside the leather sofa, where Marissa sits with a small girl at her side. The girl I’ve been dreading.

Fuuuuuuuck.

No, no, no. I want to scream and rail. This cannot be happening.

She is just as young as the pictures.

“Come in, Kaidan,” Father says.

I do as he says, and I see Marissa put a hand on the girl’s leg when she whimpers. I can’t bring myself to look the child in the eyes.

“Kaidan, this is Marissa’s newest niece, Viktoria. We were hoping you could help ease her into her new life.” His words are so casual. I’ve heard them a thousand times. Though I’ve never liked this aspect of my “job,” I’ve never been repulsed like this.