“I need to tell you something,” she says breaking the silence first. “I didn’t tell you yesterday when I realized because there was too much happening and we were all exhausted.” She picks at the little black polish remaining on her nails. “We don’t know how it happened, but somehow, Asmoday and I are bound. I feel his emotions—he feels mine. It’s kind of like…this cord. Running from me to him. When we’re too far away, when it’s broken, it causes me…pain. Emotionally, not physically. That’s what happened yesterday in the realm when he took my parents back. When he left, the cord snapped and it was the worst sadness I have ever felt. He felt it too.”
“He must have done something. A spell, like your mom said. We’ll find a way to break it.”
Keely is shaking her head. “No. It’s not a spell. I know when he’s lying. He doesn’t know what’s going on anymore than I do. And he really is on my side. He’s betraying our father to help me. He’s doing this because we are tied. Because he knows I don’t want this. If I were to find a way to break away from him, I don’t know if I could still trust him. So for now, it just has to stay this way.”
“What else?”
“What?”
“There’s something else. I can tell,” Nick sighs.
Keely swallows hard. She doesn’t want to do this part. She just wants to throw herself into his arms and let him hold her. “My mom suggested we not see each other anymore. Because it will look bad for you with the Hierarchy. I don’t want to do that.”
“I don’t want to do that either.” Nick reaches across the dining room table and catches her hand.
“Maybe we should end whatever this is with us. Just for now. We can go in front of the Hierarchy and honestly say that we are not doing anything wrong.”
“It doesn’t matter. They all saw me kiss you so it would do no good. Unless you don’t want me anymore.”
Keely’s eyes go wide. “No, I want…I want to be with you. You still want me, don’t you?”
“More than ever,” he says softly, his eyes shining with adoration.
Keely stands and pulls on Nick’s hand. She guides him into the laundry room, just off the kitchen, for added privacy. As soon as she shuts the door, she tugs his shirt, bringing him in for a kiss.
Nick doesn’t need much persuasion. He kisses Keely back as if he hasn’t seen her in days instead of hours. “I missed you.”
She knows exactly what he means. She missed him too. Missed his closeness. His touch. His smell. The way he tastes. The sound of his voice when he whispers in her ear. As if he knows what she’s thinking, Nick slides his mouth slowly up her neck. Stops at her ear. “I love you,” he breathes.
Keely shivers with desire and ushers his lips back to hers. The cord pulls violently without warning and Keely gasps. Nick pulls away trying to make out her face in the dark room.
“Are you all right?”
“Yes,” she decides and leans in to kiss him again. As their lips meet, the cord pulls with so much potency she is forced backward out of Nick’s arms. She tumbles to the floor holding her chest.
Keely is outraged. She could literally kill Asmoday if he were here right now. Or are those his emotions?
“Are you o.k.?” Nick asks finding her hands and helping her to her feet.
“It was the cord that binds me to Asmoday. I guess he doesn’t want to experience how I feel when I’m kissing you. I suppose I can’t really blame him. He’s mad.” She shakes her head. “I’ve never felt so much anger.” She crosses her arms trying to push away the false feelings.
“We have to find some way to get rid of this as soon as we can. Either that or he’s going to have to learn how to deal with it.” Nick kisses her cheek. Runs his hand down her hair. “I have to admit I’m a little jealous right now. I wish I could feel what you feel. Not him. And I hate that he can impose on our private moments. Every time I kiss you he’ll be there. I. Hate. It.”
“I’m sorry, Nick. As soon as I know I can trust him without the bind, I’ll figure out some way to sever it.”
“We need to decide what you’re going to tell the Hierarchy tomorrow.”
She wraps her arms around him, thankful he is so understanding. “I’m going to tell them the truth. I think it will show I’m committed to their side. Your side. Honesty is always the best policy, right?”
“I think it is in this case, but I’m not sure you should offer everything.”
Keely finds the switch on the wall and flips the light on. “Asmoday said I should ask for their protection. I can’t ask for their protection if I don’t explain why I need it.”
“You have their protection. You have me.”
“But I may not after tomorrow. I need their help to stop my father. You and I can’t do it alone. And maybe if they know I want to stop him they won’t feel the need to kill me.”
“I’m still willing to run with you.” He kisses the top of her head.
“We can’t outrun this.” She reaches back and opens the door. “It’ll be o.k. No matter what happens, we’ll make it all right.”
She turns. Comes face to face with her mom. Keely can’t help it, she bursts out laughing. Maybe the stress has finally gotten to her, but her mom’s expression is the funniest thing. With the world in danger, you’d think her mom would lighten up about Nick. “Don’t worry. We weren’t doing anything wrong,” she giggles.
Keely takes Nick’s hand and moves around her mom. “Oh, and by the way.” She holds up their interlocked fingers. “We talked. This is still happening. And also, I’m telling the truth tomorrow. It’s my life. It’s my decision.”
Nick raises his eyebrows and follows Keely to the front door. “I’ll pick you up at eleven tomorrow.”
“What should I wear?” Just the thought fills her with nearly as much dread as facing the Hierarchy.
“You can wear whatever you’re comfortable in. We don’t have a dress code.” He kisses her cheek and waves at her dad. “See you tomorrow. I love you.”
“I love you too. Be safe.”
“You too.”
She shuts the door behind him and stomps up the stairs to her room. “What the hell was that?” she hisses.
“Do not ever do that to me again,” Asmoday says through ground teeth.
Keely shuts her door and stares at it. Gives herself a moment to find her own emotions. Yep, she’s still pissed. She spins to confront him and is surprised at how close he is. “I didn’t do that to you,” she breathes. “That was between me and Nick,” she says much less confidently than she had planned.
“Can you even fathom what that was like for me?” he whispers.
“I didn’t do it purposely. Once I realized, we stopped.”
He glides a finger, brushing a strand of hair behind her ear. “I know you will say I have no right, but I do not want you to feel like that unless I am the one making you feel that way.”
“You’re correct. You have no right.”
Asmoday puts his hand on the door behind her and leans his body into hers. “Why is that again?” His breath blows sweetly across her face.
Keely’s mind spins. “Why?”
He places his other hand on the other side of her. Brings his mouth near her ear, his lips touch her hair. “Yes, why do I have no right?”
Why? Why? Why? She tries to remember why. His body presses her against the door. Her stomach somersaults. “You’re…you’re my—my brother,” she whispers.
Asmoday pushes off the door with the smallest of smirks. The cord hums as if it were plucked like a guitar. He feels vindicated, making everything else seem insignificant. “That’s the only reason?” He chuckles softly. “Good night, Keely.”
Twenty-Six:
After a very long and sleepless night, Keely rises with the sun. She removes the polish from her fingers and toes meticulously. Showers slowly. Brushes her teeth as if she were going to the dentist. She even flosses. Takes extra time on her hair, deciding to dry it straight today. As she runs the brush through he
r locks, she is startled at how blond she is. It’s been a long time since her natural color showed. She swears it seems lighter than before she started dying it. And the length, when it is all dried and smooth, astounds her. She had no idea there was so much hair on her head.
Keely continues to get ready, refusing to let the nerves get the best of her. She lightly powders her face. Applies a coat of mascara. Glosses her lips. She examines her face in the mirror. She doesn’t look like a threat. But Keely is pretty sure the Hierarchy is smarter than to judge her on her appearance. Just in case, she decides to dress the part.
Keely shoves her clothes to one side of the closet so she can reach the few outfits she’s kept from her old life. An above the knee pink, pleated skirt with a bow at the waist. A soft white scoop neck blouse. She trails her fingers over the silky pink ribbon that gathers the waist of the blouse. It matches the skirt perfectly. Keely’s mom loves this outfit.
It costs her ironing, but she welcomes the extra distraction. Anything to eat up the time. When every imperfection is smooth, Keely changes and takes the brush through her hair one more time. She is a stranger. A former Keely. If she couldn’t see the scar on her neck so clearly, she would think she is looking at a picture from two years ago. Not her reflection.
Keely goes back to her closet and fishes out the pink flats she used to wear with this outfit. She sits on her bed and slides them on her feet. They feel strange. Not like her Converse. These squeeze her toes uncomfortably.
“You look beautiful.”
Keely jumps from the bed with a squeal. She hadn’t felt a difference in the cord. Didn’t see him coming at all this time. “You can’t do that to me. I must be getting used to this or something because you caught me totally off guard.” She puts her hand over her racing heart.
“I am sorry, but this is your own fault. I have not been able to rest all night. You are nervous. It makes me nervous.” He eyes her bed longingly. “This is very early for me.”
“I can’t help it. I didn’t ask for this. Any of this. I can’t choose how I feel and I can’t stop you from feeling it.”
“I did not ask for this as well. It is very difficult for me. You’re changing me.” He looks at her pillow. “You truly do look beautiful,” he says and lowers himself to her bed. He lies on his side and hugs the pillow to his head.
“Make yourself comfortable.”
“You are a little more relaxed now. I need sleep.”
Keely realizes that his presence has relaxed her. Probably the simple fact that he’s occupied her thoughts. Taken her mind off things for the moment.
Her eyes trace his body repeatedly from head to toe. Lying in her bed. His appearance is very impressive. Nearly perfect. She picks up her sketch pad and pencils and crawls carefully up on the bed. She slips her shoes off and sits on her legs as she begins to draw his outline. Keely nearly sighs with the gratification this brings. Asmoday does sigh and snuggles closer to her pillow.
“It would be easier to sleep if you did not watch me,” he mumbles.
“Just one picture. I promise.”
He opens one eye. Looks at her hand moving effortlessly over the page. “Beautiful,” he mouths before falling asleep.
Keely has never been one to break her promises, but he’s sleeping so peacefully. Her sketching is not bothering him in the least, so she keeps going. This one just of his face. Though Apophis makes her want to vomit now, before he tried to murder her, Keely thought he was very handsome. Asmoday puts him to shame. Every single feature is pleasant to look at.
Keely flips to the next sheet of paper to draw another picture and stops. This page is already taken. Filled with a rendering of Nick. She looks at the alarm clock on her nightstand. It reads ten minutes to eleven. Where had the time gone? She looks back through her pad. Page after page is of Asmoday. Her hands are black from lead. She slides off the bed cautiously. If she gets her skirt dirty she won’t have anything to wear. After scrubbing her hands, Keely touches up the powder on her face. Her mom knocks at the door.
“Keely, are you ready to go?”
“Uh, yes?”
She opens the door and looks past her mom to her bed. There is a distinct Asmoday impression in her pillow, but no Asmoday. Keely lets out a breath and almost laughs.
“You look nice. I haven’t seen this skirt in ages. And your hair is so pretty.”
“Thanks, Mom. You look nice too.”
Kimberly touches Keely’s hair. Hugs her tightly. “Everything will be o.k. We will get through this.”
“I know,” Keely says.
***
Nick opens the car door for Keely and takes her hand. She looks up at the massive school. The building is made from stone, reminding her of a castle. But in no other way does it resemble a castle. It’s in the shape of a humongous sideways rectangle and three stories high. There’s a large arc of a sign above the main double doors. Deus Lucem Academy. This could be her school soon. That is, if she doesn’t die first.
“It’s big,” she says.
Nick smiles at her. “I’ll be with you the entire time.”
Keely nods and tries to smile back, but it doesn’t quite work while she is fighting the urge to throw up. She takes a deep breath. She’s lived through people trying to kill her before. She can handle this.
Kevin and Kimberly join their daughter at the doors. “Let’s get this over with.”
Keely grips the Demon Grimoire to her chest like a school book. Gratefully, there is nobody in the main hall. They make their way to the office where they’re told to sign in and take a pass. It reminds her of her high school. Only, after they sign in, they are lead to the back of the office where they take an elevator down to the basement level. It doesn’t look like a basement, however. The walls are paneled in a rich dark wood, the floor carpeted in red. Iron sconces line the walls every few feet lighting their way down the hall. They stop in front of a door and are instructed to go in and be seated.
Keely was expecting something similar to a court room. It’s nothing like that. There is a spacious glossy wooden table with nine high back leather chairs on one side. On the other side of the table is one smaller version of the other chairs. Along the walls, there are several groupings of chairs you would find in anyone’s house. Very casual. As if you could sit and read a book. The walls are paneled the same as the hallway, but the room is brighter. Lit by florescent ceiling lights. Again, like her high school.
Nick moves to the chairs along the wall and gestures for them to sit. He stays standing, which makes Keely anxious. She crosses her legs and bounces her foot nervously.
“Do you need a pill?” Her mom leans toward her and whispers.
Keely shoots her a look. She stopped taking her pills. “No. I’m fine.” She forces herself to sit still.
The door opens and several people come in. Three guys and two girls. Nick nods his head in hello, but doesn’t go to speak to them. They take seats on the other wall and talk amongst themselves. Keely hadn’t thought there would be an audience. The door opens again as two girls shuffle in.
“Good luck, Nick.” One of the girls flashes a smile before she and her friend sit down.
Keely scrunches her bows. That girl seems to like Nick more than Keely is comfortable with. And she realizes all these people know him. They went to school with him. Probably grew up with him. And she doesn’t know anything about this time of his life. She doesn’t know a whole lot about Nick period.
Ugh. She hates when her mom is right. But that doesn’t mean she can’t still love him. She loves him for who he is when he’s with her. Not his past. But she is curious about it now.
The room fills quickly as the noon hour approaches. A man comes in and walks straight up to Nick. Before he says a word, Keely knows he is Nick’s dad. Nick is a younger, slightly smaller version of him.
“Dad.”
“I wanted to let you know they decided I cannot vote on your case. Conflict of interest. But I will be mediating the Princess
’ case.”
“Dad, this is Keely.” Nick takes Keely’s hand and pulls her to her feet.
“I’d shake your hand, but I don’t want anyone to think my judgment is skewed in any one direction. But it’s a pleasure to meet you, Keely.”
“Thank you. Nice to meet you too.” Please don’t vote to kill me.
“I need to take my place now. Good luck to both of you.”
Keely’s eyes follow Nick’s dad up to the front of the room where he sits in the second chair. In the first is an older man, maybe in his sixties. He’s wearing a gray checkered suit jacket and bright yellow bow tie. He has principal written all over him. The third chair seats an older woman who appears bored already. In the fourth, a pretty young woman with mocha skin and silky black hair smiles at Keely. She’s one of those women who tries for conservative, but makes even the blandest business suit look sexy and exotic. Keely’s eyes move past her, the fifth chair is empty, but in the next seat, Keely sees someone that causes a lump to settle in her throat. Her eyes meet Coach’s and she gasps. Her salt and pepper hair is down, just the sides held back in small clips. She looks different, but Keely has no problem recognizing her. Coach holds her gaze for several seconds before Lila’s voice interrupts.
“I’ve never been to one of these things before. How does this work?”
Nick shrugs. “It’s my first as well.”
“Theirs too, I’m sure,” Lila says dipping her head at the full room. People are standing now because there are no chairs left. Some kids sit on the floor, missing their lunch hour in order to see the Demon Princess.
“They’re all staring at me,” Keely whispers to Nick.
“Only because you’re so beautiful,” Nick whispers back. Keely fights the urge to roll her eyes.
“Is that Coach?” Lila asks bewildered.
“Yes,” Keely says. Her voice catches and she sits back down. She has no idea what Coach thought of that night. Could she believe that Keely knew who she was and acted against her? Does she know what Dustin did? Maybe she thinks he didn’t know who she was. Lila and Nick didn’t seem to know she was involved with the Hierarchy. Keely feels dizzy.