Sin & Lightning (Demigods of San Francisco Book 5) Page 19

  “Only a few in the world can live up to Valens’s status. He was one of the best. I wouldn’t degrade myself by entering the employment of anyone lesser.”

  Kieran shook his head, at a loss. The old man was leaving him no choice but to cast him out.

  He opened his mouth to promise the man a healthy retirement and a home of his choosing, but Sodge continued.

  “Your father thought you had the potential to be as good as him, someday. That you two would control half the world, magical and otherwise.”

  “Yes, well—”

  “He was not wrong, though your methods would make him turn over in his grave. I do not claim to understand the world of the Demigods, but it is my place, and so I will embody my place. I will accept the blood oath, on the condition that when the Hades woman”—his nose curled—“figures out how to grant immortality to both of you, you will renew the blood oath with that ability embedded.”

  Kieran did a bad job of containing his shock.

  “If that’s all, sir, I will come back to clear away the tea.” Sodge turned to leave without a formal release, something he had done with Valens. “Oh, and…” Sodge turned back at the door. “I knew, of course, the woman from New York would not pose a threat. That is why I called her instead of Demigod Zander, who would’ve taken the boy right out from under your nose. Despite Flora’s high standing, she has always been mostly useless. And now she knows the son is as good as the father. You will have no more trouble from her.”

  With that, Sodge let himself out of the library and closed the door after himself.

  Kieran could do little more than blink in amazement.

  Sodge had orchestrated the entire situation that had led to this meeting? How could it be?

  But there was no denying the truth of what he’d said. Flora had been no match for Kieran and his team, and he did not expect her to stand up to him again. He’d realized that shortly after the end of their battle. He’d even thought, fleetingly, that at least one good had come out of the failed journey to grab the Thunderstroke.

  Sodge had set out to get a blood oath from someone he hated but deemed as good as Valens, and in so doing had helped Kieran remove some of his competition. But his genius hadn’t ended there—he’d also bartered for a better deal in the future.

  “Did I just get manipulated by a butler?” he asked the quiet room. “I just got manipulated by a butler. And fed a slew of backhanded compliments. What the…”

  He let his mind wander. With this taken care of, he was free to spend all his time on the upcoming meeting. He doubted it would be anywhere near as easy as dealing with Flora had been.

  He also wondered what Sodge knew about Demigod Lydia. He’d take any information he could get. First, of course, he’d hurry up with that blood oath. He didn’t need Sodge hatching some other elaborate plan without his knowledge.

  22

  Alexis

  A furry head rubbed against my knee. I jerked away, not having expected it, and then stared down at the absolutely enormous snow-white cat that would apparently be staying. Not even six months old, he was as big as a medium-sized dog. His sister was the same size. I wondered if Harding’s possession of the father cat had somehow muddled the DNA of two of the kittens in the litter. Otherwise, it was genes gone wild.

  Deep forest-green eyes surveyed me patiently. His tail flicked.

  “I suppose we should probably name you now,” I said, leaning forward to run my hand over his fuzzy head. His fur was downy soft and puffy. “Where’s your sister? Tell her we don’t want any more mice left on the white carpet. Sodge will kill you before you can make it outside. I’m not kidding, that guy is grumpy as hell.”

  Grumpier than hell, actually. He’d had the blood oath he’d basically orchestrated for two weeks. If anyone had thought that would settle him a little, or diminish the hard scowls, they had been sorely mistaken. His expression nearly put me off the meals he delivered to me. And the guys making dinner? Sodge wouldn’t stop muttering about how unseemly it was. Turned out it was about as unseemly as Bria and I swearing or not sitting with our legs crossed.

  “We got one!”

  I looked around in confusion. It was Frank’s voice, but I had no idea where it was coming from.

  “Watch him, boys, he’s up to no good,” he yelled. “Where’s he going? I said watch him, goddammit! Follow him.”

  I set aside my laptop, which I’d been using to study the goings-on in Demigod Lydia’s section of the world, a type of desert oasis within Egypt, mostly removed from any of the larger cities. She’d fashioned herself a large palace in the desert, from which she ruled an area that boasted a few resorts lining the Red Sea. Since the resorts hosted both magicals and non-magicals, it almost seemed like a dual-society zone setup, but unlike the dual-society zone in San Francisco, which was dirty and mostly ignored by both sides of the divide, this one looked busy, with high prices and clean sidewalks. Her territory dollars seemed mostly to come from tourism.

  Frank stood with his back to the patio doors, fists on his hips, looking out to the right. “Do you see him? Where’d he go, John?”

  “Around to the front,” I heard. “Let Alexis know. He’s not a paparazzo.”

  “But he has a camera, John. What else could he be?”

  “Tell Alexis to go to the front door!”

  My magical awareness always encompassed the house. If someone dared to come inside without permission, I’d feel them. But I’d pulled back from monitoring the yard because of the paparazzi. My spirit sentinels did it for us, saving me from having to jump at every false alarm.

  Kieran’s compromise had been a press conference last week, warning everyone that he was beefing up security for the neighborhood, and especially for the house. If someone trespassed, they’d suffer the consequences.

  Meaning me.

  If this was a paparazzo, he was going to get a punch in the spirit box.

  Frank turned around as I pushed out my magical awareness. When he saw me on the other side of the glass, his eyes widened and he screamed. He scrambled backward, flailing his arms.

  A soul popped onto my radar, working toward the front, John close behind him. My heart jumped in my throat, and I turned and ran, dodging around Sodge and thundering down the hall.

  “I got it,” I yelled, ignoring his grumbling about ladies running in the house.

  I reached the front door just as the doorbell rang. I ripped it open, a smile already spreading across my face.

  The early afternoon sun beamed down on Dylan’s golden highlights. He wore a plain white T-shirt that hugged his defined, wiry muscles. The look on his face indicated he still wasn’t sure if he should be here. A cheap camera on a canvas strap hung around his neck, not even a good disguise. Though good enough for Frank, clearly.

  “Come in,” I said, standing back and waving him in. “Kieran is at the government building with most of the guys.”

  “Good news. We can duel in peace without the Demigod altering the outcome.”

  “Exactly.”

  “And the kids?”

  “They’re training. Separately, but they’re both gone. It’s just me and the really old, really ornery butler that will make you feel bad if you ask for anything.”

  “Now wait just a minute,” Frank said, having recovered from his scare and followed me to the front. John stood off to the side, keeping an eye on the street. He must’ve recognized Dylan from the battle in the woods. “No, no, no, this is not right, Alexis. You can’t entertain a man like that without a proper chaperone. What would Kieran say?”

  Dylan passed into the house, and I put a hand on my hip as I stared Frank down. “A proper chaperone? What would Kieran say? Frank, did the various moves over the last year mess with your mind? Since when do I need a chaperone to invite a man into my house? Kieran’s Six spend more time in this house than they do their own.”

  “Kieran’s Six are moral, loyal men. They wouldn’t prey on a young lady like this handsome buck proba
bly will.”

  “And what if he does, Frank? You think I’m helpless, do you?”

  John huffed out a laugh and shook his head. “I think it’s about time for that old coot to cross the Line,” he said. “He’s lost all his marbles.”

  Frank put up a finger, his lips tight. “Alexis Price, don’t you sass me. You can’t just go inviting paparazzi into your house. The handsome ones have a way about them. You don’t want to accidentally slip up. You can’t afford to lose Kieran. He—”

  I slammed the door in his face. John could enlighten him about Dylan’s real identity if he saw fit. Not like it would matter. The only thing Frank cared about was getting me to seal the deal with Kieran so I would finally, after all this time, have someone to look after me. His gumdrop dreams were becoming a problem.

  Dylan waited just beyond the foyer, between me and a surlier-than-usual Sodge.

  “Might our guest want anything to drink while he is here?” Sodge asked. “Tea, perhaps?”

  I looked at Dylan, whose brow had furrowed as he surveyed Sodge. “I’m good.”

  “Tea is fine, Sodge, thank you,” I said, taking the lead toward the living room at the back of the house. When Sodge trudged off toward the kitchen, I said over my shoulder, “That’s his thing. Serving tea. You can ask for coffee, but you’ll still get tea. It’s best just to let him do his thing.”

  When we reached the living room, I gestured to the seats and waited for him to pick one. Instead, he walked slowly to the large bay window overlooking the sparkling blue ocean. In the distance, a storm brewed, gobbling up the horizon.

  “That you?” I pointed as a bolt of lightning broke from the tumultuous gray. It separated into three prongs, the side bolts bending before all of them streaked toward the water, like a huge trident. A homage to Kieran.

  “Yeah. I figured that was as good of a message to Demigod Kieran as any. Unless it pisses him off, in which case I should probably leave. Quickly. He’s got all the water around him he needs.”

  I sat on the massive couch, the central piece of furniture in the room around which the other pieces were arranged. Sodge entered a moment later carrying the gleaming silver tray. He set it on the coffee table in front of me and straightened, not looking at Dylan but looking at Dylan.

  “Go ahead and pour, Sodge. He’ll sit when he’s ready,” I said. Dylan glanced back, appearing unsettled. “Oh, Sodge, I didn’t mention. This is the guy whose life you messed up. He’s the one we went to see in West Virginia.”

  “Charmed, I’m sure,” Sodge said. It was clear he was not charmed, and also that he didn’t much care about his impact on Dylan’s life.

  “So, to what do we owe the pleasure?” I asked as Sodge finished up, halfheartedly bowed, and trudged out of the room.

  Dylan waggled his finger around. “You don’t have any guards or anything? It’s really just you here?”

  “Unless you count Sodge as a guard. Which you should. His dickface would scare away even the burliest of enemies.”

  Putting his back to the ocean, Dylan glanced around the room, then through the doorway to the den and up the stairs. “Kind of small for a primary residence. This was Valens’s?”

  I smiled. “Poseidon is cheap, yes. I’ve heard the jokes.”

  Dylan chuckled, looking back up the stairs. “Where do Demigod Kieran’s people stay?”

  “They all have their own places in the magical zone. Usually one of them stays here with us, since the Demigods of Hades like to spy on us from time to time in their spirit form, but they don’t have permanent rooms here. I mean, except for Jack.”

  “Jack is…” He grimaced. “You keep a room for the deceased?”

  “His spirit. It’s just a private place for his spirit to hang out if he wants. He’s gotten pretty used to his new form, though. He usually patrols the grounds or swims in the ocean when we’re sleeping. We’ll probably use his room as a proper guest room soon, and just not tell anyone a ghost lives in it.”

  Dylan grimaced again. “A ghost, yeah. You were talking to a spirit at the front door, right?”

  “Yeah, but not Jack. That was Frank, an old neighbor. It’s weird, I know.”

  “And you did that when you lived in the dual-society zone? Talked to ghosts?”

  “Not so obviously, no. I had to hide it. Frank hung out there, but I couldn’t, like, openly talk to him. People sometimes got run off by their neighbors if they were too open about what they could do. It didn’t happen very often, but I was careful to keep my weirdness under wraps.”

  “Can I see it?”

  “What?”

  “The neighborhood you used to live in. Can I see it?”

  I hesitated, realizing I hardly knew this guy, and he was powerful. If he’d come for revenge, he could fry me before I knew to react.

  He must’ve seen the indecision on my face. He put up his hands. “You’re safe from me. You’ll…” He took a deep breath. “You will always be safe from me. I’ve thought a lot about what you said. About what your ward said.”

  I nodded, remembering Mordecai had asked Dylan why he watched the magical world.

  He paused. “She told you?”

  “She…” I furrowed my brow, trying to remember what Daisy had said. Nothing came to mind. “Which ward said what?”

  His eyes lit up, and he smirked at the ground for a moment. He shook his head slightly before shifting his gaze back to me and furrowing his perfectly arched eyebrows.

  “It’s only a matter of time before I’m found again,” he said. “Mags, the woman that owned the café?” I nodded. “Turns out she knew about me. A few people in the town had guessed. And then you guys found me… I’m done running. It’s time for me to carve out a new path. The problem is, my magic isn’t the kind that allows me to be a free agent. Not forever, anyway. You saw what happened with Demigod Flora.”

  “I’m in the same boat. I get it.”

  He pointed at me, his hands large and rough-looking. A working man’s hands. “Yes, exactly. But I just…” He looked around the house again. “I’ve only known… I haven’t had a good experience with blood oaths, you know?”

  “I’ve heard, yes. Not the particulars, but…”

  “I came here to go through with it, but…I’m still not sure. So much doesn’t add up with Demigod Kieran. I thought that things might…fall in to place if I could learn a little more about your story. See your world. I don’t want to make another mistake.” He ran his fingers through his hair. “I don’t know why I’m telling you all of this. Nothing like telling a potential enemy your plans, but…you were true to your word before. You seem legit. Your kids seem legit. They tried to help me.”

  “They did? When?”

  He turned back, checking my face again. A smile showed off his straight white teeth, and he shook his head again. “It’s madness, all of it. All of this. It just feels like there is no order to your life at all.”

  I leaned forward and braced my elbows on my knees. “There isn’t, kinda. There never was. It’s hard to have order when you’re taking life day by day. You want to see where I grew up? Sure, why not. Try to kill me and I’ll take you with me. If we both survive, we’ll grab a beer. Kieran just got done fixing up this pub I used to go to. I haven’t been back since it was revamped. May as well see what it looks like now.” I reduced my voice to a mutter as I stood. “I might need a shoulder to cry on if he messed it up.”

  “You are leaving with this man, I take it?” Sodge said as I led the way to the garage.

  “Yes. I’m running away with him. You’ll just have to find someone else to figure out immortality, give it to Kieran, and then somehow put it in a blood bond and pass it on to you. Good luck with that!”

  “I called Demigod Kieran and told him your…friend was here,” Sodge said. “I called some of his staff, as well, in case Demigod Kieran was detained.”

  “Narc.” I hit the button for the garage door and motioned for Dylan to get into the passenger seat of my sleek Ma
serati.

  “I’m not sure if we’ll be safer together, or in more danger,” Dylan said as I backed out of the garage. “We each have a highly desired magic.”

  “It’ll take a Demigod some time to organize a crew to come after us. Anyone else doesn’t stand a chance. If they get in close, I’ll take their soul. Otherwise, you can blast a hole through their head. Nothing to it.”

  “There is that.”

  “The others will probably meet us for a beer, anyway. Bria never misses an opportunity to belly up to a dive bar.” Something in my stomach twisted, and I added, “Even though it’s probably all sleek and shiny now.”

  My stomach did some more twisting as we neared my old house. The house I grew up in. I hadn’t been back in months. I’d never rented it out, or even fixed it up. I’d just left it. Half of me was glad the memories had been left intact, and the other half felt sad that I’d just walked away. All that time in this place, and I’d taken off and never looked back.

  I parked next to the cracked curb. A moment later, I stood on the walkway, looking at a place that seemed so much smaller than I remembered.

  “Wow.” Dylan stood behind me, taking in the lack of view.

  Two steps led up to the faded wood of the old door. I took out my keys as I stepped up, peering down at the bush beside me, where Kieran had placed the bag containing Mordecai’s blanket. At that time, I’d had no notion of what he would come to mean to me. Of how my life would change. I said as much with tears filling my eyes.

  “He saved my kid. Mordecai never would’ve made it to adulthood. And Daisy…” I licked my lips. “I didn’t have any paperwork for her. She would’ve been completely unprepared for adult life. She would’ve had to hustle for the rest of her days. I was merely keeping them alive. Kieran gave them a future.” I wiped the tears from my face. “It’s so strange to stand here, thinking about all of this from the right side of things. I might be in a lot of danger now, but at least my kids are comfortable. At least they have a future.”

  “I saw your kids with you in that café,” Dylan said softly, and I felt him gingerly touch my shoulder. “They love you. Whatever you were doing was plenty. More than plenty. I’ve lived in luxury for most of my life, but I was alone and unhappy. You gave your kids a family, and that’s not nothing. In fact, it’s worth more than all the money in the world. Please trust me on this.”