Sin & Spirit (Demigods of San Francisco Book 4) Read online

  Kieran kneaded my shoulders, his touch welcome, and glanced at Jack, who moved to the coffee pot. “I can’t say for sure. It’s a possibility. But I have power to rival theirs,” Kieran said. “If you can see them, we can work together to combat them. Together we are impervious to their greatest asset.”

  The note of pride was back, and I wished he would just cut it out. Because yeah, if we were in the same place when that thing came back, or another one came to check me out, we’d be okay, sure. But he couldn’t always be by my side, and any experienced Demigod would be smart enough to know it. Next time, they’d get me when I was by myself and vulnerable. Next time they might not leave so quickly, or be thwarted so easily.

  Next time, they might not be just checking up on me.

  2

  Alexis

  “What are you wearing?” Bria asked the next morning as she walked toward me between the rows of cars at the back of the magical government building. Although I now came here daily, I still preferred to park at a distance and take a slow, under-the-radar approach. I’d religiously avoided this place for most of my life, at my mother’s direction, and old habits died hard.

  Bria’s platinum-blonde hair fell straight down to dust her shoulders. Her ripped T-shirt featuring some sort of big hair band from yesteryear fit in perfectly with her dog-collar necklace.

  I rubbed my tired eyes, then swore at myself before licking the pad of my finger and wiping it under my left eye. I wasn’t used to wearing makeup, but when I went into the belly of the beast, it was a must. Too bad I constantly forgot I had it on. Some days I looked like a raccoon before someone politely told me to visit a mirror.

  After doing a self-check of my smart, conservative, beige dress, something I hoped would keep me off the worst-dressed list in the tabloids this week for the first time in two months, I smoothed my not-quite-straightened hair. I’d gotten bored halfway through taming it earlier that morning. “What? I’m business casual.”

  She came to a stop in front of me, cocked a hip, and gave me a flat stare. “What did Daisy have to say?”

  Daisy had found her stride in fashion thanks to Kieran, who’d given her free rein to shop with his unbelievably deep pockets. I shrugged. “She’s a teenager. What does she know about dressing like a twenty-something career woman?”

  Bria’s eyebrows slowly lifted.

  I sighed. “Fine. She said I looked frumpy, and I needed to lead the fashion world with a unique sense of style rather than follow the herd of sheeple. Especially when that herd makes me look like an old maid.”

  “And she is right on all counts.”

  In frustration, I waved my hand up and down in front of her. “Why would I take your advice? You look crazy.”

  “That’s because I am crazy. My style matches my personality. People know exactly who I am, and how few fucks I give. That works for me. You need to give in and realize that if you ever want to be spoken of favorably in those stupid gossip magazines that follow you and Kieran around, you need to find your own style. And you need to flaunt it with confidence. You looked better in your poor girl’s clothes than you do in that expensive clusterfuck you’re wearing. If you keep dressing like this”—she waved her hand in front of me—“you’ll be miserable because you’re trying to impress people who don’t want to be impressed.”

  I slouched in defeat, because I didn’t want to bother finding my own style. I didn’t care about makeup and hair and clothes. Sure, I enjoyed shopping and dressing up to go out, but the last thing I wanted to do each morning was waste an hour primping. I said as much.

  Bria rolled her eyes before jerking her head for us to get walking. “Then hire someone to do all that. The great thing about being shacked up with a Demigod—maybe the only great thing…” She gave me a look. Even though she’d admitted Kieran was a good guy and a great leader, she’d never quite forgiven me for falling in love with a Demigod. They were notoriously possessive, and so powerful they could be inescapable, something Valens had taken to an extreme with Kieran’s mother. “…is that now you can outsource. If being his lady means you have to look the part—and, unfortunately, it does, just like he needs to look the part of a Demigod—hire someone to take care of it. Drink your coffee and eat a croissant while someone picks out your clothes, does your hair, and paints your face. Make this new life work for you how you want. Make his bankroll your bitch. Honey, you deserve it.”

  I waved it away. When you grew up assured you’d be poor your whole life, you kept wishes and daydreams to broad strokes. A bigger house, a dashing suitor, and water that stayed hot long enough for a shower. This seemed frivolous and wasteful, and even though I did like gifts and handouts, I didn’t like the idea of asking for help on such a superficial level.

  The things we learned about ourselves…

  We emerged from the rows of cars and stepped onto the walkway leading to the front entrance. Even from here, there was a stunning view of the sparkling ocean beyond the building.

  “What the hell was Zorn doing creeping around the house last night?” I asked. Given that Bria was sexually involved with the stoic djinn, she was as likely to know as anyone. I certainly hadn’t thought to ask Zorn himself after the whole shadow-creature episode.

  “Oh, that. He’d made a threat on your life to Daisy, without telling her when or where he would strike. Her job was to keep you safe. He was pleased with her response, though he’ll probably give you a lecture about being more aware of your surroundings. He shouldn’t have gotten that throw off.”

  I rolled my eyes as we reached the large glass doors. “If I hadn’t known who he was, he wouldn’t have. I knew he was there. Friends don’t punch friends in the spirit box unless there’s a good reason. Like when a shadowy Demigod creature shows up on your front lawn.”

  I pulled open one of the heavy glass doors and stepped aside so she could go through, then followed her. A large lobby spread out in front of us with a reception desk off to the left. The blue-skinned woman sitting there glanced up, then did a double take when her gaze landed on me. Several other people started staring, too, as they passed through the lobby.

  My face heated. I barely stopped myself from fidgeting self-consciously as we veered off to the large staircase against the far right wall. What Daisy and Bria had said about my outfit took over my thoughts. Sure enough, someone paused, turned, and raised her phone, taking a pic. I pretended not to notice as we reached the stairs.

  “Good,” Bria said, not sparing anyone else a glance. “He figured that since you didn’t call him out…”

  “It was the middle of the night. I was tired.” I bent my head, letting my hair fall in front of it as another person lifted their phone, tracking us as we ascended the stairs. “I wasn’t in the mood to care what he was doing. Until he threw the knife at me, that is.”

  “Lift your chin,” she murmured. “Don’t let them see how uncomfortable you are. That’ll only make them bolder.”

  I gritted my teeth and followed her advice.

  “That’s what I told him,” she continued. “He thinks everyone is as suspicious as he is. It’s annoying. Anyway—”

  “I probably should’ve checked to make sure both kids were in bed when I first woke up. I didn’t notice Daisy skulking around the house until after I felt Zorn’s soul.”

  “Don’t tell him that. You’ll get a lecture. Anyway, check it out. I have a friend that owes me several dozen favors. This chick was always getting herself in near-death experiences. It was a real fun time getting her out of them until she took a cushy job with a Demigod’s inner circle. Sabin’s a lesser Demigod without a pot to piss in. No one is threatening him. Anyway, she has a friend that knows a guy whose uncle does security for Demigod Zander. Turns out, they kept some of the last Soul Stealer’s stuff. You know, just in case they want to call him back someday. They haven’t, of course—they’re too terrified. With a well-placed bribe, I was able to get this.”

  According to Kieran, the last Spirit Walker had b
een an assassin—someone who’d used his ability in service to the former pope. Demigod Zander had caught him and killed him, apparently a much more common fate in modern times than the Spirit Walkers of legend, who crossed battle fields with their magic and decided wars. Did I really want an assassin to train me, assuming he’d actually do it? I could theoretically force him to do my will, sure, but I didn’t like controlling spirits, and I suspected it would be harder to control a fellow Spirit Walker.

  She glanced around as we reached the top of the staircase before pulling a black velvet bag out of her pocket. Holding it close to her body, somewhat between us, she extracted a badly worn gold pocket watch with a winder on top. Little cranks and wheels decorated the cover, the design dulled with time. A tarnished chain pooled on her palm with at least three links that had been soldered together at one point or another. It was clear the watch had been heavily used.

  “It still works,” she said, flipping the cover open to reveal the watch face with a second hand ticking away and a peepshow of gears turning in the middle. “Old trusty. He never had to worry about a battery failing him. He could slip into the spirit world, and when he came back out, he could count on the watch telling him how long he’d been there. Or, if it had stopped ticking, he could monitor time that way, too.”

  “So you definitely think I can leave my body behind and walk the spirit world without dying?” I asked quietly. We’d spent the last few months searching for information about my magic but hadn’t turned up much. Those who knew about it either existed before electronic records or didn’t want to share. Probably both, given the secret assassin nature of the last Spirit Walker.

  Whom Bria wanted me to call back from the Line.

  “No, I’m not sure.” She tried to pass the pocket watch, but I yanked my hands away. I didn’t want the “tap-tap no backs” rule to apply here. I wasn’t sure I wanted anything to do with this. “It’s still mostly a working theory.”

  “Super,” I said sarcastically.

  “The watch is promising, though. The Demigods of Hades all have assistants to tell them how long they’ve been wandering in the spirit world. So I’ve heard, anyway. A body can only live so long when the soul is not present.”

  “But if they don’t know the time until they get back, what good is a watch?”

  “No idea.”

  “And how am I supposed to avoid staying away too long when time doesn’t exist in the spirit plane?”

  “Not a clue.”

  I blew out a breath, nodding hello to Mia as I passed the little alcove decorated with a large metal tree crawling up the wall and spreading across the ceiling. She was a ghost with a powerful telekinetic ability and a strong sense of loyalty. She’d helped us take down Valens, and although many of the other ghosts who’d assisted us had drifted across the Line, she’d returned to the little alcove that had become her home. She wanted to stay on hand in case I needed her again. It was a sweet sentiment that made me feel a little guilty. Sure, trouble seemed to follow me around lately, but I really wasn’t worth hanging around for. Not when she had to do it as a spirit no one else could see or hear.

  I elbowed Bria’s hand, and the pocket watch, away. “When did you get that, anyway?” I asked her.

  “Not that long ago. As soon as I realized what you were, I started trying to figure out how to get something of the old Soul Stealer’s. I don’t plan ahead often, but when I do…”

  I waited for her to continue as we turned a corner into a dimly lit hallway in the middle of the building. The offices here were for low-level support staff who’d barely graduated from magical training and had just enough clout for their own office.

  I grinned to myself as we neared my little mole hole. Kieran had said that if I took a “proper job” in the government, I’d get a “proper” office, which would probably be large and bright and luxurious with a great view—Kieran liked to pamper me in any way he could. But I didn’t want to take my place beside him in the government. At least, I didn’t think I did. Right now I was mostly concerned with helping people by setting up various charities. As a former poor person, I figured that was a good way to give back—by using someone else’s money. Mama didn’t raise no fool. This tiny hideout was hidden away from prying eyes, and I liked it just fine. The only thing I’d really found to do so far was charity work.

  Bria didn’t finish her thought, if there was an end to it. She still held out the pocket watch as if eager to be rid of it.

  I fit the key into the lock of a plain white door with two tarnished silver number threes nailed to the middle. Joy, who was comically ill-suited for her name, trudged past me with half-shut eyes and a protruding lower lip, her empty coffee mug in hand. I didn’t know what she did here, but I did know she hated it.

  “Good morning,” I said as I turned the key.

  “Hmph,” Joy replied, not sparing me a glance.

  The tumbler didn’t click over.

  I hesitated. “It’s unlocked.”

  Bria pushed in closer. “Are you sure you locked it when you left last time?”

  “Yes. I always lock it. I don’t want anyone snooping.”

  Bria bent and swiped a small knife out of an ankle holster. “Anyone who snoops for a profession won’t be bothered by that lock. Someone probably picked it. The question is, are they still in there?” She hefted her knife. If they were, they’d clearly get a slice of steel for their efforts.

  “Don’t cut any gossip columnists. I have it bad enough where they are concerned.” I let spirit infiltrate the room beyond the closed door, expecting to feel my protective magic on the other side.

  My blood turned to ice.

  My repellent magic wasn’t there. Someone had ripped it away.

  I froze, relaying what I sensed.

  “Is the room empty?” she asked in a whisper. She didn’t shove in front of me and take control, an extremely telling non-action. Generally she liked danger. But if the intruder was a Demigod, we were in over our heads. She wasn’t the only one hesitating.

  “Of physical people,” I said, “but I couldn’t feel the soul of that Demigod last night, so I’m not sure. Should we get Kieran? I can’t take on anything above a level five on my own.”

  She blew out a breath. “There’s a reason the Demigod snuck into Kieran’s territory in the middle of the night. And a reason he took off after Kieran got up. He wanted to check you out, risk-free. Demigods aren’t stupid. They like to get an idea of the risk before they engage. If it’s the same one as last night, he won’t want to hang around in the government building. Kieran might only have a small team blood-tied with him, but he’s got a loyal army on premises. No Demigod would want to mess with that. I doubt anyone is in there. And if they are, they’ll bugger off as soon as you show your face. You know, given you can see them and raise the alarm.”

  “You sure?”

  “Nope. But I surely hope so.”

  I ran my lip through my teeth, deciding. I really didn’t want to bother Kieran. He had a mountain of work at all times, dozens of people vying for his attention, and I was already seen as his mostly ridiculous luggage. Or so the tabloids said. I didn’t want to add to that and paint myself as hysterical for no reason.

  And if there was a reason? Why, then I could just run and raise the alarm, like Bria had said.

  Steeling my courage, I turned the handle, pushed the door open, and stepped back as though a viper waited just inside.

  Darkness layered with spirit greeted me, illuminating the contents of the windowless room. I could see my desk hugging the right wall, as if afraid of my chair pushed up against it. A desk light was perched on the side, right below a hanging light that, oddly enough, had been placed in the corner. Filing cabinets leaned forward on the slightly uneven ground, strange in an office, away from the far wall, which I knew held a picture of a white cat, sitting on the sand in front of an azure ocean-scape, a weird picture left over from the last resident. A plant loomed in the corner, thankfully fake, or i
t would be dead. No one waited in the small space, living or dead.

  “Clear,” I said into the slightly musty funk. Not for the first time, it struck me that the last resident had probably stowed a cat or two in here.

  Bria pushed in beside me, reaching for the light switch and flicking it on. The mustard-yellow walls seemed to match the smell. The room was as empty as the spirit had shown.

  “Which Demigod do you think it was?” I asked. “Kieran didn’t answer when I asked last night. Do you think it’s my father? Do you think he’s figured out I’m his?”

  “I don’t even think Henry knows,” Bria answered.

  Henry was the member of the Six I knew least. He was always out in the field, as the guys called it. As a Reflector, he could push people’s magic back onto them, which wasn’t very helpful with many types of magic, like if someone was a shifter. Stronger magics, like mine, could work around it.

  His value wasn’t in his magic, however. He was a highly intelligent charmer, able to get information most people couldn’t, and had a knack for being in the right place at the right time. Whatever he learned went into that big brain of his, which helped him deduce and decode highly classified and extremely useful information. Or so the guys constantly said in something close to awe.

  I pulled out the drawers in my desk, checking to see if anything was missing. Unfortunately, the cat pens and little kitten postcards were still there, the desk not properly cleaned out after the last resident’s departure, like the office itself. I really should’ve seen to it, but I wasn’t going to be here long.

  “The thing is…” Bria stood against the only bare part of wall in the whole office, where a window showing blue skies and palm trees had been inexpertly painted. “Three of the four Demigods of Hades are males. One is so old he doesn’t count. He’s politically retired and basically just waiting to die. One is married, but everyone knows Demigod Aaron screws everything that’s willing. He’s the sire of the last Soul Stealer.”