Sweet Peril by Wendy Higgins
The island’s gentle currents pushed and pulled at us, back and forth, as I worked my way over to one of the wooden posts anchored in the seafloor. I didn’t want to think about what kind of stuff was in the water with us. I ran my hands over the slick post, letting myself get used to the smooth, slimy texture. Several huge nails protruded, and I was able to grasp them. Zania was situated at the post a few feet from me. Kope, Kaidan, and Blake were directly across from us, facing us.
The water was seriously so cold. I couldn’t stop thinking about it. How long would we have to stay in? Panic surged inside me. Calm down, Anna. You can do this. It’ll be fine.
Kai gave me a small nod, emotion still raging in his eyes.
And so the waiting began.
Ages passed. Eons. It took forever to get used to the freezing water. Geography lessons ran through my mind, and I recalled how the East Coast has warm currents running up from the Gulf, while the West Coast has cold currents running down from Alaska. Somehow, examining the science of the situation made it a little more bearable. But only a little.
I let myself be lulled by the tide, lifting and lowering us. Now and then bigger waves would come and splash salt water over our heads, but the island waves were tiny in comparison to those near the mainland. I lost myself in thought.
Maybe the Dukes weren’t coming to the island after all. Maybe they decided to take a boat ride up the coast from L.A. to Santa Barbara instead.
I could tell the others were listening, so I did the same. I pushed my hearing out to the ocean, running it back and forth over the waters. It was unusual to stretch my senses so far and not be overrun with manmade sounds and voices. These were peaceful noises: birds calling, winds rushing, swells of water lapping. And then the deep whir of a boat engine followed by talking and laughter.
My heart shot into overdrive, and the five of us became like statues at once. Kaidan’s eyes locked on mine. The Dukes were really here.
I closed my eyes, listening as they drew nearer. Soon they were close enough that I didn’t have to use my extended hearing anymore. The post jolted under my hands as the boat hit the dock with a thump. Waves from the boat washed over us, making us close our eyes and hold our breaths. We hung on to avoid being swept away. When the water settled, I slowly reached up to wipe my eyes.
Voices rang out in excitement—I listened carefully and distinguished four female and five male voices. I recognized Mammon and Flynn with their Australian accents right away. Then Pharzuph’s rich English accent, another Englishman who must have been Astaroth, and a light Japanese accent that I assumed belonged to Melchom. I pushed myself lower in the water, tilting my head back to submerge all but my face. I thought about going all the way under, but was afraid of making noise when I had to come back up for air.
I held my breath as the dock shook with footsteps. They were going to the house. As they passed by us, I fully expected Pharzuph to stop in his tracks and make a remark about the stench in the air as he always did when I was around. But to my relief he went by without noticing. It worked! When all nine of them were up the path through the trees I raised my head, tilting it back and forth to drain water from my ears.
I started to concentrate, pushing my hearing through the trees up to the house. Kaidan must have been able to tell what I was doing because he shook his head at me. He brought one hand out of the water and spelled out, Do not listen.
Ick. That was probably a good idea.
It was difficult to discern the passing of time as we floated there, unable to touch bottom, waiting. Judging by the sunlight filtering in, it was late afternoon. At some point my body had adjusted to the cold water, although my fingers were feeling numb now. My feet were heavy in their wet shoes. I wondered how long we could stay here like this. The water temperature had to be in the low seventies or high sixties, and it would drop as the sun went down.
The body was capable of amazing feats as long as the mind was on board. As far as strong minds went, I was in good company with this group of Neph. I glanced at Zania. She was zoned out, staring at the water with pursed lips. I couldn’t tell, but I didn’t think she was listening. Kope either. His eyes were closed in meditation. Now and then Kaidan and Blake would share looks of raised brows, which made me glad I wasn’t privy to what was going on up at the house.
I raised one hand from the water and spelled out, Is Flynn okay?
Kai and Blake both nodded and I relaxed.
I’m not sure when the shivering began. My head was so clouded with lost thoughts that I hadn’t noticed the gradual darkening outside. Island insects began screeching their songs to one another. My jaw shook, and I clamped it shut to keep my teeth from chattering. One look at Zania’s bluish lips told me I wasn’t the only one freezing.
Minutes? Hours? It had to have been hours that we floated there. I’d never been so cold. Would the Dukes stay the night at the island? The thought of being in the frigid water overnight caused my panic to stir again. I was so numb I didn’t feel cold anymore. The only clues that I was freezing were my stiff limbs and the fact that I couldn’t stop shivering. Even the three boys took to shuddering off and on. Zania had wrapped her arms and legs around the slimy pole, pressing her cheek against it with her eyes closed. Her jaw shook. Kaidan wore a worried expression as he watched me. I wanted to reassure him with a smile, but my body wasn’t cooperating with any commands I gave it: Stop shivering. Smile. It frightened me to be out of control of my faculties.
More hours? Pitch darkness. I struggled to use my night vision, taking advantage of light from the half-moon. I wasn’t afraid anymore. My mind had gone blank. A sickening urge to laugh rose up within me.
Something scaly rubbed against the back of my thigh and I sucked in a breath with a squeak, letting go of the pole and flailing for a moment. Pain shot through my stiff limbs. With barely a splash Kaidan was there, wrapping one arm around my waist and placing the other cold hand over my mouth. Another giggle surfaced and he clamped down harder, pulling me closer. He felt warm, and his presence awoke my senses, clearing my mind enough to realize I’d almost blown our cover. Fear emerged and I was glad for it. My mind needed to stay alert. I grabbed the pole once again and Kaidan kept close behind me.
Later, when my eyes were heavy, Kaidan abruptly tightened his grip and I knew someone was coming.
I heard two sets of footsteps and the voice of Duke Astaroth and a woman. They passed the boathouse and stood at the end of the dock by their boat. What were they doing? I hated not being able to see.
On the other side of the post one of the planks was warped and had a large chink at the edge. I slowly shifted my body around the post, pointing to the hole so Kai would know what I was doing. He gave me a tight be-careful look and held my waist. I kept one hand on a huge nail that protruded from the wood, and the other hand on Kai’s shoulder—just enough to boost myself a couple inches.
I adjusted my supernatural sight like binoculars. Through the angled crack I saw them silhouetted in the pale moonlight—Astaroth, looking like a blond romance cover model, and a dark-haired woman.
“You don’t have to stay with me,” she said to him. “Really, I’ll be fine.”
He stood too close to her, gazing with tender affection.
“I can see you’re upset, luv. And I’d rather not return to the den of iniquity up there, if it’s all the same to you.” He chuckled, as if embarrassed by what was happening at the house.
The woman let out a dry laugh, shaking her head and crossing her arms. “I don’t know what’s gotten into my friends. I mean, Katrina’s always been wild, but not like this.”
Astaroth shrugged. “It’s her bachelorette weekend. One last hurrah and all that. Right?”
“I guess.” The woman looked out at the darkened ocean. “But leaving on a plane with strange men and going to an island . . . no offense. God, I didn’t mean—”
He laughed. “No offense taken. I think we were all caught up in the moment in Vegas. We’ll return soon and
“I can’t. It was fun at first, but . . .” She gave a frustrated sigh. “We’re all happily married, and Katrina’s about to be, and now they’re all up there. . . . It’s not like them.”
“I’m sorry, luv,” he whispered. “I’m shocked as well.” They were quiet and he gazed at her for a while before continuing. “When I first saw you tonight I hoped I’d have the pleasure of your company. Seems there are so few women out there who value intelligence and also happen to be stunningly gorgeous. I was disappointed to hear you’re unavailable.”
She looked up at him and a band of red wrapped itself around her. I bit down hard against a shiver that was only partly from the freezing temperatures. My body was in such a sad state that I wondered if this was really happening. Maybe it was a bad dream or a hallucination.
Astaroth gave the woman a shy grin. “My apologies . . . I shouldn’t say such things to a married woman.”
She dropped her gaze and stepped away from him. He stepped closer and continued in that smooth voice, full of false passion. “It’s just that I’ve felt something between us from that first moment. I’m sorry to be so bold, but I know you feel it, too.”
She shook her head. “No. I—I can’t.”
“You can’t help how you feel,” he purred, stroking her hair.
Kaidan gripped me tighter and pulled, angling me away, but I could still hear them.
“I’m not going to lie,” the woman said. “I feel something, too, but I won’t act on it. I’m sorry. He’s a good man.”
“And you’re a good woman. I fear I’ll never find someone like you. I’ll be thinking of you when I return to England tomorrow, wishing I could have touched you . . . just once. Nobody would ever have to find out. Not your friends. Not your husband. Only the two of us. We wouldn’t be hurting a soul.”
She hesitated before saying, “I can’t.” She sounded on the verge of tears.
Kaidan squeezed me tighter and I felt his chest move with a sharp intake of breath. I cranked my head to the chink in the board again, wanting to see what caused such a reaction from Kai.
Two whisperers had descended on the woman as Astaroth continued to pet her and speak in gentle tones. And then he was kissing her, and she was kissing him back. I closed my eyes.
I was too numb, too frozen to process the full emotion that I would have experienced under normal circumstances. I heard the couple clambering to board the boat.
My teeth began to chatter, and I could no longer control it. With slow movements, Kaidan turned me to face him so my head rested on his shoulder, which helped my teeth not clink together. But now my breaths were ragged. Too loud in my ears. I sensed movement in the water and shifted my eyes to see Blake and Kopano surround Zania, who was in much the same state as I.
I closed my eyes and let my brain rest, too disoriented to think anymore.
Minutes? Hours? I didn’t know.
We waited until footsteps once again shook the dock as Duke Astaroth escorted the woman back up to the house. Minutes later all four Dukes and Flynn came down and stood on the dock by the boat. I had to look and see what they were doing.
A palpable tension gripped the small space between all of us under the dock. The four Dukes stood in a tight circle, talking in low tones while the two whisperers circled overhead, but we could hear. They were close. Too close. Flynn stood back from them with his arms crossed.
“They’re all up there, crying,” Astaroth said about the women. “Sweet regrets. Good thinking about the island, Melchom.”
“Yes,” Melchom agreed. Blake’s father looked small compared to the other three Dukes. “I just wish we could ditch them now. This’ll be one hell of a ride back to the mainland.”
“Sad women are so boring,” Pharzuph said. “At least you have something fun to look forward to after this.” He elbowed Melchom who nodded.
“I can’t wait to be rid of this old body. Should be a lot of good ones to choose from in China.”
We all looked to Blake who raised one eyebrow as he listened.
“You bringing your Neph boy with you?” Astaroth asked.
“Eh.” Melchom shrugged. “He’s got a great setup out here.”
“Well, don’t let him get too comfortable,” Astaroth warned. “This generation of Neph are lazy. They’ve no clue how good they’ve got it.”
Flynn stiffened but didn’t move.
“That’s the truth,” Pharzuph said. “Especially after the New York summit. I still say we should’ve killed that daughter of Belial.” My stomach turned into a block of ice and Kaidan’s grip tightened around my waist. “Belial was too quick to defend her, don’t you think?” The others nodded immediately. “She left a nasty taste in my mouth, that one. A bad influence on the others. I swear my son’s been off his game since then. Lacking the focus he once had. I should keep a better eye on him. Seeing those bloody angels might’ve screwed with his head.”
“Made us look weak.” Astaroth spit into the water. “I can’t bleeding wait to destroy them.”
“You know . . .” Pharzuph began, almost hesitant, lowering his voice even further. “Rahab thinks the daughter of Belial is the one.”
My heart rate, which had slowed severely, now spiked hard in my chest.
Flynn looked like he wasn’t even breathing. The other Dukes were quiet, processing this.
“Ah,” Mammon said. His gold jewelry glittered with reflected moonlight at his neck and wrists. “You mean that old prophecy nonsense?”
My heart spiked again, a shooting pain.
“I thought that was a farce,” Astaroth said.
Pharzuph shrugged. “Rahab doesn’t think so. He started an investigation of Belial after that summit, but so far he’s clean.”
“If he thinks this girl is the one, he should be investigating her,” Melchom said.
“She’s a bit daft.” I bristled at Pharzuph’s words. “Hard to believe she’d be a threat, but that badge of hers is not right. I say we have her killed . . . just in case.”
Oh, crap.
I needed to talk to Dad right away. Kaidan’s grip around me tightened so hard I could barely take a breath. I had to pinch his forearm with my weak hand to make him ease up.
Flynn shifted his stance, carefully keeping his eyes out at sea as if to appear uninterested.
“Too many strange coincidences recently,” Pharzuph said. “Perhaps Rahab was right when he said the Neph race should be extinct for good.”
Mammon took a curious glance toward his son, who wasn’t looking, and then back to the other Dukes.
“I’m sick to death of mine,” Astaroth said of the twins. “They argue over the simplest commands. Neph don’t provide the help they once did.”
“And they’re putting their noses where they don’t belong,” Mammon said. He cracked his knuckles and his eyes shone red. “Isn’t that right, son?”
No . . . God, no.
All the Dukes turned their attention to Flynn. He blinked at them. “Pardon me, sir?”
“Did ya hear about the strange guy lurking around the prison where Sonellion’s daughter was being held?”
Bile rose from my stomach.
Flynn shook his head at his father and cleared his throat. His forehead crinkled. “No, sir.”
“They say when the guy got in a fight and his head covering fell back, he was a redhead.” Mammon stepped closer to his son.
Again Flynn shook his head. “What are you saying, father?”
Sensing the tension, the dark spirits roamed in a circle around Flynn and the Dukes.
“I’m saying it’s quite the coincidence, don’t you think? Coincidental that you were in Europe when I called you and not our homeland?”
“I felt like traveling is all,” Flynn said. “I’ve never even met this daughter of Sonellion.”
Eerie childish laughter sounded from the boat. I moved closer to the hole to see. Flynn and the Dukes looked up at a youn
Where had she come from? Was she hiding on the boat this whole time?
“He’s lying,” she said in a little singsong voice. “Except that last bit. He’s never met her.”
All the Dukes except Mammon smiled wickedly, eyes shining like blood. Mammon stared at his son with furious disbelief. The dark spirits moved closer to listen.
“Son of Mammon,” Pharzuph said to Flynn, “have you met Caterina, the young daughter of Jezebet? She’s quite helpful to have around when one is seeking the truth.”
Jezebet . . . Duke of Lies.
This could not be happening. Flynn looked as if he were thinking the same thing.
“What you didn’t know, son,” Mammon whispered, “is that Duke Sonellion borrowed one of Duke Thamuz’s sons to keep watch over the transaction of the girl while he was away.” Kope and Kai cast surprised glances at each other and my stomach plummeted. “He swore he followed a Nephilim with your description fighting and fleeing the area, but I didn’t believe it was you. I defended you. And you’ve never met her?” His voice raised to a shout now. “What were you doing out there? You distracted Thamuz’s son and he didn’t even get to see the transaction take place! Who sent you to Syria?”
Flynn stood his ground and didn’t speak a word. Cool tears burned behind my eyes.
Mammon grabbed Flynn by the throat. His eyes were bright red as he screamed, “Tell me!”
In one swift move Flynn laid him out with a strike to the temple. Mammon fell to his knees, dazed. The whisperers shrieked.
“Wrong move, Neph,” Pharzuph said. He pulled a gun with a silencer from the back of his pants and pointed it.
No!
Kaidan held me close, so close. He touched fingers to my lips in a gesture begging me not to speak. Silent tears rolled down my cheeks—my own salt water lost amid the ocean. I could not save Flynn. I was in no shape to fight, and I would get each of the Neph killed. My power of persuasion would never work on a Duke. All I could do was beg for a miracle.