Betrayed (16 page)

“She’s playing hide-and seek. It’s actual y a clever ruse when you think about it. At least she’s not using people to hide in, which is what she could have done with the woman over there. Instead she made a deal.”

“Typical demon,” he muttered, but stil not ready to compromise.

“Listen. She mentioned the List before I knew it contained names of people with damned souls and she also told me about Solange.” When Remy paused and raised his brow, I added, “That’s the name of the Lazarus demon that drained Gavyn.

According to Angelia, Solange works for Valafar, but the demoness is running her own game. She’s after Bran and his family. Cal ed them traitors. If Angelia hadn’t given me Solange’s name or told me she was working for Valafar, I would never have caught her off-guard or forced her out of Gavyn.” I was stretching the truth, but I needed Remy to let this go. For now.

He sighed. “I don’t think we should trust her.”

“Why not? She just warned us Solange was here earlier and is coming back. Al we have to do is stay vigilant.” I looked around. “She might even….” Remy fol owed my gaze and saw what caught my attention. The other four members of our team just entered the lobby.

“Tel us where Solange and her Lazari people are hiding,” I finished.

“And she’s back,” Remy nodded at the pil ar, where Angelia, minus her wand, was glowering. “Get rid of her and I’l pretend I never saw her.” He turned to walk away from me.

Come on, Remy.

He came back to me and took the computer printout with Zedekiah’s room numbers. “I mean it, Lil. What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas. I’l stal the others.”

Pig-headed. Sometimes he was impossible to deal with. Sighing, I went to Angelia.

“He doesn’t like me much,” she said with a pout.

I shrugged. “He’l come around. Where do you live?”

“L.A., but Solange said I can go home soon.

The others, too, if we’re good.”

I could just imagine what ‘good’ meant. “How many are there?”

“Ten. But there are others in L.A. and al over the world. Daryl, he’s the oldest of us, said every Special is alive. We just don’t live together anymore.”

I frowned. “Special?”

“Children like me who get their powers early.

“Children like me who get their powers early.

You’re a Special too, like us. Did you also train with others like you and live with people, who are not your mommy and daddy?”

The similarity in the upbringing of the nature-bender kids and Cardinal Guardians was uncanny.

The only difference was Guardians didn’t leave home until they turned sixteen. Coronis must have started training the Specials from infancy.

“Uh, no. My grandfather trained me. My mom died when I was a baby, and I never knew my dad until now.”

Angelia’s eyes widened. “That’s why you never visited him on the island. Solange said so. I don’t know where my mommy and daddy are, but Solange said we’l see them and Coronis when we go back to the island.”

More like when the poor orphans got vanquished. It pissed me off that Solange was lying to these kids to get their cooperation. We could use that against her. On the other hand, there was no tel ing what Angelia would do if she realized her parents were gone forever and we were responsible.

Angelia tugged at my sleeve. A frown tilted the corners of her eyebrows down. “I need to go now.

If I help you again, wil that be enough?”

“Enough for what?”

“For you to take us home. You’re one of us.

Solange said so.”

I sighed, feeling helpless. “I don’t think I can do that.”

Lil?

Bran. I couldn’t talk to Angelia with everyone interrupting us.
Coming.
“But I can take you to a better place,” I told her. “Somewhere you won’t have to do anything except play and go to school.” She pouted. “No training to use our powers?”

“Not until you’re sixteen. You’l do cool stuff, too, like ride bikes and play in the park, have play dates and sleepovers. Would you like that?”

“Sounds like fun, but,” she made a face, “I don’t know. We trained a lot at our old school, but it was nice.”

Maybe I wasn’t equipped to deal with her.

Grampa might help me. “Where can I find you if I need to talk?”

She shook her head, her eyes widening. “You can never come to where we live or she won’t send us back. I’l find you. One of us, a young boy with no eyes, can hear stuff.” Before I realized her intention, she’d wrapped her skinny arms around my waist and hugged me tight. Not sure what to do, I patted her curly locks. Then she disappeared, teleporting like Bran. One minute there, the next gone.

I looked around to see if anyone noticed her exit. No one was staring at me, not even the woman whose face and hair Angelia had fixed. The trainees were having a heated discussion, but Bran looked right at me, scowling. Grinning, I started toward them. He didn’t return my smile.

What’s wrong?
I asked.

Is your dagger still there?

Why was he asking—?

I dove under the lapels of my coat, relief rol ing over me when my hand brushed the hilt of the Kris. I looked at Bran and grinned.
Yes, I have it.

Don’t ever let a demon that close to you
again.

I wrinkled my nose. Nothing ever escaped him, but he didn’t have to sound so mean about it.

Did I snarl at him whenever he made a mistake?

Frowning, I studied him.
What are you so worried
about?

Everything.

Could you be any vaguer?

Instead of explaining, he waited until I was next to him then added, “Let’s get this over with and go home.”

***

“Who was that little girl, Lil?” Izzy asked when we entered the elevator.

“And where did she go?” Kim added.

I cocked my brow, faking ignorance. “Who?”

“The girl with you in the lobby,” Kim and Izzy said at the same time.

I sneaked a peek at Bran, but he stared at the flashing numbers above the elevator door. Remy’s expression didn’t change when our gazes met.

“She acted like she knew you,” Izzy added before I could answer. “Is she one of your gypsy friends?”

“Or a Nephling,” Kim added and wrinkled her nose like she’d smel ed something rotten.

“She’s not Gypsy, just some kid asking for help,” I answered, but ignored Kim. Her stupid prejudices didn’t bother me. I was proud of both my prejudices didn’t bother me. I was proud of both my Gypsy and Nephling heritage.

I glanced at Bran, stil determined to find out what was bothering him. “What did you find out from the ravens?”

“You should have seen Llyr,” Sykes said, grinning. “He whistled a tune and the ravens flocked around him like they missed him or something. You know, doing aerial loops, landing on his shoulder and arms, making weird sounds. It was quite a performance.”

“It would have been nice if you told the people to stop taking pictures,” Bran grumbled.

“Hey, I tried.” Sykes looked at me and smirked. “I told them he was the bird-whisperer and must be left alone. The crowd only grew. Some wanted his autograph. I was about to start charging them.”

“Something bad was here earlier,” Bran said.

“Ravens are sensitive to evil, especial y when concentrated in one place. We’l need to be on our guard just in case whatever drew them here returns.” More like
when
she returned. No wonder Bran was worried. He must have known things wouldn’t go smoothly. I was tempted to mention Solange, but then I’d have to explain how I knew she’d been at the hotel. I bit my tongue and stayed quiet.

We exited the elevator on the twenty-ninth floor and the stench hit us hard. Everyone groaned and covered their noses. It was one thing to read about the pungent rotten egg odor of a hel hound and quite another to have it fil your lungs until you choked. I held my breath, my hand closing around the hilt of the dagger. For once, I welcomed the pain accompanying the power surge. It gave me something to focus on.

Are they still here?
Izzy asked.

No, they’re gone,
Bran responded.

I checked my amulet and confirmed his words. The jadeite core wasn’t glowing.

I’ll get us some AC.
Kim hurried to the beginning of the hal way and raised her hands.

Slowly, she moved her arms in circles. Faster and faster she churned the air until her arms became blurry. She thrust her palms forward. A gale swept past us to replace the stale air she sent through the ventilation system.

I thought I was the only one holding my breath until I heard gulps from the others. We looked at each other and grinned. It was nice to breathe again.

“Thanks, Kim,” we al said at about the same time.

“I don’t know what smel s worse, Lazarus or hel hounds,” Izzy added.

“Hel hounds,” we said in unison and entered the hal way with Bran in the lead.

He stopped outside the first door. A thick white line of a crystal ine substance covered the bottom edge. More were scattered over the floral navy blue carpet, probably the result of Kim’s wind-tunnel. We didn’t need to touch it to know it was salt.

Someone had tried to keep a demon out, but no human presence registered behind the closed door.

Six doors down the hal , grooves appeared on the wal s and carpet. The gouges were so deep that splinters from the wood underneath poked through the carpet. Ripped tan wal paper and chunks of drywal mixed with the salt.

We exchanged uneasy looks, but no one spoke. Zedekiah must owe a powerful demon a soul.

Only dark lords had the ability to train and use hel hounds. If Angelia was right, Solange must have brought them with her, which probably meant Valafar was behind this. Solange wasn’t powerful enough to own hel hounds. A feeling of impending doom rol ed through me and I shivered. I searched for human psi on the floor and found none.

Bran looked back and frowned.
You okay?

I nodded.
Yeah.

Then why aren’t you moving?

I didn’t realize I’d stopped walking.
There’s no
one here.

I know.
He continued to stare at me with an unreadable expression and waited for me to catch up. Together we fol owed the others as they moved from door to door and conversed in low voices. The concentration of salt increased and peaked halfway down the hal way and tapered toward the end while the gouges decreased.

Bran stopped outside the one with the highest pile of salt and turned the handle. It was locked from inside. He looked at me and nodded.

I frowned. He should be able to unlock one door. He had some psi powers. Instead of asking him why he couldn’t do it himself, I focused on the bolts and moved them. A click and the door swung bolts and moved them. A click and the door swung open.

“The others too, please,” he said, walking ahead of me.

A wave of my hand to the right then left, and the snapping sounds continued up and down the hal way as the other doors unlocked.

Inside the suite, lines of salt heaped behind the door and the window sil s. The view of the Strip was stunning, but I couldn’t appreciate it. I was busy worrying about Bran. Eyes narrowed, his body tensed as he stomped from room to room, searching for, I don’t know, clues or something, he didn’t speak. Moaning creeks fol owed thuds came from inside the wal s.

“What’s that?” I glanced around and shivered.

Bran didn’t answer.

“Do you think the hounds got him?” I asked.

“Yes…no…I don’t know.” He disappeared into the bedroom. I heard a thud as though he kicked something or threw an object across the room. Heart pounding, I joined him to find him pacing.

The groans and squeaks grew in pitch, as though hel hounds were crawling inside the wal s and putting pressure on the foundation. Bran seemed oblivious to the sounds as he searched each suite, even the ones the others already checked, anger shooting from him in droves, his movements jerky.

He stopped inside the last room, gripped the window, and glared outside.

“He’s gone, man,” Remy said. He and the others loomed in the doorway. No one looked happy.

“We’re wasting our time here.”

Bran stayed by the window, his back to us. “I know. Whoever came with the hounds got him.”

“We don’t know that,” I rushed to add. “Maybe they spooked him and he took off. We can stop by that place you usual y leave him messages, Bran, and see if he left something for you.”

“What is that creepy sound?” Izzy asked, glancing around.

“Water pipes,” Sykes explained. “The water pressure must be off.”

Realization hit me. Bran had the ability to control water. His frustration, cold and violent like a downpour, crashed into my psyche, but it was also affecting the water around us. The groans rose and reached fever pitch. Any moment, I expected the wal s to explode.

Glancing over my shoulder, I linked with the others.
Do you guys mind waiting for us at the
restaurant? We’ll catch up.

No one moved. They had also reached the same conclusion about the origin of the sounds and wore worried expressions.

Please,
I added.

One by one, they left.

We’ll be at the Eiffel Tower Restaurant,
Remy said before he closed the door behind him.

Taking a deep breath, I walked to where Bran stood, wrapped my arms around his waist, and rested my cheek on his back. At first, he didn’t respond, his body rigid, muscles taut. His frustration and the protesting water pipes assaulted my senses.

In the bathroom, water hissed as the faucets and showers turned on fol owed by the gurgling sounds of the toilet draining. I held him tighter, for once wishing I could take his disappointment away.

We just stood there until the sounds disappeared. He covered my hands with his and sighed. “Sorry about that.”

“That’s okay.” I caused an electric storm when I first got my powers, so I understood how crazy things happened when one of us got ticked off. This was a first for Bran, so I wasn’t sure whether to be worried or not.