cool, you mean? Other than being just a little tougher, I got zilch. No cool abilities.”
“So you’re saying you’re normal.”
Such an evil word, normal. One of the worst in the English language, in my opinion.
“Suckily so. Human-demon hybrids—not that we’re common—don’t inherit any special tricks. Something to do with the genetics not mixing well, I dunno.”
“Is that why you don’t see your father often? Because he’s a demon?”
“Most can’t leave the Shadow Realm without special permission. Like a temporary hall pass… It requires rank. Dad’s a lower ranking demon. Unless he’s on official business, he needs his boss Valefar’s permission to be here. Plus, Mom doesn’t like his
“His element? What does that mean?” Lukas set down the mug and scrunched up his nose. God. I loved when he did that.
“She doesn’t like the work he does for Valefar. Dad’s like the demon equivalent of a mafia hit man. She didn’t want me exposed to that kind of world—which is funny considering what we deal with for the agency on a daily basis. Dad agrees, so he keeps his distance for the most part. He sends letters and gifts, and we talk on the phone now and then, but that’s about it. He spent a lot of time here when I was younger, but when I got old enough to start asking questions, he came less and less.”
He looked confused. “I thought you said he was a good guy.”
And here’s where the different shades of gray came in. “He’s not what you’d consider good in, like, the biblical sense. But he loves us—me and Mom—and he doesn’t harm anyone who hasn’t earned it.”
“Hasn’t earned it?” Lukas looked horrified. “Who’s to say who
Gah! How could you want to strangle someone
He frowned. “I can’t believe that.”
I shrugged. “That doesn’t mean it’s not true.”
The look on his face made me feel guilty again. Was it really so wrong to let him cling to his version of a peaceful world? The fact that he was still able to see goodness after all the hell he’d been through was pretty amazing. Rare. The guy was rare. Deadly and tainted by Wrath, but at his core, innocent and good. Who was I to try and jade him?
Craps.
Hanging out with Lukas was killing my conscience. Not that I’d admit it—especially to him—but it was kind of nice to talk to someone who didn’t see the dirty sides of the coin. In our line of business, you kind of had to look for the bad. Had to always be suspicious. Lukas was a refreshing difference. A little like Mom. He wanted to see the light instead of the dark. The good over the bad.
I sighed and went for something in the middle. “Look, not
Silence. I started to stand, figuring after my rant he didn’t feel like talking anymore, but he stopped me. “It’s your turn.”
Instead of sitting back down in the recliner, I sank onto the couch next to him. Closer than I’d intended. There was one question burning at the back of my brain. It was a risky one, given the subject, but I had to know. “Did you love her?”
“Who?”
“Meredith. Were you in love with her?”
He didn’t answer right away. Gazing into his mug like it held the secrets of the universe, he sighed. “No. She was beautiful, yes, but she lacked substance. There were never any surprises.”
“Then why marry her? Why talk her out of running off with someone else? If she left, you could have been free.”
“Because we were promised to each other. It was the right thing to do. I could never have dishonored my mother by refusing.” He set the empty mug down and leaned forward, resting both elbows atop his knees.
“I can’t imagine being with someone I didn’t love.” I laughed. “I can’t even stand to be in the room with someone I don’t
“You’ve been in love?”
“I didn’t say that.”
“What you said—I assumed—”
“Hell no. I’m not stupid.” This was a sore subject for me, but fair was fair. He’d spilled about Meredith, so the least I could do was even things out. “I see what my parents go through. They love each other more than the air they breathe, and it’s done nothing but cause them pain.”
“So then you haven’t agreed to be courted?”
I choked, sending hot cocoa shooting from my nose. Better than soda, but it still stung like a mother. “Courted? We call it dating now, and, um, no. I don’t date.”
“Why don’t you—date?”
I tried to squash the happy little wiggle that squirmed in my stomach at his question. Why was he asking? Was he interested? “First off, there’s no one at my school I’d even consider dating.”
“Why not?”
“They just can’t appreciate a girl like me.”
He smiled. “Beautiful, but unbelievably annoying?”
Major pulse spike. Maybe I’d been a little lax in the male attention department if the first guy to call me hot to my face sent me into a hormonal frenzy. I held my breath.
Gesturing to myself, I said, “Beautiful?—hardly. Cute, maybe. But I was referring to my deeper characteristics.”
“Such as?”
“Oh, I dunno—funny, smart—able to kick most of their asses.” I snorted. “That bugs all guys.”
Lukas’ smile faded. “Not all.”
The wiggle in my stomach came back and, this time, I did nothing to push it away. Craps. The truth came stomping through the room like a were on steroids…
I was totally falling for one of The Seven Deadly Sins.
Chapter Fourteen
“Jessie!”
At first, all I saw was a mass of black hair. I smelled fabric softener and the faint, lingering hint of chocolate. When I tried to move my legs and found them stuck, I pulled back.
Oh, hell in a hail storm…
Now I understood why Mom sounded so pissed, and under the circumstances, I really couldn’t blame her.
My leg wouldn’t move because it was wrapped around Lukas’.
“Whoa. Whatever it is you’re thinking, this
Lukas stirred. When he opened his eyes and saw me, he paled and tried scooting away, but we were too tangled. He tumbled off the couch to the floor, pulling me down, too. I landed hard with my arm folded awkwardly behind his back. Something metallic under the couch caught my eye. I untangled myself and pulled it out, giving it a quick shake. “Oh, look. I found your keys!”
She didn’t look particularly thankful. “Not my keys.”
