“You don’t remember our pactus, but you do the day I was being a jackass.”
“I know I said I didn’t want to mind-blend, but that’s one memory I want back.”
“We can mind-blend when we get home. As for Kieran’s computer, I want to track down Gavyn and to do that I have to find Mount Hermon.”
We entered the main floor of the restaurant, which was L-shaped, and wove our way past booths and couples lost in their little worlds. With the menu from clairvoyant crystals, floating drinks and beautiful décor, it looked like Gavyn’s restaurant, except it was spacious and hatred-free.
Bran led me past a set of doors and onto the balcony. The view of downtown L.A. was spectacular, but my eyes were drawn to Kim, Izzy, Sykes, and Remy. They were having a heated discussion at a corner table. Six glasses of water with bobbing chunks of ice sat untouched before them.
“No, no, the senior Cardinals must know what’s going on because the Tribe has been going after Damned Humans since last week,” Kim said as we got closer.
“You can’t know that,” Izzy protested. “You think the worst of them all the time.”
“Are you listening to yourself? Fact, ever since we started hunting, they’ve hidden things from us. Case in point,” she jerked her head toward me, “they knew about Valafar’s existence and never told Lil. When Bran’s feathers started to fall, they never told us. They’ve known about the Tribe since last week, maybe even longer, but once again, they…never…told us. They keep treating us like children,” Kim added through gritted teeth. “We face demons every day, just like them. We should demand equal access to information.”
“On with the revolution,” Sykes said, waving an imaginary flag. “Downtrodden junior Cardinals demand equal access to intel and a pay raise.”
“Pay raise?” Izzy asked.
Sykes shrugged. “I need a new car, preferably a new model of—”
“The Mustang you totaled last year,” Izzy cut him off and shook her head. “We know. You’ve been singing about it the entire summer. Your obsession with fast cars is senseless. Now if you don’t have anything to contribute to the discussion…”
“Lil made a demonic weapon catch fire and spooked an entire restaurant of demons,” Sykes said then spread his arms to indicate the table. “Discuss.”
All eyes turned in my direction. I kicked him under the table.
“Ouch!” He glared at me, then spoiled it by smirking.
“I’ll be in Keiran’s office,” Bran said and squeezed my shoulder.
“Why?” Remy asked before Bran could leave.
“Keiran is going to help me find Mount Hermon, which could lead us to Gavyn and the Summoners. I’ll fill you in when I get back.” Another gentle squeeze of my shoulder and he added telepathically, if that headache is still bothering you when I come back, I’ll take care of it.
“You still have the headache,” Remy asked after Bran left.
“It’s nothing,” I mumbled, picked up a glass of water, took a sip, and pressed the cool glass against my throbbing temple.
Remy frowned. “How bad is it?”
I shrugged, hating that everyone’s attention was on me and that I could once again hear their thoughts. “It comes and goes, and ‘going home so I can rest’, as some of you are thinking, will not make it go away.”
“Are your powers on and off, too? Is that why you didn’t stop the knife when that child tried to kill you?” Izzy asked.
“See? I knew we’d come back to the knife,” Sykes said, smirking. “Glare at me all you want, Lil, but something is happening to you. You’ve held demonic weapons before and never destroyed them. And your eyes glowed like they did when you fainted on the island. And you healed the cut on Bran’s brow with just a touch.”
“She did?” Izzy asked.
Did he spend time watching my every movement? “What else can you do?” he added and leaned forward. The others leaned forward, too.
I sighed and put my glass down. “I don’t know. My powers and new abilities come and go.” I covered Sykes’ hand with one of mine and waited. When I lifted my hand, the red bruises on his knuckles were still there. “See? I can’t do it now. The writings from the Kris appeared on my hand just before the knife went poof. I healed Bran afterwards, but there were no ancient writings on my skin then. They must come out when I’m in danger.”
“Should we test that theory?” Kim pulled out a dagger from inside her boot.
“I think she meant danger from a demon.” Remy glanced at the Brotherhood men and women at the nearby tables, then added, “Let’s talk about something else.”
“Like what?” Izzy asked but her gaze was on my hands, as if staring at them would force the markings to appear. “This is much more interesting. It’s like having a human Kris Dagger.”
“Lil the lethal weapon,” Sykes added.
I winced at the word “weapon”. My gaze connected with Remy’s. He was scowling.
“Seriously, guys,” he warned sharply. “Change the subject.”
The others didn’t mask their surprise at his sharpness.
“Okay, let’s talk about Bran’s brother,” Kim said, “And how I’d like to send him to Tartarus piece by piece.”
“Brutal,” Sykes said, smirking.
“Don’t you want to see him suffer?” Kim asked.
I tuned them out as they discussed everything they hated about Gavyn Llyr. Finally I couldn’t take it anymore. Gavyn was Bran’s brother, and whether he should be sent to Tartarus or not depended on Bran.
“You know there’s no proof he helped summon the Tribe,” I said when there was a pause in their rant. “We can’t just jump on the bandwagon because Bran thinks he’s guilty.”
“Why are you giving that fiend the benefit of doubt?” Sykes asked. “He’s never done anything to deserve it. Come to think of it, Valafar would not have known of your existence if it weren’t for Gavyn.”
“I don’t understand why Bran keeps hoping he would change,” Kim added.
“Gavyn wasn’t always evil,” I said.
Sykes faked shock. “You mean he wasn’t born with a trident, horns and a red skin?”
I laughed. “Before his father tried to escape with them from Coronis Isle, Gavyn was your typical big brother. He watched out for Bran and Celeste. In fact, he was the family jokester. Their mother hated being mated with a Guardian and took it out on them.” I explained everything Bran had told me about their upbringing, then the attempt to escape with their father and what happened afterward. “Their mother torched the Guardian amulet Bran wore and tortured them for weeks.”
“You mean the scar…” Izzy touched her chest.
I nodded. “You asked about it before, but I couldn’t say anything because you guys weren’t exactly crazy about him joining the Guardians, but things are different now. He’s one of us.”
“What did the mother do?” Remy cut in.
“She kept Bran in a shack somewhere in the forest and made sure he couldn’t self-heal, so that the burn scarred.” I’d never forget Bran’s pain when he’d narrated the story. “Celeste found him, sneaked him food and nursed him. Gavyn wasn’t so lucky. Their mother and her guards kept him somewhere underground and tortured him. Before, he had black hair like Celeste and Bran. When they finished with him, it was all white.”
There was silence.
“He became a carbon copy of his mother after they finished with him,” I continued. “Cold and ruthless. Bran sees the brother he once was, not the soulless jerk he’s become. That’s why he will do everything in his power to help him.”
“Poor Bran and Celeste,” Izzy said.
“I’ll try to be nicer to her from now on,” Kim added.