into his head in hiding. I’d seen his body split apart once before, saw reptilian skin and demonic eyes hidden under the skin in places that eyes weren’t meant to be. But now it was like his human mask was pulled too tight, and as each of those interior eyes shifted, so did the flesh that hid them.
Lucien writhed on the ground as his body started to shudder apart. I looked up in sudden fear, but the rest of the wake had their eyes turned away. In fact, no one was paying us any attention at all.
That’s when I saw the look on Jason’s face, equal parts appalled and unsure about what he was looking at. Even still, there was a sense of concentration in his eyes, like he knew exactly what was going on everywhere else in the building, and he was making sure no one else noticed here.
The bells rang twelve times in total, and they coincided with twelve different seizures on Lucien’s part.
So that was what Grace meant. The bells had done more than just make him a little uncomfortable, which is what I would have expected.
I crouched down in front of Lucien once the last bell had started to fade, and straightened the front of his suit coat, easing the lapels back into place before patting him on the shoulders. “You really should have seen that coming, asshole,” I said, smiling for the first time in days.
seven
Jason pulled me out of the wake immediately. I expected rage, or at least some yelling. Something to express just how pissed off he was at me. At how stupid I’d been to provoke Lucien the way I had. But Jason didn’t say anything at all as he led us back out to the town car that had driven us across town.
Trey followed us outside. I pulled my coat closer against my chest as a harsh wind swept up off the harbor. Both of them kept looking at me, snatching glances every time they thought my eyes were somewhere else. What had happened to Lucien was unexpected, but they both thought I had something to do with it. I didn’t have the heart to tell them that my power hadn’t secretly returned. I wasn’t playing possum. I’d let Grace do all the heavy lifting for me.
“Take him home. Watch him,” Jason said gruffly once we reached the car.
I turned around, confused, before realizing that Trey was ushering me into the car and then taking Jason’s place next to me. “What—” I started to ask before my father slammed the door in on the two of us. I shifted in my seat towards Trey. “What’s going on?”
Trey’s forehead was lines of tension, college ruled. “How’d you do that?” he questioned. “Did it come back? You should have said som ething.”
“I didn’t do that,” I said, and then I followed it up with a lie, turning away from Trey. “I don’t know what happened. I’m still empty.”
“ Something happened to him, Braden. You’re the only one I’ve ever seen hurt him before.”
“That’s because I’m the only one stupid enough to try.” I looked out the window. We were heading along the harbor, and I stared at all the ships that had been pulled from the water for the winter. Lucien would never forget what had happened. I’d already earned his enmity, but now I’d not only humbled him, I’d tweaked his nose while doing it. If he hadn’t wanted me dead before, he’d want me dead now.
Was that why I did it? I could have left well enough alone, let him be hobbled by the bells and gone on with my life. But I’d had to engage, had to be there to witness it. And now he was going to come after me in revenge.
Of course, he’d have to stand in line.
“I think Jason’s starting to warm up to me,” Trey said from next to me, sounding entirely too pleased with himself.
“He let you get in the car; he didn’t buy you a friendship bracelet,” I said dryly. “Plus, I think he’s expecting you to play babysitter. Make sure I don’t go on a demon-taunting rampage throughout the city.”
Trey eyed me, a hint of a smile threatening the corners of his mouth. “I wouldn’t
Lucien writhed on the ground as his body started to shudder apart. I looked up in sudden fear, but the rest of the wake had their eyes turned away. In fact, no one was paying us any attention at all.
That’s when I saw the look on Jason’s face, equal parts appalled and unsure about what he was looking at. Even still, there was a sense of concentration in his eyes, like he knew exactly what was going on everywhere else in the building, and he was making sure no one else noticed here.
The bells rang twelve times in total, and they coincided with twelve different seizures on Lucien’s part.
So that was what Grace meant. The bells had done more than just make him a little uncomfortable, which is what I would have expected.
I crouched down in front of Lucien once the last bell had started to fade, and straightened the front of his suit coat, easing the lapels back into place before patting him on the shoulders. “You really should have seen that coming, asshole,” I said, smiling for the first time in days.
seven
Jason pulled me out of the wake immediately. I expected rage, or at least some yelling. Something to express just how pissed off he was at me. At how stupid I’d been to provoke Lucien the way I had. But Jason didn’t say anything at all as he led us back out to the town car that had driven us across town.
Trey followed us outside. I pulled my coat closer against my chest as a harsh wind swept up off the harbor. Both of them kept looking at me, snatching glances every time they thought my eyes were somewhere else. What had happened to Lucien was unexpected, but they both thought I had something to do with it. I didn’t have the heart to tell them that my power hadn’t secretly returned. I wasn’t playing possum. I’d let Grace do all the heavy lifting for me.
“Take him home. Watch him,” Jason said gruffly once we reached the car.
I turned around, confused, before realizing that Trey was ushering me into the car and then taking Jason’s place next to me. “What—” I started to ask before my father slammed the door in on the two of us. I shifted in my seat towards Trey. “What’s going on?”
Trey’s forehead was lines of tension, college ruled. “How’d you do that?” he questioned. “Did it come back? You should have said som ething.”
“I didn’t do that,” I said, and then I followed it up with a lie, turning away from Trey. “I don’t know what happened. I’m still empty.”
“ Something happened to him, Braden. You’re the only one I’ve ever seen hurt him before.”
“That’s because I’m the only one stupid enough to try.” I looked out the window. We were heading along the harbor, and I stared at all the ships that had been pulled from the water for the winter. Lucien would never forget what had happened. I’d already earned his enmity, but now I’d not only humbled him, I’d tweaked his nose while doing it. If he hadn’t wanted me dead before, he’d want me dead now.
Was that why I did it? I could have left well enough alone, let him be hobbled by the bells and gone on with my life. But I’d had to engage, had to be there to witness it. And now he was going to come after me in revenge.
Of course, he’d have to stand in line.
“I think Jason’s starting to warm up to me,” Trey said from next to me, sounding entirely too pleased with himself.
“He let you get in the car; he didn’t buy you a friendship bracelet,” I said dryly. “Plus, I think he’s expecting you to play babysitter. Make sure I don’t go on a demon-taunting rampage throughout the city.”
Trey eyed me, a hint of a smile threatening the corners of his mouth. “I wouldn’t
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